Mark Scott Smith's Blog: Enemy in the Mirror, page 47
May 3, 2021
Coup d’etat in British Guiana
In October 1953, the democratically elected People’s Progressive Party (PPP) of British Guyana was removed from power by the British Government—its colonial ruler at that time. The overthrow of the PPP, which had won a landslide victory in the April 1953 election, was engineered through a suspension of the Guyana’s constitution by the British Government and the simultaneous landing and deployment of British troops in the country.
The British governor dismissed government ministers and the House of Assembly, then appointed an interim Government composed of political opponents of the PPP. Many leading members of the PPP were detained without trial while, under a state of emergency declared by the Governor, civil rights were suspended.
The British Government took this drastic action after it was convinced that the PPP was a “communist organisation” bent on “subverting the Government” and making it an ally of the Soviet Union.
Source: The Suspension of the British Guiana Constitution – 1953 (Declassified British documents)
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April 29, 2021
Post-Korean War Recession
https://theeconreview.comThe recession of 1953 was the first recession occurring in the United States since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
With high expenditures to purchase equipment during the Korean War, the inflation rate in the U.S. soared up to 10%, which was far above its pre-war level of 2%.
The end of the Korean War substantially reduced government spending. But, at the same time, the recovered post-war economy resulted in less tax revenue and the federal government experienced a wide budget deficit.
To curb inflation, the U.S. Federal Reserve tightened money supply. Although the inflation rate was gradually dampened, the adverse impact of less money supplied to the economy particularly affected the banking sector. The cost of borrowing soared and interest rates increased.
With high interest rates, the demand for loans declined and the real economy contracted. GDP growth declined from 6.8% in the second quarter of 1953 to -2.4% in the second quarter of 1954—the lowest economic growth during the recession.
The unemployment rate gradually elevated from 2.5% to 6.1% in the summer of 1954, four months after the recession officially ended.
The crisis lasted for 10 months, ending in the first quarter of 1954.
Source: The Post Korean War Recession Of 1953 – Recession Tips
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April 26, 2021
The Robe in Cinemascope
In 1953 The Robe was released by 20th Century Fox as the first film released in the widescreen process called CinemaScope.
CinemaScope an anamorphic lens series was used from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that could be screened in theaters with existing equipment and a lens adapter.
The anamorphic format shot a widescreen picture on standard 35 mm film or other visual recording media with a non-widescreen native aspect ratio. Although the system became obsolete with later developments (e.g.,Panavision), CinemaScope’s anamorphic format continues today.
Telling the story of a Roman military tribune who commanded the unit responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus, The Robe starred Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, and Michael Rennie with co-stars Dean Jagger, Jay Robinson, Richard Boone, and Jeff Morrow.
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April 22, 2021
MiG-15 Pilot Flees to South Korea
Operation Moolah – in 1953 U.S forces in Korea offered $100,00 and political asylum to the first pilot who defected to South Korea with a combat-capable MiG-15.
In September 1953, a MiG- 15 piloted by Senior Lt. No Kum-Sok of the North Korean Air Force, landed at Kimpo Air Base in South Korea.
Powered by a copy of a British Rolls-Royce jet engine that was improved to produce a higher thrust, the MiG-15 was superior to the American P-51 Mustangs, F-80 Shooting Stars, and the F-84 Thunder jets.
Almost capable of Mach 1 speed, the MiG-15 was maneuverable at high altitude, armed with cannons, and could stay in the air for over 1 hour.
Source: Historyofyesterday.com
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April 19, 2021
McDonald’s Restaurant Chain
McDonald’s restaurant was founded in 1940 by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California.
They rechristened their business as a hamburger stand, and later turned the company into a franchise, with the Golden Arches logo being introduced in 1953 at a location in Phoenix, Arizona.
McDonald’s is the world’s largest restaurant chain by revenue, serving over 69 million customers daily in over 100 countries across 37,855 outlets as of 2018.
Source: Wikipedia
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April 15, 2021
American War Deaths Through History
Source: American war deaths through history
______________________________
As of March 2021, 11 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq in 2020.
> 2,300 American service members have been killed in Afghanistan and over 20,000 have been wounded since the conflict began.
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April 12, 2021
Operation Big Switch
In August 1953, the UN Command (UNC) released 70,183 North Koreans and 5,640 Chinese prisoners.
The Chinese People’s Volunteer Army (PVA) and (North) Korean People’s Army (KPA) repatriated 7,862 South Korean, 3,597 American, 945 British, 229 Turkish, 40 Filipino, 30 Canadian, 22 Colombian, 21 Australian, 12 French, 8 South African, 2 Greek, 2 Dutch, and 1 prisoner of war each from Belgium, New Zealand, and Japan.
In September 1953, 7,900 North Koreans and 14,704 Chinese soldiers who declined repatriation were handed over to the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission. The PVA/KPA handed over 23 American and one Briton and 333 South Korean non-repatriates UN soldiers.
By the December 23 explanation period deadline for non-repatriates, large groups of the Communist prisoners refused to listen to the PVA/KPA representatives at all. 137 Chinese soldiers chose to return to China. Two Americans and eight South Koreans chose to return to the UNC.
325 Koreans, 21 Americans and 1 Briton voluntarily decided to stay with the Communists. 21,839 Communist soldiers decided to remain in the West.
In early 1954 the Korean non-repatriates were released and the Chinese were shipped by plane and boat to Taiwan, except for some 86 who chose to go with the Custodial Forces of India when they sailed for home.
Main Source: Wikipedia
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April 8, 2021
Iranian Coup d’état
In August 1953 a coup d’état overthrew Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in favor of strengthening the monarchical rule of the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
The coup was orchestrated by the United States (Operation Ajax) and the United Kingdom (Operation Boot).
Main Source: 1953 Iranian coup d’état – Wikipedia
Here is a distinctly-Western view of the events.
In 2013 the CIA acknowledged orchestrating the coup
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April 5, 2021
Vaya con Dios
Vaya con Dios (Go with God) was written by Larry Russell, Inez James, and Buddy Pepper, and first recorded by Anita O’Day in December 1952.
The most-popular version of the song was recorded by the popular husband-and-wife musical duo Les Paul and Mary Ford and released in May 1953.
The song lasted for 31 weeks on the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart, remaining at #1 for a total of 11 non-consecutive weeks.The song also reached number one on the Cash Box chart where it remained at #1 for five weeks.
In 2005, the 1953 Les Paul and Mary Ford recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
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April 1, 2021
Soviets Test Their First Hydrogen Bomb
Throughout the late 1940s, aware that thermonuclear weapons were developed by the United States, the Soviet Union worked to develop a hydrogen bomb to counter the perceived Cold War threat.
Soviet physicist Andrei Sakharov (considered the father of the Soviet H-bomb) formulated key ideas that contributed to Soviet thermonuclear design and his research played a key role in the development process.
A year after the U.S. tested its first thermonuclear device in November 1952, the Soviets tested a thermonuclear bomb yielding ~400 kilotons of TNT at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan.
Although the test produced a significantly smaller yield than the 1952 American thermonuclear test series, the Soviets argued that this weapon was ready for immediate use and could be delivered by a long-range bomber.
Soviet TU-4 Bomber – Wikipedia
Main source: Soviet Hydrogen bomb project
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