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Simone de Beauvoir - The Woman Destroyed

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Don DeLillo - White Noise

[juner]

The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien

[Dionysios]

'Fraud, Famine, and Fascism:  the Ukrainian Genocide Myth From Hitler to Harvard'
By Douglas Tottle

http://www.garethjones.org/tottlefraud.pdf

Recently secured a very good condition paperback copy of this from a Canadian bookseller through bookfinder.com and currently reading it.

The first chapter alone so completely demolishes the myth. The information about fascist newspapers and radio and their influence is quite absorbing. Love the stuff about Hearst in the early chapters.

A key book for anyone looking to deflate the historical arguments of Ukrainian fascism or Stalin critics. Includes information about anti-semitism as well.

[Ghost Spaghetti]

Interesting, I didn't realise that the Ukrainian famine was a disputed historical event. The record of mass-starvation across the Soviet Union as a whole was fairly well-accepted, I thought? What are the main points that the author makes?

As a side-note, the famine memorial in Kiev is quite moving.

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Walt Whitman - Leaves of Grass

[Dionysios]

Interesting, I didn't realise that the Ukrainian famine was a disputed historical event. The record of mass-starvation across the Soviet Union as a whole was fairly well-accepted, I thought? What are the main points that the author makes?

Some well evidenced points I've noticed this far:

1) As to what actually happened, Tottle doesn't deny a famine existed. He totally denies any genocide or any kind of planning or purposeful intent. Also, it was not in any way particularly limited to Ukraine, but widespread in the USSR in 1932. More significantly, the Ukraine and other areas had bumper crops from spring 1933 onwards when the propaganda campaign got into high gear.

2) There source of the famine stories was German Nazism who started saying it a couple years before anyone else. The main source of it in the USA was the Hearst newspapers who had actually published a story denying any famine prior to Hearst's personal meeting with Hitler in 1934 after which they went all out.

3)  Virtually none of the photos were legitimate - most having been taken from the genuine Soviet famine of 1921-1922 and are contained in sources prior to the 1930's. In some cases, photos from the czarist era are even used evidenced by editors to lazy to omit nineteenth century photos showing alleged "Soviet" soldiers in czarist uniforms.

4) This propaganda was recognized as fascist in the 1930's and 1940's and accordingly rejected back at that time. It's current widespread acceptance dates only to Reagan's resurgence of anti-communist propaganda in the 1980's.

The height of the 1980's campaign were Robert Conquest's allegedly scholarly book 'Harvest of Sorrow' and a documentary film called 'Harvest of Despair' that appeals to emotion. Tittle says the impressive presentation of both is shattered when their sources are examined and shown to be nothing more than the old discredited photos and witnesses used by Nazis and Hearst back in the 1930's. The making of this 1980's documentary facilitated a veritable reunion of Ukrainian Nazi collaborators and ranking German Nazis from World War II.

5) Mace and Robert Conquest (both associated with Harvard Univ) have been the two academics most involved in recycling this old Nazi propaganda with all the same uncorrected errors.

[Dionysios]

Another point is this book mentions and critically examines the key sources of news of Urainian famine over the decades. Two early 1950's pamphlets published by partisans of McCarthyism and repeating the same fake photos of the 1930's constitutes perhaps the only Ukraine genocide literature published between the 1930's and early 1980's. A universally pervasive characteristic of the photos used is their lack of any sources or things like information about the photos given - different publications often giving blatantly contradictory statements about the same photograph.

The most commonly cited source has come to be a Hearst employee using the pseudonym "Thomas Walker" who never visited the Ukraine and who was roundly denounced at the time by Americans who had been to the Ukraine when Walker claimed to be. His real name was Robert Green, a felon wanted in several countries who found work with William Randolph Hearst.

A final point I've noticed is that Ukrainian war criminals (guilty of things like mass executions of both Ukrainian resistors and innocent Jews during the Nazi occupation) associated with the Nazi regime seem to be the chief persons associated with occasionally publishing any claims of famine after the 1930's until the early 1980's.

At this point, I'm not quite half way through it, but I can discern from what I've read and especially a couple of chapters towards the end that this book is also a good place to start for researching Nazi collaborators in Ukraine especially and Eastern Europe generally and thereby understanding a dynamic of Ukrainian politics.

[Dionysios]

As to the question "Why?" Hearst and the Nazis would lie about Ukrainian famine (not that they didn't on other subjects as well), was their opposition to the labor movement. This was the period of the Soviets' first and second five year plans in which they were surging ahead economically on all fronts industrially and agriculturally in spite of all that was thrown against them and thus proving that communism in Stalin's time worked very well indeed and that its opponents were liars. This was a huge boon to the heart and confidence of the American and other western laborers. Something had to be invented that would tarnish the Soviet image.

