John Perkins (author)
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| John Perkins | |
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 Perkins in November 2009 |
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| Born | January 28, 1945 Hanover, New Hampshire, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Caucasian |
| Alma mater | Boston University (B.S.) |
| Notable work(s) | Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (2004) |
| Spouse(s) | Winifred (1981 - present) |
| Children | Jessica (b. April 1982) |
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www.johnperkins.org |
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John Perkins (b. January 28, 1945 in Hanover, New Hampshire) is an author. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador from 1968–1970 and this experience launched him in the world of economics and writing. His best known book is Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (2004), which claims that Third World countries are "neo-colonalized" by what Perkins describes as a cabal of corporations, banks, and the United States government. Critics such as columnist Sebastian Mallaby of the Washington Post reacted sharply to Perkins' book[1]: "This man is a frothing conspiracy theorist, a vainglorious peddler of nonsense, and yet his book, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, is a runaway bestseller." Mallaby, who spent 13 years writing for the London Economist and wrote a critically well-received biography of World Bank chief James Wolfensohn,[2] holds that Perkins' conception of international finance is "largely a dream" and that his "basic contentions are flat wrong."[1]
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[edit] Biography
Perkins graduated from the Tilton School in 1963. He subsequently attended Middlebury College for two years before dropping out due to lackluster grades. He later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Boston University in 1968. He spent the 1970s working for the Boston strategic-consulting firm Chas. T. Main, where he was employed after first being screened by the National Security Agency (NSA) and subsequently hired by Einar Greve,[3] a member of the firm (and alleged NSA liaison, a claim which Greve has denied).
In the 1980s Perkins founded and directed a successful independent energy company. In the book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, Perkins states that he suspects the success of his company was due to 'coincidences' orchestrated by those appreciative of his silence about the work he did as an economic hit man.
Perkins and his role as an economic hitman is the main theme in part II of the movie Zeitgeist: Addendum, released in October 2008. He also appears in Boris Malagurski's documentary film The Weight of Chains, released in December 2010, and the documentary movie Let's Make Money (in German) by the Austrian director Erwin Wagenhofer, released October 2008.
[edit] Controversy
Columnist Sebastian Mallaby of the Washington Post[4] reacted sharply to Perkins' book[1]: describing him as "a vainglorious peddler of nonsense, and yet his book, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, is a runaway bestseller." Mallaby, holds that Perkins' conception of international finance is "largely a dream" and that his "basic contentions are flat wrong."[1] Mallaby stated that Indonesia reduced its infant mortality and illiteracy rates by two-thirds after economists persuaded its leaders to borrow money in 1970.[1]
Articles in the New York Times and Boston magazine, as well as a press release issued by the United States Department of State, have referred to a lack of documentary or testimonial evidence to corroborate the claim that the NSA was involved in his hiring to Chas T. Main. In addition, the author of the State Department release claims that the NSA "is a cryptological (codemaking and codebreaking) organization, not an economic organization" and that its missions do not involve "anything remotely resembling placing economists at private companies in order to increase the debt of foreign countries."[5]
[edit] Bibliography
- Hoodwinked (2009), ISBN 0-307-58992-7
- The Secret History of the American Empire (2007), ISBN 0-525-95015-X
- A Game as Old as Empire: the Secret World of Economic Hit Men and the Web of Global Corruption (edited by Steven Hiatt, introduction by John Perkins) (2007) ISBN 978-1-57675-395-8
- Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (2004), ISBN 0-452-28708-1
Perkins has also written on indigenous cultures and shamanism. His books on these subjects include:
- Psychonavigation: Techniques for Travel Beyond Time, ISBN 0-89281-800-X
- Shapeshifting: Shamanic Techniques for Global and Personal Transformation, ISBN 0-89281-663-5
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e The Facts Behind the 'Confessions' by Sebastian Mallaby, Washington Post Op-Ed, 2006-02-26
- ^ The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/opinion/columns/mallabysebastian/.
- ^ "The Veracity of John Perkins' Accounts" Memo by Steven Piersanti, President and Publisher, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. March 7, 2005
- ^ "Sebastian Mallaby biography". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/biographies/sebastian-mallaby.html.
- ^ Confessions – or Fantasies – of an Economic Hit Man?, US Department of State, 2006-05-10
