1971

In America elites run foreign policy and shape social legislation through various devices from think tanks to interlocking directorates, while CIA moulds the public consciousness by financing institutions, infiltrating labour unions, and buying opinion makers
 “The Higher Circles: The Governing Class in America”, New York: Vintage Books, 1971, by G. William Dornhoff, a University of Santa Cruz proffesor.. ISBN 0-394-71671-X.

The peak of U.S. power was after World War II, when it had literally half the world's wealth. But that naturally declined, as other industrial economies recovered from the devastation of the war and decolonization took its agonizing course. By the early 1970s, the U.S. share of global wealth had declined to about 25%, and the industrial world had become tripolar: North America, Europe, and East Asia (then Japan-based).
There was also a sharp change in the U.S. economy in the 1970s, towards financialization and export of production. A variety of factors converged to create a vicious cycle of radical concentration of wealth, primarily in the top fraction of 1% of the population -- mostly CEOs, hedge-fund managers, and the like. That leads to the concentration of political power, hence state policies to increase economic concentration: fiscal policies, rules of corporate governance, deregulation, and much more. Meanwhile the costs of electoral campaigns skyrocketed, driving the parties into the pockets of concentrated capital, increasingly financial: the Republicans reflexively, the Democrats -- by now what used to be moderate Republicans -- not far behind.
Chomsky, in 2011 http://mistymountain.info/content/noam-chomsky-world-too-big-fail-contours-global-order

Nixon plan to revive US Industrial power
“Until 1971…countries largely cooperated with each other [through the buying and selling of different currencies] to keep the various values in the right place. In addition, governments tried to limit capital emanating from private individual or corporations; although companies could operate in other countries, they were not permitted to deal in currencies or financial instruments which might adversely affect the pegged values under Bretton Woods. Under the Bretton Woods system the dollar was fixed to gold and in theory every currency could be switched for gold via the dollar at a fixed rate – so the US needed to ensure that dollars in circulation was backed by its reserve holdings of gold.
Effectively this limited the amount of money flowing through the international system and made it easier for governments to maintain rates of exchange” Guyatt, page 6 – there’s more about what happended in the 60s.
As tallying gold with dollars became harder in the 60s and war in Vietnam caused high inflation in the US. US gold and US dollars stopped being in synch.
US power – strategic and economic was in decline due to the Vietnam War. Escalation of the Vietnam war was screwing up the US economy. Inflation was going ever upwards. With this decline in US power a major Nixon project was to restore power and profitability of US business, now fading in favour of Europe and Japan.
LBJ and Nixon both had worried about a run on the dollar – which would force a devaluation and the end of the Bretton Woods system.
US dollars and US gold reserves were no longer in synch. In the late ‘60s Euro dollar markets put huge dollars sums beyond the control (or knowledge) of the US government. This made it even harder to tally gold with dollars. Speculation as a way for wealthy Americans and Europeans to make more money they didn't need also helped destroy the exchange-rate system.
Nixon began the process of change by suspending the convertibility of the dollar and imposing a 10% surcharge on imports, in violation of international commitments. This was unpopular among business and financial circles but attacks on labour and social programs, forced subsidy to advanced industry through Pentagon system, and other programs received wide-spread elite support which lasted into the Reagan administration.
Nixon closed the ‘gold window’ in 1971, a combination of companies bending the rules of bretton woods – they introduced renewed speculation. The US economy ran into trouble – which pt pressure on the fixed exchange rates.
The dollar was allowed to ‘float’ to find its own value against other currencies without government intervention . The US dollar was devalued and regional currencies began to float alongside it in the new international currency market. “The breakdown of the exchange rate system was a major blow to Keyne’s original vision of a world economy managed by cooperation. Moreover the victory of the market over government allowed (and even encouraged) riskier forms of investment and speculation to re-emerge from their long disgrace” Nicholas Gyatt pp 6/7.
 “In the mid 70s many of the surviving restrictions on capital flows were removed and the legacy of caution left by the depression was disavowed”…”within a few years,enormous sums of money were moving around the world, largely outside the control of national governments.”
Loan Bonanza – This was all bad news for developing countries. More bad news

January 4th 1971 Nixon declared that “the end is in sight”. Nixon went on to declare that Vietnamization has succeeded despite the embarrassing failure of an all South Vietnamese operation to sever the Ho Chi Minh trail.
Opinion polls in March showed that Nixon’s approval rating dropped to 34%. Half of Americans believe the war to be morally wrong.

