A STRICTLY PERSONAL site: First-time users please read here
The material and views presented on this site are very clearly and unambiguously STRICTLY my own PERSONAL ones. They do not represent my employer, any institution, government, or persons other than myself. Please be respectful of this statement in any use of anything found on these pages: to do otherwise is to misrepresent me.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
In 1987, I visited Romania for the first time while backpacking around Western and Eastern Europe. As the sign at Otopeni used to say (in English): “The pass control is just…for your security.”
By 1997–following publication in “22″ and “Sfera Politicii” of a translation of an article based on my Ph.D. dissertation at Indiana University–the secretary of a daily newspaper I visited in Bucharest would say that she had left a phone message for the journalist I was looking for: “the CIA spy with blue eyes” is here. I laughed then–it was preposterous, if entertaining–and continue to laugh even today when I think of it. I had no connection with CIA at the time; I had not yet even applied.
By 2007, having been a CIA analyst for seven years by that time, toadies of the CPADCR Chairman were seeking to convince the Romanian public that I had been let go after a half year probationary period: a stupid and easily disprovable lie (with a simple Internet search) of the variety described here, http://romanianrevolutionofdecember1989.com/2011/11/16/post-ceausescu-romania-confronted-by-questions-they-dont-like-a-number-of-military-officers-and-officials-whom-we-encountered-simply-lied-stupid-lies-the-kind-that-speak-of-a-society/ .
Ah, welcome to Absurdistan!
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
This site aims to be a common resource for researchers and those interested in the Romanian Revolution of December 1989. It contains my previous publications on the topic as well as excerpts or entire articles (videos) either in Romanian or translated into English that I have used in the preparation of those publications or that are related directly to material presented in those publications. Where the original articles or xeroxes of those articles exist and are at least somewhat legible (a real problem because of the scarcity and overused character of xerox machines in Romania in the early 1990s when I made many of theses xeroxes), I have attempted to scan them in for the reader. If this site had a motto, it would be something along the lines of what American students taking exams are quite used to: “PLEASE SHOW ALL WORK!”
Thank you!
Val said
I appreciate very much what you say about revolution.
romanianrevolutionofdecember1989 said
A belated “many thanks” Val!
I particularly appreciate your comments below: finally, someone who “gets it,” who understands! It simply shouldn’t be this difficult, but then again Romania is an intellectual Disneyland of Disinformation and Self-Delusion.
Val: Teroristii nu au fost inventati de FSN, oricat de comunisti si KGBisti ar fi astia. Teroristii au fost securistii, oricat de neplacut pentru unii e sa auda asta… E o gogoasa ca la revolutie si dupa ar fi stat cuminti….Citeste pe Hall si dupa aia sa mai vorbesti…Opozitie, putere, toti am facut si inca facem jocul baietilor cu ochi albastri. Azi mai mult ca oricand…
Vineri, 22 Ianuarie 2010 21:28
http://www.romanialibera.ro/a173226c379777/analist-consultat-de-cia-securitatea-nu-a-complotat-contra-lui-ceausescu.html
Thank You!
laviniastan said
You got it right – Romania is indeed an “intellectual Disneyland of Disinformation and Self-Delusion.” Very well said! Best of luck! Lavinia
Darie said
Val…you forget that Hall too is a “baiat cu ochii albastrii” now! And for Lavinia: you rock! Your work is impressive!
Darie said
I have to explain me previous post. Dr. Hall is “baiat cu ochi albastrii” because his investigative techniques and results are influenced by his fulltime job. Looking for the “teroristi” in a very peculiar method that resembles the research patterns of the agency that employes Dr. Hall. I am fully aware that CIA’s views about the Romanian revolution might be different, and aslo that Dr. Hall is bound by some ethical and practical job requirements regaridng the material that he sees when at work. I think that 80%of the adult Romanian population know that teroristii were just special troops of Securitate. The fact that the truth was “transformed” later to fit the new power class is also known. The Tismaneanu Report is by far the most non-historical work about the revolution that I’ve seen.But it is a starting point! Personal attacks are also a Romanian characteristic especially in the realm of academia. Dr. Hall should know that by now. My previous post is also in line with another Romanian characteristic: take all and everything in “bascaleala”, “la misto” in order to smile too. Dr. Hall you should try to learn that too.
romanianrevolutionofdecember1989 said
Hey “no harm, no foul” as the saying goes, Darie! As to your last point, hope this makes you smile!
The Complete Guide to Writing Your Dissertation. Step One: What to expect? The Psychological Challenge (video)
check out the rest of the site for some similar too
http://nationalismeasterneurope.wordpress.com
LM said
I think that everyone who is actively reading/posting on this website is interested in finding out more, in breaking the ice at the surface of an probably still unknown past. And maybe there are still many more open questions.
Now, almost at the end of 2011 with a lot of “action” going on in the Middle Eastern countries (see Egypt, , Tunisia, and especially Libya) we might bring more “color” into the black and white view we had on the Romanian revolution.
And I would suggest that we shouldn’t try to position ourselves above each other, based on our knowledge which we think might be of higher level or detail, instead we all should rather work together and be happy to be part of a team who wants to bring more clarity into how things happened in 1989.
I would like to throw out in the round some ideas … and remind of some facts. Here they are: Romania was one of the few communist countries who still had ties to Israel (a fatal mistake, one alike done by Ghaddafi who opened up his country to the West), the role of Ardeleanu Gheorghe (which wasn’t the real name of the Securitate General Bula Moise, and the latter probably either not), the patterns of taking over and leading the society displayed by those who are running many of the big media houses (newspapers, TV, etc) and real estate companies in Romania and their meeting with Kissinger, etc.
Maybe if we understand the big picture (now that it is easier to recognize it if looking back into the past, rather than in the future) we might be able to understand also who had the its fingers in the dirty game of the “revolution”.
Anonymous said
Sorry, LM but your point is?
LM said
Anonymous, do you have a brain to think for yourself ?