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Sunday, September 06, 2020

Chinese group plans to recover WWII American plane from lake

By SAM McNEIL

1 of 6

Han Bo, chairman of the China Adventure Association, talks about an insole found during an exploratory dive at the crash site of a fighter plane from the legendary Flying Tigers group of American pilots that crashed in a lake during World War II at his office in Beijing on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. The Flying Tigers, who were sent to China in 1941 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt before Washington joined the war, have long been one of the most potent symbols of U.S.-Chinese cooperation. The Tigers fought Japanese invaders from December 1941 until they were absorbed into the U.S. military the following July. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
)


BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese group plans to try to recover a fighter plane from the legendary Flying Tigers group of American pilots that crashed in a lake during World War II.

The Flying Tigers, who were sent to China in 1941 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt before Washington joined the war, have long been one of the most potent symbols of U.S.-Chinese cooperation. The Tigers fought Japanese invaders from December 1941 until they were absorbed into the U.S. military the following July.

The Curtiss P-40 crashed in 1942 in Dianchi Lake near Kunming, the southwestern city that was the Tigers’ base.

“We hope the project of salvaging the P-40 can be a warm current in the cold wave and ease people’s worries about Chines-U.S. ties,” said Han Bo, chairman of the China Adventure Association, a nongovernment group that promotes outdoor activities and historical monuments.


The Tigers were credited with shooting down almost 300 Japanese aircraft while losing 14 of their own pilots. Their battles were some of the earliest American aerial victories in the war.

“Before the P-40 planes were deployed, the Japanese planes had the advantages in China,” said Han.

The body of the P-40’s pilot, John Blackburn, was recovered after the crash and returned to the United States. The plane sank into the lakebed.



Han said his group found the wreckage using magnetic surveying equipment in 2005 but couldn’t safely lift it out of the silt. He said divers recovered a shoe insole and a wire used to control the plane’s rudder.

The group plans to build a barrier around the aircraft, remove the silt and then lift it by crane to the surface, Han said.

“Now the technology is ready,” he said.

The group is trying to raise 30 to 40 million yuan ($5 to $7 million) in public donations to pay for salvaging the plane, Han said. The plan is to display it in a museum but it hasn’t been decided where.

Han said he is inviting surviving Flying Tigers and their families to visit for the raising of the wreckage.

——

Associated Press researcher Henry Hou contributed to this report.


The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational service.
Unit cost‎: ‎US$44,892 in 1944
Manufacturer‎: ‎Curtiss-Wright Corporation
First flight‎: ‎14 October 1938
Produced‎: ‎1939–1944
Flying Tigers - Wikipedia

The Flying Tigers' and 'A Few Planes for China' Review: Tigers Over a  Rising Sun - WSJ

The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force in 1941–1942, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was composed of pilots from the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC), Navy (USN), and Marine Corps (USMC), recruited under President Franklin Roosevelt's authority before Pearl Harbor and commanded by ...

Jul 24, 2020 - A few hundred of Americans became the heroes of China in 1941-- flying warplanes featured a tooth-filled shark on their nose, destroying ...

P-40 Flying Tigers | Air and space museum, Aviation history, P40 warhawk

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Flying Tigers' historic legacy highlights enduring China-U.S. friendship

(Xinhua) 08:35, September 12, 2024


Margaret Kincannon, daughter of a veteran of Flying Tigers, takes pictures of wreckage from Flying Tigers bombers displayed at an exhibition in Huimin Village in Anqing City, east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 10, 2024. (Xinhua/Guo Chen)

HEFEI, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Jeffrey Greene, 70, was deeply moved by the sight of wreckage from Flying Tigers bombers displayed at an exhibition in Huimin Village in Anqing City, east China's Anhui Province.

Greene, chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, was part of a delegation of foundation members and descendants of Flying Tigers veterans visiting the exhibition on Tuesday.

Greene said that it was the first time he saw and touched the remains of bombers in the very place where his father served during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. "It's a memory I will carry with me for the rest of my life."

The Flying Tigers, formally known as the American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, was formed in 1941 by U.S. General Claire Lee Chennault. They came to China to help the Chinese people fight the invading Japanese troops.

The Anhui section of the Yangtze River was a key supply route during the war, and several Flying Tigers planes crashed in the region due to combat or mechanical failures.

In 2013, a local fisherman named Ma Jinbing and others from Huimin Village accidentally retrieved parts of three Flying Tigers planes from the river, including landing gears, engines and fuselage sections.

