Excerpts, editing, re-reporting, comment by Carolyn Bennett
CONSEQUENCES OF ENTRENCHMENT
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| U.S. President Gerald Ford (right) with Donald Rumsfeld Oval Office of White House, February 6, 1975 |
Document 20 – Working Paper, Office of the Secretary of Defense,
Working Paper, ‘Discussions w/CENTCOM re: Sy Hersh Article,’ October 22, 2001,
1:19 p.m., Secret, 2 pp.
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| U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (center) U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Robert Finn U.S. Embassy compound Kabul, Afghanistan April 27, 2002 |
U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was talking about drone
missiles. He was recorded saying, “‘I have a high tolerance level for possible
error. That is to say, if he [U.S. Central Command Thomas (Tommy) Franks]
thinks he has a valid target and he can’t get me or he can’t get Wolfowitz in
time, he should hit it.… I expect him to be leaning far forward on this.’”
“The paper … contradicts previous instructions that aerial attacks
should be precise and limited in Afghanistan.”
America’s own
RUMSFELD
Politician and business owner Donald Henry Rumsfeld (b. 1932) was U.S.
Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 in the Gerald R. Ford administration and
Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 in the George W. Bush administration.
Chronology of influence
In the Richard Nixon administration, Rumsfeld
was Director of the United States Office of Economic Opportunity, assistant and
counselor to the President, Director of the Economic Stabilization Program
(member of the Cabinet) 1969-1970
In 1973, Rumsfeld was U.S.
Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels,
Belgium, and the United States’ Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic
Council and the Defense Planning Committee, and the Nuclear Planning Group
(representing the United States in wide-ranging military and diplomatic
matters).
In 1974-1975, Rumsfeld was Gerald
R. Ford’s White House Chief of Staff and later U.S. Secretary of Defense
(George H. W. Bush became Director of Central Intelligence).
Business — Government/Business
revolving door
From 1977 to 1985, Rumsfeld was
Chief Executive Officer, President, and then Chairman of G. D. Searle and Company, a worldwide pharmaceutical company based in Skokie, Illinois.
From 1990 to 1993, he was a
‘foreign policy consultant’ to the U.S. State Department
From January 1997 until being
sworn in as Secretary of Defense in January 2001, Rumsfeld was Chairman of
Gilead Sciences, Inc. [Gilead Sciences is the developer of Tamiflu
(Oseltamivir), used in the treatment of bird flu].
Reagan Administration (1982–1983)
Special Envoy on the Law of the Sea Treaty; (1982–1986) member of President’s
General Advisory Committee on Arms Control; (1983–1984) Special Envoy to the
Middle East
On his visit to
Baghdad on December 19–December 20, 1983, Rumsfeld and Saddam Hussein had a
90-minute discussion during which “they largely agreed on opposing Syria’s
occupation of Lebanon; preventing Syrian and Iranian expansion; preventing arms
sales to Iran.
“Rumsfeld
suggested that if U.S.-Iraq relations could improve the U.S. might support a
new oil pipeline across Jordan, which Iraq had opposed but was now willing to
reconsider. In that visit, Rumsfeld brought many gifts, including pistols,
medieval spiked hammers and a pair of golden cowboy spurs, from the Reagan
administration to Saddam Hussein …
During his brief
bid for the 1988 Republican nomination, Rumsfeld said that restoring full
relations with Iraq was one of his best achievements.
Ten years later, (January 29, 1998), he signed a Project for the New American Century (he was a founder and active member PNAC) letter calling for President Clinton “to implement ‘regime change’ in Iraq.”
(1989–2005) Chairman Emeritus,
Defense Contractor, Carlyle Group;
(1990–2001) Board of Directors
(member) ABB Ltd
Swiss-Swedish
multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, operating
mainly in the power and automation technology areas, ABB is one of the largest
engineering companies and one of the largest conglomerates in the world with
operations in around 100 countries with approximately 130,000 employees,
reported global revenue (2010) $31.6 billion,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABB_Ltd.
In 2000, ABB
sold two light-water nuclear reactors to KEDO for installation in North Korea,
as part of the 1994 agreed framework reached under the Clinton administration.
