Difference between revisions of "Julian Amery"
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| − | 1919-1996 [[Julian Amery]] was a | + | {{person |
| + | |wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Amery | ||
| + | |constitutes=politician, spook, deep politician | ||
| + | |nationality=UK | ||
| + | |image=Julian Amery.jpg | ||
| + | |description=MI6, deep politician who chaired Le Cercle for several years. | ||
| + | |birth_date=1919-03-27 | ||
| + | |death_date=1996-09-03 | ||
| + | |powerbase=http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Julian_Amery | ||
| + | |alma_mater=Oxford University/Balliol College | ||
| + | |historycommons=http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=julian_amery_1 | ||
| + | |employment={{job | ||
| + | |title=Chairman of Le Cercle | ||
| + | |start=1985 | ||
| + | |end=1992 | ||
| + | |description=The end date is conjecture, based on <Ref>http://www.independent.co.uk/news/aitken-dropped-by-the-rights-secret-club-1258522.html</ref><ref>https://isgp-studies.com/le-cercle-membership-list</ref> and <ref>https://isgp-studies.com/le-cercle-pinay</ref> | ||
| + | }}{{job | ||
| + | |title=Minister of State | ||
| + | |start=5 November 1972 | ||
| + | |end=4 March 1974 | ||
| + | }}{{job | ||
| + | |title=Foreign and Commonwealth Office | ||
| + | |start=5 November 1972 | ||
| + | |end=4 March 1974 | ||
| + | }}{{job | ||
| + | |title=UK/Minister for Housing and Construction | ||
| + | |start=15 October 1970 | ||
| + | |end=5 November 1972 | ||
| + | }}{{job | ||
| + | |title=UK/Minister of Public Buildings and Works | ||
| + | |start=23 June 1970 | ||
| + | |end=14 October 1970 | ||
| + | }}{{job | ||
| + | |title=Member of Parliament for Preston North | ||
| + | |start=23 February 1950 | ||
| + | |end=31 March 1966 | ||
| + | }}{{job | ||
| + | |title=Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion | ||
| + | |start=27 March 1969 | ||
| + | |end=9 April 1992 | ||
| + | }}{{job | ||
| + | |title=UK/Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | ||
| + | |start=5 November 1972 | ||
| + | |end=4 March 1974}} | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | [[Julian Amery]] was a [[UK]] [[deep politician]] who was also a [[Conservative]] MP. As '''Lord Amery of Lustleigh''', he was also a member of the [[House of Lords]]. He was [[Le Cercle/Chairman (Europe)|chairman]] of [[Le Cercle]] for some years and heavily involved in the [[European Deep State]].<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/julian-amery-dies-1361693.html Julian Amery dies], The Independent, 4 September 1996.</ref> He has been termed "one of the most important behind the scenes players in post WWII Britain."<ref>https://isgp-studies.com/1001-club-of-the-wwf</ref> | ||
| − | ==Special Operations in the Balkans== | + | ==Career== |
| + | ===Special Operations in the Balkans=== | ||
As an agent of [[MI6]]'s [[Section D]] in Belgrade in 1941, Amery recruited Albanian exiles in Greece and Turkey to fight the Italians.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.356.</ref> Along with [[David Smiley]] and [[Neil McLean]], Amery made up a group known as 'the musketeers' which favoured Albanian nationalist and royalist groups, which were less reliably anti-Nazi than [[Enver Hoxha]]'s communists.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.357.</ref> | As an agent of [[MI6]]'s [[Section D]] in Belgrade in 1941, Amery recruited Albanian exiles in Greece and Turkey to fight the Italians.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.356.</ref> Along with [[David Smiley]] and [[Neil McLean]], Amery made up a group known as 'the musketeers' which favoured Albanian nationalist and royalist groups, which were less reliably anti-Nazi than [[Enver Hoxha]]'s communists.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.357.</ref> | ||
Amery still believed that an allied intervention could prevent a communist takeover when he entered Albania with McLean and Smiley in April 1944, as part of the [[Consensus 11]] mission. However, their superiors disagreed and they were forced to abandon their local allies.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, pp.359-360.</ref> | Amery still believed that an allied intervention could prevent a communist takeover when he entered Albania with McLean and Smiley in April 1944, as part of the [[Consensus 11]] mission. However, their superiors disagreed and they were forced to abandon their local allies.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, pp.359-360.</ref> | ||
