Ten years ago this morning, the first airliner hit the tower, as I was about to leave for work. When I arrived, I learned about the second hit. My duties that day were to contact top executives of Fortune 500 companies headquartered in New York on behalf of our client, a major developer of computer operating systems, to arrange site visits and one-on-one executive interviews for our client’s research team. What timing! I felt uncomfortable calling, but the account exec’s assistant, an airhead and a Republican, ordered me to go to work. Many of my executive contacts were in the Twin Towers. I got on the telephone. Nobody was answering, and many of the lines were out of order. I did get through and spoke to a man in one of the towers above the fire, who knew he would not survive. He said he couldn’t dial out and gave me his home number. He asked me to call his wife and tell her he loved her. I did. She was pretty hysterical. Who could blame her. That shook me up so much that I went to the account executive’s office, and told him I was done for the day. He asked me what idiot had told me to call into New York under these circumstances. Because of that experience, I cannot think of 9/11 without my heart going out to the people who lost loved ones that tragic day, and I consider it imperative to do whatever we can, within reason, to prevent a reoccurrence. One failing, in that regard, is that we often ask who and how, but all too seldom, ask why. So as we remember the events of 9/11/2001, perhaps it may help if we consider the other 9/11, 9/11/1973.
Twenty eight years earlier, the roles were reversed. Instead of being attacked, the US had arranged and was assisting an attack to overthrow the democratically elected government of Chile, and the installation of one of the most infamous dictators of the twentieth century, Augusto Pinochet. An article by Peter Kornblug from August 2003 describes and explains those events.
On September 14, 1970, a deputy to then-National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger wrote him a memo, classified SECRET/SENSITIVE, arguing against covert operations to block the duly elected Chilean socialist Salvador Allende from assuming the presidency. "What we propose is patently a violation of our own principles and policy tenets," noted Viron Vaky. "If these principles have any meaning, we normally depart from them only to meet the gravest threat to us., e.g. to our survival. Is Allende a mortal threat to the U.S.?" Vaky asked. "It is hard to argue this."
Kissinger ignored this advice. The next day he participated in a now-famous meeting where President Nixon instructed CIA Director Richard Helms to "save Chile" by secretly fomenting a coup to prevent Allende’s inauguration. When those covert operations failed, Kissinger goaded Nixon into instructing the entire national security bureaucracy "on opposing Allende" and destabilizing his government. "Election of Allende as president of Chile poses one of [the] most serious challenges ever faced in this hemisphere," says a newly declassified briefing paper Kissinger gave to Nixon two days after Allende’s inauguration. "Your decision as to what to do may be most historic and difficult foreign affairs decision you will have to make this year…. If all concerned do not understand that you want Allende opposed as strongly as we can, result will be steady draft toward modus vivendi approach."
Had Washington adopted a "modus vivendi approach," it is possible that Chileans, indeed citizens around the world, would not be solemnly commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of the coup that brought Gen. Augusto Pinochet to power. In the United States, the meaning of this anniversary is, understandably, overshadowed by the shock and tragedy of our own 9/11. But Chile reminds us that the topics of debate on US foreign policy today–pre-emptive strikes, regime change, the arrogance of unilateral intervention, unchecked covert action and secrecy and dishonesty in government–are not new. From the thousands of formerly classified US documents released over the past several years, the picture that emerges strikes some haunting parallels with the news of the day.
Chile, it must be recalled, constitutes a classic example of a pre-emptive strike–a set of operations launched well before Salvador Allende set foot in office. Nixon ordered the CIA on September 15, 1970, to "make the economy scream" and to foment a military move to block Allende from being inaugurated six weeks later, in November; the Chilean leader had yet to formulate or authorize a single policy detrimental to US interests. "What happens over [the] next 6-10 months will have ramifications far beyond US-Ch[ilean] relations," Kissinger predicted in a dire warning to Nixon only forty-eight hours after Allende actually took office. "Will have effect on what happens in rest of LA and developing world; our future position in hemisphere; on larger world picture…even effect our own conception of what our role in the world is."
As in the distorted threat assessment on Iraq, this was sheer speculation–unsupported, indeed contradicted, by US intelligence. In August 1970 CIA, State and Defense Department analysts had determined that "the US has no vital national interests within Chile," and that the world "military balance of power would not be significantly altered" if Allende came to power… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <The Nation>
For many years, the United States has treated the rest of the world, particularly third world nations, as the private reserve of an American economic empire, repeatedly using force, usually covertly, any time a nation had the audacity to suggest that their resources should benefit their own people, not US corporations. Neither party is blameless, but the majority and most heinous of such actions occurred during Republican administrations. In the twentieth century, the United States overthrew more democratically elected governments and installed more dictators than any other nation ever has. No nation can stand toe-to-toe against the US on the battlefield, so guerilla tactics are the only option available to nations who would oppose us.
