Greg Mitchell
New York
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Articles by Greg Mitchell
Kristin Stewart Promotes New Film Based on Daniel Ellsberg's Doomsday Machine
Reprinted with permission from Greg Mitchell’s newsletter Oppenheimer: From Hiroshima to Hollywood. News emerged yesterday, via the Hollywood Reporter, that a feature-length doc based on a book by my late friend Daniel Ellsberg is making progress, now with help from actress Kristin Stewart.
Josh Hawley: The government poisoned its own citizens. Now it needs to help them
This year, Americans had the opportunity to revisit the origins of our nation’s nuclear program with the blockbuster film “Oppenheimer.” But there’s one story line that didn’t make the big screen: those Americans who are still paying the price. For decades, the federal government poisoned an untold number of its citizens through our atomic program.
Autoworkers staged their first big strike in the 1930s. Here’s how they won.
Membership Ticker AN IMPORTANT UPDATE It’s the early days in our first fundraising drive since we took a big swing and merged with CIR to bring fearless investigative reporting to the internet, radio, video, and everywhere else that people need an antidote to lies and propaganda. Donations have started concerningly slow. Your support really is everything for our reporting, and we need it right now. Learn more and please pitch in if you can.
Memorial Day Massacre: Remembering Union Workers’ Deadly Clash With Chicago Cops
After decades of decline, union organizing is surging again today, mainly in new industries, from coffee empires to online megastores. At the same time, teachers’ and nurses’ unions remain strong and the venerable guild for movie and TV writers went on strike earlier this week.
Memorial Day Massacre: Remembering union workers’ deadly clash with Chicago cops
Economy After decades of decline, union organizing is surging again today, mainly in new industries, from coffee empires to online megastores. At the same time, teachers’ and nurses’ unions remain strong and the venerable guild for movie and TV writers went on strike earlier this week.
Memorial Day Massacre: Remembering the deadly clash with Chicago cops that changed labor conflict
After decades of decline, union organizing is surging again today, mainly in new industries, from coffee empires to online megastores. At the same time, teachers’ and nurses’ unions remain strong and the venerable guild for movie and TV writers went on strike earlier this week.
Getting My Irish Up
For St. Paddy’s Day, I will note that I have been a fan of Glen Hansard, going back to his days with the so-called “second greatest band in Ireland” (The Frames)—maybe even before then, in The Commitments—and then, of course, with Once and his solo stylings since. So below we bring two prides of Ireland together, Glen (with Marketa) singing Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic.” And if you want more: here’s a link to him busking “Astral Weeks” on the streets of Dublin.
Irving Thalberg's 'Attack Ads'
My second “Sunday music profile” will appear next week, after the positive response to last week’s career-spanning songs/videos for Leonard Cohen. Today, as usual, a couple of political cartoons and a few song picks, some political items, and then a little attention to one of my books featured on C-SPAN last night.
Moderna Love
Got to love this roundabout in Switzerland. Label should show it is a Cars album, or maybe Drive-By Truckers. Van Morrison? The usual hot takes for today below. Don’t be afraid to Comment or subscribe—it’s free! Leave a comment Politics Trevor Noah last night: “Sorry O.J., you had a good run but Trump got acquitted twice and he’s responsible for more deaths.” As I noted last week, Dems might have never had a real chance to convict Trump but at least two stars were born among the House prosecutors.
Tumbling Dice
Back to our regular format today after yesterday’s video tributes to Leonard Cohen. Check it out if you missed it and now onward today. John Oliver has finally returned in the nick of time, although his warnings on future pandemics may be a little unsettling.
The Fools on the Hill
Some last-minute revelations about Trump’s behavior on January 6 emerge, but the Senate—now the world’s Greatest Diminutive Body—still seems poised to let him off the hook. Even Brandi Carlile says "it’s over, it’s over.” Meanwhile, the White House press office and the Lincoln Project face scandal charges.
