Wikileaks releases US diplomatic cables from 1978 28 May 2015
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WikiLeaks releases more than half a million US diplomatic cables from 1978
By Julian Assange
Today WikiLeaks has released more than half a million US State Department cables from 1978. The cables cover US interactions with, and observations of, every country.
1978 was an unusually important year in geopolitics. The year saw the start of a great many political conflicts and alliances which continue to define the present world order, as well as the rise of still-important personalities and political dynasties.
The cables document the start of the Iranian Revolution, leading to the stand-off between Iran and the West (1979 – present); the Second Oil Crisis; the Afghan conflict (1978 – present); the Lebanon–Israel conflict (1978 – present); the Camp David Accords; the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua and the subsequent conflict with US proxies (1978 – 1990); the 1978 Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia; the Ethopian invasion of Eritrea; Carter's critical decision on the neutron bomb; the break-up of the USSR's nuclear-powered satellite over Canada, which changed space policy; the US "playing the China card" against Russia; Brzezinski's visit to China, which led to the subsequent normalisation of relations and a proxy war in Cambodia; with the US, UK, China and Cambodia on one side and Vietnam and the USSR on the other.
Through 1978, Zbigniew "Zbig" Brzezinski was US National Security Advisor. He would become the architect of the destabilisation of Soviet backed Afghanistan through the use of Islamic militants, elements of which would later become known as al-Qaeda. Brzezinski continues to affect US policy as an advisor to Obama. He has been especially visible in the recent conflict between Russia and the Ukraine.
WikiLeaks' Carter Cables II comprise 500,577 US diplomatic cables and other diplomatic communications from and to US embassies and missions in nearly every country. It follows on from the Carter Cables (368,174 documents from 1977), which WikiLeaks published in April 2014.
The Carter Cables II bring WikiLeaks total published US diplomatic cable collection to 2.7 million documents.
What follows are some example areas.
Lebanon
There are 5,569 new documents on
Lebanon. For example, the 1978 – present Israel–Lebanon
conflict is widely regarded to have started on 14 March
1978, when Israel invaded Southern Lebanon in Operation
Litani. There are 386 cables containing the keyword "Litani"
(see
here)
Israel–Palestine
There are 11,689 new
documents on Israel (see here). A portion of these refer
to the September 17 Camp David Accords, signed by Egyptian
President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem
Begin, with US President Jimmy Carter as witness. The
Accords called for a formal peace treaty and establishment
of diplomatic relations between Israel and Egypt, Israeli
withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula in stages, and a
transitional period of Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank
and Gaza. Egypt and Israel later signed a formal peace
treaty in 1979, ending 31 years of war between the two
countries. PlusD has 855 new documents with the keywords
"Camp David Accords" (see here), including numerous cables
on reactions around the world.
Iran
There are 5,692 new
documents on Iran (see here). 1978 saw the beginning of
the Iranian Revolution, which would colminate in the 1979
overthrow of the US- and UK-installed Shah of Iran. On 8
September, a day after the Iranian government declared
martial law, thousands of protesters gathered in Jaleh
Square in Tehran to demonstrate. The military eventually
opened fire, and later estimates claimed that thousands
died. Called "Black Friday" by the media, that day is said
to be a key moment in the Iranian Revolution. Large protests
against the Shah were ongoing throughout 1978. PlusD has 175
new documents with TAG Iran and containing the keyword
"demonstration" (see here). The British embassy in
Tehran was also burned during this
period.
Tunisia
There are 1,369 new documents on
Tunisia (see here). One significant event,
which has shaped Tunisian political life, occurred when a
labour strike on 26 January called by the General Union of
Tunisian Workers (UGTT) became a general uprising. It became
known as "Black Thursday" when Tunisian security forces
fired on citizens, killing an estimated 200 people. PlusD
has 200 new documents containing the keywords "UGTT" (see here).