"We caught these pieces in our fishing nets. As soon as we realized their importance, everyone stayed on shore day and night to protect them," said Ma, 56, adding that the local government soon built an exhibition hall to house these historic remains.

Since its opening, more than 600,000 people have toured the exhibition hall. "The real-life, moving historical stories between the Chinese and American people continue to resonate deeply with visitors," said Wang Maofang, a senior volunteer docent.

Data shows that more than 2,000 Flying Tigers personnel died during the war, and over 200 in distress were rescued by the Chinese people.

Nearly 95 percent of downed pilots from the Flying Tigers were saved by the Chinese, and no matter where they parachuted, they would be rescued, according to Chennault's memoir Way of a Fighter.

The Chinese government has long honored this profound historical bond. Earlier this month, the country released, for the first time, a list of 2,590 anti-Japanese aviation martyrs from the United States, most of whom were from the Flying Tigers.

Numerous museums, memorials and heritage parks focusing on the Flying Tigers have been established, and friendship school programs have been launched in several provinces, including Sichuan, Hunan and Yunnan.

Greene highlighted the importance of fostering understanding and stronger communication between Chinese and American youth. He noted that his foundation plans to assist in upgrading the Flying Tigers exhibition hall and expanding the friendship school program in Anhui.

"With face-to-face exchanges, we can understand each other better and develop better relationships," said Margaret Kincannon, daughter of a veteran.



Jeffrey Greene, chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, has a touch of the wreckage from Flying Tigers bombers displayed at an exhibition in Huimin Village in Anqing City, east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 10, 2024. (Xinhua/Guo Chen)
(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)






















Friday, September 27, 2024

 

Feature: Flying Tigers' legacy nourishes a lasting bond in China-U.S. friendship

By Tan Jingjing, Huang Heng (Xinhua13:40, September 27, 2024

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- An exhibition of historical photographs at California State Polytechnic University (Cal Poly), Pomona, has brought to life the enduring bond forged between the Flying Tigers and the Chinese people amidst the turmoil of World War II.

Flying Tigers Lieutenant Robert Mooney sacrificed his young life to protect residents of Xiangyun in China's Yunnan Province. People of Lanping in Yunnan Province built an airstrip with their own hands to rescue American pilot Robert Walroth. Both communities undertook relentless efforts to search for missing American Captain James Fox and his Chinese crew ...

The exhibition, as part of a cultural exchange program organized by Yunnan Province in Los Angeles, records how the Flying Tigers helped Chinese people in their fight against Japanese invaders, and how Chinese people came to the aid of U.S. pilots, showcasing their remarkable courage and friendship.

"The Flying Tigers are not only heroes of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, but also ambassadors of China-U.S. friendship. Their spirit, symbolizing the upholding of justice, the advocacy of peace, and the pursuit of win-win cooperation, stands like an eternal lighthouse, guiding the development of China-U.S. friendship," said Lai Yong, head of the Yunnan cultural exchange program delegation.

During World War II, U.S. General Claire Lee Chennault led the Flying Tigers, a group of American volunteer pilots, to China to help the Chinese people expel invading Japanese forces.

The Flying Tigers created the extremely dangerous "Hump Route" over the Himalayas to provide critical supplies to the Chinese troops fighting the Japanese invaders.

"The Flying Tigers were not only a group of brave pilots but also a symbol of unity, courage and collaboration in the face of adversity," said Wen Cheng, professor and associate chair at the Civil Engineering Department of Cal Poly, Pomona.

"Their efforts during World War II paved the way for the strong partnership that our nations share today. As we honor their legacy, we also reflect on the importance of international cooperation, friendship, and mutual respect -- values that continue to shape our future together," Cheng said.

"Let us continue to build bridges of understanding and cooperation between China and the United States, just as the Flying Tigers did over 80 years ago," he added.

Nell Chennault Calloway, granddaughter of General Chennault, described the U.S.-China relationship as one of the most important in the world. She told Xinhua that the spirit of the Flying Tigers is about helping each other and uniting as one, upholding justice and defending peace, and also about valuing and renewing U.S.-China friendship.

"As we celebrate the 45th anniversary of the reunification of China and the United States, we must also celebrate the personal ties that bind us together," Calloway said.

From students studying abroad to entrepreneurs forging business partnerships, from cultural exchanges to scientific collaborations, these personal connections form the foundation of bilateral relations, she said.

Yunnan Province has played a unique role in China-U.S. exchanges and cooperation, not only during wartime but also in today's context. The people of Yunnan honor the Flying Tigers by preserving and restoring historical sites, establishing memorial halls and monuments like the Hump Memorial, and naming schools in their honor.