Petty Remark: "It's Good to be King"
As impeachment fever rises today in Washington, most GOPers still won’t back down, but Trump, in free fall, more than ever realizes “It’s Good to Be King.” Also below: Did Richard Nixon really help Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong sneak his pot stash past customs at a Moscow airport? Plus a haunting Dinah Washington/Max Richter mash-up.As always: share, comment, subscribe (it’s still free).
Sarah Cooper Asks: Who Is Biden's 'Pillow Guy'?
After two weeks with this blog, I guess I would agree with Rhiannon Giddens (below), “I don’t know where I’m going / but I’m on my way.” Great tune and performed at one of the last pre-Covid concerts we attended—outside the Temple of Dendur, no less, at MOMA in Manhattan. Further down the page you’ll find the usual short political takes, plus Joan Jett, Tommy James and Steve Earle’s late, great son, JTE.
For Biden, Friday Might Be All Right for Fightin'
What’s the opposite of “doom scrolling”? Before we leave this hopeful and celebratory week behind, let’s go out with a reminder that one of the most influential—musically, culturally and, yes, politically—works of art in history remains Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Not long ago I co-produced an acclaimed documentary, directed by Kerry Candaele, about this, Following the Ninth.
Thursday Newsletter
Welcome to day four of this newsletter and hello to the many new subscribers since yesterday. It seems apt to open, after another impeachment, with a look back at where we were just three years ago in the depths of Trumpism and, maybe, why we managed to climb out.
Wednesday Newsletter
Seems fitting to open our third full day here with this classic from old friend Phil Ochs, which he set to his earlier “Here’s to the State of Mississippi.” If alive today, poor, tragic Phil would surely be singing, “And the speeches of the president are the ravings of a clown / so here’s to the land you tore out the heart of / Donald Trump, find yourself another country to be part of.” Reminder: feel free to Comment on today’s blog or tells us how we are doing.
Tuesday Newsletter
Greetings, and thanks again to all who subscribed on Day One. After yesterday’s preview—and the first two song picks (Leonard Cohen’s “Democracy” and Rhiannon Giddens doing Woody Guthrie)—let’s start moving ahead together and see how this works out. Look for today’s music selection down below. Feel free to use the Comment section to let me know what you think so far. These are all short takes today but some longer pieces will arrive soon.
The Bob Cesca Podcast: Author Greg Mitchell
MP3 Audio Today’s program from our podcasting affiliate, The Bob Cesca Show: Author Greg Mitchell — Bob’s guest today is award-winning author and nuclear weapons expert Greg Mitchell. Greg’s new book, “The Beginning Or The End: How Hollywood―and America―Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” is out this week and available everywhere. BUY THE BOOK HERE.
atomic bomb, Hiroshima, nuclear, anti-nuclear, MGM, Hollywood, World War II
Just a short post here to announce my new book coming this July, The Beginning or the End: How Hollywood Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. If that title’s not enough, there’s a brief write-up below from the catalog that will have to do for now (much more to come, including excerpts). This story has been over thirty years in the making. I’ve just made a few final changes–including at last digging into J.
oceanwaves11 recommends The Tunnels
Wasn't aware of the tunnels. The detailed plans, extensive physical labor and shared goals make for an exhilerating read. Hard to put down once started. Reasons I enjoyed this book: Informative Page-turner
The Campaign of the Century: Upton Sinclair's Race for Governor of California and the Birth of Media Politics
Trade Paperback Buy Close The Campaign of the Century: Upton Sinclair's Race for Governor of California and the Birth of Media Politics By Greg Mitchell Trade Paperback Amazon.com Barnes & Noble Books A Million IndieBound Powell's In 1934, voters hoping to turn the tide of the Great Depression backed an unlikely candidate for governor of California: Upton Sinclair, muckraking author of "The Jungle" and lifelong socialist.
