Ray McGovern
Encyclopedia
- For the New York politician, see J. Raymond McGovernJ. Raymond McGovernJ. Raymond McGovern was an American lawyer and politician.-Life:He was a partner in the law firm of McGovern, Connelly & Davidson in New Rochelle....
.
Raymond McGovern (born 1939) is a retired CIA officer turned political activist. McGovern was a Federal employee under seven U.S. presidents over 27 years, presenting the morning intelligence briefings at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
for many of them.
Early life
McGovern was born and raised in the BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. He graduated summa cum laude of Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
. A "Distinguished Military Graduate", he served in the US Army from 1962-64 as an intelligence officer. McGovern also received an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Russian Studies from Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
; a certificate in Theological Studies from Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
; and was a graduate of Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
's Advanced Management Program.
Career
McGovern was a mid-level officer in the CIA in the 1960s where his focus was analysis of Soviet policy toward VietnamVietnam
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 –...
. McGovern was one of President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's intelligence briefers from 1981–85; he was in charge of preparing daily security briefs for Reagan, Vice President George H.W. Bush, the National Security Advisor
National Security Advisor (United States)
The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor , serves as the chief advisor to the President of the United States on national security issues...
, the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
, and the Cabinet. Later, McGovern was one of several senior CIA analysts who prepared the President's Daily Brief (PDB) during the first Bush administration.
Upon retirement, McGovern was awarded the Intelligence Commendation Medal
Intelligence Commendation Medal
The Intelligence Commendation Medal is awarded by the Central Intelligence Agency for the performance of especially commendable service or for an act or achievement significantly above normal duties which results in an important contribution to the mission of the Agency....
from Bush (which he later returned, see below and worked for Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
-based non-profits before becoming co-director of the Servant Leadership School in Washington. Now, McGovern works with Tell the Word, the publishing arm of the Church of the Saviour in Washington, D.C.
Intelligence activism
McGovern has been an outspoken commentator on intelligence-related issues since the late 1990s. He was heavily critical of the government's handling of the Wen Ho LeeWen Ho Lee
Dr. Wen Ho Lee is a Taiwan-born Taiwanese American scientist who worked for the University of California at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He created simulations of nuclear explosions for the purposes of scientific inquiry, as well as for improving the safety and reliability of the US nuclear...
case in 2000. In 2002 he was publicly critical of President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's use of government intelligence in the lead-up to the war in Iraq.
In 2003, together with other former CIA employees, McGovern founded the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity is a group of current and former officials of the United States Intelligence Community, including some from the Central Intelligence Agency , the U.S. State Department's Intelligence Bureau, and the Defense Intelligence Agency...
or VIPS. The organization is dedicated to analyzing and criticizing the use of intelligence, specifically relating to the War in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. In January 2006, McGovern began speaking out on behalf of the anti-war group Not in Our Name
Not in Our Name
Not in Our Name was a United States organization founded on March 23, 2002 to protest the U.S. government's course in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks; it disbanded on March 31, 2008.-Two key documents:...
. According to the group's press release, McGovern served symbolic "war crimes indictment
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
s" on the Bush White House from a "people's tribunal."
McGovern has been outspoken in rejecting the official story of the 9/11 attacks and has joined the call for a new and independent investigation of 9/11.
Rumsfeld
In May 2006, McGovern attended a speech by then-Secretary of Defense Donald RumsfeldDonald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
and, during the question-and-answer session, accused him of lying about Iraq prewar intelligence. McGovern challenged Rumsfeld on several statements which Rumsfeld was on the record for saying. McGovern asked him;
- "Why did you lie to get us into a war, which was not necessary and has caused these kinds of casualties?"
- "You said you knew where they [weapons of mass destruction] were."
- Rumsfeld: "I did not...I said I knew where suspect sites were."
- McGovern "You said you knew where they were: 'Near TikritTikritTikrit is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river . The town, with an estimated population in 2002 of about 260,000 is the administrative center of the Salah ad Din Governorate.-Ancient times:...
, near BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, and East, West, South and North somewhat'" (Rumsfeld denied using this language). Rumsfeld had added in the original statement in reference to one particular facilityAl Qa'qaa high explosives controversyThe Al Qa'qaa high explosives controversy concerns the possible removal by Baathist insurgents of about 377 tonnes of high explosives HMX and RDX after the 2003 invasion of Iraq....
, "we saw from the air that there were dozens of trucks that went into that facility after the existence of it became public in the press and they moved things out. They dispersed them and took them away. So there may be nothing left. I don't know that. But it's way too soon to know." - "Your allegation that 'there was bullet proof evidence' of ties between Al Qaeda and Iraq (Rumsfeld stated this on September 27, 2002 to the Chamber of CommerceChamber of commerceA chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
). Was that a lie or were you misled?"
- Rumsfeld "ZarqawiAbu Musab al-ZarqawiAbu Musab al-Zarqawi ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan...
was in Baghdad during the prewar period...that is a fact."
- McGovern: "Zarqawi...he was in the North of Iraq in a place where Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
had no rule. That's where he was."
- Rumsfeld "He was also in Baghdad."
- McGovern "Yeah, when he needed to go to the hospital...come on, these people [the surrounding press] aren't idiots."
"O.I.L."
In a television interview with Tucker CarlsonTucker Carlson
Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson is an American political news correspondent and conservative commentator for the Fox News Channel...
on MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, McGovern said: "I‘ve been using the acronym O.I.L. for many — for two years now: O for oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
; I for Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
; and L for logistics, logistics being the permanent — now we say “enduring” — military bases that the U.S. wants to keep in Iraq."
McGovern testified at a Democratic National Headquarters forum in 2005 that had been convened by Rep. John Conyers
John Conyers
John Conyers, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1965 . He is a member of the Democratic Party...
