From: "Peter" <peter@geminipress.com>
To: "Peter G Tocci" <peter@geminipress.com>
Sent: Monday, December 27, 2004 2:22 PM
Subject: Helping Other Nations
> How the elite, via its USA/IMF/World Bank/Spy/corporate
mechanisms, helps
> nations.
>
> Here is an excerpt from John Perkins's book
"Confessions of an Economic
> Hit Man." "MAIN" is Charles T. Main, Inc, an
international "consulting"
> firm that, like many other legitimate/criminal operations,
keeps a very
> low profile (closely held, like Bechtel). Of note is the way
in which the
> elite use women/sexual intrigue to get the job done.
>
> Not quoted here, but of special interest also are a couple
of chapters
> detailing the background of the US Treasury/Bush/Saudi/Osama
bin Laden
> connections that go back at least to GHW Bush's tenure as
Ambassador to
> the UN (1971-73), that took off around 1974, and lead up to
9/11.
>
> The book is a worthy read, especially for those with
delusions about
> America's righteousness and beneficence in the international
community.
> My comments in [brackets].
>
> Peter
>
> *****
> MAIN was a macho corporation. There were only four women who
held
> professional positions in 1971. However, there were perhaps
two hundred
> women divided between the cadres of personal secretaries --
every vice
> president and department manager had one -- and the steno
pool, which
> served the rest of us. I had become accustomed to this
gender bias, and I
> was therefore especially astounded by what happened one day
in the BPL's
> [Boston Public Library] reference section.
>
> An attractive brunette woman came up and sat in a chair
across the table
> from me. In her dark green business suit, she looked very
sophisticated.
> I judged her to be several years my senior, but I tried to
focus on not
> noticing her, on acting indifferent. After a few minutes,
without a word,
> she slid an open book in my direction. It contained a table
with
> information I had been searching for about Kuwait -- and a
card with her
> name, Claudine Martin, and her title, Special Consultant to
Chas. T.
> Main, Inc. I looked up into her soft green eyes, and she
extended her
hand.
>
> "I've been asked to help in your training," she
said. I could not believe
> this was happening to me.
>
> Beginning the next day, we met in Claudine's Beacon Street
apartment, a
> few blocks from MAIN'S Prudential Center headquarters.
During our first
> hour together, she explained that my position was an unusual
one and that
> we needed to keep everything highly confidential. She told
me that no one
> had given me specifics about my job because no one was
authorized to --
> except her. Then she informed me that her assignment was to
mold me into
> an economic hit man.
>
> The very name awakened old cloak-and-dagger dreams. I was
embarrassed by
> the nervous laughter I heard coming from me. She smiled and
assured me
> that humor was one of the reasons they used the term.
"Who would take it
> seriously?" she asked.
> I confessed ignorance about the role of economic hit men.
>
> "You're not alone," she laughed. "We're a
rare breed, in a dirty
> business. No one can know about your involvement -- not even
your wife."
> Then she turned serious. "I'll be very frank with you,
teach you all I
> can during the next weeks. Then you'll have to choose. Your
decision is
> final. Once you're in, you're in for life." After that,
she seldom used
> the full name; we were simply EHMs.
>
> I know now what I did not then -- that Claudine took full
advantage of the
> personality weaknesses the NSA profile had disclosed about
me. I do not
> know who supplied her with the information -- Einar, the
NSA, MAIN'S
> personnel department, or someone else -- only that she used
it
> masterfully. Her approach, a combination of physical
seduction and verbal
> manipulation, was tailored specifically for me, and yet it
fit within the
> standard operating procedures I have since seen used by a
variety of
> businesses when the stakes are high and the pressure to
close lucrative
> deals is great. She knew from the start that I would not
jeopardize my
> marriage by disclosing our clandestine activities. And she
was brutally
> frank when it came to describing the shadowy side of things
that would be
> expected of me.
> I have no idea who paid her salary, although I have no
reason to suspect
> it was not, as her business card implied, MAIN. At the time,
I was too
> naive, intimidated, and bedazzled to ask the questions that
today seem so
> obvious.
>
> Claudine told me that there were two primary objectives of
my work.
> First, I was to justify huge international loans that would
funnel money
> back to MAIN and other U.S. companies (such as Bechtel,
Halliburton,
> Stone & Webster, and Brown & Root) through massive
engineering and
> construction projects. Second, I would work to bankrupt the
countries
> that received those loans (after they had paid MAIN and the
other U.S.
> contractors, of course) so that they would be forever
beholden to their
> creditors, and so they would present easy targets when we
needed favors,
> including military bases, UN votes, or access to oil and
other natural
> resources.
>
> My job, she said, was to forecast the effects of investing
billions of
> dollars in a country. Specifically, I would produce studies
that
> projected economic growth twenty to twenty-five years into
the future and
> that evaluated the impacts of a variety of projects. For
example, if a
> decision was made to lend a country $1 billion to persuade
its leaders
> not to align with the Soviet Union, I would compare the
benefits of
> investing that money in power plants with the benefits of
investing in a
> new national railroad network or a telecommunications
system. Or I might
> be told that the country was being offered the opportunity
to receive a
> modern electric utility system, and it would be up to me to
demonstrate
> that such a system would result in sufficient economic
growth to justify
> the loan. The critical factor, in every case, was gross
national product.