| − | ===Postwar Albania=== | + | ====Postwar Albania==== |
| − | In 1948, Amery was approached about a possible operation in Albania by [[Colin Gubbins]], who retained a relationship with [[MI6]] in post-war retirement.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.364.</ref> Amery began lobbying around this idea, claiming that Stalin was using Albania as submarine and rocket base.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.365.</ref> In a January 1949 article he suggested the Hoxha regime was | + | In 1948, Amery was approached about a possible operation in [[Albania]] by [[Colin Gubbins]], who retained a relationship with [[MI6]] in post-war retirement.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.364.</ref> Amery began lobbying around this idea, claiming that [[Stalin]] was using Albania as submarine and rocket base.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.365.</ref> In a January 1949 article he suggested the Hoxha regime was ripe for overthrow, a claim that was disputed by Albanian exiles.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.366.</ref> |
In a March 1949 article in ''The Nineteenth Century and After'' Amery called on the defence authorities to embrace 'Resistance' as a branch of warfare, arguing for a reply "to communist revolutions in China, Malaya and Greece by launching insurrections or sabotage campaigns in the Balkans or Turkestan.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.370.</ref> | In a March 1949 article in ''The Nineteenth Century and After'' Amery called on the defence authorities to embrace 'Resistance' as a branch of warfare, arguing for a reply "to communist revolutions in China, Malaya and Greece by launching insurrections or sabotage campaigns in the Balkans or Turkestan.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.370.</ref> | ||
| − | Amery and McLean met at Buck's Club in London some weeks later with [[Frank Wisner]] who approved | + | Amery and McLean met at Buck's Club in London some weeks later with [[Frank Wisner]] who approved US support for an operation in Albania.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.371.</ref> Amery and McLean then toured the Mediterranean, linking up with their Albanian exile contacts.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.372.</ref> Although the subsequent Anglo-American operations in Albania were widely regarded as a complete failure, Amery believed that they "forced the Soviets and Albanians to call off the civil war in [[Greece]]."<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.402.</ref> |
| − | ==Congress for Cultural Freedom== | + | ===Congress for Cultural Freedom=== |
In June 1950, Amery attended the Berlin [[Congress for Cultural Freedom]] as a member of the British delegation, which was funded by the Foreign Office through the [[Information Research Department]].<ref>Frances Stonor Saunders, Who Paid the Piper, Granta Books, 2000, p.76.</ref> In October, [[James Burnham]] wrote to Amery asking him to conciliate [[Hugh Trevor-Roper]] and [[A.J. Ayer]] who had been critical of the conference proceedings, and to form "a potential nucleus for the Congress in England."<ref>Hugh Wilford, Calling the Tune? The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War, Frank Cass, 2003, p.195.</ref> | In June 1950, Amery attended the Berlin [[Congress for Cultural Freedom]] as a member of the British delegation, which was funded by the Foreign Office through the [[Information Research Department]].<ref>Frances Stonor Saunders, Who Paid the Piper, Granta Books, 2000, p.76.</ref> In October, [[James Burnham]] wrote to Amery asking him to conciliate [[Hugh Trevor-Roper]] and [[A.J. Ayer]] who had been critical of the conference proceedings, and to form "a potential nucleus for the Congress in England."<ref>Hugh Wilford, Calling the Tune? The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War, Frank Cass, 2003, p.195.</ref> | ||
| Line 20: | Line 66: | ||