Rumsfeld’s
office said the Rumsfeld then Secretary of Defense “did not ‘recall [the sale] being
brought before the board at any time’ but ABB representative Björn Edlund told
Fortune that ‘board members were informed about this project.’”
(2000) Chairman of the U.S. Commission to
Assess National Security Space Management and Organization
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| Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld President George W. Bush |
In 2001, Rumsfeld was named
Defense Secretary in the George W. Bush administration
In the earliest stages of the
September 11 attacks, despite the lack of evidence, Rumsfeld was looking to tie
Saddam Hussein and Iraq to these attacks.
In April 2006, a Rumsfeld memo
listed instructions to Pentagon staff including:
Keep elevating
the threat ... Talk about Somalia, the Philippines etc.
Make the
American people realize they are surrounded in the world by violent extremists
Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld “was deliberate in crafting the public message from the
Department of Defense.
“People will
‘rally’ to the word ‘sacrifice,’ Rumsfeld noted after a meeting.
“‘They are
looking for leadership. Sacrifice = Victory.’
“In May 2004,
Rumsfeld considered whether to redefine the war on terrorism as a fight against
‘worldwide insurgency.’
“He advised
aides ‘to test what the results could be’ if the war on terrorism were renamed.
“Rumsfeld
ordered [and reviewed] specific public Pentagon attacks on and responses to
U.S. newspaper columns that reported the negative aspects of the war
“Rumsfeld defended
the George W. Bush administration’s decision to detain ‘enemy combatants’
without protection under the Third Geneva Convention.”
November 2006, former U.S. Army
Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, who was in charge of the Abu Ghraib prison until
early 2004, told Spain’s El Pais newspaper she had seen a letter apparently
signed by Rumsfeld that allowed civilian contractors to use techniques such as
sleep deprivation during interrogation.
The methods
consisted of making prisoners stand for long periods, sleep deprivation ...
playing music at full volume, [and more]...
Rumsfeld
authorized these specific techniques.
She said that
this was contrary to the Geneva Convention and quoted from the document:
‘Prisoners of war who refuse to answer may not be threatened, insulted, or
exposed to any unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any kind.’
According to
Karpinski, the handwritten signature was above his printed name and, in the
same handwriting in the margin, was written, ‘Make sure this is accomplished.’
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| Pentagon headquarters U.S. Department of Defense Arlington county, Virginia |
December 18, 2006, Donald Vance
filed suit against the U.S. government and former U.S. Secretary of Defense
Donald H. Rumsfeld on grounds that he was tortured and his rights of habeas
corpus were violated.
To criticisms of the U.S.
military’s failure, after its 2003 invasion, to protect Iraq’s historical
artifacts and treasures located at the museum and other cultural institutions,
Rumsfeld is quoted saying, ‘Stuff happens ... and it’s untidy and freedom’s
untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad
things.…’
In early 2006, eight retired U.S.
generals took the unprecedented step of calling for Rumsfeld’s resignation on
the grounds of ‘abysmal’ military planning and lack of strategic competence.
The Bush government in early November announced Rumsfeld’s resignation as U.S.
Defense Secretary.
A year later, Rumsfeld received a one-year appointment as a
“Distinguished Visiting Fellow” at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.
Recently released documents showing the lawlessness of the man
“Document 18 – Memorandum and
Attached Paper: Office of the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld to Douglas
Feith, ‘Strategy,’ Attachment, ‘U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan,’ National
Security Council, October 16, 2001, 7:42 a.m., Secret/Close Hold/ Draft for Discussion,
7 pp. [Excised], http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB358a/index.htm#16
The U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld five
weeks after the events of September 11, 2001: “Operationally the U.S. will ‘use
any and all Afghan tribes and factions to eliminate Al-Qaida and Taliban
personnel [while inserting] CIA teams and special forces in country operational
detachments (A teams) by any means, both in the North and the South. … Third
country special forces UK [excised] Australia, New Zealand, etc., should be
inserted as soon as possible.’
