On March 16th 1978 Italy’s former prime minister Aldo Moro was kidnapped in a sophisticated military-style operation. His three bodyguards were killed during the assault. The attacks were blamed on the Red Brigades, a militant communist group. Moro had been attempting to create a power-sharing arrangement by which the Italian Community Party (PCI) would be allowed to participate in operations of government with the Christian Democrats. His compromise was fiercely opposed by the United States. According to Moro’s widow, he was told at a meeting with Henry Kissinger, ‘You must abandon your policy of bringing all the political forces in your country into direct collaboration … or you will pay dearly for it.’ Moro was murdered shortly after his kidnapping. ibid.
It remains unknown how many terrorist outrages perpetrated during the Cold War were staged or provocateured by intelligence assets posing as leftists or other political groups. ibid.
In 1971 at the height of the ‘strategy of tension’ the Berne Club was formed. It was made up of the intelligence services of the 27 states of what now constitutes the European Union, as well as Norway, Switzerland, and the United States. It exists to this day. ibid.
The Tonkin incident never happened. Yet it allowed for a vast expansion of the American war effort in Vietnam. ibid.
False flags remain one of the biggest taboos in journalism. ibid.
‘Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated.’ Counter-Intelligence: Shining a Light on Black Operations s1e4: Necrophilous, United States Strategic Bombing Survey 1946
‘Hitherto acceptable norms of human conduct do not apply. If the United States is to survive, longstanding American concepts of ‘fair play’ must be reconsidered. It may become necessary that the American people be made acquainted with, understand and support this fundamentally repugnant philosophy.’ ibid. General Jimmy Doolittle
Throughout the Cold War the School of the Americas functioned as the primary training group for the teaching of terrorism. ibid.
‘But what counter-insurgency really comes down to is the protection of the capitalists back in America, their property and their privileges.’ ibid. Philip Agee
Millions of people, mostly peasants, were killed by American proxy forces in Latin America during the Cold War. ibid.
‘Torture is not designed to acquire intelligence. It is designed to create fear in others.’ ibid. Peter Linebaugh, historian
Fallujah: In addition to heavy artillery and 2000-pound bombs, American troops deployed the chemical weapon white phosphorous, which burns through human flesh like acid. ibid.
National Defense Authorization Act: Americans could now be subject to indefinite detention and even murder without the benefit of due process. Counter-Intelligence s1e5: Drone Nation
At one point during his [Obama’s] first term he was attacking people in five separate countries. ibid.
The drone operator can kill dozens of people with the flick of a wrist. ibid.
A study conducted by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism revealed that only 1.5% of the people killed from drone strikes in Pakistan have been ‘high value targets’. The remaining 98.5% are made up of civilians and the classification ‘other’. ibid.
‘Between May 2009 and June 2011 at least 12 attacks on rescuers were reported by credible news media.’ ibid. Bureau of Investigative Journalism
At the twilight of the British empire, bankers, lawyers and accountants from the City of London set up a spider’s web of offshore secrecy jurisdictions that captured wealth from across the globe and funnelled it to London. The Spider’s Web: Britain’s Second Empire ***** 2017, Youtube 1.18.01
The British Empire: the largest empire the world has ever known. For over 300 years Britain ruled, its armies conquered, and its bankers proclaimed the might of its currency. But one day it all began to fall apart. One by one countries declared their independence from Britain and no amount of force could reverse the tide. As British elites saw their wealth, privileges and empire disintegrate, they began to search for a new role in a changing world. And they found one in finance. This is a film about how Britain transformed from a colonial power to a modern financial power and how this transformation has shaped the world we live in. ibid.
Britain’s overseas jurisdictions – the last remnants of empire. Accountants and lawyers from London arrived in the Cayman Islands and other dependencies and began to draft a set of secrecy laws and regulations. ibid.
The City of London adapted and survived … Its Lord Mayor is selected by the heads of medieval guilds. ibid.
‘Over and over again we have seen that there is another power than that which has its seat at Westminster. The City of London, a convenient term for a collection of financial interests, is able to assert itself against the government of the country. Those who control money can pursue a policy at home and abroad contrary to that which is being decided by the people.’ ibid. Clement Attlee
BCCI: extensive financial fraud, money laundering and terrorist financing … The Bank of England did nothing. ibid.
