STIMSON

HISTORY  HENRY STIMSON, SKULL AND BONES ICON

THE FALL OF NORFOLK ( Note – This was sent to Kent Steadman’s site, Orbit, after there was some discussion of Secretary of War Stimson’s decision to use the atomic bomb. I have maintained that international secret agreements concerning non use of nuclear weapons form the essential glue to a secret world government. This is something that I saw develop as a child while my Father worked for Time Magazine. I have slightly altered the copy deleting names of those who are not public figures. The letter was originally asked for by a former employer, a very wonderful owner of a Norfolk Cab company who I will change to Dr. O. There is a portion where I kid him and make the common group mind responsible for some situations. This was a joke he would understand and perhaps not an outside reader. The letter, though specific to the security apparatus in Norfolk, Virginia-, largest military center in the world,- also gives a good overall world security picture. I thank Kent Steadman for posting this. Michael Donovan, Camden ME, michael1@midcoast.com.) Letter from Michael Donovan to owner of a Norfolk cab company, summer of 2003 Dear Dr. O, After reading my response to William Safire regarding the then proposed invasion of Iraq, you had asked me to write another political piece. After discussion it was to be more local concerning the political and security landscape. This can only be done, Norfolk being a world military center that it is, within a view of a much larger context. A few years before working for you there was a front page article in the New York Times with the headline itself stating that Norfolk was fast becoming a world center. It was at the time that Admiral Gehman, a Norfolk native, was at the helm of NATO Atlantic. During that period piers at NOB berthed many foreign naval warships from Mexico to Communist China. And also during that period this forward thinking admiral held the 'Norfolk Conference' wherein military and civilian leaders from all of NATO including the then pending Czech Republics, Hungary and Poland were invited. Though with only the Virginian Pilot's explanation that the conference was 'secret' and discussed (without explanation) the 'new technologies', it was then followed by the surprising announcement that at a nuke facility on the peninsula the speed of light, assumed by most to be an invariable constant of nature, was slowed to a mere 38 miles per hour. From my perspective I could readily assume this was based upon the work of a Czech, Pavlita, whose work went behind the Iron Curtain when the tanks rolled into Prague and were hidden there until the mid 1980s. Admiral Gehman was also at the helm when the dangerous situation in the Balkans was dissolved mainly by the international militaries working together, and working against (my personal view), forces that wanted a larger (though 'managed') conflict. When it was announced that a large (60 vehicle plus) Russian column took the Kosovo Airport, the major media had no foreknowledge, nor did 'Washington', nor did, (by his own admission),Yeltsen know. And it was his army! Again the result of very direct international intramilitary cooperation. Following this (and here note well before 9/11) both Admiral Gehman and General Krulac took unusually 'early retirements'. It is my opinion that both these brilliant field grade officers back then saw winds blowing that they wanted no part of. Gehman was replaced by the 'more quiet' General Buck Kernan. Kernan was insultingly introduced by the Pilot (lead editorial) by the patronizing head pat that he would be, in the Pilot's words, "...non political...". And this in one of, if not the, most political of military posts. The Pilot more than suggested both that Gehman had been too political (by whose standards?) and that Buck Kernan would just be a guided figurehead. These were the first signs of the demise of Norfolk truly becoming a world center. That influence and energy has now moved to Belgium. If there is any possibility of this being reversed it should be remembered that it takes a whole lot of "...atta boys" to make up for just one "...ah shit!" Doc, I will get to the more local security, but here feel need to paint Norfolk in a more historical perspective: Martha's Vineyard, prior to the Suez and Panama canals, and during the Age of Sail, was the place where world communication through the tea, slave, opium, and whaling trades came together first. It was for some time the world's most central 'post office'. This was a very private system run by the Luce family. Henry Luce, though he grew up in central China, used these old family connections to create the Time magazine empire. Banking follows information centers, and the banking center (Wall Street) would have remained in Boston were it not for the canals and the railroads. Even well prior to the Civil War, Norfolk, by location, was on the way to becoming a military and naval center. Another Luce, Commodore Luce (and the last naval officer to hold that rank), made great effort to stem this tide and bring more power back to New England, for example seeing that the new Naval War College etc. would be located in Newport, RI. It was a marginal job, against the dictum of geography, and at the onset of your Civil War Norfolk still held the 'swing vote'. The Civil War itself was far more international than generally taught, and even an extension, at least in grand design, of the Crimean War just ten years prior. Though not directly involved with force, many of the troop ships and supporting supply ships were from the US. Geography held, and there was no stopping the influence of Norfolk. For example, if you check the older maps, you will always see the term 'Hampton Roads' placed by the mapmakers above the naval base. As relating to England, to wisely get to the throne you must first 'take the Hampton roads' and go through the navy first, emphasizing Kipling's remark that, "The navy is very old, and very wise." The Day Book, published by the Nautilus naval historical group at times continues to go back to the old question of why at the onset of Civil War the naval ships were widely dispersed around the globe. Political correctness, (or something?), seems to keep them skirting the obvious, that for some period there was a question of where the international money winds were blowing. Until that was known, the ships were wisely kept out of harms way. England, for example, was split with the Monarchy for the South and the masses for the North. Norfolk became the pivot. It was Norfolk that first saw the signs, and became the 'pocket in the South that turned with the North'. This insider influence of Norfolk in history grew and grew right up until the quite recent NATO split over Iraq. Now Norfolk's influence has taken a giant nose-dive. The next historical impact upon Norfolk are secret agreements brokered by Henry Luce concerning the non use of nuclear weapons in the early fifties. Because of the military presence in Norfolk some higher portions of Norfolk inner society had to be made privy. How ever do I explain? Just about two months ago I was first up in East Ocean View and got an NAB call where I picked up a Marine Colonel in uniform. (a Col. Mathews if memory serves, and young enough at that rank that I assumed Naval Academy.) I was certainly not going to miss this opportunity for one or more of my 'rants' and devised a way to quickly get into those subjects. As I drove off with him I remained silent for a few hundred yards then shook my head and growled, "...I don't know, sir, perhaps you just got in the wrong cab," and left a short pregnant silence. "Sir, I'm going to ask you what you think of Marine Lt. General Paul Van Riper, but warn you that I have strong opinions on the matter." This got the colonel's attention, and he wisely replied with a non committal, "Well, I don't know, but have heard that he has a reputation for being very hard to work for..." I turned, smiled, and said, "...Well, OK, I'll tell you what I think first," leaving subjects set and ice broken. But in that conversation also came up the subject of 'secret agreements' concerning non use of nuclear weapons. And this young Marine Colonel's reaction was common (though necessarily schizophrenic) as an intelligent person's perception of this subject in modern society need be. I proposed to him that there are such secret agreements, and gave my background from childhood and my Father's work at Time Magazine. After Secretary Stimson insisted on nuking Japan, (more a warning to Stalin and the new China than ending the war) the entire military landscape changed. The full implications of that change was summed up in Luce's pithy statement, "War for unconditional surrender can no longer be waged." The powers-that-be well saw that this technology would in time be developed by the Soviet Union, China, and the other major powers. As they saw also that was simply no way to stop one nuclear state from nuking another. Missiles are not needed, you can simply drive it in on a pleasure boat, set a timer and get on a bus. What was to be done? There was already in place open agreements made after WW I concerning non use of gas. And for the most part that open agreement held. After all we went through WW II without the use of gas. Granted gas was outlawed to some extent because it hindered use of war at all. Back in the First World War, Galipoli was the only theatre where gas was not used, and that mostly as both sides, both Lord Kitchner and Mustafa Kamel, knew if it was used that men would start killing officers! But, even though open agreements concerning gas (in general) worked, this was not the road taken with the nuclear issue. The road taken with the nuclear issue was the use of 'secret agreement', and that has created the 'schizophrenic' world military mind. Bear with me here, Doc. This is the main undercurrent in understanding Norfolk's demise...: Secret agreements concerning nukes would, and did, empower a hidden international group. And at the same time keep the world's masses in a continual undercurrent of fear while they paid for with taxes 'missile defenses' that made no sense. These 'secret agreements' were first proposed by Henry Luce who brought the concept to Joe Stalin. In short the reaction of Uncle Joe was in the vein, "I love it, I love it. But I can't go for it. You can trust me, as I am in charge here, but how can I trust you in this..., you keep changing leaders." At that point Luce, with the aid of Hedley Donovan, came up with a plan to satisfy Uncle Joe's concerns. Hedley Donovan, a Rhodes Scholar, was then considered the best in naval intelligence. It was Hedley who located the Jap fleet at Leyte Gulf. Short of time to locate the fleet, he had the brainstorm of quickly ordering that all spies on all islands go down to local pubs or watering holes and just answer one simple question ...: 'was the talk serious or happy'. By plotting the answers to that one simple question he located the Jap fleet. The song 'Happy Talk' was put into the musical South Pacific as insider tribute. The uppermost intelligence was to be kept, not in the public sector of 'government', but the private sector of 'media'. Therefore Hedley Donovan was not made the head of the new formed CIA. He was made by Luce the president of Time Magazine. Hedley is the role model of 'Hedley Roland' of Doonsbury, the CIA type posing as a newsman. How were Henry Luce and Hedley Donovan to counter Joe Stalin's concerns? Stalin could insure that he was in charge of the nuclear weapons in the Soviet Union. How could Luce and Donovan insure Uncle Joe that they were in charge of the nuclear weapons here? Again, power in the United States could change every four years. Hedley and Henry Luce, to appease Uncle Joe and demonstrate control, came up with a 'phony censorship flap' using just the upscale Fortune Magazine. In this concocted flap they would show Joe just who was in charge. The concocted flap concerned changing, (with dramatic 'White House' gaming), a simple phrase, with great public fanfare in Fortune, from "...the President decided..." to simply "...it was decided." This was enough semi public insurance to Stalin that the President was not in charge of the nuke issue. The deal was sealed (You may refer to Vol. II, History of Time Inc., Elsner, searching through index and reading between the lines to see this.) Joe had bought in. Next in this deal came the Chinese. Though, at least publicly, the Chinese did not develop the bomb until well into the sixties, they certainly had the capability and delayed only for political moral height. When Luce sealed the deal with China he did so in Tehran, Iran. The flight back to Manhattan was then about 30 hours, and it was during his return that China crossed the Yalu and entered Korea. China did so knowing that they would not be nuked. And they also never deployed their navy which is the giant question, why?, asked by any serious historian of the Korean Conflict. (At that time, if you remember, Doc, even the use of the word 'war' itself was very touchy.) It would seem too that the non deployment of China's navy itself was part of the same deal. Inchon, touch and go as it was, could have been vastly different! This begs the question as to how such a deal could, 'secret' as it is, could be made to work, and leads to the question as to