The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World
- Downloads：9869
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-27 06:52:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Vincent Bevins
- ISBN：1541724003
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
The hidden story of the wanton slaughter -- in Indonesia， Latin America， and around the world -- backed by the United States。
In 1965， the U。S。 government helped the Indonesian military kill approximately one million innocent civilians。 This was one of the most important turning points of the twentieth century， eliminating the largest communist party outside China and the Soviet Union and inspiring copycat terror programs in faraway countries like Brazil and Chile。 But these events remain widely overlooked， precisely because the CIA's secret interventions were so successful。
In this bold and comprehensive new history， Vincent Bevins builds on his incisive reporting for the Washington Post， using recently declassified documents， archival research and eye-witness testimony collected across twelve countries to reveal a shocking legacy that spans the globe。 For decades， it's been believed that parts of the developing world passed peacefully into the U。S。-led capitalist system。 The Jakarta Method demonstrates that the brutal extermination of unarmed leftists was a fundamental part of Washington's final triumph in the Cold War。
In 1965， the U。S。 government helped the Indonesian military kill approximately one million innocent civilians。 This was one of the most important turning points of the twentieth century， eliminating the largest communist party outside China and the Soviet Union and inspiring copycat terror programs in faraway countries like Brazil and Chile。 But these events remain widely overlooked， precisely because the CIA's secret interventions were so successful。
In this bold and comprehensive new history， Vincent Bevins builds on his incisive reporting for the Washington Post， using recently declassified documents， archival research and eye-witness testimony collected across twelve countries to reveal a shocking legacy that spans the globe。 For decades， it's been believed that parts of the developing world passed peacefully into the U。S。-led capitalist system。 The Jakarta Method demonstrates that the brutal extermination of unarmed leftists was a fundamental part of Washington's final triumph in the Cold War。
Reviews
Antonio Castillo
，
Bevins does a great job keeping you captivated and invested in each of the events he talks about。 Each reads like a story in a novel。 Reading will make you extremely angry towards the CIA and state department。
Cole
，
It’s sometimes hard to comprehend exactly the US’s complicity in right-wing political oppression and terror campaigns around the world。 This book makes it clear。This book is rather wide in scope， so don’t expect specificity on every event for 40 years around the world。 But it’s an excellent survey of how the legacy of US-backed Suharto’s Indonesia inspired and continued violence across SE Asia and Latin America。
Shelby
，
RIYL How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States RIYL How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States 。。。more
A Stud Terkel
，
A succinct， horribly sad story of how the United States aided in the massacre of a million unarmed Indonesian communist party members。 Bevins succeeds in drawing the reader into the lives of young， idealistic Indonesians fighting against Dutch colonialism only to fall under the evil eye of Sauron that is The United States government。 Along the way， he tells stories of governments in Chile， Guatemala， Brazil that were overthrown because it's leaders refused to bow down to a economic model that be A succinct， horribly sad story of how the United States aided in the massacre of a million unarmed Indonesian communist party members。 Bevins succeeds in drawing the reader into the lives of young， idealistic Indonesians fighting against Dutch colonialism only to fall under the evil eye of Sauron that is The United States government。 Along the way， he tells stories of governments in Chile， Guatemala， Brazil that were overthrown because it's leaders refused to bow down to a economic model that benefitted multinational US corporations。 What does it mean when someone spray paints on your wall "Jakarta is coming"？ Read the book to find out！ 。。。more
Renée
，
Still reeling from all the new information I've learned from this book。 The writing was very readable， and the content was absolutely shocking。 Very glad to have read it。 Still reeling from all the new information I've learned from this book。 The writing was very readable， and the content was absolutely shocking。 Very glad to have read it。 。。。more
Karin Eckhard
，
Highly recommend this book！
Harper Sage
，
Finally getting around to finishing this the same week Biden says the US has never interfered with another countries elections。 Good to know I still live in the most evil of countries
Daniel Ferguson
，
Wasn’t taught this in my history classes！
Clif
，
