[NYTr] A Timeline of CIA Atrocities (through 1993) & Beginner's Bibliography
All the News That Doesn't Fit
Introduction:
This Timeline only goes through 1993, when it was apparently composed.
But it's a very useful history for those who don't know about the early
days of the CIA's crimes. It is primarily based on William Blum's great
book "Killing Hope." To read more from Blum, see his website from which
you an also order his books. Parts of this book, and his others are
all available to read on his site, http://www.killinghope.org/
Blum's Books include:
* Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since World War 2
* Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower
* West-Bloc Dissident: A Cold War Memoir
* Freeing the World to Death: Essays on the American Empire
Blum also produces a monthly "Anti-Empire Report" which NY Transfer
distributes.
Other valuable sources not listed here by Kangas include Philip Agee's
"Inside the Company: A CIA Diary" (1974) and his later book "On the
Run," as well as an invaluable book on the Iranian Revolution and the
US agents among those captured at the American Embassy (aka The Nest of
Spies) in Tehran on Nov 4, 1979; "Diry Work: The CIA in Western
Europe" by Agee and Louis Wolf (Editor); "Dirty Work 2: The CIA in
Africa" edited by Ellen Ray, William Schaap, K. Van Meter and Louis
Wolf; the periodical "Covert Action Information Bulletin" (CAIB), which
became the less-frequently published and tamer "Covert Action
Quarterly" after the Intelligence Agents' Identity Protection Action
was passed; as well as the journal "CounterSpy," somewhat less reliable
than CAIB.
There are a host of books on the CIA's secret air war in Laos from
1955-1975 and a similar large bibliography just on Vietnam; on
Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk's "My War with the CIA" (1974); and several
excellent studies by Alfred McCoy on the CIA's guns-for-drugs
trade including on The Golden Triangle: "The politics of heroin in
Southeast Asia."
Other histories are "The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence" by Steven
Marchetti and John Marks (1974); Joseph Burkholder Smith's CIA memoir
"Portrait of a Cold Warrior" (1976); John Stockwell's "In Search of
Enemies" (1978), Ralph McGehee's "Deadly Deceits: My 25 Yeers with the
CIA" 1983), which he permitted the CIA to censor, alas; David C.
Martin's "Wilderness of Mirrors"; a book edited by V. Chernyavsky,
published in the USSR, called "CIA in the Dock: Soviet Journalists on
Internationalist Terrorism" (1983); "Blond Ghost" by David Corn;
numerous books on the CIA's coups and destabilization campaigns in
Guatemala, Jamaica, Grenada, Nicaragua and Chile -- too many to list
here -- and whole libraries of books on the decades of unsuccessful
efforts to reverse Cuba's Revolution.
Finally an invaluable resource online for domestic and foreign
intelligence is Daniel Brandt's Namebase at http://www.namebase.org
which includes names, books, articles, and intelligence-related cluster
analysis diagrams.
On the NSA, the best sources are "The Puzzle Palace" and "Body of
Secrets" by James Bamford.
Domestic CIA and FBI Operations like MK-ULTRA and COINTELPRO require
their own bibliographies, but "The Search for the Manchurian Candidate:
The CIA and Mind Control" (1979), by John Marks is a good place to
start for MK-ULTRA history. And that's just a beginner's reading list.
Serious study of COINTELPRO, other FBI domestic spying, and the
JFK Assassination are each careers of their own. -NY Transfer
***
Liberal Resurgent
http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/CIAtimeline.html
A Timeline of CIA Atrocities
By Steve Kangas
The following timeline describes just a few of the hundreds of
atrocities and crimes committed by the CIA. (1)
CIA operations follow the same recurring script. First, American
business interests abroad are threatened by a popular or democratically
elected leader. The people support their leader because he intends to
conduct land reform, strengthen unions, redistribute wealth,
nationalize foreign-owned industry, and regulate business to protect
workers, consumers and the environment. So, on behalf of American
business, and often with their help, the CIA mobilizes the opposition.
First it identifies right-wing groups within the country (usually the
military), and offers them a deal: "We'll put you in power if you
maintain a favorable business climate for us." The Agency then hires,
trains and works with them to overthrow the existing government
(usually a democracy). It uses every trick in the book: propaganda,
stuffed ballot boxes, purchased elections, extortion, blackmail, sexual
intrigue, false stories about opponents in the local media,
infiltration and disruption of opposing political parties, kidnapping,
beating, torture, intimidation, economic sabotage, death squads and
even assassination. These efforts culminate in a military coup, which
installs a right-wing dictator. The CIA trains the dictatorbs security
apparatus to crack down on the traditional enemies of big business,
using interrogation, torture and murder. The victims are said to be
"communists," but almost always they are just peasants, liberals,
moderates, labor union leaders, political opponents and advocates of
free speech and democracy. Widespread human rights abuses follow.
