Difference between revisions of "Constantin Menges"
(save draft) |
m (family background tidy) |
||
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
|death_place= | |death_place= | ||
|description= | |description= | ||
| − | |parents= | + | |parents=Karl Heinrich Menges |
|spouses= | |spouses= | ||
|children= | |children= | ||
| Line 43: | Line 43: | ||
'''Constantine C. Menges''' was an American scholar, author, professor, and Latin American specialist for the [[White House]]'s [[US National Security Council]] and the [[Central Intelligence Agency]].<ref>http://michellemalkin.com/2004/07/12/constantine-menges-rip/</ref><ref>http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/jul/15/20040715-082645-4699r/</ref> Constantin Menges attended [[Le Cercle]] in 1985, and possibly on other occasions. | '''Constantine C. Menges''' was an American scholar, author, professor, and Latin American specialist for the [[White House]]'s [[US National Security Council]] and the [[Central Intelligence Agency]].<ref>http://michellemalkin.com/2004/07/12/constantine-menges-rip/</ref><ref>http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/jul/15/20040715-082645-4699r/</ref> Constantin Menges attended [[Le Cercle]] in 1985, and possibly on other occasions. | ||
| − | Menges was born in Turkey on September 1, 1939, the son of political refugees from Nazi Germany. | + | ==Family Background== |
| + | Menges was born in [[Turkey]] on September 1, [[1939]], the son of Karl Heinrich and Valeska Menges, political refugees from Nazi Germany. Karl Heinrich was a linguist known for his expertise on [[Altaic languages]]. He was quoted variously as saying he spoke between 24 and "over 50" languages, and said that when he came to the United States he was the only person in the country who could speak [[Uzbek]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | After Menges was arrested because of his contacts in the [[Soviet Unio]]n, released again, but probably continued to be spied on and repeatedly interrogated and had to testify in a trial against a group of Berlin communists, he left Germany in December [[1936]], fleeing first to [[Czechoslovakia]], then [[Turkey]]. Menges taught at [[Columbia University]] in New York for 36 years, from 1940 to 1976. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Early years== | ||
| + | His parents sent him to the [[United States]] in [[1943]]. Menges attended college in [[Prague]].<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20111208033126/http://www.fumento.com/people/menges.html </ref> He earned a bachelor's degree in physics and a doctorate in political science from [[Columbia University]].<ref>http://articles.latimes.com/2004/jul/20/local/me-passings20.2</ref><ref>{https://www.college.columbia.edu/cct_archive/sep04/obituaries1.html</ref> <ref>"The Week...". National Review (August 9, 2004): 15. 2004.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Career== | ||
| + | He helped German refugees escape over the [[Berlin Wall]] and organized civil resistance after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 during the [[Prague Spring]] | ||
Menges worked to ensure equal voting rights in Mississippi and During the Nixon and Ford administrations, he was deputy assistant for civil rights in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20111208033126/http://www.fumento.com/people/menges.html</ref> | Menges worked to ensure equal voting rights in Mississippi and During the Nixon and Ford administrations, he was deputy assistant for civil rights in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20111208033126/http://www.fumento.com/people/menges.html</ref> | ||
Revision as of 12:45, 28 September 2022
 Constantin Menges    (Spook, Academic) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 1, 1939 Ankara, Turkey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | July 11, 2004 (Age 64) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | US | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Columbia University | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parents | Karl Heinrich Menges | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of | Le Cercle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Constantine C. Menges was an American scholar, author, professor, and Latin American specialist for the White House's US National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency.[1][2] Constantin Menges attended Le Cercle in 1985, and possibly on other occasions.
Family Background
Menges was born in Turkey on September 1, 1939, the son of Karl Heinrich and Valeska Menges, political refugees from Nazi Germany. Karl Heinrich was a linguist known for his expertise on Altaic languages. He was quoted variously as saying he spoke between 24 and "over 50" languages, and said that when he came to the United States he was the only person in the country who could speak Uzbek.
After Menges was arrested because of his contacts in the Soviet Union, released again, but probably continued to be spied on and repeatedly interrogated and had to testify in a trial against a group of Berlin communists, he left Germany in December 1936, fleeing first to Czechoslovakia, then Turkey. Menges taught at Columbia University in New York for 36 years, from 1940 to 1976.
Early years
His parents sent him to the United States in 1943. Menges attended college in Prague.[3] He earned a bachelor's degree in physics and a doctorate in political science from Columbia University.[4][5] [6]
Career
He helped German refugees escape over the Berlin Wall and organized civil resistance after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 during the Prague Spring
Menges worked to ensure equal voting rights in Mississippi and During the Nixon and Ford administrations, he was deputy assistant for civil rights in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.[7]
From 1981 until 1983, he worked for the director of the CIA as the national intelligence officer for Latin America. From 1983 until 1986, he served as special assistant to President Ronald Reagan.[8] He helped plan Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada and supported the Nicaraguan Contras and the Salvadoran rebels. Friends and foes gave him the nickname "Constant Menace".[9] He wrote a critical account of his experiences as a government official in his 1988 book, Inside the National Security Council: The True Story of the Making and Unmaking of Reagan's Foreign Policy
In September 2002, Constantine Menges sent a letter to Olavo de Carvalho in which he agreed with the Brazilian philosopher’s analysis of the current political situation in Brazil.[citation needed][10]
He died of cancer on July 11, 2004, in Washington, D.C., where he had been a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.[11]
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Cercle/1985 (Washington) | 7 January 1985 | 10 January 1985 | US Washington DC | 4 day meeting of Le Cercle in Washington exposed after Joel Van der Reijden discovered the attendee list for this conference and published it online in 2011 |
References
- ↑ http://michellemalkin.com/2004/07/12/constantine-menges-rip/
- ↑ http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/jul/15/20040715-082645-4699r/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20111208033126/http://www.fumento.com/people/menges.html
- ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/2004/jul/20/local/me-passings20.2
- ↑ {https://www.college.columbia.edu/cct_archive/sep04/obituaries1.html
- ↑ "The Week...". National Review (August 9, 2004): 15. 2004.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20111208033126/http://www.fumento.com/people/menges.html
- ↑ http://www.ashbrook.org/events/lecture/1989/menges.html
- ↑ "The Week...". National Review (August 9, 2004): 15. 2004.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150414212633/http://www.olavodecarvalho.org/english/texts/menges_letter_en.htm
- ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/2004/jul/20/local/me-passings20.2