Yemen
There are 944
new documents on Yemen (see here). One example of events
during the year occurred when Yemeni President Ahmad
al-Ghashmi was assassinated on 24 June, which led to a
political configuration in the Arabian peninsula which is
still felt today. PlusD has 81 documents with keyword
"al-Ghashmi" (see here), including some with
speculation about who set off the explosion that killed him,
which is not conclusively known.
Pakistan
There are
3,343 new documents on Pakistan (see here). For instance, on 18 March
former Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (father
of the 1990s PM Benazir Bhutto, who was subsequently
assassinated) was sentenced to death by hanging for
authorising the assassination of a political opponent. PlusD
has 430 new documents with keyword "Bhutto" and TAG
"Pakistan" (see here).
India
There are
4,990 new documents on India (see here) covering many signficant
events and still influential personalities. For
example:
• On 1 January, an Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747, crashed shortly after take-off near Mumbai, killing all 213 passengers and crew on board. PlusD contains 179 new cables referring to "Air India", most of which are about the crash (see here).
• Former Indian Prime Minister Indira Ghandi (daughter of PM Nehru) was re-elected to Parliament on 7 November, but then arrested on 19 December, accused of plotting against her opponents during the state of emergency she had declared from 1975 to 1977. She later became Prime Minister again in 1980 and the dynastic domination of the Congress Party continued, first through her sons Sanjay and Rajiv and later through the latter's wife, Sonia, who is current president of the party. Rajiv's son Rahul was the Congress candidate in India's 2014 election, losing to the BJP's Narenda Modi. PlusD contains 53 new documents with the keyword "Indira Gandhi" (see here) and 154 new documents with the keyword "Mrs Gandhi" (see here) as well other cables related to the Gandhi dynasty.
• On 13 April, violence broke out between orthodox Sikhs and the Nirankari sect during a Nirankari convention in Amritsar, Punjab; 16 were killed and 100 injured. This event is noted as one of the starting points leading up to the Punjab insurgency during the 1980s and Indian military occupation of the region in Operation Blue Star (1984). PlusD has 3 new documents containing the keywords "Sikh" and "Nirankari" (see here).
• The Indian cricket
team did a two-month tour of Pakistan, ending in a finale on
18 November. Indian Information Minister Adavni attended the
finale in Karachi, and the match was a political event in
both countries. PlusD contains 6 new documents with the
keywords "Pakistan" and "cricket" (see here).
•
China
There
are 5,422 new documents on China (see here).
For example, a number
of cables discuss US National Security Advisor Zbigniew
"ZBig" Brzezinski's trip to China. US strategy was to orient
China against the Soviet Union and the trip led to formal US
recognition of China shortly thereafter. PlusD has 175 new
documents with keyword "Brzezinski" and TAG "China" (see here).
EU
There are 9,974
new documents referring to "Europe" and 18,531 referring to
"European". For example, after considerable controversy, in
April President Carter decided to defer production of the
neutron bomb, or Enhanced Radiation Weapon (ERW), a nuclear
weapon designed to kill enemy (that is, Soviet) soldiers
with radiation. Carter’s decision frustrated pro-US
European leaders, who had spent political capital to support
the slated US deployment of the weapons system. PlusD
contains 704 new documents with the keywords "neutron bomb"
(see here) and 428 new documents with
the keyword "ERW" (see here).
Germany
There are
11,476 new documents on East Germany (see here) and 7,638 on West Germany
(see here), some of which may
overlap. For instance, in January the German magazine Der
Spiegel published an SED manifesto that was strongly
anti-Soviet, calling for reunification and liberal reforms.
The German Democratic Republic (GDR) reacted by accusing Der
Spiegel of slander and closing the East German Der Spiegel
office. PlusD contains 296 new documents with the keyword
"Spiegel" (see here). Some of the cables
include details of and reactions to the manifesto
publication, including, for example, accusations of Der
Spiegel working for West Germany in subversive activity
against the GDR.