how Norfolk in particular fits in. How could it work? There are two parts to military intelligence, 'capability' and 'intent'. With nukes capability is not a question, again it can be driven in on a pleasure boat. So any type of deal must be based on intent. That so, you can only make such a deal by agreeing first that if any serious talk about nuking comes up in any power, then that power must immediately share all those particulars with the other powers. Checking mechanisms were constructed through the international criminal empires as well. International financing and banking connections became more important as source. The Israelis, having wide financial networks were used and thereby gained much influence in what was fast becoming an international 'shadow government.' Notice, that even though the general outline of the 'Balfor Agreement' came after WW I, that the formation of Israel and the necessity of some sort of nuclear bomb controls after Hiroshima and Nagasaki were concurrent. Historically the 'Great Dispersion' of the Jewish people some many centuries ago made their international financial power and intelligence grow. With this base of world money connections it became logical that there would be a quid pro quo for them to receive help in establishing a new nation if they would also be part the 'checking mechanisms' for Henry Luce's non-use-of-nukes deal. To see this most dramatically look in the back section of the book By Way Of Deception by the 'disgruntled' former Mossad officer who wrote the book in Canada. Though he does not write about such a deal, and may not even know of it, the map of the organization of the Mossad 'desks' is, to say the least, revealing. In that map there was giant variance in the comparative size of the geographical desks...: 1- The sizes of the 'Africa Desk', the 'Europe Desk', the 'Mideast Desk' etc. were all about the same size. 2- The biggest desk of all, giant compared to the others, was the 'Benelux Desk' concerning the three little countries that were once Holland. This emphasized the importance of international finance. 3- Most astounding was that there were NO desks for either the USA or the Soviet Union. In the USA Mossad activity is by law supposedly 'illegal'. As it would have logically been in the former Soviet Union. This more than strongly hints that they worked at a level where what we call the 'CIA' or the former 'KBG' were in fact combined operations There is always, in discussing this issue, the problem that it be considered anti Semitic. However, this is not at all true when fully considering the geographical imperative of history. I am getting to Norfolk, Doc, but should expand upon this a bit so that there is no misinterpretation. Two things form the basis of naval intelligence, and these as a child were drummed into me over and over. These two things are the 'mapmakers baseline of history' (sometimes called The Mystery Of Babylon) and the 'secret of Wu Tui'. The 'mapmakers baseline' is a simple timeline of the centers of information on the planet. We have only been able to completely navigate the seas, became a blue water mammal, for only a mere four or five centuries. What was the center of communication for the globe way back when we did not navigate on the water at all? If you just put the globe across the room and spin it around, the center becomes obvious...: Babylon. Here was the center of the camel caravan routes between the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. But what happened to this as we started to navigate just around the shores? Another communications network began to develop around the Mediterranean or 'middle sea'. This intelligence network began to compete with the old Babylon network. The greater information center started to develop in Biblos, now Tyre in present Lebanon. That center was militarily unprotected and was moved into the mountains, Jerusalem. The new center had the Mediterranean and the information network among the fisherman on one side of those mountains, and the camel caravan route by the Dead Sea on the other. The entire First Testament of the Bible is to a large extent the history of this 'information center' transfer. It is axiomatic that banking follows information. 'Trusts' started and held in Babylon moved to, and grew more quickly, in Jerusalem. As navigation and shipbuilding improved, these 'information centers' that banking would follow moved. The sequence of these centers is Babylon, Jerusalem, Rhodes, Rome, Malta (around the time of the crusades), then to Lisbon (Lisbon with Henry the Navigator was in the 1400s an international metropolis with Scandinavians mixing with Blacks from darkest Africa). At this time, as we became then truly a blue water mammal, that information center rested for a time in the Azores, but jumped across the Atlantic to Nantucket and as that harbor was blocked by a sandbar, rested during the Age of Sail and before the Suez and Panama canals, on Martha's Vineyard. Just a bendable plastic ruler and a globe will show this. As example, a young lady by the name of Abiah Folger grew up on Nantucket and was taught this 'ship talking ship' intelligence. She moved to Boston and married a candlemaker. It was this inner learning given to her children which made one of them, Benjamin Franklin, the international diplomat that he became. This first rule of history was reinforced by understanding the exceptions. For example, where was England in all of this? Did not, for some time, Briton 'rule the waves' and almost conquered most of the world. Briton was 'just off' the 'mapmakers baseline' and had a specific advantage of science, namely the use of calculus in naval gunnery which (though in general theory known by 1730) was in specific use guarded with only Royal Marines used as gunners. The second concept that forms the basis of naval intelligence is something called the 'Secret of Wu Tui'. In a sense it is a simple test in logic. Somewhere around the birth of Christ, some think the year four, a secret message went from the Emperor of China, Wu Tui, to the Emperor of Rome, Caesar. The test of logic is..., what is this secret? If logic states that 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend', what is the most exquisite secret that could be proposed? Simple, "Let us pretend to be enemies, but be very secret friends at top, with this only we, secretly, will know everything." The silk road was just developing, and this, conspiring being natural, would develop on any planet where two large empires were just connecting. With this the Kosars, those connected to the Jewish trusts with historical connections to the silk road, would become insiders. With these principles composition of those at top of world 'shadow government' is more easily understood. For example, religions hold large trusts. Briton nearly ruled the world. But many who fought for England, and made world connections, were Irish. But they were connected to the older Catholic trusts. If a disproportionate amount of those in 'secret government' seem Jewish, notice also that a disproportionate amount are of Irish decent. My father would make this distinction by calling the first 'camel Jews’, and the Irish 'sea Jews'. This may be an over simplification, but from Babylon the world money heads came together after 1- the 'Great Dispersion' of the Jews, 2- the combining, (behind the scenes), of the main religion's trusts by the Hapsburgs, Romanovs, and Turkish Osmilis families, 3- which connected to the Anglican trusts, 4- which were augmented by 'new Catholic' Irish trusts, 5- which were added to the new world blue blood trusts of Boston. There was then combined banking of many of the Spanish interests. As the world at sea for some period was shared between Britain and Spain, it makes sense that the newspaper on Martha's Vineyard was by tradition, up until about 1920, owned by a Spanish family, Sanchez. As intelligence can 'root' to geography, note that it is still Martha's Vineyard where the international media tycoons, (Redstone, Murdock et al - really a relatively small group of men) still meet quietly every August. And understand too that this combined group always, as the baseline moved west, was in close contact with the Han family of China. Few know just how central Martha's Vineyard was in the 1700s and 1800s. A sailor was sent from the Vineyard to modernize the Russian navy. He fought for Catherine The Great against the Turks in the Black Sea. He even once rowed out by himself and wrote on Turk ships "To Be Burned" and the next day burned them. The father of the modern Russian navy is John Paul Jones. As this 'secret government' became more powerful and glued together by the nuclear issue, military centers such as Norfolk or Murmansk would become problematic and need deeper supervision. I have in my life become witness to times when these agreements were cheated on, as when I was a child of ten in 54 when talk concerning using a nuke to help the French was not, per agreement, properly shared; or the agreement tree was substantially shaken as it was with the 'surprise' Soviet naval maneuvers of mid March 1984. Why is the intelligent public schizophrenic on this issue? The Marine Colonel in Car 2 readily understood that such agreements, secret and unlawful as they are, are probably in place. What does this say about all the 'Dew line' defenses and so called missile defenses that are in place? In one respect this is a giant scam that we go along with. A mere child could amply reason the giant stupidity! Yes, a place such as Norfolk would certainly need tight supervision, and this tree itself was also most visibly shaken in the Walker Case to which I will later return. And as Norfolk needed this tight control, it became a center where the international Mafia, the CIA etc., and 'secret government' merged. Most notably Virginia Beach, but by Norfolk I am referring to all of Tidewater. And because of this necessary control, and such things also such as proximity of nuclear weapons, etc. (and of course even well before 9/11) the police/security/criminal network of Norfolk became one well oiled organization. This completely tied together police/security/criminal network in Norfolk differs vastly from other major cities. To exemplify this I have often, partly joking, asked my passengers who the mob leaders were in Norfolk. Sometimes I would get names, I will get to those, but most often, even with savvy long time residents, I would get a shrug. They did not know. I would point out that this was certainly different from most metropolitan areas wherein not only would you know the Whitey Bugler types of Boston but even what they had for breakfast. To continue I would ask, "Do you know why you don't know?" And after a smile and a shrug add, "...Because here they are in government," pointing out for example that Myra Obendorf, the Mayor of Virginia Beach is the niece of all-time gangster/banker Meyer Lansky. There is much truth in this simplification. When I do get names they are either relatively low level such as (a local attorney) or (real estate co.), or on rarer occasions names such as Jack Mace and Andy Fine of the Maritime Commission (the one quasi government organization connecting the Tidewater cities and Members of Masonic Temple One, and others in that group such as Barry Kantor.) Gustavo Ardillo, the Norfolk connected Columbian banker is another. As to the above names, I should certainly say 'reputed'. These are names, Doc, that were simply offered to me as an outsider. I most certainly do not have any direct evidence of this, and can also state that some good part of these 'reputations' came from older members your own company. It the case of the 'middle member stuck' (local attorney), though he pops in and out of the Cayman Islands, etc., he is, after all, an attorney, and it is highly unlikely that his is a high end godfather, but more a trusted person, with high reputation, to smooth out lower end security problems. Even if any truth to these reputations, you will see when I show how the lower end security works, it is really a compliment. It is true that unlike other cities there is almost no separation between the criminal and the police networks. Very little drugs come in that is not known about. Even the local streetwalker can only maintain her position by being a snitch. Besides crack, a small controlled amount of heroin is let in as it draws in those users to be watched. Very efficient. It is playing both sides of the street, and certainly has for both naval security and public protection many advantages. With this intelligence Norfolk, (on the low end - I'll explain) is certainly extremely well policed. Further it is very fare. Regarding the NPD, in almost three years in Ocean View with many friends and contacts, (call girls, street walkers, thugs, crack dealers, the works,) though hearing numerous complaints, I have never once heard of even one case of gross injustice on the lower or street level that seemed to have any merit. However, on the high end of Norfolk society there are very many instances of gross injustice. Again, the exact opposite of most major metropolitan areas. In, for example, a city like New York, there are known criminal empires with their 'Ginos' or 'Gottis' or whoever, who at some higher level do share, of course, some intelligence with the police and visa versa. This is very different from the almost total control such as Norfolk. It is a reverse wherein in such as New York 'society' murders are fully investigated and in Norfolk it is somewhere from barely to rarely. Because in Norfolk these murders are within 'control problems' on the outskirts of the inner system they are quickly covered up. So quickly in fact that they never even become 'statistics'. In no manner am I advocating a 'New York' approach to security in Norfolk. I am just making a distinction with the pragmatic acknowledgment that it is the best in circumstance. This is why you hear about a Portsmouth Judge screaming from the bench that only low level addicts are ever brought before him and very publicly questioning why. Let us return to the Walker Case with the above in mind. Here is a retired non com, member of Masonic One, who for some reason is able to do such things as place hidden cameras in many rooms of the motels in Ocean View. He was on more than one occasion witnessed as meeting some high ranking admirals near Jacksonville. And on and on. It would be sophomoric to assume that he and just a few others were acting alone. He was obviously part of the larger illegal checking mechanism that I referred to above. Had his drunken ex wife starting screaming 'spy' in Norfolk rather than Cape Cod this would have most likely been easily covered up by Dan McNally (former 4th Marine) the liaison between the Navy and the FBI. And others. But with Boston FBI throwing wrenches Walker had to be sacrificed. Walker knew this, and that in his position he had better (to breath) keep his mouth shut and take the rap. 