1952

Vietnam - January 12th 1952, French supply lines to Hoa Binh along the Black River are cut. The road along Route Coloniale 6 is also cut.

January 25th 1952 – GB killes 41 Epyptians in Ismalia. Anti-Western riots in Cairo. Egyptian monarchy removed  by military coup on July 23rd 1952. In 1953 GB was to strive for rapprochement.

McCarthy was making “a circus-like crusade against communist influence in Washington. McCarthy attacked liberals and leftists, state Dept personnel, politicians and Hollywood figures”.

A jury found the Rosenburgs (Ethel and Julius) – communist activists – guilty of treason and sentenced them to death. They claimed innocence – there were world wide appeals but they were electrocuted on June 19th 1953.

Scapegoats!

Charges against the foreign affairs agencies demanded certain books be purged from American information libraries overseas. Ike said, “we will not get into a pissing contest with a skunk.”

French forces in Vietnam - February 22nd to 26th -  withdrew from Hoa Binh back to the de Lattre line aided by a 30,000 round artillery barrage. Casualties for each side surpassed 5,000 during the Black River skirmishes.

A “clique of fabulously wealthy Americans” were “pushing Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon “toward the White House”. Hoover had been touted as a possible candidate but he threw his weight behind the Eisenhower and Nixon effort.

Texan oil moguls Clint Murchison and Sid Richardson had started cultivating the Director of the FBI in the late 1940s. Murchison’s milieu was infested with organised crime figures . He was also primary source of money for the American Nazi Party and its leader Lincoln Rockwell, and was throwing money at Hoover’s friend Joe McCarthy .

Truman had upset traditionally conservative supporters of the Democrats, rich men like Murchison and Richardson, by publicly denouncing their tax privileges, and vetoing bills that would have benefited them enormously

In 1951 Sid Richardson flew to Ike’s Paris headquarters to tell him why he should run for President. “Murchison lobbied ceaselessly, little caring whether Eisenhower ran as a Democrat or a Republican, so long as he ran.”

James P McGranery  became Attorney G, replacing James Howard McGrath  who resigned on April 3, 1952, after he had refused to cooperate in a corruption investigation initiated by his own department. Truman asked for and received McGrath's resignation.

Film director “Kazan made his notorious appearance before HUAC. He also took out a verbose, self justifying ad in the New York Times, in which he regretted his 19-month membership in the communist party in the early 1930s, and, as in ‘waiting for lefty’, urged others to follow him and name names. ”

10th April 1952 Kazan “appeared voluntarily before House Unamerican Activities Committee, and named 11 old friends and colleagues as communists”, two that he had recruited himself.

Bolivia

1952: Revolt Restores Elected President to Power in Bolivia  A coup in Bolivia provokes a popular armed revolt which becomes known as the April Revolution of 1952. The military is subsequently defeated and Paz Estenssoro returns to power. [Library of Congress, 1991; Klein, 2003, pp. 237, 240] The MNR introduces universal adult suffrage, carries out a sweeping land reform, promotes rural education, and nationalizes the country’s largest tin mines.

Revolution. Shockingly unequal distribution of income. A four day military coup. The Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario (MNR) forcibly took power.

MNR had been around for aout a decade.

Military regime and elitist political parties had ruled serving interest of the oligarchy “tin barons” – foreign owned tin-mining magnates.

Reforms were carried out including nationalisation of the tin mines.

MNR thought it necessary to ensure amicable relations with the USA. President Victor Paz Estenssoro.

The US refrained from oposing the Bolivian revolution and gave about $200m aid over course of 1950s. did the fear that the moderate government would collapse and far left government would emerge account for this policy of toleration and support?

Bolivia’s governing national revolution movement (MNR) seized power in 1952

-              moderate leftists

-              popular and broadly based

Later the US 1290d Working Group for Latin America regarded it as one of the “best hopes for stability and friendliness towards  the US.” Though its power was largely maintained through US economic support.

July 28th 1952, as the election approached Connecticut’s senior US Senator James O’Brien McMahon died aged 48, which was convenient for Prescott Bush . “He got the Republican nomination for US Senator at a special delegated meeting with backing by the Yale-dominated state party leadership. For some reason Bush became the senior upon election and got special powers. It is said Bush got in on Eisenhower’s coat-tails.