“Diplomacy is important ‘bilaterally, particularly with Pakistan, but also with Iran and Russia [however] engaging UN diplomacy… beyond intent and general outline could interfere with U.S. military operations and inhibit coalition freedom of action.’”
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| U.S. General Tommy Franks (left) U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld 2002 |
Breathing contempt, violence to rule
the world
Document 13 – Memorandum for the President , The Office of the
Secretary of Defense, Memorandum for the President, "Strategic
Thoughts," September 30, 2001, Top Secret/Close Hold, 2 pp. [Excised], http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB358a/index.htm#16
Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld advises President George W. Bush: “Instead
of focusing exclusively on al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, the U.S. should think more
broadly —
‘It would instead be surprising and impressive if we built our forces up patiently, took some early action outside of Afghanistan, perhaps in multiple locations, and began not exclusively or primarily with military strikes but with equip-and-train activities with local opposition forces coupled with humanitarian aid and intense information operations.’
“The memo argues that the U.S.
should ‘capitalize on our strong suit, which is not finding a few hundred
terrorists in the caves of Afghanistan [but using] the vastness of our military
and humanitarian resources, which can strengthen enormously the opposition
forces in terrorist-supporting states.’ The approach to the war should not
focus ‘too heavily on direct, aerial attacks on things and people.’
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| U.S. Geopolitics Asia-Middle East-Horn of Africa Britannica image |
“‘If the war does not significantly change the world’s political map,
the U.S. will not achieve its aim.
“‘There is value in being clear on the order of magnitude of the
necessary change. The USG [U.S. Government] should envision a goal along these
lines: New regimes in Afghanistan and another key State (or two) that supports
terrorism (To strengthen political and military efforts to change policies
elsewhere).’”
Press TV reports today on newly released U.S. documents concerning the roots
of the United States’ global war: “The U.S. in Afghanistan was the beginning of
a broader plan devised by the Bush neo-conservatives administration for the
Middle East region.
“The Bush administration used the 9/11 attacks as the pretext to launch
new wars of aggression. On September 20, 2001, President George W. Bush declared
the so-called ‘war on terror’” and on October 7, 2001, the U.S. invaded
Afghanistan “with the stated mission of removing the Taliban and capturing
al-Qaeda elements.
“In March 2003, the U.S. expanded the reach of its ‘war on terror’ by
invading Iraq. The U.S. claimed that Saddam Hussein had links to al-Qaeda and
was in possession of massive stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.” Various
independent investigations later discredited both allegations.
“Ten years on, the U.S. is [said to be] seeking to lure the Taliban to
the negotiating table.”
Today the United States, its entrenched politicians and policies of destruction are being protested in demonstrations across the Middle East, Southwest/Central Asia and within the United States of America.
Sources and notes
The Project for the New American Century is “a neo-conservative
think-tank dedicated to maintaining U.S. Primacy.”
Rumsfeld profile from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumsfeld
“Secret U.S. Message to Mullah Omar: ‘Every Pillar of the Taliban
Regime Will Be Destroyed’
New Documents Detail America's Strategic Response to 9/11, Bush White House, http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB358a/index.htm
Document notes from George University the National Security Archive, http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/index.html
GWU Photo captions http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB358a/index.htm
U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (center) and U.S. Ambassador
to Afghanistan, Robert Finn, given a tour of the U.S. Embassy compound in
Kabul, Afghanistan on April 27, 2002. OSD Package No. A07D-00238 (DOD Photo by
Robert D. Ward)
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld, and President George W. Bush (Source: Department of Defense)
Britannica captions
President Gerald Ford (right) meeting with Donald Rumsfeld in the Oval
Office of the White House, Washington, D.C., February 6, 1975 [Marion S.
Trikosko/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (digital. id. ppmsca.08465)]
General Tommy Franks (left), commander in chief of Central Command,
with U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, 2002 [Robert D. Ward—U.S.
Department of Defense]
The Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, Arlington
county, Virginia
America’s own
WOLFOWITZ
A leading neoconservative (Republican and former Democrat),
Paul Dundes Wolfowitz was Deputy Secretary of Defense in the George W. Bush
administration, a ‘major architect of this president’s Iraq policy “and ... its
most hawkish advocate.”