Amery was also present at the foundation of the Congress's London affiliate, the [[British Society for Cultural Freedom]] at the Authors' Club, Whitehall on 11 January 1950.<ref>Hugh Wilford, Calling the Tune? The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War, Frank Cass, 2003, p.196.</ref> A meeting of the society's executive in July 1951 noted Amery's intention of keeping 'in touch informally' with the Foreign Office.<ref>Hugh Wilford, Calling the Tune? The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War, Frank Cass, 2003, p.198.</ref> Amery resigned from the society in January, a struggle over CCF patronage between [[Michael Goodwin]] and [[Stephen Spender]].<ref>Frances Stonor Saunders, Who Paid the Piper, Granta Books, 2000, p.110.</ref> | Amery was also present at the foundation of the Congress's London affiliate, the [[British Society for Cultural Freedom]] at the Authors' Club, Whitehall on 11 January 1950.<ref>Hugh Wilford, Calling the Tune? The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War, Frank Cass, 2003, p.196.</ref> A meeting of the society's executive in July 1951 noted Amery's intention of keeping 'in touch informally' with the Foreign Office.<ref>Hugh Wilford, Calling the Tune? The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War, Frank Cass, 2003, p.198.</ref> Amery resigned from the society in January, a struggle over CCF patronage between [[Michael Goodwin]] and [[Stephen Spender]].<ref>Frances Stonor Saunders, Who Paid the Piper, Granta Books, 2000, p.110.</ref> | ||
| − | ==British League for European Freedom== | + | ===British League for European Freedom=== |
In January 1952, Amery was a delegate of the [[British League for European Freedom]] at a Church House conference of Eastern European exile groups organised by the [[European Movement]]. Stephen Dorril suggests that the presence of [[American Committee for a United Europe|ACUE]] and [[National Committee for a Free Europe|NCFE]] observers indicates the conference was funded by the [[CIA]].<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, pp.446-447.</ref> | In January 1952, Amery was a delegate of the [[British League for European Freedom]] at a Church House conference of Eastern European exile groups organised by the [[European Movement]]. Stephen Dorril suggests that the presence of [[American Committee for a United Europe|ACUE]] and [[National Committee for a Free Europe|NCFE]] observers indicates the conference was funded by the [[CIA]].<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, pp.446-447.</ref> | ||
| − | ==Iran== | + | ===Iran=== |
| − | In March 1952, Amery was approached by the | + | In March 1952, Amery was approached by the [[Iran]]ian aristocrat [[Qavam Saltaneh]], who said he was prepared to act against [[Iran/Prime Minister|Prime Minister]] [[Mohammed Mossadegh|Mossadegh]] with support from the UK Government.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.572.</ref> |
| − | ==Egypt== | + | ===Egypt=== |
| − | Prior to the overthrow of [[King Farouk]] in 1952, Amery passed [[Anthony Eden]] a tip-off from a British military instructor that a group of | + | Prior to the overthrow of [[King Farouk]] in 1952, Amery passed [[Anthony Eden]] a tip-off from a British military instructor that a group of [[Egypt]]ian officers was ready to seize power, but his assessment was contradicted by [[MI6]]<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.601.</ref> Amery went on to become a member of the 'Suez Group' of Tory MPs formed in 1953 to oppose any change in Britain's relationship with Egypt.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.603.</ref> As Secretary of the Suez group, Amery was involved in discreet contacts with Egyptian opponents of Nasser, including members of the [[Muslim Brotherhood]]. His favoured candidate to replace Nasser was Prince [[Abdul Monheim]].<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, pp.628-629.</ref> |
| − | ==Muscat== | + | ===Muscat=== |
| − | As Under-Secretary for War in January 1958, visited Muscat to discuss the prospect for a fresh assault on the rebels then fighting the Sultan. After consulting [[David Smiley]] he proposed an innovative solution: sending in the [[SAS]] under cover of a training mission.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.663.</ref> | + | As Under-Secretary for War in January 1958, visited [[Muscat]] to discuss the prospect for a fresh assault on the rebels then fighting the Sultan. After consulting [[David Smiley]] he proposed an innovative solution: sending in the [[SAS]] under cover of a training mission.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.663.</ref> |
| − | ==Cyprus== | + | ===Cyprus=== |
