I have always enjoyed that particular scene in a wonderful movie. As I rewatched it I realized two things. One, like the CIA man Higgins the government still thinks that these regime overthrow plans are solid ones and that they will work, despite overwhelming evidence that they create massive problems and violent blowback, like we are seeing today in Iran.
Two, I seriously doubt whether the NY Times would print such a story today, the legacy media having become such an extension of the National Security State. Thank God for the various independent channels available today.
Yes--today there's no way the NYT would touch that story. Higgins would have no fear in 2026--he'd laugh at Joe Turner for being so dumb as to trust the NYT.
Because of its role in publishing The Pentagon Papers--in collaboration with the Washington Post--The NY Times became a topic for naive Liberals to fantasize over: "We'll just take our discovery of gummint wrongdoing to The Times, they'll publish it, and everything will be fine going forward." This naivety extended to some filmmakers.
"Because of its role in publishing The Pentagon Papers--in collaboration with the Washington Post..."
I can't recall where I came upon it, and it's conceivable I don't have it exactly right, but I'm left with the impression that as much as the NYT touts its virtue in publishing the Pentagon Papers, it actually dragged its ass, resisting all the way, until it realized it was about to get scooped by the Post. That sense of impression was justified when, several years later, Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. (incidentally, in my class at college, didn't impress then, nor subsequently) kowtowed to Dumbya's national security state and sat for a year on a story about his (mal)administration's tapping into people's e-mails and other electronic communications in violation of 4th Amendment protections. Again, my recollection is lagging, but I think had the NYT published in a timely manner, it would have proven disastrous for Dumbya, either at the polls or with some (typically) hare-brained military adventure.
The movie "All the President's Men" I think told the story of the Watergate saga pretty close to the facts. The Legal Department at WaPo were tearing their hair out worrying about the revenge Nixon would want to extract. But Tricky Dick was a pussycat compared to the thing that occupies the presidency now. I reckon all the details of the Trump Crime Family's violations of the law will never surface, and a real investigation likely won't be launched until The Donald is six feet under. So much for fearless journalism!! :-(
True, as you noted. in today's world Turner - being the smart guy he was - would not have bothered with the NYT; he would have gone to alternative media (e.g., The GrayZone).
And the rich get richer. “When is everyone going to start realizing that the on-again, off-again war/peace rhetoric is really just insider trading? And sprinkle in some murder,” Greene wrote on social media. “Only a select few in the top tax bracket are benefiting from this, and the majority of you ain’t in it.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/iran-oil-insider-trading
“Higgins: ‘It’s simple economics. Today it’s oil, right? In ten or fifteen years, food. Plutonium. Maybe even sooner. Now, what do you think the people are gonna want us to do then?... Not now - then! Ask ‘em when they’re running out. Ask ‘em when there’s no heat in their homes and they’re cold. Ask ‘em when their engines stop. Ask ‘em when people who have never known hunger start going hungry. You wanna know something? They won’t want us to ask ‘em. They’ll just want us to get it for ‘em!’”
That (in)famous, chilling scene. My memory keeps getting tested, I think it may have been a year or so ago when I came across an item about the Pentagon doing planning – of the “war” variety, most likely – given global warming. What I found (disturbingly) interesting was that this planning wasn’t at all centered upon mitigating the effects of global warming, such as by lowering the Pentagon’s carbon footprint (just how…?). No, it was military planning to secure oil, raw materials, and other likely scarcities as the climate was upended by droughts in some areas, floods in others, crop failures, huge migrations, you get the picture. In other words, a variation of “he who has the most toys wins.”
See Abby Martin’s “Earth’s Greatest Enemy,” “Abby Martin reveals how the US military, as the world's largest polluter, impacts the environment while operating with minimal accountability.” Imdb.com
There was another element of Three Days of the Condor that was prescient. That was those in power eliminating those who sought to expose them or stand in their way. By "executive action" - e.g. Charlie Kirk, likely Seth Rich; or just buying the 'vote' - e.g., Thomas Massie.
I enjoyed the movie but I never thought Robertson's speech made much sense. But would you expect a speech about Israel's influence on US decision making? Ha ha ha. Not from a Hollywood production.
Just my personal opinion, of course, but I thought that one was pretty silly. I believe that was a Warren Beatty vanity project. Hey, have youse guys (anyone reading this) seen "The Prisoner," a series done for British TV in late 1960s and eventually seen in US? I have the whole thing on Blu-ray Discs. Could very well be officially "out of print," but may be avail. on some streaming service or another. Definitely worth absorbing!!
Known inside The Village simply as "#6." Leo McKern was such a good "#2" he was brought back for repeat performances. How do you know the character's name was John Drake?? Did you freeze an image and enlarge some text?