'Awards' were given for hack writers who would help cover. Howard Blum, a lexiconic hit man for the NYTimes wrote I Pledge Allegiance that was made into a TV movie. A local former FBI agent, John Hunter, who worked on the case also wrote a cover-up book, Spy Hunter, and this paraded around the naval bases. I spoke to former agent Hunter a few months before I started driving for Cab Co. He almost choked when I told him what I thought of it..., "...Bull". He also went to a book signing where I had some friends. One of my friends, Kay, came to the head of the book signing line and in sweet southern drawl lashed into him as in..., "...Haaave you, sir, no shame at aaaallll in this...," and non stop on and on. John Hunter went red faced with this and tried to get out of it by bypassing my friend , who was giving him this lashing. He kept trying to get out of it by pointing to another of my friends, Ellen, who was directly behind Kay in the book signing line. He kept pointing to Ellen saying, "...OK, you are next." Ellen kept ignoring this until finally after many "OK, you are next" repeats she just pointed to herself and said, "Who? Me?" And then pointing to Kay said, "Oh, I'm with her." What the above does point out is the very sharp and pyramidal levels of intelligence knowledge in Norfolk. Many in Norfolk on an illegal 'need to know' must know. This is woven through levels of Justice, FBI, naval, government and criminal. In many cases people in these positions are well prepped. Col. George Griggs, the head assassin trainer at Little Creek in the eighties was 'mind controlled' from adolescence. The 'Kay' above, his former wife, Kathryn Pollard Miller, has been the subject of two underground videos, Mind Control In The Military and A Few Bad Men. As her prior marriage was to the son of the former Governor of Virginia, Pollard, she had the social standing to be able to arrange some protection through the 'lady-in-the-wheelchair' at all Presidential news conferences, Sara McClennon, to get away with it, (though barely!). But as a former 'senior NATO wife', in these videos she documents how her husband as a teen was mind controlled with such things as forced homosexuality and 'cold kills' such as in gang land initiations. Along with documenting evidence about some high end assassinations, William Colby, Admiral Boorda, etc., she describes the high end prep schools used. In her husband's case it was the Hun School in Princeton, NJ, started by strangely connected Germans after WW II, a school that has a close unofficial relationship with Princeton. Kay Miller states that her husband's, Colonel Griggs, on and off room mate at Princeton was none other than Donald Rumsfeld. The other method of control of those either, as above, destined to be in the know about the 'secret nuke agreements', or need be told by situation, is the Masonic networks. It is common knowledge that to progress to any level in the intelligence community of any nation one must be a Mason. I do not mean this as a slur against Masonry per se, just that this was and is convenient and heavily used. For example, on some levels it is accepted that Iran is in reality far more a Masonic governed society than Muslim. (As it should be as well of interest to note that throughout the entire Iraq invasion it was the country never mentioned by the media, almost as it didn't even exist!) Norfolk, VA, by necessity takes on this underground Masonic 'Brotherhood' form of shadow government as well, but far heavier than other areas. As it is leveled, the average Mason does not have a clue. Many of the inside players are flat out mind controlled. At first this is not obvious. Anything that makes these individuals in their own minds 'separate' from normal society helps the influence. If one is secretly homosexual, observed by others doing 'cold kill' initiatory rites, comes from families in line with world trusts, (or no families and mind controlled from teen years), and quietly members of esoteric groups and so forth, these individuals would tend only to trust their superiors within the group. If you doubt the extent of homosexuality used as control, even in areas of the US Marines, do get your hands on A Few Bad Men or Mind Control In The Military. In one respect it would be a job for Marine Command to purge these types out. You cannot restrict private associations with inner Masonic groups, etc. Though they could do this purge if the full will was there. Often in the officer ranks these mind controlled robots who have their careers managed do not raise above the rank of colonel. This is because it would bring too much attention. Look at recent history for Marines in high positions with that rank, positions that would in at least some sense outrank generals. Realize also that the Marines are a perfect place to hide private assassin groups. These men can then hide behind others honor. I need also here be very clear that this is in no way putting down homosexuality. If you go back to the spy rings in England such a Blount and Philby et al, you see they were almost entirely homosexual. Boys are sought out at the Eatons or other prep schools. As generations go on it tends to institutionalize. To have the goods on someone makes it easier to bring them into other 'secrets' with control. The American military handling of the issue makes it even better. If a Marine officer is butt fucking with international spies, "....Don't ask..." If illegal gunrunning and drug trade is also involved, well, certainly "...Don't tell." Norfolk FBI is overly autonomous. It is a large office, 145 agents, and was my introduction to Norfolk. It was a female who did the questioning and I was only to much later learn that she was the head of Norfolk FBI. Forget her name except that she was from upper New York State. To put this in perspective, by good management all FBI offices need a good degree of autonomy. This forms as an automatic checking mechanism, as for example the Walker Case above. Or showing how important a certain degree of autonomy is, during the recent spy flap with that counter intelligence agent in DC that Freeh ordered that all offices report on the matter independently, again a check. The problematic Norfolk security created an FBI so overly independent of the other offices, that it stands with its own international connections almost a kingdom to itself. At some point after my Norfolk FBI visit this female head of Norfolk FBI left. The position was for some long period unfilled. There were only 'temporary heads' for Norfolk FBI. The position was a 'hot potato'. Now there is a head, forget his name, young, who has spoken at some Republican functions. From what I gather he is either very shrewd or very naive. Under these conditions, Doc, you might want to find out who his Chief of Staff is, is the Chief of Staff 4th Marine, etc. Prostitution might shed a little more light on what is meant by 'overly autonomous' Norfolk FBI...: With few exceptions, if you look under 'escort service' in the Yellow Pages in almost every major city across the US (Albuquerque, Frisco, NYC, wherever) you see the exact same full and half page ads. These ads are made to look like they are competing, they are not. All one company. And all this, the entire nation run out of Virginia Beach by some guy called Demming. There was a tangential case against Demming prosecuted on Granby Street. It was obviously showmanship. But what did become clear is that in no conceivable manner could that organization ever afford coast to coast full and half page advertising. What is going on? It became clear that the advertising is a 'trade out'. R.R. Donnelly, the Yellow Pages, can easily afford to give out that space for little or nothing. So it becomes a joke...: "Who is the R.R Donnelley Company? The phone company. So who is the biggest pimp in the United States. The National Security Agency of course...!" True enough, but much is lost in the simplification. The New York Times owns the Virginian Pilot. The Virginian Pilot owns the little free distribution Port Folio. It was the Port Folio that did a piece after the 'soft' prosecution of Demming. The piece played down the scope of Demming's influence, and made him look like a good old boy who wanted to help people celebrate birthdays. But just a little closer look shows a massive quid pro quo nexus, involving at least some part of Norfolk FBI across most of the country. At this level, the value of the Yellow Page space is nothing against the ability to have inside information on, or even run extortive or 'third party law' operations on a slice of the population nation wide. And all this through Norfolk. Perhaps this would be a place to discuss the true position of Admiral Cole. He is, or was, known as the 'Mayor' admiral, the one in charge of installation, housing, etc. He is really the 'security' admiral. Or best explained as one with more direct nuclear checking responsibilities. This is why with that position he also becomes the 'unofficial' 'Viceroy' of Iceland. In fact it is very official. Iceland has been, and is, an old high level Soviet/Russian to USA high level meeting area on the military 'secret government' level. One should note that Rumsfeld promoted Admiral Cole to even wider security concerns. In one respect that might be considered circling the wagons. I might add to this that there was map published in the NYTimes regarding who was, and was not, in the coalition. This map was quite revealing. There was England, Spain, 'paid-for' former Soviet states, and to what might at first blush seem odd to most, was Denmark. For a Scandinavian country it was very odd, a majority of the populations including Denmark were against the invasion. However, what is not widely known is that Denmark also has been more on the scientific level an old Soviet / US go between. As almost a completely socialistic society it was easy to set up (on need to know) many co run laboratories. Much of which is on the biological and mind control area. I might here insert a cab driving story in this regard. I had noted the Icelandic freighter that plies between Norfolk and Reykjavik. The trip takes anywhere between 10 to 14 days depending on North Sea weather. This docks on that small piece of private land inserted into the Little Creek harbor off of Ferry Road. I had asked around and to some extent privately confirmed that this would most probably have a strong Reykiavik / Murmansk connection that would involve illegal arms shipments and God knows what else. I even took people with that interest down to take pictures. Many a night Car 2 was hidden along the tracks or behind some rail car outside of Abco Cement. I was, in the cab, quite outspoken about this with sailors, etc. One night, alone on the stand, I got a call to the go-go bar, Shakers. A large guy gets in the cab who looked decidedly out of place at Shakers. He then asks me what I knew of the Icelandic ship that pulls in. Thought that odd and I was a tad guarded. He informed me that he was Scottish and was an officer aboard that vessel. (At that time I did not know, but later confirmed, that the vessel, name of which is something like 'Greckin', does indeed have Scottish officers and this in itself says much.) As we crossed the railroad bridge over Ferry Road he said, "Good God, look at all the police." I looked left toward the harbor and saw nothing. He directed me to a motel, Days Inn I think, on Northhampton. "Just drive through those guys." he says. This was strange as there was nobody in sight. But, as I turned around the back of the motel there then did appear a whole line of very beefy guys that did part for Car 2. He got out and that was that. However, when I did cross back over Ferry Road this time I looked in the other direction down the railroad