Les tunnels de la liberté : Les évasions sous le Mur de Berlin, dont Kennedy voulait censurer les images (Littérature Etrangère) eBook: Greg Mitchell: Amazon.fr: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
Le 13 août 1961, le monde découvre avec stupeur que le pouvoir est-allemand n’a pas hésité à ériger un mur en plein cœur de Berlin pour mettre fin à la fuite de sa population vers les secteurs occidentaux de la ville. Quelques mois plus tard, de jeunes Allemands de l’Ouest s’organisent pour essayer de libérer des membres de leur famille, des amis et des inconnus retenus à l’Est – notamment, en creusant des tunnels sous le mur.
Les évasions sous le Mur de Berlin, dont Kennedy voulait censurer les images - Greg Mitchell - Livres
Le 13 août 1961, le monde découvre avec stupeur que le pouvoir est-allemand n’a pas hésité à ériger un mur en plein cœur de Berlin pour mettre fin à la fuite de sa population vers les secteurs occidentaux de la ville. Quelques mois plus tard, de jeunes Allemands de l’Ouest s’organisent pour essayer de libérer des membres de leur famille, des amis et des inconnus retenus à l’Est – notamment, en creusant des tunnels sous le mur.
Exciting, timely 'Wolf' will keep you guessing
Abe and Miranda in 'Wolf at the End of the Block' at 16th St. Theater. | Photo by Anthony Aicardi Now in its 11th season, 16th Street Theater has established itself as a company that puts on passionate, cutting edge productions about urgent issues. Their current work, Ike Holter's exciting play, The Wolf at the End of the Block, is tightly plotted and insightful. It's a Chicago crime thriller, strongly directed by Lili-Anne Brown, featuring five talented actors.
Oak Parker's new film tackles Dixon fraud
Rita Crundwell stole more than $53 million in taxpayer funds during her 20 years as comptroller for the city of Dixon — a town of fewer than 16,000 people, roughly 100 miles west of Chicago. She used the money to buy multiple lavish properties and, most notably, prize quarter horses (one of her favorites was named, ironically, "She Scores").
Tomgram: Greg Mitchell, Getting It Right on Iraq
Tomgram: Greg Mitchell, Getting It Right on Iraq Just imagine: You run a flagship national newspaper, the New York Times. It's the fifth anniversary of President Bush's catastrophic invasion of Iraq. Your own record of reportage in the period leading up to the invasion was not exactly sterling. So, for a change of pace, you decide to turn most of your double op-ed page in your Sunday "Week in Review" over to people who can look back thoughtfully on the misapprehensions of that moment. But who?
President vs. Press: How JFK tried to stop the news
Greg Mitchell October 2017 President John F. Kennedy in 1962 approved attempts by his State Department to suppress NBC and CBS television coverage of escape tunnels under the Berlin Wall. The full story is told for the first time, thanks to recently declassified cables and memos, in Greg Mitchell’s book The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films JFK Tried Kill, published in paperback this month by Broadway Books.
Found at Last: A Real-Life East German Stasi Officer Who Sabotaged His Own Deadly Operation
Greg Mitchell's book The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill has just been published in a paperback edition by Broadway Books. Many citizens of Germany, especially those who lived in the Communist-controlled eastern half of the country during the postwar decades of division, remain haunted by the excesses of the Stasi secret police.
When Journalists Decried JFK’s ‘Lies’ and Fake News Cries
History has certainly been kind to John F. Kennedy in assessing his performance during the 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. In this year’s October tributes, many in the media will no doubt hail his measured response in comparison to what we might experience from an erratic and impulsive President Trump in a similar showdown. Looking back, reporters and pundits in 1962 surely expressed nothing but appreciation for how JFK managed to avert a nuclear war. Well, not quite.
Daniel Ellsberg warns of nuclear dangers in the era of Trump
For most people, Daniel Ellsberg is known mainly for — or only for — the Pentagon Papers he leaked in 1971. And that’s plenty. It set in motion a landmark First Amendment case and led to shifts in public opinion that helped quicken the US withdrawal from Vietnam and the end to that war.
