
              Conspiracy Nation -- Vol. 9  Num. 28
             ======================================
                    ("Quid coniuratio est?")
 
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
 
GLORIA IN EXCELSIS
==================
[CN transcript of remarks by west coast researcher Dave Emory.]
 
Now. The first article I'm  going  to  be reading here comes from
"Counterspy" magazine, Volume IV, Number 1.  And it was published
in 1980.
 
This is a statement by a group of radical  feminists  who  called
themselves  "The  Red  Stockings,"  who  (despite  the  fact that
neither Nip [co-host] nor  myself  would  agree with nor identify
with their ideological underpinnings), they  did  some  excellent
and readily verifiable research.  And that research is "front and
center"   in   the   following   letter   which  they  mailed  to
"Counterspy."  (By  the  way,  "Counterspy"  is  one  of  the top
publications covering the activities  of  the  U.S.  intelligence
establishment. It's now been renamed, "The National Reporter.")
 
...the  following  statement  from  the  Red Stockings Collective
(this from September 6, 1979). It's headlined,
 
                          STATEMENT
 
  We feel that we must respond  to  the latest in a series of
  attempts to suppress  the  inquiry  into  the  details  and
  nature  of  Gloria  Steinem's  association with the Central
  Intelligence Agency.  We are  alarmed that the most visible
  commentary on these events comes  from  several  well-known
  figures  in  the feminist movement who not only condone but
  endorse this suppression.
 
  Because  feminism's  appeal   and   impact  spring  from  a
  fundamental  intellectual  honesty,  it   is   particularly
  distressing  that the suppression of dissent may be seen as
  some kind of official feminist position.
 
  In 1975,  after  Red  Stocking  researched Gloria Steinem's
  affiliations and raised questions about her political past,
  Steinem published a "statement,"  in  connection  with  her
  activities on behalf of the Independent Research Service, a
  CIA-funded  group.   Many  feminists  found  this  document
  neither  entirely  credible nor to the point, and they have
  insisted upon seeking more enlightening answers.
 
  Because of  the  conscious  counter-revolutionary role that
  the CIA has played at home and abroad over  the  years,  it
  makes   sense  to  expect  a  participant  in  the  women's
  movement, especially one who  has  come to symbolize it, to
  fully discuss her past relationship to  the  CIA.   We  are
  still waiting to hear Steinem's opinion of the Agency.  The
  last  one  she  gave characterized the CIA as "liberal" and
  far-sighted.  [New York Times,  Feb. 21, 1967, according to
  Emory.]
 
  The events  that  prompted  us  to  send  out  this  letter
  include: 
 
  Gloria  Steinem, Clay Felker(sp?)  (most recently publisher
  of Esquire), and Ford Foundation president Franklin Thomas,
  were among those who threatened  to sue for libel if Random
  House allowed the CIA  chapters  to  be  published  in  the
  Random   House   edition   of   Red   Stocking's  *Feminist
  Revolution*.  At  the  same  time,  Newsweek and Washington
  Post publisher Katherine Graham and  Warner  Communications
  (a  major Ms. [magazine] stockholder) also complained.  The
  offending chapters  were  deleted.   Thus,  Steinem and her
  powerful  supporters  successfully  used  the   threat   of
  litigation to exercise prior restraint over publication.
 
  When Steinem learned that the Village  Voice  had  assigned
  journalist  Nancy  Borman(sp?) to prepare an article on the
  censorship  of   *Feminist   Revolution*,   her  attorneys,
  Greenbaum, Wolf & Ernst(sp?), threatened suit  against  the
  Voice  if any mention of Steinem's CIA association appeared
  in this article.
 
  After some delay,  to  allow  the  Voice's legal counsel to
  review the material, the Voice published the article on May
  21st, 1979.  And,  in  subsequent  issues,  several  letter
  writers responded with attacks on Borman and the Voice.
 
