To avoid abuses such as phony accusations for personal reasons, or to rein in overzealous officials who. After having read douglas valentines essay on how the phoenix is coming home to roost via homeland security on his website, i decided to look into his book, the phoenix program. The hotel tacloban 1984, the phoenix program 1990, the strength of the wolf 2004, the strength of the pack 2009, and the cia as organized crime 2017. The phoenix program douglas valentine pdf by restat3calgary. How accurate is douglas valentines account of the cia phoenix program. On the other hand if one wants a blow by blow of how the phoenix program was started and evolved then this is. The phoenix program, revisited abcs of american interrogation methods abcs of american interrogation methods by douglas valentine weekend edition may 1517, 2004 counterpunch contents the pics piccs inside a pic the militarys side of the story adapted from chapter 5. John has culled a list of top experts on the subject of us misuse of covert action, and he has selected their bellwether books on this subject. The phoenix program and contemporary counterinsurgency. Shadowproof is a financially independent news organization. One day later, on march20 5, 1968, with the pentagon, hence the armed forces of vietnam, now embracing the cias controversial phoenix program, prime minister nguyen20 van loc ordered the activation of phung hoang committees at all echelons,20 and he appointed dang van minh chief of a special phung hoang task management bureau. The first book to shed light on and analyze the details. There was a discussion about it on the wikipedia page, but nothing seemed to be resolved on either side. The phoenix program and the cias underworld youtube.
Marks in the search for the manchurian candidate formats. The personalities, politics and espionage intrigues that shaped the dea. The phoenix program was first published twenty four years ago, fourteen years after the congressional investigations that exposed and swiftly washed it from public memory. Most of the suspects picked up and detained as part of the phoenix program were murdered and never seen again or eliminated in their homes and villages in the countryside. Douglas valentine, author of the phoenix program discusses the his book and the cias vietnam war assassination program by the same name. Whereas the earlier programs had been unabashedly american operations, the phoenix program actually attempted to involve. Forbidden bookshelf publisher should show the original publication date in its republication to. Sean stone interviews journalist and author douglas valentine about his new book the cia as organized crime and they discuss the ramifications of the phoenix program. The phoenix program by douglas valentine between 1967 and 1973, the united states undertook the most ambitious and far reaching operation of the vietnam war. Jun 30, 2015 the author of a book once banned in america, douglas valentine, discusses how the american government is conducting covert warfare on its citizens via the cia.
Aug 01, 2000 after having read douglas valentines essay on how the phoenix is coming home to roost via homeland security on his website, i decided to look into his book, the phoenix program. Going back to the 1950s valentine traces attempts by saigon. A crude, onesided appraisal designed to prove conclusively that the phoenix program americas antiterrorist program in vietnamwas an instrument of unspeakable evil. The collection contains the research material, including original handwritten interview notes and government documents obtained through foia requests, for my book the phoenix program. Read the phoenix program pdf by douglas valentine open road distribution an important work. Jun 10, 2014 douglas valentine is the author of four books of historical nonfiction. I dont see an original publication date for interference by moldea. Altruistic world online library view topic the phoenix. The phoenix program was launched on august 1, 1968, after the tet offensive in order to eradicate the communist infrastructure. Feb 06, 2017 sean stone interviews journalist and author douglas valentine about his new book the cia as organized crime and they discuss the ramifications of the phoenix program and just how deep the cia. Douglas valentine is the author of five nonfiction books. The number killed if proportionate to population, would total over 200,000 americans deliberately assignated over a threeyear period, were phoenix in practice in the united states. Douglas valentine on the phoenix program then and now. I do understand suppression of the others, as explained by miller in his interview with abby martin.
Douglas valentine on the resurrection of the phoenix. The hotel tacloban, the phoenix program, the strength of the wolf. The victims of the phoenix program were vietnamese civilians, male and female, suspected of harboring information about the enemythough many on the blacklist were targeted by corrupt south vietnamese security personnel looking to extort money or remove a rival. Pics in the phoenix program, douglas valentine ny, wm morrow, 1990. Table of contents opening pages introduction picture gallery chapter 1. Publication date 19680101 usage public domain mark 1. Coordinated by the cia, staffed by american and republic of vietnam soldiers and. Designed to destroy the vietcong infrastructure and ostensibly run by the south vietnamese government, the phoenix programin fact directed. Semantic scholar extracted view of the phoenix program by douglas valentine.