We should also remember that there would be no such thing as Al Qaeda, had not Republicans under Reagan financed it’s formation to perform terrorist attacks against the USSR.
I do not hate this country. I love the USA enough to insist that we return to practicing the principles we claim to profess. These are the lessons we need to learn to prevent future terrorists attacks against the US. If we practice oppression, we guarantee resistance. If we practice partnership, we will get cooperation. We need to stop trying to control other countries by force, To forestall terrorism, we must stop participating in and supporting terrorism ourselves.
For the last lesson, let’s return to the story with which I began. Shortly after the account executive agreed that I was done for the day, the company shut down for the rest of the day too. Several of us gathered around the TV in the lunch room. Knowing that I am politically involved, coworkers asked me what was going to happen. I told them that I thought Bush would use the attack as an excuse to do two things: to invade Iraq and to curtail civil liberates guaranteed under our Constitution. The last lesson is this. If we adopt the tactics of evil to oppose evil, we become no different than the evil we oppose.
Even if we do all that, we must still be vigilant. Sadly there are forces in pseudo-Islam that pursue hatred against America, just as there are forces in pseudo-Christianity that pursue hatred against Muslims, both for their own respective right-wing political agendas. Both are equally dangerous.
16 Responses to “Regretting 9/11 Twice”
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I was listening to Walter Mondale yesterday on NPR; and when asked about what America had done in the past to other countries, why would we be so surprised about the 9/11 attacks, or the negative reputation America has in some parts of the World. Mondale responded by saying there was no excuse for the 9/11 attacks.
I think about all the things America has done around the World (similar to what you write here, and much worse) and wonder why 9/11 was such a surprise to Americans. Were Americans unaware of what we had done and how some felt about our actions? Obviousls.
That’s our mistake. Our actions have consequences. The fact that many Americans believe nothing we have done would justify such an attack, just shows how egocentric our country is. Some actions America has taken abroad, would have been considered an act of war, if those same actions would have been taken against America.
We are a super power, with all the good and bad that goes along with that position.
Did we denounce England for some the harsh treatment it gave the Irish? And how different is that to the torture America gave some Muslims? Mr. Cheney’s book tells Americans, that the actions of the Bush administration was not only correct, but he would do it again without question. But wait, Cheney is a war criminal in the eyes of the World and would be arrested if he set foot outside the USA.
Wake up America! Your country has abused its power and abused people and governments throughout the World. There are consequences for that behavior.
As we were willing to counter attack for 9/11 (leave it to Bush to attack a country who was not behind 9/11) so other countries are willing to use force to repel an attack by the United States, and yes, America has attacked, oppressed, tortured, and mistreated other countries and people throughout the World.
A bully usually gets his up-commence, and we are no different. In the eyes of those we killed and oppressed, we did deserve 9/11. Just as in our eyes Iraq deserved shock and awe, for what? 9/11.?
Our mistake in many instances over the centuries, is we did not calculate the future consequences of our actions.
One example: Read about the banana companies of South America and how the United States backed their capitalist actions, while hurting the citizens of those South American countries. Never heard of this you say, that’s my point.
Well said, Tom.
████████████ ████████████ ████████████ ████████████ ████████████ ████████████
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Amen, Nameless.
It is very difficult for those brainwashed by the media , the educational system . the Hurrah !! My Country right or wrong- propaganda to accept the very idea this country has done and continues to do many wrong things ; that have well earned the enmity of other nations and people–“egocentric” ? Good word Tom— Arrogant as well-
Thanks Phyllis. What you’re describing is nationalism, not patriotism. That the two are equivalent is a Republican lie.
I was driving through Central Park when the news came over the radio – I immediately thought of the small airplane that had hit the Empire State Bldg. years before (at the time they thought it was a twin engine cesna) – that evening I sat down with my daughter who was in high school and witnessed the towers swaying and falling (although we live in Manhattan, she went to a school in Brooklyn for gifted students) I told her that this was a moment for introspection, to consider our own responsiblity and to carefully develop an appropriate response. I also said that I would adopt a draft – because that would require a citizen involvement that could monitor the war to follow. I said that on 9/11, I also said that bush was an idiot and a hot headed arrogant one,who would probably place the country in more jeopardy than he would to either protect it or to bring the terrorists to justice. I guess I knew our president pretty well. I didn’t know that 9/11 was to be the downfall of America. I have been somewhat patriotic, although less so since vietnam – that was an unjust and poorly realized war – since then I’ve seen this country enter into more wars that I’ve been opposed to than I care to recall – no – I’m no longer a “patriot” – I would like to see a return to a country that I could respect, but I fear it isn’t likely to happen in the few years left in my lifetime! 9/11 brought out the worst in America – it’s got a lot of “cleaning up” to do, before I would be proud to call myself a citizen!