After Allende took office (November 3rd 1970), in 1971 the World Bank stopped all loans to Chile. Allende had taken over from Eduardo Frei who was also a left wing reformer. The World Bank showing its inherent bias towards solutions that will benefit the wealthy and encourage large corporations and increasing rich-poor divide.
And the company who were to play an important part in coup in 1973…
…the memo recounted a 1971 conversation with Jon Mitchell in which the Attorney General supposedly agreed to drop three antitrust suits against ITT in return for a pledge of up to $400,000 in cash and services to the 1972 Republican National Convention. J EDGAR HOOVER: THE MAN AND THE SECRETS – CURT GENTRY PAGE 715.

US air strikes against the NVA supply camps in Laos and Cambodia on January 19th 1971 may have been designed to bring about early US victory. Operation  Lam Son 719 was an all south Vietnamese ground operation to sever the Ho Chi Minh trail. US provide artillery, air support and helicopter lifts, but operation is a disaster with 7,682 SV casualties, 215 US killed, 100 helicopters lost, 600 damaged. Life Magazine photographer Larry Burrows is also killed, after working in Vietnam for a decade.
Nixon declared that Vietnamization has succeeded despite this failure.

Victor Jarro – a guitarists who lost his hands at the hands of Chilean pro-Pinochet fascists. Songs by the Clash and Calexico – Victor Jarro’s hands.

On January 25, 1971, guilty verdicts were returned against Manson, Krenwinkel and Atkins on the seven counts of murder and the one of conspiracy;
Midway through the penalty phase, Manson shaved his head and trimmed his beard to a fork; he told the press, "I am the Devil, and the Devil always has a bald head."

Jan 31 1971 the 3rd US moon landing Apollo 14 sent men to play golf on the moon. What was achieved? Who went? cost?

On 2 February 1971, one week after a coup in Uganda, Idi Amin declared himself President of Uganda – greeted with delight in the UK – “our prospects in Uganda have no doubt been considerably enhanced.” Wrote Eric Le Tocq of the Foreign Office. Curtis – “what the record shows is that, more than anything, we (the UK) don’t like independent, popular government, nationalist governments who want to do things their own way, using their own resources – look at Nasser in Egypt, look at Mossadeq in Iran, look at Jagan in Guyana (check?)”. 
South Vietnam invaded Laos on February 8th 1971. China terminated its secret exchange of letters via Pakistan.
Nixon referred t the PRC by its formal name for the first time on Feb 25th 1971 in a “constructive role in the family of nations” speech.

On March 1st a bomb went off, and damages the Capitol building in Washington. This appears to be a protest against the invasion of Laos.
On March 10th 1971 China pledged support of North Vietnam against the USA.
On March 15th travel restrictions to China ended and US announced its intentions to reopen the Warsaw talks.
Pakistan was in a constitutional crisis thanks to the two halves of Pakistan voting for entirely different parties.
Finally Khan took action – he dissolved his civilian cabinet and declared indefinite postponement of the National Assembly. Immediate reaction in the East was strikes, demos, civil disobedience, and finally open revolt.
A last ditch attempt in late March to defuse the crisis – on March 25th Khan and Bhutto gave up and flew back to the West. Tikka Khan was in charge of the “emergency plan”.
On March 25th the army arrested Mujibar and was ordered to wipe out the Awami League. Mujibar was taken to the West to face trial for treason. And there followed a military crackdown.
A genocide occurred with between 500,000 and 3,000,000 killed. Why such approximate estimates? All Awami League members/supporters were at risk from roving army patrols. The killing went on nearly all year, until December 1971.
India had to cope with the major slice of 10million refugees who fled this violence. In the end India couldn’t cope and refugees starved to death.
Khan ordered the crackdown on March 25th. Mujibar was arrested on the 26th The Pakistan army conducted the crackdowns in several parts of Bangladesh; horrific massacres of defenceless people were trapped and machine-gunned.. Thousands were killed. Survivors compared it to the Nazi extermination of the Jews. At the same time the Dhaka administration thought it could pacify the Bengali peasantry by appropriating the land of Hindu population and gifting it to the Muslims. This did not impress the peasantry and led to the exodus of more than 8 million refugees to India.
Former Bengali officers of the Pakistani army joined forces with Bengali resistance fighters in different parts of East Pakistan. The resistance was growing.
Washington didn’t take any of this seriously and Kissinger referred to it as “strong arm tactics of Pakistani military”. Nixon considered Khan to be a personal friend and stressed repeatedly that he wanted to “tilt” in favour of Pakistan in the crisis.   The US relied on Khan for access to Peking. In 1962 India and China had engaged in a brief border war so China regarded India as an  enemy. Kissinger was trying to ingratiate himself with Chou and Mao in China and so took a pro-Pakistan position, which was therefore pro-China and anti-India. India’s ally was the USSR, and so it was an anti-USSR policy too. India and USSR had signed a 20 year friendship treaty right after Nixon’s trip to Peking was announced. Kissinger believed Indo-Pakistan conflict was sure to become a Sino-Soviet clash and wanted US-China strategic alliance.
However, the mass of congressional opinion expressed horror and outrage over this carnage.

