Monthly Archives: July 2009
Facts of the Case
This article is meant to provide an overview of the Peltier case. This intricate case grows more complicated with each passing year as court challenges continue so as to win Leonard’s freedom. All of the information below is from the site AIM for Freedom for Leonard Peltier.
The Shoot-Out
June 26, 1975
On June 26, 1975, two agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)—Mr. Jack Coler and Mr. Ron Williams—entered private property on the Pine Ridge reservation, the Jumping Bull Ranch. They drove unmarked vehicles, wore plain clothes, and neglected to identify themselves as law enforcement officers. They allegedly sought to arrest a young Indian man, Jimmy Eagle, for the theft of a pair of cowboy boots. They believed, the government contends, that they had seen Eagle in a red pick up truck that they then followed onto the Jumping Bull property.
Members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) were camping on the property at the time. They had been invited there by the Jumping Bull elders, who sought protection from the extreme violence on the reservation at that time. Many non-AIM persons were present as well.
For unknown reasons, a shoot-out began. A family with small children was trapped in the cross fire. Throughout the ranch, people screamed that they were under attack and many of the men present hurried to return fire.
The Cost
When the skirmish ended, the two FBI agents were dead. The U.S. government claims they had been wounded and then shot through their heads at close range.
A young Native American named Joe Stuntz also lay dead, shot through the head by a sniper bullet. His killing has never been investigated.
The more than 30 men, women, and children present on the ranch were then quickly surrounded by over 150 FBI agents, Special Weapons and Tactics (or SWAT) team members, Bureau of Indian Affairs police, and local vigilantes. They barely escaped through a hail of bullets.
The Aftermath
The FBI immediately began its investigation into the shoot-out, the so-called RESMURS investigation, and launched the biggest manhunt of its history.
Mumia Abu Jamal: Free Leonard Peltier
A statement from Mumia, who is himself on death row in Pennsylvania. It was given as Leonard’s parole hearing approached.
The FBI War on Indian Radicals
Reproduced from Socialist Worker.
Leonard Peltier, one of the longest-serving political prisoners in the U.S., will go before a parole board July 28 for his first full hearing in 15 years, with activists across the U.S. and around the globe calling for his long-delayed release.
Peltier was convicted and sentenced to two life terms for the murder of two FBI agents in a gunfight on the Lakota Sioux Pine Ridge reservation in 1975.
One of Peltier’s co-defendants was Robert Robideau, a fellow leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM). Robideau was acquitted along with Dino Butler in a separate trial from Peltier, but he devoted himself to winning justice for his comrade.
Robideau died February 16 this year in Barcelona, Spain, at the age of 61. Below is an unpublished interview with Robideau from 2006, conducted by Joe Allen, that describes the AIM struggle and Peltier’s role in it.
AIM members defend a blockade during the occupation of Wounded Knee
COULD YOU tell us what were the issues and conditions that gave rise to the American Indian Movement?
AIM WAS born at a time when there was great civil unrest in the United States. The antiwar movement against Vietnam and the Black civil rights movements was the spark that ignited hundreds of thousands of people of all colors to rise up and voice their grievances–against the unjust war in Asia, and racism and prejudice against Black people.
Issues with treaty rights had begun anew with the fishing struggles in the Northwest, and reclamation of Indian lands was in full swing after the Native takeover of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay in 1969. This electrifying moment in time and history inspired a small group of urban tribal members to form the American Indian Movement in Minneapolis, to fight racism and police abuse against urban Indians.
The First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, and the relocation and termination of some tribes brought thousands of tribal Indian people into the large cities of North America. Indian people didn’t find the better life that had been painted for them. They discovered racism, prejudice and abuses that were no different then what they had experienced most of their life from whites who surrounded their reservations.
Those who became members of the American Indian Movement formed roving patrols to record the police abuses that went on in their communities. They alerted the media with the hope of generating community support. They began to rally, and hold workshops and teach-ins in an effort to create community consciousness against the abuses and the general attitude of racism.
They were looking for a better life in which to raise families–and were willing to fight to have it.
TWO EVENTS are credited with putting AIM on the map: the 1972 Trail of Broken Treaties and the occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973. Can you tell us something about them?