This scenario has been repeated so many times that the CIA actually
teaches it in a special school, the notorious "School of the
Americas." (It opened in Panama but later moved to Fort Benning,
Georgia.) Critics have nicknamed it the "School of the Dictators" and
"School of the Assassins." Here, the CIA trains Latin American military
officers how to conduct coups, including the use of interrogation,
torture and murder.
The Association for Responsible Dissent estimates that by 1987, 6
million people had died as a result of CIA covert operations. (2)
Former State Department official William Blum correctly calls this an
"American Holocaust."
The CIA justifies these actions as part of its war against communism.
But most coups do not involve a communist threat. Unlucky nations are
targeted for a wide variety of reasons: not only threats to American
business interests abroad, but also liberal or even moderate social
reforms, political instability, the unwillingness of a leader to carry
out Washingtonbs dictates, and declarations of neutrality in the Cold
War. Indeed, nothing has infuriated CIA Directors quite like a nationbs
desire to stay out of the Cold War.
The ironic thing about all this intervention is that it frequently
fails to achieve American objectives. Often the newly installed
dictator grows comfortable with the security apparatus the CIA has
built for him. He becomes an expert at running a police state. And
because the dictator knows he cannot be overthrown, he becomes
independent and defiant of Washington's will. The CIA then finds it
cannot overthrow him, because the police and military are under the
dictator's control, afraid to cooperate with American spies for fear of
torture and execution. The only two options for the U.S at this point
are impotence or war. Examples of this "boomerang effect" include the
Shah of Iran, General Noriega and Saddam Hussein. The boomerang effect
also explains why the CIA has proven highly successful at overthrowing
democracies, but a wretched failure at overthrowing dictatorships.
The following timeline should confirm that the CIA as we know it should
be abolished and replaced by a true information-gathering and analysis
organization. The CIA cannot be reformed b it is institutionally and
culturally corrupt.
1929
The culture we lost b Secretary of State Henry Stimson refuses to
endorse a code-breaking operation, saying, "Gentlemen do not read each
otherbs mail."
1941
COI created b In preparation for World War II, President Roosevelt
creates the Office of Coordinator of Information (COI). General William
"Wild Bill" Donovan heads the new intelligence service.
1942
OSS created b Roosevelt restructures COI into something more suitable
for covert action, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Donovan
recruits so many of the nationbs rich and powerful that eventually
people joke that "OSS" stands for "Oh, so social!" or "Oh, such snobs!"
1943
Italy b Donovan recruits the Catholic Church in Rome to be the center
of Anglo-American spy operations in Fascist Italy. This would prove to
be one of Americabs most enduring intelligence alliances in the Cold
War.
1945
OSS is abolished b The remaining American information agencies cease
covert actions and return to harmless information gathering and
analysis.
Operation PAPERCLIP b While other American agencies are hunting down
Nazi war criminals for arrest, the U.S. intelligence community is
smuggling them into America, unpunished, for their use against the
Soviets. The most important of these is Reinhard Gehlen, Hitlerbs
master spy who had built up an intelligence network in the Soviet
Union. With full U.S. blessing, he creates the "Gehlen Organization," a
band of refugee Nazi spies who reactivate their networks in Russia.
These include SS intelligence officers Alfred Six and Emil Augsburg
(who massacred Jews in the Holocaust), Klaus Barbie (the "Butcher of
Lyon"), Otto von Bolschwing (the Holocaust mastermind who worked with
Eichmann) and SS Colonel Otto Skorzeny (a personal friend of Hitlerbs).
The Gehlen Organization supplies the U.S. with its only intelligence on
the Soviet Union for the next ten years, serving as a bridge between
the abolishment of the OSS and the creation of the CIA. However, much
of the "intelligence" the former Nazis provide is bogus. Gehlen
inflates Soviet military capabilities at a time when Russia is still
rebuilding its devastated society, in order to inflate his own
importance to the Americans (who might otherwise punish him). In 1948,
Gehlen almost convinces the Americans that war is imminent, and the
West should make a preemptive strike. In the 50s he produces a
fictitious "missile gap." To make matters worse, the Russians have
thoroughly penetrated the Gehlen Organization with double agents,
undermining the very American security that Gehlen was supposed to
protect.