UK
There are 10,253 new documents on
the UK (see here). The cables contain a
number of reports on Lord Carver's efforts to settle
independence disputes in Rhodesia and discussions on trade,
among other things. For instance, the Provisional Irish
Republican Army, a paramilitary organisation wanting to
separate Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom, bombed
the La Mon restaurant/hotel in County Down, killing 12
people in February. Another notable event for Northern
Ireland occurred in January when the European Court of Human
Rights ruled that the UK was guilty of inhuman and degrading
treatment of its Northern Ireland prisoners; the ruling,
however, did not consider the UK's interrogation techniques
to be torture. PlusD has 253 new documents with the keyword
"IRA" (see here) and 787 with the keyword
"Northern Ireland" (see here).
France
There are
8,892 new documents on France (see here). The following are just
some examples of significant events related to France that
occurred througout the year.
• On 16 March, a US-owned oil tanker, Amoco Cadiz, crashed off the coast of Brittany, France and sank. It left 230,000 tons of oil along 72 km of the French shoreline, which expanded to approximately 160 km during the following month. It was then the largest recorded oil spill in history and was estimated to have caused US $250 million in damage. US scientists studying the spill said that it was the largest biological kill of marine life ever recorded. PlusD has 108 new documents with the keywords "Amoco Cadiz" (see here).
• The French auto company Peugeot's purchase of Chrysler's European subsidiaries was closely followed by the US government. The Federal Trade Commission also investigated the sale that year. PlusD has 18 new cables containing the keywords "Peugeot" and "Chrysler" (see here).
• France maintained a
close interest in Algeria following the Algerian War and
Algeria's full independence in 1962. PlusD contains 16 new
cables with the keywords "Boumediene" and "Giscard" (see here).
•
• Rebels in
the Shaba separatist movement FNLC invaded Zaire's Shaba
province on 11 May, capturing the city of Kolwezi on 12 May.
The government of Zaire asked for French and Belgian
assistance with the uprising, and French and Belgian forces
later undertook an airborne operation to rescue European and
Zairian hostages held by the FNLC rebels. The US provided
some assistance to the operation. PlusD has 173 new
documents with keywords "Zaire" and "rebels" (see here), some of which give
details of the US government's reaction to the invasion, its
initial concern for American citizens in Kolwezi, and its
careful monitoring of press reports on the
issue.
• France conducted a series of 29 nuclear tests from 1975 to 1978. PlusD contains 18 new documents with keywords "nuclear" and "tests", with TAG "France" (see here).
• The Hollywood film
director and producer Roman Polanski fled to France in 1978
after pleading guilty to sex charges. PlusD contains 4 new
documents with the keyword "Polanski" (see here).
•
USSR
There
are 16,584 new documents on the Soviet Union (see here), reporting a number of
international negotiations, agreements and events. For
example, on 24 January the Soviet satellite Cosmos 954
re-entered Earth's atmosphere and scattered radioactive
debris over Canada's Northwest Territories. The incident was
an anti-Soviet propaganda coup for the US, which was also
interested in obtaining samples of Soviet space technology.
PlusD contains 182 documents with the keywords "Cosmos 954"
(see here).
South Africa
There
are 5,740 new documents on South Africa (see here). For example, by 1978
South Africa's nuclear weapons programme was in full swing,
with assistance from Israel. PlusD contains 144 new
classified cables documenting US diplomatic intelligence on
the programme (see here).
Other cables document, for instance, the reaction to the killing of noted anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, who was been beaten to death in police custody in late 1977. Biko's friend, South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist Donald Woods, fled to London after severe harassment by the South African government. Woods continued his anti-apartheid work from London, and later spoke to the UN Security Council about his experiences. PlusD contains 115 new documents referring to Steve Biko, 42 of which refer to Woods (see here).