tracks. There was a sea of blue lights along the railroad cars. This was the night that the outside of NOB around Applebees was shut down, no one in and no one out. As the reason for that seemed stupid, I had often wondered if someone was looking for a manifest passing slick at Applebees. Some months passed and I got a call for Drexler Manner, the BOQ on Little Creek. An older gentleman, a woman about 30, and a man about 40 got in. I asked about their accent and they were Icelandic. (I had assumed they were military officers for some time, later reminded that Iceland does not have a formal military.) However, it was obvious that the elder was a dignitary of some sort and the others his aids. It was a good trip, to Military Circle, and enough time to broach many subjects. The elder gentleman asked for two repeats from me. He asked me if I thought there was something illegal involved with the freighter. I said yes. I had also stated, regarding the large philosophical (I am being kind) split within the US military that at this time the US, "... Should not be trusted". He wanted that repeated as well. At Military Circle the younger man paid with a decent tip, five bucks. After that the elder man walked back to the car, gave me yet another five bucks, and stood back and gave me a very snappy salute. What would be hard to explain is the volume of psychic energy from that exchange. Energy was pouring out of me for hours. Again Norfolk when I arrived was becoming a high energy town. Gehman's 'Norfolk Conference' and the heavy traffic of foreign naval visits, Communist China, Mexico, and on and on. As time went on this dwindled down and the last visit, by a few Canadian warships had those sailors down on Waterside calling the US "Crazy" and "Dangerous" and almost leading to a few fights. Norfolk let this slip away, and if anyone can be blamed it would be Rumsfeld et al...: Wolfawitz, Cheney, Richard Pearl and to the deepest 'shadow government' insider, John Lehman. Rumsfeld has always mentored Cheney, has so Cheney's whole career. And Rumsfeld's main mentor was Colby who ended up murdered. All three 'Cap and Gown' Princeton. My understanding is, unlike Boorda, this assassination was not done by one of your US Marines, but a foreigner who did not know who he had done until it was on TV. Though 4th Marine types were guiding the op. Lehman came to town twice while I was at Cab Co. First after the Cole bombing where he penned an almost sniggering op ed piece for the Virginian Pilot wherein he referred to the present naval deployments (without explanation) as quote "...Willy nilly..." unquote. And who but Lehman could just waltz into town and get away with that?! I had often wondered as to exactly what deployments he was referring to. I had guessed most probably the African and South American deployments of the Gunsten Hall and Carter Hall, but I am still after much thought not sure. As I have always maintained that the Western Powers would meet their downfall south of the equator, I had personally felt those deployments, beyond gunboating, of good intelligence value as the commanders could more directly test the political waters. Lehman's second trip to Norfolk was for the Reagan christening. I got a call and was told that he would be speaking at the Holiday Inn near the Hampton Coliseum with such darknaries as Jean Kirkpactrik and Edmond Meese. I was also told that it was unadvertised but that the public could get in..., "Mostly just CIA types not wanting to play golf that day." I said I would crawl through the Hampton Tunnel if necessary. There was every effort to 'play John down' in public. All of the five speakers except John wore suits. John wore a sports coat and blue shirt, more to be 'just' 'only' 'merely' that Former Naval Secretary over in the corner. Ha. But every speaker, every one, referred to Konstantin Ustinovich Cherenko's 'warning' of 1983 as a turning point in modern history. At least some credit was given where credit due, even with the implications smirkingly reversed. Time will tell. I might add here that the master of ceremonies at this function opened with, believe it or not, a 'cab driver' joke. Here it is. He got into a cab at the Williamsburg Airport and found that the cab driver was Lithuanian. This cabby asked why he was in town and was told it was for the RR christening. "Ah," said the cabby, "Reagan was the greatest of Presidents. He should be put on Mt. Rushmore." The passenger said, "That would be wonderful, but there is no way that it would fit." "No problem, replies the Lithuanian cabby, "Now we got a new way of measuring!" Those on the podium knowingly laughed, those in audience gave polite blank laughs. I was drop jawed. At any rate I positioned myself so that I at least had a chance to shake the 'Former Naval Secretary's' hand. "Pleased to meet you." seemed in that situation more mannerly and appropriate than, "Drop dead, you damned lizard." Norfolk influence...? Atta, the man who led the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon had made at least two trips to Virginia Beach. There was an Arab student at Norfolk State who was arrested by the FBI after 9/11. It was reported (Pilot) that he had on a number of occasions paid for Atta's hotel rooms in California and had four phony airline pilots uniforms on him. The Pilot also stated that there were indications that this young Arab had some involvement in the local drug trade. Guess what? The FBI, knowing the above, and after 9/11, let him go. And only rearrested him under pressure. This with the many other 'oversights' brought out by whistleblowers point very probably to inside assistance in the attack. All this has been whitewashed. In the ride with the Colonel that I picked up at NAB, he made the statement, without expansion, that he was surprised at.."How many sailors here think there is something wrong with the 9/11 story." I imagine he said sailors instead of marines as he was just transferred here. As to the attack, que bono? This is an old game. Admiral Rickover before Congress was quite convinced that the United States blew up its own battleship, the Maine, to get a war started with Spain. Norfolk need look a little more closely at these international 'shadow government' types. Add that group on 69th Street at the Oceanfront, the '69th Street Irregulars' to the list. But make no mistake..., the United States does have very real and serious enemies. And it is axiomatic that wars are very hard to start, but once started, very hard to stop. This was a dark point I had often harped on with my military passengers. Early, not that long after 9/11, when it was still emotionally sensitive, I picked up five Army officers returning from Afghanistan at the MAC. As they all had wings, and were headed to Ft. Hood, I assumed they were chopper pilots. The back was stuffed with duffel bags, four officers were in the back seat, and the senior officer, a giant well over six feet, was up front with me. I went into a few of my normal rants. Two of the officers in the back were more than intrigued, hanging onto every word. The giant up front with me was getting major upset. The ride was to the Sheridan at Waterside and twice he put up his hand and said, "OK..., that will be enough of that...." I just gave him one of those 'you can get out right here and take your damned sea bags' looks and continued on as two of his subordinates in the back of Car 2 were plainly interested. At the Sheridan the strangest thing happened. I was unloading the bags and all five of them went about 15 meters away and were in a huddle. What? I could not figure out what they were up to. Finally the big guy stomps over to me real pissed. In silence he gives me a twenty dollar bill, a one dollar bill, and carefully counts out two quarters and one dime. The fare was $18. exact. He gives me 21.60, an exact 20% tip. Apparently that was the topic of discussion in huddle. It was work to keep a straight face, "Thank you VERY much, sir!" During the first parts of the invasion Rumsfeld and General Meyers were hitting the TV with angry sound bites concerning 'retired military' criticising an invasion that was underway. The media was doing all it could to prop up a floundering Defense Secretary, and in that vein pulled out the stops. Military talking heads helped the spin with flag wrapping smugness saying criticism should come later. Will it? A full spin was afoot. The NYTimes ran a front page piece attributing Rumsfeld's 'style' to just management 'jousting'. With this spin lie on one hand, they did do a superb job of reporting on the war itself. Apple's front page overviews were clear and on the mark. The NYTimes editors saw fit to give enough space to William McNulty whose faultless work really helped understanding the war. A large part of the spin to shore up Rumsfeld was the media's insistence that the bone of contention was only the delayed division slated for Turkey and the rolling start. When media lies they can spin some whoppers. The 'military split' I mentioned occurred far before any rolling start. Rumsfeld, (I would imagine dressed in a toga on some bohemian estate on the West Coast with John Lehman), became overly enthralled with smart bombs and special ops. His plans, at the start, called for small special op forces and air power. The fight began. If the Pentagon was going to do this, they were certainly going to do it properly, up to four ground divisions and armor. The main standing objection was that if done properly it would tax out and overextend our forces. Rumsfeld's then contention that he would go with that and remain assured that the US could handle another theatre such as Korea as well seemed flat stupid. Some months prior to the war the Pentagon spent 250 million dollars on just one war game, Iraq vs. the United States. Partial cities were constructed in California, and much of it was in careful computer simulation, and much of that done in Suffolk. The game was grossly rigged so, of course, the US would win and Rumsfeld's Joint Forces Command concepts would look great. At that point they figured, 'OK, let us find someone fairly smart to play the enemy, to play Iraq.' From over in Williamsburg they got a retired Marine Corps General, Lt. General Paul Van Riper. Guess what? He won. He just didn't win, he sunk most of the US fleet in the Persian Gulf! Rumsfeld's boys tried to continue the game, but Van Riper made an honorable stink, 'hell no, I won.' Normally something like this would have never come out in public, but it did, first in the very conservative Army Times, because the inner brass was starting to see how dangerous Rumsfeld's beliefs were becoming. Van Riper had heavy combat experience in Vietnam and really knew how to play low tech against high tech. First off, he trusted no form of electronic communication assuming it would be eavesdropped or jammed. His communications were based on such things as mirrors, flashlights, and motorcycle carriers. But now comes the scary part. Twenty years ago in the Falkland War a British destroyer, the Sheffield, was sunk by a French Exocit missile. This was in itself an eye opener. But still, you would assume that if you wished to take out a surface ship with such a missile, (and those old Exocits are now Third World common), you would assume that it would need to be fired from either another surface ship, or the land, or a plane, or a sub. Van Riper demonstrated that they could be hidden right on the seabed, even buried in sand, with inflatable pop-up launchers built from nothing but liquid vinyl and sawdust. You can do a general search on the web with 'Lt. General Paul Van Riper' and read the comment. If you do that, scroll down to something he wrote five years ago back in 1998. It is only about four pages, but it shows his brilliance. He even gives, in just a few sentences, a list of rules as to when to use left brain logic and when to use right brain intuition in combat. The man is simply brilliant. Just prior to the invasion the Pentagon retained Van Riper as a 'paid advisor'. The US navy's response has been massive. New so called 'mine finding' underwater drones have been developed in Woods Hole. But the distinction between 'mine' 'torpedo' 'missile' and even 'hydrofoil ordnance' is blurring, all of which can be hidden in sand. The Gunsten Hall, after unloading her marines took on the assignment of managing teams (they come in platoons of seven) of dolphin that are trained to hunt mines. The Gunsten Hall has been described as, "...Packed with animal trainers..." because in these operations they face a big problem of 'dolphin boredom'. At some point, hopefully, the navy can see how difficult this would be against a prepared enemy. In the big picture the world is switching back from the power of navies and command of the seas to the power of armies. Rumsfeld's first big mistake was elevating General Meyers over the front runner Admiral Dennis C. Blair, Pacific Command, for Chief of Staff. Meyers was of the 'build missiles to shoot down missiles' ilk. What a wrong signal to send! In that race it was also noted by the Pilot that there was a 'retired Marine general' running as a dark horse. That could be none other than Krulac. I have gone through Blair's speeches on the Internet. He is a deep insider, Rhodes Scholar, etc., but a forward thinker. One speech, about one month post 9/11, (Oct 16th I think), given in