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MikeDunnAuthorToday in Labor History April 13, 1953: CIA Director Allen Dulles launched the MKUltra mind control program. The program ran from 1953 to 1973. It involved giving human subjects LSD and other drugs, often without their knowledge. Then, researchers would try to “weaken” their minds and force confessions through brainwashing and psychological torture. Over 7,000 U.S. war veterans were unwitting test subjects, as well as many Canadian and U.S. civilians. The program was a continuation of Nazi mind-control experiments, which utilized mescaline against Jews and Soviet prisoners, hoping it could be exploited as a “truth” serum. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS), precursor of the CIA, recruited many of these Nazi torturers in the wake of World War II to exploit their knowledge and research. MKUltra was headed by Dr. Sidney Gottlieb, who later devised plans to kill Fidel Castro with an exploding cigar, and saturating his shoes with radioactive thallium to make his beard fall out. He also tried to assassinate Patrice Lumumba, Prime Minister of Congo, with poison. Several well-known liberals and radicals knowingly participated in MKUltra and its OSS predecessors, either as test subjects (e.g., Ken Kesey, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Hunter), or as researchers (e.g., anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson). Others who have been alleged to have been victims or volunteers include Sirhan Sirhan, Ted Kaczyinski, Charles Manson, and Whitey Bulger. For a really fascinating look at Margaret Mead's and Gregory Bateson’s exploration with hallucinogens and their connection to MKUltra, check out the recent book, Tripping on Utopia, by Benjamin Breen. And for a truly amazing documentary on the 1961 CIA-supported coup in Congo, check out the 2024 documentary, “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat.” But the film is really about so much more than the coup. It covers Cold War machinations, propaganda, and covert operations in the early 1960s; the superpowers’ jockeying for control of puppet regimes and spheres of influence in the global south; the Pan-African movement; racism in the U.S., the Civil Rights movement, and the repression against it; and, of course, jazz music, including tons of interviews and live footage of Lumumba, Ghanian president and revolutionary Kwame Nkrumah, activist and writer Andree Madeleine Blouin, Malcolm X, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Miriam Makeba, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, surrealist artist Rene Magritte. <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/workingclass" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#workingclass</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LaborHistory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LaborHistory</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/cia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#cia</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/mindcontrol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#mindcontrol</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/torture" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#torture</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/lsd" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#lsd</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/mkultra" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#mkultra</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/castro" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#castro</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/nazis" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#nazis</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/oss" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#oss</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/allenginsberg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#allenginsberg</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/lumumba" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#lumumba</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/malcolmx" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#malcolmx</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/coltrane" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#coltrane</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/jazz" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#jazz</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/imperialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#imperialism</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/kenkesey" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#kenkesey</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/margaretmead" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#margaretmead</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/charlesmanson" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#charlesmanson</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/mescaline" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#mescaline</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/castro" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#castro</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/soviet" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#soviet</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/coldwar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#coldwar</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/books" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#books</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/nonfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#nonfiction</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ussr" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ussr</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/communism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#communism</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/film" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#film</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/documentary" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#documentary</a> <a href="https://a.gup.pe/u/bookstadon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@bookstadon</a>

Robert HeinzeI feel like I should write something about <a href="https://hcommons.social/tags/Grimonprez" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Grimonprez</a>' formally masterful documentary, which it seems to me continues to push a version of <a href="https://hcommons.social/tags/Lumumba" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Lumumba</a>'s murder that was established by Ludo de Witte and popularised by Raoul Peck; namely, one that underplays Lumumbas own tactical and political errors, presents Kasavubu and Tshombe as mostly pawns and Mobutu as the evil presence in the shadows and in general underplays Africans' agency. In contrast, Hammarskjöld seems more a traitor to the cause than a tragic figure in which the structural problems of the UN itself played out.I've taught about the history of the <a href="https://hcommons.social/tags/DRC" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DRC</a> several times. Each time, we would watch Raoul Peck's "Lumumba" at the end and take apart its heroic narrative. This doesn't mean downplaying the imperialist violence at the center of the story; it does mean taking African politicians' decisions seriously.