1947
Greece b President Truman requests military aid to Greece to support
right-wing forces fighting communist rebels. For the rest of the Cold
War, Washington and the CIA will back notorious Greek leaders with
deplorable human rights records.
CIA created b President Truman signs the National Security Act of 1947,
creating the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Council.
The CIA is accountable to the president through the NSC b there is no
democratic or congressional oversight. Its charter allows the CIA to
"perform such other functions and dutiesb& as the National Security
Council may from time to time direct." This loophole opens the door to
covert action and dirty tricks.
1948
Covert-action wing created b The CIA recreates a covert action wing,
innocuously called the Office of Policy Coordination, led by Wall
Street lawyer Frank Wisner. According to its secret charter, its
responsibilities include "propaganda, economic warfare, preventive
direct action, including sabotage, antisabotage, demolition and
evacuation procedures; subversion against hostile states, including
assistance to underground resistance groups, and support of indigenous
anti-communist elements in threatened countries of the free world."
Italy b The CIA corrupts democratic elections in Italy, where Italian
communists threaten to win the elections. The CIA buys votes,
broadcasts propaganda, threatens and beats up opposition leaders, and
infiltrates and disrupts their organizations. It works -- the
communists are defeated.
1949
Radio Free Europe b The CIA creates its first major propaganda outlet,
Radio Free Europe. Over the next several decades, its broadcasts are so
blatantly false that for a time it is considered illegal to publish
transcripts of them in the U.S.
Late 40s
Operation MOCKINGBIRD b The CIA begins recruiting American news
organizations and journalists to become spies and disseminators of
propaganda. The effort is headed by Frank Wisner, Allan Dulles, Richard
Helms and Philip Graham. Graham is publisher of The Washington Post,
which becomes a major CIA player. Eventually, the CIAbs media assets
will include ABC, NBC, CBS, Time, Newsweek, Associated Press, United
Press International, Reuters, Hearst Newspapers, Scripps-Howard, Copley
News Service and more. By the CIAbs own admission, at least 25
organizations and 400 journalists will become CIA assets.
1953
Iran b CIA overthrows the democratically elected Mohammed Mossadegh in
a military coup, after he threatened to nationalize British oil. The
CIA replaces him with a dictator, the Shah of Iran, whose secret
police, SAVAK, is as brutal as the Gestapo.
Operation MK-ULTRA b Inspired by North Koreabs brainwashing program,
the CIA begins experiments on mind control. The most notorious part of
this project involves giving LSD and other drugs to American subjects
without their knowledge or against their will, causing several to
commit suicide. However, the operation involves far more than this.
Funded in part by the Rockefeller and Ford foundations, research
includes propaganda, brainwashing, public relations, advertising,
hypnosis, and other forms of suggestion.
1954
Guatemala b CIA overthrows the democratically elected Jacob Arbenz in a
military coup. Arbenz has threatened to nationalize the
Rockefeller-owned United Fruit Company, in which CIA Director Allen
Dulles also owns stock. Arbenz is replaced with a series of right-wing
dictators whose bloodthirsty policies will kill over 100,000
Guatemalans in the next 40 years.
1954-1958
North Vietnam b CIA officer Edward Lansdale spends four years trying to
overthrow the communist government of North Vietnam, using all the
usual dirty tricks. The CIA also attempts to legitimize a tyrannical
puppet regime in South Vietnam, headed by Ngo Dinh Diem. These efforts
fail to win the hearts and minds of the South Vietnamese because the
Diem government is opposed to true democracy, land reform and poverty
reduction measures. The CIAbs continuing failure results in escalating
American intervention, culminating in the Vietnam War.
1956
Hungary b Radio Free Europe incites Hungary to revolt by broadcasting
Khruschevbs Secret Speech, in which he denounced Stalin. It also hints
that American aid will help the Hungarians fight. This aid fails to
materialize as Hungarians launch a doomed armed revolt, which only
invites a major Soviet invasion. The conflict kills 7,000 Soviets and
30,000 Hungarians.