THE TRAIL of Broken Treaties and the takeover and occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973 brought AIM into the national arena of Native Indian struggles–and they also brought the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Massacre at Bagua
Hugo Blanco was a leader of the peasant uprising in the Cuzco region of Peru in the early 1960s, a symbol of the unity and renewal of the Peruvian revolutionary left in 1978-1980, imprisoned, threatened with death, exiled and freed thanks to international solidarity. He is the editor of Lucha Indigena.
On June 5, 2009, world environment day, Awajun and Wami defenders of the environment were massacred in Peru. I will start by pointing to a difference between “modernity” and indigenous cosmology: The civilised world sees the past as something exceeded. “Primitive” has pejorative connotations. The modern, the most recent, is the best.
In my language, Quechua, “Ñaupaq” means “forward “and “past” at the same time. “Qhepa” means “later”, in place and time. Now we see that “progress” is leading to the extinction of the human species through global warming and many other forms of attacks on nature.
Who are the Amazonian people?
The Peruvian Amazon population comprises 11 per cent of the total population. It inhabits the most extensive of the three natural regions of Peru, the North, Centre and Southeast. It speaks dozens of languages and consists of dozens of nationalities.
The inhabitants of the South American rain forest are the indigenous peoples least contaminated by the “civilization” whose current stage is neoliberal capitalism.
They were not conquered by the Incas, or the Spanish invaders. The indigenous rebel Juan Santos Atawallpa, harassed by Spanish troops, fell back into the jungle, among these peoples, one of whose languages he had learned, and the colonial forces failed to defeat him. At the time of the exploitation of rubber capitalism entered the jungle and reduced to slavery and massacred native populations, for this reason many of them have kept themselves until today in voluntary isolation, wanting no contact with “civilization”.
Urgent—Support Leonard Peltier
From the International Action Center.
Come to Leonard Peltier’s parole hearing
Van leaving NYC Monday night, July 27th
American Indian Movement leader Leonard Peltier has spent over 33 years in jail on frame-up charges. His parole hearing will be held in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania Federal Prison next Tuesday.
New York organizers of the Jericho Movement have reserved a 15 passenger van to go to Lewisburg on Monday, July 27th. It will leave at 8 p.m. from 33rd Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan. (In front of the Post Office across from Pennsylvania Station. Take the A, C or E trains to the 34th Street Station.)
People will stay overnight at the Days Inn a mile from the prison. Four or five people can share a room.
Cost for the van is $25 per person. Cost per person for the shared room(s) is $20. The van will be leaving Lewisburg at 2 p.m at the latest to be back in NYC by about 6 p.m.
Anyone wanting to travel to Lewisburg for the July 28th vigil at Leonard’s parole hearing should email nyclpsg@gmail.com or nycjericho@gmail.com or call 718-365-4407.
There will also be a vigil for Leonard Peltier in NYC at Battery Park across from the American Indian Museum. It will begin on Tuesday, July 28th at 6:30 a.m. with a sunrise drumming. People will walk to the Federal Building on the Broadway side and hold a vigil from 7 to 9 a.m. Please call Alexis at 646-351-9859 or email him at lex@nadalex.net if can join the vigil.
Free Leonard Peltier! Free all political prisoners!
Leonard Peltier, like Mumia Abu-Jamal, has become known around the world as a symbol of U.S. government injustice toward the peoples it has abused and betrayed over centuries.
Peltier has a full parole hearing coming up on July 28—the first one since 1993. It is important that all those fighting racism and injustice let the government know that they support Peltier’s release from prison.
Peltier was a leader of the American Indian Movement in 1976 when he was arrested and charged with the deaths of two FBI agents during a shootout at the Pine Ridge Reservation of the Oglala-Lakota Nation. He has now been imprisoned for more than 33 years—one of the world’s longest-held political prisoners—and his health is frail.
According to Amnesty International, the Parole Commission, after an interim hearing that refused to reconsider its 1994 decision to deny Peltier parole, acknowledged that ‘’the prosecution has conceded the lack of any direct evidence that [Peltier] personally participated in the executions of the two FBI agents. …’’
However, the position of the Parole Commission has been that Peltier must accept “criminal responsibility” for the killings in order to get parole. It’s a “Catch 22” situation for Peltier, who has always maintained his innocence.