Ethiopia
There are
2,946 new documents on Ethiopia (see here). Cables document, for
example, how Ethiopia's Provisional Military Government of
Socialist Ethiopia (PMGSE) began a major offensive in
Eritrea (which it had been prepping for some time). PlusD
has 71 new documents with keywords "Ethiopia", "offensive"
and "Eritrea" (see here).
Tanzania
There are
1,593 new documents on Tanzania. One particularly
significant event during the year occurred when strained
relations between Tanzania and Uganda broke out into war,
eventually leading to the overthrow of Ugandan President Idi
Amin in 1979. PlusD contains 76 new documents with the
keywords "Tanzania", "Uganda" and "war" (see here). The cables contain, among
other things, reports from the US ambassador to Tanzania
James Spain on media coverage and public mood.
US
There
are 85,893 new documents on the US (see here). One significant event
occurred on 18 November when Jim Jones, founder and leader
of the Peoples Temple, led hundreds of his followers to
commit mass murder-suicide in his settlement of Jonestown,
Guyana. In total, 909 members died, including Jones himself
– 304 of these were children. They had all died of cyanide
poisoning, some via injection and others via cyanide-laced
Kool-Aid. PlusD has 333 new documents with the keyword
"Jonestown" (see here) and 702 new documents with
the keywords "Peoples Temple". For instance, one cable
contains text of a note found on Jones' body (see here).
Nicaragu
There are
3,422 new documents on Nicaragua (see here). A number of cables give
insight to an ongoing conflict between the Sandinistas and
the ruling Somoza regime. The conflict erupted when the
editor of an opposition newspaper, Pedro Joaquín Chamorro
Cardenal, was assassinated on 10 January. After his murder
an estimated 30,000 people rioted in Managua, and the
government responded with violence and martial law. In the
following two years the Sandinista National Liberation Front
(FSLN) took over the country until President Somoza resigned
in July 1979, leaving the revolutionaries in power. PlusD
contains 230 new documents with the keyword "Sandinista" and
TAG "Nicaragua" (see here).
Brazil
There are
3,740 new documents on Brazil (see here). For example, those
documenting the election of ARENA party candidate João
Figueiredo, who won over MDB's Euler Bentes Monteiro with
355 electoral votes to 226. PlusD contains 242 new documents
with the keyword "Figueiredo" (see here).
Argentina
There are
3,354 new documents on Argentina (see here). One event mentioned
extensively in these cables is a border dispute between
Argentina and Chile over the possession of several islands
in the Beagle Channel. The dispute nearly started a war when
Argentina began Operation Soberanía, intended to occupy the
islands by military force. The new cables document long
negotiations throughout 1978. Afterwards, a solution for
both sides was achieved through papal mediation. PlusD has
444 new documents with keywords "Argentina", "Chile" and
"Beagle" (see here). Argentina also hosted the
1978 Football World Cup, which included attendance by Henry
Kissinger. PlusD contains 57 new documents with the keywords
"Argentina" and "World Cup" (see here).
Ecuador
There are
2,230 new documents on Ecuador (some may overlap with
documents on the European Community) (see here). A number of these cables
concern the constitutional referendum on 15 January. Voters
chose the new constitution over a revised version of the old
one. The issue held great public interest, and voter turnout
was approximately 87 per cent. PlusD has 79 new documents
containing the keywords "Ecuador" and "constitution" (see here).
Indonesia
There are
3,289 new documents on Indonesia (see here). By 1978 there were
increasing student demonstrations protesting against various
aspects of Suharto's rule, including the lack of
presidential term limits. A number of student activists were
imprisoned, and Suharto established the "Normalization of
Campus Life" in April. PlusD contains 21 new cables with the
keywords "Indonesia", "student" and "activists" (see here). There are 2 new cables
containing the phrase "Normalization of Campus Life" (see here).
Australia
There are
3,168 new documents on Australia (see here). The cables document, for
example, Australia's difficult relationship with Indonesia
and the fall-out over Indonesia's 1975 occupation of East
Timor.
ENDS
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