1957-1973
Laos b The CIA carries out approximately one coup per year trying to
nullify Laosb democratic elections. The problem is the Pathet Lao, a
leftist group with enough popular support to be a member of any
coalition government. In the late 50s, the CIA even creates an "Armee
Clandestine" of Asian mercenaries to attack the Pathet Lao. After the
CIAbs army suffers numerous defeats, the U.S. starts bombing, dropping
more bombs on Laos than all the U.S. bombs dropped in World War II. A
quarter of all Laotians will eventually become refugees, many living in
caves.
1959
Haiti b The U.S. military helps "Papa Doc" Duvalier become dictator of
Haiti. He creates his own private police force, the "Tonton Macoutes,"
who terrorize the population with machetes. They will kill over 100,000
during the Duvalier family reign. The U.S. does not protest their
dismal human rights record.
1961
The Bay of Pigs b The CIA sends 1,500 Cuban exiles to invade Castrobs
Cuba. But "Operation Mongoose" fails, due to poor planning, security
and backing. The planners had imagined that the invasion will spark a
popular uprising against Castro -b which never happens. A promised
American air strike also never occurs. This is the CIAbs first public
setback, causing President Kennedy to fire CIA Director Allen Dulles.
Dominican Republic b The CIA assassinates Rafael Trujillo, a murderous
dictator Washington has supported since 1930. Trujillobs business
interests have grown so large (about 60 percent of the economy) that
they have begun competing with American business interests.
Ecuador b The CIA-backed military forces the democratically elected
President Jose Velasco to resign. Vice President Carlos Arosemana
replaces him; the CIA fills the now vacant vice presidency with its own
man.
Congo (Zaire) b The CIA assassinates the democratically elected Patrice
Lumumba. However, public support for Lumumbabs politics runs so high
that the CIA cannot clearly install his opponents in power. Four years
of political turmoil follow.
1963
Dominican Republic b The CIA overthrows the democratically elected Juan
Bosch in a military coup. The CIA installs a repressive, right-wing
junta.
Ecuador b A CIA-backed military coup overthrows President Arosemana,
whose independent (not socialist) policies have become unacceptable to
Washington. A military junta assumes command, cancels the 1964
elections, and begins abusing human rights.
1964
Brazil b A CIA-backed military coup overthrows the democratically
elected government of Joao Goulart. The junta that replaces it will, in
the next two decades, become one of the most bloodthirsty in history.
General Castelo Branco will create Latin Americabs first death squads,
or bands of secret police who hunt down "communists" for torture,
interrogation and murder. Often these "communists" are no more than
Brancobs political opponents. Later it is revealed that the CIA trains
the death squads.
1965
Indonesia b The CIA overthrows the democratically elected Sukarno with
a military coup. The CIA has been trying to eliminate Sukarno since
1957, using everything from attempted assassination to sexual intrigue,
for nothing more than his declaring neutrality in the Cold War. His
successor, General Suharto, will massacre between 500,000 to 1 million
civilians accused of being "communist." The CIA supplies the names of
countless suspects.
Dominican Republic b A popular rebellion breaks out, promising to
reinstall Juan Bosch as the countrybs elected leader. The revolution is
crushed when U.S. Marines land to uphold the military regime by force.
The CIA directs everything behind the scenes.
Greece b With the CIAbs backing, the king removes George Papandreous as
prime minister. Papandreous has failed to vigorously support U.S.
interests in Greece.
Congo (Zaire) b A CIA-backed military coup installs Mobutu Sese Seko as
dictator. The hated and repressive Mobutu exploits his desperately poor
country for billions.
1966
The Ramparts Affair b The radical magazine Ramparts begins a series of
unprecedented anti-CIA articles. Among their scoops: the CIA has paid
the University of Michigan $25 million dollars to hire "professors" to
train South Vietnamese students in covert police methods. MIT and other
universities have received similar payments. Ramparts also reveals that
the National Studentsb Association is a CIA front. Students are
sometimes recruited through blackmail and bribery, including draft
deferments.
1967
Greece b A CIA-backed military coup overthrows the government two days
before the elections. The favorite to win was George Papandreous, the
liberal candidate. During the next six years, the "reign of the
colonels" b backed by the CIA b will usher in the widespread use of
torture and murder against political opponents. When a Greek ambassador
objects to President Johnson about U.S. plans for Cypress, Johnson
tells him: "Fuck your parliament and your constitution."
Operation PHEONIX b The CIA helps South Vietnamese agents identify and
then murder alleged Viet Cong leaders operating in South Vietnamese
villages. According to a 1971 congressional report, this operation
killed about 20,000 "Viet Cong."
