Draws Parallels between Marcos and Russian Interference in US Elections and Politics

Pulitzer Prize Winning Investigative reporter Eric Nalder has delivered a hearty “thumbs up” in his recent review of Author Michael Withey’s new book Summary Execution:  The Seattle Assassinations of Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes, see withey.wpengine.com. Nalder cut his eyeteeth investigating and reporting on the Exxon Valdez oil spill and its aftermath, winning the National Reporting Pulitzer in 1990 with three colleagues with The Seattle Times.  He and his colleagues also won the Investigative Reporting Pulitzer in 1997 for their investigation of widespread corruption in the federally sponsored housing program for Native Americans, inspiring much needed reforms.

A 1968 graduate from the University of Washington, Nalder said this about the book:

“Remarkable … on one hand it is a thriller. On another, a compelling account of a historic saga … a must read for every social activist and investigative reporter. And it is timeless, especially given our current circumstances where, once again, the public is deeply concerned about foreign intervention in our politics. The story has so many twists as well – amazing turns – that prove the point that conspiracy theories aren’t necessarily fiction.” (emphasis added)

In Summary Execution, Withey details the way the Marcos regime, through the Mabuhay Corporation:

• Set up an intelligence slush fund used to pay for the murders of Domingo and Viernes,
• Conducted an operation which funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions to national and local elected officials,
• Sponsored two-way satellite hook-ups (Pulong-Pulong) allowing Marcos to speak to his supporters in the US, and
• Purchased radio stations and news outlets to spread pro-Marcos propaganda in the US.

Nalder’s review is a timely reminder that assaults on our freedoms and democracy, described in the book, are a current problem as well.