Pentagon Papers' Daniel Ellsberg: Trump Poses a Nuclear Threat to the World
For most people, Daniel Ellsberg is known mainly for — or only for — the Pentagon Papers he leaked in 1971. And that’s plenty. It set in motion a landmark First Amendment case and led to shifts in public opinion that helped quicken the US withdrawal from Vietnam and the end to that war.
Daniel Ellsberg, In Upcoming Book, Warns of Nuclear Dangers in the Era of Trump
Daniel Ellsberg prepares to join the sit-in group at the Rocky Flats protests in 1978. Ellsberg referred to the nuclear weapons production program there as "a movable holocaust." (Photo By Lyn Alweis/The Denver Post via Getty Images) For most people, Daniel Ellsberg is known mainly for — or only for — the Pentagon Papers he leaked in 1971. And that’s plenty.
Six reasons guys may engage in the services of a sex worker
Writing in 2013, writer Greg Mitchell outlined six reasons why men might call upon the services of an escort and asked if Prostitution was the last taboo. FILE PHOTO One will typically find, when talking about sex, that a gay man will say something along the lines of, “I’d never use an escort. I don’t have to.” The inference being, that they are too sexy, good-looking young or whatever for them to even consider the services of a sex worker.
‘Pentagon Papers’ reporter Daniel Ellsburg warns of nuclear dangers in Trump era
For most people, Daniel Ellsberg is known mainly for — or only for — the Pentagon Papers he leaked in 1971. And that’s plenty. It set in motion a landmark First Amendment case and led to shifts in public opinion that helped quicken the US withdrawal from Vietnam and the end to that war.
Greg Mitchell -
“Replica of entrance to NBC tunnel near Bernauer Strasse” While The Tunnels covers numerous excavations and other incredibly bold and daring escape operations at and under the Berlin Wall in 1962, it focuses on two major operations–and U.S. media projects. The first, in August ended in disaster, and with the Kennedy administration shutting down Daniel Schorr’s attempt to film it for CBS.
Waking up on the wrong side of the train- Forest Park police reports July 10-16
Waking up on the wrong side of the train A 32-year-old woman was charged with aggravated assault after waving a broken bottle at a CTA employee at 711 Desplaines Ave. on July 11 around 5:30 a.m. The CTA employee saw, according to the police report, the woman sleeping on a train car he was clearing of passengers. He woke her up and she "became irate" and then began "swinging the jagged edges of the broken bottle" at him. He was not cut. Officers eventually arrived and took the woman into custody.
Bob Sherrell's story, Part 7
Another man Bob had regard for beside Charles Lowery was his cousin's husband John Bradley who was studying for an M.S.W. at Harvard. In April of 1965, John called Bob long distance and told him about a march to be held in a place called Selma, Alabama. "John was telling me 'man, you gotta go down there and be a part of history,'" Bob recalled.
Os túneis: A história jamais contada das espetaculares fugas sob o Muro de Berlim eBook: Greg Mitchell, Carolina Caires Coelho: Amazon.es: Tienda Kindle
No verão de 1962, um ano após a construção do Muro de Berlim, um grupo de jovens da Alemanha Ocidental arriscou a prisão, a tortura e a morte para libertar amigos, amantes e desconhecidos da Berlim Oriental, escavando túneis debaixo do Muro. Em seguida, duas redes de televisão dos Estados Unidos ouviram falar dos projetos secretos e correram para serem os primeiros a documentá-los.
MoveOn Statement on Reports that Democrats are Weighing Deal to Approve Gorsuch to the Supreme Court
This evening, POLITICO reported that a group of Senate Democrats were exploring a potential deal with Republicans that would allow Neil Gorsuch to be confirmed to the Supreme Court in exchange for a promise from Republicans not to kill the filibuster for any subsequent vacancy on the Court during President Trump’s term.