Also mentioned are all the visitors (including non-Bolsheviks) who testified the famine-genocide story is a lie. I haven't yet seen Tottle mention Sidney and Beatrice Webb, but this non-Bolshevik couple wrote a massive two volume survey of the USSR published towards the end of their lives in 1936 which strongly endorses the USSR, collectivization, etc as a good thing. The Webbs, among most others, knew the Nazi propaganda for what it was. These testimonies are typically dismissed by the very biased anti-communist western press as liberals allegedly taken on Potemkin tours and don't see how they are allegedly hoodwinked by the Bolsheviks. This faulty view is disproved by (CP USA Chairman) William Z. Foster who wrote that during his first visit to the Soviet Union, he met unhindered a motley host of enemies of Bolshevism including, for example, an anarchist who spent much time telling him all about the most seediest aspects of the Bolshevik Revolution, and no police nor anyone else prevented such communications.

[Dionysios]

'The Goslings'
&
'The Profits of Religion'
By Upton Sinclair

I've been steadily acquiring the classic books of the muckrakers over the past two to three years and had so far bypassed Upton Sinclair because 'The Jungle' was technically a novel and I'm really not keen on fiction - thus my brief superficial assessment.

I recently began reading a brief but extremely informative 1942 book by George Seldes on media corruption entitled:

'The Facts Are a Guide to Falsehood and Propaganda in the Press and Radio'
http://gseldes.blogspot.com/?m=1

This book mentioned an earlier book by Upton Sinclair entitled 'The Brass Check' about how greed and subsequent monopolization had corrupted the American newspapers in the late ninteenth and early twentieth century. This book was also largely what Seldes's book was based upon.

I looked up the 'Brass Check' and found it was one of a series of six hard hitting non-fiction books by Upton Sinclair - each of which exposes the thorough corruption of an American institution by way of tracing its penetration by the love of money. The 'Brass Check' is about newspapers and journalism. The 'Goose Step' is about American universities.

The 'Goslings' is about children schools as propaganda founts. I just got this one and am looking forward to its leftist perspective as a breath of fresh air to complement pro-home school historians like Blumenthal. Appreciate how it traces the money factor and how these schools are de facto corporate propaganda replete with truant
law enforcement.

'The Profits of Religion' is a scathing indictment of the catholic and Protestant churches with actual praise for a tiny handful of leftist oriented churches. I have seen Sinclair described as rabidly anti-Christian, but I don't think so from an examination of this book which would richly complement the standard guidebook to American churches and denominations. He gives away his belief in biological evolution in the preface stating that men are descended from simians, but that's the only instance of it. Very useful book about important characteristics and red flags of which to be aware even if one's Church is not listed in the book.

I intend to collect all six of Sinclair's non-fiction series. I've thus far got three of them - old hardbacks from the 1920's and 30's.

[Dionysios]

Interesting, I didn't realise that the Ukrainian famine was a disputed historical event. The record of mass-starvation across the Soviet Union as a whole was fairly well-accepted, I thought? What are the main points that the author makes?

Two other points:

First, forgive my wordiness. I'm still reading the book. If we'd have made these posts perhaps a week after I finished, then I would have answered much more succinctly in only one post.

Second, a chapter towards the end of the book about the actual famine (in 1932) makes a point you'd want to know about:

A bad harvest was only the second most influential cause of famine. By far the major cause of Ukrainian famine in 1932 was the deliberate sabotage and large scale destruction of food supplies, crops, and animals by wealthy Ukrainians (kulaks). The reason for this was their reaction to Soviet collectivization which meant the surrender of their excess property to the more unfortunate Ukrainians. Many reckoned that they would rather nobody benefit from the property if they could not have it all to themselves. The Nazis and Hearst totally lied about this. At least people back then didn't believe them.

The fourth century Orthodox Christian bishop John Chrysostom wrote a homily against the wealthy wherein he declared that whatever property wealthy men possess in excess of their own needs is in fact stolen from the poor.

I would say that the Soviet communists practiced John Chrysostom's principles which had been practically rejected by the hypocritical church of the Romanovs and Ukrainians. My cousin who converted to Judaism when she was young once told me that the Russian church has a reputation as very corrupt. My experience and investigation have confirmed what she told me.

[Dionysios]

'Pogromchik'
By Saul Friedlander

I just ordered this book (published in 1976) understanding that the author is an authority on the history of Ukrainian antisemitism. I already have an older book from 1932 about this pogrom, but this particular author's analysis of Ukrainian nationalism appears too rich to bypass.

The book covers the 1927 Paris murder trial of a Ukrainian Jew who freely admitted that he killed Symon Petliura, the founder of modern Ukraine in the wake of WWI and the architect of the 1919 genocide of Jews in Ukraine by the White Army of General Denikin. This was the most murderous of the Russian pogroms that had occurred especially after 1881 (and the assassination of Alexander III) and also the biggest genocide of Jews (at least in recent centuries) prior to World War II. The Jew on trial for the assassination was apparently the only surviving member of his family who had all been murdered. It ended in a hung trial and thus his freedom.

From what I've read modern Ukraine is an artificial nation invented by diplomats to serve as a front especially for German imperialism and to be a vanguard in smashing communism as well as to extend the domestic exploitative system of the catholic Austro-Hungarian empire which had just recently been destroyed. Among other things, non-Soviet (western) Ukrainian government was racist anti-Jewish and officially anti-communist from its foundation.