Over the years, Yunnan Province has maintained close links with the U.S. side, establishing sister-province relationships with Texas and Delaware. Additionally, five pairs of sister-city connections have been forged between Yunnan's cities and autonomous prefectures and their counterparts in the United States.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)

Saturday, November 04, 2023

Feature: A "Flying Tigers" veteran's bond with China


Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2023-11-04 

KUNMING, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Harry Moyer, a 103-year-old U.S. veteran, usually playful and humorous, burst into tears as he sang the song "Auld Lang Syne" with teachers and students at a school in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province.

"It's one of the best things that have happened to me on this trip," said Moyer, wearing a hat embroidered with the pattern of the "Flying Tigers."

From Thursday to Friday, an over 30-member delegation of the Flying Tigers veterans and their descendants visited Kunming, the starting point of "the Hump," a vital airlift route over the Himalayas and the primary way the Allies supplied China between 1942 and 1945 in World War II.

On Friday, they went to the Kunming Foreign Language School, which commemorates "the Hump" route. They watched a musical play showing the Flying Tigers' adventure to open "the Hump" route. Over eight decades of memories came flooding back to Moyer during the play.

In 1941, Moyer was still a sophomore when the U.S. government recruited pilots, and he did not hesitate to sign up. He was then deployed to the Mediterranean theater to fly a P-40 fighter.

After he completed his mission in 1944, he had a choice, whether to go home or to go to China.

"I chose to go to China because I wanted to fight for China," he recalled, adding that he has always believed it was the right choice.

The Flying Tigers spirit is an example of how the United States and China can overcome great challenges together, Moyer said, adding that only when people meet and communicate more can they understand each other and avoid misunderstandings.

Moyer and the students together planted a cypress next to the monument named "the everlasting spirit of 'the Hump,'" wishing that the tree and the friendship between the United States and China become stronger.

"When we sang the friendship song in different languages, I knew this friendship transcends national boundaries," said Sarah Moyer, granddaughter of Harry Moyer, adding she will pass on this friendship.

Photo Gallery: The Flying Tigers
By Flying Staff
December 20, 2021


The American Volunteer Group’s 3d Pursuit Squadron, “Hell’s Angels.” The AVG had three squadrons, this one named after a movie about WWI flying. Note that many of their hats are Chinese. [Courtesy: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.]

On December 20, 1941, a bunch of volunteer American mercenary pilots faced a squad of Japanese bombers to protect China.

The American Volunteer Group (AVG)—better known as the “Flying Tigers”—would go on to down nine out of 10 Japanese bombers in the first of many air battles in a seven-month campaign that helped keep Japan from expanding into China.READ MORE: 80 Years Later, The Flying Tigers Still Endure

Here’s a photographical look back at that amazing group.

The American Volunteer Group flew the Curtiss P-40. It was heavy, sturdy, well-armored, and had self-sealing fuel tanks. Its superior diving speed figured in AVG tactics of attacking from altitude, breaking off, and regaining altitude. The P-40 was not suited to close-turning dogfights with light, nimble Japanese Zero fighters. [Courtesy: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.]

American maintainers work on an AVG P-40 while a Chinese soldier stands guard. Images like this showed cooperation and common goals. Maintenance was a challenge, as spare parts were scarce, the aircraft were constantly in combat, and the group had fewer technicians than it needed. [Courtesy: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.]
Armorers work on a 3d Pursuit Squadron P-40B’s guns. The P-40B was well-armed with two .50-caliber and four .30-caliber guns. This punch made the AVG’s diving attacks against comparatively light Japanese aircraft effective. [Courtesy: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force]
Captain Claire Chennault at the Air Corps Tactical School, Maxwell Field, Montgomery, AL, in 1932. [Courtesy: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force]
Claire Chennault (far right) with Chinese head of state Chiang Kai-shek and Madame Chiang. Chennault dealt directly with national leaders on war-fighting policy. [Courtesy: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force]
Primitive maintenance was the rule for the American Volunteer Group. Here, a Chinese crew works on a P-40 fighter. [Courtesy: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force]
Major General Chennault. Note the Chinese wings over his right pocket, along with his USAAF Command Pilot’s wings. [Courtesy: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force]

Archives.gov

https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/a_people_at_war/prelude_to_war/flying_tigers.html

The American Volunteer Group (AVG) was popularly known as the Flying Tigers because of their aircrafts' distinctive shark's mouth paint scheme. The Flying ...