| − | As Colonial Minister in 1958, Amery persuaded [[George Young]] and [[John Bruce-Lockhart]] that [[MI6]] should join in the fight against [[EOKA]] in Cyprus.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.554.</ref> MI6 intelligence was subsequently credited with a key role in enabling Amery to negotiate the 1959 agreement which allowed for a continued British military presence in an independent Cyprus.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, pp.556-557.</ref> | + | As Colonial Minister in 1958, Amery persuaded [[George Young]] and [[John Bruce-Lockhart]] that [[MI6]] should join in the fight against [[EOKA]] in [[Cyprus]].<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.554.</ref> MI6 intelligence was subsequently credited with a key role in enabling Amery to negotiate the 1959 agreement which allowed for a continued British military presence in an independent Cyprus.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, pp.556-557.</ref> |
| − | ==Yemen== | + | ===Yemen=== |
| − | Following | + | Following the Nasserite [[coup]] in [[Yemen]] in September 1962, Amery met with [[King Hussein of Jordan]] and agreed to send fellow [[Le Cercle]] member [[Neil McLean]] to report on the situation.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.679.</ref> on 7 January 1963, Amery took part in the Cabinet Overseas and Defence Committee which considered McLean's findings and rejected any move to recognise the new regime, a position which put Britain at odds with the United States.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.683.</ref> |
| − | [[Harold Macmillan]] gave Amery the remit to organise covert support for the royalists. In late March 1963, he met at | + | [[Harold Macmillan]] gave Amery the remit to organise covert support for the royalists. In late March 1963, he met at White's with [[Neil McLean]], [[David Stirling]], Col. [[Brian Franks]] and [[Alec Douglas-Home]] to organise an unofficial mercenary operation. He subsequently introduced Stirling, McLean and Col. [[Jim Johnson]] to the royalist foreign minister [[Ahmed al-Shami]].<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.684.</ref> In June 1963, Amery introduced McLean to [[Prince Faisal]] and [[Prince Sultan]] of [[Saudi Arabia]], seeking Saudi support for the proposed operation.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.687.</ref> |
| − | + | ===Congo=== | |
| + | Stephen Dorril states that Amery was active in the '[[Katanga]] lobby' which supported British uranium interests in the [[Congo]].<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.685.</ref> | ||
| − | == | + | ==Opinions== |
| − | + | The ideological continuity is brought into sharper focus when you consider Julian Amery’s racist anti-immigrant views and his devotion to the British empire, particularly white-ruled [[Rhodesia]] and [[South Africa]]. In a 1965 Monday Club pamphlet, Amery offers an insight into his imperial worldview and the profit motive that underscored it:<ref>https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-10-24-declassified-apartheid-profits-le-cercle-the-phantom-profiteers/</ref> | |
| + | {{QB|“The prosperity of our people rests on the oil in the Persian Gulf, the rubber and tin of Malaya, and the gold, copper and precious metals of South And Central Africa. As long as we have access to these; as long as we can realise the investments we have there; as long as we trade with this part of the world, we shall be prosperous. If the communists [or anyone else] were to take them over, we would lose a lot.”}} | ||
| + | Author [https://twitter.com/hennievvuuren Hennie van Vuuren] identified Julian Amery as the crucial link between big business and apartheid [[South Africa]]:{{QB| | ||
| + | :"Amery can easily be dismissed as an old British patrician who was happiest when lounging about [[Harry Oppenheimer]]'s pool. He was far more menacing than that. His politics were right wing and his intelligence connections, through [[Le Cercle]], were an important source of support for Pretoria."<ref>''[https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apartheid-guns-money-tale-profit/dp/1431424846 "Apartheid, Guns and Money: A Tale of Profit"]''</ref>}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Deep politics== | ||
| + | Julian Amery was a chairman of [[Le Cercle]], from 1985 to 1992. His name appears on all known Cercle meeting invitee lists.<ref>File:1982_06_Cercle_Wildbad_Kreuth_meeting.jpg</ref><ref>File:1984 01 Cercle South Africa meeting.pdf</ref><ref>File:1984 07 Cercle Bonn meeting.pdf</ref><ref>File:1985 02 Cercle Washington DC meeting.pdf</ref> His 'protégé' [[Jonathan Aitken]]<ref>https://isgp-studies.com/le-cercle-pinay</ref> became chairman in 1993. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Amery was a good friend [[David Stirling]]<ref>https://isgp-studies.com/le-cercle-pinay</ref> and a supporter of {{te}}'s interests worldwide. His 1996 obituary in ''[[The Independent]]'' noted that "He threw himself with zest into the role of a backbencher, intervening, in that great, rumbling voice of his, on a wide variety of subjects but, increasingly, in support of the rebel Rhodesian government headed by Ian Smith, thus showing he was his Imperialist father's son to the core."<ref>https://isgp-studies.com/1001-club-of-the-wwf</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Family connections== | ||