1968
Operation CHAOS b The CIA has been illegally spying on American
citizens since 1959, but with Operation CHAOS, President Johnson
dramatically boosts the effort. CIA agents go undercover as student
radicals to spy on and disrupt campus organizations protesting the
Vietnam War. They are searching for Russian instigators, which they
never find. CHAOS will eventually spy on 7,000 individuals and 1,000
organizations.
Bolivia b A CIA-organized military operation captures legendary
guerilla Che Guevara. The CIA wants to keep him alive for
interrogation, but the Bolivian government executes him to prevent
worldwide calls for clemency.
1969
Uruguay b The notorious CIA torturer Dan Mitrione arrives in Uruguay, a
country torn with political strife. Whereas right-wing forces
previously used torture only as a last resort, Mitrione convinces them
to use it as a routine, widespread practice. "The precise pain, in the
precise place, in the precise amount, for the desired effect," is his
motto. The torture techniques he teaches to the death squads rival the
Nazisb. He eventually becomes so feared that revolutionaries will
kidnap and murder him a year later.
1970
Cambodia b The CIA overthrows Prince Sahounek, who is highly popular
among Cambodians for keeping them out of the Vietnam War. He is
replaced by CIA puppet Lon Nol, who immediately throws Cambodian troops
into battle. This unpopular move strengthens once minor opposition
parties like the Khmer Rouge, which achieves power in 1975 and
massacres millions of its own people.
1971
Bolivia b After half a decade of CIA-inspired political turmoil, a
CIA-backed military coup overthrows the leftist President Juan Torres.
In the next two years, dictator Hugo Banzer will have over 2,000
political opponents arrested without trial, then tortured, raped and
executed.
Haiti b "Papa Doc" Duvalier dies, leaving his 19-year old son "Baby
Doc" Duvalier the dictator of Haiti. His son continues his bloody reign
with full knowledge of the CIA.
1972
The Case-Zablocki Act b Congress passes an act requiring congressional
review of executive agreements. In theory, this should make CIA
operations more accountable. In fact, it is only marginally effective.
Cambodia b Congress votes to cut off CIA funds for its secret war in
Cambodia.
Wagergate Break-in b President Nixon sends in a team of burglars to
wiretap Democratic offices at Watergate. The team members have
extensive CIA histories, including James McCord, E. Howard Hunt and
five of the Cuban burglars. They work for the Committee to Reelect the
President (CREEP), which does dirty work like disrupting Democratic
campaigns and laundering Nixonbs illegal campaign contributions.
CREEPbs activities are funded and organized by another CIA front, the
Mullen Company.
1973
Chile b The CIA overthrows and assassinates Salvador Allende, Latin
Americabs first democratically elected socialist leader. The problems
begin when Allende nationalizes American-owned firms in Chile. ITT
offers the CIA $1 million for a coup (reportedly refused). The CIA
replaces Allende with General Augusto Pinochet, who will torture and
murder thousands of his own countrymen in a crackdown on labor leaders
and the political left.
CIA begins internal investigations b William Colby, the Deputy Director
for Operations, orders all CIA personnel to report any and all illegal
activities they know about. This information is later reported to
Congress.
Watergate Scandal b The CIAbs main collaborating newspaper in America,
The Washington Post, reports Nixonbs crimes long before any other
newspaper takes up the subject. The two reporters, Woodward and
Bernstein, make almost no mention of the CIAbs many fingerprints all
over the scandal. It is later revealed that Woodward was a Naval
intelligence briefer to the White House, and knows many important
intelligence figures, including General Alexander Haig. His main
source, "Deep Throat," is probably one of those.
CIA Director Helms Fired b President Nixon fires CIA Director Richard
Helms for failing to help cover up the Watergate scandal. Helms and
Nixon have always disliked each other. The new CIA director is William
Colby, who is relatively more open to CIA reform.
1974
CHAOS exposed b Pulitzer prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh
publishes a story about Operation CHAOS, the domestic surveillance and
infiltration of anti-war and civil rights groups in the U.S. The story
sparks national outrage.
Angleton fired b Congress holds hearings on the illegal domestic spying
efforts of James Jesus Angleton, the CIAbs chief of
counterintelligence. His efforts included mail-opening campaigns and
secret surveillance of war protesters. The hearings result in his
dismissal from the CIA.