Two other AIM members, Dino Butler and Robert Robideau, who admitted they were present during the shootout, were tried and acquitted of the murders of the FBI agents on the grounds of self-defense after they provided ample testimony to the atmosphere of terror that existed on the reservation.
It was after their acquittals, said Amnesty in an appeal to President Bill Clinton in 1999 for a pardon, that “the government intensified its pursuit of Leonard Peltier.”
Peltier has continued to speak out in support of Native peoples’ rights. He has won international acclaim and support for his tireless activism on behalf of human rights for Indigenous peoples. He is also an internationally acclaimed writer and artist. In 2004, Peltier ran for U.S. president on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket.
There are only a few days left to act. Letters supporting Peltier’s parole effort should be addressed to the U.S. Parole Commission, 5550 Friendship Blvd., Suite 420, Chevy Chase, MD 20815-7286. Your letter must reference Peltier’s prison number, 20815-7286.
Free Leonard Peltier!
Leonard Peltier News and Actions for July 28th – Get Involved!
From the website of the Republic of Lakotah.
Attend the Vigil at Lewisburg Penitentiary July 28th
Join us and other Peltier supporters at the entrance of USP-Lewisburg on July 28 between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. for a peaceful protest and vigil. Meet at the corner of Route 15 and William Penn Road. USP-Lewisburg is located in central Pennsylvania, 200 miles north of Washington, DC, and 170 miles west of Philadelphia.
Days Inn will give a discount to anyone attending the Peltier vigil. The motel is 1 mile from the prison. The phone number is 570-523-1171.
You perhaps can’t make the trip to Lewisburg. What to do?
Plan a peaceful, respectful and sincere demonstration at a federal or state building in your area.
Please Help us Circulate this Press Release ~ In your state ~
Our Land, Our Life
“Our Land, Our Life” presents the struggle of Carrie and Mary Dann, two Western Shoshone elders, to address the threat mining development poses to the sacred and environmentally sensitive lands of Crescent Valley, Nevada.
Raging Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine was perhaps one of the greatest political musical groups to ever reach a mainstream audience. Combining elements of rap & hip-hop, heavy metal, funk and hardcore punk with a dedication to truly revolutionary politics allowed RATM to bring a message, that another world is possible, to the ears and minds of millions of young people in North America and around the world. Over the years of its career, the band played benefit concerts for organizations such as Rock for Choice, the Anti-Nazi League, the United Farm Workers, children’s care organization Para Los Niños and UNITE. 1994 saw the band organizing Latinpalooza, a joint benefit concert for the Leonard Peltier Defense Fund, and Para Los Niños. The band also raised funds for Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, the National Commission for Democracy in Mexico, and Women Alive. Album liner notes contained promotional material for AK Press, Amnesty International, the Committee to Support the Revolution in Peru, the Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic, Indymedia, Mass Mic, Parents for Rock and Rap, the Popular Resource Center, RE: GENERATION, Refuse and Resist, Revolution Books, the Rock & Rap Confidential, and Voices in the Wilderness.
However in 2000 front-man Zack de la Rocha left the band. He said, “I feel that it is now necessary to leave Rage because our decision-making process has completely failed. It is no longer meeting the aspirations of all four of us collectively as a band, and from my perspective, has undermined our artistic and political ideal.” After his departure the band continued on, first in the far less politicised form as Audioslave, and then again as RATM for their recent, and constantly extended, set of reunion shows. However since the first break up of RATM, and given that they have stated no intention to record future albums despite the reunion tour, fans have been clamouring for more. Sure Tom Morello has his Nightwatchman thing going (which is great and I would highly suggest both of his albums), and their was Audioslave, but fans have been wanting something more along the lines of what RATM was, and now their are two musical formations which I think fit the bill.
The first is One Day as a Lion, which brings together former RATM front-man Zack de la Rocha and John Theodore of The Mars Volta. Check out their song Wild Internationale:
The second is the Street Sweeper Social Club, which combines the world renowned talents of guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and rapper Boots Riley of the Coup. This is their song 100 Little Curses:
I look forward to hearing a lot more from these revolutionary musicians in the future.
Leonard Peltier Demands His Freedom by Judy Greenspan
Originally published by the International Action Center.
Supporters of Leonard Peltier rally in front of San Francisco Federal Building.