Achim ReinkeHabt Ihr alle gesehen, dass dieser großartige (Oscar-nominierte) Dokumentarfilm jetzt auf arte läuft?!? Der Kampf zwischen der machtbasierten und der regelbasierten Weltordnung im Kalten Krieg am Schauplatz Kongo. Ein Meisterwerk, phantastisch montiert und geschnitten. Unvergessliche Zitate, ein tiefer Einblick in Handeln und Denken der politischen Weltmächte. Ein Film wie guter Jazz! So dicht, so aufregend…<a href="https://freiburg.social/tags/kino" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#kino</a> <a href="https://freiburg.social/tags/film" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#film</a> <a href="https://freiburg.social/tags/afrika" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#afrika</a> <a href="https://freiburg.social/tags/kongo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#kongo</a> <a href="https://freiburg.social/tags/lumumba" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#lumumba</a> <a href="https://freiburg.social/tags/jazz" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#jazz</a> <a href="https://freiburg.social/tags/fernsehen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#fernsehen</a> Soundtrack für einen Staatsstreich - Die ganze Doku | ARTE <a href="https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/109338-000-A/soundtrack-fuer-einen-staatsstreich/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/109338-000-A/soundtrack-fuer-einen-staatsstreich/</a>

Gladwyn d’Souza<a href="https://sfba.social/tags/FailedStateDepartmentOfBlinkenAssuarancesLackMerit" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#FailedStateDepartmentOfBlinkenAssuarancesLackMerit</a>: US Ambassador Lucy Tamlyn said she is "very concerned" over reports that US citizens were involved in the attempted coup.<a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/three-us-citizens-involved-in-foiled-coup--leader-killed--dr" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no">https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/three-us-citizens-involved-in-foiled-coup--leader-killed--dr</a> <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/Lumumba" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#Lumumba</a>

Gladwyn d’Souza Demonstrators burned U.S. and other flags, denouncing Western nations’ support of Rwanda, which is accused of backing the M23 militia, and their complicity in the conflict. Protester: “We are claiming our rights. France and the United States are fostering the war in the eastern DRC by supporting the rebellion. <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/CyclesOfSettlerColonialExtremeStateViolence" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#CyclesOfSettlerColonialExtremeStateViolence</a> <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/Lumumba" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#Lumumba</a> <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/StopInstallingKleptocratsForResourcesPredation" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#StopInstallingKleptocratsForResourcesPredation</a> <a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2024/2/13/headlines/protesters_call_out_us_western_complicity_in_drc_violence" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no">https://www.democracynow.org/2024/2/13/headlines/protesters_call_out_us_western_complicity_in_drc_violence</a>

Gladwyn d’Souza<a href="https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/soundtrack-to-a-coup-detat-review-1234946259/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no">https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/soundtrack-to-a-coup-detat-review-1234946259/</a> Colonial collusion steals the right to write a people’s own history and then claims individuals had agency: There’s a lot of ground to cover, but in 150 minutes, Grimonprez forges through huge swathes of time and space to chart how the Belgian monarchy, the U.S. government, and various corporations colluded (For Eisenhower’s CIA) to assassinate (1/17/63) Congo’s premiere prime minister, Patrice <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/Lumumba" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#Lumumba</a>. As it turns out, they mostly did it with jazz. <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/CyclesOfSettlerColonialExtremeStateViolence" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#CyclesOfSettlerColonialExtremeStateViolence</a> <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/NoPlaceIsSafeColonialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#NoPlaceIsSafeColonialism</a> <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/SettlerColonialSCOTUS" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#SettlerColonialSCOTUS</a>

Gladwyn d’Souza“They exist at the edge of human <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/life" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#life</a> in an <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/environment" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#environment</a> that is treated like a <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/toxic" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#toxic</a> dumping ground by foreign <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/mining" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#mining</a> <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/companies" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#companies</a>. Millions of <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/trees" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#trees</a> have been <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/clearcut" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#clearcut</a>, dozens of villages razed, rivers and air <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/polluted" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#polluted</a>, and <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/arable" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#arable</a> land destroyed. Our daily <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/lives" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#lives</a> are powered by a <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/human" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#human</a> and <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/environmental" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#environmental</a> <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/catastrophe" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#catastrophe</a> in the <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/Congo" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#Congo</a>.”Excerpt From Cobalt Red by Siddharth Kara <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/cobalt-red/id1624502755" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no">https://books.apple.com/us/book/cobalt-red/id1624502755</a> This material may be protected by copyright.<a href="https://sfba.social/tags/greencolonialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#greencolonialism</a> <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/lumumba" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#lumumba</a> <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/KleptocraticState" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#KleptocraticState</a>

Gladwyn d’SouzaConstructing the <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/kleptocracy" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#kleptocracy</a>: “Patrice <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/Lumumba" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#Lumumba</a> offered a fleeting chance at a different fate, but the <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/neocolonial" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#neocolonial</a> machinery of the <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/West" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#West</a> chopped him down and replaced him with someone who would keep their <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/riches" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#riches</a> flowing.” And that was the longtime, decades-long <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/dictator" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#dictator</a>, Mobutu Sese Seko, long supported by the <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/UnitedStates" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#UnitedStates</a>.

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