House clears CIA in Watergate b The House of Representatives clears the
CIA of any complicity in Nixonbs Watergate break-in.
The Hughes Ryan Act b Congress passes an amendment requiring the
president to report nonintelligence CIA operations to the relevant
congressional committees in a timely fashion.
1975
Australia b The CIA helps topple the democratically elected,
left-leaning government of Prime Minister Edward Whitlam. The CIA does
this by giving an ultimatum to its Governor-General, John Kerr. Kerr, a
longtime CIA collaborator, exercises his constitutional right to
dissolve the Whitlam government. The Governor-General is a largely
ceremonial position appointed by the Queen; the Prime Minister is
democratically elected. The use of this archaic and never-used law
stuns the nation.
Angola b Eager to demonstrate American military resolve after its
defeat in Vietnam, Henry Kissinger launches a CIA-backed war in Angola.
Contrary to Kissingerbs assertions, Angola is a country of little
strategic importance and not seriously threatened by communism. The CIA
backs the brutal leader of UNITAS, Jonas Savimbi. This polarizes
Angolan politics and drives his opponents into the arms of Cuba and the
Soviet Union for survival. Congress will cut off funds in 1976, but the
CIA is able to run the war off the books until 1984, when funding is
legalized again. This entirely pointless war kills over 300,000
Angolans.
"The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence" b Victor Marchetti and John
Marks publish this whistle-blowing history of CIA crimes and abuses.
Marchetti has spent 14 years in the CIA, eventually becoming an
executive assistant to the Deputy Director of Intelligence. Marks has
spent five years as an intelligence official in the State Department.
"Inside the Company" b Philip Agee publishes a diary of his life inside
the CIA. Agee has worked in covert operations in Latin America during
the 60s, and details the crimes in which he took part.
Congress investigates CIA wrong-doing b Public outrage compels Congress
to hold hearings on CIA crimes. Senator Frank Church heads the Senate
investigation ("The Church Committee"), and Representative Otis Pike
heads the House investigation. (Despite a 98 percent incumbency
reelection rate, both Church and Pike are defeated in the next
elections.) The investigations lead to a number of reforms intended to
increase the CIAbs accountability to Congress, including the creation
of a standing Senate committee on intelligence. However, the reforms
prove ineffective, as the Iran/Contra scandal will show. It turns out
the CIA can control, deal with or sidestep Congress with ease.
The Rockefeller Commission b In an attempt to reduce the damage done by
the Church Committee, President Ford creates the "Rockefeller
Commission" to whitewash CIA history and propose toothless reforms. The
commissionbs namesake, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, is himself a
major CIA figure. Five of the commissionbs eight members are also
members of the Council on Foreign Relations, a CIA-dominated
organization.
1979
Iran b The CIA fails to predict the fall of the Shah of Iran, a
longtime CIA puppet, and the rise of Muslim fundamentalists who are
furious at the CIAbs backing of SAVAK, the Shahbs bloodthirsty secret
police. In revenge, the Muslims take 52 Americans hostage in the U.S.
embassy in Tehran.
Afghanistan b The Soviets invade Afghanistan. The CIA immediately
begins supplying arms to any faction willing to fight the occupying
Soviets. Such indiscriminate arming means that when the Soviets leave
Afghanistan, civil war will erupt. Also, fanatical Muslim extremists
now possess state-of-the-art weaponry. One of these is Sheik Abdel
Rahman, who will become involved in the World Trade Center bombing in
New York.
El Salvador b An idealistic group of young military officers, repulsed
by the massacre of the poor, overthrows the right-wing government.
However, the U.S. compels the inexperienced officers to include many of
the old guard in key positions in their new government. Soon, things
are back to "normal" b the military government is repressing and
killing poor civilian protesters. Many of the young military and
civilian reformers, finding themselves powerless, resign in disgust.
Nicaragua b Anastasios Samoza II, the CIA-backed dictator, falls. The
Marxist Sandinistas take over government, and they are initially
popular because of their commitment to land and anti-poverty reform.
Samoza had a murderous and hated personal army called the National
Guard. Remnants of the Guard will become the Contras, who fight a
CIA-backed guerilla war against the Sandinista government throughout
the 1980s.
