CIA admits role in 1953 Iranian coup

[WhiteLight]

SOURCE

The CIA has publicly admitted for the first time that it was behind the notorious 1953 coup against Iran's democratically elected prime minister Mohammad Mosaddeq, in documents that also show how the British government tried to block the release of information about its own involvement in his overthrow.
On the 60th anniversary of an event often invoked by Iranians as evidence of western meddling, the US national security archive at George Washington University published a series of declassified CIA documents.
"The military coup that overthrew Mosaddeq and his National Front cabinet was carried out under CIA direction as an act of US foreign policy, conceived and approved at the highest levels of government," reads a previously excised section of an internal CIA history titled The Battle for Iran.

1953
That's SIXTY years back!
Whatever in this revelation might surprise you, it's going to be nothing compared to this-
If these sort of plans were underway that time, can you connect the dots to see what the capabilities are today?

If this interests you & like to know more, have a looksie at this book

According to his book, Perkins' function was to convince the political and financial leadership of underdeveloped countries to accept enormous development loans from institutions like the World Bank and USAID. Saddled with debts they could not hope to pay, those countries were forced to acquiesce to political pressure from the United States on a variety of issues. Perkins argues in his book that developing nations were effectively neutralized politically, had their wealth gaps driven wider and economies crippled in the long run. In this capacity Perkins recounts his meetings with some prominent individuals, including Graham Greene and Omar Torrijos. Perkins describes the role of an EHM as follows:

Economic hit men (EHMs) are highly-paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. They funnel money from the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other foreign "aid" organizations into the coffers of huge corporations and the pockets of a few wealthy families who control the planet's natural resources. Their tools included fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder. They play a game as old as empire, but one that has taken on new and terrifying dimensions during this time of globalization.

With a presidential election around the corner, questions of America's military buildup, environmental impact, and foreign policy are on everyone's mind. Former Economic Hit Man John Perkins goes behind the scenes of the current geopolitical crisis and offers bold solutions to our most pressing problems. Drawing on interviews with other EHMs, jackals, CIA operatives, reporters, businessmen, and activists, Perkins reveals the secret history of events that have created the current American Empire, including:
How the defeats in Vietnam and Iraq have benefited big business
The role of Israel as Fortress America in the Middle East
Tragic repercussions of the IMF's Asian Economic Collapse
The current Latin American revolution and its lessons for democracy
U.S. blunders in Tibet, Congo, Lebanon, and Venezuela

From the U.S. military in Iraq to infrastructure development in Indonesia, from Peace Corps volunteers in Africa to jackals in Venezuela, Perkins exposes a conspiracy of corruption that has fueled instability and anti-Americanism around the globe, with consequences reflected in our daily headlines. Having raised the alarm, Perkins passionately addresses how Americans can work to create a more peaceful and stable world for future generations.

John Perkins started and stopped writing Confessions of an Economic Hit Man four times over 20 years. He says he was threatened and bribed in an effort to kill the project, but after 9/11 he finally decided to go through with this expose of his former professional life. Perkins, a former chief economist at Boston strategic-consulting firm Chas. T. Main, says he was an "economic hit man" for 10 years, helping U.S. intelligence agencies and multinationals cajole and blackmail foreign leaders into serving U.S. foreign policy and awarding lucrative contracts to American business. "Economic hit men (EHMs) are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars," Perkins writes. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is an extraordinary and gripping tale of intrigue and dark machinations. Think John Le Carré, except it's a true story. Perkins writes that his economic projections cooked the books Enron-style to convince foreign governments to accept billions of dollars of loans from the World Bank and other institutions to build dams, airports, electric grids, and other infrastructure he knew they couldn't afford. The loans were given on condition that construction and engineering contracts went to U.S. companies. Often, the money would simply be transferred from one bank account in Washington, D.C., to another one in New York or San Francisco. The deals were smoothed over with bribes for foreign officials, but it was the taxpayers in the foreign countries who had to pay back the loans. When their governments couldn't do so, as was often the case, the U.S. or its henchmen at the World Bank or International Monetary Fund would step in and essentially place the country in trusteeship, dictating everything from its spending budget to security agreements and even its United Nations votes. It was, Perkins writes, a clever way for the U.S. to expand its "empire" at the expense of Third World citizens. While at times he seems a little overly focused on conspiracies, perhaps that's not surprising considering the life he's led.

