Noted investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, per the Encyclopedia Britannica, is “especially noted for his investigations into the My Lai Massacre and the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.”
Hersh has written a blog post, based on information from an unnamed source, accusing the U.S. of carrying out the destruction of Russia’s Nord Stream pipeline in September 2022. From his article (archive link):
“Last June, the Navy divers, operating under the cover of a widely publicized mid-summer NATO exercise known as BALTOPS 22, planted the remotely triggered explosives that, three months later, destroyed three of the four Nord Stream pipelines, according to a source with direct knowledge of the operational planning.”
The source provided detailed information about the planning of the attack:
“In December of 2021, two months before the first Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, Jake Sullivan convened a meeting of a newly formed task force—men and women from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CIA, and the State and Treasury Departments—and asked for recommendations about how to respond to Putin’s impending invasion.
….What became clear to participants, according to the source with direct knowledge of the process, is that Sullivan intended for the group to come up with a plan for the destruction of the two Nord Stream pipelines—and that he was delivering on the desires of the President.“
The White House, the CIA and the State Department all say the story is not true. All of the denials use the words “false” and “complete” (emphasis added). See below.
- “False and complete fiction” – the White House
- “Completely and utterly false” – the CIA
- “False and complete fiction” – the State Department
This is not the first time the U.S. has been accused of engineering the attack. It is the first time that a major journalist has come forward with the claim, citing a source with direct knowledge.
Previously, Jeffrey Sachs, Professor of Economics Columbia University, explained his view of the available evidence:
“Well first of all there’s direct radar evidence that U.S helicopters military helicopters that are normally based in Gdansk were circling over this area.
“We also had the threats from the United States earlier in this year that one way or another we are going to end Nord Stream.
“We also have a remarkable statement by Secretary Blinken last Friday in a press conference. He says this is ‘also a tremendous opportunity.’ It’s a strange way to talk if you’re worried about the piracy on international infrastructure of vital significance.
“So I know this runs counter to our narrative, you’re not allowed to say these things, uh, in the West, but the fact of the matter is, all over the world, when I talk to people they think the U.S did it.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESG14_DsUIA
Hersh offers up the same names associated with multiple poor decisions and scandals.
- Jake Sullivan baselessly claimed that Russia was planning a false flag in Ukraine but did not provide proof of that claim. (NBC News later reported that the claim was not “rock solid.“) When he worked on Hillary Clinton’s Presidential campaign, Sullivan falsely claimed then-candidate Trump had a “direct connection” to Russia.
- Victoria Nuland is well-known for her Ukraine gaffes including the biolabs confession and the leaked audio of her call regarding choosing government officials for the country in 2014.
U.S. concerns about the pipeline go back at least 40 years.
This is a very big deal and if true, a complete disaster for the U.S. As Hersh writes:
“The CIA argued that whatever was done, it would have to be covert. Everyone involved understood the stakes. ‘This is not kiddie stuff,’ the source said. If the attack were traceable to the United States, ‘It’s an act of war.'”
By Dr. Dannielle Blumenthal (Dossy). All opinions are the author’s own. Public domain.
Writing by Dr. Dannielle Blumenthal 