Monterey, you can go toward the end of the speech and think about what he means by referring to the FBI and CIA as "...Stovepipes..." He hints that they are too self contained and not sharing information. Blair by action seems to favor far more open communication on security issues and is even a major part of a private Internet site, APN (Asian Pacific Network) wherein anyone anywhere can discuss security issues. He even allows pieces to be posted greatly critical of some of his Indonesian operations gone bad, naming him as personally responsible. This Admiral was asked by Congress what he thought of an Iraq invasion. He replied something to the effect that it was not too smart, leaving the US military very over extended. Suddenly in the press I hear that an Admiral Fargo is now Pacific Command and nothing about Admiral Blair. I have not checked, but think perhaps another 'early retirement'. With Rumsfeld, personal loyalty to him is everything, even though the Admiral said nothing until he was asked. Same with General Buck Kernan. Kernan plays close to the vest, in that respect he is very unlike say either Admiral Blair or the outspoken General Krulac. After Kernan's insulting introduction by the Pilot he was even then further slurred on front page of the large US circulation USA Today. Apparently Kernan stated the obvious that an invasion of Iraq at this time, particularly with fleet conditions would leave the entire military very overextended. The one word quote given by USA Today was "Tired". Kernan, a Staff Sgt. to OCS maverick, who commanded a Ranger Battalion in Nam and went on to commanding an airborne division then Fort Bragg, a man who at a ripe age parachuted in with his own troops in Panama would well know what 'tired' is! But, to the unknowing public this fine general was made to look like some cartoon general in the New Yorker. Such was the mass media treatment of any who in intelligence and common sense countered the nuttiness of Rummy. Good Lord, Buck Kernan never offered this information. His opinion and council was asked by Congress! I am in the habit of going through speeches by senior officers on the Internet. Kernan keeps his opinions to himself. Besides silly jokes about fishing with dynamite, they are, unlike Krulac and Blair, devoid of any controversy. And yet this is the man who gets spin/twisted into yet another 'early retirement'. It is with at least some respectful payback that Kernan is now retained as a paid military consultant by CBS. One would hope that Kernan's private candid council behind the scenes would be more than acknowledged but understood by CBS. But, unfortunately, knowing the mindless direction of the upper media tycoons, I find that doubtful. General Charles Krulac, former US Marine Commandant, has an interesting deep insider background. The grandfather, a European immigrant, made some sums in the mining industry out West. His father, Victor 'Brute' Krulac, almost made Commandant and there is some controversy concerning the manner in which his father influenced President Kennedy to get more involved in Vietnam. Charles has a twin brother who is an Episcopalian minister with ties to the St. Marys finishing school in Virginia, a school for 'heiresses to be', a job more of money 'guidance and watch'..., again a family of deep insiders. I will touch on the Norwegian Lady aspect of Norfolk later. The opposite of Kernan, Charles Krulac, at least certainly in the mid nineties, had a reputation of being very outspoken. Just my opinion, but I would say that whatever truth there is concerning his father's controversy you cannot compare Charles to Victor any more than comparing John Kennedy to Joe Kennedy, and it would seem in both cases the sons used the positions to great honor, doing so beyond what the fathers could accomplish but using the father's knowledge. Beyond honor, General Krulac has a broad strategic mind, taking his advanced degrees in more people orientated labor management then tech gadget stuff, the more common road. Krulac's retirement 'Strategic Corporal' speech was, if memory serves, given in Norfolk (I might be wrong). However, those ideas are now rewritten by him and form the introduction to a book on terrorism which is published on the Internet. A simple search should get it, and should be now required reading for all officers. The writing flows so well that one is apt to miss the enormity of the implications. How empires collapse should be well thought upon, and though the 'strategic corporal' begs what kind of minds and, for want of a better word, 'chivalry' would be in the future now required by a lieutenant, how many follow the reasoning? Mike Boorda....?...! Good Lord, Doc, when was that? 1996. I now sit in the very same room overlooking Waquoit Bay on Cape Cod where, flight 800 just or soon to be downed, (forget exact sequence), but upon hearing of Boorda's murder I ran around ranting, "...One damn bullet to the heart.... They should have gut shot the sonofabitch and made him crawl around before he died...!!!!" How greatly I misjudged this man. Now, some years later Admiral Boorda with me ranks up with Konstantin Chernenko with the men in modern history that I most admire! Boorda was scheduled to speak at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy two days before the Marine shot him, and a large headline had appeared, "HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE FOR HIGH RANKING NAVAL OFFICER TO SPEAK AT MARITIME ACADEMY" Trained as a child in 'reading the billboards' or more technically 'steganoghraphy' (open messages designed to be read in more than one manner), I knew the issue, but did not have at that time the overall perspective, or saw the true implications. One of my girlfriend's son's friends, Jared Swain, was attending Mass Maritime then, and that day he was hanging around with a group of Josh's friends drinking Budweisers. I began ranting around the room and at one point showed the headline to Jared and screaming asked "... Well, you attend Mass Maritime. Just exactly what is 'inappropriate' here...?" Of course he didn't know, nor did anyone else in the room, it was a high level message. And, of course, the kids thought me mad. Though too long to detail here, Doc, I will try to give a very brief explanation: Regarding the old non-use-of-nuke deal above, it is the most serious, (though secret and in the US illegal, i.e. unratified), deal on the planet. It is the glue of international secret or shadow government. I will state without explanation that I then knew that there was a former breach or cheating on that deal that was just coming to light. I also knew, first hand, that high ranking United States officers were just becoming aware of that cheating. And it was the United States, the party who originally proposed the deal, that got caught, even 'historical' as it was. You can reason the severity, but need to have lived through tricky situations to appreciate the extreme level or amount of that severity. In the formation of the United States there was reason to fear that the military would have too much power. The normal Constitutional checks were, of course, in place. But furthering that it was decided that the higher forms of intelligence would be kept more private (here read separate from military) in the 'merchant' class. By 'merchant' in this day and age you can read 'media'. And it is, the public continually fed the erroneous impression that the media is somehow out of government 'charging at government like a white knight'. This also explains why the deeper military secrets are kept more within the Army, and why by some deeper traditions officers in all branches defer to the Army, or why at some levels Army officers 'outrank' officers of other branches of equal rank. Thinking back to the formation of the United States, merchant power that it was, and the Navy talking to God knows who, that this was a natural, pragmatic precaution. At the time stupid Michael was seeing Admiral Boorda's statement, (and by daring to break long tradition speak at a Merchant Academy under those circumstances this was a LARGE international statement), as some sort of statement of uncalled for military control. Understand, Doc, that it mattered little what he would have said, perhaps a high level hint in the speech or not no matter. It was speaking at the Mass Academy itself that was the larger message. Only later, in Norfolk, was I to understand what he was truly about. He was not suggesting some military 'takeover' against civilian control, but more (and better) that because the media 'secret government' control was so sloppy, (well..., outright cheating goes far beyond sloppy!) that the international militaries needed, direct military to military 'nuke' intelligence bypassing states and others as a check. This is very forward thinking! However, at the same time the powers-that-be would feel that they were being undermined or at least with diluted power. Mike Boorda had put his finger right into the highest nexus of power. How poignant then that 'too political' (ha) Admiral Gehman, working military to military with NATO nations in effect was in a degree following Boorda's footsteps. Boorda will speak from the grave on this for some time to come! Working for you, Doc, I came to know the true wisdom, honor and reputation of Mike Boorda, truly a giant of a man. I remember an officer in the back seat of Car 2 whose breast was swelling almost to the point of tears remembering that he had received his commission directly from the Admiral. And the sailors universally loved him. I understand that Admiral Gehman pops in and out of Camp Peary. He 'early retired' stating that he would continue to work on strategic issues. He led the Cole investigation, and though now as a Virginia Beach accident investigator, as high level as the Challenger is, it at least keeps him in the game and gives him access to Congress for the other issues as well. What stands out to me about these variously 'retired' admirals and generals, Krulac, Blair, Kernan, Gehman, Boorda and Van Riper is that any of them, grossly different in personality as they are, would make (or would have made) an excellent President of the United States, and stand head and shoulders above any of those throwing in hats from your Congress. Why are these men gone? Attached to this letter is an op ed that appeared (page A20) in the April 2nd edition of the New York Times. The by-line tag from the article stated that, "Joseph P. Hoar, a retired Marine general, was commander in chief, United States Central Command, 1991 to 1994." Risking redundancy let me quote two parts again..." 1- "Today, however, nobody outside a small circle of players knows exactly who developed the plan for the invasion or what the prevailing views were." 2- "... I hope the Senate will again hold hearings. This time, perhaps, the senior military commanders and the civilian defense officials can testify as to exactly how the plan was developed." In twelve short pithy paragraphs the general goes to the heart of the problem. Whoever is running the show, they have become so insular in thinking that they are flat out dangerous. Is it any wonder that many of the mid grade officers I spoke with in Norfolk had one short military blunt word for Rummy..., "Nuts." However, there is one statement that General Hoar made, that even though he qualified with the word "...probably...," and clearly stated the origin of the beliefs, that I disagree with. Here is the paragraph...: "In the White House, as in the Clinton administration, there is a belief among civilians that military technology has advanced to the point where wars can be won with relatively few ground forces. There will probably be a time in the future where this is so. Until then, soldiers and marines, in large numbers, will still be required to seize and hold terrain." General Hoar. Knowing nothing about General Hoar beyond this op ed (attached), I emphatically disagree that wars can in any future be won with fewer ground forces. In fact, technology is turning against itself in modern war. Assuming 'nuking to glass' is not an option, modern warfare relies mainly on planes and ships. As technology is developing, more and more easily can ships be sunk and (in the not too far future) planes downed. The types of attacks that General Van Riper demonstrated against surface ships can be likened to the invention of the longbow wherein simple rearrangements of known and very available technology can completely alter the course of warfare. Bows and arrows prior to the longbow were very old. But some yeoman for some reason decided to wake up one day and make himself a very long one. It pierced armor and this changed everything. What an affront that a simple peasant could now take out a knight. Mostly likely this affront was offensive to some uppity knights, "Fought in many a battle and no yon yeoman will take out me...!" "Perhaps, Sir Uppyhad, as you are so fond of your new armor suit, you should, before you ride out there, stuff yon pig in your old armor and see what Yeoman York can do with his bow at sixty paces." The body politic of Norfolk had refused, nearly a year ago, (and prior to Van Riper's revelations), a simple demonstration wherein with the help of an expert local fisherman, such as Robert Holloway, a few Exotic missiles would be hidden on the seabed. One of those many derelicts on the James River could be anchored out in the Chesapeake. The navy could run through with as many sonar devices, dolphins, or drones as they wished. If they located the missiles, fine. If not the missiles would pop from the seabed, take out the derelict, and provide an excellent fishing ground for the local sportsman. The ship would be sunk. The city that hosted Billy Mitchell could not even give the time of day to Yeoman York. With technology turning upon itself, the day that Third World powers can easily down sophisticated warplanes is not far off. These technologies will quickly go so far beyond devices such as the 'Stinger' that the 'Stinger' would be more like Washington putting a chain across the Hudson. You need not destroy the plane, just the electronics. Energy directed technologies are in their infancy, but as they do develop will spread cheaply and easily. I have had some correspondence with Alex Frolov in Leningrad on this matter. He was in some manner attached to the Russian Navy as he had an <...