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Porkins Policy Radio episode 113 Michael Swanson on Ken Burns Vietnam Propaganda

October 17, 2017 – 5:17 pm

Michael Swanson, the author of The War State, joins me for an in-depth discussion of the Ken Burns and Lynn Novick Vietnam documentary series. I begin the conversation by discussing my own fascination with the Vietnam War. I talk about the influence my father has had on my understanding of the war, touching on his experiences with the army when he was drafted in 1969. Michael and I then dive into the film itself. We look at some of the serious flaws and aspects that the we felt were left out with the film including the CIA and drug trafficking. Michael and I dive deeper into the bizarre narrative that Burns and Novick craft, whereby the politicians and military leaders are never shown actually making policy decisions, but instead are shown as making bad choices with good intentions. Michael and I explore this concept in some depth and offer up our own reasons for why the Vietnam war was not started “in good faith by decent men.” Michael and I also critique the way in which the Gulf of Tonkin Incident is handled in the film. We explain how the film avoids admitting that the whole incident was made up and instead repeats an outright lie.

In the second hour Michael and I talk about some of the government talking heads that appear in film such as: John Negroponte, Leslie Gelb, Rufus Philips, and Donald Gregg. We explore their backgrounds and the destructive impact they had on the Vietnamese people. I talk with Michael about the Phoenix Program which is only briefly touched on in the whole series. We explore why Burns and Novick lay most of the blame of the Phoenix Program at the feet of the Vietnamese. Michael also elaborates on this by talking about the negative portrayal of the Vietnamese through out the film. We pay particular attention to North Vietnamese leader Le Duan and South Vietnamese leader Ngo Dinh Diem. Michael and I also discuss the documentaries skewed version of the assassination of Diem, and how yet again the CIA is almost completely airbrushed out of it. Michael and I touch on Lucien Conein’s integral role in the assassination as well as heroin trafficking. We also discuss the CIA’s war in Laos and discuss the overarching agenda behind the film. Michael and I also talk about the impact of Vietnam and its parallels with the Iraq and Afghan War.

Download PPR episode 113

Show Notes:

The War State

The War State (book)

Wall Street Window

PPR Special Michael Swanson Ken Burns Vietnam Extra

The Vietnam War

Douglas Valentine: Expectations for PBS/Ken Burns’ “The Vietnam War”

Reflections on the Vietnam War and the Ken Burns/PBS Series: John Ketwig

Alfred W. McCoy: The History of the Southeast Asian Drug Trade

What the Pentagon Papers Do and Do Not Reveal w/ Peter Dale Scott (1971)

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged Afghanistan, Allen Dulles, ARVN, assassination, CIA, corsican brotherhood, Donald Gregg, edward lansdale, france, gulf of tonkin, Gulf of Tonkin Incident, gulf of tonkin resolution, heroin trafficking, iran contra, Iraq, JFK, Ken Burns, Kennedy, Le duan, Leslie Gelb, Lyndon Johnson, Lynn Novick, Michael swanson, Ngo Dinh Diem, Nixon, NLF, north vietnam, opium, Phoenix Program, Rufus Philips, south vietnam, the war state, USAID, Viet Cong, vietnam, vietnam war, wall street window | Comments (1)

Porkins Policy Radio episode 78 Hugo Turner: Ted Shackley a Life in The CIA

January 25, 2017 – 1:09 pm

Hugo Turner of Anti-Imperialist-U for an in depth discussion of Ted Shackley and his infamous career in the CIA. We focus on Hugo’s articles chronicling Ted Shackley as well as the Iran Contra Scandal. We begin by taking a look at Shackley’s beginnings in military intelligence recruiting Nazi’s, and his later recruitment into the CIA during the Korean War. Hugo paints us a picture of the man that Shackley would become: obsessively driven and cutthroat. We touch on some of Shackley’s early mentors such as William Harvey who introduced Shackley to the Cuban exile committee. Hugo explains what Shackley was up to in Miami while Station Cheif there as well as his possible connection to the JFK assassination. Next we move onto Laos where Shackley would truly come into his own. We explore Shackley’s role in the Laotian heroin trade and his use of the Hmong people as a CIA mercenary force. Hugo explains how this would later become the blue print for CIA operations in places like Afghanistan and Libya. We also discuss Shackley’s time as Station Chief in Vietnam.

Next we talk about Shackley’s role in the overthrow of Chilean leader Allende and the installation of the fascist Pinochet. We then explore how Shackley would come to befriend George H W Bush, and being a long time collaboration with the deep cover CIA agent. Hugo and I also touch on some of the forgotten scandals of the past that Shackley was involved with including EASTCO and the Nugan Hand Bank. Hugo also explains how Shackley was a trend setter in the field of private intelligence by talking about his work with the powerful Safari Club. We finish off the conversation by looking at Shackley’s role in Iran Contra and the War on Drugs as a whole. Hugo also discusses WACL and the major role it continues to play in covert operations. We briefly talk about the TV show Narco’s and what it gets completely wrong. We round out by talking about Trump and the CIA speech he gave and what might be in-store for future CIA operations.