The effort to exonerate Manson via the "copycat" scenario failed; on March 29, 1971, the jury returned verdicts of death against all four defendants on all counts.
On the day the verdicts recommending the death penalty were returned, news came that the badly-decomposed body of Ronald Hughes  had been found wedged between two boulders in Ventura County.[125] It was rumored, although never proven, that Hughes was murdered by the Family…he might have perished in flooding,[127][128] Family member Sandra Good stated that Hughes was "the first of the retaliation murders."[129][130]
- Wikipedia Charles Manson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mai Lai Trial
The Mai Lai trial on March 29th. Lt. William Calley  was found guilty of 22 murders and sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour. This was later reduced to 20 years. Then 10 years. Out of 16 military personnel originally charged, 5 were court martialled and one found guilty. Calley was released on April 1st 1971 pending his appeal – on orders of Nixon.

By April 1971, with at least seven pending legislative proposals concerning the war, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Democratic Senator J. William Fulbright  of Arkansas began to hear testimony. The 22 hearings, titled "Legislative Proposals Relating to the War in Southeast Asia", were held on eleven different days between April 20, 1971 and May 27, 1971. The hearings included testimony and debate from several members of Congress, as well as from representatives of interested pro-war and anti-war organizations. Wiki
India appealed for help, but received no response. By April Indira Gandhi took action to help the Bengali freedom fighters to liberate the now named “Bangladesh”. Pakistan responded by becoming provocative, attacking Bengali Mukti Bahini camps inside India, in West Bengal. There were clashes too in west and northern sectors. Pakistan threatened all out war – they would attack in the west to gain as much territory as possible. India would have to fight on two fronts.  And there was always the Chinese threat. Pakistan were confident that another war would be as much as a stalemate as the 1965 conflict.

In April 1971 the FBI instructed its agents that “future COINTELPRO actions will be considered on a highly selective, individual basis with tight procedures to ensure absolute security.” It continued…GOOGLE THIS

On April 5, 1971, one of Barberot's employees and a Foccart operative, Roger Delouette, was arrested in Elizabeth, New Jersey, while picking up his car, which contained forty-nine kilos of heroin. According to an American agent, money from the African diamond traffic of the Foccart network was being reinvested in the heroin trade in America to make big profits and finance further dirty work in Africa.  Dirty Work : The CIA in Africa - Ed. by E.Ray. W. Scharp, K. van Meter and L. Wolf p.31

The message came from China in April 1971, 2nd or 3rd week, voicing a willingness to meet Nixon who accepted and Kissinger was sent to discuss the details with Chou En Lai, secretly.
April 6th – improved relations apparent when US Ping Pong team in Japan invited to China. Ping Pong diplomacy April 6th – 17th. See China, Apri1 6th 1971.
On April 12th Paul McKloskey testified to Kennedy sub-committee that an airforce Lt. Col. at Udorn airforce base in Thailand said “there just aren’t any villages left in northern Laos any more or in South Vietnam for that matter.” It seems that My Lai was far from an isolated incident. Whereas the media portrayed it as such and implied that the killers there were out of control, temporarily insane, or whatever, the reality is that they were merely carrying out orders, their part of a policy of terror and mass murder, which came down from the White House itself. No wonder Nixon bent over backwards to ensure lenient sentences.
April 15 1967 Vietnam Veterans Against the war  Spring Mobilization to End the War anti-war demonstration with over 400,000 other protesters.
Late April a breakthrough occured in Nixon’s campaign to woo China – China dropped its insistence that talks be confined to Taiwan.
April 25th McGovern  won the Massachusetts primary.
April 26th the position was that the PRC be admitted to the UN, but “under no circumstances” should the Rep of China be expelled. Nixon sent message on April 28th 1971 asking Chinese to not invite other US politicians  - especially Democrats – to visit China.

April 30th. Trade restrictions with China  eased again on May 7th. Correct year?

Colin Powell’s denial that My Lai had taken place. - ?

