William Blum

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William Blum
picture of a gray-haired man wearing glasses and a brown plaid flannel shirt; behind him is a crowd of people
William Blum in 2007
Born 1933 (age 79–80)
Occupation Accountant, civil servant, journalist, computer programmer
Genres Political Journalism, History
Notable work(s) The CIA: A Forgotten History (1986)
Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower (2000)
Killing Hope (2003)
www.killinghope.org

William Blum (born 1933) is an American author, historian, and critic of United States foreign policy. He studied accounting in college. Later he had a low-level computer-related position at the United States Department of State in the mid-1960s. Initially an anti-communist with dreams of becoming a foreign service officer, he said he became disillusioned by the Vietnam War. He lives in Washington, DC.[1]

Contents

Journalism[edit]

He left the State Department in 1967. He then became one of the founders and editors of the Washington Free Press, the first "alternative" newspaper in the capital. In 1969, he wrote and published an exposé of the CIA in which was revealed the names and addresses of more than 200 employees of the Agency. He has worked as freelance journalist in the United States, Europe and South America. From 1972 to 1973 Blum worked as a journalist in Chile, where he reported on the Allende government's "socialist experiment". In the mid-1970s, he worked in London with ex-CIA officer Philip Agee and his associates "on their project of exposing CIA personnel and their misdeeds".[2] He supports himself with his writing and speaking engagements on college campuses.[1]

In his writing, Blum devotes substantial attention to CIA interventions and assassination plots. He has supported Ralph Nader's presidential campaigns.[3] He currently circulates a monthly newsletter by email called "The Anti-Empire Report". Blum has described his life's mission as: "If not ending, at least slowing down the American Empire. At least injuring the beast. It's causing so much suffering around the world."[1]

Osama bin Laden statement[edit]

In early 2006, Blum briefly became the subject of widespread media attention when Osama bin Laden issued a public statement in which he quoted Blum and recommended that all Americans read Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower. As a result of the mention sales of his book greatly increased. "I was quite surprised and even shocked and amused when I found out what he'd said," Blum said. "I was glad. I knew it would help the book's sales and I was not bothered by who it was coming from. If he shares with me a deep dislike for certain aspects of US foreign policy, then I'm not going to spurn any endorsement of the book by him. I think it's good that he shares those views and I'm not turned off by that."[4] On the Bin Laden endorsement Blum stated "This is almost as good as being an Oprah book."[1]

Books[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Montgomery, David (January 21, 2006). "The Author Who Got A Big Boost From bin Laden". Washington Post. pp. C01. 
  2. ^ Bill Blum's ZSpace Page, Z Magazine online, accessed May 31, 2008.
  3. ^ Blum, William On Liberals, Phil Agee, and the 9-11 Truth Movement, Dissident Voice, January 14, 2008. Accessed May 31, 2008.
  4. ^ "Bin Laden plug boosts book sales". Sydney Morning Herald. Reuters. January 21 2006. 

External links[edit]

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