Weakness and Deceit

by Raymond Bonner

Draws on travels, interviews with policymakers, and confidential cables to document the discrepancy between actual events in El Salvador and the U.S. government's questionable interpretation of them

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Latin American History, Politics, American, War

Unknown Binding

First published June 12, 1984

About the author

After graduating from Stanford Law School and serving in the U. S. Marine Corps (including a tour in Vietnam), Raymond Bonner practiced public interest law for several years before turning to journalism. He has been a foreign correspondent and investigative reporter for The New York Times, a staff writer at The New Yorker, and has written for The New York Review of Books. He has reported from more than a hundred countries. He is the author of four books and the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a shared Pulitzer, and the Louis M. Lyon award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism from the Nieman Fellows at Harvard.

Reviews

[Dena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bonner wanted to work the Wall Street beat for the NY Times. Instead, they sent him to El Salvador. He wrote this book when he discovered the horrors on which he was reporting were getting buried in the paper. It is an extremely well-written book but a difficult one to read. I joined Amnesty International after reading it.

[Neal Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stinging indictment of the US Government's involvement in El Salvador's Civil War (1979-1992). On October 15 1979 a military coup in El Salvador forced the dictator Carlos Humberto Romero to resign. Composed of a mixture of those on the left, right and center, the new government or junta inspired hope that democracy was on the horizon. However, this was merely an illusion as the military never relinquished their power and slowly pushed out the other less conservative members. Some moderates like the Christian Democrats stayed on but others on the left would form Guerrilla groups and end up in a brutal civil war lasting 13 years and costing up to 75000 lives. This was in the midst of the Cold War and the 'Communist' Sandinistas earlier in the year had toppled the government in Nicaragua. There was some fear in the US that the same could happen in El Salvador and every effort was made to support the El Salvadoran government despite their brutality. Death squads trained by the US military roamed the countryside exterminating anyone with the slightest or even perceived sympathies for the guerillas. Those murdered included babies, women, the elderly, clergy and these were not casualties caught in the crossfire...so called 'friendly fire.' It was coldly calculated to inspire fear.

Every 6 months Congress had to certify that El Salvador was making progress on human rights or military aid would be suspended. The Reagan administration repeatedly misrepresented or even outright lied about the situation. Bonner presents ample evidence that the Reagan administration was aware of the atrocities but turned a blind eye. At the time, we had a very myopic foreign policy perspective, looking at the world as either pro-Soviet or pro-West. In the end aid was re-certified every 6 months until finally Congress abolished the law requiring certification.

I found the writing to be a little dry. Bonner focuses a lot on policies and documents he's obtained through Freedom of Information requests. It is very informative though and definitely worth the read. It's interesting how multiple administrations have justified military entanglements through deceit from Vietnam, Cambodia, Iraq, El Salvador and recently we're finding out about Afghanistan.

This is the 3rd book I've read on El Salvador's Civil War and neither have been comprehensive. I feel like Bonner should have had the foresight to write this in '93 or '94 after the war had ended. Guess I'll have to find a 4th book that covers the entire war. :)

[John Oliver]

This book shows the history of our foreign policy towards El Salvador, how both and Carter and Reagan administrations denied that the Salvadorian military and security forces engaged in the grossest human rights violations. the book shows how the Salvadorian military, instead of being a force defending the country, was more of a mafia family engaged in corruption so that the officers could get rich, and a force for repressing any effort of workers and farmers to better their lives.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book that got me hooked on Latin America. Riveting!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am on an OR Book binge and this is where I stopped for the time being. _Weakness and Deceit_ chronicles all of the problems happening within the borders of El Salvador. Both caused by their citizens and how the US helped keep in power the military who held absolute power.

For me, the book was gut wrenching. Page after page of accounts on the living hell the non-elite found themselves. Some of the atrocities are worse than a previous OR Book I read about the Narco history of the US & Mexico. US tax payer money went to this little country to ensure it didn't fall into "Leftist" hands. Which it wouldn't of, as the rebels in the hills just wanted to have a fair form of government.

As an example of how bad US policy can go wrong, this well crafted and documented book is an excellent example. The stories of the people pull at the heart. Afterwards I walked around in a bit of a daze, as such day-to-day horrors are unknown to me. It took a fiction book with a somewhat happy and defined conclusion to help me get over my reading funk.

[Paul Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for the first time 30 years ago. For all those who remember fondly the good ol' days of Reagan and his administration this book is sobering. I had always opposed the POTUS adventures in Central America and this well documented book closed the deal. A must read to understand the 80's.

[Shirlsd]

Weakness and Deceit: U.S. Policy and El Salvador by Raymond Bonner (1984)