Haig’s 2nd trip was in March 1971. – with Kissinger?
A swing through SE Asia; South Vietnam; Thailand; India; West Pakistan; Paris and a secret trip to Peking to wrap up details of “opening to China”. The Chinese premier was Chou En-Lai.

Pentagon Papers
The Pentagon Papers were released by the New York Times on June 13th. These secret papers concerned government decisions about Vietnam. Nixon was seriously pissed off by this leak. Nixon tried to stop the publication in the courts, but failed and the Washington Times began its publication of the PPs. An early attempt to get Nixon out of the White House – it’s not so much who leaked the report, but who authorised the NYTimes to publish it and why. Their usual policy is to sit on damaging information until no longer damaging, or forgotten entirely.

Vietnam Veterans Against the war - prosecution of its national leaders on false charges after infiltration and disruption (Florida 1971 to 1974). VVAW was founded by six Vietnam war veterans, including Jan "Barry" Crumb, Mark Donnelly, and David Braum, in New York City in June 1967 after they marched together in the April 15 1967 Spring Mobilization to End the War anti-war demonstration with over 400,000 other protesters. Wikipedia

LA Woman released by the Doors in June (or May?) – the final proper Doors album and probably the most commercial. Went to #9. Morrison had now relocated to Paris (in the spring), with rumours of a Doors split. Soon after Morrison was found dead (31st July 1971). The Doors carried on until 1973 with no further success.

June 10th White House announced the end of its 21 year old embargo on trade with China. Correct year?
June 22nd  - days after the release of the Pentagon Papers, a non-binding resolution was passed in the Senate urging the removal of troops from Vietnam by the end of the year.

June 26th US Justice Department issued a warrant for Ellsburgh’s arrest, accusing him of leaking the PPs. On June 28th Daniel Ellsburgh turned himself in for leaking the PPs. On the 30th US Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Time and Post publication of the PPs.

Beegees at #3 “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” released June 1971

More troops out of Vietnam on July 1st.
Jim Morisson dead 3rd July 1971
CORDS – what is it?
George Jackson who he?
He replaced William Colby as head of CORDS

peace plan submitted by Vietcong in july 1971?

On July 9th 1971 Kissinger pretended to be ill during a trip to meet Yahya Khan in Pakistan. Then he took a secret 4 am flight to China. On the 11th Kissinger received an invitation for Nixon to visit china – which Nixon announced on July 15th. The visit was planned early 1972.
Nixon revealed on July 15th, Kissinger’s secret visit to China, and that he would visit China before May 1972. Kissinger’s “Operation  Marco Polo” had paved way for this visit when he made his first trip to Peking. He went to India, Pakistan, Beijing and then home via the Paris Talks.
On July 17th the “plumbers” unit of the Watergate scandal – yet to emerge – was established by Nixon aides John Ehrlichman and Charles Colson to investigate Ellsburg and ‘plug’ news-leaks. Colson compiles a list of 200 prominent Americans thought to be anti-Nixon.
July 26th Apollo 15 landed with the lunar rover vehicle. David Scott and James Irwin spending 66 hours on the moon driving about in a little car.
July 28th intelligence gathering missions over China ended.

On 31st of July Kissinger lost his temper at a meeting of a senior review group after a proposal was brought up that the Pakistani army be removed from Bengal. He said ”why is it our business how they govern themselves? The President always says tilt to Pakistan, but every proposal I get [from inside the government] is in the opposite direction. Sometimes I think I’m in a nuthouse.” This sort of thing went on for months.

Mariner 9 went into orbit around Mars to map its surface. Was there evidence of vast amounts  of water in the history of Mars, and dried up river beds? WHEN?

August 1971
August 1st kissinger met with Le Duc Tho in Paris.
George Harrison’s concert for Bangladesh on the 1st of august – in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Tax trouble and questionable expenses tied up many of the concerts proceeds.
Dylan appeared unannounced – no album in 1971 or 72.

August 2nd Rigers announced the end of its policy of opposition to communist china’s admission to the UN, but would not vote to expel the nationalists.
China the USSR to be its primary enemy and the US its secondary enemy. But called US “Two China” policy a gross insult to the UN charter. China would refuse to enter the war as long as Nationalist China remained seated.
Marshall Lin Piao (September?) was killed ina plane crash fleeing to Moscow. Presumed he was attempting to seek soviet help in blocking us-china relations.

On August 2nd the US admitted some 30,000 CIA-sponsored irregulars in Laos. August 18th Australia and New Zealand announced withdrawal from Vietnam.
On the 15th August 20th the FBI began covert investigation of journalist Daniel Scharr.

