Robert Malecki
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bob" Malecki is an American activist and Spartacist living in Robertsfors
, Sweden
. He supported the Spartacist League (Sweden)
. He wrote an autobiography
entitled Ha Ha Ha McNamara, Vietnam — My Bellybutton is my Crystalball! in reference to Robert McNamara
, United States Secretary of Defense
during most of the Vietnam War
, and his comments critical of the war in the 1990s
, which Malecki saw as hypocritical. A chapter from Ha Ha Ha McNamara was included in the 2007 book Against the Vietnam War: Writings by Activists.
to a working-class family. At the age of 17 Malecki joined the Navy
doing various jobs before being stationed at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
. The Cuban Revolution
and the subsequent Cuban Missile Crisis
radicalized a few of Malecki's friends, who supported Fidel Castro
, the new Cuba
n leader. After taking a thirty days leave (soon sixty, qualifying for AWOL status) over concerns made after agreeing to a six year re-enlistment, Malecki attempted to gain a discharge
by being intentionally caught carrying and taking drugs. After court-martial
, he was then sent to a Stockade in North Carolina
where his plan caused him to be transferred to the Charleston Naval Hospital. After fourth months he was let out and went back to Staten Island
. After this period, Malecki moved to Mexico
but then moved to Cleveland, Ohio
soon after.
In the summer
of 1968, Malecki, who was now married, began work for General Motors
. He received a leaflet one day while at a plant gate showing a napalm
victim in North Vietnam
. The leaflet stated that Dow Chemicals had produced the napalm and that it was being used in these situations. Malecki soon became involved in both the anti-Vietnam War movement and Trotskyist movement. From 1968 until 1972, Malecki took part in destroying "tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of draft files and orders... I [Malecki] also took responsibility for the destruction of the international computer network of the Dow Chemical Corp. in Washington DC." Malecki served time in prison for these acts and shortly after his release from prison was charged with conspiracy to bomb public buildings and power plants. With funds from other anti-war protesters, Malecki fled in exile to Sweden, where he remains to this day.
Malecki formerly worked with Straight Facts Radio. He debated then-Prime Minister of Sweden
Göran Persson
in 1998 on national radio.
Robertsfors
Robertsfors is a locality and the seat of Robertsfors Municipality in Västerbotten County, Sweden with 2,010 inhabitants in 2005.Robertsfors is named after the Scotsman Robert Finlay, who, together with John Jennings, founded an ironworks there in 1751....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. He supported the Spartacist League (Sweden)
Spartacist League (Sweden)
The Spartacist League was a small Trotskyist political party in Sweden. It was a member of the international Spartacist tendency .The League consisted of a small nucleus of supporters, from the late 1970s until the early 1980s. The members of that group are today found in other Trotskyist groups...
. He wrote an autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
entitled Ha Ha Ha McNamara, Vietnam — My Bellybutton is my Crystalball! in reference to Robert McNamara
Robert McNamara
Robert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968, during which time he played a large role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War...
, United States Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
during most of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, and his comments critical of the war in the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
, which Malecki saw as hypocritical. A chapter from Ha Ha Ha McNamara was included in the 2007 book Against the Vietnam War: Writings by Activists.
Biography
Malecki was born in 1942 in Jersey City, New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to a working-class family. At the age of 17 Malecki joined the Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
doing various jobs before being stationed at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
. The Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
and the subsequent Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
radicalized a few of Malecki's friends, who supported Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
, the new Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n leader. After taking a thirty days leave (soon sixty, qualifying for AWOL status) over concerns made after agreeing to a six year re-enlistment, Malecki attempted to gain a discharge
Military discharge
A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve.-United States:Discharge or separation should not be confused with retirement; career U.S...
by being intentionally caught carrying and taking drugs. After court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
, he was then sent to a Stockade in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
where his plan caused him to be transferred to the Charleston Naval Hospital. After fourth months he was let out and went back to Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
. After this period, Malecki moved to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
but then moved to Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
soon after.
In the summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
of 1968, Malecki, who was now married, began work for General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
. He received a leaflet one day while at a plant gate showing a napalm
Napalm
Napalm is a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with gasoline or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, primarily as an anti-personnel weapon...
victim in North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
. The leaflet stated that Dow Chemicals had produced the napalm and that it was being used in these situations. Malecki soon became involved in both the anti-Vietnam War movement and Trotskyist movement. From 1968 until 1972, Malecki took part in destroying "tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of draft files and orders... I [Malecki] also took responsibility for the destruction of the international computer network of the Dow Chemical Corp. in Washington DC." Malecki served time in prison for these acts and shortly after his release from prison was charged with conspiracy to bomb public buildings and power plants. With funds from other anti-war protesters, Malecki fled in exile to Sweden, where he remains to this day.
Malecki formerly worked with Straight Facts Radio. He debated then-Prime Minister of Sweden
Prime Minister of Sweden
The Prime Minister is the head of government in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before the creation of the office of a Prime Minister in 1876, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from its head of state, namely the King, in whom the executive authority was vested...
Göran Persson
Göran Persson
Hans Göran Persson was the Prime Minister of Sweden from 1996 to 2006 and the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1996 to 2007. Conceding defeat in the September 2006 general election, he announced that he would resign as party leader, and Mona Sahlin was elected to succeed him as...
in 1998 on national radio.