1980
El Salvador b The Archbishop of San Salvador, Oscar Romero, pleads with
President Carter "Christian to Christian" to stop aiding the military
government slaughtering his people. Carter refuses. Shortly afterwards,
right-wing leader Roberto DbAubuisson has Romero shot through the heart
while saying Mass. The country soon dissolves into civil war, with the
peasants in the hills fighting against the military government. The CIA
and U.S. Armed Forces supply the government with overwhelming military
and intelligence superiority. CIA-trained death squads roam the
countryside, committing atrocities like that of El Mazote in 1982,
where they massacre between 700 and 1000 men, women and children. By
1992, some 63,000 Salvadorans will be killed.
1981
Iran/Contra Begins b The CIA begins selling arms to Iran at high
prices, using the profits to arm the Contras fighting the Sandinista
government in Nicaragua. President Reagan vows that the Sandinistas
will be "pressured" until "they say buncle.b" The CIAbs Freedom
Fighterbs Manual disbursed to the Contras includes instruction on
economic sabotage, propaganda, extortion, bribery, blackmail,
interrogation, torture, murder and political assassination.
1983
Honduras b The CIA gives Honduran military officers the Human Resource
Exploitation Training Manual b 1983, which teaches how to torture
people. Hondurasb notorious "Battalion 316" then uses these techniques,
with the CIAbs full knowledge, on thousands of leftist dissidents. At
least 184 are murdered.
1984
The Boland Amendment b The last of a series of Boland Amendments is
passed. These amendments have reduced CIA aid to the Contras; the last
one cuts it off completely. However, CIA Director William Casey is
already prepared to "hand off" the operation to Colonel Oliver North,
who illegally continues supplying the Contras through the CIAbs
informal, secret, and self-financing network. This includes
"humanitarian aid" donated by Adolph Coors and William Simon, and
military aid funded by Iranian arms sales.
1986
Eugene Hasenfus b Nicaragua shoots down a C-123 transport plane
carrying military supplies to the Contras. The lone survivor, Eugene
Hasenfus, turns out to be a CIA employee, as are the two dead pilots.
The airplane belongs to Southern Air Transport, a CIA front. The
incident makes a mockery of President Reaganbs claims that the CIA is
not illegally arming the Contras.
Iran/Contra Scandal b Although the details have long been known, the
Iran/Contra scandal finally captures the mediabs attention in 1986.
Congress holds hearings, and several key figures (like Oliver North)
lie under oath to protect the intelligence community. CIA Director
William Casey dies of brain cancer before Congress can question him.
All reforms enacted by Congress after the scandal are purely cosmetic.
Haiti b Rising popular revolt in Haiti means that "Baby Doc" Duvalier
will remain "President for Life" only if he has a short one. The U.S.,
which hates instability in a puppet country, flies the despotic
Duvalier to the South of France for a comfortable retirement. The CIA
then rigs the upcoming elections in favor of another right-wing
military strongman. However, violence keeps the country in political
turmoil for another four years. The CIA tries to strengthen the
military by creating the National Intelligence Service (SIN), which
suppresses popular revolt through torture and assassination.
1989
Panama b The U.S. invades Panama to overthrow a dictator of its own
making, General Manuel Noriega. Noriega has been on the CIAbs payroll
since 1966, and has been transporting drugs with the CIAbs knowledge
since 1972. By the late 80s, Noriegabs growing independence and
intransigence have angered Washingtonb& so out he goes.
1990
Haiti b Competing against 10 comparatively wealthy candidates, leftist
priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide captures 68 percent of the vote. After
only eight months in power, however, the CIA-backed military deposes
him. More military dictators brutalize the country, as thousands of
Haitian refugees escape the turmoil in barely seaworthy boats. As
popular opinion calls for Aristidebs return, the CIA begins a
disinformation campaign painting the courageous priest as mentally
unstable.
1991
The Gulf War b The U.S. liberates Kuwait from Iraq. But Iraqbs
dictator, Saddam Hussein, is another creature of the CIA. With U.S.
encouragement, Hussein invaded Iran in 1980. During this costly
eight-year war, the CIA built up Husseinbs forces with sophisticated
arms, intelligence, training and financial backing. This cemented
Husseinbs power at home, allowing him to crush the many internal
rebellions that erupted from time to time, sometimes with poison gas.
It also gave him all the military might he needed to conduct further
adventurism b in Kuwait, for example.
The Fall of the Soviet Union b The CIA fails to predict this most
important event of the Cold War. This suggests that it has been so busy
undermining governments that it hasnbt been doing its primary job:
gathering and analyzing information. The fall of the Soviet Union also
robs the CIA of its reason for existence: fighting communism. This
leads some to accuse the CIA of intentionally failing to predict the
downfall of the Soviet Union. Curiously, the intelligence communitybs
budget is not significantly reduced after the demise of communism.