Kissinger became famous, emerging into the limelight on the covers of Time and Newsweek, newspapers, and on network news. He became a celeb.
Meanwhile, George Bush was acting in a duplicative manner as UN Ambassador. He campaigned to keep Taiwan in the UN – but behind the scenes was ensuring that the opposite would occur. Nixon wanted China in the UN and Taiwan out. This was Nixon’s “Two Chinas” policy. On August 12th Bush pledged honour on Nixon’s commitment to “two Chinas”.  See Bush biography for more details.

Britain was finally bankrupt and unable to deal with a crisis in their former empire. They had declared themselves to be financially unable to maintain their military presence in the Indian Ocean and the Far East. Britain wished to acquire China as a counterweight to Russia and India in this area, and to insure a military prescence in the Indian Ocean – the later development of a US base on Dieg Garcia. Kissinger was swayed by this wish.

September 1971
On September 3rd, the Watergate burglars broke into Daniel Ellsberg’s doctor’s office. His psychiatrist actually –were they trying to dig some dirt on him?
On September 22nd Medina was acquitted of My Lai charges.

Horse With No Name released in November – a #1 hit. LP in January 1972 – same title as single.

On October 3rd 1971 President Thieu was re-elected in South Vietnam but was running unopposed. His opponents V.P. Nguyen Caoky, General Duong Van Minh, both withdrew after charging that the election had been rigged.

October 9th 1971 US 1st Air Cavalry Division refuse an assignment, one of a series of US ground troops engaging in “Combat refusal”.

20th October Kissinger visited china to prepare for nixon’s trip. On the 25th October un ga voted to admit prc and expel Taiwan. Chiang kai-shek called it “illegal action” us senate was pissed off too and defeated the 1972 foreign aid bill which contained $141m for the un.
Life magazine publish on Dec 18th 1971 an interview with Mao Tse Tung in which the chairman welcomed Nixon to come to chian for talks “either as a tourist or as a president.”

On October 25th the UN voted to allow Red China onto the Security Council, and Taiwan was kicked out.
Bush complained that Nixon’s presence in China had undermined efforts to rpeserve Taiwan’s seat.
What was the relationship with USSR? Negotiations were going on over the status of West Berlin in February.
From Peter Shearman’s study of the relationship between Cuba and USSR: May 1972 to June 1974 saw an unprecedented series of superpower summits at which Nixon and Brezhnev sought to establish a new code of conduct between the superpowers. From this period came the Basic Principles Agreement and Agreement on the Prevention of Nuclear War. This was the first time that the superpowers had come close to establishing a crisis prevention regime. These agreements were first put to the test in Middle East in October 1973 and then in Angola in 1975.

 [October]Dean had asked Caulfield to investigate the "Happy Hooker" ring in New York, with an eye toward finding out if any clients of Xaviera Hollander had been high-ranking politicians. Caulfield sent Vlasewicz, but later told Dean that the material Tony had obtained was useless because the names of too many prominent members of both parties were present in Hollander's appointment books; dirt on the Democrats would be cancelled out by dirt on the Republicans.
Silent Coup - Len Colodny and Robert Gettlin p. 106
Silent Coup at watergate.com