Confessions of an Economic Hitman - John Perkins

 

[Dave_W]

Did anyone actually believe they weren't involved in this?

 

[Dave_W]

Back in the 1950's and 60's the CIA was omnipotent or at least they behaved like they were. From Argentina to Iran to Vietnam, they had their fingers in all the cookie jars. The most recent revelation is of Joannides and his involvement with Lee Harvey Oswald and even though a law was passed in the 1990's to open these books up, this chapter is still locked away. I'm thinking there must be some good stuff in there if even after 50 yrs they still can't bring themselves to talk about it.

 

[WhiteLight]

Did anyone actually believe they weren't involved in this?

So how is it that all these organizations all over the world still wield a free & all powerful hand?

The innocent lives that are lost are unimaginable..
all that to heighten the power of a few individuals.

Sir John Dalberg-Acton once said, "Power Corrupts. Absolute Power corrupts absolutely"

 

[Dave_W]

Every country acts in their own self interest. These days it's much less obvious than it was in the 1950's. Now we have the IMF and other such organizations that openly force change in the guise of economic reform. I read a book not long ago by Niall Ferguson (he's a very interesting author with some extremely new ways of looking at modern history. His book "The War of the World" is an excellent book explaining WWI and WWII in a completely new light. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in hearing a view never before considered) "Colossus - The Rise and Fall of the American Empire" in which he claims that the reason Great Britain ultimately failed is because taking over a country and running it is far more difficult and expensive compared to economic subjugation. Setting up a puppet government and then loaning it massive amounts of money so that the country is permanently strapped with debt is far better than actually making that country a colony, as in the old British way of doing business.

Btw, Niall Ferguson is not very popular with many of the people who like their history to be a straight line in time so pay no attention to the many negative reviews of his work and instead give it a read and make your own opinion on his subject material. Even if you don't fully agree with his views it is always instructive to hear a new point of view on subjects you thought were settled and unchangeable.

 

[Nathan Lanni]

I find it interesting anytime there is a discussion concerning government and government meddling. If one looks over the span and ark of human history, the concept that individual people have meaning or importance is a foreign concept. The fact the USA as a forerunner in human history of a stable democracy/government and human rights is a surprise which contradicts human nature. If one understand this concept, then any headline of this nature is not a surprise.

It saddens me to see with my own eyes the post-US democracy/constitutional trend that started with 9-11-2001. People just don't understand what they are doing, which will be a legacy my children will have to endure. Will my children's children know a free country called the United States of America?

 

[WhiteLight]

Every country acts in their own self interest. These days it's much less obvious than it was in the 1950's. Now we have the IMF and other such organizations that openly force change in the guise of economic reform. I read a book not long ago by Niall Ferguson (he's a very interesting author with some extremely new ways of looking at modern history. His book "The War of the World" is an excellent book explaining WWI and WWII in a completely new light. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in hearing a view never before considered) "Colossus - The Rise and Fall of the American Empire" in which he claims that the reason Great Britain ultimately failed is because taking over a country and running it is far more difficult and expensive compared to economic subjugation. Setting up a puppet government and then loaning it massive amounts of money so that the country is permanently strapped with debt is far better than actually making that country a colony, as in the old British way of doing business.

Btw, Niall Ferguson is not very popular with many of the people who like their history to be a straight line in time so pay no attention to the many negative reviews of his work and instead give it a read and make your own opinion on his subject material. Even if you don't fully agree with his views it is always instructive to hear a new point of view on subjects you thought were settled and unchangeable.

Niall Ferguson is brilliant!
He's said a lot of things about recent events & what he thinks is next
Am surprised you've read it Dave! Pleasantly

I find it interesting anytime there is a discussion concerning government and government meddling. If one looks over the span and ark of human history, the concept that individual people have meaning or importance is a foreign concept. The fact the USA as a forerunner in human history of a stable democracy/government and human rights is a surprise which contradicts human nature. If one understand this concept, then any headline of this nature is not a surprise.

It saddens me to see with my own eyes the post-US democracy/constitutional trend that started with 9-11-2001. People just don't understand what they are doing, which will be a legacy my children will have to endure. Will my children's children know a free country called the United States of America?

Spot on..
It seems like an elegant blanket covering all aspects of society..

And am sure you agree this has now moved beyond the scope of a single country.
What is happening today is a planetary wide disaster, which seems more likely to have been orchestrated and at the same time catalyzed.

