Difference between revisions of "William Griffith"
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{{person | {{person | ||
|wikipedia= | |wikipedia= | ||
| − | |description=Helped introduce discussion on ''Domestic Developments In Eastern Europe:Policy Implications For The West'' for the [[1989 Bilderberg]] | + | |description=Spooky US academic. "A very dedicated [[anti-Communist]]" and "[[Zbig]]'s idea man." Helped introduce discussion on ''Domestic Developments In Eastern Europe:Policy Implications For The West'' for the [[1989 Bilderberg]] |
|image=William E. Griffith.jpg | |image=William E. Griffith.jpg | ||
| + | |image_width=300px | ||
|nationality=US | |nationality=US | ||
| − | |interests= | + | |interests=anti-communism |
|birth_date=19 February 1920 | |birth_date=19 February 1920 | ||
|birth_place= | |birth_place= | ||
| Line 10: | Line 11: | ||
|death_place= | |death_place= | ||
|alma_mater=Hamilton College,Harvard | |alma_mater=Hamilton College,Harvard | ||
| − | |constitutes=academic | + | |constitutes=academic,spook? |
|employment={{job | |employment={{job | ||
|title=Head of Center for International Studies' International Communist Project | |title=Head of Center for International Studies' International Communist Project | ||
| Line 16: | Line 17: | ||
|end=1990 | |end=1990 | ||
|employer=MIT | |employer=MIT | ||
| − | |description=Attended [[Bilderberg/1989]] | + | |description="[[Zbig]]'s idea man." Attended [[Bilderberg/1985]] and [[Bilderberg/1989]] |
}}{{job | }}{{job | ||
|title=Chief political adviser | |title=Chief political adviser | ||
|start=1950 | |start=1950 | ||
|end=1958 | |end=1958 | ||
| − | |employer= Radio Free Europe | + | |employer=Radio Free Europe,CIA |
|description= | |description= | ||
|location=Munich,Bavaria | |location=Munich,Bavaria | ||
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}} | }} | ||
}} | }} | ||
| − | '''William E. Griffith''' helped introduce discussion on ''Domestic Developments In Eastern Europe:Policy Implications For The West'' for the [[1989 Bilderberg]].<ref name=bb1989report>[[File:Bilderberg-Conference-Report-1989.pdf]]</ref><ref>https://news.mit.edu/1998/griffith-1007</ref> | + | '''William E. Griffith''' was a spooky US [[MIT]] academic described as "a very dedicated [[anti-Communist]]" and "[[Zbigniew Brzezinski]]'s idea man". He attended the [[1985 Bilderberg meeting]], and helped introduce discussion on ''Domestic Developments In Eastern Europe:Policy Implications For The West'' for the [[1989 Bilderberg]].<ref name=bb1989report>[[File:Bilderberg-Conference-Report-1989.pdf]]</ref><ref name=mit>https://news.mit.edu/1998/griffith-1007</ref><ref>https://www.rferl.org/a/1089694.html</ref> |
| + | |||
| + | ==Education== | ||
| + | Griffith, born on February 19, 1920 in Remsen, NY, received a BA in liberal arts from [[Hamilton College]] in [[1940]] and the MA in history from [[Harvard]] in [[1941]]. He received the PhD in history from [[Harvard]] in [[1950]].<ref name=mit/><ref>https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/10/us/william-e-griffith-78-expert-on-communism.html</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Career== | ||
| + | Griffith's career began as a US Army officer in [[France]] and [[Germany]] during [[World War II]], after which he became chief of the [[Denazification]] Branch of the [[Allied-occupied Germany|US Military Government]] for [[Bavaria]] from 1947-48. He was awarded the Commander's Cross of the German Order of Merit.<ref name=mit/> | ||
| + | |||
| + | After his tour of duty in Bavaria, he returned to the [[United States]] to complete work on his PhD in German history at [[Harvard]], then moved back to Germany as chief political adviser to the [[CIA]]'s [[Radio Free Europe]] (RFE) in [[Munich]] from 1950-58, the height of the [[Cold War]].<ref name=mit/> | ||
| + | |||
| + | He returned to an offical government position in [[1979]] as [[National Security Council]] advisor to [[President Carter]]'s national security advisor, [[Zbigniew Brzezinski]], a longtime colleague. Professor Griffith commuted to Washington once a week from [[Massachusetts]] and was described to ''[[The New York Times]]'' by a White House aide as "[[Zbig]]'s idea man."<ref name=mit/> He collaborated with Brzezinski on several books. | ||