Friday, September 17, 2021

'Flying Tiger' ace WW2 pilot dies at 103

P40 MUSTANG

The Flying Tigers operated out of Burma in the early 1940s in support of Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek against the Japanese, conducting dangerous missions over occupied China and shooting down hundreds of enemy bombers 
JONATHAN DANIEL GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File


Issued on: 17/09/2021 - 

Washington (AFP)

An ace US fighter pilot and one of the last surviving members of the swashbuckling "Flying Tigers" who fought the Japanese for Nationalist China during World War Two has died at 103, friends and colleagues announced Thursday.

The Flying Tigers operated out of Burma in the early 1940s in support of Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek against the Japanese, conducting dangerous missions over occupied China and shooting down hundreds of enemy bombers.

They initially operated as mercenaries with the tacit support of the US government, given Washington's official neutrality towards Imperial Japan before the Pearl Harbor attacks in late 1941.

Serving under the legendary lieutenant general Claire Chennault between 1943 and 1944, Stephen Bonner flew "five confirmed and five probable aerial victories and additionally was credited with damaging two more fighters and bombers," Jeff Green, Chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, told AFP.

"With his remarkable longevity, Steve would become the last living 'Fighter Ace' to have flown in China during the Second World War," Green said, describing him as a "Gallant Soldier and a Christian Gentleman."

Later in life Bonner became an advocate for the commemoration of the Flying Tigers' legacy and China-US dialogue, founding the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation and receiving the Congressional Gold Medal.

He also visited China with fellow veterans in 2005, where they were named honorary citizens of the city of Kunming. The Flying Tigers had played a critical role in putting a stop to a Japanese bombing campaign in the city during the war.

© 2021 AFP


Saturday, January 06, 2024

RIP
Flying Tiger and pioneer SIA pilot Ho Weng Toh dies, aged 103

From B25 Mitchell bombers to Boeing 737 passenger jets, Captain Ho's flying career spanned four decades. 
LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE PHOTO

Wallace Woon

SINGAPORE - One of the last surviving members of a group of World War II pilots dubbed the Flying Tigers, Captain Ho Weng Toh, died in the morning of Jan 6. He was 103.

Known affectionately as Winkie, Captain Ho’s death was announced in a Facebook post by his nephew John Ho.

Mr Ho said on Facebook: “My dearest uncle Winkie passed away this morning. He was a grand 103 years old. He lived a life many of us would dream of... A precious generation who had a much tougher and unpredictable life, who sacrificed so much so that my generation could live a peaceful and much easier life.

“To him, and the rest of that generation, I say thank you. ”

Born in Ipoh in 1920, Captain Ho attended university in Hong Kong when the Japanese invaded China in 1941.

He then signed up as trainee pilot with the Chinese-American Composite Wing, dubbed the Flying Tigers, and joined other Chinese and American pilots in Arizona where he received his flying training.

As a B-25 Mitchell bomber pilot, Captain Ho flew missions over occupied China during World War II and returned a hero in Ipoh.

In 1949, he married Augusta Rodrigues, who died in 1977 of lung cancer.

He then joined the now-defunct Malayan Airlines in 1951, and was then a founding pilot of the Singapore Airlines.

He retired three decades later as chief pilot of SIA’s Boeing 737 fleet.

Captain Ho Weng Toh, known affectionately as Winkie, was a chief pilot at SIA when he retired in 1980. LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE PHOTO

In 2019, Captain Ho published his autobiography, Memoirs Of A Flying Tiger, detailing his experiences.

Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean paid tribute to Captain Ho in a Facebook post on Jan 6.

He said : “Our long-time Pasir Ris resident, Captain Ho Weng Toh, 103, one of the last surviving Flying Tigers who flew bombers in World War II, passed on peacefully this morning. He was also one of our first Singapore Airlines pilots.

“May he rest in peace.”



THE FLYING TIGERS WIKIPEDIA

Friday, August 11, 2023

China salutes WWII American general Joe Stilwell in personal push to improve US ties


Thu, August 10, 2023 

China has rolled out the red carpet for the descendants of a second world war American general, commemorating the late officer as Beijing turns to informal personal contacts to improve ties between the two countries.

Yuan Jiajun, the Communist Party chief of Chongqing, met members of the family of Joseph Stilwell in the southwestern city on Wednesday.

The group included Susan Cole and Nancy Millward, the great-granddaughters of the general who was based in the city during the war and worked closely with Chinese leaders against Japanese forces.

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"[We] hope to take this visit as an opportunity ... to better promote people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States and contribute to the development of China-US relations," Chongqing Daily quoted Yuan as saying.

Members of the family have visited China before but previous commemorations have not attracted such attention.