It sure is a good thing that more people are beginning to understand the world we live in today.
It's all of us to blame to how things are, directly or not & i think it's us who can make it or break it

 

[Nathan Lanni]

See my comments in blue, below

Spot on..
It seems like an elegant blanket covering all aspects of society..

And am sure you agree this has now moved beyond the scope of a single country.

Yes, of course; I read with interest yesterday the EU Human Rights Council (or something to that effect) is demanding to know why the UK MI6 stormed the Guardian and destroyed their data servers. Fortunately the Guardian claims to have backup copies elsewhere. On the one hand it's reassuring, but on the other hand I'm deeply distressed Europe is taking the moral high ground regarding the USA's world-wide scope privacy intrusion under the guise of post 9-11-2011 terrorism threats.

Basically, it's a downward spiral. Again, looking at human history for the last approx. 75 years, the US has been a stabilizing force to one extent or another. If the US falls in to a quagmire of privacy intrusion and lacks moral compass, the EU will attempt to fill the vacuum, but the failure of the financial Euro Zone member nations to agree is evidence they don't have the capacity to deal with it. Clearly, history tells us the EU and its predecessor member nations could not agree what side to butter their bread. If this is true as I am suggesting, we have to ask ourselves, what other nation(s) have the wherewithal to maintain international balance?

Of all things, Russian's Putan has shown a clearer head in this crisis than the US - is that scary?

What is happening today is a planetary wide disaster, which seems more likely to have been orchestrated and at the same time catalyzed.

I understand the idea is very tempting to believe an organization of really rich and powerful old guys sitting their high-backed chairs circled about have orchestrated these events. In the US I see George Soros as a major force, spending his billions to influence elections and the news media, but I have a hard time imagining the entire ark has been orchestrated. I just don't think people are that smart or get along well enough to make it happen.

It sure is a good thing that more people are beginning to understand the world we live in today.

On the contrary, I don't think people are beginning to understand. In fact it seems to me an alarming failure in our age of communication technology. It seems we're lulled into complacency by our smartphones.

It's all of us to blame to how things are, directly or not & i think it's us who can make it or break it

Agreed.

 

[Dave_W]

I find it interesting anytime there is a discussion concerning government and government meddling. If one looks over the span and ark of human history, the concept that individual people have meaning or importance is a foreign concept. The fact the USA as a forerunner in human history of a stable democracy/government and human rights is a surprise which contradicts human nature. If one understand this concept, then any headline of this nature is not a surprise.

It saddens me to see with my own eyes the post-US democracy/constitutional trend that started with 9-11-2001. People just don't understand what they are doing, which will be a legacy my children will have to endure. Will my children's children know a free country called the United States of America?

I agree with you on most of this except for the 9-11 part. The US, as with nearly all countries, the intense spying has been an on-going thing. Take J.Edgar Hoover in the 1960's and his high level spying on student unions and civil right orgs, or the 1950's red scare. The difference now is that we humans put it all out there on the internet and make it infinitely easier for these people to learn our "secrets". The so-called "Patriot Act" (irony at its finest) merely formalized and legalized what has been going on for years. IMO much of todays headlines are just sensationalized stories meant to get a rise out of people and most could have been written 20 or 30 or even 50 yrs ago.

 

[Rick M]

We could (should in my opinion) just bring all of our negative influence (and economic/military support) home and see what happens to the rest of the world. It would be much more scary than these "scenarios".

 

[Dave_W]

We could (should in my opinion) just bring all of our negative influence (and economic/military support) home and see what happens to the rest of the world. It would be much more scary than these "scenarios".

Just the negative and leave all the positive things in place?

 

[Nathan Lanni]

I agree with you on most of this except for the 9-11 part. The US, as with nearly all countries, the intense spying has been an on-going thing. Take J.Edgar Hoover in the 1960's and his high level spying on student unions and civil right orgs, or the 1950's red scare. The difference now is that we humans put it all out there on the internet and make it infinitely easier for these people to learn our "secrets". The so-called "Patriot Act" (irony at its finest) merely formalized and legalized what has been going on for years. IMO much of todays headlines are just sensationalized stories meant to get a rise out of people and most could have been written 20 or 30 or even 50 yrs ago.

You make some very good points, and I sincerely really hope you're right.