Like most Americans well into my adulthood， in fact well into middle age， I was completely ignorant of what my country was doing abroad。 I easily accepted the story of good vs evil that explained the Cold War in a phrase。 People who lived under communism were captives and those who lived under capitalism were free。 We who were free had a noble obligation to see that communism was contained if not ended so that all people could enjoy the life we lived。Such a simple outlook never considered that o Like most Americans well into my adulthood， in fact well into middle age， I was completely ignorant of what my country was doing abroad。 I easily accepted the story of good vs evil that explained the Cold War in a phrase。 People who lived under communism were captives and those who lived under capitalism were free。 We who were free had a noble obligation to see that communism was contained if not ended so that all people could enjoy the life we lived。Such a simple outlook never considered that other people in other places might have their own ideas about how to live。 The Berlin wall and the tight rein that the USSR kept on the countries of eastern Europe provided a foundation for fear and loathing of communism。 But this ignored the fact that communism was not monolithic and conditions varied greatly among countries that called themselves communist。 After all， colonialism was thoroughly capitalist and it should not have been surprising that those victimized under it should look for a different way。There was an effort called the Third World Movement that sought a middle pathway between the communism of the USSR and the capitalism of the United States。 This effort was represented by India and Indonesia， in the latter by Sukarno， a gifted speaker who energized the people in countries newly emerged from colonialism。JFK toured the world while a member of Congress educating himself on the way other countries desired to tread their own paths， but he was exceptional and for almost all others in our government， the United States had a duty to push others our way， regardless of the cost to them and with no middle way tolerated。The Jakarta Method tells the sad story of how this effort by the U。S。 had tragic consequences for many foreign countries and it is personalized by the accounts of individuals who were witnesses and victims of programs influenced if not directed by the CIA in cold calculation that communism should be destroyed wherever found。The reader interested in a concise country-by-country summary of CIA efforts should read Killing Hope by William Blum。 Vincent Bevins concentrates on Indonesia and Brazil。In Indonesia in the 1950's the U。S。 first tried supporting a war by proxy to overthrow Sukarno， but was caught in the act when a CIA agent/bomber pilot with full identification was shot down and held captive。 The Indonesian military sided with Sukarno and the effort failed， but with over one hundred million people in this nation of ten thousand islands the U。S。 was determined not to lose the most populous country in SE Asia to communism， a county considered far more important than Vietnam on the international chessboard。Continuing to thread a line， Sukarno deftly kept communists from gaining political control while allowing them participation， but a mysterious movement kidnapped and killed several generals of the Indonesian military。 While it is not known if this was engineered by the CIA， the reaction of the military was swift and had full CIA backing。 A campaign of mass killing of anyone associated with communism in Indonesia began with lists of names provided by the CIA。 The result was hundreds of thousands of deaths and a nation cleansed of communism to the delight of the United States。 Thus was born the Jakarta Method: team up with a national military and employ death squads to get the desired result by direct terror。By the way， if seeing is believing the reader is directed to the movie， The Act of Killing， which interviews those who willingly， even eagerly， executed their fellow citizens in Indonesia。What worked in Indonesia was an action plan for South America where Brazil and Chile were at risk of not following the U。S。 line。 The CIA， with a successful 1956 coup in Guatemala under its belt and the added success of Indonesia in 1965 then supported similar action in Brazil and Chile。 Posters began appearing "Jakarta is coming" to terrorize the left。 Salvadore Allende， a socialist elected democratically in Chile was overthrown， killing himself before capture。 It was another success for the United States。This book is a horror story that has even greater impact for the fact that it took place during the time when America was rocking to Elvis Presley and enjoying the surf music of The Beach Boys。 It involved the deaths of many innocent people at the direction of the country proclaiming liberty and justice for all。 It is a history that should be known by all Americans， disturbing though it is， and quite distinct in the truth it tells from the mythology presented about the Cold War， not cold by any means for those hundreds of thousands murdered in an effort to extinguish communism。 。。。more
Eric Murphy
，
If there's one book that shows the power and danger of speaking the truth plainly and clearly， it's this one。 If there's one book that shows the power and danger of speaking the truth plainly and clearly， it's this one。 。。。more
Cedar Van Tassel
，
A must read for every American patriot out there！ Very good， incredibly depressing。
Gokulakrishnan Saravanan
，
There are books which change your understandings of world order。 This is one such book。 This book complements The shock doctrine book written by Naomi Klein。
Shirin
，
If you read this book， and do not feel your heart cry for the death of America， global white supremacy， and imperialism， it will be impossible for you to have a soul。 This book must be part of every American’s and westerner’s re-education about America， the world， and communism。
Benjamin Scheele
，
