"I'm not going to start the Third World War for you,"

[friendofbenn]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3114478.stm



General Clark's plea for Apache helicopters to be deployed was a source of friction with the Pentagon, and there was a celebrated dispute with the British commander General Sir Mike Jackson.

He ordered General Jackson to stop Russian troops from taking Pristina airport as combat came to a close.

"I'm not going to start the Third World War for you," the British commander is reported to have replied.

[disgruntella]

1. n/t

Edit: crabbiness

[friendofbenn]

2. well

someone just said it it was from faux and untrue so i thought i'd post it up

[disgruntella]

6. sorry, i'm just tired

I appreciate that you are seriously curious. I have just been on this board toooo long today and seen that thread a lot. Someone more polite will hopefully come along and talk about it.

:spank: <-- that's for me.

[QC]

3. O come now, Disgruntella.

We haven't had more than ten or fifteen threads today that treated the hoary, tired old Pristina story as some kind of breaking news, and not more than thirty or forty of them the past few days.

I can't imagine why you're so jaded with them.

[moondust]

4. Sensationalism overblown by the media for fun and profit.

General Jackson made a sensational statement instead of simply asking Clark if the Pristina airport mission was approved by NATO/UN. The media love sensationalism!

[carpetbagger]

5. Order supported by Clinton, Solana, and Jackson's boss.

Javier Solana (NATO Sec.-Gen., a socialist to boot) concurred with the order, as did the principal officials of the Clinton Administration, as did, at the time it was given, Jackson's boss at the UK Army HQ.

[jeter]

7. This is stupid

That's the dumbest attack. If that's all the Republicans have, then they have nothing.

[friendofbenn]

10. it doesnt mean it was a good and correct order

n/t

[JasonBerry]

11. That is simply UNTRUE

Javier Solana (NATO Sec.-Gen., a socialist to boot) concurred with the order, as did the principal officials of the Clinton Administration, as did, at the time it was given, Jackson's boss at the UK Army HQ.

Whoever told you that is wrong. That statement is just not the truth.

edit: to insert "is" in last sentence.

[Julien Sorel]

13. Prove it.

[JasonBerry]

15. ????

I didn't make the claim - the person who said that all of those people "approved" the order made a claim. If you say something like that -- I ask you -- prove it. I can prove my rebuttal - and I will. I'm sorry I can't point you to a link right now, because the information I have is source material in print form. But, I will look and find something that will convince anyone that the claim as made above is incorrect.

[Julien Sorel]

17. The White House and Solana approved the orders.

This was covered in Clark's book. I'm not going to bother finding out about Jackson's boss, whose approval shouldn't have been necessary, anyway, given the chain of command.

[JI7]

8. mike jackson commited crimes against irish

i hear british general mike jackson commited crimes against the irish.

[saoirse]

18. He was second in command on Bloody Sunday

When 13 peaceful Catholic demonstrators were shot dead by British forces of the Parachute regiment, of which then Captain Michael Jackson was second in command.

General Clark, it should be noted, is Catholic.

[Spentastic]

22. Amazing

I suppose you support U.S troops in difficult circumstances in Iraq?

There is an exhaustive enquiry examining the actions on that day. I don't suppose you'd wait for its findings before presuming guilt would you?

[friendofbenn]

19. no doubt

whats that got to do with the clark candidacy?

[emad]

20. He's recently had to eat humble pie at the Saville Enquiry

investigating the shoot to kill policy when Irish civilians were shot at the Bloody Sunday massacre in '72. He had to tell the judge his previously undisclosed notes on which soldiers under his command did the firing were accurate.

He's a creep, makes stormin norman schwartzkopf see like a rank liberal...

[friendofbenn]

9. perhaps seeing as he voted for nixon

he'll bring kissinger in as secretary of state. oh happy days

[IndianaGreen]

12. Did you know there was a BBC documentary about this incident?

The following stories are dated 2000 and 1999 respectively. I clearly remember the incident in question, and how Clark wanted to block the runways to prevent the Russians from landing at Pristina.

Thursday, 9 March, 2000, 14:14 GMT
Confrontation over Pristina airport


General Jackson: Backed by UK Government

Details of Russia's surprise occupation of Pristina airport at the end of the Kosovo war are revealed in a new BBC documentary on the conflict.

For the first time, the key players in the tense confrontation between Nato and Russian troops talk about the stand-off which jeopardised the entire peacekeeping mission.

<snip>

But General Clark's plan was blocked by General Sir Mike Jackson, K-For's British commander.

"I'm not going to start the Third World War for you," he reportedly told General Clark during one heated exchange.

General Jackson tells the BBC: ''We were (looking at) a possibility....of confrontation with the Russian contingent which seemed to me probably not the right way to start off a relationship with Russians who were going to become part of my command.''

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/671495.stm


"I'm not going to start Third World War for you," Jackson told Clark.

Behind the scenes battle over Pristina airport between British adn US genereals comes to light

Mark Tran
Monday August 2, 1999

Nato supreme commander General Wesley Clark is not being allowed to fade away quietly. Days after the Clinton administration relieved him of his command two months early, Newsweek is reporting that the victor of Kosovo was blocked from sending paratroopers to Pristina airport to pre-empt an unexpected Russian advance.

Lieutenant-general Sir Michael Jackson overruled General Clark because the British commander did not want to spark a clash with the Russians.

"I'm not going to start Third World War for you," General Jackson told the US commander, according to Newsweek. In the hours that followed General Clark's order, both men sought political backing for their position, but only General Jackson received it.

News of the clash between the British and US commanders comes just days after the US snubbed General Clark by ordering him to step down next year, two months early, to make way for Air Force General Joseph Ralston, vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Kosovo/Story/0,2763,208120,00.html

[friendofbenn]

14. i remember watching the documentary

and clark seemed quite pleased with himself.

[slor]

16. True or not...

that MORAN bush is going to start WW III if we let him win again!

[Mairead]

21. Blair and the MOD must have approved of Sir Mike's refusal

Because he's been promoted and given 2 plum posts since, including his current one as Chief of the General Staff ( = Army Chief of Staff ).