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Steve Pieczenik

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Steve R. Pieczenik
Born (1943-12-07) December 7, 1943 (age 80)
Havana, Cuba
Occupation
  • Author
  • publisher
  • civil servant
  • psychiatrist
  • conspiracy theorist
NationalityCuban-American
GenreWar novel, spy
Website
stevepieczenik.com

Steve R. Pieczenik (/pəˈtʃɛnɪk/; born December 7, 1943) is a Cuban-American author, publisher, conspiracy theorist,[1][2][3] and psychiatrist, as well as a former consultant for the United States Department of State.[4]

Early life and education

Pieczenik was born in Havana, Cuba on December 7, 1943, to Russian-Polish parents, and spent his early childhood in France.[5] His father, a doctor from Dombrovicz who studied and worked in Toulouse, France, fled to Poland before World War II.[6] His mother, a Russian Jew from Białystok, Poland, fled Europe after many of her family members were killed.[6] The couple met in Portugal, where both had fled from the Nazi invaders.[6][7] After living in Toulouse for six years, Pieczenik's family migrated to the United States, where they settled in the Harlem,[6] New York City.[8] Pieczenik was 8 years old when his parents received their entry visa to the United States.[6] He is fluent in five languages, including Russian, Spanish and French.[5][6][7]

Pieczenik received a scholarship to Cornell University at age 16.[6] He graduated with a BA degree in pre-medicine and psychology in 1964 and later received his M.D. from Cornell University Medical College. He earned a PhD in international relations from MIT while studying at Harvard Medical School.[7] Pieczenik claims to be the first psychiatrist ever to receive a PhD in international relations.[8] During his psychiatry residency at Harvard, he was awarded the Harry E. Solomon award for his paper "The hierarchy of ego-defence mechanisms in foreign policy decision making."[6]

Career

Civil service

In 1974, Pieczenik joined the United States Department of State as a consultant to help in the restructuring of its Office for the Prevention of Terrorism.[5] In 1976, he was made Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under Henry Kissinger, Cyrus Vance and James Baker.[6][5][8][9][10] He served the presidential administrations of Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush in the role.[11]

At the Department of State, Pieczenik served as a "specialist on hostage taking".[12] He has been credited with devising successful negotiating strategies and tactics used in several high-profile hostage situations, including the 1976 TWA Flight 355 hostage situation and the 1977 kidnapping of the son of Cyprus's president.[5] He worked "side by side" with Police Chief Maurice J. Cullinane in the Washington, D.C. command center of Mayor Walter Washington during the 1977 Hanafi Siege.[13]

In 1978 Pieczenik was a special envoy for President Carter to Italy to assist in the search for Italy's former Prime Minister Aldo Moro. As an international crisis manager and hostage negotiator in the State Department, Pieczenik was sent to Italy on March 16, 1978, the day Moro was kidnapped, and was involved in the negotiations for his release. He was part of a "crisis committee" headed by Francesco Cossiga, the interior minister. Moro was held for 54 days. Pieczenik said the committee was jolted into action by the fear that Moro would reveal state secrets in an attempt to free himself. Moro's widow, Eleonora, later said Henry Kissinger had warned her husband against his strategy of Historic Compromise (Compromesso Storico). "You will pay dearly for it," he is alleged to have said. A false statement attributed to the Red Brigades was leaked saying that Moro was dead. Pieczenik claimed that this had a dual purpose: to prepare the Italian public for the worst and to let the Red Brigades know that the state would not negotiate for Moro and considered him already dead. Moro was shot and placed in the back of a car in central Rome, midway between the headquarters of the Communist Party and the Christian Democrats. In a documentary, Cossiga admitted the committee had made the decision to release the false statement. Pieczenik said that Moro had been "sacrificed" for Italy's "stability".[14]

On September 17, 1978, the Camp David Accords were signed. Pieczenik claims to have been present at secret Camp David negotiations leading to the signing of the Accords, working out strategy and tactics based on psychopolitical dynamics.[6]

In 1979, he resigned as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State over the handling of the Iranian hostage crisis.[7]

Post-civil service

In the early 1980s, Pieczenik wrote an article for The Washington Post in which he claimed to have heard a senior U.S. official in the Department of State Operations Center give permission for the attack that led to the death of U.S. Ambassador Adolph Dubs in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1979.[15]

Pieczenik claims to have known Syrian President Hafez al-Assad well during his 20 years in the Department of State.[6]

In 1982, Pieczenik was mentioned in an article in The New York Times as "a psychiatrist who has treated C.I.A. employees".[16] Pieczenik has been affiliated in a professional capacity as a psychiatrist with the National Institute of Mental Health.[17]

