Report from Iron Mountain

by Leonard C. Lewin

Book Overview

In a tradition of political satire that ranges from A MODEST PROPOSAL to DR. STRANGELOVE falls the perplexing, ingenious, and ceaselessly curious REPORT FROM IRON MOUNTAIN. Upon its first appearance in 1967, this best-selling "secret government report" sparked immediate debate among journalists and scholars with its disturbingly convincing claim: a condition of "permanent peace" at the end of the Cold War would threaten our nation's economic and social...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 143912311X
• ISBN13: 9781439123119
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 2.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

The Art of War

Report from Iron Mountain should rank with Sun Tsu's classic book, of the subject title, as an essential read for those seeking an understanding of the basic forces underlying America's war economy. Lewin wrote this brilliant satire in the `60's, and he is a clear master of the pseudo-scientific think tank jargon and mindset. He must have chortled to himself many times when he wrote such footnotes as the following (p 107): "This rather optimistic estimate was derived by plotting a three-dimensional distribution of three arbitrarily defined variables: the macro-structural, relating to the extension of knowledge beyond the capacity of conscious experience; the organic, dealing with the manifestations of terrestrial life as inherently comprehensible; and the infra-particular, covering the subconceptual requirements of natural phenomena. Values were assigned to the known and unknown in each parameter, tested against data from earlier chronologies, and modified heuristically until predicable correlation...." Hoax? No Hoax? Clearly the wrong questions, and that issue seems to attract those who are enthralled by 9-11 conspiracy theories. As with 9-11, the central issue remains in plain sight: America has not caught Bin Laden, but more importantly, does not seem very interested in doing so. Likewise, we should not get distracted by Lewin's style, which is a bit overwrought and tedious, on how this document was produced. The central aspects of his case are in Sections 5 and 6, the Functions of War, and the Substitutes for the Functions of War. These are the issues that should be carefully reviewed and honestly debated. I first read his book shortly after the original publication, while I was in Vietnam. Now, more than 40 years later, it is even truer. America is now spending more money on "defense" in the so-called war on terror than all other countries in the world combined. Nuclear submarines to fight Al-Qada's navy, as the journalist Robert Sheer recently wrote. Those external enemies are vital to the way are society functions, as we continue to pursue the war without end. Report from Iron Mountain outlines the salient issues if that war should ever truly end.

NOT A HOAX

How do you protrect yourself(Author) and have damage control you call it a hoax in the end. Here is John Kenneth Galbraith(CFR insider) admitted to: Just read the section on using an envirenmental scare to control the population from 1967(IMPLEMENTED Today)!! On November 26, 1976, the report was reviewed in the book section of the Washington Post by Herschel McLandress, which was the pen name for Harvard professor John Kenneth Galbraith. Galbraith, who also had been a member of the CFR (Council on Foreign Relations), said that he knew firsthand of the report's authenticity because he had been invited to participate in it. Although he was unable to be part of the official group, he was consulted from time to time and had been asked to keep the project a secret. Furthermore, while he doubted the wisdom of letting the public know about the report, he agreed totally with its conclusions. He wrote: 'As I would put my personal repute behind the authenticity of this document, so would I testify to the validity of its conclusions. My reservation relate only to the wisdom of releasing it to an obviously unconditioned public.'[3] Six weeks later, in an Associated Press dispatch from London, Galbraith went even further and jokingly admitted that he was a member of the conspiracy. [4] That, however, did not settle the issue. The following day, Galbraith backed off. When asked about his 'conspiracy' statement, he replied: 'For the first time since Charles II The Times has been guilty of a misquotation... Nothing shakes my conviction that it was written by either Dean Rusk or Mrs. Clare Booth Luce. '[5] The original reporter reported the following six days later: 'Misquoting seems to be a hazard to which Professor Galbraith is prone. The latest edition of the Cambridge newspaper Varsity quotes the following (tape recorded) interchange: 'Interviewer: 'Are you aware of the identity of the author of Report from Iron Mountain?' Galbraith: 'I was in general a member of the conspiracy, but I was not the author. I have always assumed that it was the man who wrote the foreword - Mr. Lewin[6] So, on at least three occasions, Galbraith publicly endorsed the authenticity of the report, but denied that he wrote it.

Deviant but brilliant !!

Hoax or reality, this report sheds a clear light on the process of elitist thinking and planning. It did not only predict but planned our future. The present situation in the world is the greatest proof of the authenticity of this report. It's a book worth reading. If you find it buy it...

A nightmare for paranoids (is it REALLY fiction?).

I originally encountered this book over 25 years ago (maybe earlier). I have continually referred it to particular friends over the interevening years. I just recently told a political affairs "junkie" about it. This report fascinated me way back then and has stayed with me through the years. I was rapt from start to finish and defy anyone to willingly abandon it in the middle. The answer to the question: "Is peace desirable?" would seem obvious. If there were any answer other than yes, what would be the justification? The end(?) of the cold war did not bring a breakout of peace. This exposition anticipated that peace could conceivably bring as many or more problems than war. Sound bizaare? The report makes it VERY plausible. Sweet dreams!