| + | Julian Amery's father was [[Leo Amery]], a noted hawk and [[Secretary of State for India and Burma]] during [[World War II]]. His father-in-law was [[Harold Macmillan]]. His brother, [[John Amery]] was a suspected [[psychopath]] and [[Nazi]] sympathiser who made pro-Hitler broadcasts was interviewed by [[MI5]] and hung for [[treason]] in [[1945]].<ref>http://spartacus-educational.com/2WWamery.htm</ref> | ||
==Affiliations== | ==Affiliations== | ||
| Line 51: | Line 109: | ||
*[[Congress for Cultural Freedom]] | *[[Congress for Cultural Freedom]] | ||
*[[British Society for Cultural Freedom]] | *[[British Society for Cultural Freedom]] | ||
| − | + | {{SMWDocs}} | |
| − | + | ==References== | |
| − | |||
| − | == | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
Latest revision as of 15:32, 24 January 2023
 Julian Amery     (politician, spook, deep politician) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 1919-03-27 | |||||||||||||
| Died | 1996-09-03 (Age 77) | |||||||||||||
| Nationality | UK | |||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Oxford University/Balliol College | |||||||||||||
| Member of | Le Cercle | |||||||||||||
MI6, deep politician who chaired Le Cercle for several years.
| ||||||||||||||
Julian Amery was a UK deep politician who was also a Conservative MP. As Lord Amery of Lustleigh, he was also a member of the House of Lords. He was chairman of Le Cercle for some years and heavily involved in the European Deep State.[4] He has been termed "one of the most important behind the scenes players in post WWII Britain."[5]
Contents
Career
Special Operations in the Balkans
As an agent of MI6's Section D in Belgrade in 1941, Amery recruited Albanian exiles in Greece and Turkey to fight the Italians.[6] Along with David Smiley and Neil McLean, Amery made up a group known as 'the musketeers' which favoured Albanian nationalist and royalist groups, which were less reliably anti-Nazi than Enver Hoxha's communists.[7]
Amery still believed that an allied intervention could prevent a communist takeover when he entered Albania with McLean and Smiley in April 1944, as part of the Consensus 11 mission. However, their superiors disagreed and they were forced to abandon their local allies.[8]
Postwar Albania
In 1948, Amery was approached about a possible operation in Albania by Colin Gubbins, who retained a relationship with MI6 in post-war retirement.[9] Amery began lobbying around this idea, claiming that Stalin was using Albania as submarine and rocket base.[10] In a January 1949 article he suggested the Hoxha regime was ripe for overthrow, a claim that was disputed by Albanian exiles.[11]
In a March 1949 article in The Nineteenth Century and After Amery called on the defence authorities to embrace 'Resistance' as a branch of warfare, arguing for a reply "to communist revolutions in China, Malaya and Greece by launching insurrections or sabotage campaigns in the Balkans or Turkestan.[12]
Amery and McLean met at Buck's Club in London some weeks later with Frank Wisner who approved US support for an operation in Albania.[13] Amery and McLean then toured the Mediterranean, linking up with their Albanian exile contacts.[14] Although the subsequent Anglo-American operations in Albania were widely regarded as a complete failure, Amery believed that they "forced the Soviets and Albanians to call off the civil war in Greece."[15]
Congress for Cultural Freedom
In June 1950, Amery attended the Berlin Congress for Cultural Freedom as a member of the British delegation, which was funded by the Foreign Office through the Information Research Department.[16] In October, James Burnham wrote to Amery asking him to conciliate Hugh Trevor-Roper and A.J. Ayer who had been critical of the conference proceedings, and to form "a potential nucleus for the Congress in England."[17]
Amery was present at the meeting of the steering committee which created a permanent structure for the Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF) in November 1950.[18]
