Secret Team
Encyclopedia
The Secret Team, or ST, is a phrase coined by L. Fletcher Prouty
in 1973, alleging a covert alliance between the United States'
military, intelligence, and private sectors to influence political decisions.
private industry who use their collective wealth, influence, and resources to manipulate current events to steer public policy and maximize profits. The term is pejorative
since it accuses the organizations of prioritizing their personal fortunes above the national interest, as well as eliminating any opposition, whether through targeted propaganda
or assassination.
Prouty wrote The Secret Team: The CIA and Its Allies in Control of the United States and the World
and JFK: The CIA, Vietnam and the Plot to Assassinate John F. Kennedy
in support of his view.
The phrase has been used by the Christic Institute
in their investigation of the La Penca bombing
in Nicaragua
.
in his farewell address to the nation in 1961 when he spoke of the military-industrial complex
. The theory states that after eight years of exposure to the American defense establishment as President
, Eisenhower knew that a disproportionate amount of influence rested in the hands of the ST, and he warned the public that this influence threatened the purity of American democracy.
L. Fletcher Prouty
Leroy Fletcher Prouty served as Chief of Special Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President John F. Kennedy. A former colonel in the United States Air Force he retired from military service to become a banker, and subsequently became a critic of U.S...
in 1973, alleging a covert alliance between the United States'
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military, intelligence, and private sectors to influence political decisions.
Origins
The phrase suggests the existence of a covert alliance between certain people within the U.S. intelligence community, the United States military, and AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
private industry who use their collective wealth, influence, and resources to manipulate current events to steer public policy and maximize profits. The term is pejorative
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
since it accuses the organizations of prioritizing their personal fortunes above the national interest, as well as eliminating any opposition, whether through targeted propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
or assassination.
Prouty wrote The Secret Team: The CIA and Its Allies in Control of the United States and the World
The Secret Team
The Secret Team: The CIA and Its Allies in Control of the United States and the World is a book by L. Fletcher Prouty, a former colonel in the US Air Force, first published in 1973...
and JFK: The CIA, Vietnam and the Plot to Assassinate John F. Kennedy
JFK: The CIA, Vietnam and the Plot to Assassinate John F. Kennedy
JFK: The CIA, Vietnam and the Plot to Assassinate John F. Kennedy is a book by L. Fletcher Prouty who was a Washington insider for nearly 20 years. Made famous for being the origin of the anonymous "Mr. X", played by Donald Sutherland in the Oliver Stone movie JFK , who asks Jim Garrison to...
in support of his view.
The phrase has been used by the Christic Institute
Christic Institute
The Christic Institute was a public interest law firm founded in 1980 by Daniel Sheehan, his wife, Sara Nelson and their partner, William J. Davis, who was a Jesuit priest. Its headquarters were based in Washington, D.C. with several offices in other major United States cities, such as San...
in their investigation of the La Penca bombing
La Penca bombing
The "La Penca bombing" refers to a bomb attack on May 30, 1984, in the guerilla outpost of La Penca in Nicaragua, near the Costa Rican border. The bomb attack occurred during a press conference being conducted by Edén Pastora, a Contra leader, who is presumed to have been the target...
in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
Eisenhower's alleged prediction
According to the theory, the existence of ST was predicted and warned of by President Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
in his farewell address to the nation in 1961 when he spoke of the military-industrial complex
Military-industrial complex
Military–industrial complex , or Military–industrial-congressional complex is a concept commonly used to refer to policy and monetary relationships between legislators, national armed forces, and the industrial sector that supports them...
. The theory states that after eight years of exposure to the American defense establishment as President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, Eisenhower knew that a disproportionate amount of influence rested in the hands of the ST, and he warned the public that this influence threatened the purity of American democracy.
See also
- Brought to LightBrought to LightBrought to Light: Thirty Years of Drug Smuggling, Arms Deals, and Covert Action is an anthology of two political graphic novels, published originally by Eclipse Comics in 1988. Both are based on material from lawsuits filed by the Christic Institute against the US Government...
- Business PlotBusiness PlotThe Business Plot was an alleged political conspiracy in 1933. Retired Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler claimed that wealthy businessmen were plotting to create a fascist veterans' organization and use it in a coup d’état to overthrow United States President Franklin D...
- Military-industrial complexMilitary-industrial complexMilitary–industrial complex , or Military–industrial-congressional complex is a concept commonly used to refer to policy and monetary relationships between legislators, national armed forces, and the industrial sector that supports them...
- Conspiracy theoryConspiracy theoryA conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
- The Power EliteThe Power EliteThe Power Elite is a book written by the sociologist, C. Wright Mills, in 1956. In it Mills calls attention to the interwoven interests of the leaders of the military, corporate, and political elements of society and suggests that the ordinary citizen is a relatively powerless subject of...