https://sputnikglobe.com/20230926/sy-hersh-cia-viewed-bidens-blast-of-nord-stream-as-strategic-step-toward-world-war-iii-1113692659.html
Sy Hersh: CIA Viewed Biden's Blast of Nord Stream as Strategic Step Toward World War III
Sy Hersh: CIA Viewed Biden's Blast of Nord Stream as Strategic Step Toward World War III
Sputnik International
The Biden administration blew up the Nord Stream pipelines in order to not lose its longstanding primacy in Western Europe, according to Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh.
2023-09-26T16:58+0000
2023-09-26T16:58+0000
2023-09-26T16:58+0000
seymour hersh
nord stream sabotage
joe biden
olaf scholz
russia
ukraine
germany
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nato
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Exactly a year ago, three of four Nord Stream pipelines, designed to deliver 110 billion cubic meters per annum of Russian natural gas to Europe, were destroyed by a series of powerful blasts.Less than half a year later, on February 8, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh exposed Team Biden's apparent clandestine plan to destroy the pipelines, citing a knowledgeable anonymous source.On the first anniversary of the sabotage, Hersh revealed that the secret operation's major flaw, which resulted in the leak of the cover-up, was that Team Biden hid the real purpose of the plot even from its own intelligence operatives.'Deterrence' to Prevent Ukraine ConflictIn December 2021, when Russia handed over its draft security agreements to the US and NATO concerning the military bloc's non-enlargement and Kiev's neutrality, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan convened a series of high-level national security meetings that included CIA representatives. The idea was to come up with a deterrent that would stop Russian President Vladimir Putin from "invading" Ukraine.After the plan was agreed, then Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and two weeks later Joe Biden stated that if Russia were to start a military operation in Ukraine, the Nord Stream pipelines would be stopped "one way or the other."On February 7, 2022, at a joint White House press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Biden signaled: "If Russia invades — that means tanks and troops crossing . . . the border of Ukraine again, there will no longer be a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it."The Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations had repeatedly expressed their strong opposition to the development of the Nord Stream project. In 2021, the Biden administration imposed pressure on Berlin, with Olaf Sholz suspending the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which was ready to go in September 2021.What Was Team Biden's Real Plan?The investigative journalist highlighted that he was recently told that after Biden's extraordinary public threat to blow up Nord Stream 2, "the CIA planning group was told by the White House that there would be no immediate attack on the two pipelines." The group was directed to plant the necessary bombs and be ready to trigger them "on demand" — after the conflict began.It was then that the small US planning group that was working in Oslo with the Royal Norwegian Navy and special services on the project understood that the attack on the pipelines was not a deterrent, because when the conflict started, they did not get the command, Hersh wrote, citing his source."We realized that the destruction of the two Russian pipelines was not related to the Ukrainian war […] but was part of a neocon political agenda to keep Scholz and Germany, with winter coming up and the pipelines shut down, from getting cold feet and opening up [the shuttered Nord Stream 2]," the journalist's interlocutor said.What's more, the leadership of the CIA team saw the Biden administration's "misleading guidelines for its order to destroy the pipelines" as taking "a strategic step toward World War III," according to Hersh.European Governments Knew About Nord Stream PlotHersh pointed out that even though Swedish and Danish officials continue to insist that they have no idea what happened in their territorial waters, they clearly saw the activities of American and Norwegian crews, but turned a blind eye to it: "The American team of divers and support staff on the mission’s mother ship—a Norwegian minesweeper—would be hard to hide while the divers were doing their work," he remarked.Moreover, Hersh revealed that Chancellor Scholz "was considered then – and now – by some members of the CIA team to be fully aware of the secret planning underway to destroy the pipelines."Who Did It?While the US government continues to deny the sabotage attack on the Nord Stream pipelines, all the facts, including the Biden administration's unwillingness to investigate the issue, point to Washington, per the journalist. And the reason to do this was to tighten control over the US European allies, who are now suffering from inflation, economic slowdown, and energy uncertainty.
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nord stream sabotage, nord stream attack, nord stream blast, cia, biden's plot to destroy nord stream, world war 3, world war three, seymour hersh, pulitzer prize-winning journalist sy hersh, joe biden, jake sullivan, norway, baltic sea, nord stream investigation, denmark and sweden, germany, olaf scholz, energy crisis, eu inflation, germany recession, german deindustrialization
nord stream sabotage, nord stream attack, nord stream blast, cia, biden's plot to destroy nord stream, world war 3, world war three, seymour hersh, pulitzer prize-winning journalist sy hersh, joe biden, jake sullivan, norway, baltic sea, nord stream investigation, denmark and sweden, germany, olaf scholz, energy crisis, eu inflation, germany recession, german deindustrialization
Sy Hersh: CIA Viewed Biden's Blast of Nord Stream as Strategic Step Toward World War III
The Biden administration blew up the Nord Stream pipelines in order to not lose its longstanding primacy in Western Europe, according to Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh.