I have to add, I am a little concerned you are reading Rudy Giuliani articles from 20 year-old copies of The Atlantic. Are you ok Bill? It reminds me of this:
Ahh, dear Rudy! Bastard escaped death by pneumonia recently. Very disappointing for me. He can access the money for top-rate medical care, can't he? :-(
Having canceled my digital NY Times subscription, and having ditched my cable TV service in 2019 before the monthly bill could bankrupt me, I now have only CNN online by which to follow what passes for mainstream "news coverage" these days. And I'm not seeing any intrepid reporter or op-ed writer posing this simple question: "With the US having asserted the 'right' to seize Venezuela's oil, its reserves believed to be the biggest on Earth, why does the US need ANY damned oil from the Middle East??" And then there's the little matter of uranium. One of the most risible of The Donald's ideas about Iran was the notion of sending in a team of commandos to literally STEAL Iran's stockpile of nuclear materials!! (He demanded previously that Iran hand that stuff over "voluntarily"! Somehow I don't picture that happening.) And so it goes while we are under the thumb of an Extremely Stable Genius! :-(
"Wishing" is one thing. Only the USA and Israel have the nuclear weapons to wipe out Iran, and of course Trump has threatened mass death to Iran.
And in this war, a lot more Iranians have been killed and wounded than Americans. I guess that's OK with you? Especially all those Iranian school girls vaporized? La la la.
The claimed official death toll for US military in the current War of Choice stands at 13. "Death from the Sky" allows US to rack up obscene kill ratios over any designated enemy. But despite 18 "intel" agencies, the US was certainly surprised at Iran's ability to hit back, eh? Highly unlikely that even Crusader Rabbit Hegseth will persuade Donny to put "boots on the ground" in Iran.
Ha!! Don't give the Pentagon ideas! They could drop those boots from B-52s and then plead for more funds from Congress to get millions of pairs of fancy new ones! With kickbacks to the Trump Crime Family no doubt! :-(
I have always enjoyed that particular scene in a wonderful movie. As I rewatched it I realized two things. One, like the CIA man Higgins the government still thinks that these regime overthrow plans are solid ones and that they will work, despite overwhelming evidence that they create massive problems and violent blowback, like we are seeing today in Iran.
Two, I seriously doubt whether the NY Times would print such a story today, the legacy media having become such an extension of the National Security State. Thank God for the various independent channels available today.
Yes--today there's no way the NYT would touch that story. Higgins would have no fear in 2026--he'd laugh at Joe Turner for being so dumb as to trust the NYT.
Because of its role in publishing The Pentagon Papers--in collaboration with the Washington Post--The NY Times became a topic for naive Liberals to fantasize over: "We'll just take our discovery of gummint wrongdoing to The Times, they'll publish it, and everything will be fine going forward." This naivety extended to some filmmakers.
"Because of its role in publishing The Pentagon Papers--in collaboration with the Washington Post..."
I can't recall where I came upon it, and it's conceivable I don't have it exactly right, but I'm left with the impression that as much as the NYT touts its virtue in publishing the Pentagon Papers, it actually dragged its ass, resisting all the way, until it realized it was about to get scooped by the Post. That sense of impression was justified when, several years later, Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. (incidentally, in my class at college, didn't impress then, nor subsequently) kowtowed to Dumbya's national security state and sat for a year on a story about his (mal)administration's tapping into people's e-mails and other electronic communications in violation of 4th Amendment protections. Again, my recollection is lagging, but I think had the NYT published in a timely manner, it would have proven disastrous for Dumbya, either at the polls or with some (typically) hare-brained military adventure.
The movie "All the President's Men" I think told the story of the Watergate saga pretty close to the facts. The Legal Department at WaPo were tearing their hair out worrying about the revenge Nixon would want to extract. But Tricky Dick was a pussycat compared to the thing that occupies the presidency now. I reckon all the details of the Trump Crime Family's violations of the law will never surface, and a real investigation likely won't be launched until The Donald is six feet under. So much for fearless journalism!! :-(
"The Legal Department at WaPo were tearing their hair out..."
I think the NYT was just plain cowardly.
"I reckon all the details of the Trump Crime Family's violations of the law will never surface..."
I think you're right there.
"... until The Donald is six feet under."
I don't think he's ever gonna die. Something like a Rasputin.
"So much for fearless journalism!! :-( "
It can be found - thank goodness - just not among the "legacy" media.
True, as you noted. in today's world Turner - being the smart guy he was - would not have bothered with the NYT; he would have gone to alternative media (e.g., The GrayZone).
At least those awake would be made aware of it.
And the rich get richer. “When is everyone going to start realizing that the on-again, off-again war/peace rhetoric is really just insider trading? And sprinkle in some murder,” Greene wrote on social media. “Only a select few in the top tax bracket are benefiting from this, and the majority of you ain’t in it.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/iran-oil-insider-trading
Is a truism any less valid because it’s a snark?