  In May of 1979, when  Heights  and  Valley News, a New York
  City neighborhood paper published by the Columbia  Tenant's
  Union  [CTU],  began  a series on the material deleted from
  *Feminist Revolution*, Steinem's attorneys again threatened
  suit.  But  instead  of  threatening  the Columbia Tenant's
  Union corporation, they sent a letter to each of  CTU's  32
  board  members.   Board members cannot be individually sued
  for a corporation's  acts  except  in  a  few instances not
  relevant here.  But Steinem's  attorneys  stated  in  their
  letter  to  the  board  members  that  publication  of  the
  material  "could  subject  them  to  individual liability."
  Heights  and  Valley  News  stood  up  to  this  attempt at
  intimidation and is continuing the series.
 
  All this legal harassment was in response not to any actual
  instance  of  false,  malicious  defamation,  but  to   the
  potential  raising  of  embarrassing  questions  about some
  feminist relations with  the  power  elite.   We think that
  Steinem and her associates have not made a convenient  case
  for cutting off discussion.
 
 
And  at  the  bottom they have a few questions they ask about the
implications of this  for  the  women's  movement.  And there's a
series of signatories to this particular statement.  And the only
two names I recognize here are, a woman by name of  Marge  Piercy
who's  a  well-known feminist poet, and also a woman named Louise
Billotte, who is a KPFA [radio] staff member.
 
There are a number  of  points  to  be brought up concerning this
particular statement, here in "Counterspy."
 
First of all, Steinem, as the  article  pointed  out,  has  never
denied  her  relationship  to  the  Independent Research Service.
However, people who have attempted to highlight the nature of the
Independent Research  Service  relationship  to  the  CIA and, in
turn, Steinem's relationship  to  Independent  Research  Service,
have  been  threatened  with  litigation  and  have  had a lot of
pressure put on them.   The  pressure  in  this instance not only
coming from Steinem herself, but  also  from  a  man  named  Clay
Felker  (whose role in establishing Ms. magazine we're gonna take
a look at), as well as Katherine Graham.  We're gonna take a look
at  Katherine  Graham,  her   relationship   with  CIA,  and  her
involvement with Ms. [magazine], in just a couple of minutes.
 
Not only was the book  *Feminist Revolution* "leaned on" (I guess
you'd say) by the Ms. axis, but  also  the  Village  Voice,  when
writing an article about the censorship of *Feminist Revolution*,
also had similar pressure put on them.
 
And  the  interesting  thing  is, the attorneys Greenbaum, Wolf &
Ernst are a law firm that  produced some of the people helping to
defend, among others, Richard Nixon, in the Watergate case.
 
The fact that  the  Independent  Research  Service  is,  for  all
intents and purposes, a CIA front, is a matter of record.
 
If there was nothing to be covered up, why all of the pressure to
cover  it  up?   Even Steinem's own resume will maintain that she
was related to the Independent Research Service.
 
So keep an  eye  on  these  events,  and  remember the names Clay
Felker and Katherine Graham.  We're going to come back to those a
little bit later.
 
                  [...to be continued...]
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
       Views expressed do not necessarily  reflect  those
       of Conspiracy Nation, nor of its Editor in Chief.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
        I encourage distribution of "Conspiracy Nation."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
If you would like "Conspiracy Nation" sent to your e-mail 
address, send a message in the form "subscribe cn-l My Name" to 
listproc@cornell.edu          (Note: that is "CN-L" *not* "CN-1")
-----------------------------------------------------------------
    For information on how to receive the improved Conspiracy 
  Nation Newsletter, send an e-mail message to bigred@shout.net
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Want to know more about Whitewater, Oklahoma City bombing, etc? 
(1) telnet prairienet.org (2) logon as "visitor" (3) go citcom
-----------------------------------------------------------------
       See also: http://www.europa.com/~johnlf/cn.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
          See also: ftp.shout.net  pub/users/bigred
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Aperi os tuum muto, et causis omnium filiorum qui pertranseunt.
Aperi os tuum, decerne quod justum est, et judica inopem et 
  pauperem.                    -- Liber Proverbiorum  XXXI: 8-9 