Yuan is one of the 24 members of the Politburo, the party's inner circle, and his presence this time for the 140th anniversary of Stilwell's birth highlights Beijing's focus on informal contact with the United States.

Despite some resumption of senior-level official communication, relations with Washington remain in the doldrums and Beijing has opted to host a series of prominent American public figures to try to promote ties.

In June, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his "American friend" billionaire Bill Gates that people were the foundation of relations.

"We count on the American people, and hope for lasting friendship between the two peoples," Xi told the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist, just days before meeting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

In July, Xi met former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, telling the centenarian that "we never forget our old friends".

Xi said he hoped that Kissinger and "other people of foresight" in the US could continue to play a constructive role in restoring relations between the two countries.

That theme continued on Wednesday when Yuan referred to Stilwell as "an old and good friend of the Chinese people".

"We will always remember his name," he said.

Stilwell's efforts were a key chapter in the history of US-China collaboration and he is the only high-ranking US military figure who has a museum dedicated to his memory in China.

As part of this week's events commemorating his 140th birthday, Cole and Millward planted a friendship tree at the museum in Chongqing on Tuesday together with Liu Ning and Liu Yinna, the great-grandson and great-granddaughter of Zhu De, the founder of the Chinese Red Army, which later became the People's Liberation Army.

When Stilwell died in 1946, Zhu said that not only had the US lost a great general but the Chinese people had lost a great friend.

The commemorative events also included a seminar on Tuesday, attended by more than 150 people, including representatives from the Chinese foreign ministry and the US embassy in Beijing.

China has previously saluted the legacy of the Chinese-American wartime friendship to foster relations.

In April last year, Qin Gang, then China's envoy to Washington, attended the 80th anniversary of the Flying Tigers, a group of American pilots who fought for China against Japanese forces during the second world war.

Qin addressed the event while wearing a Flying Tigers jacket sent by two US veterans.

During a trip to Chongqing in May, US ambassador to China Nicholas Burns visited the Stilwell museum and one dedicated to the Flying Tigers.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Playing and Being Played on the Road to Nuclear War


The American Game


To hell with the truth! As the history of the world proves, the truth has no bearing on anything. It’s irrelevant and immaterial, as the lawyers say. The lie of a pipe dream is what gives life to the whole misbegotten mad lot of us, drunk or sober.

— Eugene O’Neill, The Iceman Cometh

There is a good chance that very shortly the United States will overtly join its proxy Israel in attacking Iran. Only a fool would be surprised. Plausible deniability only goes so far. Pipe dreams perdure as the nuclear war that could never happen gets closer to happening.

That Donald Trump is a diabolic liar and his administration is composed of depraved war criminals is a fact.

That those who bought his no foreign wars bullshit were deluded is a fact.

That Trump fully supports the genocidal lunatic Netanyahu is a fact.

That the U.S.A. is already supporting Israel’s unprovoked war on Iran is a fact.

That the American electorate is always fooled by the linguistic mind control of its presidents is a fact.

“Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun, that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud,” George W. Bush said at a staged pseudo-event on October 7, 2002 as he set Americans up for the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.  It was all predictable, blatant deception.  And the media played along with such an absurdity.  Iraq obviously had no nuclear weapons or the slightest capability to deliver even a firecracker on the U.S. The same is true for Iran today.

Trump is, after all, a United States President. The job’s requirements insist that he be a war criminal at the head of a terrorist state, and that he support the apartheid state of Israel’s killing regime, as the United States has done since its founding – actually long before.

The CIA and its ilk provide the shifting propaganda narratives that take many forms: smooth, blustery, halting, etc., but they are all aimed at creating two minds in the American population by sending mixed messages (a Trump specialty), creating mental double-binds, and using various techniques to mystify people’s experience of reality and truth. The CIA always liked to attract literary types to its propaganda efforts. Their objective is to create through verbal contradictory word usage a sense of schizoid confusion in the population. To provide pipe dreams for those who feel that their politician will set things right next time around. Or to provide ex post facto justifications for the last president’s innocence.

Think of the bullshit media headlines such as “Trump is weighing his options” or “Trump weighing Involvement” about attacking Iran.  As I wrote about Trump and Iran in June 2019 – “The War Hoax Redux – in a repeat of what I wrote about Bush and Iraq in February 2003 by simply substituting names:

As in 1991 and 2003 concerning Iraq, the MSM play along with Trump, who repeatedly says, or has his spokespeople say, that the decision hasn’t been made [to attack Iran] and that the U.S. wants peace. Within a few hours this is contradicted and confusion and uncertainty reign, as planned. Chaos is the name of the game. But everyone in the know knows the decision to attack has been made at some level, especially once the propaganda dummies are all in place. But they pretend, while the media wait with baited breath as they anticipate their countdown to the dramatic moment when they report the incident that will “compel” the U.S. to attack.

