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Larry C. Johnson

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 24.55.228.56 (talk) at 02:10, 3 January 2006 (→Pre-9/11 column downplaying Islamic terrorism threat). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Larry C. Johnson is a decorated veteran of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency as well as the State Department's Office of Counterterrorism.[1] He is the CEO of Berg Associates, LLC. He got his start in the CIA in 1985 through a letter of recommendation from Republican Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT).[2] He left the CIA in 1989. A registered Republican who said he voted for President Bush in 2000,[3] Johnson has since broken ranks with Republicans over the scandal surrounding the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson. Johnson testified at a special U.S. Congressional hearing on 22 July 2005 about the consequences arising from the Plame affair. In addition to his differences with Republicans in the Plame matter, Johnson is also an outspoken opponent of the Iraq War.[4] On July 23, 2005, he spoke to the nation on behalf of Democrats in the party's weekly radio address[5] and was featured in the 2004 left-wing political documentary Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism.[6]

Pre-9/11 column downplaying Islamic terrorism threat

After his testimony, conservative pundit Richard Schmitt of the Weekly Standard made reference to an op-ed piece Johnson wrote only two months prior to the 9/11 attacks, in which Johnson argued that the US had little to fear from terrorism. The column, titled The Declining Terrorist Threat, was published 10 July 2001 in the New York Times. Johnson wrote:

"Judging from news reports and the portrayal of villains in our popular entertainment, Americans are bedeviled by fantasies about terrorism. They seem to believe that terrorism is the greatest threat to the United States and that it is becoming more widespread and lethal. They are likely to think that the United States is the most popular target of terrorists. And they almost certainly have the impression that extremist Islamic groups cause most terrorism."[7]
"None of these beliefs are based in fact. . . . While terrorism is not vanquished, in a world where thousands of nuclear warheads are still aimed across the continents, terrorism is not the biggest security challenge confronting the United States, and it should not be portrayed that way."[8]

In his defense, Johnson said that he coauthored a piece in 2000 with Milt Beardon that looked specifically at the threat posed by al-Qaeda rather that at terrorism trends in general. The piece noted that new information emerging about the bombings at Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 pointed to a new threat that required "a coordinated policy that will employ a full range of covert, clandestine, diplomatic, and military operations."[9] The piece concluded: "The Clinton Administration has shot its bolt on the terrorist problem with small effect, and no last minute show of force will change the record. A new administration can start afresh with a more sharply defined set of terrorism goals – Mughniyeh and bin Laden and their protectors for starters – and bring the full, coordinated force of American diplomatic, military, and intelligence capabilities to bear on the problem."

Quotes

The Republicans now want to hide behind the legalism that "no laws were broken". I don't know if a man made law was broken but an ethical and moral code was breached. For the first time a group of partisan political operatives publically identified a CIA NOC. They have set a precendent that the next group of political hacks may feel free to violate. They try to hide behind the specious claim that Joe Wilson "lied". Although Joe did not lie let's follow that reasoning to the logical conclusion. Let's use the same standard for the Bush Administration. Here are the facts. Bush's lies have resulted in the deaths of almost 1800 American soldiers and the mutilation of 12,000. Joe Wilson has not killed anyone. He tried to prevent the needless death of Americans and the loss of American prestige in the world.[10]
The rightwing is resurrecting an op-ed I wrote in July 2001. I stand by the full article. It is still relevant today. I am accused, incorrectly, of ignoring the threat of terrorism. In fact, I correctly noted that the real threat emanated from Bin Laden and Islamic extremism. President Bush, for his part, ignored the CIA warning in August of 2001 that Al Qaeda was posed to strike inside the United States.[11]
The nature of the threat posed by Bin Ladin is highlighted by my final chart, number 7. Osama Bin Ladin and individuals assoicated with him have killed and wounded more Americans than any other group. This chart also illustrates that groups such as Hamas and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) prior to 1998 have killed more foreigners in the anti-US terrorist attacks. If we take into account the bombings of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Osama's status as the most lethal terrorist is certain.[12]
In fact there is a serious risk that a U.S. led war against Iraq may crystallize the diffused anger in the Arab and Muslim world — a heretofore unattained goal of bin Laden and his followers — and persuade more Muslim youths to take up the terrorist banner against America and her citizens. (January 2003) [13]

References

  • Larry C. Johnson, "The Declining Terrorist Threat," New York Times (10 Juy 2001) p. A19.
  • Milt Bearden and Larry Johnson, "A Glimpse at the Alliances of Terror," New York Times (7 November 2000) p. A29.
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