| + | |||
| + | A RFL obituary said "In the years when Western observers often saw the Communist world as uniformly black, and [[Soviet]] power as invincible, Bill Griffith discerned nuances. He was among the first to analyze the conflict between the [[Soviet Union]] and [[Communist China]]. He wrote about the conflicts among Communist states and among Communist leaderships. He understood that national interests -- and passions -- had been submerged but not suppressed by Soviet power."<ref>https://www.rferl.org/a/1089694.html</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | He worked as senior advisor to the [[US/Ambassador/West Germany|US ambassador in Bonn]] from 1985-86. Upon his retirement, he moved to [[Germany]] for four years and continued to do research there and at [[MIT]].<ref name=mit/> | ||
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| + | |||
{{SMWDocs}} | {{SMWDocs}} | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
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Latest revision as of 12:27, 9 July 2024
 William Griffith  (academic, spook?) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Born | 19 February 1920 | |||||||||||
| Died | 28 September 1998 (Age 78) | |||||||||||
| Nationality | US | |||||||||||
| Alma mater | Hamilton College, Harvard | |||||||||||
| Interests | anti-communism | |||||||||||
Spooky US academic. "A very dedicated anti-Communist" and "Zbig's idea man." Helped introduce discussion on Domestic Developments In Eastern Europe:Policy Implications For The West for the 1989 Bilderberg
| ||||||||||||
William E. Griffith was a spooky US MIT academic described as "a very dedicated anti-Communist" and "Zbigniew Brzezinski's idea man". He attended the 1985 Bilderberg meeting, and helped introduce discussion on Domestic Developments In Eastern Europe:Policy Implications For The West for the 1989 Bilderberg.[1][2][3]
Education
Griffith, born on February 19, 1920 in Remsen, NY, received a BA in liberal arts from Hamilton College in 1940 and the MA in history from Harvard in 1941. He received the PhD in history from Harvard in 1950.[2][4]
Career
Griffith's career began as a US Army officer in France and Germany during World War II, after which he became chief of the Denazification Branch of the US Military Government for Bavaria from 1947-48. He was awarded the Commander's Cross of the German Order of Merit.[2]
After his tour of duty in Bavaria, he returned to the United States to complete work on his PhD in German history at Harvard, then moved back to Germany as chief political adviser to the CIA's Radio Free Europe (RFE) in Munich from 1950-58, the height of the Cold War.[2]
He returned to an offical government position in 1979 as National Security Council advisor to President Carter's national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, a longtime colleague. Professor Griffith commuted to Washington once a week from Massachusetts and was described to The New York Times by a White House aide as "Zbig's idea man."[2] He collaborated with Brzezinski on several books.
A RFL obituary said "In the years when Western observers often saw the Communist world as uniformly black, and Soviet power as invincible, Bill Griffith discerned nuances. He was among the first to analyze the conflict between the Soviet Union and Communist China. He wrote about the conflicts among Communist states and among Communist leaderships. He understood that national interests -- and passions -- had been submerged but not suppressed by Soviet power."[5]
He worked as senior advisor to the US ambassador in Bonn from 1985-86. Upon his retirement, he moved to Germany for four years and continued to do research there and at MIT.[2]
Events Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1985 | 10 May 1985 | 12 May 1985 | New York US Arrowwood of Westchester Rye Brook | The 33rd Bilderberg, held in Canada |
| Bilderberg/1989 | 12 May 1989 | 14 May 1989 | Spain Galicia La Toja Island | 37th Bilderberg meeting, 110 guests |