Now that Biden has made sure a terrorist runs Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon is rendered weak, allowing Israel full control over their air spaces, and Gaza pulverized and genocide well underway, the pieces are in place for Trump to bomb Iran.

Commentators often blame the actions – like Trump’s vis-à-vis Iran – on pressure from the so-called “deep state.” Excuses abound. But there is no deep state. The official American government is the “deep state.” The use of the term is a prime example of the efficacy of linguistic mind control. The use of words that have contradictory meanings – contronyms – to create untenable double-binds that result in mental checkmate. Create false opposites to frame the mind control.

Innocence – give a sardonic laugh! These are the men who have waged endless wars, overt and covert, for decade upon decade, have dispatched special forces and CIA death squads throughout the world, and support genocide in Gaza and the destruction of Russia as their bosses require. Those who seek the office know this. Only those who are known to pledge allegiance to American imperialism and the love of war are allowed anywhere near the U.S. presidency. The present war on Iran has been long in the making, as has the destruction of Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Russia, China, etc.

These bloodthirsty hyenas with polished faces come in all varieties, from Slick Willy to Dumb Georgie to Smiling Barack to Gross Don to Malarkey Joe and around and around we go again and again. Each is cast to perform the script – to speak the lingo – appropriate to his actor’s ability and his looks (let’s not forget this), but to serve the same ends. If it were not so, the U.S. would have stopped waging non-stop wars long ago. It’s simple to understand if one retains a smidgeon of logic.

If you think otherwise, you are deluded. I will not waste much time explaining why. The historical facts confirm it.

The U.S.A. is a warfare state; it’s as simple as that.  Without waging wars, the U.S. economy, as presently constituted, would collapse.  It is an economy based on fantasy and fake money with a national debt over 36 trillion dollars that will never be repaid.  That’s another illusion.  But I am speaking of pipe dreams, am I not?

And whether they choose to be aware of it or not, the vast majority of Americans support this killing machine by their indifference and ignorance of its ramifications throughout the society and more importantly, its effects in death and destruction on the rest of the world.  But that’s how it goes as their focus is on the masked faces that face each other on the electoral stage of the masquerade ball every four years. Liars all.

But they all speak the double-speak that creates pipe-dreams on the road to nuclear war.

Will we ever stop believing them before it is too late?


Edward Curtin: Sociologist, researcher, poet, essayist, journalist, novelist....writer - beyond a cage of categories. His new book is At the Lost and Found: Personal & Political Dispatches of Resistance and Hope (Clarity Press). Read other articles by Edward, or visit Edward's website.

Trump (Like Biden) is Simply Evil


On June 17, Trump demanded the unconditional surrender of Ayatollah Khamenei, and said “Our patience is wearing thin.”

On June 16, Trump posted to his Truth Social and to Facebook, this warning for everyone in Tehran to evacuate the City:

He has said there that America is in this war not to invade Iran but to protect Israel. However if Iran will have any success, then Americans, and not ONLY Israelis, will be bombing Iran. (And, of course, virtually all of Israel’s weapons do already come from America.)

The U.S. Government, and not ONLY Israel’s, actually invaded Iran on June 13 and had co-planned that aggression together.

So, this invasion of Iran IS the policy of the U.S. Government, and not (as the propaganda describes it) ONLY the policy of Israel’s Government.

And here was Trump’s Truth Social post on that day:

In that post, he unintentionally made clear that he never actually “negotiated” with Iran; he ORDERED Iran to do Netanyahu’s bidding. And, NOW, he and Netanyahu intend to forcibly (militarily) regime-change Iran, simply because Iran refused to comply with Netanyahu’s (and Trump’s, and Biden’s) DEMAND (that Iran be subordinated to Israel).

This is now heading into WW3. On June 16, the excellent news-site, which analyzes international-policy issues of protecting Russia from the U.S. empire’s constant aggressions to weaken or replace Russia’s Government, en.topcor.ru/news/, headlined “CRINK Air Force Could Help Iran Stand Up to Israel,” and here was its grim but entirely realistic analysis:

The military defeat of Iran, if it also leads to the beginning of the process of disintegration of the Islamic Republic into a number of quasi-states, will become the gravest geopolitical defeat [that the] informal anti-Western alliance CRINK led by Russia and China [have faced]. The ally [member, actually: Iran is the “I” in “CRINK”] must be saved, but how, exactly?