[Dionysios]

'Stalin's Thought Illumines Problems of the Negro Freedom Struggle:
A Guide For Discussion in Schools and Study Groups'
By Charles Mann
(1953)

This is the next book I intend to read. Only about 50 pages long, I intend to read it as a preface to afterwards reading Stalin's book 'Marxism and the National Question.'

This booklet seems to be inspired by Harry Haywood's 1948 book 'Negro Liberation' which also advocates a sovereign black controlled government in the southern United States - hence its objective involves the dismemberment of the U.S. and consequently the breaking of its power.

Unlike the racist twisting of this idea afterwards by the likes of Farrakhan, Mann advocates power shared commonly by poor whites and the descendents of ex-slaves in which all are finally given their 40 acres and a mule which the Union armies failed to deliver after winning the American Civil War (something Lenin did deliver to Russia's ex-serfs). Thus, Mann advocates the reversal of the 1877 backstabbing which ended Reconstruction in a victory for the Confederacy which was thereby restored to power under the tutelage of Wall Street and the south became northern owned - much like how fascism was restored to power in West Germany in the late 1940's.

This book advocates unity of the negro people rather than segregation. It advocates that black people retain their culture and national unity as they integrate as a whole into American society - not individually which would destroy their culture and nationality.

This is a major aspect of Stalin's view of nationalism which
respects and preserves national cultures. This is in severe contrast to the melting pot of America which acts as an acid upon the national cultures of immigrants. A great example of this is how Americanist minded idiots thoughtlessly criticize hyphenated Americanism not realizing their stupid doctrine is only destructive of national culture wanting to Americanize immigrants and eradicate their own language.

In a 1958 interview with Pacifica Radio, American singer Paul Robeson expressed the view that black American integration into mainstream America must be done as a group and not individually.



I think the principles about nationality and cohesiveness which characterized the USSR in Stalin's time and facilitated the coordination and team work which won the victory over Nazism also applies to religious groups which are a kind of nation themselves and which had likewise been persecuted by the Romanovs along with the various nationalities.

Needless to say, the American civil rights movement did not follow the way outlined in this booklet and has accordingly had at best a mixed success.

[Dionysios]

Thought it worth mentioning that Harry Haywood, author of the 1948 book 'Negro Liberation' became Malcolm X's mentor in the early 1960's when he needed guidance upon emerging from the "Nation of Islam."

http://www.marx2mao.com/Other/NL48.pdf

[juner]

Truman Capote - In Cold Blood

[Dionysios]

'Final Judgment'
By Michael Collins Piper

Criticism - The book's central thesis that the Israeli Mossad was the key force behind Kennedy's assassination is the most tenuous and unsupported part of an otherwise uncommonly informative and interesting book. There's not too much about Isser Harel and the folks in the Mossad around the time that Eisenhower and Kennedy were presidents.

This book fails to prove its thesis.

Compliment -
1) Among other things, it contains probably the best list and succinct analysis of ALL books written about the Kennedy assassination over the past 50+ years.

2) It does the same for pretty much all the people involved. One will have a very decent working knowledge of it all after having read this book as well as a very good understanding of the mechanics of the assassination and of the extensive cover-up.  It's top drawer as far as this goes, but the way it ties it together at the top glaringly lacks evidence.

A couple of the better writers whom Piper approvingly quotes (such as Peter Dale Scott) have a more objective approach devoid of Piper's anti-Semitic bias.

3) Another plus about this writer in my opinion is that his array of evidence generally points to a right wing colonialist force behind the assassination. Piper has a positive  view of communists like Castro or the Algerian liberation movement against French colonialism. This is a bit more impressive considering the arguably fascist newspaper and employer whom Piper worked for.

I'm also critical of Israel, but I believe it's my responsibility to believe any man is innocent until he's proven guilty. I'd be interested to read a very informative critique of Mossad, but not this one. It can be useful about the Kennedy assassination especially if one understands its error.

[Dionysios]

'The Liberty Lobby and the American Far Right'
By Frank Mintz (1985)

Never anticipated that I would praise anything associated with William Buckley or the National Review for whom the author wrote.

This book is a critical history of Willis Carto (who just died in late 2015) and the degeneration of the Liberty Lobby he founded in 1955 from a "semi-respectable national conservative organization to the lunatic far right fringe with soft spot for Nazism."

Additionally, in 1978 Carto founded the Institute For Historical Review which has for several decades been the world's major publisher, coordinator, and promoter of holocaust denial.

Buckley had a bitter falling out with Carto by the early 1970's which ultimately ended in court with a victory in the 1980's for Buckley. 

Not generally a fan of Buckley, but his conservatism is mainstream compared to
Carto.

The book has an interesting chapter comparing Liberty Lobby with the sophisticated John Birch Society as the symbiosis of each other.

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Eugène Ionesco - Rhinoceros

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Thomas Mann - Buddenbrooks

[juner]

John Whyndham - The Chrysalids