Ralph Blum

William Blum, born in Brooklyn in 1933, was an American author and journalist who became a prominent critic of United States foreign policy. After studying accountancy and working as a computer programmer, Blum developed an ambition to join the foreign service but became disillusioned by the Vietnam War. This led him to activism and co-founding the Washington Free Press. He later worked as a freelance journalist in various parts of the world, reporting on events in Chile before the Pinochet coup and collaborating with ex-CIA officer Philip Agee to expose agency operations.

Blum dedicated much of his writing to detailing U.S. military and CIA interventions, earning praise from figures like Noam Chomsky for his book "Killing Hope." He also published "Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower," which gained unexpected notoriety when Osama bin Laden quoted it in a public statement, leading to a surge in sales. Blum viewed his life's work as an effort to slow down or harm the American Empire, which he believed caused significant global suffering. He passed away in 2018 at the age of 85.

Born in Brooklyn to Polish Jewish immigrants, William Blum pursued a degree in accountancy before working as a computer programmer for IBM and the U.S. State Department. Initially aspiring to be a foreign service officer, his views shifted dramatically due to his disillusionment with the Vietnam War. This led him to anti-war activism, prompting his resignation from his government position in 1967. By this time, he had already become a co-founder and editor of the Washington Free Press, an alternative newspaper.

Blum established himself as a freelance journalist, reporting from the United States, Europe, and South America. His work included covering the socialist experiment in Chile under Salvador Allende prior to the U.S.-backed coup. In the mid-1970s, he collaborated with former CIA officer Philip Agee on a project aimed at exposing CIA personnel and their activities. Blum's extensive writings, particularly his books, focused heavily on CIA interventions and assassination plots, with "Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II" being highly regarded by Noam Chomsky. He also published "Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower" and circulated a newsletter called "The Anti-Empire Report."

In 2006, William Blum gained significant media attention when Osama bin Laden publicly quoted his book "Rogue State" and recommended it to Americans. This endorsement, while surprising to Blum, led to a substantial increase in the book's sales. Blum expressed that he was not deterred by the source of the endorsement, stating that if bin Laden shared a dislike for certain aspects of US foreign policy, he wouldn't reject the support. Blum believed that US foreign policy, rather than a hatred of American freedom, was the root cause of anti-American terrorism. He noted a subsequent decline in speaking engagement offers on college campuses after the bin Laden mention.

“take part in the great anti-Communist crusade”

“If not ending, at least slowing down the American Empire. At least injuring the beast. It's causing so much suffering around the world.”

“I was quite surprised and even shocked and amused when I found out what he'd said. I was glad. I knew it would help the book's sales and I was not bothered by who it was coming from. If he shares with me a deep dislike for certain aspects of US foreign policy, then I'm not going to spurn any endorsement of the book by him. I think it's good that he shares those views and I'm not turned off by that.”

“This is almost as good as being an Oprah book.”

“Basically it's US foreign policy which creates anti-American terrorists. It's the things we do to the world. It's not, as the White House tells us, that they hate our freedom and democracy. That's just propaganda.”