Chronology of Wolfowitz influence
After the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Wolfowitz and his
then-assistant Scooter Libby wrote the Wolfowitz Doctrine to ‘set the nation’s
direction for the next century.’ At that time, the official administration line
was ‘containment.’ The contents of Wolfowitz’s plan called for ‘preemption’ and
‘unilateralism.’
In 1992, Defense Secretary Richard Cheney produced a revised
plan which included many of the Wolfowitz Doctrine ideas, later part of the
Bush Doctrine.
In 1977, Wolfowitz was U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Regional Programs for the U.S. Defense Department, under U.S. Secretary of Defense Harold Brown in the Jimmy Carter administration
In 1982, Wolfowitz was Assistant Secretary of State for East
Asian and Pacific Affairs under U.S. Secretary of State George Schultz
From 1986 to 1989, Wolfowitz was the U.S. Ambassador to the
Republic of Indonesia during the military-backed Suharto government
From 1989 to 1993, Wolfowitz was Undersecretary of Defense
for Policy under then-U.S. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney in George H.W. Bush
administration
From 2001 to 2005, during the George W. Bush administration, Wolfowitz was U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense reporting to U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
In 2005, Wolfowitz was nominated by U.S. President George W.
Bush (and confirmed by Congress) to be president of the World Bank
As a Visiting Scholar of the American Enterprise Institute
for Public Policy Research, Wolfowitz has blogged with the AEI and appeared in
group events. He writes columns that appear in publications such as
The Independent,
The Sunday Times, and Newsweek.
Wolfowitz is a former steering committee member of the Bilderberg group. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Wolfowitz#Undersecretary_of_Defense_for_Policy
Wolfowitz is a former steering committee member of the Bilderberg group. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Wolfowitz#Undersecretary_of_Defense_for_Policy
Bilderberg group —
The original conference was held at the Hotel de Bilderberg, near
Arnhem in the Netherlands, from May 29 to May 31 1954; initiated by several
people, including Polish politician Józef Retinger, concerned about the growth
of anti-Americanism in Western Europe.
The original Bilderberg group proposed an international conference at
which leaders from European countries and the United States would be brought
together with the aim of promoting ‘Atlanticism’ – better understanding between
the cultures of the United States and Western Europe to foster cooperation on
political, economic, and defense issues.
The role of the Bilderberg meetings in the flow of events since its
founding in 1954 is a matter of debate among scholars and journalists such as
G. William Domhoff and Caroline Moorehead.
“In his 1980 essay The Bilderberg and the West, researcher Peter Thompson
argues that the Bilderberg group is a meeting ground for top executives from
the world’s leading multinational corporations and top national political
figures to consider jointly the immediate and long-term problems facing the
West. According to Thompson, Bilderberg itself is not an executive agency.
“However, when Bilderberg participants reach a form of consensus about
what is to be done, they have at their disposal powerful transnational and
national instruments for bringing about what it is they want to come to pass.
“That their consensus design is not always achieved is a reflection of
the strength of competing resisting forces outside the capitalist ruling class
and within it.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilderberg_Group
“[DOCUMENT] Bush’s premeditated ‘regime-change’ policy revealed,” October
5, 2011, http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/202742.html
_________________________________________
Bennett's books are available in New York State independent bookstores: Lift Bridge Bookshop: www.liftbridgebooks.com [Brockport, NY]; Sundance Books: http://www.sundancebooks.com/main.html [Geneseo, NY]; Talking Leaves Books-Elmwood: talking.leaves.elmwood@gmail.com [Buffalo, NY]; Mood Makers Books: www.moodmakersbooks.com [City of Rochester, NY]; Dog Ears Bookstore and Literary Arts Center: www.enlightenthedog.org/ [Buffalo, NY]; Burlingham Books – ‘Your Local Chapter’: http://burlinghambooks.com/ [Perry, NY 14530]; The Bookworm: http://www.eabookworm.com/ [East Aurora, NY] • See also: World Pulse: Global Issues through the eyes of Women: http://www.worldpulse.com/ http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire
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