William Blum

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 State Department 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.cite journal
first =David
last =Montgomery
authorlink =
coauthors =
date =January 21
month =2006
title =The Author Who Got A Big Boost From bin Laden
journal =Washington Post
volume =
issue =
pages =C01
id =
url =http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/20/AR2006012001971.html]

He left the 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 agent Philip Agee and his associates "on their project of exposing CIA personnel and their misdeeds". [ [http://www.zmag.org/zspace/billblum Bill Blum's ZSpace Page] , "Z Magazine" online, accessed 31 May 2008.] He supports himself with his writing and speaking engagements on college campuses.

In his writing, Blum devotes substantial attention to CIA interventions and assassination plots. Blum describes himself as a socialist. He has supported Ralph Nader's presidential campaigns. [William Blum, [http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/01/on-liberals-phil-agee-and-the-9-11-truth-movement/ On Liberals, Phil Agee, and the 9-11 Truth Movement] , "Dissident Voice", January 14, 2008. Accessed 31 May 2008.] He has compared president George W. Bush with Hitler and the Iraq insurgency with the resistance against Nazi Germany. [William Blum, [http://www.counterpunch.org/blum10262004.html The Anti-Empire Report: Fear Factors] , "CounterPunch", October 26, 2004. Accessed 31 May 2008.] He currently circulates a monthly newsletter by email called "The Anti-Empire Report".

Osama bin Laden statement

In early 2006 (see 19 January 2006 Osama bin Laden tape), 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 "". As a result of the mention sales of his book skyrocketed. "Rogue State" shot up from 205,763 to 26 on Amazon.com's index of the most-ordered books. In a May 22, 2006 article entitled, "Come Out of the White House With Your Hands Up", Blum wrote, "Since the bin Laden recommendation, January 19, I have not been offered a single speaking engagement on any campus . . .This despite January-May normally being the most active period for me and other campus speakers."

Books

*1986: "The CIA: A Forgotten History" (Zed Books) ISBN 0-86232-480-7
*2000: "" (Common Courage Press) ISBN 1-56751-194-5
*2002: "West-Bloc Dissident: A Cold War Memoir" (Soft Skull Press) ISBN 1-56751-306-9
*2003: "Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II", revised edition (Common Courage Press) ISBN 1-56751-252-6
*2004: "Freeing the World to Death: Essays on the American Empire" (Common Courage Press)

Notes

External links

* [http://www.counterpunch.org/blum08122003.html Myth and Denial in the War on Terrorism--Why do terrorists hate the USA? ]
*cite web
title =Killing Hope
work =
url =http://www.killinghope.org
accessdate=2006-07-30 William Blum's Homepage, Anti-empire reports
*cite web
title =Common Courage Press
work =
url =http://www.commoncouragepress.com/
accessdate=2006-07-30
*cite web
title =Bio Files: William Blum
work =www.historyguy.com
url =http://www.historyguy.com/biofiles/blum_william.html
accessdate=2006-07-30
*cite web
title =America's most feared man
work =Nerve
url =http://www.catalystmedia.org.uk/issues/nerve2/blum.htm
accessdate=2006-11-17 An interview with Blum from Liverpool's 'Nerve' magazine
*cite web
title =William Blum in the Media Whirlwind
work =C-span
url =http://www.pressaction.com/news/weblog/full_article/blumcspan01282006/
accessdate=2006-07-30 "Transcript of William Blum’s Jan. 28, 2006 appearance on C-Span's call-in show Washington Journal"
*cite journal
first =
last =
authorlink =
coauthors =
year =2006
month =January 21
title =Bin Laden plug boosts book sales
journal =Sydney Morning Herald
volume =
issue =
pages =
id =
url =http://smh.com.au/news/world/bin-laden-plug-boosts-book-sales/2006/01/21/1137734175551.html
* cite journal
first =David
last =Montgomery
authorlink =
coauthors =
year =2006
month =January 21
title =The Author Who Got A Big Boost From bin Laden Historian 'Glad' of Mention As Sales of Book Skyrocket
journal =Washington Post
volume =
issue =
pages =C01
id =
url =http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/20/AR2006012001971_pf.html