At the moment, the war between Israel and Iran is characterized by a remote exchange of air strikes using aircraft, ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones, as well as sabotage and terrorist attacks by Israeli special services in the Iranian rear.

Given that they have no common border and the US’s stated non-interference, large-scale ground operations are out of the question, so sending international brigades of Russian, North Korean or Chinese volunteers to help the Persians makes no sense. However, Tehran would certainly not refuse help in the fight against Israeli aviation, so it is worth remembering that something similar has already happened in modern history.

“Flying Tigers”

Let us recall that even before the start of World War II, a war between the Chinese Republic and the Japanese Empire that had attacked it had already begun in the European theater of operations in Southeast Asia on July 7, 1937. At the same time, the Japanese were taking out the poorly prepared Chinese aviation with one hand. However, in that historical period, China enjoyed support not only from the USSR, but also from the USA.

Retired US Air Force Major Claire Lee Chennault, sent there as a military adviser, proposed creating a special air unit in which the pilots would be American volunteers flying American planes. And that was done. President Roosevelt officially allowed US Air Force pilots to take leave and fight on a purely volunteer basis on the side of China against Japan.

A special aviation unit called the Flying Tigers was then created, consisting of three fighter squadrons flying American aircraft purchased under Lend-Lease. Its pilots signed a contract with the Chinese private firm CAMCO (Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company), under the terms of which they received $500 for each enemy aircraft destroyed.

American volunteers successfully fought on the side of the Chinese Republic until 1942, after which the Flying Tigers were withdrawn from the Chinese Air Force and included in the 23rd Fighter Group of the 10th Air Force of the US Army, and in 1943 it was transformed into the 14th Air Force of the US Army, consisting of 60 bombers and more than 100 fighters. Their commander, Claire Lee Chennault, became a general.

Legion “Condor”

Around the same time, the Condor Legion, created in Nazi Germany to help the future Franco regime in Spain, was operating in the European theatre of military operations. The number of this “volunteer” unit was relatively small, reaching 5,5 thousand people.

However, in the Third Reich, Condor was seen as a training ground for personnel, a testing ground for modern weapons, and a source of up-to-date combat experience. In addition to four bomber squadrons and four fighter squadrons, the legion included anti-aircraft and anti-tank defense units, an armored group of four battalions, transport sections, anti-tank artillery, and flamethrower units.

During the Spanish Civil War, the German army trained its best future aces and tested the latest aircraft that later fought in World War II. The Europeans intend to do something similar today, sending a so-called fighter coalition to Ukraine to help the Zelensky regime, which will protect Kyiv and the right bank from Russian missile and air strikes.

CRINK Air Army?

Returning to the topic of Iran, one must ask why, in fact, Russia, the DPRK and China should be interested in Tehran not losing and not following the path of Syria, which lost its sovereignty and turned into a terrorist enclave?

Our country needs Iran as a friendly partner, covering the southern flank and providing access to the Indian Ocean through the Caspian Sea. The oil fields that Israel threatens to bomb already belong to Beijing, which has invested huge amounts of money in the Iranian oil and gas sector. And for Pyongyang, Tehran has long been a technological partner in the development and production of various weapons.

What could the CRINK alliance actually do to help its ally, who has been dealt a vile blow and is being prepared to be destroyed by “Western partners” at the hands of Israel? Based on the above, there are two possible paths.

The first is the creation of an international volunteer unit of Russian, North Korean and Chinese “vacationers” who would receive modern fighters and air defense systems purchased by Iran under Lend-Lease and would go to gain real combat experience in air battles against the ultra-modern Israeli aviation.

Bearing in mind that the Russian Federation is facing a direct conflict with NATO, which has placed its bets on aviation, the DPRK has South Korea right next door, and the AUKUS alliance has already been created against China and a military operation against Taiwan is looming, such relevant experience in air combat would be, to put it mildly, not superfluous. Taking it into account, the Russian and Chinese defense industries could appropriately modify their aircraft and create a center for joint training of pilots from Iran, the DPRK, the Russian Federation and China.

The second path is a little less demonstrative and involves the creation of a hypothetical aviation PMC, for the needs of which Tehran could buy modern aircraft from Russia and China and hire vacationing pilots from the Russian Federation, China and, possibly, North Korea, who would be ready to cover Iran from Israeli air strikes.

There are options, if there is a desire.