Greg Mitchell -
The Cuban Missile Crisis in the autumn of 1962 was almost as much about Berlin as it was Cuba. There’s a fair amount in the narrative of my new book The Tunnels about the crisis, and how JFK handled it, as it almost overlapped with his (and Dean Rusk’s) attempt to kill the landmark NBC special on an escape tunnel under the Wall. I have never been a Kennedy fan boy (any of them) but not a hater, either.
Greg Mitchell -
July 1, 2017 The Cuban Missile Crisis in the autumn of 1962 was almost as much about Berlin as it was Cuba. There’s a fair amount in the narrative of my new book The Tunnels about the crisis, and how JFK handled it, as it almost overlapped with his (and Dean Rusk’s) attempt to kill the landmark NBC special on an escape tunnel under the Wall. I have never been a Kennedy fan boy (any of them) but not a hater, either.
LIVE: #WeStandUnited, NYC Rally on Inauguration Eve
On the evening before Trump’s Inauguration, Mayor de Blasio, Minneapolis Mayor Hodges, Reverend Sharpton, Robert De Niro, Sally Field, Mark Ruffalo, Rosie Perez, Alec Baldwin, Marisa Tomei, Julianne Moore, Cynthia Nixon, Natalie Merchant, Michael Moore, and Shailene Woodley will join thousands of New Yorkers and elected officials, community groups and organizations outside of Trump International Hotel & Tower near Columbus Circle at 6:00pm EST to stand united and send a message to...
Greg Mitchell -
January 9, 2017 While much has been written about this key aspect of my book The Tunnels, I have never put the highlights of the evidence–and the recently declassified cables themselves–in one place until now: On how the Kennedy White House and State Department in 1962 attempted to kill two landmark network news programs on escape tunnels under the Berlin Wall (and partly succeeded). Here at last is the link to the declassified cables on the CBS/Schorr tunnel.
Greg Mitchell -
See below for praise from The New York Times Book Review, Washington Post and many others (from Frederick Forsyth to Bill Moyers), for The… More
Greg Mitchell -
Hoping for more arrests, the Stasi had set up a virtual armed camp at the Schaller residence on Wolfswerder. Explosives chief Richard Schmeing, 53, an MfS veteran of more than a decade, took charge of more lethal preparations. Blowing up the tunnel at Wolfswerder, especially with Harry Seidel on the scene, was such a high priority that Stasi director Eric Mielke had personally approved the plan.
Greg Mitchell -
Not long ago, I co-produced a documentary, Following the Ninth, which explored how Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has been used in recent decades around the globe for humanistic, even political, purposes. It drew much acclaim (you can watch it via iTunes) and I later co-authored a book on the subject with the director.
Greg Mitchell -
Not long ago, I co-produced a documentary, Following the Ninth, which explored how Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has been used in recent decades around the globe for humanistic, even political, purposes. It drew much acclaim (you can watch it via iTunes) and I later co-authored a book on the subject with the director.
Greg Mitchell -
When should a President lie to foreign powers–and to the press and American people? The issue is raised a good deal in my book The Tunnels in relation to the Cuban Missile Crisis and JFK’s pressure on U.S. networks to kill coverage of escapes under the Berlin Wall. But as anyone who saw the recent movie Bridge of Sighs know, there was also a great number of lies relating to the Soviet shoot down of a U2 spy plane.
The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill
Product Description A thrilling Cold War narrative of superpower showdowns, media suppression, and two escape tunnels beneath the Berlin Wall In the summer of 1962, the year after the rise of the Berlin Wall, a group of young West Germans risked prison, Stasi torture, and even death to liberate friends, lovers, and strangers in East Berlin by digging tunnels under the Wall. Then two U.S. television networks heard about the secret projects and raced to be first to document them from the inside.
Greg Mitchell -
In the months after the Berlin Wall emerged in August, 1961, dividing the city, the two leading American TV networks, NBC and CBS, engaged in a race to be first to film young men in the West digging incredibly risky tunnels under the Wall to bring out lovers, family members and friends from the East. This untold story is at the center of my new book, The Tunnels, just published by Crown.
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