Amery was also present at the foundation of the Congress's London affiliate, the British Society for Cultural Freedom at the Authors' Club, Whitehall on 11 January 1950.[19] A meeting of the society's executive in July 1951 noted Amery's intention of keeping 'in touch informally' with the Foreign Office.[20] Amery resigned from the society in January, a struggle over CCF patronage between Michael Goodwin and Stephen Spender.[21]
British League for European Freedom
In January 1952, Amery was a delegate of the British League for European Freedom at a Church House conference of Eastern European exile groups organised by the European Movement. Stephen Dorril suggests that the presence of ACUE and NCFE observers indicates the conference was funded by the CIA.[22]
Iran
In March 1952, Amery was approached by the Iranian aristocrat Qavam Saltaneh, who said he was prepared to act against Prime Minister Mossadegh with support from the UK Government.[23]
Egypt
Prior to the overthrow of King Farouk in 1952, Amery passed Anthony Eden a tip-off from a British military instructor that a group of Egyptian officers was ready to seize power, but his assessment was contradicted by MI6[24] Amery went on to become a member of the 'Suez Group' of Tory MPs formed in 1953 to oppose any change in Britain's relationship with Egypt.[25] As Secretary of the Suez group, Amery was involved in discreet contacts with Egyptian opponents of Nasser, including members of the Muslim Brotherhood. His favoured candidate to replace Nasser was Prince Abdul Monheim.[26]
Muscat
As Under-Secretary for War in January 1958, visited Muscat to discuss the prospect for a fresh assault on the rebels then fighting the Sultan. After consulting David Smiley he proposed an innovative solution: sending in the SAS under cover of a training mission.[27]
Cyprus
As Colonial Minister in 1958, Amery persuaded George Young and John Bruce-Lockhart that MI6 should join in the fight against EOKA in Cyprus.[28] MI6 intelligence was subsequently credited with a key role in enabling Amery to negotiate the 1959 agreement which allowed for a continued British military presence in an independent Cyprus.[29]
Yemen
Following the Nasserite coup in Yemen in September 1962, Amery met with King Hussein of Jordan and agreed to send fellow Le Cercle member Neil McLean to report on the situation.[30] on 7 January 1963, Amery took part in the Cabinet Overseas and Defence Committee which considered McLean's findings and rejected any move to recognise the new regime, a position which put Britain at odds with the United States.[31]
Harold Macmillan gave Amery the remit to organise covert support for the royalists. In late March 1963, he met at White's with Neil McLean, David Stirling, Col. Brian Franks and Alec Douglas-Home to organise an unofficial mercenary operation. He subsequently introduced Stirling, McLean and Col. Jim Johnson to the royalist foreign minister Ahmed al-Shami.[32] In June 1963, Amery introduced McLean to Prince Faisal and Prince Sultan of Saudi Arabia, seeking Saudi support for the proposed operation.[33]
Congo
Stephen Dorril states that Amery was active in the 'Katanga lobby' which supported British uranium interests in the Congo.[34]
Opinions
The ideological continuity is brought into sharper focus when you consider Julian Amery’s racist anti-immigrant views and his devotion to the British empire, particularly white-ruled Rhodesia and South Africa. In a 1965 Monday Club pamphlet, Amery offers an insight into his imperial worldview and the profit motive that underscored it:[35]
“The prosperity of our people rests on the oil in the Persian Gulf, the rubber and tin of Malaya, and the gold, copper and precious metals of South And Central Africa. As long as we have access to these; as long as we can realise the investments we have there; as long as we trade with this part of the world, we shall be prosperous. If the communists [or anyone else] were to take them over, we would lose a lot.”
Author Hennie van Vuuren identified Julian Amery as the crucial link between big business and apartheid South Africa:
- "Amery can easily be dismissed as an old British patrician who was happiest when lounging about Harry Oppenheimer's pool. He was far more menacing than that. His politics were right wing and his intelligence connections, through Le Cercle, were an important source of support for Pretoria."[36]
Deep politics
Julian Amery was a chairman of Le Cercle, from 1985 to 1992. His name appears on all known Cercle meeting invitee lists.[37][38][39][40] His 'protégé' Jonathan Aitken[41] became chairman in 1993.
