Handbook of the struggle for freedom

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The manual of the freedom struggle (Spanish original: Manual del combatiente por la libertad = manual of the freedom fighter ) is a 15-page brochure on the guidance of acts of sabotage , which was presented to the public in Nicaragua in 1983 and allegedly by the CIA to support insurgents during the Contra War had been published. A German translation was published in 1985 under the title Handbuch des Freiheitskampfes in edition salvador allende as no 2 .

content

The brochure is structured as a comic ; The only running text is a short introduction, which is addressed to all Nicaraguans who want to take action against the "... armed terrorist bandits and henchmen of Moscow ..." (meaning the Sandinista government ):

... This is very easy to overthrow and paralyze, without weapons and sophisticated equipment, only with simple tools and without spending a lot of time.

The following pages demonstrate a number of ingenious sabotage techniques that mostly only require simple tools such as scissors , empty bottles, screwdrivers , matches , etc. However, the use of such techniques can have a significant overall effect without the need for equipment, training, or special activities to attract attention. A single fighter can use many of these techniques without the need for cooperation or detailed advance planning. These are actions in a coup d'état that can be carried out without preparation when an opportunity arises ...

Quoted from Das CIA-Handbuch , p. 83.

The illustrations show various acts of sabotage, including a.

  • Damage to military vehicles that are in a workshop for repair (the truck shown has the EPS = Sandinista People's Army ),
  • Delay in daily work due to "loitering",
  • Celebrating sick,
  • The lights are on and the water run,
  • Posting anti-Sandinista slogans such as "Viva el Papa" ("Long live the Pope ")
  • Damage to electrical cables and telephones,
  • Rendering vehicle engines unusable.
Molotovcia

The drawings illustrate how these acts of sabotage can be carried out using simple tools. The production of a Molotov cocktail is described in great detail and accompanied visually, whereby the effect of the "Molly" can be increased considerably if a tank filled with flammable liquids is pierced beforehand so that the fuel can run out and be ignited with the incendiary device.

The fact that the manual was produced specifically for a Nicaraguan audience is evident from the accompanying text and the graphic representation. The men are wearing sombreros and one of the trucks shown bears a strong resemblance to the characteristic features of the IFA W50 , which was exported from the GDR to Nicaragua.

The German edition

In the German edition, the descriptive texts are fully translated, in the drawings only partially. An attack by young people on a police station is shown, with " Police " being written above the entrance door , while the Molotov cocktail and the like are shown. a. is thrown at a target marked POLICIA .

The comic was published in the 1985 CIA manual ; Among them is also the book "Psychological operations in guerrilla warfare" ("Operaciones sicologicos en guerra de guerrillas"), which was supposedly published by a Tayacán.

Genesis and Distribution

When and where the manual first appeared or was presented to the public is unknown. Apparently no original has survived. It is also unclear whether it was ever spread in Nicaragua itself, and if so, by whom. It is also unclear whether it was even created by the CIA. The publication of the brochure coincides with the flight of former CIA member Philip Agee from Grenada to Nicaragua in 1983 due to the US invasion of Grenada . Niess also quotes in his work “The legacy of the Conquista. History of Nicaragua ”in this regard only from the manual without location and publication date.

See also

literature

  • Edition Salvador Allende (ed.): The CIA manual. Documents of the US “covert war” against Nicaragua. With a contribution by Philip Ageee , Duisburg (edition salvador allende Verlag Wolfgang Braun) 1985, printed therein Handbuch des Freiheitskampfes ( Manual del combatiente por la libertad ), pp. 81-97.
  • Frank Niess: The legacy of the Conquista. History of Nicaragua , Cologne (Pahl-Rugenstein Verlag GmbH) 1987, pp. 438, 485. ISBN 3-7609-1058-0

Web links