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The Yankee and Cowboy War

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The Yankee and Cowboy War, Carl Oglesby

This 1977 book analyzes the class and sectional differences of post-war America. Oglesby contrasts the "Yankees" (the eastern power elite of old money that controls banking, universities, the corporate media, manufacturing, etc.) to the "Cowboys" (the south-west power-elite of new money who control banking, universities, the corporate media, manufacturing dependent on government spending, etc.). Oglesby says "Dallas and Watergate" (the removal of JFK and Nixon) are related. Oglesby seems to assume there were no conflicts before the 1960s (Chapter 1). This recent divergence is blamed on the failure to conquer Vietnam (for its oil and cheap labor) when Yankees sought European allies and the Cowboys did not. The Yankees sought negotiations while the Cowboys wanted a wider war. The 1968 election of Nixon seemed a win for the Cowboys, but Nixon recognized Red China and did not create a large war.

Sectional rivalry is the prime force in American politics. Plutocracy and democracy have coexisted since the Revolution. The post-Civil War era saw the rise of plutocracy, modified by the effects of the homestead laws and a tariff that supported national manufacturing. Will America see totalitarian methods of social control (Chapter 2)? Hasn't it been happening since 9/11/2001 under the guise of "security"? The CIA's domestic-intelligence activity was exposed in 1974, but continues. Oglesby tells about the "Round Table Groups" and lists the names. "Conspiracy is the normal continuation of normal politics by normal means." Oglesby tells how the US government helped organized crime in the East Coast docks, Sicily, Marseilles, and Batista's Cuba during WW II. The Gehlen organization was adopted to become the CIA's intelligence organization. American viewed Eastern Europe through Nazi and Czarist spies.

Part II is about "Dallas", the assassination of JFK. Why was Nixon afraid of "the whole Bay of Pigs thing"? Nixon wrote of sharp differences of opinion about Castro in the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations (Chapter 3). Did JFK outsmart Nixon in the TV debate? Can you trust translations in the press (p.60)? JFK did plan to end military involvement in Vietnam (p.67). The death of JFK resulted in a change of policy (p.76). There are problems in claiming Oswald as a lone assassin (Chapter 4). A planted bullet (CE399) proves conspiracy; this tied Oswald's rifle to the crime. Page 96 lists the problems in the evidence. Page 99 explains the bogus photograph. There were problems in Oswald's activities (pp.101-108). Oglesby wonders if Ruby's killing of Oswald was to prevent his testimony (p.144)? Did Ruby speak freely to Kilgallen (p.145)? 1968 was a crisis year (gold ouflow, Tet offensive, Johnson's abdication, assassination of ML King and RF Kennedy).

Part III is about "Watergate", the removal of Nixon. One example of a ruling class conspiracy was the attack on Howard Hughes' TWA (Chapter 6). Hughes' loan to Nixon paid dividends (p.188). Pages 191 to 200 tell how the TWA was taken over by eastern banks. Hughes wanted to invest in gambling in Las Vegas (p.201). The Maheu-Greenspun documents showed a connection between a presidential candidate and the national crime syndicate (p.226). Chapter 7 discusses the plane crash that killed Dorothy Hunt and 42 other passengers. Was it sabotage (p.234)? Why did fifty FBI agents show up at the crash scene (p.239)? Fire in any airplane releases poisons (p.248). The Flight Data Recorder broke down before the crash (p.254). Was there another problem (p.260)? What about those mysterious deaths of people involved in a big utility bribery scheme (p.263)? Was theft involved (pp.264-265)? Chapter8 discusses the history of James McCord. His actions are summarized (p.303). Jimmy Carter's career is analyzed (p.308) as an agent for the Trilateral Commission (p.310). The nomination of McGovern was unacceptable to the Yankees.

Part III asks "Who Killed JFK?" Oglesby says it was a rightist conspiracy of "anti-Castro Cuban exiles, the Syndicate, and a Cowboy oligarchy, supported by renegade CIA and FBI agents". But he mentions no names in proof. You can read other books published after 1980 for newer solutions to this unsolved crime. This is an interesting book to read even if you don't accept his views. It does not discuss the growth of corporate agribusiness and the decay of family-owned farms. Starting in 1978 the New Deal financial laws began to be abolished. Airline and trucking was deregulated. Regulation foster competition because of a level playing field. Deregulation allows big corporations to eliminate the competition from smaller companies. The abolition of New Deal Securities Laws led to the High-Tech stock swindles of the late 1990s that impoverished many. The collateralized debt obligation in the 2000s led to swindles in home mortgages that impoverished more people. The result is another Great Depression that will continue until those New Deal laws are re-enacted and the policies of low wages and high taxes are reversed. Compared to the 1950s-1960s there are fewer family-owned farms and small businesses. You can check the number of new car dealers who went out of business over the last 15 years, and the number of union jobs in manufacturing and industry lost over the same time.
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