All of the propaganda in The West PRESUMES that The West has decency and international law on its side and that all OTHER countries are inferior to it — less good, less decent, than are the U.S.-and-allied nations. The reality is the exact opposite.

For example, the CIA-edited and written Wikipedia (which blacklists — blocks from linking to — sites that aren’t CIA-approved) article on “CRINK” redirects the reader to their article “Axis of Upheaval”, which opens:

Axis of Upheaval” is a term coined in 2024 by Center for a New American Security foreign policy analysts Richard Fontaine and Andrea Kendall-Taylor and used by many foreign policy analysts,[1][2][3] military officials,[4][5] and international groups[6] to describe the growing anti-Western collaboration between Russia under Vladimir PutinIranChina, and North Korea beginning in the early 2020s. It has also been called the “axis of autocracies“,[7][8][9] “quartet of chaos“,[10][11][12] the “deadly quartet[4] or “CRINK“.[13][a]

The loose alliance generally represented itself in diplomatic addresses and public statements as an “anti-hegemony” and “anti-imperialist” coalition with intentions to challenge what it deemed to be a Western-dominated global order to reshape international relations into a multipolar order according to their shared interests. While not a formal bloc, these nations have increasingly coordinated their economic, military, and diplomatic efforts, making strong efforts to aid each other to undermine Western influence.[1]

Central to its opening paragraph is the Center for a New American Security (CNAS); and, as is made clear at one of the CIA’s NON-approved sites, the “Militarist Monitor”, their article “Center for a New American Security” (which thus is not used as a source by Wikipedia) makes clear that CNAS is totally neoconservative (a marketing-arm of the U.S. weapons-manufacturing industry), but even that site (MM) says nothing about who funds it. Another CIA-banned site, “WSWS”, has a far more comprehensive article about CNAS, titled “Democratic think tank plots war against Russia and China: What is the Center for a New American Security?”, and it makes explicit that CNAS’s main donors are “Defense contractors” (which sell ONLY to the U.S. Government and its allies) and secondarily “High tech” (which sell both to those Governments and to the public). In other words: the CIA represents the billionaires who are heavily invested in those two industries — as well as in the ‘news’-media (such as Wikipedia) that propagandize for America’s armaments companies in their ‘news’, editorials, and ads. (For example: even if a pharmaceutical company is simply advertising in these billionaires’ ‘news’-media, it is thereby funding the necon operation.) In 1922, Walter Lippmann invented the phrase “manufacture of consent” to refer to this then-new type of ‘democracy’; but it became big-time only after Truman started the Cold War and the U.S. global-hegemonic empire, on 25 July 1945.

The hegemonic (or “hegemoniacal”) global empire that U.S. President Truman started on 25 July 1945, needs now, finally, to be defeated decisively. This means without reaching the stage of a nuclear war against Russia, because that could end ONLY in the defeat of both sides and the end of all human civilization. However, I am personally inclined to think that The West have become SO desperate to rule the entire world, so that Russia — and perhaps all of the CRINK — need now to announce publicly that they will NOT allow Iran to be defeated, and that this means that they ARE willing to go nuclear against America and Israel, in order to PREVENT Iran’s defeat — if that’s what would be needed in order to PREVENT the U.S. from providing such backup to Israel’s invasion of Iran.

Trump (like Biden) never planned for that possibility. If there is to be a WW3, then the most evil empire in all of history, America’s empire, must be prevented from starting it (e.g., by extending Israel’s war against Iran into becoming fully a U.S.-Israel invasion of Iran). It must instead be started by their main targets — CRINK — if it MUST start, at all. The initiator of a war (such as Israel and the U.S. are, in regard to their joint war against Iran) always has the advantage of surprise (such as on June 13th), and thus the higher likelihood of eliminating the other side’s central command (as Israel has largely done). That way (by CRINK’s joining with Iran on this war), if there will be any future afterwards, it WON’T be dominated by the world’s most evil nations — the U.S.-empire nations. Planning for a post-WW3 world has now become important, because of Trump’s commitment now of greatly increased U.S. backup of Israel’s war to conquer Iran. Post-WW3 would be hell in any case, but simply allowing the U.S.-Israel-UK empire to take the entire world would LIKEWISE be hell. And that’s what we all are now heading toward.FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Eric Zuesse is an investigative historian. His new book, America's Empire of Evil: Hitler’s Posthumous Victory, and Why the Social Sciences Need to Change, is about how America took over the world after World War II in order to enslave it to U.S.-and-allied billionaires. Their cartels extract the world’s wealth by control of not only their ‘news’ media but the social ‘sciences’ — duping the public. Read other articles by Eric.