This Day in Cable History. (May 12th 1986. Madrid)

This Day in Cable History. (May 12th 1986. Madrid)

QADHAFI RETALIATES AGAINST SPANISH EXPULSIONS.LIBYA MAY 12 RESPONDED TO FRIDAY'S EXPULSION OF ITS CONSUL GENERAL, CHARGED WITH PASSING FUNDS TO A SPANISH ARMY COLONEL ON THE ANTI-DEMOCRATIC RIGHT, BY PNG'ING THE SPANISH COMMERCIAL AND CULTURAL COUNSELORS IN TRIPOLI. MFA'S SUBDIRECTOR GENERAL FOR NORTH AFRICA TELLS US THAT THE GOS WILL NOT RETALIATE SPECIFICALLY FOR THESE EXPULSIONS; AS INVESTIGATIONS CONTINUE INTO THE LIBYAN ACTIVITIES HERE, HOWEVER, MORE EXPULSIONS ARE QUITE POSSIBLE.

This Cable, written on a Monday afternoon in 1986 describes some of the "realpolitik" between Spain and Libya at the time. Further, this cable was written 27 days after the United States bombed Tripoli and surrounding military bases. Though QADHAFI and his administration were not an innocent party to the events leading up to the raid; the raid-bombing itself was condemned by many countries.

By a vote of 79 in favor to 28 against with 33 abstentions:

the United Nations formally adopted resolution 41/38 which "condemns the military attack perpetrated against the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya on 15 April 1986, which constitutes a violation of the Charter of the United Nations and of international law.

The actions of the United States and subsequent rhetoric from Washington produced the phrase "War on Terrorist havens" which, eleven years later would evolve into the Bush rhetorical staple "War on Terror".

Cultural

Some of the Movies released in 1986:

• May 16th: Top Gun
• April 25th: 3 hommes et un couffin
• June 13th: The Manhattan Project

As a propaganda device, the film Top Gun was a master piece. Essentially a 110 minute long US-Air-force recruitment video; the film is but one, in a long line of war glorifying films produced by Hollywood.

Some of the more popular Songs:

• West End Girls, Pet Shop Boys (April)
• "If You Leave," Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark(May)
• "No One Is To Blame," Howard Jones(June)

The above listed songs are but a snap shot of music popular at the time when this cable was written. It is of note, how heavily the cold war influenced popular culture. A particularly stunning example of cold war pop culture influence is in the video for "If You leave". Taken from the movie Pretty in Pink (also released in 1986) the video starts with Molly Ringwald reading aloud the history of the Warsaw pact.

The New York Times Best Seller List (Top 3) May 11, 1986 Fiction

• A PERFECT SPY, by John le Carré.
• I'LL TAKE MANHATTAN, by Judith Krantz.
• THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, by Robert Ludlum

The New York Times Best Seller List (Top 3) May 11, 1986 Non-Fiction

• THE TRIUMPH OF POLITICS, by David A. Stockman
• YOU'RE ONLY OLD ONCE! by Dr. Seuss.
• BUS 9 TO PARADISE, by Leo Buscaglia

As what one might expect; the above list of top selling books denote a culture inundated by the rhetoric of MAD. (Mutually Assured Destruction)The above selection of fiction titles, show a desire to understand the context of the cold war through sensationalized spy thrillers; whereas the selection of non-fiction, for the most part, seem to illustrate a need to believe in something else, something better. Of course this over looks the blatant contrast of THE TRIUMPH OF POLITICS which is a rather scathing account of President Reagan's economic policies.

Economic:

• $ vs ESP (1 = 139.697)
• Gold Price (May 1986) 342.40
• US Dollar Index 106.6678
• Dow Jones: May 1986 Close 1895.95

Exports / Imports
May 1986
Exports:181.2
Imports:194.7 :-NOTE: All figures are in millions of U.S. dollars on a nominal basis
Balance:-13.5

Important Events:

• The world's worst nuclear disaster occurs at Chernobyl, USSR, April 26th.
• FOX Launched October 1986
• Election of Corazon Aquino

Concluding thoughts and remarks.
Those cognizant of world events in 1986 must have surly felt the world was on the verge of self destruction. The Berlin discotheque bombing, the "retaliatory" strike by the US on Libya; Chernobyl and Challenger all played out under the shadow of MAD and the trickle down theory. In relation to these events, the content of the cable and the Spanish corruption it illustrates truly does seem tame in comparison.

References and Sources.
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http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/index1986.php
http://www.ssa.gov/history/ssn/reagantax.html
http://www.imdb.com/year/1986/
http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id217.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGawOk107eU
http://www.hawes.com/pastlist.htm
http://www.hawes.com/1986/1986-05-11.pdf
http://www.wikileaks.ch/cable/1986/05/86MADRID5480.html
http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c4700.html
http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c4700.html#1986
http://untreaty.un.org/cod/avl/ha/ufp/ufp.html
http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/resguide/r41.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbqrH6ZJyY8
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/41195/gaddis-smith/the-triumph-of...