Posted: March 25, 2022
In a film with Naomi Watts and Sean Penn produced in 2010 called Fair Game, there are various scenes involving civilians (uninformed military personnel or the general public) who when meeting for dinner with the principal characters of the show, a CIA operative and her ex- U.S. ambassador husband, postulate all sorts of ideas about the Middle East, terrorists and Muslims. Based on a true story, the CIA operative Valerie Plame and the ex-ambassador Joseph Wilson struggle with not entering the discussion at these dinners.
This is one of the same themes one of the daughters of a Baker has written about in a personal essay in the MEMBERS section of this website. She has had many conversations with various Bakers on this subject, who have shared their experiences of biting their tongue in the 1960’s when various officers or their wives would repeat inaccuracies and in some cases absolute speculation or gossip about military operations surrounding Cuba and the stalemate with the Soviet Union.
Last month another Bakers grandson wrote a piece on his grandmothers observations about the buildup of Russian Troops on the border of the Ukraine, and the parallels to 1939 and the occupation of Poland. For two years before the world was prepared to act, the German government had broken various treaties and agreements, were rounding up Romany and Jews and had already invaded Czechoslovakia. Similarly the world did not really react to any great extent when the Crimea was annexed by Russia, many years before this current invasion of the Ukraine. It is a sad commentary on history repeating itself and a very insightful commentary by one of the Bakers.
I raise this as earlier today there was a wonderful editorial posted by one of our Bakers on her experience in Key West in the fall of 1962 when we were closer than ever to a nuclear war and the similar position we would appear to be in today.
The point is that our Bakers have lived this history. And they have been contributors to a pivotal turn of events at a critical point in that history. But many today still live with the secret of their activities during the cold war.
If you know of one of these brave women please encourage them to become a Member. Most find it very comforting to share with others their common experience. As you can see from other general posts we hold conferences periodically, but the bigger story is the dialogue and sharing that occurs behind the Membership wall on this website.
Sally