The press conference marked the 34th anniversary of the attack by FBI agents and other police on Oglala-Lakota Native American activists on Pine Ridge Reservation. On June 26, 1975, two FBI agents were shot and killed during a shoot-out and Peltier was charged with their murders. Despite the absence of eyewitnesses and any evidence proving Peltier’s involvement in the shootings, this Native American leader was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison.
The press conference was attended by Peltier’s daughter, Kathy Peltier, who urged everyone to continue to support her father’s parole bid for freedom. Tony Gonzales and Sampson Wolfe, two local Native American leaders of the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, also spoke.
A short statement by Peltier was read at the press conference, which stated in part: “I am not a philosopher or poet or a singer or any of those things that particularly inspire people, but the one thing that I am is the evidence that this country lied when they said there was justice for all. I am the evidence that the attitude, the powers that be still hold us in a grip.
“They hold us in an emotional grip. They hold us in a poverty grip. They hold us in a cultural deprivation grip. And we as a people are the evidence that this country fails to keep its treaties, this country fails to keep its word. This country has failed to follow its own Constitution – the treaty between the people and the government. We are that evidence.” Peltier’s full statement can be read at http://freepeltiernow.blogspot.com/2009.
During his more than 33 years of incarceration, Peltier has continued to speak out in support of Native peoples’ rights. He has won international acclaim and support for his tireless activism on behalf of human rights for Indigenous peoples. Peltier is an internationally acclaimed writer and artist. In 2004, Leonard Peltier ran for U.S. president on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket.
Letters supporting Peltier’s parole effort should be addressed to the U.S. Parole Commission, 5550 Friendship Blvd., Suite 420, Chevy Chase, MD 20815-7286. Your letter must reference Peltier’s prison number, 20815-7286.
Free Leonard Peltier!
Callout to Anti Olympics Organizers Across Turtle Island
No Olympics on Stolen Native Land!
Are you involved in Anti-Olympics organizing in your town, your community, your city?
The Olympic Resistance Network is coordinating anti-Olympics efforts in Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories. In doing so, we are looking to compile contacts for groups, communities and Indigenous defenders already resisting or planning on opposing the Games (whether through educational events, disrupting the Torch Relay, outreach efforts that link local struggles to the 2010 Games etc). We are hoping to build strength and unity in coordinating our efforts by having this information available on our website.
Please email us by August 2nd at olympicresistance@riseup.net with the name of your group/community, where you are located, contact information that can be made publicly available (phone, email, and/or website information).
Thank you and in solidarity,
Olympic Resistance Network
olympicresistance.net
—
The Olympic Resistance Network is primarily based in Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories and exists as a space to coordinate anti-2010 Olympics efforts. In doing so, we act in solidarity with other communities across “B.C.” – particularly indigenous communities who have been defending their land against the onslaught of the Olympics since the bid itself.
Anti Olympics organizing through the Olympic Resistance Network is largely being done under the primary slogan and understanding of “No Olympics on Stolen Native Land”, although this is an opportunity for a large convergence of groups, issues, and sectors – anti capitalist, Indigenous, anti poverty, feminist, labour, migrant justice, housing, environmental justice, civil libertarian, anti war, and anti colonial - to come together.
We represent a diverse network of groups and individuals which is continuously growing. We look forward to working together across our experiences and movements, while sharing a common understanding including an anti-colonial and anti-capitalist analysis; respect for diversity of tactics and strategies; an anti-oppression understanding and solidarity with those most directly affected; and organizational philosophy based on decentralization within a coordinated and accountable structure.
The ORN supports the international resolution passed by over 1500 Indigenous delegates at the Intercontinental Indigenous Peoples Gathering in Sonora, Mexico to boycott the 2010 Olympic Games based on Resolution #2 of the Gathering which states “We reject the 2010 Winter Olympics on sacred and stolen territory of Turtle Island “Vancouver, Canada”. Based on this, we are working towards a global anti-capitalist and anti-colonial convergence from February 10th-15th 2010.
‘Colonialism and Racism are Never Something to Celebrate’
This statement, headed ‘An Open Letter to the Canadian Arab Federation,’ was distributed by Vancouver-based Indigenous activist Mike Krebs on July 4. Reproduced from Socialist Voice.