 

[Rick M]

Just the negative and leave all the positive things in place?

What positive things? Remember we are worldwide thugs now, all the good is quickly forgotten. With that I should not even get into these discussions I'm done!

 

[Nathan Lanni]

We could (should in my opinion) just bring all of our negative influence (and economic/military support) home and see what happens to the rest of the world. It would be much more scary than these "scenarios".

I think you may be referring to our presence in the middle east?

It seems to me it's a mixed bag, and the heart of it is should we have been there in the first place, and what was the Bush Administration's real objective.

Aside from the immigration issue, which is very hot and another topic by itself, I've had a fundamental problem with our middle east policy for one simple reason: our southern border is like swiss cheese - full of holes. To be clear, I'm not talking about any ethnicity and I support our troops. But I think it's been a horribly wrong thing to do, in light of the loss of life, loss of limbs, damaged lives, etc. when you consider that we don't protect and prevent intrusion through our southern border. How can we claim we've moved the war on terror away from the home front when virtually anybody with half a brain can slip through our border system, including smuggling material as well.

Lastly, I think it's laughable that we naively assumed we could saddle the middle east with western style democracy.

 

[Rick M]

Agreed Nate , we should focus on fixing the Home Front.

 

[Dave_W]

Oh come on, Rick. The US does a lot of good things, as do many other countries. But no matter what you do there is always a blowback. The best example I can think of is the Glenn Canyon dam in North Arizona. My grandfather and many other relatives were very involved in making that dam. The dam was put there to both provide water to the people and cheap electricity. It seemed like a noble thing to do and my grandfather was proud of it.

But look at what it cost. The canyons the flooded were absolutely beautiful with the most amazing red rock formations and intricate arroyos that would easily match some of the best national parks this country has to offer. In addition, a whole host of native American villages that dated back to the days of the Anasazi were lost for good and who knows what species that were native to those canyons only were lost.

So my point is this - no matter how deeply you believe your actions are right and justified, there is always going to be blowback in one form or another. That is the way the world seems to be.

 

[Rick M]

Oh come on, Rick. The US does a lot of good things, as do many other countries. But no matter what you do there is always a blowback. The best example I can think of is the Glenn Canyon dam in North Arizona. My grandfather and many other relatives were very involved in making that dam. The dam was put there to both provide water to the people and cheap electricity. It seemed like a noble thing to do and my grandfather was proud of it.

But look at what it cost. The canyons the flooded were absolutely beautiful with the most amazing red rock formations and intricate arroyos that would easily match some of the best national parks this country has to offer. In addition, a whole host of native American villages that dated back to the days of the Anasazi were lost for good and who knows what species that were native to those canyons only were lost.

So my point is this - no matter how deeply you believe your actions are right and justified, there is always going to be blowback in one form or another. That is the way the world seems to be.

Understood, just let me be miserable about this stuff . I've decided to be a grumpy old guy and despise the rest of the world as much as they do us.

Actually, this is really just about a guy wanting to sell his book, it all comes down to $.

 

[Dave_W]

Btw Whitelight, have you read the Rise and Demise of the British World Order? If so, what did you think of it?

 

[WhiteLight]

Btw Whitelight, have you read the Rise and Demise of the British World Order? If so, what did you think of it?

Only that there's been no demise, just a steady rise
There's no doubt in my mind that Niall is a fantastic & sensational writer.
But i still don't have an opinion cos i really am not sure which side of the line he stands on..
They say History is always written by the victorious, so you can not really see the true picture.

His coverage of the Rothschild's is really a piece of work.. you almost wonder if he wrote about them or for them

Though most of what he wrote about the British Imperial regime is true, one thing i do not believe in is that this regime died.
I think what happened to that empire is very similar to what's happening to the world governments today..
the real powers are no longer on the lime light, but control powers behind the scenes... like an oligarchy.

apart from that, i do not see the reasons substantial enough for the places they invaded
there was definitely something secretive going on which is unknown even today.
and not just occupying, all the 'side kicks' that were manufactured during this era.
this time possibly marked the beginning of what we are living today.. and this is probably only three fourths of the way through

Nate made a point earlier that it is hard to believe some people can control & maintain the control, but the reality here is that this has gone on for more than a few generations.
This has always been a very long term end goal & what happened with the might of the British empire is now taking the shape of corporations.
again corporations get easy access to nations, can control the economy.