lives up to the hype--and more！！
Don
，
CIA in '50s and '60s encourage right wing groups to kill millions of lefties。 Into the '80s too。 Kinda dark but hey we won the Cold War。 We prefer to look at ourselves as the country that gives millions of vaccine doses to the world but then there is this too。 A tough read。 CIA in '50s and '60s encourage right wing groups to kill millions of lefties。 Into the '80s too。 Kinda dark but hey we won the Cold War。 We prefer to look at ourselves as the country that gives millions of vaccine doses to the world but then there is this too。 A tough read。 。。。more
Erin
，
Wow。 Just wow。I usually don't care much about modern history， and reading about the Cold War in particular feels like I'm being hounded by an eagle screeching 'FREEDOM'。 This book interested me because it was about Indonesia， where I lived for a few years as a child， and I hoped to expand my very vague understanding of its history。 What I got was a book that completely upended everything I knew about the Cold War。 As the author puts it， 'the popular understanding in the English-speaking world is Wow。 Just wow。I usually don't care much about modern history， and reading about the Cold War in particular feels like I'm being hounded by an eagle screeching 'FREEDOM'。 This book interested me because it was about Indonesia， where I lived for a few years as a child， and I hoped to expand my very vague understanding of its history。 What I got was a book that completely upended everything I knew about the Cold War。 As the author puts it， 'the popular understanding in the English-speaking world is that the Cold War was a conflict between two countries。。。 this is not exactly wrong， but it's based on the experiences of a small minority of people on earth， and the Cold War affected almost everyone。' This may be a generational thing， maybe I just didn't pay attention in high school， but this book was certainly a most educational journey。This book is a testament to the lengths the USA went to in their fear of the 'reds under the bed' and their desire to advance their own political， social and economic interests。 It is also a chilling warning about the true cost of right-wing fundamentalism。 It is an extraordinarily well written account of Indonesia's past， and how the winners always write history。 I will never be able to look at the US's place on the world stage in the same way again， nor will I ever be able to go to Seminyak without thinking about what I learned。 。。。more
Gabriel Morcote
，
Bevins does an exceptional job of covering the 20th century history of countries all over the world， and tying their stories together in a marvelous way。 Although each country has its own unique， complex history， Bevins acknowledges this， and is beautifully able to weave in Washington's interests & actions in said countries around the world。 Having read a lot of Latin American history， I appreciate that this book covers a good amount of that。 I love the points Bevins makes about how Washington's Bevins does an exceptional job of covering the 20th century history of countries all over the world， and tying their stories together in a marvelous way。 Although each country has its own unique， complex history， Bevins acknowledges this， and is beautifully able to weave in Washington's interests & actions in said countries around the world。 Having read a lot of Latin American history， I appreciate that this book covers a good amount of that。 I love the points Bevins makes about how Washington's biggest threat wasn't communism/leftism - it was an alternative to the US-led capitalist system - and he provides many declassified documents/cables proving this。Buying this for my entire family to read。 Absolute must-read。 。。。more
Sarah Akins
，
The Jakarta Method reveals the memories and movements of the Second and Third Worlds that were suppressed by the deceitful Cold War narrative promulgated by the United States。 Bevins ties emotional anecdotes into the greater historical narrative， giving us a more complex and complete perspective on the Cold War。 It is only through this perspective that we can begin to understand the full extent to which the Cold War has shaped contemporary regimes， international relations， and Marxism。
Mary
，
PLEASE READ THIS BOOK
Nina
，
Absolutely infuriating and devastating book written with the utmost respect and sensibility on the author's end。 Vincent Bevins outlines the international political landscape （or hellscape） of the Cold War， weaving a very complicated web that intertwines lived experiences of singular people with political， cultural and economic affairs of countries all over the world， connecting dots that a regular person would probably never connect on their own due to the omission of a lot of events that took Absolutely infuriating and devastating book written with the utmost respect and sensibility on the author's end。 Vincent Bevins outlines the international political landscape （or hellscape） of the Cold War， weaving a very complicated web that intertwines lived experiences of singular people with political， cultural and economic affairs of countries all over the world， connecting dots that a regular person would probably never connect on their own due to the omission of a lot of events that took place between 1950 up to the early 90s from history books。 The only thing that bugs me is that most of the scholars and researchers cited in the book are American or European， not many works of Latin American or Asian academics are included in the bibliography。 Other than that - more than ever， death to USA 。。。more
