Bit of History Regarding the National Security Council

[Good Doctor HST]

I was just wondering the other day about how the U.S. sets up "Democracy" in countries, then sets up "Free Elections" so the people can select their leader, and all seems right..... as long as the free people select who they're supposed to. Otherwise, the plug is pulled on aid and trade, bombings, gruesome things all around (Keep your eyes on Palestine)

As I was re-reading "The Indispensible Chomsky" a couple days ago, I came across some related material (rigged elections overseas, U.S. supporting dictators...; Chomsky brings up NSC 1/1: The very first National Security Council directive, set up by George Kennan, a Truman strategist (a Karl Rove on steroids). Its title: "The Inauguration of Organized Political Warfare". The victim in this case... a rebuilding Italy. Some of its tenents to ensure fascist control:

(info from http://www.uscanada.org/Mistry1.html)


Indeed, the tactics utilised in Italy illuminate the range of initiatives Pol War involved and clearly represents the first example of its employment:


· Overt initiatives: Truman Doctrine, ERP, Western Union, political alliance with DC and PSLI.

· Covert initiatives: Clandestine money transfers to Italian parties for campaigning purposes, secret shipment of arms to bolster internal Italian security forces to help put down strikes, protests, and demonstrations (also offer to send military experts to train Italian security forces in case of an insurrection attempt).

· ‘White’ Propaganda led by Voice of America, USIS, AUSA, celebrating extent and generosity of American aid packages to Italy, and spreading ‘the truth’ to counter the ‘falsehoods’ of Communist propaganda. This is sustained by US Ambassador James Dunn who makes speeches while touring the country in a bid to redress the lack of US publicity.

· ‘Black’ Propaganda circulating falsehoods or half-truths intended to harm the PCI and put their campaign on the back foot.

· US aid ships arrive in Italian ports accompanied with great fanfare and publicity, ‘friendship train’ touring the country making highly publicised stops (both of which feature talks by Ambassador Dunn), a Hollywood variety show broadcast on state TV designed to appeal to Italian voters to reject the PCI, radio broadcasts by famous Americans and Americans of Italian heritage that do likewise.

· Psychological Impact: Threat to ban Italian immigration to the US if voters chose the PCI, Warnings of the termination of US aid (food and money) if Communists win elections, Letter writing campaigns organised by prominent Italian-American communities.

· Collaboration between the USG and essentially autonomous actors. This ranged from working with private banks and American Labour (AFL, CIO) to covertly channel money to anti-Communist Italian groups and penetrate the Italian Labour market, to a ‘religious alliance’ with the Vatican promoting a schism between the ‘Christian West’ and ‘Atheist East’.



Almost 60 years later, Kennan's dreams of total hegemony continue to soar....

[Partridge]

This document doesn't mention Operation Gladio .

The US got its way in 1948 without having to resort to violence but-as was discovered in 1990- the CIA had organized a secret paramilitary army in postwar Italy, with hidden stockpiles of weapons and explosives dotting the map. Called Operation Gladio (gladius is Latin for sword), the ostensible excuse for it was laughable-the threat of a Soviet invasion. But the real purpose wasn't so funny-Operation Gladio's 15,000 troops were trained to overthrow the Italian government should it stray from the straight and narrow.

Similar secret armies were formed in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and West Germany- often directed, quite naturally, by former SS officers. They didn't just wait around for the Russians to come marching in; they assembled huge arms caches (many of which remain unaccounted for), compiled blacklists of leftists and, in France, participated in plots to assassinate President DeGaulle.

Many members of Operation Gladio were also in a shadowy organization known as P-2; it too was financed by the CIA. P-2 had connections with the Vatican and the Mafia, and eventually with an international fascist umbrella organization called the World Anti-Communist League.

One of P-2's specialties was the art of provocation. Leftist organizations like the Red Brigades were infiltrated, financed and / or created, and the resulting acts of terrorism, like the assassination of Italy's premier in 1978 and the bombing of the railway station in Bologna in 1980, were blamed on the left. The goal of this "strategy of tension" was to convince Italian voters that the left was violent and dangerous-by helping make it so.