In 2001, Pieczenik operated as chief executive officer of Strategic Intelligence Associates, a consulting firm.[18] As recently as October 6, 2012, Pieczenik was listed as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).[19] According to Internet Archive, his name was removed from the CFR roster sometime between October 6 and November 18, 2012.[20] He no longer publicly appears as a member of the CFR.[21] Pieczenik has consulted with the United States Institute of Peace and the RAND Corporation.[22] Pieczenik has also lectured at the National Defense University.[23]

Writing

Pieczenik has made a number of ventures into fiction, as an author and as a business partner of Tom Clancy for several series of novels.[24] He is a co-author of the book Divide and Conquer.[25] Pieczenik received a listed credit as co-creator for both Tom Clancy's Op-Center and Tom Clancy's Net Force, two best-selling novel series, as a result of a business relationship with Tom Clancy. He was not directly involved in writing books in these series, but "assembled a team" including the ghostwriter who did author the novels and someone to handle the "packaging" of the novels.[24][26] The Op-Center series alone had earned more than 28 million dollars in net profit for the partnership by 2003.[24] He is also credited under the pseudonym Alexander Court for writing the novels Active Measures (2001), and Active Pursuit (2002).[27]

He has had at least two articles published in the American Intelligence Journal, a peer-reviewed journal published by the National Military Intelligence Association.[28]

Pieczenik co-authored a paper with John Neustadt which appeared in the July 2008 issue of Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.[29]

Controversies

In 1992, Pieczenik told Newsday that in his professional opinion, President George H. W. Bush was "clinically depressed". As a result, he was brought up on an ethics charge before the American Psychiatric Association and reprimanded. He subsequently quit the APA.[7]

The role he played in the negotiations to bring about Aldo Moro's release is fraught with controversy.[30][31][unreliable source?]

Alex Jones

Pieczenik has made several appearances on InfoWars, the flagship radio program of Alex Jones, where he has made several false statements, including that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a false flag operation[32] and that the September 11 attacks were conducted by CIA agents. After the 2020 United States presidential election, Pieczenik appeared on InfoWars claiming the Trump administration permitted the Democratic Party to engage in election fraud as a "sting operation" facilitated by a "QFS blockchain encryption code" on every ballot. [33]

Bibliography

Authored novels

  • Mind Palace (1985)
  • Blood Heat (1989)
  • Hidden Passions (1991)
  • Maximum Vigilance (1993)
  • Pax Pacifica (1995)
  • State of Emergency (1997)[34]
  • Active Measures (as Alexander Court, 2001)
  • Active Pursuit (as Alexander Court, 2002)
  • My Beloved Talleyrand (2005)[35]
  • Terror Counter Terror (2007)[36]
  • Steve Pieczenik Talks (2014)[37][38]
  • American Warrior in Crises (2019)

Series co-creator with Tom Clancy

Other

  • My Life Is Great! Why Do I Feel So Awful? (self-help, 1990)
  • Foundations and Applications of Medical Biochemistry in Clinical Practice. With John Neustadt. (textbook, 2009) [39]