To the Executive of the Canadian Arab Federation:
I am writing to express my disappointment with your decision to distance CAF from the statements regarding ‘Canada Day’ made by Omar Shaban, your (former) Vice-President for the west. I am an indigenous activist based in Vancouver. I am also actively involved in the Boycott Israeli Apartheid Campaign, as the struggle for Palestine is of immense importance to me.
Last year I personally contacted CAF to get an endorsement for the ‘Walk for Palestine’ event in Vancouver, where we commemorated the 60th anniversary of Al-Nakba, the ‘catastrophe’ for Palestinians that was marked by the birth of Israel in 1948 and the displacement of over 750,000 Palestinians from their lands and homes. I was happy that CAF readily endorsed this event, as I’m sure it has done for numerous events and initiatives for Palestine over the years.
On the other hand, this past week marked ‘Canada Day,’ which, for me and many indigenous people living in Canada, should be seen as a day to commemorate our own ‘catastrophe’ – that is, the forced theft and occupation of our territories, the break-up of our societies and traditional forms of governance, and a systematic policy of genocide that continues to this day. This history, this ‘heritage,’ forms the true foundations of Canadian society, and for indigenous people who have struggled for generations with living under Canadian colonialism, July 1st is not a day to celebrate.
SF 8 Case is Close to Victory
From the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement.
Members of the SF8 with attorney Soffiya Elijah and SF Supervisor Eric Mar
On what was supposed to be the start of the preliminary hearing and California’s continued attack on the San Francisco 8 (SF8), the false case of the state prosecution and attorney general Jerry Brown was further exposed. A week after Herman Bell was given 5 years probation for voluntary manslaughter, more charges were not only reduced, but ultimately dropped against four more of the defendants. Ray Boudreaux, Harold Taylor, Hank Jones and Richard Brown were officially released from the case following an arrangement where Jalil Muntaqim reluctantly pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit manslaughter. The sentencing times of Herman Bell and Jalil Muntaqim mirror a similar embarrassment of the prosecution in the earlier dismissal of charges against Richard O’Neal, who was also wrongfully charged with conspiracy. Charges against Francisco Torres remain, showing the prosecutions everlasting attack on African and Latino community elders.
The case against the SF8 is one of state sponsored desperation and extreme mis-management of California funding. Millions of dollars has been spent since January of 2007 to arrest, extradite and create hundreds of thousands of pages of evidence which have not led to a single murder conviction amongst the SF8. These recent actions add on to a 37 year legacy of state torture and war against community leaders. This case has been built upon a series of human rights violations starting with the 1973 torture of Rueben Scott, Harold Taylor and the late John Bowman. The unlawful acts of California’s justice system is responsible for attempting to deny the SF8 their freedom The brothers of the SF8 are family men, whose lives have been interrupted through this country’s continuing attack against people who stand for human rights.
All of the eight have been harassed and held as political prisoners during the case. Herman Bell and Jalil Muntaqim will return to New York having been incarcerated continuously for well over 3 decades each. Although they will be leaving behind the last 2 and half years of SF County Jail time, they return to New York to face parole boards with felonies due to the negligence and desperation of a defeated California prosecution team. Within 30 days of return to New York, Herman and Jalil will face parole boards for a potential freedom that they deserve. Humanity must rise up and support these brothers in their continued struggle for justice. While preparation for NY parole hearings begin, the people must unite and continue to demand that all charges be dropped against all of the SF8 by supporting Francisco Torres at his August 10th court hearing. Charges against Francisco Torres must be dropped to complete the defeat of California’s attorney general and all other local, state and national forces that abuse their power.
FREE THE SF8. DROP THE CHARGES!
The Makah Whaling Conflict and Eco-Colonialism
Reproduced from Native Americans and the Environment.
To a disturbing extent, whaling opponents have relied on colonialist or even racist arguments to develop opposition to the Makah whale hunt. These arguments follow themes that have existed since colonial times to maintain unequal power relationships between native and non-native peoples. Colonialism is not the immediate goal of anti-whaling organizations, and such arguments do not invalidate the other points raised by whaling opponents. As well, the actions and rhetoric of a few individuals and organizations cannot represent the beliefs and attitudes of an entire movement. However, I raise these arguments for criticism because I have not in my research come across a condemnation of the use of such colonialist arguments by whaling opponents, or even an indication that these arguments will not be used in the future.
