PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

RMU's Reply to Kissinger Protest Letter - And a Meeting
by PJD Wednesday, Sep. 08, 2004 at 7:39 PM
pjdonahue@libcom.com 412-395-7336

Follow-Up on Organizing the Kissinger Visit

A kick-off meeting for the Kissinger protest is proposed for this Thursday, September 9, at 7:00. As noted in the previous newswire post, A letter was sent to the RMU Rep. requesting disinviting Kissinger and outlining the following atrocities for which Kissinger was the prime proponent during the Nixon and Ford administrations:

1. The secret bombing of Cambodia and Laos, which is believed to have killed approximately one million persons, nearly all of them noncombatants, many of them children.

2. His well-documented complicity in the overthrow and murder of the democratically elected President Salvador Allende, on September 11, 1973, and his full support, through CIA operations, of the dictator Agusto Pinochet who executed the coup. Under Pinochet, thousands were
killed and disappeared for speaking out against the coup. It is documented that Kissinger expressed his cynical disregard for democracy by stating: ""I don't see why we should have to stand by and let a country go "communist" due to the irresponsibility of its own people?"".

3. His support for Operation Condor, a CIA-supported Chilean operation to assassinate Pinochet's democratic exiled political opponents in North America and Europe. Successful assassinations included the car bombing assassination of Orlando Letelier and Ronni Moffitt in Washington D.C., the murder of Chilean General Carlos
Prats and his wife in Buenos Aires, 1975, and the serious wounding of Christian Democratic opposition leader Bernardo Leighton and his wife in Rome.

4. And finally, recent documents showing his support of the Argentine military junta's "Dirty War" of 1976. This even-bloodier operation killed and "disappeared" up to 30,000 people, most for simply speaking out in dissent. The Madres de Plaza de Mayo still meet in this plaza to commemorate their disappeared and still unaccounted sons and
daughters. See this recent news story:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1292614,00.html.

The charges against Dr. Kissinger are backed by numerous documents released by the US under FOIA and in Chile under their Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Kissinger himself has been unable to travel to a number of democracies in the world, such as Spain, because of standing indictments against him. The Chilean Supreme Court's recently removed Pinochet's immunity to prosecution for Operation Condor and other crimes. Because of this, we may be hearing more about Kissinger in the near future.

The letter concluded by stating that we would be vigorously protesting Kissinger's visit if it Goes Forward. Here was the rep, Mr. Weinstein's reply:

...

Thank you for your email and interest/concern in the Pittsburgh Speakers Series, specifically, the lecture by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

At this point in the series, it is not possible for us to cancel Mr. Kissinger's presence. Therefore, RMU will continue with its plan to bring seven speakers to Pittsburgh, beginning October 5 with Mr. Kissinger.

Because I strongly value the freedom of speech, I understand and respect your potential decision to protest this event in front of Heinz Hall...as long as your event is peaceful and respectful of those attending the lecture.

Robert Morris University has been very pleased with the previous two years' lectures and anticipates another outstanding season.

Should you desire further discussion on this matter, please email me. I wil respond promptly.

Thank you very much.

Mark

Let's accept his invitation...

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