Date:  12-05-09
Host:  Ian Punnett
Guests:  Russ Baker

Ian Punnett welcomed award-winning investigative reporter Russ Baker, who discussed the connections between the Bush family and the intelligence community, as well as startling evidence that shed new light on the JFK assassination and Watergate. According to his research, George H.W. Bush’s affiliation with the CIA began as far back as 1953, as opposed to Bush’s “official” joining of the organization in 1976. Among the elements that led him to this conclusion were that Bush was briefed on the JFK assassination by the CIA on the day after Kennedy’s murder and he also appeared to be using his oil company to set up “fronts” for the intelligence agency around the world.

However, Baker said, these CIA outlets were merely part of a larger agenda driven by wealthy interests who have designs on shaping the world to their end. Stressing that the Bush family are merely players in this group of power brokers, Baker said, “they’re not the guys running the thing. They are just operatives.” He dismissed the notion that it is an organized group, suggesting that it is more of a collection of like-minded, powerful people working together to consolidate their power. “It’s not this absolute club or anything like that,” Baker explained, “you’re talking about a mindset.” Ultimately, he expressed concern that this coterie continues to exert its power, “I think what we’re looking at is a very sensitive and fragile situation that perpetuates to this day.”

He suggested that the Watergate scandal was one historic event that this faction, including George H.W. Bush (who was head of the RNC at the time), played a hand in orchestrating. Baker put forth the idea that Richard Nixon, previously put into power by these elites, had begun to move away from their influence. As such, the Watergate event was developed as a means to drive Nixon out of office in a “cleaner” fashion than they had eliminated JFK. According to Baker, this explains why the break-in seemed so poorly done, how the story ended up in the press, and why Nixon was so befuddled by what had happened. “It’s almost like a rolling coup d’etat,” he observed, “when you’re in these permanent bureaucracies, you don’t have a lot of use for these elected presidents. They’re an annoyance and a problem for you.”

Russ Baker appears on the PBS station WGBH with host Emily Rooney to discuss the stunning revelations contained in his new book on the Bush Dynasty,”Family of Secrets.”

Interview topics range from George Bush Senior’s secret life in intelligence work preceding his directorship of the CIA; answers to why the elder Bush cannot remember where he was the day John F. Kennedy was shot;  new information on George W. Bush’s missing military service; and the back story to the American relationship to Saudi Arabia and oil. Watch Now!

Ron Reagan Interview, Segment 1 (mp3)

Ron Reagan Interview, Segment 2 (mp3)

Ron Reagan Interview, Segment 3 (mp3)

Ron Reagan Interview, Segment 4 (mp3)

Russ will be appearing on Ron Reagan’s show on Air America radio, Wednesday, July 8. The show airs live at 7pm Eastern time. Ron Reagan is the son of the late president.

Be sure to tune in!

I recently read Russ Baker’s Family of Secrets, because Lew interviewed Russ Baker and it sounded great. The book delivers, although I suspect there are a lot of Bush family secrets that remain unexposed. I am personally curious about any Bush secret recipes on the back burner back in March 1981. As history, the Wikipedia version of the Reagan assassination attempt reads like a CIA moonlighter’s script for a movie of the week.

Baker’s research led him back to the days of the JFK assassination, where HW, or “Poppy” Bush was not where he said he was, after all these years. You’ll have to read the book for a real, and real interesting, lesson in modern American democracy.

Click here to listen to the show on the Web or here to download the mp3.

Yesterday, The Raw Story’s John Byrne picked up the story. His detailed piece discusses the 2004 article as well as coverage of Family of Secrets.  Byrne’s entry immediately became a hit on Digg.

You don’t want to miss this discussion.  And don’t be afraid to add your two cents in comments . . . or to click on the “recommend” bar.

You can replay the interview directly on KPFA’s website or download the MP3 file here.