The CIA, a Forgotten History: Us Global Interventions Since World War 2

William Blum has without doubt makes a significant contribution to the history of the Cold War. Furthermore, his account shows that the guiding logic of the CIA is as applicable today as it was in the days of the USSR. Foreign policy, as Kissenger said, is most definitely not about "missionary work", rather being formulated in the interests of the ruling elite in the USA.The main point arising from this book is that what a country does, and what it says it does, rarely coincide (in this way states are very similar to normal people). Lifting the veil of successive US governments' benign rhetoric, Blum reveals undercurrents or pure greed and savagery. International Relations can only be truly understood by following the interests of interested players, rather than politicians' vacuous pontifications.The maxim of "follow the money" can be applied to Blum's methodology - charting the rise of murderous and fascist regimes against the profitability of US investors.Although much of what Blum claims to have happened is unverifiable, being based on secret concordats, gentlemen's agreements and sometimes hearsay, his collection, corroboration and systematisation of sources does much to counter this. Blum can lay no claim to the absolute truth (though who can?), but his account of the CIA is closer to the mark than any other official history.In effect, Blum is asking his readers to pose a simple question: what motivates organisations such as the CIA? Is it the wishy-washy benign do-gooder rhetoric of career politicians? Or the cool calculations of material self-interest. Blum's convincing analysis would have us accept the latter.Highly recommended.

I bought my copy in 1987 and consider it one of the most important books written. Mainly it shows that the United States is not concerned with the welfare of the world as a whole but only concerned as to how it can control the world so it can theive the world's riches. Recently, S11, some "Americans" (i.e., United States citizens) asked why the world hated them so. This book will largely explain why -- The citizens of the United States greed and arrogance knows no bounds; in fact it is not a matter for reflection or analysis. "Americans" are just the most important people on earth and everyone else is there to be their slaves and sychophants. OR ELSE! Or else the ones who don't act like catamites to the "Americans" deserve to be bombed back to the stone age, including former allies like Osema bin Laden, who was an "ally" when it suited the spooks of the CIA. Wounded 8 times in fighting the Russians on behalf of the US, he is not a little "terrorist" nobody, "wanted dead or alive", as that sickening coward George W Bush puts it. I fought in Korea for 2 and a 1/2 years and never have I witnessed such inept and cowardly troops when it came to hand to hand infantry fighting as the "Americans" (not the Canadians) including the US Marines.They are cowards. White-collar killers dropping bombs from 40 thousand feet is about all they're capable of when it comes to "war", which of course isn't war but a turky shoot. It is time William Blum's book published by ZED Books so long ago was republished in toto without revision for all this emerges in fairly plain language -- why everyone hates the United States.