The phoenix program by douglas valentine, paperback. All of our funding comes from small donations made by readers like you. The phoenix program by douglas valentine lobster magazine. Whereas the earlier programs had been unabashedly american operations, the phoenix program actually attempted to involve the south vietnamese in the planning and operations. The first book to shed light on and analyze the details of the whole operation. Douglas valentine on the resurrection of the phoenix program. The program was, at the time and still is controversial.
The phoenix program was in theory an antiterrorist program, designed by the cia to target viet cong officials and sympathizers. Thanks to the work of douglas valentine in his nonpareil book the phoenix program we have an extremely detailed account of the phoenix program, exposing a classic example of the brutality of the cias counter insurgency wars. Douglas valentines book the phoenix program gets the evolutionary information regarding this program correct. He is now advocating for a rebirth of the us infamous phoenix program to target the isis terrorists the us created, and he is advising trump from the shadows. John prados, author of presidents secret warsthis definitive account. Today douglas valentine, author of the phoenix program and the cia as organized crime joins us to discuss what the phoenix program is and why its resurrection is so ominous. John prados, author of presidents secret wars this definitive account of the phoenix program, the us attempt to destroy the viet cong through torture and summary execution, remains sobering reading for all those trying to understand the vietnam war and the moral ambiguities of americas cold war victory. He provides a brief history of the vietnam warera counterinsurgency program and explains how phoenix is being implemented today both internationally and. His book received some notice indirectly via a til about the cias phoenix program in vietnam. The phoenix program by douglas valentine, paperback barnes.
More than 50,000 south vietnamese died as a result of the phoenix program and it paved the way for cia support for abuses in south and central america for the next 30 years. While there have been many books written about the phoenix program, valentines book is much more thoroughly researched than the other books. Available formats pdf please select a format to send. Opinion behind the phoenix program the new york times. Douglas, you refer to the cia as the organized crime branch of the u. This covert operation was responsible for the killing, imprisonment, or torture of countless vietnamese in the name of neutralizing the viet cong infrastructure. The phoenix program and the sla douglas valentine, mae. By studying the phoenix program one gains a great deal of insight into the wars in afghanistan, syria and iraq. Valentine nonetheless affords an intriguingly detailed history of counterinsurgency efforts during americas postww ii involvement in indochina. Contrary to both extreme views of phoenix, the historical record shows that phoenix was neither wildly successful nor a massive assassination program. I had a love hate conundrum in terms of the details and endless interviews in this book.
Designed to destroy the vietcong infrastructure and ostensibly run by the south vietnamese government, the phoenix program in fact directed by the united statesdeveloped a variety of counterinsurgency activities including, at its worst, torture and assassination. The website maintained by douglas valentine, author of the phoenix program,the hotel tacloban, tdy, the strength of the wolf and the strength of the. Douglas valentine lives with his wife alice in western massachusetts. The secret history of americas war on drugs, and the strength of the pack. A shattering account of the most ambitious and closely guarded operation of the vietnam war by douglas valentine.
Author and journalist douglas valentine states that central to phoenix is the fact that it targeted civilians, not soldiers. Douglas valentine is the author of four books of historical nonfiction. The predecessors to the phoenix program included, pt4 and icex, both cia programs designed to coordinate and plan attacks on the vci. Primary text documents for douglas valentines seminal look at cia covert operations during the vietnam war, the phoenix program.
In the darkest days of the vietnam war, americas central intelligence agency secretly initiated a sweeping program of kidnap, torture, and assassination devised. The douglas valentine vietnam collection at the national security archive in washington, dc, has been open and used by researchers since early 2007. By using this service, you agree that you will only keep. Douglas valentine between 1967 and 1973, the united states undertook the most ambitious and fareaching operation of the vietnam war. Phoenix program by douglas valentine overdrive rakuten.
The author seems to have included every note from every interview related to this book. The phoenix program took place under special laws that allowed the arrest and prosecution of suspected communists. He is the author of the novel tdy, and a book of poems, a crows dream. Besides his comprehensive, journalistic coverage of the details involved with the program, unafraid to uncover the deeds of all sides involved, two things impressed me. American government is conducting covert warfare on. Presidents johnson and nixon tried to convince andor coerce southern vietnamese to fight for the ussupported pseudodemocracy. How accurate is douglas valentines account of the cia. He is the author of the hotel tacloban, a widely praised account. Going back to the 1950s valentine traces attempts by saigon regimes and. A vietnamese army officer interrogating a peasant, flanked by his wife and daughter, in kien hoa province in october 1966. Morley safers attack in the new york times,2 this essential study of us political warfare has been reissued as an ebook.
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