Lee, the true patriots, according to Henry David Thoreau, are the people who serve the state with their conscience and oppose it when it acts opposite to its own self-definition, even though the state often considers such people enemies. What could be more partiotic than trying to return the US to respectability?
“I did get through and spoke to a man in one of the towers above the fire, who knew he would not survive. He said he couldn’t dial out and gave me his home number. He asked me to call his wife and tell her he loved her. I did.”
By merely going about your work, you helped a doomed man perform one last gesture of love to his wife, and helped a wife receive the last words of her husband. You did a great good on a day filled with suffering. Remember this.
Ten years ago today, I was glued to my television, watching the nightmare unfold. Amidst my sorrow, an ominous realization became clear — the U.S. would retaliate violently against those responsible (or, failing that, against whatever scapegoat was available). Many innocents would die when this retaliation took place. I felt heavy and sick as I dwelled on that, not realize how true it would be. Ten years later, after two wars and countless human rights violations, the world is NOT a better place.
Ahab, I don’t remember feeling altruistic at the time. I was so stunned that I could not imagine not making that call.
I think that, had Bush not stolen the presidency, Gore was competent enough to have heeded the warnings and woulf likely have prevented the attack. Imagine a world without the events of that day!
I remember when I walked into the office on 9/11/2001, I was confronted by some of my staff figuring that the world was coming to an end. They all wanted to go home to be with their families. I had not yet heard about the tragedies unfolding in New York, Washington and a field in Pennsylvania. Someone had pulled the television out into the centre of the office and we all watched, disbelieving yet believing, mouths agape. And there was discussion, but even more, there were questions. Of course no one yet had the answers. Do we even have all the answers 10 years later? But there was real fear too — could it happen here? It was clear that little work would get done that day, so I asked for a core group of volunteers to stay and I dismissed the rest at noon. We were not at ground zero, not at the Pentagon, not in a Pennsylvania field, yet somehow it felt like we were drawn into the centre of a fire storm.
For me, 9/11/2001 was a sign of the final loss of innocence that stripped bare the soul of a country. 9/11 would challenge the US to look at itself through the eyes of others. And that is not a comfortable task. The US needs to be attuned to the mistakes of the past in order to grow and change to secure the future.
This loss of innocence wasn’t suddenly gone. It had been stripped away over the years. Think about the War in Vietnam, the first modern war where the media reported on television directly from the front lines. Think of the image of Phan Thi Kim Phuc age 9 running naked down a road after a napalm attack. Think of Watergate which began in 1972. Think about 9/11/1973 and the ouster of Allende in Chile that was orchestrated by US interests. “. . . Chile reminds us that the topics of debate on US foreign policy today–pre-emptive strikes, regime change, the arrogance of unilateral intervention, unchecked covert action and secrecy and dishonesty in government–are not new.”
I think that TomCat put it best when he said “I . . . insist that we return to practicing the principles we claim to profess. “ He goes on to say “These are the lessons we need to learn to prevent future terrorist’s attacks . . .”.
1. If we adopt the tactics of evil to oppose evil, we become no different than the evil we oppose.
2. If we practice oppression, we guarantee resistance.
3. If we practice partnership, we will get cooperation. We need to stop trying to control other countries by force.
4. To forestall terrorism, we must stop participating in and supporting terrorism ourselves.
“Even if we do all that, we must still be vigilant. Sadly there are forces in pseudo-Islam that pursue hatred against America, just as there are forces in pseudo-Christianity that pursue hatred against Muslims, both for their own respective right-wing political agendas. Both are equally dangerous.”
I say that all peoples everywhere need to learn these universal lessons if the world is to have a secure future.
In a speech, Phan Thi Kim Phuc said that “ . . . one cannot change the past, but everyone can work together for a peaceful future.”
Lee said “. . . I didn’t know that 9/11 was to be the downfall of America. . . . 9/11 brought out the worst inAmerica– it’s got a lot of “cleaning up” to do, before I would be proud to call myself a citizen!”
Well Lee, there are two quotations from Mahatma Gandhi that I think are germane to this discussion:
“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves.” (think remake a nation using TomCat’s lessons) and
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
TomCat, thankyou for sharing that beautiful story and for sharing yourself with that man and his wife. You gave two people hope, even though it may not always feel that way.
Thank you Lynn. Being an agent of change is my reason for being.
tom, you enabled one man in his time of need to bid farewell to his loved ones. Bless you for that.
We all know Bush & Co. was searching for a war to start and they found it.
Patty, I’d like to think that anyone would have done the same.
Thank you, for that.
UVW. 🙂