“Higgins: ‘It’s simple economics. Today it’s oil, right? In ten or fifteen years, food. Plutonium. Maybe even sooner. Now, what do you think the people are gonna want us to do then?... Not now - then! Ask ‘em when they’re running out. Ask ‘em when there’s no heat in their homes and they’re cold. Ask ‘em when their engines stop. Ask ‘em when people who have never known hunger start going hungry. You wanna know something? They won’t want us to ask ‘em. They’ll just want us to get it for ‘em!’”
That (in)famous, chilling scene. My memory keeps getting tested, I think it may have been a year or so ago when I came across an item about the Pentagon doing planning – of the “war” variety, most likely – given global warming. What I found (disturbingly) interesting was that this planning wasn’t at all centered upon mitigating the effects of global warming, such as by lowering the Pentagon’s carbon footprint (just how…?). No, it was military planning to secure oil, raw materials, and other likely scarcities as the climate was upended by droughts in some areas, floods in others, crop failures, huge migrations, you get the picture. In other words, a variation of “he who has the most toys wins.”
See Abby Martin’s “Earth’s Greatest Enemy,” “Abby Martin reveals how the US military, as the world's largest polluter, impacts the environment while operating with minimal accountability.” Imdb.com
A Shell Game.
Yes! :-)
There was another element of Three Days of the Condor that was prescient. That was those in power eliminating those who sought to expose them or stand in their way. By "executive action" - e.g. Charlie Kirk, likely Seth Rich; or just buying the 'vote' - e.g., Thomas Massie.
I enjoyed the movie but I never thought Robertson's speech made much sense. But would you expect a speech about Israel's influence on US decision making? Ha ha ha. Not from a Hollywood production.
The Parralax View is another great one from the 70s. I think you got me to watch that Bill.
Just my personal opinion, of course, but I thought that one was pretty silly. I believe that was a Warren Beatty vanity project. Hey, have youse guys (anyone reading this) seen "The Prisoner," a series done for British TV in late 1960s and eventually seen in US? I have the whole thing on Blu-ray Discs. Could very well be officially "out of print," but may be avail. on some streaming service or another. Definitely worth absorbing!!
"The Prisoner" rem. this Classic Show w/ Patrick McGoohan as Secret Agent John Drake!!
Known inside The Village simply as "#6." Leo McKern was such a good "#2" he was brought back for repeat performances. How do you know the character's name was John Drake?? Did you freeze an image and enlarge some text?
I have to add, I am a little concerned you are reading Rudy Giuliani articles from 20 year-old copies of The Atlantic. Are you ok Bill? It reminds me of this:
https://youtu.be/Im1aXFYoedg?si=YTD_C9qQEqHCV5OQ
😉
Ahh, dear Rudy! Bastard escaped death by pneumonia recently. Very disappointing for me. He can access the money for top-rate medical care, can't he? :-(
Having canceled my digital NY Times subscription, and having ditched my cable TV service in 2019 before the monthly bill could bankrupt me, I now have only CNN online by which to follow what passes for mainstream "news coverage" these days. And I'm not seeing any intrepid reporter or op-ed writer posing this simple question: "With the US having asserted the 'right' to seize Venezuela's oil, its reserves believed to be the biggest on Earth, why does the US need ANY damned oil from the Middle East??" And then there's the little matter of uranium. One of the most risible of The Donald's ideas about Iran was the notion of sending in a team of commandos to literally STEAL Iran's stockpile of nuclear materials!! (He demanded previously that Iran hand that stuff over "voluntarily"! Somehow I don't picture that happening.) And so it goes while we are under the thumb of an Extremely Stable Genius! :-(
I guess wishing death to the Great Satan and its inhabitants - and telling religious followers to carry it out - is not really a threat. La la la.
"Wishing" is one thing. Only the USA and Israel have the nuclear weapons to wipe out Iran, and of course Trump has threatened mass death to Iran.
And in this war, a lot more Iranians have been killed and wounded than Americans. I guess that's OK with you? Especially all those Iranian school girls vaporized? La la la.
The claimed official death toll for US military in the current War of Choice stands at 13. "Death from the Sky" allows US to rack up obscene kill ratios over any designated enemy. But despite 18 "intel" agencies, the US was certainly surprised at Iran's ability to hit back, eh? Highly unlikely that even Crusader Rabbit Hegseth will persuade Donny to put "boots on the ground" in Iran.
I just had a vision of us dropping millions of boots from airplanes over Iran and leaving them all over the ground.
Ha!! Don't give the Pentagon ideas! They could drop those boots from B-52s and then plead for more funds from Congress to get millions of pairs of fancy new ones! With kickbacks to the Trump Crime Family no doubt! :-(