December 1971
Pakistan attacked India: A massive PAF attack on several Indian stations in the west was launched. The war started on December 3rd 1971, about 5.40pm. The PAF struck nine Indian airfields along the western borders trying to destroy the Indian Air Force on the ground. They failed. Then there was a massive attack in northern Chhamb sector. In the east the Indian army went on the offensive. A two front war had started. Pakistan were winning at Chhamb and heavy fighting continued for a week until India launched heavy attacks to push Pakistan back.
India pushed forward rapidly into Bengal while their navy blockaded Pakistan’s ports. Then the biggest ever build up of Soviet forces in the Indian Ocean began. India wanted to grab enough land in the East over the next two or three weeks to allow an interim government to form in Bengal.
Kissinger lost his temper again on December 4th, at a crisis meeting of the Washington Special Action Group, a team of senior bureaucrats assembled by Kissinger, “I’ve been catching unshirted hell every half-hour from the president who says we’re not tough enough. He really doesn’t believe we’re carrying out his wishes. He wants to tilt towards Pakistan and he believes that every briefing or statement is going the other way.” Kissinger wrote in his biography, “I knew that George Bush, our able UN ambassador, would carry out the President’s policy”, describing his decision to drop opposition to a Security Council debate on the subcontinent. Indira Gandhi attempted a peaceful settlement to the crisis but was snubbed by Nixon and Kissinger.
The next day George Bush made a speech at the UNSC, accusing India of repeated incursions into East Pakistan and challenged the legitimacy of this – even though Pakistan had struck first. Bush called for a cessation of hostilities and immediate withdrawal of forces to their own territories, leaving Pakistan in a position to continue its genocide in East Pakistan. Bush also wanted the refugees back in East Pakistan, presumably so that they could be slaughtered too. It’s not surprising that the USSR vetoed this resolution.
On the 6th India extended diplomatic recognition to independent Bangladesh. Nixon was recorded talking to George Bush on the phone:
“some, all over the world will try to make this basically a political issue. You’ve got to  do what you can. More important than anything else is to get the facts out with regard to what we have done, that we have worked hard for a political settlement, what we have done for the refugees and so forth and so on. If you see that some here in the senate and house, for whatever reason, get out and misrepresent our opinions, I want you to hit it frontally, strongly and toughly; is that clear? Just take the gloves off and crack it, because you know exactly what we have done, OK?” I hope that’s perfectly clear!
December 7th Bush made a further step forward to global confrontation by branding India as the aggressor. Bush’s resolution was apporrved by the General Assembly 104 to 11. Khan informed Washington his military forces were crumbling.
A CIA report used by Kissinger and Nixon claimed that Gandhi had pledged to conquer the southern part of Pakistan held Kashmir. If the Chinese “rattled the sword”, the report alledged that Mrs Gandhi said, the Soviets would respond. This unreliable report  became one of the pillars on which Nixon, Kissinger and Bush based their actions.
USSR had 21 ships in or approaching the Indian Ocean. The US had a total of 3 ships as the Vietnam War had drained their resoucres. Britain couldn’t help as it had more or less pulled out of the area east of Suez by then.
Nixon suggested to Kissinger that scheduled Moscow summit might be cancelled. Kissinger raved that India wanted not just Bengal but Kashmir and then Baluchistan and total dismemberment of Pakistan.
December 9th The state Dept was seeking to undermine the evil trio NKB through leaks and obstruction. Nixon had a go at principal officers of the WSAG for being disloyal.
Within six days of the wsr starting Indian troops were deep inside East Pakistan. The Mukti Bahini section of advancing forces played a crusial role in guiding the Indian army through the treacherous riverine areas. It is doubtful whether the Indian army could have moved so fast and decisively without the help of the Bangladeshis.
December 10th Kissinger ordered US Navy to create Task Force 74 (Task Group 74?). He didn’t consult senior naval officers or the NSC or the WSAG. JCS were outraged by this undermining of thei authority. “Enterprise” aircraft carrier and escort and supply ships to proceed from Yankee station in Gulf of Tonkin to Singapore.
The Pakistani commander had asked the UN to arrange a ceasefire and transfer of power to Awami League, and this was approved by Khan. But when US fleet had been sent for – he junked this idea and ordered his commander to resume fighting. India warned of increased activity across border in Tibet. USSR military attaché
 also asked about Chinese activity. Advised Chao not to intervene or USSR would react. The CIA too noted these war preparations in Tibet since the crisis had begun. Soviets assured India that if China attacked they would mount a “diversionary action in Sinkiang”.
While crisis in Indian subcontinent flares up, there is a worsening crisis in Vietnam. WHAT HAPPENED?

John Lennon played live at the Sinclair Freedom Rally at Ann Arbor, Michigan on 10th December. His first live gig in 5 years. Yoko, Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger, Commander Cody, David Peel, Phil Ochs. Speeches by Allen Ginsberg, Jerry Rubin, John Sinclair had just been sentenced to 10 years in jail for selling 2 joints to an undercover police officer. Sinclair was a former white panther a “foul mouthed Yippie type radical”. He’d helped disrupt Mayor Daley’s Democratic National Convention of 1968 – young radicals, young Democrats, and even passersby were beaten and gassed by the Chicago police – The FBI were watching Lennon cos of the forthcoming Republican National Convention.
The systematic mugging, kidnapping and deporting of peace demonstrators at the RNC was seriously suggested to Nixon’s Attorney General John Mitchell.  Idea came from Gordon Liddy and his ex CIA associate E Howard Hunt.
Hunt was a close friend of Richard Helms (creator of MK/ULTRA project) and Allen Dulles (sacked by JFK).
Their other idea was a plan to break into the Democratic Party HQ in Washington DC’s Watergate complex to photograph documents and plant listening devices.
Ono & Lennon organised a repeat of Happy Xmas War Is Over (If You Want It) campaign.
Lennon – “Imagine” was his second solo album.

