Arnaud de Borchgrave
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Arnaud de Borchgrave (1926–) is an American conservative journalist of Belgian extraction who focuses on international politics. He is currently editor at large of The Washington Times and of United Press International.
Born in Belgium to a Belgian count, de Borchgrave was educated in Belgium, Britain and the United States. He served the British Royal Navy from 1942 to 1946, volunteering at the age of 15. In 1947, he was appointed Brussels bureau chief for United Press International, and three years later he was the Newsweek bureau chief in Paris and then chief correspondent. In 1953 he became a senior editor for the magazine.
As a correspondent for Newsweek, de Borchgrave secured numerous interviews with world leaders. In 1969 he interviewed both President Nasser of Egypt and Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol. In October 1972, during the Vietnam War, he was accorded his most famous interview, travelling to Hanoi to speak with North Vietnamese Prime Minister and Politburo member Pham Van Dong. In that interview, Dong described a provision of a proposed peace deal as a "coalition of transition," which raised fears with the South Vietnamese that the deal involved a coalition government, possibly playing a role in South Vietnam's rejection of the deal. According to Louis Wolf and Fred Clarkson (page 35), Borchgrave was fired in 1980 "in part for keeping dossiers on fellow employees". He was appointed Editor-in-Chief for The Washington Times on March 20, 1985.
De Borchgrave is the author of The Spike (1980), a novel centering on the theme of liberal bias in the news. His wife Alexandra Villard de Borchgrave is also a published author.
[edit] Memorable quotes
In 1978 he told a Covert Action Information Bulletin editor:
… he considered his "key, best sources of information" in the world the heads of "intelligence services in Washington, London, Tel Aviv, and Pretoria, each of which I stay in close contact with." Despite such open reliance on close intelligence ties, de Borchgrave claims coyly nowadays that he spurned two CIA recruitment approaches. —Louis Wolf, Fred Clarkson, op. cit. p. 35.
Asked whether the United States engages in disinformation, de Borchgrave said that present and former U.S. officials trying "in a free society… to put the best face possible" on what they are doing or did in government is not disinformation "That is called management of the news." —Louis Wolf, Fred Clarkson, op. cit. p. 35.
[edit] External links (date order)
- William Preston, Jr. and Ellen Ray, "Disinformation and Mass Deception: Democracy as a Cover Story," Covert Action Information Bulletin, Spring-Summer 1983, No. 19, pp. 3–12 (contains photo of Borchgrave in "Rhodesian army gear, one of his favorite outfits").
- Louis Wolf and Fred Clarkson, "Arnaud de Borchgrave Boards Moon's Ship," Covert Information Information Bulletin, Summer 1985, No. 24, pp. 34-35.
- Fred Clarkson, "Behind the Times: Who Pulls The Strings at Washington's No. 2 Daily?," FAIR/Extra!, August/September 1987.
- Arnaud de Borchgrave, "Lucky Break for Jordan," UPI, March 21, 2003.