‘The Trust lies at the core of the British secrecy model.’ ibid. expert
International banks from across the globe set up branches in London and Britain’s offshore jurisdictions in order to take advantage of this new system. ibid.
Secrecy jurisdictions are heavily used for fraudulent and grey area financial activities, areas where secrecy is not just desirable but a necessity. ibid.
The Cayman Islands is the first largest financial centre in the world. It hosts 80,000 registered companies, over three-quarters of the world’s hedge funds and $1.9 trillion in deposits. It has a population of 60,000, roughly equivalent to New York’s homeless population. ibid.
Accountants form the backbone of the offshore system; they administer the structures that allow individuals and corporations to shift their money offshore and evade taxes. ibid.
In Britain secrecy and complexity in finance and government help to obscure corruption in public office. ibid.
The piece of land down below … Lidl doesn’t own it: it’s the property of an offshore company based in the Caribbean … This structure can reduce tax bills. It’s exposed by secret files belonging to a large law firm in Panama. The firm specialises in offshore companies. A whistleblower has leaked over 11 million documents to journalists. Among them are 4.5 million emails … It also involves politicians and those close to them. Panama Papers: The Shady World of Offshore Companies, Das Erste 2016
Mossack Fonseca in Panama: with 48 branches around the world it is one of the very biggest. The law firm has established more than 200,000 offshore companies. ibid.
Members of the Italian Mafia are also among Mossack Fonseca’s clients. There are also several Southern American drug barons. ibid.
My name is Nadezhda Kutepova and I’m a native of Ozersk. I was born here. My mother used to warn me, ‘Darling, never say where you are from or a Black Maria will take us away and you’ll never see your parents again.’ We were told we lived in a secret place. City 40, Netflix 2016
During WWII the Soviet Union and the United States both launched top-secret nuclear weapons programs. In 1944 the US built the secret city of Richland, Washington, around the Hanford nuclear plant that produced plutonium for the atomic bomb. One year later, with plans stolen from Richland and Hanford, the Soviet Union began construction of their own secret atomic city: City 40. ibid. caption
These people could visit us but we could never see the place where they lived. ibid. dude living nearby
To keep their location hidden from the enemy, Mayak and City 40 were not placed on any map. ibid. caption
Now, nobody cares any more. Radiation self-control skills are lost. The new authorities do not do anything. ibid. nuclear worker
‘Plutonium lake’ feeds into the Techa river, which is the region’s main water source and one of the most contaminated places on Earth. ibid. caption
Half a million people living in the Ozersk region have been exposed to five times the amount of radiation as those affected by Chernobyl. ibid.
Today, Mayak stores an estimated 50 tons of weapons-grade plutonium and 38 tons of highly enriched uranium. ibid.
Love ceases to be a pleasure when it ceases to be a secret. Aphra Behn, The Lover’s Watch 1686
25 February 2004: Katharine Theresa Gunn, you are charged with an offence contrary to section 1, subsection 1, of the Official Secret Acts of 1989. Official Secrets 2019 starring Keira Knightley & Matt Smith & Matthew Goode & Rhys Ifans & Adam Bakri & Indira Varma & Ralph Fiennes & Conleth Hill & Tamsin Greig & Hattie Morahan et al, director Gavin Hood, opening scene in court
What we know is that he has this material. ibid. Blair on tele
Are the Yanks really asking us to dig up personal shit on US Security Council delegate? Christ, they want to fix the vote. ibid.
If I could get you a copy of the memo then maybe you could get somebody to look it over. ibid. Katharine to friend
Revealed: US dirty tricks to win vote on Iraq war. ibid. Observer headline
In light of recent developments, the Prosecution will offer no evidence against the defendant on this indictment. ibid.
In 2010 Lord Goldsmith’s advice to Tony Blair at the time Katharine leaked the memo was made public. Goldsmith had clearly advised war would be illegal without a new UN Security Council resolution. Estimates of Iraqis killed during the first four years of the Iraq War range from 151,000 to over 1 million. Countless more were wounded. Over 4,600 US and British soldiers died. ibid. captions