Counter-Revolutionary Violence - Bloodbaths in Fact & Propaganda
Encyclopedia
Counter-Revolutionary Violence – Bloodbaths in Fact & Propaganda is a book written by Noam Chomsky
and Edward S. Herman
, with a preface by Richard A. Falk
. It is about U.S. state-sponsored terrorism, in countries like Vietnam
. It frequently mentioned the My Lai Massacre
, devoted one section to Operation Speedy Express
, and another to the Phoenix Program
. It denied that North Vietnam committed atrocieties at home (land reform) and war crimes in the South (Hue massacre, Tet-offensive 1968). It was to be published by Warner Modular Publications, Inc., a subsidiary of Warner Communications
in 1973. Warner Modular Publications was supposed to print 10,000 copies of it. According to the then publisher, Claude McCaleb, in a letter to Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman quoted in Ben Bagdikian's
The Media Monopoly, on August 27, 1973, the chief of book operations at Warner Communications, William Sarnoff, called McCaleb's office in Andover, Massachusetts
and wanted to find out if the book would embarrass the parent company. Two hours later, Sarnoff called again and asked McCaleb to fly that night and bring an advance copy of the book to his office in New York
. In the morning McCaleb dropped off the book at Sarnoff's office. Within a few hours, Sarnoff asked for McCaleb to come back to his office. McCaleb is quoted as saying:
He is quoted saying, furthermore, that:
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
and Edward S. Herman
Edward S. Herman
Edward S. Herman is an American economist and media analyst with a specialty in corporate and regulatory issues as well as political economy and the media. He is Professor Emeritus of Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He also teaches at Annenberg School for...
, with a preface by Richard A. Falk
Richard A. Falk
Richard Anderson Falk is an American professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University, the author or co-author of 20 books and the editor or co-editor of another 20 books, speaker, activist on world affairs, and an appointee to two United Nations positions on the Palestinian...
. It is about U.S. state-sponsored terrorism, in countries like Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. It frequently mentioned the My Lai Massacre
My Lai Massacre
The My Lai Massacre was the Vietnam War mass murder of 347–504 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968, by United States Army soldiers of "Charlie" Company of 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade of the Americal Division. Most of the victims were women, children , and...
, devoted one section to Operation Speedy Express
Operation Speedy Express
Operation Speedy Express was a controversial United States military operation of the Vietnam War conducted in the Mekong Delta provinces Kien Hoa and Vinh Binh...
, and another to the Phoenix Program
Phoenix Program
The Phoenix Program |phoenix]]) was a controversial counterinsurgency program designed, coordinated, and executed by the United States Central Intelligence Agency , United States special operations forces, and the Republic of Vietnam's security apparatus during the Vietnam War that operated...
. It denied that North Vietnam committed atrocieties at home (land reform) and war crimes in the South (Hue massacre, Tet-offensive 1968). It was to be published by Warner Modular Publications, Inc., a subsidiary of Warner Communications
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
in 1973. Warner Modular Publications was supposed to print 10,000 copies of it. According to the then publisher, Claude McCaleb, in a letter to Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman quoted in Ben Bagdikian's
Ben Bagdikian
Ben Haig Bagdikian is an American educator and journalist. Bagdikian has made journalism his profession since 1941. He is a significant American media critic and the dean emeritus of the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism...
The Media Monopoly, on August 27, 1973, the chief of book operations at Warner Communications, William Sarnoff, called McCaleb's office in Andover, Massachusetts
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
and wanted to find out if the book would embarrass the parent company. Two hours later, Sarnoff called again and asked McCaleb to fly that night and bring an advance copy of the book to his office in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In the morning McCaleb dropped off the book at Sarnoff's office. Within a few hours, Sarnoff asked for McCaleb to come back to his office. McCaleb is quoted as saying:
- "Sarnoff immediately launched into a violent verbal attack on me for having published CRV [Counter-Revolutionary Violence] saying, among other things, that it was a pack of lies, a scurrilous attack on respected Americans, undocumented, a publication unworthy of a serious publisher."
He is quoted saying, furthermore, that:
- "He [Sarnoff] then announced that he had ordered the printer not to release a single copy to me and the book would not be published."