December 11th Kissinger meeting Chinese previous day. Met Pakistani deputy today Ali Bhutto. Kissinger chose to interpret Chinese remarks as “Chinese might intervene militarily even at this late stage”.
December 12th Nixon, kissinger, and Haig met in the Oval office early Sunday morning in a council of war. Kissinger “the first decision to risk war in the triangular Soviet-Chinese-American relation was taken”.
In 1975 in secret grand jury testimony to Watergate Special Prosecution force, Nixon insisted that the US had come “close to Nuclear War” .
Kissinger and Haig used the Hot Line to Kremlin, not to be used again till 1973 in the Middle East War. They issued an ultimatum to Soviets for response to US demands. Kissinger, “sober calculation”. “72 hours to bring war to a conclusion before West Pakistan would be swept into maelstrom. It would take India that long to shift its forces and mount an assault”. “We had to give Soviets a warning that matters might get out of control on our side too. We had to be ready to back up the Chinese.” Bush delivered his remarks to UNSC: “What are India’s intentions?” Bush introduced another pro-Pakistan resolution – vetoed by USSR.
December 14th Kissinger started off the record to journalists that if Soviets continued the US was “prepared to re-evaluate our entire relationship, including the summit.”
Jack Anderson’s column repeated secret support for Pakistan and ‘tilt’ towards in war with India. It blew away Nixon’s public pretence of neutrality in the conflict. Caused problems especially since the tilt policy was failing.
December 15th Pakistan again offered a cease fire.
December 16th Mrs Gandhi offered unconditional cease-fire in the west which Pakistan immediately accepted. Kissinger claimed India’s decsion was “reluctant” and had been made possible through Soviet pressure generated by US threats. Kissinger creates a self serving and false description of Indo-Pakistan crisis of 1971 in his memoirs.
In 1975, during his secret grand jury testimony to the Watergate Special Prosecution Force, he [Nixon] shocked the lawyers by insisting that the United States had come “close to nuclear was” during the India-Pakistan dispute. He said, one attorney recalled, that “we had threatened to go to nuclear war with the Russians.”The Price of Power – Seymour M Hersh page 457.
Nixon did not directly discuss in his memoirs the possibility of all-out war, but in 1975, during his secret grand jury testimony to the Watergate Special Prosecution Force, he shocked the lawyers by insisting that the United States had come "close to nuclear war" during the India-Pakistan dispute. He said, one attorney recalled , that "we had threatened to go to nuclear war with the Russians."
The Price of Power - Seymour M. Hersh p.457

“December 22nd, 1971 Hoffa’s prison sentence was commuted by Nixon. Hoffa was released the following day” Dark Victory Dan E Moldea page 260 – to appease the rank and file of Teamsters, Nixon signed Hoffa’s parole papers – Crime Inc.
His enemies had insisted on a proviso banning him from union activities till 1980. Crime Inc.
Hoffa got into campaigning for penal reform and tried to recapture the Teamster Presidency.

December 26th 1971 US planes bombed targets in Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam. Attacks went on for 5 days.

NOTES 1971
US voter trends towards New Deal style social policies and against military – Culture of Terrorism by Chomsky, page 30.
The ‘right turn’ among elites began in early 1970s in response to problems caused by Vietnam War. Two main categories: economic and disciplinary was too costly to US and beneficial to its industrial allies.

In the Washington of “silent coup”, Nixon’s “paranoia and bitterness” led to an atmosphere of “extreme mistrust” in the White House. The setting up of a secret government, and secret channels of communication, in order to undermine his cabinet and the Pentagon.

Medical Fraud 1971
Medical fraud had been rife at corporate level since Victorian days. Read about the activities of the snake oil salesmen. XXXXXX Rockefeller, the founder of the Rockefeller empire was one. Once the Rockefeller empire was established, medical fraud became institutionalised. Phoney and dangerous drugs, misinformation about nutrition and ancient remedies, and government bodies run by drugs and chemical corps in order to benefit the drugs and chemical corps while ruining reputations of those who provided alternatives, and legislating for more and more scamming opportunities.
The latest of these opportunities came with Nixon’s “all out war on cancer”. It began with the National Cancer Act in 1971. A concerned public expected great strides to be made. Members of American cancer society (ACS) were the major political force behind the act which resulted in a National cancer Institute (NCI) budget of over $800m in 1977, compared to $190m in 1971. This was all an elaborate way of continuing the decades old welfare for the rich. The main beneficiaries being chemical corporations’ shareholders; with taxpayers losing out.

