El Salvador to Iraq: Washington's man behind brutal police squads (w/video)

Or... "Why there is so much anti-American sentiment?"

I put this in the "Above Politics" forum, because it has to do with what many have described as the "secret government" which does not change with elections, is run out of the Pentagon, and does the bidding of private interests described by Gen. Smedley Butler as the war racket.

LINK TO SOURCE (and video)

Basically, this is the story of Col. Jim Steele and Gen. David Petreus and their role in the training and use of death squads from latin America to Iraq. However, in a wider lens, it is an article about the secret para-governmental activities that have caused the death of millions through the financial and economic support of radical groups kept by the Pentagon, but kept secret from the U.S. population and most politicians.

The enemy has gone from the communist "red scare" to Al-Qaeda, but the modus operandi has remained constant. People in positions of power, with personal ties to industries that would profit massively from such operations, sending henchmen such as Col. Steele to do their dirty work.

It was in El Salvador that Steele first came in to close contact with the man who would eventually command US operations in Iraq: David Petraeus. Then a young major, Petraeus visited El Salvador in 1986 and reportedly even stayed with Steele at his house.

But while Petraeus headed for the top, Steele's career hit an unexpected buffer when he was embroiled in the Iran-Contra affair. A helicopter pilot, who also had a licence to fly jets, he ran the airport from where the American advisers illegally ran guns to right-wing Contra guerrillas in Nicaragua. While the congressional inquiry that followed put an end to Steele's military ambitions, it won him the admiration of then congressman Dick Cheney who sat on the committee and admired Steele's efforts fighting leftists in both Nicaragua and El Salvador.

It's "strange" how the same names keep coming up over and over again no matter which parties man is in the White House...

In late 1989 Cheney was in charge of the US invasion of Panama to overthrow their once favoured son, General Manuel Noriega. Cheney picked Steele to take charge of organising a new police force in Panama and be the chief liaison between the new government and the US military.

Todd Greentree, who worked in the US embassy in El Salvador and knew Steele, was not surprised at the way he resurfaced in other conflict zones. "It's not called 'dirty war' for nothing; so it's no surprise to see individuals who are associated and sort of know the ins-and-outs of that kind of war, reappear at different points in these conflicts," he says.

Definitely worth the read (and the watch), this type of information has to be spread around more Americans to understand "why do they hate us?". The thing is, they do not hate you, they hate these vile excuses for humans who have done these atrocious things time and time again as your representative.

The events described date back to the 80's, 90's and today, so we do not need to force too hard to imagine what kind of sentiments the young person (now adults) must have after seeing loved ones massacred by these people, now multiply that by several million... not good!

the Billmeister

reply to post by Billmeister

Some time ago, the US set up the School of the Americas.

It was basically a dictatorship/terrorist training camp for South American leaders.

"The U.S. Army School of the Americas is a school that has run more dictators than any other school in the history of the world."

- U.S. Congressman Joseph Kennedy[37]

reply to post by Billmeister


Thanks, Billmeister. Yes--as you say: Isn't it strange how the same names keep cropping up when dirty deeds are done in the dark; and isn't it funny how the same players always seem to benefit?

reply to post by gladtobehere


Yes, but it's new name "Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation" makes it sound so much better.

Col. Steele was obviously one of their top graduates, if not part of the curriculum!

The point I want to stress is that, the excuse is always one of "national security" but behind the scenes, the stage hands always have direct profit motive for their actions.

Look at the Dulles brothers and Dick Cheney (among many others) who scream "commie scare!", or "terror threat!" in front of the cameras, but are psychopathic enough to send young Americans to go kill young Ecuadorians, Guatemalans, Iraqis, Libyans, Vietnamese, Panamanians etc, etc... (you get the point!) in order to increase their portfolios. (And they manage to sleep at night!)

That is why I mention Gen. Butler and his observations that led him to write "War is a Racket", because the incredibly sad thing in all of this is that all the destruction and tragedy of war is all about the bank accounts of a very small group of people.

the Billmeister

Too true, and they are quite willing to terrorise and kill the innocent in pursuit of the....guilty ?