Prof. James Petras: Military Purges: Its Not About Sex!!

The headline stories claim that CIA Director General David Petraeus resigned as head of the CIA because of an adulterous relation with his young biographer, and that General John Allen, Supreme Commander of US troops in Europe was on hold, because, we are told, of his inappropriate comments in the exchange of e-mails with a civilian friend. We are told that a hard charging local FBI agent, Frederick Humphries, Jr, had uncovered amorous e-mails sent by General Petraeus to his girlfriend biographer in the course of investigating a complaint of cyber stalking. Out of concern that the General's adulterous behavior posed a risk to US national security, Florida based FBI Agent Humphries handed the evidence over to one of Washington, DC's most powerful Republican, Congressman Eric Cantor, who in turn passed them on to the Director of the FBI, leading to Petraeus resignation. In other words, we are asked to believe that a single, low ranking, zealous FBI agent has toppled the careers of two top US Generals: One in charge of the principle global intelligence agency, the CIA, and the other in command of the US and allied combat forces in the principle theater of military engagement on the basis of infidelity and flirtatious banter! Nothing could be more far fetched simply on prima facie evidence. In the sphere of tight hierarchical organizations, like the military or the CIA, where the activity and behavior of subordinate functionaries is centrally directed and any investigation is subject to authorization by senior officials, most especially regarding prying into the private correspondences of the heads of the CIA and of strategic military operations, the idea that a lone agent might operate free lance is preposterous. A cowboy agent could not simply initiate investigation into such sensitive targets as the head of the CIA, and a General in an active combat zone without the highest level authorization or a network of political operatives with a much bigger agenda.