@admiral.ru> address, but is now in charge of something called the Faraday Institute. As to what is now available compared to what will be in the very near future he stated that what is now available are, "....Toys, mere toys." Norfolk reaction? I would expect more head-in-sand, more sea drone contracts and calls to see how one could invest in hardened circuit technology. More dangerous assumptions. Perhaps it could be put another way. One could imagine that a multibillion dollar satellite could spot a light infantry platoon most anywhere on earth, and indeed it most probably could. But it should be realized that the day is soon where that multibillion dollar satellite would become at target of a light infantry platoon most anywhere on earth. Tech turns upon itself, low beating high. Will ever the day come when, as General Hoar suggests, the Senate would hold hearings that would be broad and deep enough to be reasonable? Who exactly would host those hearings? Virginia's Armed Services head, Senator Warner? Norfolk should know better than to wait on that frigid hour of Hades! Once again there has been a raid upon my stack of NYTimes to start the wood stove, and I am at loss to remember the Russian general's name who was advising Saddam Hussein. If this is the general that I am thinking of, he is a man of no mean experience and talent, and was in no manner incompetent but merely tardy. Would anyone on that never-to-be Senate hearing even go as far as to contemplate what would have happened had this Russian general had say three or four years preparation and Rumsfeld's initial plan was used? Or have the vision to see what this could have been like five years down the road with even the 'best' plan? Jean and I had dinner at Kelly's in Ghent. A stately, elderly couple came in and sat at an adjoining table. He was a retired Army officer from Portsmouth, and she had some sort of position in Joint Forces Command. We chatted on many of these subjects, and his final reaction was, "....Yes, and I have been feeling and saying this for years. We are doomed. We are doomed. We are doomed." Yes, but whose fault, and is there even mollifying remedy? Using the collective pronoun, I would say it is your fault, Doc, the fault of Norfolk body politic. The 'retired generals' that Rummy was defensively belching about were late, only speaking up when a near disaster approached. And where has been the historical center of this voice? Norfolk. Where else could you point the blame, Doc? Fargo? Cedar Rapids? Muncie? Perhaps you might think I went on too much concerning the lack of upscale policing in Norfolk, but I am trying to point out what this is symptomatic of. Donna Britt, a Norfolk Councilwoman, must go as far as file a protective Racketeering case against the NPD..., a case before Masonic One Jerome Freedman who dishonorably slaps thirty grand against her, and forces her to realize that she must somehow go beyond the 'packed' Fourth Circuit to get any semblance of justice. Would this happen in other cities? I don't think so. I have been asked on the East stand more than once if I thought the NPD officer that was helping her was murdered in Chesapeake. Car 28 or 36, at any rate the retired Chesapeake police officer, asked on a number occasions. I have not a clue, but would certainly not be surprised. The nation's phone companies, by RR Donnelley proxy, set up telemarketing centers at Military Circle committing gross interstate banking card fraud throughout the nation. There is not one other city in the United States where such gross, widely known about, white collar crime could go on without either the local DAs or DoJ slapping a RICO charge against these people. And with all this bloody murder after bloody murder after bloody murder. Such as the former wife of Colonel Griggs (Suzanne Werkman), a crushed skull type of heart failure. Or the World Trade accountant (or secretary to Jerome Booken-Weiner) who took a James Forrestal type 'assisted' header out of an Old Dominion window. The poor fellow who took a header of the Lesner Bridge into a mud flat in 84, Les Andrews. Upscale he was not, but even a cursory investigation would have seen what upscale situation his libido was interfering with. Norfolk Traffic might consider "Watch Out For Falling Bodies" signs. What about the murder of Peter Fitzpatrick? He was NY World Trade Center, but certainly his murder came about because of his knowledge of Norfolk World Trade Center. A wonderful man. And George Heilig...? ! Good Lord, Doc, you even murder your State Senators. And Dr. Praudy Tate? Murdered. Richard Obenschein, murdered. Without going on to a list that could go for pages, just to mention a few Norfolk murders with international implications. Oh, lets mention a few more murders...: The former Pilot editor's (Perry Morgan) wife, Bunny. John S. Waller's wife, Noani. Oh yes, that was Walter, Todd and Sadler architects. Did what? Oh, yes SACLANT. So many wives knew too much. What were they? More Forrestal headers or just poisonings? High end? What about Winsor Castle's Lord Halifax and his wife, Lady McMillan? That was London, but they had just transferred from Norfolk. Of course. What was the real estate company involved in the Norfolk World Trade, 'top floor'. Goodman, Hogan, Segar? Many of these 84, "Year of the spy", but they continue. What about the murder of the French national wife of the Ponce naval officer? I forget the Lieutenant's name except that his then mother-in-law is Francine Pellegrin (also French national) who now lives in South Carolina. Knowledge of some laptops. The French government did not understand? They are what, Dr. Odom, stupid? Just rename French fries as 'Ghent fries' takes care of that, right? International? Drive down to 25th Street on the Oceanfront and read the second, smaller bronze plate on the statue of the Norwegian Lady. Murdered in Moss, Norway because it might have canceled a Norwegian 'trust checking' trip. Granted that the Norwegian Lady protects one of the largest international private trusts ever. The Oceanfront statue here is owned by Norway, and the twin statue in Moss owned by a Virginia corporation. Here, back in the age of sail, a Norwegian sea captain, just trading in good Norwegian wood for what everyone needed - barrel staves, managed to collect together some large international trusts that grew and grew. Now large and sensitive enough of a situation that on at least one occasion the King and Queen of Norway popped over to NOB to check on this. But some would think this need fall only to the 'right' hands. Whatever that would be. The Norwegian Lady is known to be the subject of continual Israeli snooping. You are a man of some means, Doc. How would your departed ghost feel if, for example, if Judy was by conniving and illegal means stripped from the benefits of your will? Do you not think even casual visitors to Norfolk hear of these things? Of course they do. And so why is this? It is because Norfolk has been completely cowed by a few well organized dishonorable men who, privy to 'grander' international agreements, travel the world from Norfolk to meet with other 'bunker boys' in silly little bunkers in stupid caps and capes giving themselves little smarmy initiations and knighthoods. When Jean and I took leave of the retired Army officer and his lady friend I said how glad that I had spent time in Norfolk, stating that Norfolk is a serious city that handles the serious issues. We mused then that present Norfolk would have the same undercurrents and tones as those pregnant months and weeks just prior to the Civil War. But agreed too that now the important talk is suppressed beyond any value. How better could I put this, Doc? For every one of those on an almost endless list of high end Norfolk murders how many people per murder are simply intimidated and cowed into silence? How many are just threatened? Were I a centipede I would not have enough fingers and toes to count the number of times I have heard that the head of Norfolk Naval NIS beats his Filipino wife. Allegations, yes, but when Norfolk smoke covers most the Eastern Seaboard there must be some fire someplace. Just exactly how does a sailor sitting on an NOB or NAB quarterdeck feel sitting under the pasty smile of CNO Vern Clark, when so many know, to various degrees granted, that the very best and most loved of Clark's predecessors was murdered. That was a Norfolk planned and arranged murder too, Pentagon or not. Even I was surprised at how many either sense or believe fully Boorda was murdered. And absolutely I know how the sailors feel. I have talked to so many. It varies from sullen to angry. It is joked about that SACLANT is Israeli wired to the tee. Of this I don't know. But do understand that the same Lynnhaven firm built the Norfolk World Trade, wired for sure, housing such things as Norfolk Office, Department of Justice. Oh yes, Waller again. Waller, Todd and Sadler. As in older sensitive military facility building firms such as Proudfoot, these are super insider companies. Whereas some high end military murders such as Marine Colonel Sabow or Colonel Agenbroad in El Toro get at least some coverage, in Norfolk such murders 'just don't happen'. As we left the trendy joke around Norfolk was this...: "Imagine a big plate of spaghetti. Now imagine a whole shaker of military unit markers. Shake them over the spaghetti. Now, of course, you need some arrows. So, you have another shaker of little arrows, some straight, some curved. Shake the arrows on. OK. What have you got...........? That's General Montgomery and General Patton's assault on Sicily reworked by Rumsfeld's Joint Forces Command." Unfortunately the real humor of this will be lost in the present erstwhile triumph. What really happened is that Rummy et al used a good concept, services better working together, to hide within that a very deliberately scrambled mess, instances where at times a jr. officer in one service would outrank a senior officer of another, etc., to hide mechanisms where no one except very deep insiders would know what is going on. Then bury these mechanisms with bunker boys in Tampa, or, as he even contemplated, and tried to do, take the 'war making' out of Norfolk and bury it in yet another bunker in Colorado. Who does all the hiding serve? The final and complete loss, the final nail in the coffin that had Norfolk loose influence in NATO, and therefore the world was when Rumsfeld attempted to place Admiral Edmond P. Giambastiani as head of the traditionally combined and traditionally American positions of Joint Forces Command and NATO Atlantic Command replacing Kernan. How on lizard's earth did Rummy ever think Giambastiani could get confirmed by NATO? Obviously Rummy thought he could get away with this or he would have never made the attempt. Certainly no one else thought so. People everywhere, I among them, were writing friends in Europe asking them to write their particular defense ministries saying, God forbid. Don't confirm him. And in Prague Giambastiani was not confirmed. Giambastiani might make a good corporation officer, but he had never even commanded a warship and was certainly, though field grade, not a field officer. Obvious to the world was that Giambastiani's only real qualification was his history of sucking up to Rummy. This left a mess wherein a complete loss is called a 'transition', and a British Admiral, Ian Forbes, is left in charge of a string of nearly empty desks. However did Norfolk let this happen? Norfolk is a serious city, and as the sun sets over the bay and Caleb's pond in Waquoit I have many memories. We went to hear Admiral Stansfield Turner speak at a community college in Hampton. The audience was a surprising mere smattering. A few kids, most likely only there to complete some ploy sci assignments and some scattered crusty yawning gray haired men and bejewelled blue hairs who gaffed at, "You may fire when ready, Gridley." And the former CIA head even had a handler! He can't speak for himself? The questions had to be passed up and edited in or out by some bearded worm. I had a choice of either penning a question that would easily be accepted, or asking one that would make the little beard choke. I chose the latter, concerning flight 800 and watched him read it three times glaring menacing around the audience as he placed it on the bottom of the pack. I took