Native American political activity must be “incited” by outsiders because they cannot act by themselves. Whaling opponents such as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society have frequently suggested that the Japanese are responsible for the Makah whale hunt. The only Japanese involvement in west coast whaling has been a $20,000 start-up grant for a Nuu-chah-nulth whaling organization, the World Council of Whalers. The Makah are not members of this organization. Ben Johnson (Makah Tribal Council) has said that “Japan wanted to give us money, to help us buy boats, to show us how to kill the whales, everything….We said no because we knew it would be very controversial, and we want to do everything by the book.” However, this lack of involvement has not stopped Sea Shepherd’s Paul Watson from explaining:
The truth is that it is not the Makah who are our enemy. We were in Neah Bay to oppose the Japanese and the Norwegians, who manipulated the Makah into this situation. Sometimes strategy means having to fight an elusive enemy that takes on another guise in order to benefit the primary opposition. In this case, the Makah are pawns in a global Japanese chess game.
Watson has not even accorded the Makah the status of co-conspirators in his chess match, instead drawing directly on an image of the Makah as a passive people easily manipulated by non-natives. This contradicts the statements of many Makah people, including Makah opponents of the hunt, about the importance of whaling and the reasons the Makah desire to hunt.
What is Hamas’ Alternative?
Haidar Eid is a resident of Gaza City, a professor of English and a leader in the new Palestinian campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel. Here, he looks at the political leadership of Hamas and its approach to the question of a “two-state” solution. First published at Electronic Intifada.
Hamas has drawn support from many who see the two-state "solution" as a failure
WHEN HAMAS unexpectedly won the 2006 parliamentary elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the message from the one-third of the Palestinian people living in those territories was clear: no more of the “peace process” facade–with its untiring “two-state solution” slogan that never materialized, and no more of the bread crumbs offered to the new inauthentic NGOized, Osloized leadership classes.
(In the years since the 1993 Oslo accords, funding NGOs–nongovernmental organizations–has been a major means for foreign governments to influence, co-opt and neutralize Palestinian politics. This process of “Osloization” made some Palestinian organizations more loyal to their funders than to their principles.)
Many of those who voted Hamas into power were not, in fact, supporters of the organization, but rather disgruntled Palestinians looking for change and reform after 13 years of futile, meaningless negotiations that did huge damage to the Palestinian cause and transformed it from a liberation struggle supported by millions all over the world into a dispute between “two equal parties,” two countries fighting for border arrangements.
Undoubtedly, Hamas’ electoral victory turned the whole equation upside down and was considered a blow to the Bush doctrine in the Middle East. The price paid by the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has been extremely heavy–not because of their support for Hamas, but rather because of their choice to put an end to the “peace process” charade.
Had there been another Palestinian political force that could be trusted to fight the outcome of the Oslo accords in a principled manner, it might have had a chance. But by 2006, the left had already gone through a process of NGOization and Osloization that put it to the right of Hamas, dovetailing with the right wing that was already in control of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
War Criminal Robert McNamara Dead at 93
Viet Cong soldier stands beneath a Viet Cong flag carrying his AK-47. Thousands of his comrades gave their lives to free Viet Nam from American Imperialism
Robert Strange McNamara — major architect of the US war on Vietnam as Defense Secretary under Kennedy and Johnson, before that president of Ford Motor Co., and afterwords president of the World Bank, has finally died.
If I was a religious person, and I believed in a place akin to the Christian-Islamic Hell, I would hope that he was in it now.
Former US defense secretary McNamara dies
By Carlos Hamann
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Robert McNamara, the US defense secretary who was one of the main architects of the US war in Vietnam, died Monday, The Washington Post reported. He was 93.
McNamara oversaw the escalation of US war efforts in Vietnam from 1961 to 1968. He was also an early advocate of counter-insurgency operations and a key architect of Cold War nuclear policy.A trained economist, he also helped turn around the Ford auto company in the post-World War II era and then used his talents to improve the image of the World Bank during his long tenure as president from 1968 to 1981.
Brilliant — arrogant, some would say — certain of himself and a whirlwind of energy, McNamara was a key member of president John F. Kennedy’s cabinet, a team famously described as “The Best and the Brightest” in author David Halberstam’s seminal book on the Vietnam war.
