Killing Hope – William Blum

Killing Hope – William Blum

William Blum

Official website of the author, historian, and U.S. foreign policy critic.

Killing Hope

U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II

• 2004, 471 pages
• Published by Common Courage Press
• ISBN: 9781567512526

• Table of Contents
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Is the United States a force for democracy? In this classic and unique volume that answers this question, William Blum serves up a forensic overview of U.S. foreign policy spanning sixty years. For those who want the details on our most famous actions (Chile, Cuba, Vietnam, to name a few), and for those who want to learn about our lesser-known efforts (France, China, Bolivia, Brazil, for example), this book provides a window on what our foreign policy goals really are.

If you flip over the rock of American foreign policy of the past century, this is what crawls out… invasions … bombings … overthrowing governments … occupations … suppressing movements for social change … assassinating political leaders … perverting elections … manipulating labor unions … manufacturing “news” … death squads … torture … biological warfare … depleted uranium … drug trafficking … mercenaries …

It’s not a pretty picture. It’s enough to give imperialism a bad name.

Read the full details in: Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II.

“Far and away the best book on the topic.” – Noam Chomsky

“I enjoyed it immensely.” – Gore Vidal

“I bought several more copies to circulate to friends with the hope of shedding new light and understanding on their political outlooks.” – Oliver Stone

“A very valuable book. The research and organization are extremely impressive.” – A. J. Langguth, author, former New York Times Bureau Chief

“A very useful piece of work, daunting in scope, important.” –Thomas Powers, author, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist

“Each chapter I read made me more and more angry.” – Dr. Helen Caldicott, international leader of the anti-nuclear and environmental movements

See a map based on the interventions chronicled in this book.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Chapter 1: China - 1945 to 1960s: Was Mao Tse-tung just paranoid?
• Chapter 2: Italy - 1947-1948: Free elections, Hollywood style
• Chapter 3: Greece - 1947 to early 1950s: From cradle of democracy to client state
• Chapter 4: The Philippines - 1940s and 1950s: America’s oldest colony
• Chapter 5: Korea - 1945-1953: Was it all that it appeared to be?
• Chapter 6: Albania - 1949-1953: The proper English spy
• Chapter 7: Eastern Europe - 1948-1956: Operation Splinter Factor
• Chapter 8: Germany - 1950s: Everything from juvenile delinquency to terrorism
• Chapter 9: Iran - 1953: Making it safe for the King of Kings
• Chapter 10: Guatemala - 1953-1954: While the world watched
• Chapter 11: Costa Rica - Mid-1950s: Trying to topple an ally - Part 1
• Chapter 12: Syria - 1956-1957: Purchasing a new government
• Chapter 13: Middle East - 1957-1958: The Eisenhower Doctrine claims another backyard for America
• Chapter 14: Indonesia - 1957-1958: War and pornography
• Chapter 15: Western Europe - 1950s and 1960s: Fronts within fronts within fronts
• Chapter 16: British Guiana - 1953-1964: The CIA’s international labor mafia
• Chapter 17: Soviet Union - Late 1940s to 1960s: From spy planes to book publishing
• Chapter 18: Italy - 1950s to 1970s: Supporting the Cardinal’s orphans and techno-fascism
• Chapter 19: Vietnam - 1950-1973: The Hearts and Minds Circus
• Chapter 20: Cambodia - 1955-1973: Prince Sihanouk walks the high-wire of neutralism
• Chapter 21: Laos - 1957-1973: L’Armée Clandestine
• Chapter 22: Haiti - 1959-1963: The Marines land, again
• Chapter 23: Guatemala - 1960: One good coup deserves another
• Chapter 24: France/Algeria - 1960s: L’état, c’est la CIA
• Chapter 25: Ecuador - 1960-1963: A text book of dirty tricks
• Chapter 26: The Congo - 1960-1964: The assassination of Patrice Lumumba
• Chapter 27: Brazil - 1961-1964: Introducing the marvelous new world of death squads
• Chapter 28: Peru - 1960-1965: Fort Bragg moves to the jungle
• Chapter 29: Dominican Republic - 1960-1966: Saving democracy from communism by getting rid of democracy
• Chapter 30: Cuba - 1959 to 1980s: The unforgivable revolution
• Chapter 31: Indonesia - 1965: Liquidating President Sukarno ..: and 500,000 others; East Timor - 1975: And 200,000 more
• Chapter 32: Ghana - 1966: Kwame Nkrumah steps out of line
• Chapter 33: Uruguay - 1964-1970: Torture—as American as apple pie
• Chapter 34: Chile - 1964-1973: A hammer and sickle stamped on your child’s forehead
• Chapter 35: Greece - 1964-1974: “Fuck your Parliament and your Constitution,” said the President of the United States
• Chapter 36: Bolivia - 1964-1975: Tracking down Che Guevara in the land of coup d’etat
• Chapter 37: Guatemala - 1962 to 1980s: A less publicized “final solution”
• Chapter 38: Costa Rica - 1970-1971: Trying to topple an ally—Part 2
• Chapter 39: Iraq - 1972-1975: Covert action should not be confused with missionary work
• Chapter 40: Australia - 1973-1975: Another free election bites the dust
• Chapter 41: Angola - 1975 to 1980s: The Great Powers Poker Game
• Chapter 42: Zaire - 1975-1978: Mobutu and the CIA, a marriage made in heaven
• Chapter 43: Jamaica - 1976-1980: Kissinger’s ultimatum
• Chapter 44: Seychelles - 1979-1981: Yet another area of great strategic importance
• Chapter 45: Grenada - 1979-1984: Lying—one of the few growth industries in Washington
• Chapter 46: Morocco - 1983: A video nasty
• Chapter 47: Suriname - 1982-1984: Once again, the Cuban bogeyman
• Chapter 48: Libya - 1981-1989: Ronald Reagan meets his match
• Chapter 49: Nicaragua - 1981-1990: Destabilization in slow motion
• Chapter 50: Panama - 1969-1991: Double-crossing our drug supplier
• Chapter 51: Bulgaria 1990/Albania 1991: Teaching communists what democracy is all about
• Chapter 52: Iraq - 1990-1991: Desert Holocaust
• Chapter 53: Afghanistan - 1979-1992: America’s Jihad
• Chapter 54: El Salvador - 1980-1994: Human rights, Washington style
• Chapter 55: Haiti - 1986-1994: Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?
• Chapter 56: The American Empire - 1992 to present
• Notes
• Appendix I: This is How the Money Goes Round
• Appendix II: Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-1945
• Appendix III: U.S. Government Assassination Plots
• Index

Purchase Killing Hope

For a copy signed to you personally, and shipped immediately, send a check to:

William Blum
5100 Connecticut Ave., NW, #707
Washington, DC, 20008-2064, USA

Please specify to whom each book should be inscribed and include your phone number and/or email address in case a question arises.

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Price for the paperback, including postage:

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• Canada – Airmail (about a week): $32
• Western Europe – Airmail (4-7 days): $39 (or €30 cash)
• Australia/New Zealand/Japan (about 10 days): $39
• Other countries: email to request a price.