Mike Walczak
，
Add myself to the list who highly recommend this book。 An investigation and summative overview of the cold war and the effect on our lives today。 The author joins others in reviewing the cold war not as a nuclear stand-off between two countries （as you may have been told in school） but as a global event which shaped the whole of the earth。 In an extensive work based on field interviews across the globe， historical accounts and declassified government papers， the author traces Washington's role i Add myself to the list who highly recommend this book。 An investigation and summative overview of the cold war and the effect on our lives today。 The author joins others in reviewing the cold war not as a nuclear stand-off between two countries （as you may have been told in school） but as a global event which shaped the whole of the earth。 In an extensive work based on field interviews across the globe， historical accounts and declassified government papers， the author traces Washington's role in mass executions of millions of "communists" and the installation of dictatorial governments across South East Asia to South America， shaping the third world in it's present state， primarily into what the author has deemed "crony capitalism"。 Beginning with the "third world" movement， a term "coined in the early 1950's" and used in the sense of the "third estate" in the French revolution or "the third act"， the author traces US involvement in political events and the genocides of peoples。 From President Soekarno's speech at the Bandung Conference， "the first international conference of colored people in the history of mankind"， what US State department officials dismissed as the "Darktown Strutters Ball"， through to present day politics after globalization （or "americanization"）， the Author weaves the world's modern history。 The author traces the US' early position and dealings on "The Jakarta Axiom" through to the South American right wing terrorist governments' adoption of the term "Operacion Jacarta"。This book presents an essential view in understanding modern word politics and the history of The United States。 。。。more
Trung Duc Tran
，
Must read！
Ethan
，
I learned more from this book than I did in all of school。
Isa
，
I tried to write a more thorough review but really it's just me yelling about how the United States is unjust， immoral， and an imperialist war machine。 And like。。。is there anything else to say？ I tried to write a more thorough review but really it's just me yelling about how the United States is unjust， immoral， and an imperialist war machine。 And like。。。is there anything else to say？ 。。。more
Denys Medianick
，
Growing up in USSR I always thought that my home land is really cruel and violent。 After reading this book it seems it wasn’t that bad in the end。
Sirana
，
Got some insights into the Indonesian putsch and the following extermination of leftists including the role of US foreign policy。 The author keeps very tightly to the known facts and though he doesn't hide his opinions he also doesn't let them influence his conclusions。 The book could have benefited from a tighter focus on Indonesia， but on the other hands this makes it possible to set Indoneasian history in the context of broader US foreign policy。 Got some insights into the Indonesian putsch and the following extermination of leftists including the role of US foreign policy。 The author keeps very tightly to the known facts and though he doesn't hide his opinions he also doesn't let them influence his conclusions。 The book could have benefited from a tighter focus on Indonesia， but on the other hands this makes it possible to set Indoneasian history in the context of broader US foreign policy。 。。。more
Christopher
，
one of the most accessible non-fiction books i’ve ever read， and will top my recommendation lists going forward not just about american empire and history， but non-fiction in general。
Zulu Fox
，
3。5 stars。 For the most part， this is a really enjoyable and thought-provoking （and depressing） read。 If you aren't especially familiar with Cold War history in general or with the atrocities of US-backed regimes in particular， this book will be a good introduction to the subject for you。What I liked about the book was this: Bevins highlights the role of US-backed anti-Communism in Indonesia （and Brazil） and does a good job of putting this historical episode closer to the centre of a broader nar 3。5 stars。 For the most part， this is a really enjoyable and thought-provoking （and depressing） read。 If you aren't especially familiar with Cold War history in general or with the atrocities of US-backed regimes in particular， this book will be a good introduction to the subject for you。What I liked about the book was this: Bevins highlights the role of US-backed anti-Communism in Indonesia （and Brazil） and does a good job of putting this historical episode closer to the centre of a broader narrative about how the Cold War played out internationally。 For me， this was a fairly novel and compelling take。 I had never really considered the broader implications of Indonesia's US-backed elimination of its Communist movement （for understandable reasons， Vietnam tends to attract the most attention when it comes to US anti-Communist efforts in Southeast Asia）。 I am basically convinced of most of the author's key arguments regarding how events unfolded in Indonesia and what their significance was far global anti-Communism。 