> The project that resulted in the highest average annual
growth of GNP
> won. If only one project was under consideration, I would
need to
> demonstrate that developing it would bring superior benefits
to the GNP.
>
> The unspoken aspect of every one of these projects was that
they were
> intended to create large profits for the contractors, and to
make a
> handful of wealthy and influential families in the receiving
countries
> very happy, while assuring the long-term financial
dependence and
> therefore the political loyalty of governments around the
world. The
> larger the loan, the better. The fact that the debt burden
placed on a
> country would deprive its poorest citizens of health,
education, and
> other social services for decades to come was not taken into
> consideration [Of course it was--that's the plan! Both
Claudine and
> Perkins here exhibit incomplete understanding of the power
elite and its
> MO, part of which is the ongoing promotion of illness,
poverty and slow
> genocide]. Claudine and I openly discussed the deceptive
nature of GNP.
> For instance, the growth of GNP may result even when it
profits only one
> person, such as an individual who owns a utility company,
and even if the
> majority of the population is burdened with debt. The rich
get richer and
> the poor grow poorer. Yet, from a statistical standpoint,
this is
> recorded as economic progress [yes, 'even' in America].
>
> Like U.S. citizens in general, most MAIN employees believed
we were doing
> countries favors when we built power plants, highways, and
ports. Our
> schools and our press have taught us to perceive all of our
actions as
> altruistic. Over the years, I've repeatedly heard comments
like, "If
> they're going to burn the U.S. flag and demonstrate against
our embassy,
> why don't we just get out of their damn country and let them
wallow in
> their own poverty?"
>
> People who say such things often hold diplomas certifying
that they are
> well educated. However, these people have no clue that the
main reason we
> establish embassies around the world is to serve our own
interests, which
> during the last half of the twentieth century meant turning
the American
> republic into a global empire [and maintaining the global
scene as a
> playground for ruthless elite power games]. Despite
credentials, such
> people are as uneducated as those eighteenth-century
colonists who
> believed that the Indians fighting to defend their lands
were servants of
> the devil.
>
> Within several months, I would leave for the island of Java
in the
> country of Indonesia, described at that time as the most
heavily
> populated piece of real estate on the planet. Indonesia also
happened to
> be an oil-rich Muslim nation and a hotbed of communist
activity [The
> overall Indonesian 'operation' abetted by Gerald Ford and
Henry-the-
> Reptile Kissinger resulted in 300,000 people shot down in
cold blood on
> East Timor by our ally Suharto while we turned our back].
>
> "It's the next domino after Vietnam," [a couple of
million lives] is the
> way Claudine put it. "We must win the Indonesians over.
If they join the
> Communist bloc, well..." She drew a finger across her
throat and then
> smiled sweetly [It's likely Claudine didn't understand that
the USSR/
> Commie threat was an elite creation. She was sold a bill of
goods which
> may partly underlie 'justification' for her behavior.
Perkins also seems
> a bit out of touch on this subject.] "Let's just say
you need to come up
> with a very optimistic forecast of the economy, how it will
mushroom
> after all the new power plants and distribution lines are
built. That
> will allow USAID and the international banks to justify the
loans. You'll
> be well rewarded, of course, and can move on to other
projects in exotic
> places. The world is your shopping cart." She went on
to warn me that my
> role would be tough. "Experts at the banks will come
after you. It's
> their job to punch holes in your forecasts -- that's what
they're paid to
> do. Making you look bad makes them look good."
>
> One day I reminded Claudine that the MAIN team being sent to
Java
> included ten other men. I asked if they all were receiving
the same type
> of training as me. She assured me they were not.
>
> "They're engineers, she said. "They design power
plants, transmission and
> distribution lines, and seaports and roads to bring in the
fuel. You're
> the one who predicts the future. Your forecasts determine
the magnitude
> of the systems they design -- and the size of the loans. You
see, you're
> the key."
>
> Every time I walked away from Claudine's apartment, I
wondered whether I
> was doing the right thing. Somewhere in my heart, I
suspected I was not.
> But the frustrations of my past haunted me. MAIN seemed to
offer
> everything my life had lacked, and yet I kept asking myself
if Tom Paine
> would have approved. In the end, I convinced myself that by
learning
> more, by experiencing it, I could better expose it later --
the old
> "working from the inside" justification.
>
> When I shared this idea with Claudine, she gave me a
perplexed look.
> "Don't be ridiculous. Once you're in, you can never get
out. You must
> decide for yourself, before you get in any deeper." I
understood her, and
> what she said frightened me. After I left, I strolled down
Commonwealth
> Avenue, turned onto Dartmouth Street, and assured myself
that I was the
> exception.