McCarthy was recruited as a spokesman for Republicans in the election campaign. Democrats had controlled the Presidency since 1933. Therefore Dems could be easy scapegoat for rise of communism on planet.

McCarthy accused some prominent Democrats of contributing to a communist conspiracy. He accused General George C Marshall of particpitating in “a conspiracy so immense and an infamy so black as to dwarf any previous venture in the history of man.”

Stevenson announced his candidacy in July – the same day a senior FBI official wrote up a 19 page memorandum containing the homosexual smear and the claim that Stevenson had been a communist. The rumour was spread by Hoover’s close associate Guy Hottel.

In August 1952 “Eisenhower discussed the Democratic fron runner, Illinois governor Adlai Stevenson, with Hoover and Murchison. They concluded, Murchison wrote to a friend, that Stevenson would be “used by radicals to destroy America’s proud traditions.” That month, in Washington, someone began spreading a rumour that the Governor was a “queer”. The FBI had provided Eisenhower with dirt on Stevenson – about his 1949 divorce, and a report Hoover received in the spring of 1952 claiming Stevenson and Bradley University Presdient David Owen were “the two best known homosexuals in the state.” The homosexual allegations were entirely false.

Olympics – Helsinki, Finland

In October McCarthy went on national tv to tell the “truth” about Stevenson. He branded him a wartime communist collaborator and a covert member of a left-wing organisation. He was waving papers supplied to him by former FBI agent Donald Shrine (?check name?), principle liaison between McCarthy and the FBI. None of this information was true. Stevenson almost packed it in there and then, but continued, and went on to be buried in a Republican landslide .

Adlai Stevenson refused to defend Truman's record - tarred by inflation and corruption and discontent over Korean War. The “uncovering of unsavoury and fraudulent activities by several officials made Truman’s last two years in office appear chaotic.”

October 11th Giap now attempts to draw the French out from the de Lattre line by attacking along the Fan Si Pan mountain range between the Red and Black Rivers.

October 29th, the french counter Giap’s move by launching Operation Loraine targeting major Viet Minh supply bases in the Viet Bac region. But Giap outsmarts the French by ignoring their manouvres and maintains his position along the Black River.

The first H-Bomb ever exploded ‘Mike’ at 7.15 am local time, November 1st 1952. Mushroom cloud 8 miles across and 27 miles high. 80m tonnes of earth was vapourised.. USSR tested the H-bomb in August only months after the US version.

By the mid 50s both the US and the USSR had developed H-bombs which could be delivered on either B-52s or Bear (some sort of war-plane look it up)  in the case of the Soviets. America built immense fleets of these planes and had over 1000 B-47 in Europe and north Africa.

Truman kept the fact secret until after the election, which he lost anyway, and then on the 7th January 1953, just before the end of his presidency, Truman announced that the US had developed a hydrogen bomb.

ICBMs were developed sometime in mid to late 50s with the Soviets testing them first in 1957, but the US deployed theirs first in 1960.

“open-skies” mutual inspection talks broke down on inspection issue. Dulles was criticised for his assertions of Soviet weakness.

Castle Bravo was exploded on 1st March 1954. 15 megatons – bigger than expected. Test crews became trapped in bunkers – “white stuff” rained down on task force slips 30 miles away – crew were irradiated – the “white stuff” was calcium from vapourised coral.

November 14th to 17th, the French cancel Operation Loraine and withdrew back toward the de Lattre line but must first fight off a Viet Minh ambush at Chan Muong.

By November the USA had sent 200 shiploads of materials, 222 warplanes, 225 naval vessels, 1,300 trucks, and paid 1/3 of the war bill in Vietnam.

1952 Election

Truman remained sceptical about secret service activities that reminded him of the Nazi Gestapo. As far as Harramite clique were concerned a change of regime was needed.

Averell Harriman had taken over the Truman government – investigate.