Car 2 all the way to DC to hear Admiral Moore speak on the twenty year old Liberty attack. A day's lease out of pocket was certainly worth that. I was invited by Jose Linde. Her father was for some time the president of Time. Her brother was the senior naval intelligence officer on the Liberty. He was told by the captain to go as high as he could to identify the planes. They strafed him, and came back some time later to strafe, against Geneva convention, his dead body on a stretcher. Moore spoke at the Army Navy Club on Faraget Square, and though packed with admirals, the crowd nearly genuflected when the former Chief of Staff came in with his stately wife. Admiral Moore had for many years supported Commander Donaldson's investigation of flight 800. The world lost a brave and honest man when the Commander died of brain cancer. I had for some years on lists agreed with the Commander's findings, but argued against his conclusion that it was just terrorism. Then again, Donaldson had admitted, most clearly in a radio broadcast, that his expertise was limited to air crash investigations, and until that time had mainly believed what he read in the press. Hundreds of witnesses saw in video the missile hit the plane right on CNN. And about as many witnesses swear on Bibles that they watched CNN news all during that time and saw no such video. Both groups told the truth. For the public that did not believe the first story, a secondary lie was covertly created. This was that flight 800 was some US naval exercise where there was an 'error'. Books were subsidised and many fell for this. I had maintained on the flight 800 list that it was a payback, agreed to by all, after the US was found cheating on the most serious deal on the planet, the old non-use-of-nukes deal. Certainly the gross variation in the CNN witnesses fit this picture and none other. CNN is cable, and a limited viewing, for sting, would seem to have been part of the deal. Great effort was made to spin the testimony of the witnesses, Perry et al, on Fire Island, who saw a naval vessel very close to the beach. They stated that the warship had "...A very large globe on it..," making other statements to indicate that the globe was unusually large. They were then showed (by who?) a very small picture of an American destroyer out of Jane's. This picture was so small that little 'balloons' were used, much like the speech balloons in cartoons which, if you did not look close, merged with the outline. There is only one warship on the planet that fits the visual description. It is not American, but a British frigate, the H.M.S. Norfolk! At that time it was commanded by a British officer, until then a submariner, who ended up as the recent Deputy Atlantic Command, NATO, stationed at Norfolk. He left that post about six months ago, (sorry that the admiral's name slips me). I understand that he made some pithy remarks at a going away function that was open to the public. I could never find out the vein of those remarks, but sorry I missed that. To some extent I prevailed well on the flight 800 list. Though could offer no proof of my contentions many emailed me on the side saying that I had the only scenario that fit all the evidence. And a number of those added, in one way or another, that if what I was saying was true, it was just so huge and awful to contemplate. And that I understand. Norfolk and the military presence has sobered and matured me. 230 innocent lives were lost on 800. Slowly, over the years in Norfolk, I went from playing '...ain't it awful..' games in my head concerning those lives to appreciating the awesome and august decisions that must be made my senior military men, men who were given situations they did not create. Now, I would say that we all were, to one degree or another, responsible for those lives by ignoring the completely illogical theatre we have been given by the mass media concerning the nuclear issue. I was blessed by having wonderful employers in Norfolk. Southern Pest Control, off Lynnhaven in the Beach, was also a well managed, family held company where I often returned to visit while driving for you. For about eight months there I went through some sort of unofficial 'intake' or something by the Navy. Soon after I started an active duty SEAL, a non com, Chief Chuck Awanna took the desk across from me. The Chief was a man of broad intelligence and well versed in many areas and issues. Within a few days we got into a conversation on some issues. Chuck he said that he wanted to talk about these issues, but cautioned me that he would only talk if I used no specific names. I certainly thought that odd, but soon was to discover, both by his admission and the office poop, that he was on some sort of special assignment reporting directly to the Pentagon. Never once did management ever so much as blink at the inordinate amount of time for eight full months we spent outside talking instead of working. It became obvious not only to myself, but the whole office, that I was the 'assignment' as he could, with the hours, spend no more than an hour a day at Little Creek. Soon the 'no proper name' restriction was lifted (by whom?) and these broad discussions were, for me, a breath of fresh air. The desks were close, and a few times he would make a loud remark to another, in one case concerning 800, that I right after (but too late) saw was designed to test the firmness of my convictions on certain issues. There were areas that I would not go to, felt them too personal, and possibly damaging to parties to no good cause. I was, a number of times tested in that specific area, and in one very open exchange, as some information was concocted to see if I would play into it, I replied so all could hear, "....You can turn that scouting boat back north, Chief." I mused at times that the proper names that both Chuck's handlers and I were avoiding were the same. Chuck was after many months replaced, this time an officer named Lenny who I found dull and simply avoided. Though there was much comfort in being able to discuss issues with aware and believing people, a feeling of 'in from the cold', even then the lack of committing them to paper, of the possibility of some larger effect was missing. I have more than half completed a book covering these subjects, JOHN ( Lehman, Head of Secret Government, Leader of the New World Order) & 'SCARLET'. Of the publishers I have contacted, either they just wanted it sent to them to gather information (with no intention of publishing) or they are simply afraid. So, Doc, I thank you for this opportunity. You, Doc, like Buck Kernan, are very private. Besides hearing that you are 'conservative', as friendly as you are, you are not forward with opinion. With that in mind, I know I take some risk if I proffer some remedy to the generalized failings I tossed on Norfolk. Yet I know I will have no other opportunity to speak out. But, for what it is worth...; I believe the problem lies in the body politic of Norfolk. And this a conglomeration of ideas. Most all of the political ideas are created or controlled in Norfolk by the media. The ability to directly influence media in Norfolk is zero. But indirectly? In the year prior to 9/11 whose opinions in the general population were the media kingpins most concerned about? That is easy, just go back and see what segment of the population they were polling. The media polled in great depth the attitudes of American military officers and retired officers. With designs on Iraq the media knew that the masses minds would be easy. Not as easy to control the minds of those more versed in war. If you would do anything with this letter, Doc, place it those hands. The schizophrenic split of the mass mind over the nuclear issue is at the root of a major portion of the world's problems. 'Secret government' therefore loves works such as Hunt For Red October to reinforce the lie. In the real 'naval world' those cold war games only went on in certain 'play pens' (agreed on areas) so that war would not break out by accident. Yet some portion of the world's top military leaders had to know the truth. This is why for some period of time the expression within the officer corps was "... If you fuck up..., you move up...." Meaning that 'secret government' felt more comfortable promoting officers who they had something on. If an officer suddenly became aware of the secret non-use-of-nuke agreements, and wanted to 'blow the whistle' on this, who could they 'blow the whistle' to? The media? Forget it! One officer did know of these agreements, did not agree with them, but put this inside knowledge to great use. Or at least under the zeitgeist of the times, the best use possible. This was Admiral Rickover. Although common knowledge had it that Hymen Rickover held great sway over Congress, it is never stated as to exactly what that sway was. It was the non-use-of-nuke deal secret. With that he could go specifically to those Senators, House members, and White House staff who did know and built an inside reputation as someone who 1- did not agree, and 2- would not spill the beans. Reasonably these men would want Rickover kept in power as a check against a giant secret that common sense would see dangers in. In is also interesting to note (see Making War, published by McMillian) that John Lehman made no bones about getting rid of Rickover being his first priority. In the late 1980s two Communist Chinese Air Force Colonels wrote a book called Unrestricted War. The book caused some international stir at the top, more so as it was published not long after the revealing 'surprise Soviet naval maneuvers' of mid March 1984. The main point of the book was that war in this technological age could get quickly out of hand. Weapons could develop so quickly that there would be no chance to 'outlaw' them. War could quickly destroy world economy. At least that is what I think the main point of the book was. This was from reading the short remarks about the book by this or that columnist. The book itself, after causing such a stir, has still not been translated. Why? I would suspect that it would, directly or indirectly, have to make some of the same points I am making here! Returning to General Hoar's comments: "...Nobody outside a small circle of players knows exactly who developed the plan for this invasion or what the prevailing views were...." In fact, the thinking was so insular that it became dangerously crazy. At the last minute the better of America's field grade officers stood up and yelled "...Nuts...!" just in time. It is because of these large 'nuke secrets' that the insiders feel they must develop plans within a tight circle. Meaning that there is sure to be a repeat of this dangerous insular thinking. The problem lies more in the circumstances than the personalities such a Rumsfeld. Let us hope that the general irritation of Rumsfeld's personality bring the right sort of attention to the problem. Let us hope that the body politic not see just His Irritation as the problem. Under the present 'grand secret' sound thinking on military matters is almost impossible. At the top level the nuclear issue is factored out of the thinking, but kept in the public's mind. The Soviets understood the implications of the sinking of the Sheffield twenty years ago. They knew also that only a small portion of American military leaders could put that new information into perspective. If the nuclear issue was factored out, what could then happen if missiles could easily take out surface ships? (Remembering then, way prior to General Van Riper, that the missiles would most likely do damage fired from subs.) Although the Soviets and the Chinese have only defensive navies, (not meant to project power overseas), they could now inflict major damage on Lehman's 'forward navy'. So sometime in 1983 the United States was warned. March 15th 1984 came the Soviet demonstration. Suddenly all levels of talk...; diplomatic, back channel, steganography etc. was cut off. The Leningrad battlegroup and her consorts were in Cuba. As they unexpectanly steamed up the Eastern Seaboard, three other Soviet battle groups emerged. They were not engaged. Shortly later front page NYTimes, Drew Middleton (military editor) talks about these 'maneuvers' being "...Without warning." So what? Isn't that what the movies are telling us about the cold war cat and mouse games at sea? Apparently not. Drew Middleton goes on to state that if this was to happen again that Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman, (not the President) would issue standing orders to US front line battle group commanders to use nuclear weapons. What? Well, for one thing, such a message could only come from the person really in charge, not the 'President'. But oddly enough this was front page NYTimes with no other discussion or reference by the media. The military mind is now talking on so many conflicting levels it cannot reason. So the decisions are left to the small circle of deep insiders that General Hoar talked about above. And it will happen again and again. Each time far more dangerously. Perhaps, Doc, you asked me to write another 'political' piece because I correctly predicted that Turkey would turn against us. The Pundits here called Turkey's decision short sighted, assuming it was for some short term financial goals. And also that they made the 'wrong' decision in retrospect. But I