Also， I found Bevins did a good job balancing individual narratives and case-studies with broader historical narratives and analytic assessments - at least when it came to Indonesia。There were two things I didn't love， first: as other reviews have mentioned， at times， in his attempt to provide a more fulsome narrative of how the Cold War played out， it really does seem like his narrative is all over the place， trying to briefly mention every counter-revolutionary movement in the 20th century， often with no meaningful background or analysis。 At around 250 pages this is obviously way too short to be anything close to a history of anti-Communism generally。 I think the book would have benefited from staying a little closer to the main subjects of Indonesia and Brazil， digging a little deeper into what happened there and tracing the direct impacts of those events。 He could have saved his ruminations on what happened in - say - Central America or South Korea or Vietnam for the conclusion。My second critique is that there's actually very little that's new here。 About 99% of the historical narrative here is based on fairly well-known and commercially-available sources。 To say， as the backmatter does， that this book "draws from recently declassified documents， archival research， and eye-witness testimony" is - while undoubtedly true - a little bit misleading。 If you follow the footnotes you'll see most of the main points that matter come from other secondary sources （i。e。 history books）。 So far as I can tell， the new information here is primarily the first-hand accounts he's gathered from his interviews with survivors which， while interesting， probably aren't exactly why I bought the book and probably don't change the overall narrative much。Overall， a well-written and novel take on an important and under-studied period of history， I would possibly recommend this to those with little to no prior understanding of Cold War history and the role the US played in over-throwing democratically-elected governments。 。。。more
Darran Mclaughlin
，
This is essential reading。 Five stars because it is one of those books that seriously shifts your understanding of the world。 The argument of this book runs directly contrary to the popular understanding of 20th Century world history that forms the dominant narrative。 Some of the ideas detonated by reading this book include:The First World （AKA the Capitalist， 'Democratic' Western world） were the champions of freedom and democracy and were the 'good guys' during the Cold War。 Many Third World co This is essential reading。 Five stars because it is one of those books that seriously shifts your understanding of the world。 The argument of this book runs directly contrary to the popular understanding of 20th Century world history that forms the dominant narrative。 Some of the ideas detonated by reading this book include:The First World （AKA the Capitalist， 'Democratic' Western world） were the champions of freedom and democracy and were the 'good guys' during the Cold War。 Many Third World countries （AKA the non-alligned countries of the global South， mainly former colonies） are too primative and barbaric to be stable， peaceful， prosperous or democratic because of their flawed natures and lower level of civilisation。 The Second World （AKA the Soviet Union and alligned Communist countries） were the aggressors， the oppressors， the 'baddies' in the Cold War。We are shown how the USA （primarily conducted by the CIA）， have intervened over and over again to instigate coups， train death squads and colloborate with Fascists to stomp out any Left leaning Government in the Third World， no matter how mild and even Pro-American they were。 Anything other than total freedom for American companies to dominate and exploit the people and resources of a country was forbidden， and was enough to justify slaughtering millions of people。 They built an international network of Anti-Communist forces around the world， which is more or less synonymous with saying they constructed an international network of Fascists。 Another very striking lesson from this book is that the countries that attempted to implement any kind of Democratic Socialism through a popular mandate and peaceful means were wrong， and only the countries that attempted to implement Socialism with the backing of an armed populace were correct。 Sukarno tried to implement a form of Socialism in Indonesia that was neither alligned to the Soviet Union nor Marxist in nature。 Mao told him he had to arm the people or the Americans would wipe him out。 Sukarno didn't follow his advice because he believed what the Americans said about supporting freedom， democracy and being anti-imperial。 He was deposed in a coup d'etat and a Million leftish Indonesians were slaughtered。 Allende through he could implement Democratic Socialism in Chile。 Castro told him that America would never allow it and he had to arm to people or he would be overthrown。 He ignored the advice and an American backed coup by Fascist elements of the military led to the disappearance， arrest， torture and murder of tens of thousands。 One of the cruelest aspects of this history is that when the Americans get the regimes of their choice into power the states that emerge are so exploitative， corrupt， murderous and incompetent that millions of the poor have no choice but to emmigrate to America to try to find a job in the country that is the author of their problems。 This is absolutely essential reading。 Everyone should read it and recommend it to all your friends and family。 。。。more
Eugenia Kim
，