Exactly a year ago, three of four Nord Stream pipelines, designed to deliver 110 billion cubic meters per annum of Russian natural gas to Europe, were destroyed by a series of powerful blasts.
Less than half a year later, on February 8, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh exposed Team Biden's apparent clandestine plan to destroy the pipelines, citing a knowledgeable anonymous source.
On the first anniversary of the sabotage, Hersh revealed that the secret operation's major flaw, which resulted in the leak of the cover-up, was that Team Biden
hid the real purpose of the plot even from its own intelligence operatives.
"There was a flaw – a gap in understanding between those who carried out the mission and President [Joe] Biden, as to why he ordered the destruction of the pipelines when he did," the investigative journalist wrote on Tuesday. "This is the first account of that flaw, on the one-year anniversary of the explosions, and it is one President Biden and his national security team will not like."
26 September 2023, 06:38 GMT
'Deterrence' to Prevent Ukraine Conflict
In December 2021, when Russia handed over its draft security agreements to the US and NATO concerning the military bloc's non-enlargement and Kiev's neutrality, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan convened a series of high-level national security meetings that included CIA representatives. The idea was to come up with a deterrent that would stop Russian President Vladimir Putin from "invading" Ukraine.
It was decided that the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines would be a perfect deterrence. Per Hersh, these pipelines were picked by Team Biden because they ran directly from Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany, which made them accessible to the plotters and "totally deniable." The US intelligence operatives tasked with the implementation of the plan believed that "the president would use the threat against Nord Stream as a deterrent to avoid the war," the source told Hersh.
After the plan was agreed, then Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and two weeks later Joe Biden stated that if Russia were to start a military operation in Ukraine, the Nord Stream pipelines would be stopped "one way or the other."
On February 7, 2022, at a joint White House press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Biden signaled: "If Russia invades — that means tanks and troops crossing . . . the border of Ukraine again, there will no longer be a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it."
The Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations had repeatedly expressed their strong opposition to the development of the Nord Stream project. In 2021, the Biden administration imposed pressure on Berlin, with Olaf Sholz suspending the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which was ready to go in September 2021.
26 September 2023, 12:06 GMT
What Was Team Biden's Real Plan?
The investigative journalist highlighted that he was recently told that after Biden's extraordinary public threat to blow up Nord Stream 2, "the CIA planning group was told by the White House that there would be no immediate attack on the two pipelines." The group was directed to plant the necessary bombs and be ready to trigger them "on demand" — after the conflict began.
It was then that the small US planning group that was working in Oslo with the Royal Norwegian Navy and special services on the project understood that the attack on the pipelines was not a deterrent, because when the conflict started, they did not get the command, Hersh wrote, citing his source.
"We realized that the destruction of the two Russian pipelines was not related to the Ukrainian war […] but was part of a neocon political agenda to keep Scholz and Germany, with winter coming up and the pipelines shut down, from getting cold feet and opening up [the shuttered Nord Stream 2]," the journalist's interlocutor said.
What's more, the leadership of the CIA team saw the Biden administration's "misleading guidelines for its order to destroy the pipelines" as taking "a strategic step toward World War III," according to Hersh.
25 September 2023, 03:15 GMT
European Governments Knew About Nord Stream Plot
"Within days of the bombing, officials in Denmark and Sweden announced they would conduct an investigation. They reported two months later that there had indeed been an explosion and said there would be further inquiries. None has emerged. The German government conducted an inquiry but announced that major parts of its findings would be classified," the investigative journalist wrote.
Hersh pointed out that even though Swedish and Danish officials continue to insist that they have no idea
what happened in their territorial waters, they clearly saw the activities of American and Norwegian crews, but turned a blind eye to it: "The American team of divers and support staff on the mission’s mother ship—a Norwegian minesweeper—would be hard to hide while the divers were doing their work," he remarked.
Moreover, Hersh revealed that Chancellor Scholz "was considered then – and now – by some members of the CIA team to be fully aware of the secret planning underway to destroy the pipelines."
"Last winter German authorities allocated $286 billion in subsidies to major corporations and homeowners who faced higher energy bills to run their business and warm their homes. The impact is still being felt today, with a colder winter expected in Europe," the investigative journalist underscored.
24 August 2023, 14:02 GMT
While the US government continues to deny the sabotage attack on the Nord Stream pipelines, all the facts, including the Biden administration's unwillingness to investigate the issue, point to Washington, per the journalist. And the reason to do this was to tighten control over the US European allies, who are now suffering from inflation, economic slowdown, and energy uncertainty.
"The Biden administration blew up the pipelines but the action had little to do with winning or stopping the war in Ukraine. It resulted from fears in the White House that Germany would waver and turn on the flow of Russia gas – and that Germany and then NATO, for economic reasons, would fall under the sway of Russia and its extensive and inexpensive natural resources. And thus followed the ultimate fear: that America would lose its long-standing primacy in Western Europe," Hersh concluded.
26 August 2023, 18:25 GMT
