language, creation of Indonesian, 38
leaders, discrediting of, 208
less-developed countries (LDCs), 47–48
Lippman, Thomas W., 91, 96
loans, conditions of, xvii. See also debt
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 217–218
M
macroeconomics, 26
MAIN
beliefs of employees, 55–56
Colombian contracts, 122
competitors, 12, 89
Department of the Treasury and, 84
effects of Saudi Arabian deal, 94–98
electrical forecasting, 109
electrification project in Southeast Asia, 21
energy industry, position on, 165
firing of Bruno Zambotti, 145–146
folding of, 165
gender biases, 13
losses in Iran, 119
Manifest Destiny, 60–61, 75, 155
Markov method for econometric modeling, 102
“Martin, Claudine,” xi, 14, 22, 53–54
Martínez, José de Jesús (Sergeant Chuchu), 159
“Mary,” 147–150
McNamara, Robert, 26, 55, 78–79, 167
media, 221
Memoirs of Manuel Noriega: America’s Prisoner (Eisner), 178
military-industrial complex, 79
military support to Saudi Arabia, conditions of, 90
missionary groups, Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), 141–142
Monroe, James, 61
Monroe Doctrine, 61
Montesinos, Vladimiro L., 200
Mormino, Paul, 54
Mossadegh, Mohammad, 18, 72, 91, 114
Muslims, 45–46, 118–119
N
national budget/debt, Ecuador’s, 203
National Security Agency (NSA), 6, 7–8
nation-building programs, 121
natural resources, xviii, 183–184, 205–206, 207–208
New Deal policies, 78
New Hampshire Public Service Commission, 163
New York City, 190–195
Nicaragua, 200
Nixon, Richard, 43, 77
Noriega, Manuel, 160, 173–181, 200
nuclear power, 154, 163
O
October War, 82
off-shore drilling rights (Bahrain), 166
oil income, 83
oil industry
devastation of rain forests, 205, 207–208
George W. Bush and, 165–166
global management of petroleum, 214
guarantee of oil supplies to U.S. by Saudi Arabia, 89–90
hydrocarbons law, 156, 196
Indonesia, 25
off-shore drilling rights (Bahrain), 166
Oil Boom, xviii
oil concessions, xix–xx
oil embargos, 76–77, 82–83, 89, 197
oil spills, xvii–xviii
OPEC, 76–77, 109, 197, 211–212
protecting U.S. supplies, 83
revenues, 197
rising prices, 200
U.S. dependence on oil, reduction of, 168
Venezuelan oil, 196–197
organized crime metaphor, 139–140
Ouellette, Pauline, 134
P
Pahlavi, Mohammad Reza, Shah, 18, 71–72
Paine, Thomas, 49
Panama, 58–60, 61, 200, 211. See also Torrijos, Omar
banking industry, 63
canal traffic, 63
Canal Treaty, 59, 102–103, 154–155, 158–161
Canal Zone, 64, 65
goal of invasion of, 176–177
income per capita, 65
Instituto de Recursos Hidraulicos y Electrificación, 71
Interoceanic Canal Commission, 103–104
prostitution laws, 68
U.S. invasion of, 173–179, 200
Panamanian Defense Forces, 174
Pan-American interests, 121–122
Parker, Howard, 28–33, 52
“Paula,” 122–123, 124–127, 129–130
Paul Revere’s Ride (Longfellow), 217–218
Peace Corp, 8–10
Perkins, John. See also Independent Power Systems, Inc. (IPS)
acceptance of bribe, 170–172
birth of daughter, 162
early life, 3–4
education, 4–5
expert witness/consulting practice, 154, 163, 187
job with NSA, 7–8
marriage to Ann, 5–6
marriage to Winifred, 162
Peace Corp, 8–10
personal history timeline, 226–229
position with MAIN, 10–11
promotions at MAIN, 101
recruitment by MAIN, 9
resignation from MAIN, 150, 153–154
résumé, 131–140
self-reflection, 124–130, 147–150, 179–181
separation from Ann, 22, 50–51
Spirit of the Shuar (Perkins and Chumpi), 189
Stress-Free Habit, The, 171
“Uncle Frank,” 6–7
visit to Ground Zero, 189–195
The World Is As You Dream It, 186
writing of books, 170, 179, 187–188, 198, 218
Petróleos de Venezuela, 196
petroleum. See oil industry
pharmaceutical industry, xii
Pinochet, Augusto, 200
piracy, 216
polarization, 197
pollution, antipollution laws, 164
poverty levels, xviii, 24, 197, 203
Prasad, Nadipuram “Ram,” 102
Priddy, Paul, 145–146, 153, 154
“Prince W.”, 92, 93–95
privatization, 183–184, 185
“Prophecy of the Condor and Eagle,” 209–210
prostitution laws (Panama), 68
Public Service Company of New Hampshire, 154
Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA), 167
R
rain forests, xviii, 205–206, 207–208
Rasmon (“Rasy”), 38–39, 42
Reagan, Ronald, 154–155, 168
Reagan administration, 173–174
redemption, 224
Reich, Otto J., 201
religious laws, Saudi Arabia, 81–82
Republican Party, 74
Revere, Paul, 217–218
Riyadh. See Saudi Arabia
Rockefeller, David, 194
Roldós, Jaime, ix, 141–145, 154, 156, 196. See also Ecuador