Senator Estes Kefauver beat Truman in the New Hampshire primary weeks after Truman said primaries were ‘eyewash’. This forced Truman to announce retirement at a moment not of his own choosing. Having lost this very important primary it was difficult for him to prove his electibility. Kefauver nearly got the party nomination. Governor Stevenson had superior “availability” - Primaries had become “a new way of demonstrating availability.” – to do with being from a large marginal state up until then, and therefore electible. But Stevenson had never entered the primaries, which are about racking up delegate votes in Party convention for nomination bid. Stevenson was picked in 1956 to stop Kefauver – slogging it out with him on the primary trail.

Eisenhower became Rep candidate for 1952 pres elections. Prescott Bush led the push to give the Republican presidential nomination to Eisenhower. John Foster Dulles, C Douglas Dillon also involved.

Democrats had controlled the Presidency since 1933. Therefore Dems could be easy scapegoat for rise of communism on the planet.

McCarthy accused some prominent Democrats of contributing to a communist conspiracy. He appointed Roy Cohn – recommended by J Edgar Hoover, and David Schine. He won re-election and Republicans won majority in the house and senate, and Ike became president.

Election Result

Eisenhower,              Rep,        55.1%,       442

Adlai E. Stevenson, Dem,        44.4%,          89

Democrats after election still held onto support of nearly ½ the American voters.

Eisenhower made JF Dulles Secretary of State, and Allen Dulles head of the CIA. Dulles brothers were ‘Republican’ replacements for their client and business partner, “Democrat” Averell Harriman. Strategic commitments were identical. Public posturing wasn’t.

Sec of state John Foster Dulles - foreign policy was delegated to him.

The Korean War led to the implementation of NSC-68. The army expanded to 3.5m, defence budget to %50bn, US acquired bases from Saudi Arabia to Morocco. (where exactly?)

Congress Elections

Notes

Chile

Ibanez  was released in 1952 – apparently converted to old (democratic) system. Fascism rose again in dissilusionment.

“Linea Recta” formed within the military itself – seeds of rebellion which eventually rose against Allende. Industrialisation is creditted to coalition – 1938 popular front included communists and socialists and radicals.

Batista in Cuba breaks off diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union.

JAPAN

Japanese-American Security pact led to the end of American occupation by 1952.

 “The US occupation lasted seven years (and two decades longer for Okinawa), but before it ended US officials took two more steps to consolidate Japan as Washington’s key ally against communism in Asia. First, the US obtained military bases in Japan, which they maintain to this day. Second, they got Tokyo to agree that it would not trade with the Chinese mainland. For the latter to be feasible, US policy makers determined that Japan would need to seek what State Department planner George Kennan called an “empire to the south”. US government officials frankly spoke of sponsoring a new “Co-prosperity sphere”. This meant US subversion, counterinsurgency, and massive attack to keep South east Asia in Washington’s global economic system. Thus, the war puportedly fought to defeat aggression and militarism in Asia led to US policies of aggression and militarism in Asia.”

In Japan the west’s “good friend” Yoshida was forced to resign – 1954. Why?

He was PM 1946 to 1947 and 1948 to 54. Replaced by Tetsu Katayama in 1947, and Ichiro Hatoyama Dec 10th 1954 (to March 19th 1955). November 22nd 1953 to December 23rd 1956 – not liked by the US, built diplomatic ties with the USSR.

There was a plot to oust pro-US Yoshida and replace with Hatoyama in 1952.

USGAY

The Kinsey report in the USA found 4% of men identified themselves as exclusively homosexual while 37% had had sexual relations with other men in their adult lives.

And the post war boom faltered as economic depression took hold in America.

The first US lesbian magazine “vice versa” was published.

MATTACHINE SOCIETY founded to help homosexuals realise their collective histories and experiences. Considered beginning of the contemporary organised gay rights in the US.

Middle East

Friction through the early 1950s in the Middle East and raids carried out upon Israel from Egypt and Syrian territory. However US support steadily consolidating the new state- what US support?.

Brazil

Brazil’s President Vargas was ousted in a military coup. Elections held caretaker government. New constitution returned the power to states.

“US dominance of the Brazilian market peaked after WW2 when the US supplied half of Brazil’s imports & brought over 40% of its exports.” Chomsky “501”

In Colombian capital, Bogota, there was bloody rioting

Mexico

E. Howard Hunt was CIA station chief in Mexico chief in Mexico City in the early 1950s – according to Bush Biog.