#1257 – Jim DiEugenio

 

  • Jim recently attended a mini JFK conference in San Francisco with notables like Peter Dale Scott, Bill Simpich, etc..
  • Jim spoke about JFK and his policies regarding the Middle East at the well exclusive JFK mini conference.
  • What is currently happening in the Middle East is very relevant. JFK assassination research continues to be VERY relevant.
  • Jim feels Nasser has been the most influential Arab leader in the Middle East during the 20th century, perhaps ever.
  • Nasser was not an Islamic fundamentalist, he was a Socialist. Nasser was not a monarchist he was a Pan-Arabist.
  • Saudi Arabia did not like Nasser. Nasser believed all of the oil in the Middle East belonged to all of the Arabs.
  • Nasser wanted funds from the oil bearing nations to create highways, schools, hospitals & development of the Middle East.
  • Nasser felt that all of the countries in the middle east should be in a confederation, protecting their joint interests.
  • Saudi Arabia was a monarchist country and Islamic state, inevitably the royalist families would come to blows with Nasser.
  • For a short time Syria was united with Egypt, known as the United Arab Republic.
  • There was a war of succession in 1963 in Yemen that Nasser got involved in.
  • Followers of Nasser in Yemen faced off with the royalist family. Saudi Arabia backed the royalist family to weaken Nasser.
  • Israel very much feared Nasser, believing he was the one Arab leader who could unify the Middle East against Israel.
  • Israel tried twice to destabilize Nasser, in 1954 with the Lavon Affair & in 1956 with the Suez crisis.
  • The Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic troops for Saudi Arabia tried to assassinate Nasser twice, once in 1954 and 1965.
  • A perceptive Kennedy saw Nasser as opposition to the medieval Saudi Arabia and a balancing point to Israel.
  • When questioned about he feelings regarding JFK, Sirhan expressed deep respect, as JFK was standing up for Palestine.
  • Sirhan loved JFK. He admired that JFK was putting pressure on Israel to let the Palestinian people to return to their homes.
  • JFK promised Arab leaders he would do his best to make Israel comply with the 1948 United Nations resolution.
  • All of JFK’s efforts for peace in the Middle East ended with his assassination. The 1948 UN resolution has been ignored.
  • How did JFK’s influence in the Middle East effect the Arab people? What were JFK’s goals?
  • JFK and Nasser started a long letter writing campaign to each other that lasted until JFK was murdered.
  • Gamal Abdel Nasser, 2nd President of Egypt, died unexpectedly Sept 28, 1970 at only 52 years of age.
  • Kennedy had felt that John Foster Dulles had made a big mistake turning on Nasser and supporting Saudi Arabia.
  • When Kennedy was murdered, Nasser couldn’t sleep
  • Nasser ordered JFK’s funeral to be aired 3 times as he fell into a depression.
  • Did Nasser understand that JFK’s assassination was the beginning of the end?
  • When Nasser died, 6 million people poured into Cairo to watch Nasser’s funeral. Watch Video Here
  • 46 people were killed and 80 injured in the stampede of people.
  • RFK wanted the American Zionist Council to register as an Foreign lobby.
  • Nicholas Kazenbach, after JFK’s death & RFK resigned, ended enforcement against the AZC. Now look where we’re at.
  • Johnson gave the AZC tax break backdated back to 1956. This became the creation of AIPAC.
  • The conflict in the Middle East and Israel was Atomic weapons.
  • Atomic weapons is the cause of the current situation with Iran!