References

  1. ^ Barnidge, Tom (May 6, 2011). "Barnidge: Bin Laden's death gives birth to latest conspiracy theory". Oakland Tribune.
  2. ^ Borchers, Callum (June 19, 2017). "After his Megyn Kelly interview, Alex Jones is still promoting a Newtown conspiracy theory". Washington Post.
  3. ^ Manning, Ellen (April 11, 2018). "Conspiracy theorists think the alleged chemical attack in Syria is a false flag to start World War Three".
  4. ^ "Steve Pieczenik Talks | Get the Truth". Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e Toth, Robert C. (April 21, 1978). "U.S. scientist aids in Moro search". St. Petersburg Times. Los Angeles Times. pp. 9A. Retrieved May 14, 2011. Credited with devising negotiating strategy and tactics
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kaye, Helen (July 7, 1995). "US psychiatrist and ME expert analyzes region". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2011. He was deputy assistant secretary of state under Henry Kissinger, Cyrus Vance and James Baker.
  7. ^ a b c d e Mansfield, Stephanie (February 27, 1995). "He's Been There, Done That; Steve Pieczenik, Tom Clancy's Man on the Inside". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2011. His father, a doctor, fled Poland before World War II. His mother, a Russian Jew, fled Europe after many of her family members were killed. The couple met in Portugal, where both had fled ahead of the Nazi invaders.
  8. ^ a b c "Biography". Steve Pieczenik. Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  9. ^ Goleman, Daniel (March 8, 1985), "Seat of Power And Woe", The New York Times, retrieved May 5, 2011
  10. ^ Kenneth Rapoza (April 18, 2012). "Osama bin Laden Already Becoming the New Roswell". Forbes. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  11. ^ Romano, Lois (June 10, 1992). "The reliable source". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2011. Pieczenik served as deputy secretary during the Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush administrations.
  12. ^ Geyer, Georgie Anne (January 18, 1980). "We Have Ignored Soviet Paranoia". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. pp. 7A. Retrieved May 14, 2011. U.S. State Department specialist on hostage taking
  13. ^ McGrory, Mary (March 13, 1977). "Balking terrorists requires expertise". Eugene Register-Guard. pp. 17A. Retrieved May 14, 2011. ...at the command center of Mayor Walter Washington and worked "side by side" with Police Chief Maurice J. Cullinane
  14. ^ Moore, Malcolm (March 11, 2008), "US envoy admits role in Aldo Moro killing", The Daily Telegraph, London, archived from the original on September 12, 2012, retrieved May 5, 2011
  15. ^ "Coverup charged in death of U.S. envoy". Spokane Daily Chronicle. United Press International. February 18, 1981. p. 15. Retrieved May 14, 2011. I was present. I heard it.
  16. ^ Taubman, Philip (October 13, 1982). "Psychiatrists describe kafkaesque portfolio". The New York Times. Retrieved May 14, 2011. Dr. Steve R. Pieczenik, a psychiatrist who has treated C.I.A. employees.
  17. ^ "THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT 1976" (PDF). Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  18. ^ Stanton, John J. (December 1, 2001). "U.S. Intelligence Community Reaches Crossroads: CIA official says agency is implementing reforms to address new threats. (Analysis)". National Defense. National Defense Industrial Association. Retrieved May 14, 2011. Steve Pieczenik, chief executive officer of Strategic Intelligence Associates, a consulting firm.
  19. ^ "Membership Roster – Council on Foreign Relations 10/06/2012". Cfr.org. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  20. ^ "Membership Roster – Council on Foreign Relations 11/16/2012". Cfr.org. Archived from the original on November 18, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  21. ^ "Membership Roster – Council on Foreign Relations Current". Cfr.org. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  22. ^ "U.S. Negotiating Behavior" (PDF). Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  23. ^ Kelley, Matt (February 26, 2002). "Rumsfeld: Pentagon to Close Office". Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2011. Dr. Steve Pieczenik, a psychological warfare expert who has worked for the State Department and lectured at the National Defense University.
  24. ^ a b c "Thomas L. Clancy, Jr. v. Wanda T. King, No. 112, September Term 2007" (PDF). Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  25. ^ Pieczenik, Steve (2001). Divide and Conquer. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780002259811. Retrieved October 13, 2020. {{cite book}}: External link in |ref= (help)
  26. ^ "Steve Pieczenik: Books". Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  27. ^ "Steve Pieczenik". Steve Pieczenik. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  28. ^ "AIJ 2004 to 2010 – National Military Intelligence Association". Nmia.org. November 12, 2002. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  29. ^ Neustadt, John; Pieczenik, Steve (2008). "Medication-induced mitochondrial damage and disease". Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. 52 (7): 780–788. doi:10.1002/mnfr.200700075. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  30. ^ "L'esperto Usa: "Così manipolammo il caso Moro"". Il Sole 24 Ore (in Italian). Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  31. ^ "Knowledge Fight: #340: All About Steve". knowledgefight.libsyn.com. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  32. ^ Borchers, Callum (June 19, 2017). "After his Megyn Kelly interview, Alex Jones is still promoting a Newtown truth". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  33. ^ Kasprak, Alex (November 12, 2020). "Did Mail-in Ballots Secretly Contain Quantum Blockchain Watermarks?". Snopes. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  34. ^ Pieczenik, Steve (1997). State of Emergency (First ed.). Putnam Adult. ISBN 978-0-399-14323-6.
  35. ^ "Barnes and Noble". Productsearch.barnesandnoble.com. April 27, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  36. ^ "Steve Pieczenik". www.fantasticfiction.com. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  37. ^ STEVE PIECZENIK TALKS: The September of 2012 Through The September of 2014.
  38. ^ Pieczenik, Steve R. (2014). Author. Blabor.com. ISBN 978-0-692-31068-7.
  39. ^ "Montana Integrative Medicine – Bozeman, MT :: About". Montanaim.com. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
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