Ignatyev, Oleg. Secret Weapon in Africa. Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1977.
191 pages.
This slim book is typical of the Third World and Soviet press on the
subject of the CIA, a half-dozen of which are in NameBase. It's the sort
of broad anti-CIA polemic that would be considered propagandistic and
anti-intellectual by "sophisticated" Western publishers. The facts
presented in these books can rarely be disputed, since they are frequently
compiled from accepted U.S. sources, but the shotgun approach preferred by
the authors leaves no doubt as to where the real evil empire can be found.
Occasional tidbits on CIA activities that appeared only in the foreign
press make these volumes worthwhile. One criticism might be that the term
"CIA" is sometimes used too loosely, and thereby understates the pluralism
that may exist among U.S. foreign policy elites.
Oleg Ignatyev has worked for Pravda since 1964 and has written seven
other books on national liberation struggles. This one is about the war in
Angola from 1961-1976. Holden Roberto, Jonas Savimbi, FNLA, UNITA, MPLA, the
Chinese, and the CIA figure heavily in his account, which is a mixture of
historical description from the MPLA perspective and on-the-scene reporting.
Ignatyev's observations about Savimbi's methods are as important today as
they were then -- leftover cold warriors in Washington still support him as
their hero despite continuing evidence of his disregard for human rights.
ISBN unavailable
Extract the names from this source
Back to search page