1992
Economic Espionage b In the years following the end of the Cold War,
the CIA is increasingly used for economic espionage. This involves
stealing the technological secrets of competing foreign companies and
giving them to American ones. Given the CIAbs clear preference for
dirty tricks over mere information gathering, the possibility of
serious criminal behavior is very great indeed.
1993
Haiti b The chaos in Haiti grows so bad that President Clinton has no
choice but to remove the Haitian military dictator, Raoul Cedras, on
threat of U.S. invasion. The U.S. occupiers do not arrest Haitibs
military leaders for crimes against humanity, but instead ensure their
safety and rich retirements. Aristide is returned to power only after
being forced to accept an agenda favorable to the countrybs ruling
class.
EPILOGUE
In a speech before the CIA celebrating its 50th anniversary, President
Clinton said: "By necessity, the American people will never know the
full story of your courage."
Clintonbs is a common defense of the CIA: namely, the American people
should stop criticizing the CIA because they donbt know what it really
does. This, of course, is the heart of the problem in the first place.
An agency that is above criticism is also above moral behavior and
reform. Its secrecy and lack of accountability allows its corruption to
grow unchecked.
Furthermore, Clintonbs statement is simply untrue. The history of the
agency is growing painfully clear, especially with the declassification
of historical CIA documents. We may not know the details of specific
operations, but we do know, quite well, the general behavior of the
CIA. These facts began emerging nearly two decades ago at an
ever-quickening pace. Today we have a remarkably accurate and
consistent picture, repeated in country after country, and verified
from countless different directions.
The CIAbs response to this growing knowledge and criticism follows a
typical historical pattern. (Indeed, there are remarkable parallels to
the Medieval Churchbs fight against the Scientific Revolution.) The
first journalists and writers to reveal the CIAbs criminal behavior
were harassed and censored if they were American writers, and tortured
and murdered if they were foreigners. (See Philip Ageebs On the Run for
an example of early harassment.) However, over the last two decades the
tide of evidence has become overwhelming, and the CIA has found that it
does not have enough fingers to plug every hole in the dike. This is
especially true in the age of the Internet, where information flows
freely among millions of people. Since censorship is impossible, the
Agency must now defend itself with apologetics. Clintonbs "Americans
will never know" defense is a prime example.
Another common apologetic is that "the world is filled with unsavory
characters, and we must deal with them if we are to protect American
interests at all." There are two things wrong with this. First, it
ignores the fact that the CIA has regularly spurned alliances with
defenders of democracy, free speech and human rights, preferring the
company of military dictators and tyrants. The CIA had moral options
available to them, but did not take them.
Second, this argument begs several questions. The first is: "Which
American interests?" The CIA has courted right-wing dictators because
they allow wealthy Americans to exploit the countrybs cheap labor and
resources. But poor and middle-class Americans pay the price whenever
they fight the wars that stem from CIA actions, from Vietnam to the
Gulf War to Panama. The second begged question is: "Why should American
interests come at the expense of other peoplesb human rights?"
The CIA should be abolished, its leadership dismissed and its relevant
members tried for crimes against humanity. Our intelligence community
should be rebuilt from the ground up, with the goal of collecting and
analyzing information. As for covert action, there are two moral
options. The first one is to eliminate covert action completely. But
this gives jitters to people worried about the Adolf Hitlers of the
world. So a second option is that we can place covert action under
extensive and true democratic oversight. For example, a bipartisan
Congressional Committee of 40 members could review and veto all aspects
of CIA operations upon a majority or super-majority vote. Which of
these two options is best may be the subject of debate, but one thing
is clear: like dictatorship, like monarchy, unaccountable covert
operations should die like the dinosaurs they are.
Endnotes:
1. All history concerning CIA intervention in foreign countries is
summarized from William Blumbs encyclopedic work, "Killing Hope: U.S.
Military and CIA Interventions since World War II" (Monroe, Maine:
Common Courage Press, 1995).
Sources for domestic CIA operations come from Jonathan Vankin and John
Whalenbs "The 60 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time" (Secaucus, N.J.:
Citadel Press, 1997).
2. Coleman McCarthy, "The Consequences of Covert Tactics" Washington
Post, December 13, 1987.
*
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