Amery was a good friend David Stirling[42] and a supporter of the establishment's interests worldwide. His 1996 obituary in The Independent noted that "He threw himself with zest into the role of a backbencher, intervening, in that great, rumbling voice of his, on a wide variety of subjects but, increasingly, in support of the rebel Rhodesian government headed by Ian Smith, thus showing he was his Imperialist father's son to the core."[43]
Family connections
Julian Amery's father was Leo Amery, a noted hawk and Secretary of State for India and Burma during World War II. His father-in-law was Harold Macmillan. His brother, John Amery was a suspected psychopath and Nazi sympathiser who made pro-Hitler broadcasts was interviewed by MI5 and hung for treason in 1945.[44]
Affiliations
- MI6
- British Economic League for European Co-operation
- United Europe Movement
- Congress for Cultural Freedom
- British Society for Cultural Freedom
Events Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 Hague Congress | 7 May 1948 | 11 May 1948 | Netherlands The Hague | Landmark conference which had a profound influence on the shape of the European Movement. Many of the groups organizing the conference received covert funding from the CIA. |
| Congress for Cultural Freedom/Founding Conference | 26 June 1950 | 29 June 1950 | Founded the Congress for Cultural Freedom. The participants had a "a culpable incuriosity about funding" of the luxurious conference, which was later exposed as CIA money. | |
| Le Cercle/1978 (Washington) | December 1978 | December 1978 | US Washington DC | Includes the 12 December |
| Le Cercle/1982 (Wildbad Kreuth) | 11 June 1982 | 13 June 1982 | Germany Hanns Seidel Foundation | |
| Le Cercle/1983 (Bonn) | 30 June 1983 | 3 July 1983 | Germany Bonn | |
| Le Cercle/1984 (Bonn) | 5 July 1984 | 7 July 1984 | Germany Bonn | Held in Bonn, West Germany, the list of the 36 visitors was published online in 2011. |
| Le Cercle/1984 (Capetown) | 12 January 1984 | 15 January 1984 | South Africa Stellenbosch Capetown | 4 day meeting of Le Cercle in Capetown exposed after Joel Van der Reijden discovered the attendee list for this conference and published it online in 2011 |
| 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 |
| Le Cercle/1990 (Oman) | 30 November 1990 | 30 November 1990 | Oman Al Bustan Hotel & Al-Baraka Palace Muscat | Start/End dates uncertain |
References
- ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/aitken-dropped-by-the-rights-secret-club-1258522.html
- ↑ https://isgp-studies.com/le-cercle-membership-list
- ↑ https://isgp-studies.com/le-cercle-pinay
- ↑ Julian Amery dies, The Independent, 4 September 1996.
- ↑ https://isgp-studies.com/1001-club-of-the-wwf
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.356.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.357.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, pp.359-360.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.364.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.365.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.366.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.370.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.371.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.372.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.402.
- ↑ Frances Stonor Saunders, Who Paid the Piper, Granta Books, 2000, p.76.
- ↑ Hugh Wilford, Calling the Tune? The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War, Frank Cass, 2003, p.195.
- ↑ Frances Stonor Saunders, Who Paid the Piper, Granta Books, 2000, p.88.
- ↑ Hugh Wilford, Calling the Tune? The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War, Frank Cass, 2003, p.196.
- ↑ Hugh Wilford, Calling the Tune? The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War, Frank Cass, 2003, p.198.
- ↑ Frances Stonor Saunders, Who Paid the Piper, Granta Books, 2000, p.110.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, pp.446-447.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.572.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.601.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.603.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, pp.628-629.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.663.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.554.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, pp.556-557.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.679.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.683.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.684.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.687.
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.685.
- ↑ https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-10-24-declassified-apartheid-profits-le-cercle-the-phantom-profiteers/
- ↑ "Apartheid, Guns and Money: A Tale of Profit"
- ↑ File:1982_06_Cercle_Wildbad_Kreuth_meeting.jpg
- ↑ File:1984 01 Cercle South Africa meeting.pdf
- ↑ File:1984 07 Cercle Bonn meeting.pdf
- ↑ File:1985 02 Cercle Washington DC meeting.pdf
- ↑ https://isgp-studies.com/le-cercle-pinay
- ↑ https://isgp-studies.com/le-cercle-pinay
- ↑ https://isgp-studies.com/1001-club-of-the-wwf
- ↑ http://spartacus-educational.com/2WWamery.htm