Roosevelt, Kermit, 18–19, 72, 80, 199
Roosevelt, Theodore, 58–59, 61, 120–123
S
Sadat, Anwar, 82
Saint, Rachel, 143
“Sally,” 93–95
Saud, Mohammed ibn, 81
Saudi Arabia
dependence on United States, 87–88
financing of terrorism, 96–97
guarantee of oil supplies to U.S. by, 89–90
historical overview of, 81–82
importation of labor forces, 86
oil income, 83
“Prince W.”, 92, 93–95
religious laws, 81–82
“Saudi Connection, The,” 96–97
“Saving the Saudis,” 97–98
trash removal by goats, 85, 182
U.S. relations, 83–84, 87–88, 90
Saudi Arabian Money-laundering Affair/Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), 88, 92, 96, 182–185, 211, 214
“Saudi Connection, The,” 96–97
SAVAK, 114
“Saving the Saudis,” 97–98
School of the Americas, 61–62, 159–160, 175
Schultz, George P., 74, 79, 160, 173, 176, 213
Seabrook nuclear power plant, 154, 163
September 11, 2001 attacks, x, 98, 190–195, 198
Shell, Ecuador, xvi, 207
Shooting the Moon (Harris), 177
Shuars, 186, 189, 207, 222
Sir Francis Drake Channel, 147
slave trader analogy, 180–181
&
nbsp; soldier image, 179–180
Southeast Asian foreign policy, U.S., 21
Soviet Union, bin Laden/Afghan war, 96–97, 183
Spadafora, Hugo, 174, 175
Spectrum 7, 165–166
Spirit of the Shuar (Perkins and Chumpi), 189
statistics, manipulation of, 13
steps to avoid future crises, 221–225
Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation (SWEC), 170–172, 185
story leaks, 215
Stress-Free Habit, The (Perkins), 171
Suharto, 21
Sukarno, 20–21, 37–38
Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), 141–142, 156, 157, 158
T
terrorism
deaths from, x
Saudi terrorist financing, 96–97
September 11, 2001 attacks, 98, 189–195
Texaco, xvii
Torres, Manuel, 124–125
Torrijos, Omar, ix, 58–60, 61, 66, 102. See also Panama
death of, 158–161
offer of asylum to exiled leaders, 119
on President Ford, 103
on Roldós’s death, 157
torture, “Doc,” 113–116
Toynbee, Arnold, 45, 46
training centers, warfare, 61–62
trans-Andean oil pipeline, xvii–xviii
trash removal by goats, 85, 182
tribal wars (Ecuador), against oil companies, xvi–xvii
truth, denial of, 119
U
United Fruit Company, 72–73, 209
United States
breach of international law, 177–178
colonial Americans, 218
commercial interests, transformations in, 185
invasion of Panama, 173–179, 200
national debt, 212
old republic versus new empire, 127–128
policy on empire building, 176
pro-Israeli stance, punishment for, 82–83
relations with Saudi Arabia, 83–84, 87–88, 90
services sold to Colombia by, 122
views of Indonesia by Americans, 42–46
United States-Saudi Arabian Joint Economic Commission (JECOR), 83–84
United Way, 186
U.S. Department of State, rule against sending U.S. citizens to Colombia, 124
U.S. Department of the Treasury, 84
U.S. Embassy (Iran) seizure, 118–119
U.S. intelligence community, 104–105
U.S. Southern Command, 159–160
USAID, 37
V
Venezuela, xx, 61, 196–202. See also Chávez, Hugo
Vietnam War, 21
Violencia, La (Colombia), 121
W
Wahhabi sect, 81–82
Wall Street, 193
warfare training centers, 61–62, 159–160
wars
Arab-Israeli, 82
bin Laden/Afghan war, 96–97, 183
Ecuador, xvi–xvii, 206
holy, 49
October War, 82
tribal (Ecuador), xvi–xvii
Vietnam, 21
World War II, 78
Washington, George, 194
Waste Management, Inc., 96
waste products, 163
water resources, Iraq’s, 183–184
wealth, private financial, xix
weapons production, 56–57
Weinberger, Caspar, 79, 160, 213
“wimp factor” (George H. W. Bush), 175, 184
World and the West, The (Toynbee), 45
World Bank, 19, 74, 78, 79, 169–170
World Is As You Dream It, The (Perkins), 186
World Trade Organization (WTO), 170
World War II, 78
Y
“Yamin,” 109–112
Z
Zambotti, Bruno, 52, 101, 104, 145, 163–164
Zapata Petroleum Corp., 73, 79
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Perkins has lived four lives: as an economic hit man (EHM); as the CEO of a successful alternative energy company, who was rewarded for not disclosing his EHM past; as an expert on indigenous cultures and shamanism, a teacher and writer who used this expertise to promote ecology and sustainability while continuing to honor his vow of silence about his life as an EHM; and now as a writer who, in telling the real-life story about his extraordinary dealings as an EHM, has exposed the world of international intrigue and corruption that is turning the American republic into a global empire despised by increasing numbers of people around the planet.
