Interview with Colonel Douglas Macgregor

Senior Advisor to Trump Secretary of Defense speaks about war in Ukraine and other acts of American folly.

By JOHN LEAKE

We’ve all heard the expression, “In war, the first casualty is truth.” Apparently coined by the Greek dramatist Aeschylus, the expression has been repeated by countless public figures over the centuries.

What is the truth about the war in Ukraine? What are the origins of the conflict? What brought the disagreement between the governments of Ukrainian and Russia—a disagreement that had been simmering for many years—to a full-blown crisis in early 2022?

Years ago I wrote a draft manuscript for novel about murder and political intrigue arising from the so-called Pipeline Opera. The opera was about the contest between two massive and competing pipeline projects for supplying natural gas to Europe—the American-sponsored Nabuco pipeline and the Russian-sponsored South Stream. Both projects were eventually cancelled, mostly for political reasons.

One thing that became fairly evident to me during my research is that there are longstanding and powerful interests in the United States who have NO interest in peaceful cooperation with Russia, because it would imperil their extremely profitable industries. Peaceful cooperation with Russia would challenge America’s bloated defense budget ($886 billion this year). Another American industrial enterprise that would be inconceivable in the event of peace with Russia is Liquified Natural Gas production and shipping to Europe. As I predicted years ago, the simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine would—if it came to war—be a huge boon to U.S. LNG interests. My prediction has come true. The industry is now booming and new terminals are under construction.

In February of 2022, my grave concern that the United States government was doing NOTHING to defuse the crisis was confirmed when the Biden Administration sent its imbecile Vice President, Kamala Harris, to discuss the matter at the Munich Security Conference. At that moment, what was needed to defuse the crisis was a chief negotiator of great skill, social ability, and sophistication—not an incoherent, double-speaking nincompoop. As I watched a recording of her performance, I knew that war was imminent.

A few days ago, the documentary filmmaker, James Patrick, sent me a recording of a high-production value interview he recently conducted with Colonel Douglas Macgregor, who served as senior advisor to Trump’s Secretary of Defense. Colonel Macgregor is a man of extraordinary experience, education, and intellect.

In this interview, he presents a heterodox view of the war in Ukraine. At the core of his view is his belief that the United States government has become a catastrophic failure at tending to its own house. At the same time that we grossly mismanage our own affairs at home, we bungle from one military adventure to the next around the world, making one colossal mess after another. Instead of defusing conflicts abroad, we stoke them.

As a matter of full disclosure, I generally share Colonel Macgregor’s view of things. The United States government can’t even conduct an election properly, never mind protect our own borders or balance a budget. Every country abroad it has touched with military force has gone from bad to catastrophically worse. Colonel Macgregor seems to share my conviction that it’s time for the United States government to contemplate the wisdom of Matthew 7:3: “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but don't consider the beam that is in your own eye?

If you like this interview, please share the link with your friends and check out James Patrick’s other fascinating interviews and films on his BIG PICTURE website.