>
> One afternoon some months later, Claudine and I sat in a
window settee
> watching the snow fall on Beacon Street. "We're a
small, exclusive club,"
> she said. 'We're paid -- well paid -- to cheat countries
around the globe
> out of billions of dollars. A large part of your job is to
encourage
> world leaders to become part of a vast network that promotes
U.S.
> commercial interests. In the end, those leaders become
ensnared in a web
> of debt that ensures their loyalty. We can draw on them
whenever we
> desire -- to satisfy our political, economic, or military
needs. In turn,
> these leaders bolster their political positions by bringing
industrial
> parks, power plants, and airports to their people.
Meanwhile, the owners
> of U.S. engineering and construction companies become very
wealthy."
>
> That afternoon, in the idyllic setting of Claudine's
apartment, relaxing
> in the window while snow swirled around outside, I learned
the history of
> the profession I was about to enter. Claudine described how,
throughout
> most of history empires were built largely through military
force or the
> threat of it. But with the end of World War II, the
emergence of the
> Soviet Union, and the specter of nuclear holocaust, the
military solution
> became just too risky [Not at all. Many wars have been
created since. One
> development was secretly supporting overt 'monsters' in
other nations to
> demonize and potentiate violence--Saddam perfect example].
>
> The decisive moment occurred in 1951, when Iran rebelled
against a
> British oil company that was exploiting Iranian natural
resources and its
> people. The company was the forerunner of British Petroleum,
today's BP.
> In response, the highly popular, democratically elected
Iranian prime
> minister (and TIME magazine's Man of the Year in 1951),
Mohammad
> Mossadegh, nationalized all Iranian petroleum assets. An
outraged England
> sought the help of her World War II ally, the United States.
However,
> both countries feared that military retaliation would
provoke the Soviet
> Union into taking action on behalf of Iran.
>
> Instead of sending in the Marines, therefore, Washington
dispatched CIA
> agent Kermit Roosevelt (Theodore's grandson). He performed
brilliantly,
> winning people over through payoffs and threats [major field
'experiment'
> for fledgling CIA]. He then enlisted them to organize a
series of street
> riots and violent demonstrations, which created the
impression that
> Mossadegh was both unpopular and inept. In the end,
Mossadegh went down,
> and he spent the rest of his life under house arrest. The
pro-American
> Mohammad Reza Shah became the unchallenged dictator. Kermit
Roosevelt had
> set the stage for a new profession, the one whose ranks I
was joining [my
> money is on the probability that the Shah was also brought
down in
> similar way].
>
> Roosevelt's gambit reshaped Middle Eastern history even as
it rendered
> obsolete all the old strategies for empire building [not
entirely true,
> as is patently obvious now. It has become an amalgam of
methods]. It also
> coincided with the beginning of experiments in "limited
nonnuclear
> military actions," which ultimately resulted in U.S.
humiliations in
> Korea and Vietnam [military/strategic losses only--certainly
not profit-
> wise, a major plus for any military operation]. By 1968, the
year I
> interviewed with the NSA, it had become clear that if the
United States
> wanted to realize its dream of global empire (as envisioned
by men like
> presidents Johnson and Nixon), it would have to employ
strategies modeled
> on Roosevelt's Iranian example. This was the only way to
beat the Soviets
> without the threat of nuclear war.
>
> There was one problem, however. Kermit Roosevelt was a CIA
employee. Had
> he been caught, the consequences would have been dire [CIA
owned by
> elites/Wall Street from day one--only ostensibly
operated/operates as US
> agency]. He had orchestrated the first U.S. operation to
overthrow a
> foreign government, and it was likely that many more would
follow but it
> was important to find an approach that would not directly
implicate
> Washington.
>
> Fortunately for the strategists, the 1960s also witnessed
another type of
> revolution: the empowerment of international corporations
and of
> multinational organizations such as the World Bank and the
IMF. The
> latter were financed primarily by the United States and our
sister empire
> builders in Europe. A symbiotic relationship developed
between
> governments, corporations, and multinational organizations
[Another
> example of unfamiliarity with the elite MO. This was a
tactical
> development in a long-established relationship; e.g.,
unconstitutional
> Federal Reserve, a tentacle of the Rothschild/Rockefeller
central-bank
> cartel].
>
> By the time I enrolled in BU's business school, a solution
to the
> Roosevelt-as-CIA-agent problem had already been worked out.
U.S.
> intelligence agencies -- including the NSA -- would identify
prospective
> EHMs, who could then be hired by international corporations.
These EHMs
> would never be paid by the government; instead, they would
draw their
> salaries from the private sector. As a result, their dirty
work, if
> exposed, would be chalked up to corporate greed rather than
to government
> policy. In addition, the corporations that hired them,
although paid by
> government agencies and their multinational banking
counterparts (with
> taxpayer money), would be insulated from congressional
oversight and
> public scrutiny, shielded by a growing body of legal
initiatives,
> including trademark, international trade, and Freedom of
Information laws
> [the FOI bit seems contradictory--not sure what he means
here].2
>
> "So you see" Claudine concluded, "we are just
the next generation in a
> proud tradition that began back when you were in first
grade" [new phase
> of a very old tradition].
> *****
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