assumed then, as I do now, that the remains of the Ottoman Empire has longer memories and can see, therefore, better into the future. How many wars were fought with the Hapsburgs, the Romanovs, and the Osmanlis family of Turkey being the main players? Is there any doubt that again there will be differences of opinions between 'the generals' and this small inner group? But the odds will keep growing against another last minute save. A reckoning, a bloody Waterloo, will surely come. Unless there is great alteration in the group mind of Norfolk. But what are the odds of that...? At optimum you might invite that Russian general to Norfolk. Or better yet, invite Admiral Yurchenko. If you remember he was the Soviet naval intelligence admiral who defected to the US, then walked out of a DC restaurant and re defected back. I understand he hangs around the Moscow clubs sipping vodka martinis. He might enjoy Virginia under more relaxed circumstances. One thing for sure, Doc...: If you made such an initiative, you would immediately be approached by this 'secret government' trying to control the entire process. The Israelis would crawl out of the Norfolk woodwork. How does the rest of the nation look at Norfolk, Virginia, Doc? Can you now imagine what the wives of Norfolk stationed sailors, all those Jennifers and Nancys and Susans and Karens, from the Joplins or Knoxvilles or Greenboros or Rapid Cities think of Norfolk? Or tell their moms and dads when they go home? "...Norfolk like? Gee, Dad, I mean a little weird. Like you gotta be careful walking downtown, like you could be hit by people being pushed out of buildings, you know. Like the only work we could get are like these phone jobs where you like cheat people. Or, like, you know, like you can walk around the poorer neighborhoods, like. But if you are in a rich neighborhood, and you like see someone who looks, you know like rich like, and they are covered with blood or look like they have been shot or something..., well then, like you know, they say it is best to keep walking and talk about the weather or something, you know. And, like you know, those wives who get mistreated or threatened by their husbands, and navy, then, you know, like you better keep you mouth shut. You never, like, go to to anyplace that advertises to help you. But the weather is like really cool, like it is warm alot...." Norfolk, Virginia where they cannot even be trusted to have their own media. The Pilot is quietly owned by the New York Times with Lyn Figenbaum quietly in the Pilot background censoring all touchy stories. Even the free paper, Port Folio, is quietly owned by the Pilot and by proxy the Times. The Daily Press on the Peninsula? That is owned by the Chicago Tribune. Norfolk military wives know. One Catholic church advertised in the self help program for naval wives in abusive situations. There they were met by hench-hens of Myra Obendorf who threatened them even further. One hench-hen, the organizer, lives across the street from Myra. Total control. At the very least Norfolk should make some public safety adjustments. New York City has alternate-side-of-the-street parking. Perhaps Norfolk could have alternate-side-of-the-street walking. Understand, Doc, I'm not suggesting all over Norfolk, just those areas with windows high enough where the bodys would splat as sure kills. Colonel Griggs was known to boast over and over that his position in the Marines was just a "...Hat..." that he wore, just "...An act...". And boasted also, during the Cold War, that at "...His level..., We and the commies are really friends..." Is that the 'real' Norfolk? It is now. Military sense is a function of Norfolk. As say 'Theater' is a function of New York. Imagine what type of theater would come out of Manhattan if there producers were afraid they may fly out of skyscraper windows if the thinking in their musicals were not 'proper'? Or if the lyricists at parties did not eat fearing that perhaps the soup would be poisoned....? Or that even while travel in the ghettos of New York was now completely safe, travel in upscale neighborhoods of Manhattan such as Park Avenue became too risky given the amount of falling bodies and car bombings? Certainly, Doc, you remember those types of musicals. They were just like those that came out of Moscow over the last fifty years. Why most of the world's population between eight and eighty can at least whistle the tunes, if not sing every word of greats such as.... "We smile with pleasure as we rush mornings to the factory" or "Staaaaaaa....lingrad..., where the vultures swirl in lovely curls." Is this harsh or silly? The Virginian Pilot stated that the admiral now assigned to the study of the littorals, the smaller naval vessels, was considering catamarans as well as trimarans. For the same reason the 'critics' dared not pan "....Mornings To The Factory," Norfolk body politic did not run down to the Pilot demanding to know what the hell the Pilot was printing. A military town even a little less cowed would had been tearing down the Pilot's doors. There would be screams of "My son just joined the Marines. He could be transported on those boats. Are you trying to tell me that in an age of sea bed missiles a catamaran comes anywhere near having the protection of a trimaran with a center protected hull...? !" Or, "Just two hulls....? You should be thinking of a tri-hull with a fourth hull towed behind as a barge..., carrying a steel net to unravel and skirt the tri-hull as needed..." Or more simply, "String that so-called admiral up by his thumbs," and "Hang the editors !" But not Norfolk. Where common sense can see sailors and marines blown to bits, body parts strewn for sharks, Norfolk can only cow lockstep to the butt-banging spy tunes from "My Fair Comrade". Thanks again, Doc. It has been a pleasure working for you and your family. Sincerely,Michael Donovan   ps.....: I want to give a little more clarity to the litoral problem. But in order to do this, Doc, I must ask you to do a little Internet reading. First do a general search for "Lt. General Paul Van Riper". Read a few articles on the war game, enough to get a feel. You will see that the big thing left out of them is exactly how his missiles were launched. They do not mention the sea bed. Instead they go on about the type of attack, a 'swarm attack'. Yes, the attack planning was brilliant, but looking at just that misses the point. It is the seabed 'longbow' issue that is most important. So although Van Riper is brilliant, the point is that any third world power can now inflict major damage on surface ships. Remember Bernard Shaw's Don Juan's retort to the Commander in Pygmalion, "Even a stupid general can will when the opposing general is just a little bit stupider." Now, on the Van Riper Internet search scroll down to something that he wrote in 1998, it is the only thing with that year on it, and only about four pages long. Now read what he states about present military thinking. And language !!! After that just punch up the word 'littoral' on a general search. For example read the Navy League article by John P. Walman. Garbage. In no way is the full extent of the problem described, no less addressed. Want to get real bad? Look at 'Chaos In The Littorals, Anarchic War And The United States Marine Corps' by Major Francis L. Donovan. If this is not an example of the stupidness of language and thought that Van Riper is talking about, I don't know what is. It is pure 'mil babble'. Somewhere buried in the piece it states that underwater magnetic surveillance is the best bet. But does not state how bad a bet. Pop-ups could be hidden with known wrecks. And think what havoc sand-hidden dummy metal balls or electric magnets would create! Further it is not just a littoral problem. Were I your third world enemy, I might not even mess around with that. I would simply sink one of your carriers. And I would target first the Stennis and the Enterprise as they are non nuclear. With that the point would be made, "You bomb the hell out of us, and we can't sink your other carriers as it would create environmental horror....? Up yours...." Difficult? Doc, after searching for nearly fifty years you just located a sunken Japanese sub right outside of Pearl Harbor. Let us look at recent naval history. After the H.M.S. Sheffield was sunk it still did not sink in as to vulnerable carrier battlegroups had become. It took Konstantin Chernenko's scary demonstration a few years later to fully make that point. Lehman summed up the problem with the phrase "....The seas are becoming more opaque....", meaning that the technology for hiding submarines was fast outstripping the technology for finding them. The public was simply not told the implications. Instead little insider snippets hit the columnists. Such as..., "Which way does the statue of Samual Elliot Morrison on Boston Common face...?" Yes, it faces East. Then it became obvious that submarines could do far more damage than before. Though, for example, China's navy cannot project power, (it is designed as a defensive navy), it has around sixty subs, simple diesel and more quite, that could do major damage. In the late eighties China held one of her rare large naval maneuvers. She demonstrated that she could close the Straits of Malacca. How many sailors in the United States Navy understand this? Before it was shown what third world countries could now do, this was just ignored because the butt bangers were 'friends anyway' and could just make 'deals'. Is it any wonder the US military can no longer think straight? Funny if it were not so dangerous. I have slept with Billy Bones And I have sailed with John Paul Jones The rattles of sea battles Are the marrow of my bones Down past Battle Harbour Past the Straits of Old Belle Isle Past again the Straits of Cabot Past where the tide goes up a mile Is there still a Vineyard ? Midst the mists of Avalon ? Where the worst of heaven mixes With the best of Babylon ? Mates around we are all, on this ball of straits and sounds And the coming comet comments, on the epoch of our bounds from China Talks, Michael Donovan, 1984 Added is a letter and ‘Billy Mitchell’ challenge to Colonel Paul Worcester: Wing Commander, 102 Fighter Wing102nd Fighter Wing Dear Colonel Worcester, In Norfolk, Virginia I proposed a demonstration to show that sea bed launched missiles were far greater a threat than is being recognized. I got nowhere. (See enclosed letter to my former employer) In a recent New York Times article CNO, Admiral Vernon Clark, quoted as saying that all assumptions should be challenged. That is pure crap, Col. Worcester. Further, the CNO must know his statement is pure crap. If Norfolk cannot rise to the challenge, perhaps Cape Cod can. For one thing, it would greatly effect the design of the littorals. It is not that the talent is not there for correct design, it is that the design is based on false assumptions. Take, for example, the design of the new DD 21 Land Attack class destroyer...: the ship is not only designed to meet, as best it can, all general threat, but it is to boot a beauty. The lines are best seen in pictures that are, from the air, at about a 45 degree angle. These are the lines of a Herreshoff or an Alden. Does Bath Iron Works even credit the designer? No. They only credit a 'design team'. Committees produce camels. The DD 21 is a horse. Is Bath is ashamed of the designer? Perhaps he is some 25 year old with green hair and so much body piercings that he looks like he fell face first into a tackle box. The false assumption in regard to the littoral boats is that they can avoidhits. The admiral in charge is even going for "... Speed.... " For what? Outrunningmissiles? Just the language used in the littoral problem is such convoluted mil babble that it does not make sense. Just what is meant by "...Anarchic..." or "... Asymmetrical forces..."? Such as whose? George Washington's? Have they missed such basics that men in arms for a purpose is an army, and that a gun is a gun is a gun? It seems that only an open 'Billie Mitchell' style demonstration can wake up the admiralty. And if a 'fresh approach' is needed, perhaps the Air Force should supply it. This is my proposal....: A derelict is provided from the James River. It is anchored some place off of Cape Cod. I am provided with three Exocit missiles and with this enough divers, decoys, and such that could be obtained in any Third World nation. I would need a local fisherman with good bottom knowledge such as Sleepy Baker. The missiles are hidden on the bottom. The navy has one pass through using all the bored dolphins and Mr. Ken Jordan's electronic bottom feeders it desires. If the missiles are located they win. If not the missiles pop up, sink the derelict, and provide a great fishing spot for local sportsman. In the Gary Cooper movie, The Trial Of Billy Mitchell, General Pershing was not portrayed as some villain. He sincerely thought that other priorities were more important for the protection of his men in future battles. It may be that CNO, Admiral Clark is not avoiding the issue, but is just plain flat out stupid. As a demonstration was needed then and provided, a demonstration is quite obviously needed now. Churchill once stated that "...It is dangerous to argue with admirals...." Perhaps it would take a Wing Commander to make the point. Sincerely, Michael Donovan michael1@midcoast.com