William Blum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Blum
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Blum in 2007
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| Born | March 6, 1933 Brooklyn, New York City |
| Died | December 9, 2018 (aged 85) Arlington, Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Journalist, author, U.S. foreign policy critic |
| Genre | Political journalism, history |
| Notable works |
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William Henry Blum (born March 6, 1933 – died December 9, 2018) was an American writer. He was known for criticizing the United States' foreign policy. He lived in Washington, D.C.
Contents
Early Life and Career
William Blum was born in Borough Park, Brooklyn, New York. His parents, Ruth and Isidore Blum, had moved from Poland. His father worked as a machinist.
Blum went to Erasmus Hall High School. In 1955, he earned a degree in accounting from the City College School of Business. This school later became Baruch College.
He first worked as a computer programmer for IBM. Later, he worked for the U.S. State Department. Blum once wanted to be a foreign service officer. He hoped to join the "anti-Communist crusade." However, the Vietnam War changed his mind.
Becoming an Activist
Blum became very involved in protesting the Vietnam War. Because of his activism, he was asked to leave his government job in 1967. By then, he was already taking part in anti-war protests. He also helped start and edit the Washington Free Press. This was a newspaper that offered different viewpoints.
Journalism and Writings
In 1969, Blum wrote a report about the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In this report, he shared the names and addresses of over 200 CIA employees. He then worked as a freelance journalist. He wrote from the United States, Europe, and South America.
From 1972 to 1973, Blum worked in Chile. He reported on the government's "socialist experiment" under Salvador Allende. This was before the U.S. supported a coup and the rule of Augusto Pinochet. In the mid-1970s, he worked in London with former CIA officer Philip Agee. They worked together to reveal information about CIA staff and their actions.
Blum earned a living from his writing and by giving talks at colleges. One of his articles about Iraq was named among "The Top Ten Censored Stories of 1998" by Project Censored.
Focus on CIA Actions
In his books and online articles, Blum wrote a lot about the CIA's actions. He also wrote about plots to assassinate people. Noam Chomsky, a famous writer, called Blum's book Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II "far and away the best book on the topic."
Blum supported Ralph Nader in his campaigns for president. He also sent out a monthly email newsletter called "The Anti-Empire Report." Blum said his main goal in life was to "at least slow down the American Empire." He believed it was causing a lot of suffering worldwide.
In a 2006 interview, Blum suggested other authors. He recommended Michael Parenti, Noam Chomsky, Edward Herman, Howard Zinn, and Alexander Cockburn. Blum felt that some left-wing publications, like The Nation, would not publish his work. He thought they saw him as too extreme.
Osama bin Laden's Mention
In early 2006, William Blum became widely known for a short time. This happened when Osama bin Laden made a public statement. In it, he quoted Blum and told all Americans to read his book, Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower.
After this mention, sales of Blum's book went up a lot. Blum said he was "surprised and even shocked and amused." He was happy it helped his book sales. He also said he was not bothered by who the praise came from. He felt it was good that bin Laden shared his strong dislike for parts of U.S. foreign policy.
Blum joked that it was "almost as good as being an Oprah book." In an interview, he explained his view. He said that U.S. foreign policy creates anti-American terrorists. He believed it was "the things we do to the world." He disagreed with the idea that terrorists hate American freedom and democracy. He called that "just propaganda."
However, the mention also had a negative effect. In a May 2006 article, Blum wrote that he had not been asked to speak at any college campuses since January 19. This was unusual, as January to May was usually his busiest time for speaking events.
Death
William Blum passed away on December 9, 2018. He was 85 years old. He died in Arlington, Virginia, from kidney failure. This happened after he fell in his apartment two months earlier.
Works
Articles
- (DV) Blum: "Come Out of the White House With Your Hands Up!", Dissident Voice, May 22, 2006.
- “Hit List”. CovertAction Information Bulletin, Fall 1993. (p. 9)
- “The Painful Truths Told by Phil Agee”. Consortium News, June 27, 2013.
Books
- The CIA: A Forgotten History. Zed Books, 1986. ISBN: 0-86232-480-7
- Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II. Common Courage Press, 1995. ISBN: 1-56751-052-3
- Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower. Common Courage Press, 2000. ISBN: 1-56751-194-5
- Full text available.
- West-Bloc Dissident: A Cold War Memoir. Soft Skull Press, 2002. ISBN: 1-56751-306-9
- Freeing the World to Death: Essays on the American Empire. Common Courage Press, 2004. ISBN: 1567513069
- America's Deadliest Export: Democracy - The Truth About US Foreign Policy and Everything Else. Zed Books, 2013. ISBN: 1-78032-445-6
See also
In Spanish: William Blum para niños