Educational Fraud
The urgent need to condition citizens was being addressed. By 1970 Americans were coming to be thought of as ‘human capital’ and in 1971 UNESCO’s Secretariat George Parkyn to ‘outline a possible model’ for an education system that resulted in Towards a Conceptual Model of Life-Long Education describing how students would choose a vocational field and work part-time, and receive certificates of educational attainment.

Louis Armstrong died aged 70

With at least the tacit backing of Central Intelligence Agency officials, operatives linked to anti-Castro terrorists introduced African swine fever virus into Cuba in 1971. Six weeks later an outbreak of the disease forced the slaughter of 500,000 pigs to prevent a nationwide animal epidemic...A U.S. intelligence source said in an interview that he was given the virus in a sealed, unmarked container. Boston Globe 9 January 1977
quoted in The Washington Connection and Third World Fascism - Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman p.379

... the memo recounted a 1971 conversation with John Mitchell in which the Attorney General supposedly agreed to drop three antitrust suits against ITT, in return for a pledge of up to $400,000 in cash and services to the 1972 Republican National Convention.
J. Edgar Hoover : The Man and the Secrets - Curt Gentry p.715

The payoffs began in 1962, when Agnew became Baltimore County executive and continued when he became Governor in 1967; even as late as 1971, when Agnew was vice-president, he received a payment in the basement of the White House.
Elite Deviance - David R. Simon & D. Stanley Eitzen p.215

Pentagon Papers published

Libya – rich oil-producing ally of USSR in 1970s Soviet Union need armsrevenue to bu western technology.

Cash sales gave rise to lesser arms sales: Britian and france. Superpowers share of the market receeded to around 70% and by 1990 to 60%.

Panama Canal
Negotiations began in 1971, encouraged by a UN resolution calling for a “just and equitable” treaty. Watergate interrupted the talks in 1974, as did debate over the issue during the 1976 US election campaign. The new presidnet Jimmy Carter mad ethe canal treaty a priority.

Haiti
In 1971 “papa Doc” Duvalier died. His 19 year old son “boby doc” Duvalier continues his bloody reign with CIA blessing.

Bolivia
CIA inspired coup  in 1971, Colonel Hugo Banzer (1971 – 78)

In 1971 CIA-linked operatives working with anti-Castro terrorists introduced African swine fever into Cuba. Six weeks later an outbreak of the disease forced the slaughter of 50,000 pigs to prevent a nationwide animal epidemic. A US intelligence source said in an interview that he was given the virus in a sealed, unmarked container. BOSTON GLOBE JANUARY 1977 .

Soudtrack: The 70s southern California sound as exemplified by the Eagles, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, CSN&Y. The Eagles played a brand of Country Rock, formed in LA and signed to David Geffen’s Asylum Records, which he had set up in 1970. Eagles started out playing backing for Linda Ronstadt.
The Byrds who’d gone country made a terrible record in 1971 – “Byrdmaniax” – which was a “commercial and critical disappointment” inappropriate orchestration added without band’s approval.
Crosby’s solo career started in 1971. Joni Mitchell took a confessional approach which deepened on “Blue”.
A different California sound was created by funk artists such as War, Sly and The Family Stone, Tower of Power, and Santana who mixed rock and jazz.
Lou Reed had left VU, signed to RCA in 1971 and recorded his first solo album in Englad with musicians on loan from Yes and Elton John’s band. The album “Lou Reed” wasn’t great.
The Who – Who’s Next
Beach Boys recorded new songs by Brian Wilson on “Surfs Up”  and some from the fabled lost album “Smile”
Kim Foaly, Captain Beefheart, The Tubes, Journey (formed from some Santana sidement).

”The FBI told me to burn the buildings so that state troopers would have a excuse to come on campus and crush the rebellion” during student protest movement. “Later in 1969, FBI agents fabricated a letter to the mainly white organisers of a proposed Washington DC anti-war rally, demanding that they pay the local black community a $20,000 ‘security bond’, composed in the name of the local Black United Front (BUF) and signed with the forged signature of its leader.

Nixon’s all out war on cancer – see page 43 – maybe he thought he stood a better chance at beating cancer than beating the commies in Asia.

Vietnamisation continued despite damaging leaks from Nixon’s internal enemies. The policy of tilting onwards China reached a breakthrough, Britain went bankrupt, and Nixon launched his War On Cancer. But at the end of the year his policy of détente went into crisis with threat of all out war between Pakistan and India looming.

Find out about Kissinger’s role in supporting Khmer Rouge

Kissinger made 2 secret visits to China in 1971 to pave way for Nixon’s visit in 1972.
Go to www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/china/timeline/timeline6nf.html  for missing bits on China