(D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
-Mich.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
) of the House Judiciary Committee on the Downing Street Memo
Downing Street memo
The "Downing Street memo" , sometimes described by critics of the Iraq War as the "smoking gun memo", is the note of a secret 23 July 2002, meeting of senior British Labour government, defence and intelligence figures discussing the build-up to the war, which included direct reference to classified...
.
The Washington Post reported that, in his testimony, McGovern "declared that the United States went to war in Iraq for oil, Israel and military bases craved by administration 'neocons' so 'the United States and Israel could dominate that part of the world.' He said that Israel should not be considered an ally and that Bush was doing the bidding of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
. 'Israel is not allowed to be brought up in polite conversation,' McGovern said. Genuine criticism of official Israeli policy is often portrayed as if it were anti-Semite bigotry: 'The last time I did this, the previous director of Central Intelligence called me anti-Semitic.'"
McGovern described the incident with former Director of Central Intelligence James Woolsey
R. James Woolsey, Jr.
Robert James Woolsey Jr. is a foreign policy specialist and former Director of Central Intelligence and head of the Central Intelligence Agency .-Early life:...
in an article in CounterPunch
Counterpunch
Counterpunch can refer to:* Counterpunch , a punch in boxing* CounterPunch, a bi-weekly political newsletter* Counterpunch , a type of punch used in traditional typography* Punch-Counterpunch, a Transformers character...
:
- I thought of the debate I had on Iraq with arch-neoconservative and former CIA Director James WoolseyR. James Woolsey, Jr.Robert James Woolsey Jr. is a foreign policy specialist and former Director of Central Intelligence and head of the Central Intelligence Agency .-Early life:...
on PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
' Charlie Rose Show on August 20, when I broke the taboo on mentioning Israel and was immediately branded "anti-Semitic" by Woolsey. Reflecting later on his accusation, it seemed almost OK since it was so blatantly ad hominem. And his attack was all the more transparent, coming from the self-described "anchor of the Presbyterian wing of JINSA" — the Jewish Institute for National Security AffairsJewish Institute for National Security AffairsThe Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit think-tank focusing on issues of United States and Israel in national security. JINSA's stated aim is threefold: to ensure a strong and effective U.S...
, a strong advocate of war to eliminate all perceived enemies of Israel — like Iraq.
Arrested for Silent Protest at Clinton Speech
During a speech on February 16, 2011, at George Washington UniversityGeorge Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
by Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Hillary Clinton he stood silently with his back turned during her remarks, leading to his arrest.
On Julian Assange
When asked on TVNZ whether Julian AssangeJulian Assange
Julian Paul Assange is an Australian publisher, journalist, writer, computer programmer and Internet activist. He is the editor in chief of WikiLeaks, a whistleblower website and conduit for worldwide news leaks with the stated purpose of creating open governments.WikiLeaks has published material...
was a hero or villain, he replied "Hero", and has co-written an open letter of support for WikiLeaks and Assange.
When asked whether Julian Assange
Julian Assange
Julian Paul Assange is an Australian publisher, journalist, writer, computer programmer and Internet activist. He is the editor in chief of WikiLeaks, a whistleblower website and conduit for worldwide news leaks with the stated purpose of creating open governments.WikiLeaks has published material...
was a journalist, he replied "Yeah, actually, with all due respect, I think you (the mainstream media) should be following his example.", to the CNN reporter.
Personal life
McGovern has been married to Rita Kennedy for 42 years. Together they have five children and six grandchildren.Articles
- Ray McGovern, Mullen Wary of Israeli Attack on Iran, Antiwar.comAntiwar.comAntiwar.com is a website devoted to opposing aggressive war, imperialism, and assaults on freedom associated with both. The editors describe their politics as libertarian. Their stated motiviation is, "to show how the imperialistic tendencies of the American government lead to a loss of civil...
, March 8, 2010. - Ray McGovern, "Case Closed", Tom Paine, February 19, 2004.
- Ray McGovern, "Proof Bush Fixed The Facts," Tom Paine, May 4, 2005.
- Ray McGovern, Archive of McGovern's articles for Alternet, Alternet, 06/03-04/06.
Video
- Ray McGovern speaks at Peace Action National Congress (July 2004) - 23 minutes
- Ray McGovern speaks at the John Marshall Law School In Chicago, IL (April 2006) - 52 minutes
- Ray McGovern speaks to TVNZ about WikiLeaks and Assange (Dec 2010) - 5 minutes
External links
- Radio interview on Progressive Radio
- Interview on TVNZ about Julian Assange
- Downloadable audio interview with Scott HortonScott Horton (lawyer)Scott Horton is a New York attorney known for his work in human rights law and the law of armed conflict, as well as emerging markets and international law. He graduated Texas Law School in Austin with a JD and was a partner in a large New York law firm, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler...
- The-war-at-home The Daily Show with Jon StewartJon StewartJon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
- Audio and Transcript of Brad Show interview, June 11, 2005
- Truthdigger of the Week: Ray McGovern
- "Retired CIA Official Says Bush Is A War Criminal" (audio interview)
- Are U.S. Presidents Afraid of the CIA? by Ray McGovern, December 29, 2009
- "McGovern: Forged 'yellowcake' memo 'leads right back to' Cheney" (MSNBC Tucker Carlson Video)
- "Retired CIA Analyst Ray McGovern Takes on Rumsfeld Over Justification for Iraq Invasion" May 5, 2006 Democracy Now
- "Q&A sessions with Ray McGovern" (News Video)
- "So Who's Afraid of the Israel Lobby?" October 5, 2007
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_Z5pUwgqBI&feature=player_embedded February 17, 2011