As an EHM, John’s job was to convince third world countries to accept enormous loans for infrastructure development—loans that were much larger than needed—and to guarantee that the development projects were contracted to U.S. corporations like Halliburton and Bechtel. Once these countries were saddled with huge debts, the U.S. government and the international aid agencies allied with it were able to control these economies and to ensure that oil and other resources were channeled to serve the interests of building a global empire.
In his EHM capacity, John traveled all over the world and was either a direct participant in or a witness to some of the most dramatic events in modern history, including the Saudi Arabian Money-laundering Affair, the fall of the shah of Iran, the death of Panama’s President Omar Torrijos, the subsequent invasion of Panama, and events leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
In 1980, Perkins founded Independent Power Systems, Inc. (IPS), an alternative energy company. Under his leadership as CEO, IPS became an extremely successful firm in a high-risk business where most of his competitors failed. Many “coincidences” and favors from people in powerful positions helped make IPS an industry leader. John also served as a highly paid consultant to some of the corporations whose pockets he had previously helped to line—taking on this role partly in response to a series of not-so-veiled threats and lucrative payoffs.
After selling IPS in 1990, John became a champion for indigenous rights and environmental movements, working especially closely with Amazon tribes to help them preserve their rain forests. He wrote five books, published in many languages, about indigenous cultures, shamanism, ecology, and sustainability; taught at universities and learning centers on four continents; and founded and served on the board of directors of several leading nonprofit organizations.
One of the nonprofit organizations he founded and chaired, Dream Change Coalition (later simply Dream Change, or DC), became a model for inspiring people to attain their personal goals and, at the same time, to be more conscious of the impacts their lives have on others and on the planet. DC seeks to empower individuals to create more balanced and sustainable communities. DC’s Pollution Offset Lease for Earth (POLE) program offsets the atmospheric pollution we each create, helps indigenous people preserve their forests, and promotes earth-honoring changes in consciousness. DC has developed a following around the world and has inspired people in many countries to form organizations with similar missions.
During the 1990s and into the new millennium, John honored his vow of silence about his EHM life and continued to receive lucrative corporate consulting fees. He assuaged his guilt by applying to his nonprofit work much of the money he earned as a consultant. Arts & Entertainment television featured him in a special titled “Headhunters of the Amazon,” narrated by Leonard Nimoy. Italian Cosmopolitan ran a major article on his “Shapeshifting” workshops in Europe. TIME magazine selected Dream Change as one of the thirteen organizations in the world whose Web sites best reflect the ideals and goals of Earth Day.
Then came September 11, 2001. The terrible events of that day convinced John to drop the veil of secrecy around his life as an EHM, to ignore the threats and bribes, and to write Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. He came to believe in his responsibility to share his insider knowledge about the role the U.S. government, multinational “aid” organizations, and corporations have played in bringing the world to a place where such an event could occur. He wanted to expo
se the fact that EHMs are more ubiquitous today than ever before. He felt he owed this to his country, to his daughter, to all the people around the world who suffer because of the work he and his peers have done, and to himself. In this book, he outlines the dangerous path his country is taking as it moves away from the original ideals of the American republic and toward a quest for global empire.
Previous books by John Perkins include Shapeshifting, The World Is As You Dream It, Psychonavigation, The Stress-Free Habit, and Spirit of the Shuar.
To learn more about John, to find out where he is lecturing, to order his books, or to contact him, please go to his Web site:
www.JohnPerkins.org.
To discover more about the work of Dream Change, the 501(c)3 nonprofit that is transforming global consciousness, please visit:
www.dreamchange.org.
John Perkins, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends