Editing Michael Ledeen

{{Short description|American historian and foreign policy analyst (1941–2025)}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Michael Ledeen
| image              = Michael Arthur Ledeen.png
| birth_name         = Michael Arthur Ledeen
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1941|8|1}}
| birth_place        = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S.
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2025|5|17|1941|8|1}}
| death_place        = [[Austin, Texas]], U.S.
| nationality        = American
| alma_mater         = [[University of Wisconsin–Madison|UW–Madison]]
| occupation         = {{ubl|Historian|Foreign policy analyst}}
}}

'''Michael Arthur Ledeen''' ({{IPAc-en|l|ə|ˈ|d|iː|n}};<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUhLojfyZkU "Michael Ledeen: How We Can Win"]<!--at 0:16--></ref> August 1, 1941 – May 17, 2025) was an American scholar<ref name="Baum|2011">{{cite book|last1=Baum|first1=David|editor1-last=Zinguer|editor1-first=Llana|title=Hebraic Aspects of the Renaissance: Sources and Encounters|date=2011|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-9004212558|page=236|chapter=Race, Antisemitism and the Renaissance in Racist Italy}}</ref> and [[neoconservative]]<ref>A. Danchev 'Ed., The Iraq war and Democratic politics, Routledge, 2004, p.38.</ref> foreign policy analyst. He was a consultant to the [[United States National Security Council]], the [[United States Department of State]], and the [[United States Department of Defense]]. He held the Freedom Scholar chair at the [[American Enterprise Institute]] where he was a scholar for 20 years, and also held the similarly named chair at the [[Foundation for Defense of Democracies]]. He was very close to Italian politician [[Antonio Martino]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Unger |first=Craig |author-link=Craig Unger |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/07/yellowcake200607?currentPage=7 |title=The War They Wanted, The Lies They Needed: The Bush administration invaded Iraq claiming Saddam Hussein had tried to buy yellowcake uranium in Niger. As much of Washington knew, and the world soon learned, the charge was false. Worse, it appears to have been the cornerstone of a highly successful "black propaganda" campaign with links to the White House. (page 7) |work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |date=July 2006 |access-date=September 2, 2021 |archive-date=March 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306075306/http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/07/yellowcake200607?currentPage=7}}</ref> Ledeen was also noted to have done work for Italian intelligence agency [[SISMI]], having received over $100,000 in payment to offshore bank accounts for services including but not limited to training Italian intelligence operatives. Ledeen denied these allegations but admitted that he did do work for SISMI and was paid for it.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kwitny |first=Jonathan |author-link=Jonathan Kwitny |url= https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP90-00965R000403630010-8.pdf |title=Tale of Intrigue: Why an Italian Spy Got Closely Involved with the Billygate Affair|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=8 August 1985 |access-date=November 13, 2024}}</ref>

==Academic career==
Ledeen earned a Ph.D. in History and Philosophy from the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] where he studied under the historian [[George Mosse]]. His doctoral dissertation eventually became ''Universal Fascism: The Theory and Practice of the Fascist International, 1928–1936'', first published in 1972, which explored Italian leader [[Benito Mussolini]]'s efforts to create a Fascist international in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Ledeen taught at [[Washington University in St. Louis]] but left after being denied tenure. Some faculty indicated that questions about the "quality of his scholarship" and about whether or not Ledeen had "used the work of somebody else without proper credit" were issues, although some also noted that "the 'quasi-irregularity' at issue didn't warrant the negative vote on tenure."<ref name="Post">"Ledeen Seems To Relish Iran Insider's Role," Charles R. Babcock. ''[[The Washington Post]]''. Washington, D.C.: February 2, 1987. p. A1.</ref>

Ledeen subsequently moved to [[Rome]], where he was hired as the Rome correspondent for ''[[The New Republic]]'' and was named a visiting professor at the [[Sapienza University of Rome|University of Rome]] for two years until 1977. In Rome, Ledeen worked with Italian historian [[Renzo De Felice]], who greatly influenced Ledeen, drawing a distinction between "fascism-regime" and "fascism-movement."<ref name=PaleoconPOV>[http://www.amconmag.com/06_30_03/feature.html "Flirting with Fascism"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105165004/http://amconmag.com/06_30_03/feature.html |date=2009-01-05 }}, John Laughland, ''[[The American Conservative]]'', 30 June 2003.</ref> Ledeen's political views developed to stress "the urgency of combating centralized state power and the centrality of human freedom"<ref name="L031003">[http://www.nationalreview.com/ledeen/ledeen031003.asp A Theory], Michael Ledeen, ''National Review Online'', March 10, 2003.</ref> Ledeen continued his studies in [[Italian Fascism]] with a study of the takeover of [[Italian Regency of Carnaro|Fiume]] by Italian [[irredentist]] forces under [[Gabriele d'Annunzio]], who Ledeen argued was the prototype for Mussolini.

== Billygate ==
In the 1980 lead up to the US presidential election, Ledeen, along with [[Arnaud de Borchgrave]], wrote a series of articles published in ''[[The New Republic]]''<ref>{{cite news | title = Qaddafi, Arafat, and Billy Carter | author = Michael Ledeen |author2=Arnaud de Borchgrave |author2-link=Arnaud de Borchgrave | publisher = [[The New Republic]] | pages = 19–21 | date = 1980-11-01}}</ref> and elsewhere about [[Jimmy Carter]]'s brother, [[Billy Carter]]'s contacts with the [[Muammar al-Gaddafi]] regime in [[Libya]]. Ledeen testified before a Senate subcommittee that he believed that Billy Carter had met with and been paid off by [[Yasser Arafat]] of the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]].

Five years later, in 1985, a ''Wall Street Journal'' investigation suggested that the series of [[Billygate]] articles written by Ledeen were part of a larger [[disinformation]] campaign intended to influence the outcome of that year's presidential election.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kwitny |first=Jonathan |author-link=Jonathan Kwitny |url= |title=Tale of Intrigue: Why an Italian Spy Got Closely Involved In the Billygate Affair |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=August 8, 1985 |access-date=}}</ref> According to the reporting, [[Francesco Pazienza]], an officer of the Italian intelligence agency [[SISMI]], alleged that Ledeen was paid $120,000 for his work on Billygate and other projects.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gabanelli |first=Milena |author-link=Milena Gabanelli |url=http://www.repubblica.it/2009/01/sezioni/politica/pazienza-gelli/pazienza-gelli/pazienza-gelli.html |title=Il personaggio: Dopo 13 anni di carcere parla Francesco Pazienza. L'uomo dei misteri d'Italia rivela: lingotti per aiutare Walesa. "Io, Gelli e la strage di Bologna": Ecco le verità della super-spia |trans-title=The character: After 13 years in prison Francesco Pazienza speaks. The man of the mysteries of Italy reveals: ingots to help Walesa. "Me, Gelli and the Bologna massacre": Here are the truths of the super spy |language=it |work=[[la Repubblica]] |date=January 30, 2009 |access-date=September 8, 2021 |archive-date=March 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309193811/http://www.repubblica.it/2009/01/sezioni/politica/pazienza-gelli/pazienza-gelli/pazienza-gelli.html}}</ref> Pazienza and Ledeen were very active in disinformation efforts.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://digilander.libero.it/prigionieropolitico/e17_caso_pazienza.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20050429123040/http://digilander.libero.it/prigionieropolitico/e17_caso_pazienza.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2005-04-29 |title=ALTO TRADIMENTO -- GLI INTRIGHI DEL SEGRETO SERVIZI |trans-title=HIGH TREASON -- THE INTRIGUES OF THE SECRET SERVICES |language=it |work=[[L'Espresso]] |date=November 5, 1984 |access-date=September 9, 2021}}</ref> At SISMI, Pazienza stated, Ledeen warranted a coded identification: Z-3. Pazienza was later tried and convicted ''in absentia'' for using "extortion and fraud to obtain embarrassing facts about Billy Carter".<ref name=unger-2006>{{cite magazine|last=Unger|first=Craig|author-link=Craig Unger|title=The War They Wanted, the Lies They Needed|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=July 2006|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/07/yellowcake200607|access-date=5 August 2013|quote=A 1985 investigation by [[Jonathan Kwitny]] in The Wall Street Journal reported that the New Republic article was part of a larger disinformation scam run by Ledeen and SISMI to tilt the election, and that "Billy Carter wasn't the only one allegedly getting money from a foreign government." According to Pazienza, Kwitny reported, Michael Ledeen had received at least $120,000 from SISMI in 1980 or 1981 for his work on Billygate and other projects. Ledeen even had a coded identity, Z-3, and had money sent to him in a [[Bermuda]] bank account, Pazienza said. Ledeen told the Journal that a consulting firm he owned, I.S.I., worked for SISMI and may have received the money. He said he did not recall whether he had a coded identity. Pazienza was subsequently convicted in absentia on multiple charges, including having used extortion and fraud to obtain embarrassing facts about Billy Carter. Ledeen was never charged with any crime, but he was cited in Pazienza's indictment, which read, "With the illicit support of the SISMI and in collaboration with the well-known American 'Italianist' Michael Ledeen, Pazienza succeeded in extorting, also using fraudulent means, information ... on the Libyan business of Billy Carter, the brother of the then President of the United States."}}</ref>{{efn|According to both [[Boris Yuzhin]] and [[Oleg Gordievsky]], the [[KGB]] conducted a large [[disinformation campaign]] in support of [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] and [[Ronald Reagan]] to discredit [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] and Jimmy Carter during the [[1980 United States presidential election|1980 elections]].<ref name=USNews19991010>{{cite news |last1=Fenyvesi |first1=Charles |last2=Pope |first2=Victoria |last3=Strobel |first3=Warren P. |last4=Caryl |first4=Christian |author3-link=Shock and Awe (film)#Premise |author4-link=Christian Caryl |url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/991018/archive_002128_print.htm |title=Cold warriors' untold tales |work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |date=October 10, 1999 |access-date=September 2, 2021 |archive-date=May 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524194853/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/991018/archive_002128_print.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>}}

== Bulgarian connection theory ==
Ledeen worked for the Italian military intelligence agency [[SISMI]] in 1980, providing "risk assessment"<ref name="Post"/> and consulting on [[extradition]] matters between Italy and the United States.<ref name="Unger">[http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/07/yellowcake200607 The War They Wanted, The Lies They Needed], [[Craig Unger]], ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'', July 2006.</ref> During his time in Italy, Ledeen endorsed the "[[Pope John Paul II assassination attempt#"Bulgarian Connection"|Bulgarian connection]]" [[conspiracy theory]] concerning [[Grey Wolves (organization)|Grey Wolves]] member [[Mehmet Ali Ağca]]'s [[1981 Pope John Paul II assassination attempt|1981 attempt to assassinate]] [[Pope John Paul II]]. The theory has since been attacked by various authors and journalists, including ''[[Washington Post]]'' reporter [[Michael Dobbs (US author)|Michael Dobbs]], who initially believed the story as well. The theory was adopted in 2005 by the [[Italian Mitrokhin Commission]]. According to [[Craig Unger]], "With [[Ronald Reagan]] newly installed in the White House, the so-called Bulgarian Connection made perfect [[Cold War]] propaganda. Michael Ledeen was one of its most vocal proponents, promoting it on TV and in newspapers all over the world."<ref name="Unger"/>

== Work in the United States ==
In the early 1980s, Ledeen appeared before the newly established Senate Subcommittee on Security and Terrorism alongside former CIA director [[William Colby]], author [[Claire Sterling]], and former ''[[Newsweek]]'' editor Arnaud de Borchgrave. Both Ledeen and de Borchgrave worked for the [[Center for Strategic and International Studies]] at [[Georgetown University]] at the time.<ref>U.S. Senate. Hearing before the Subcommittee on Security and Terrorism. ''Terrorism: Origins, Direction and Support''. 97th Congress, 1st session. April 24, 1981.</ref> All four testified that they believed the Soviet Union had provided material support, training and inspiration for various terrorist groupings.<ref>{{cite news | title = Hearing on terror opens with warning on Soviet | url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30717FC3C5C0C768EDDAD0894D9484D81&scp=1&sq=Hearing%20on%20terror%20opens%20with%20warning%20on%20Soviet&st=cse | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = 1981-04-25 | access-date = 2008-12-17 | last = Mohr | first = C }}</ref>

Ledeen was involved in the [[Iran–Contra affair]] as a consultant to [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]] [[Robert C. McFarlane]]. Ledeen met with Israeli prime minister [[Shimon Peres]], officials of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, and the CIA to arrange meetings with high-ranking Iranian officials, whereby Iranians supported by the US would be given weapons by Israel, and would proceed to negotiate with [[Hizbollah]] for the release of hostages in Lebanon.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://fas.org/irp/offdocs/walsh/ | title = Final Report of the Independent Counsel for Iran/Contra Matters; volume I: "Investigations and Prosecution" | last = Walsh | first = LE | date = 1993-08-04 | location = Washington, D.C.}}</ref> Ledeen's own version of the events is published in his book, ''Perilous Statecraft''.<ref>{{cite book |author=Ledeen, Michael Arthur |title=Perilous statecraft: an insider's account of the Iran-Contra affair |publisher=Scribner |location=New York |year=1988 |isbn=0-684-18994-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/perilousstatecra00mich }}</ref>

Ledeen vouched for Iranian intermediary [[Manucher Ghorbanifar]]. According to [[Adnan Khashoggi]] in 1985, Ghorbanifar was the head of [[Iranian Prime Minister]] [[Mir Hussein Mousavi]]'s European intelligence and Ledeen was aware of this.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brumley |first=Brian |url=https://apnews.com/237dd03fb87583b628e930d0efa80842 |title=Senate Report Calls Iranian Middleman in Arms Sales A 'Suspect Character' |work=[[Associated Press]] |date=February 1, 1987 |access-date=September 2, 2021 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305141233/http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1987/Senate-Report-Calls-Iranian-Middleman-in-Arms-Sales-A-Suspect-Character-/id-237dd03fb87583b628e930d0efa80842}}</ref>{{failed verification|reason=Leeden is not mention in this source|date=March 2023}} In one interview after the scandal broke, Ledeen stated that he initially had "profound reservations" about Ghorbanifar, but that he proved himself to be reliable by opening a channel to Iranian leaders.<ref name="AP News; February 1, 1987">{{cite news |last=Brumley |first=Bryan |date=February 1, 1987 |title=Senate Report Calls Iranian Middleman in Arms Sales A 'Suspect Character' |url=https://apnews.com/article/237dd03fb87583b628e930d0efa80842 |work=AP News |access-date=April 4, 2023}}</ref> In another report in which he was described as "perhaps the only person on the US side of the affair to defend Ghorbanifar", he said that he considered Ghorbanifar to be a friend.<ref name="The Christian Science Monitor">{{cite news |last=Grier |first=Peter |date=August 26, 1987 |title=Iran-contra affair began with Iran, says former NSC official |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1987/0826/amike.html |work=The Christian Science Monitor |access-date=April 5, 2023}}</ref>

== Yellowcake forgery allegations ==
{{main|Niger uranium forgeries}}
During the summer of 2001, [[:fr:Alain Chouet|Alain Chouet]] and others with France's [[Directorate-General for External Security|DGSE]] investigated an alleged deal known later as ''Nigergate'' in which Iraq was trying to obtain yellowcake from a country in Africa and, by May and June 2002, they were investigating any connection with [[Niger]], but found that the rumors were entirely false.<ref name=laRepubblica>{{cite news |last1=Bonini |first1=Carlo |last2=D'Avanzo |first2=Giuseppe |author1-link=:it:Carlo Bonini |author2-link=:it:Giuseppe D'Avanzo |url=https://www.repubblica.it/2005/j/sezioni/esteri/nigergate/francia007/francia007.html |title=Alain Chouet, ex numero 2 dei servizi segreti transalpini racconta il ruolo di Parigi nell'affare del falso traffico di uranio: Nigergate, lo 007 francese che smonta la tesi del Sismi |trans-title=Alain Chouet, former number 2 of the transalpine secret services, talks about the role of Paris in the affair of the false uranium trafficking: Nigergate, the French 007 that dismantles the thesis of the SISMI |language=it |work=[[la Repubblica]] |date=December 1, 2005 |access-date=September 2, 2021 |archive-date=December 3, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051203061244/https://www.repubblica.it/2005/j/sezioni/esteri/nigergate/francia007/francia007.html}}</ref> Furthermore, in July 2002 the Italian SISMI and the United States [[CIA]] were informed by the French DGSE that [[Rocco Martino]], a former Italian intelligence agent, was trying to pass fake documents about Iraq obtaining yellowcake from Niger.<ref name=laRepubblica/> However, the SISMI reported that a woman, controlled by SISMI's Antonio Nucera, presented the fake documents in July 2002 at the Niger embassy at Rome.<ref name=laRepubblica/> Later, in March 2003 [[George Tenet]] incorrectly stated that Iraq, which had large quantities of yellowcake, was obtaining yellowcake from Niger.<ref name=laRepubblica/>

According to a September 2004 article by [[Joshua Micah Marshall]], Laura Rozen, and [[Paul Glastris]] in ''[[Washington Monthly]]'': "The first meeting occurred in Rome in December, 2001. It included Franklin, Rhode, and another American, the neoconservative writer and operative Michael Ledeen, who organized the meeting. (According to UPI, Ledeen was then working for Undersecretary of Defense [[Douglas Feith]] as a consultant.) Also in attendance was [[Ghorbanifar]] and a number of other Iranians."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0410.marshallrozen.html |title='Iran-Contra II? |author=Joshua Micah Marshall, Laura Rozen & Paul Glastris |work=[[Washington Monthly]] |date=September 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040830040143/http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0410.marshallrozen.html |archive-date=2004-08-30}}</ref>

Colleagues [[Andrew C. McCarthy|Andrew McCarthy]] and [[Mark Levin|Mark R. Levin]] have defended Ledeen, writing: "Up until now, the fiction recklessly spewed by disgruntled intelligence-community retirees and their media enablers—some of whom have conceded that the claim is based on zero evidence—has been that Michael had something to do with the forged Italian documents that, according to the Left's narrative, were the basis for President Bush's "lie" in the 2003 State of the Union Address that Saddam Hussein had obtained yellowcake uranium (for nuclear-weapons construction) in Africa."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OTY2OTBhOTYzY2NhZTE3ZWM1MDc0ODA3Y2EyNzA3NTE= |title=Rolling Smear |author=Andrew McCarthy and Mark R. Levin |website=[[National Review Online]] |date=28 July 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060819100459/http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OTY2OTBhOTYzY2NhZTE3ZWM1MDc0ODA3Y2EyNzA3NTE%3D |archive-date=19 August 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Iraq War advocacy==
During the 1990s, Ledeen was active in supporting the ousting of Saddam Hussein from Iraq. He was known as one of [[The Vulcans]] who also included [[John Bolton]], [[Douglas Feith]], [[Richard Perle]], [[Paul Wolfowitz]], [[Donald Rumsfeld]], and [[David Wurmser]] who signed "An Open Letter to the President" to lobby [[Bill Clinton]] to remove Hussein from office.<ref>{{cite news |last=Unger |first=Craig |author-link=Craig Unger |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/07/yellowcake200607?currentPage=5 |title=The War They Wanted, The Lies They Needed: The Bush administration invaded Iraq claiming Saddam Hussein had tried to buy yellowcake uranium in Niger. As much of Washington knew, and the world soon learned, the charge was false. Worse, it appears to have been the cornerstone of a highly successful "black propaganda" campaign with links to the White House. (page 5) |work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |date=July 2006 |access-date=September 2, 2021 |archive-date=March 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306074733/http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/07/yellowcake200607?currentPage=5}}</ref>

Regarding the "pre-emptive" invasion of [[Iraq]], in 2002 Ledeen criticized the views of former National Security Adviser [[Brent Scowcroft]], writing:<ref name="nationalreview2002">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/ledeen/ledeen080602a.asp |title=Snowcroft Strikes Out |website=[[National Review]] |access-date=2005-06-13 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090915185150/http://www.nationalreview.com/ledeen/ledeen080602a.asp |archive-date=September 15, 2009 }}, Michael Ledeen, [[National Review Online]], August 6, 2002.</ref>

{{Block quote|text=Scowcroft has managed to get one thing half right, even though he misdescribes it. He fears that if we attack Iraq "I think we could have an explosion in the Middle East. It could turn the whole region into a caldron and destroy the War on Terror." One can only hope that we turn the region into a cauldron, and faster, please. If ever there were a region that richly deserved being cauldronized, it is the Middle East today. If we wage the war effectively, we will bring down the terror regimes in Iraq, Iran, and Syria, and either bring down the Saudi monarchy or force it to abandon its global assembly line to indoctrinate young terrorists. That's our mission in the war against terror.|author=Michael Ledeen}}

Prior to the start of the Iraq war, Ledeen called it a "desperately needed and long overdue war against Saddam Hussein" and that there was a "dire need to invade Iraq". This caused [[Glenn Greenwald]] to condemn a later statement by Ledeen that he had "opposed the military invasion of Iraq before it took place" as an "outright lie".<ref>Glenn Greenwald: [http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/11/what-do-national-review-rich-lowry-and.html What do National Review, Rich Lowry, and the AEI have to say about Michael Ledeen's lie], Unclaimed Territory, November 5, 2006</ref> Ledeen maintained that his statements were nonetheless consistent, noting that "I opposed the military invasion of Iraq before it took place and I advocated—as I still do—support for political revolution in Iran as the logical and necessary first step in the war against the terror masters."<ref>[http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MjQ0OTQyNTdhNWE0NzAxNGMxYWQ2ODAxOTNjNWM4M2E= The Latest Disinformation from Vanity Fair] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061118104823/http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MjQ0OTQyNTdhNWE0NzAxNGMxYWQ2ODAxOTNjNWM4M2E= |date=2006-11-18 }} Michael Ledeen, [[National Review Online]], November 4, 2006</ref>

==Views on Iran==
Ledeen was a long-time foe of the Islamic regime of Iran. He believed that invading the country and regime change in Iran should have been the first priority in the "[[war on terror]]" in 2003 rather than Iraq. He believed that "everything traces back to Tehran" and that Iran manipulates both sides of the Shi'ite-Sunni conflict, leading reviewer [[Peter Beinart]] to note that his "effort to lay virtually every attack by Muslims against Americans at Tehran's feet takes him into rather bizarre territory."<ref name=books>[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/books/review/Beinart-t.html Books on the Mideast]. By [[Peter Beinart]]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. Published September 9, 2007.</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' describes Ledeen's views as "everything traces back to Tehran".<ref name=books/> Ledeen's phrase, "''faster, please''" has become a signature [[meme]] in his writings (it was the title of his blog on the [[Pajamas Media]] website) and is often referenced by [[neoconservative]] writers advocating a more forceful and broader "[[war on terror]]." In 1979, Ledeen was one of the first Western writers to argue that [[Ayatollah]] [[Ruhollah Khomeini]] was a "[[clerical fascism|clerical fascist]]", and that while it was legitimate to criticize the Shah's regime, if Khomeini seized power in Iran the Iranian people would suffer an even greater loss of freedom and women would be deprived of political and social rights. He believed that "No one in the West has yet supported Iranian democratic organizations" and that "aggressive support for those Iranians who wish to be free" would most likely work in ending the clerical government.<ref name=Brit>[http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2007/10/the-islamic-threat-and-the-need-for-regime-change-in-iran/ Iran with the Bomb, or Bomb Iran: The Need for Regime Change]. Michael A. Ledeen. ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] Blog''. Published October 9, 2007.</ref>

According to [[Justin Raimondo]], Ledeen "holds up [[Bill Clinton]] and [[Madeleine Albright]] as patsies for Khomeini—who supposedly believed that the Ayatollah overthrew [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi|Shah Reza Pahlavi]] because the Iranian government was 'excessively repressive and intolerant.' While it would not do to come right out and deny the savagery of the Shah's legendary [[SAVAK]] secret police, Ledeen informs us that, under the monarch's beneficent rule, 'Iran had become too modern, too tolerant—especially of women and of other religious faiths—and too self-indulgent. The shah had Westernized Iran'—except, perhaps, in his prisons, where the ancient methods of torture were routinely employed on dissidents of all sorts."<ref>[[Justin Raimondo|Raimondo, Justin]] (2002-11-18) [https://archive.today/20120919002445/http://www.theamericanconservative.com/article/2002/nov/18/00025/ The War Against the World], ''[[The American Conservative]]''</ref>

Ledeen was at the time of his death against both an invasion of Iran or air-strikes within the country.<ref name=Brit/><ref name=policy/> He argued that the latter may eventually become necessary if negotiations with the Iranian government fail, but it would only be the least bad option of many options and it would lead to many negative [[Blowback (intelligence)|unforeseen consequences]].<ref name=policy>[http://www.aei.org/article/24022 United States Policy toward Iran]. Michael A. Ledeen. [[American Enterprise Institute]]. Posted March 8, 2006</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' called Ledeen's skepticism towards military action against Iran surprising given his opposition to the regime.<ref name=books/>

In July 2016 Ledeen co-authored with Lt. General [[Michael T. Flynn]], at the time [[Donald Trump]]'s national-security adviser, ''[[The Field of Fight]]: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies''. Flynn and Ledeen constructed a narrative in which the world was at war with a "great evil" and Iran was the central player on the enemy side.<ref>Philip Giraldi: [http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/iran-hawks-take-the-white-house/ Iran Hawks Take the White House | The American Conservative], 9 February 2017</ref>

==Controversial theories==
Ledeen also believed that Iran is the main backer of the [[insurgency]] in Iraq and even supported the al-Qaida network formerly led by [[al-Zarqawi]] despite its declaration of [[jihad]] against [[Shi'ite Muslims]].<ref name=nro060609>[http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MDY2NWE0NWQzNDFhYWM3YjY5N2NjMmNmN2NhMTA1ODk= Iran Connects the Dots] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060827125001/http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MDY2NWE0NWQzNDFhYWM3YjY5N2NjMmNmN2NhMTA1ODk= |date=2006-08-27 }}, Michael Ledeen, [[National Review Online]], June 9, 2006</ref> He claimed that German and Italian court documents showed Zarqawi created a European terrorist network while based in Tehran.<ref name=nro060609/>

Ledeen was a board member of the "Coalition for Democracy in Iran" (CDI), founded by [[Morris Amitay]], a former executive director of [[American Israel Public Affairs Committee]] (AIPAC). Ledeen had also been part of the board of the U.S. Committee for a Free Lebanon. According to ''[[The Washington Post]]'', quoted by ''[[Asia Times]]'', he was the only full-time international affairs analyst regularly consulted by [[Karl Rove]], [[George W. Bush]]'s closest advisor.<ref name="Asia">{{cite news |title=Veteran neo-con advisor moves on Iran |work=[[Asia Times]] |date=June 26, 2003 |access-date=2006-05-02 |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EF26Ak03.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030628005548/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EF26Ak03.html|url-status=unfit|archive-date=June 28, 2003}}</ref>

Following the February 2003 speech by French Minister for Foreign Affairs [[Dominique de Villepin]] at the United Nations General Assembly against the intervention in Iraq, Ledeen outlined, in a column entitled "A Theory," a possibility that France and Germany, both [[NATO]] allies of the United States, "struck a deal with [[radical Islam]] and with radical Arabs" to use "extremism and terrorism as the weapon of choice" to weaken the United States. He stated, "It sounds fanciful, to be sure," but that, "If this is correct, we will have to pursue the war against terror far beyond the boundaries of the Middle East, into the heart of Western Europe. And there, as in the Middle East, our greatest weapons are political: the demonstrated desire for freedom of the peoples of the countries that oppose us."<ref>[http://www.nationalreview.com/ledeen/ledeen031003.asp A Theory], Michael Ledeen, ''[[National Review Online]]'', March 10, 2003</ref><ref>See also: [[Eurabia]]</ref>

[[Jonah Goldberg]], Ledeen's colleague at ''[[National Review]]'', coined the term "Ledeen Doctrine" in a 2002 column. Goldberg recalled that his tongue-in-cheek expression had been summarized in one of Ledeen's early 1990s speeches as "Every ten years or so, the United States needs to pick up some small crappy little country and throw it against the wall, just to show the world we mean business," as Goldberg remembered Ledeen saying in an early 1990s speech.<ref>{{cite web|date=April 23, 2002 |access-date=2024-05-30| work=[[National Review]] |title=Baghdad Delenda Est, Part Two |first=Jonah |last=Goldberg|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2002/04/baghdad-delenda-est-part-two-jonah-goldberg/}}</ref>

Ledeen also advocated that U.S. leaders take a stronger rhetorical stance in wars on Islamic regimes and militant groups. For instance, he recommended in public talks that U.S. leaders question or challenge defeated Islamic militaries or forces and even suggest the apparent failure of Allah to assure their victory.<ref>{{Cite web|title=[The Field of Fight] {{!}} C-SPAN.org|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?412645-1/michael-flynn-michael-ledeen-discuss-the-field-fight|access-date=2021-10-24|website=www.c-span.org|language=en-us}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Ledeen was born in [[Los Angeles]], California.

His first wife was Jenny Ledeen of St. Louis, Missouri.

At the time of his death, Ledeen was married to his second wife, Barbara, who was a longtime staffer for Senator [[Chuck Grassley]] on the [[Senate Judiciary Committee]] until early 2021, when she retired from the Senate,<ref name=ag>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/13/us/politics/mcmaster-fbi-trump-project-veritas.html|title=Activists and Ex-Spy Said to Have Plotted to Discredit Trump 'Enemies' in Government|newspaper=The New York Times|date=13 May 2021|last1=Goldman|first1=Adam|last2=Mazzetti|first2=Mark}}</ref> and with whom he had three children: Simone, Gabriel, and Daniel. Simone has worked both in Iraq and Afghanistan for the Department of Defense; Gabriel is currently a lieutenant in the United States Marines Corps serving his second tour in Iraq; Daniel too is currently a lieutenant in the USMC.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48543-2004May22.html In Iraq, the Job Opportunity of a Lifetime] Ariana Eunjung Cha ''[[The Washington Post]]'', May 23, 2004</ref>

Ledeen was an accomplished [[contract bridge]] player, having won one American Contract Bridge League [[North American Bridge Championships|national-level tournament]], the 2009 [[Truscott Senior Swiss Teams|Senior Swiss Teams]], on a {{gcb|team|team-of-four}} with Karen Allison, Lea Dupont and [[Benito Garozzo]].<ref>{{OEB|7CD|313}}</ref> He also partnered with [[Jimmy Cayne]], who oversaw the collapse of [[Bear Stearns]] firm in 2007 and 2008. Consulted by a ''New York Times'' journalist early in the episode, Ledeen suggested that his book on the leadership lessons of Machiavelli had influenced Cayne, and observed that "Jimmy saw himself in Machiavelli&nbsp;... you have to get rid of failure and you have to punish lack of virtue ruthlessly and all the time."<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/business/29bear.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 "Salvaging a Prudent Name"]. Landon Thomas, Jr. ''The New York Times''. June 29, 2007. Retrieved 2014-05-20.</ref>

Ledeen died from complications of multiple strokes in Austin, Texas, on May 17, 2025, at the age of 83.<ref>{{cite web|title=Michael A. Ledeen, Reagan Adviser Involved in Iran-Contra, Dies at 83|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/obituaries/michael-a-ledeen-dead.html|date=May 20, 2025|last=Roberts|first=Sam|publisher=The New York Timesaccess-date=May 20, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-18 |title=Scholar and Journalist Michael Ledeen Dies at 83 After a Long Career Struggling for American Ideals at Home and Abroad |url=https://www.nysun.com/article/scholar-and-journalist-michael-ledeen-dies-at-83-after-a-long-career-struggling-for-american-ideals-at-home-and-abroad |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=The New York Sun |language=en}}</ref>

===Missing Clinton emails===
Barbara Ledeen sparked controversy in 2015 when she tried to launch her own investigation into [[Hillary Clinton]]'s [[Hillary Clinton email controversy|emails]] while a staff member for Senator Chuck Grassley. The senator then served on the Judiciary Committee looking into [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections|Russian interference in the 2016 elections]].<ref name=BLedeenInvestigation>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/13/michael-flynn-clinton-email-investigation-russia-dark-web |title=Flynn ally sought help from 'dark web' in covert Clinton email investigation |author=Stephanie Kirchgaessner |date=13 October 2017 |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |access-date=19 December 2017}}</ref> According to FBI notes, Mrs. Ledeen requested the assistance of both a defense contractor and [[Newt Gingrich]], who asked [[Judicial Watch]] for financial assistance for her efforts.<ref name=BLedeenInvestigation/> Judicial Watch requested another contractor to access the "deep web and dark web".<ref name=BLedeenInvestigation/> One of Gingrich's closest aides, [[Peter W. Smith]], had approached Matt Tate, a former British intelligence official, about the matter. Smith was also working with [[Michael Flynn]], a confidant of Michael Ledeen. After Tate discovered that Smith was obtaining Clinton's emails independently of Barbara Ledeen's efforts, Grassley told her to stop her investigation.<ref name=BLedeenInvestigation/><ref>{{cite news |author=The_War_Economy|url=https://the-war-economy.medium.com/spygate-part-14-peter-w-smith-a4efd88291a|title=Spygate, Part #14: Peter W. Smith|work=[[Medium (website)|Medium]]|date=18 March 2019|access-date=23 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Tait|first=Matt|url=https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/time-i-got-recruited-collude-russians|title=The Time I Got Recruited to Collude with the Russians|website=lawfaremedia.org|date=30 June 2017|access-date=23 June 2021}}</ref>{{efn|On September 10, 2019, at [[Venice]], Italy during the [[58th Venice Biennale]] which was directed by the [[Hayward Gallery]] in London's curator [[Ralph Rugoff]], [[Hillary Clinton]] visited the [[Kenneth Goldsmith]] work "Hillary: The Hillary Clinton Emails," a work on display in a balcony jutting out over a supermarket at the Despar Teatro Italia.<ref name="The Hillary Clinton Emails">{{cite web |url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/09/12/breaking-news/hillary-clinton-reads-her-emails-at-venice-art-show/ |title=Hillary Clinton reads her emails at Venice art show |newspaper=[[Star-Advertiser]] |location=[[Honolulu]] |via=[[New York Times]] |date=September 12, 2019 |access-date=September 21, 2021 |archive-date=September 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913200922/https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/09/12/breaking-news/hillary-clinton-reads-her-emails-at-venice-art-show/}}</ref> During Clinton's appearance, she said that the attention given to her emails was one of the "strangest" and most "absurd" events in U.S. political history, adding, "Anyone can go in and look at them. There is nothing there. There is nothing that should have been so controversial."<ref name="The Hillary Clinton Emails"/> During the 2019 Venice Biennale which was glamorous with a ''[[joie de vivre]]'' and contained art of historical importance, the emails were exhibited from May 9, 2019, until November 24, 2019, during which Goldsmith promoted them as "the most important political documents of our times."<ref name="The Hillary Clinton Emails"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Morris |first=Jane |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/comment/does-venice-still-matter |title=Why is the Venice Biennale still so important? Historical importance, glamour, big spenders—it continues to be an art festival like no other |work=[[The Art Newspaper]] |date=May 1, 2019 |access-date=September 21, 2021 |archive-date=May 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501123744/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/comment/does-venice-still-matter}}</ref> Even though [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] [[Loretta Lynch]] had closed the Hillary Clinton email investigation case during summer of 2016 without criminal charges, during his [[Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign|campaign]] on October 28, 2016, Trump commented about Clinton's emails as "This is bigger than Watergate. This is bigger than Watergate. In my opinion. This is bigger than Watergate."<ref name="The Hillary Clinton Emails"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Schreckinger |first=Ben |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/fbi-clinton-new-probe-trump-hails-230460 |title=Trump hails new Clinton FBI review as 'bigger than Watergate': The GOP nominee cheers the decision to look at new information in probe of the Democrat. |work=[[Politico]] |date=October 28, 2016 |access-date=September 21, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Michelle Ye Hee |author-link=Michelle Ye Hee Lee |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/10/30/trumps-bizarre-claim-that-the-clinton-email-controversy-is-bigger-than-watergate/ |title=Trump's bizarre claim that the Clinton email controversy is 'bigger than Watergate' |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=October 30, 2016 |access-date=September 21, 2021 |archive-date=October 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030213329/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/10/30/trumps-bizarre-claim-that-the-clinton-email-controversy-is-bigger-than-watergate/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Koh |first=Elizabeth |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article111069367.html |title=Trump calls Clinton email investigation 'bigger than Watergate' |work=[[Miami Herald]] |date=October 28, 2016 |access-date=September 21, 2021 |archive-date=October 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029111812/https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article111069367.html}}</ref> After Trump's statement, [[James Comey]] publicly stated that he had the FBI open another investigation into Clinton just days before the November 8, 2016, elections which Clinton felt buried her hopes of becoming president.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Apuzzo |first1=Matt |last2=Goldman |first2=Adam |last3=Fandos |first3=Nicholas |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/us/politics/crossfire-hurricane-trump-russia-fbi-mueller-investigation.html |title=Code Name Crossfire Hurricane: The Secret Origins of the Trump Investigation |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 16, 2018 |access-date=September 21, 2021 |archive-date=May 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502181948/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/us/politics/crossfire-hurricane-trump-russia-fbi-mueller-investigation.html}}</ref>}}

===Project Veritas===
To support [[Project Veritas]] in 2017 and 2018 while a staff member on the Senate Judiciary Committee led by Chuck Grassley, Barbara Ledeen was tasked with helping to discredit [[H.R. McMaster]], who had stated that President Trump had the intelligence of a "kindergartner" and was an "idiot."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/05/13/breaking-news/activists-and-ex-spy-said-to-have-plotted-to-discredit-trump-enemies-in-government/ |title=Activists and ex-spy said to have plotted to discredit Trump 'enemies' in government |work=[[The New York Times]] |via=[[Star-Advertiser]] |date=May 13, 2021 |access-date=September 21, 2021 |archive-date=May 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513230016/https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/05/13/breaking-news/activists-and-ex-spy-said-to-have-plotted-to-discredit-trump-enemies-in-government/}}</ref> She posted numerous comments on Facebook supporting Project Veritas&mdash;including "We owe a lot to [[Erik Prince]]"{{efn|[[Erik Prince]] is a staunch supporter of the national security interests of the People's Republic of China (PRC)'s [[Ministry of State Security (China)|Ministry of State Security]] according to a January 2014 Wall Street Journal article.<ref>{{cite news |last=Feith |first=David |url=http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303465004579324650302912522 |title=Erik Prince: Out of Blackwater and Into China. The former CIA asset on his latest venture: After being 'blowtorched' by U.S. politics, he says, this time he's working for Beijing. |work=[[Wall Street Journal]] |date=24 January 2014 |access-date=23 May 2025 |archive-date=18 December 2016 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/FxLGL}}</ref>}} because of his efforts to support Project Veritas&mdash; as well disparaging posts about McMaster himself.<ref name=ag/> Barbara Ledeen's involvement in the campaign to discredit McMaster led to her being named as a member of the [[Groundswell group]]; she admitted passing on information to Project Veritas but said "I am not part of a plot."<ref name=ag/><ref>{{cite web|last=Harriet|first=Alexander|url=https://distincttoday.net/2021/05/13/british-spy-recruited-by-erik-prince-ran-honeypot-ops-with-female-spies-to-discredit-trump-enemies/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210514031244/https://distincttoday.net/2021/05/13/british-spy-recruited-by-erik-prince-ran-honeypot-ops-with-female-spies-to-discredit-trump-enemies/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2021-05-14|title=British spy recruited by Erik Prince ran 'honeypot ops' with female spies to discredit Trump enemies|date=14 May 2021}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
* ''Universal Fascism; the Theory and Practice of the Fascist International, 1928–1936'', New York, H. Fertig, 1972
* co-written with [[Renzo De Felice]]: ''Fascism: An Informal Introduction To Its Theory And Practice'', New Brunswick, N.J. : Transaction Books, 1976 {{ISBN|0-87855-190-5}}.
* "Renzo De Felice and the Controversy over Italian Fascism", pages 269–283 from ''Journal of Contemporary History'', Volume 11, 1976.
* ''The First Duce: D'Annunzio at Fiume'', Baltimore; London: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1977 {{ISBN|0-8018-1860-5}}.
* ''Italy In Crisis'', Beverly Hills [Calif.]: Sage publications, 1977 {{ISBN|0-8039-0792-3}}.
* co-written with [[George Mosse]]: ''Intervista sul Nazismo'', Rome-Bari, Laterza, 1977
* co-written with William Lewis: ''Debacle, The American Failure in Iran'', Vintage Books; 1st Vintage Books ed edition (1982) {{ISBN|0-394-75182-5}}
* ''Grave New World'', New York: Oxford University Press, 1985 {{ISBN|0-19-503491-0}}.
* ''West European Communism and American Foreign Policy'', New Brunswick, N.J., U.S.A.: Transaction Books, 1987 {{ISBN|0-88738-140-5}}.
* ''Perilous Statecraft: An Insider's Account of the Iran-Contra Affair'', New York: Scribner, 1988 {{ISBN|0-684-18994-1}}.
* ''Superpower Dilemmas: the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. at Century's End'', New Brunswick, U.S.A.: Transaction Publishers, 1992 {{ISBN|0-88738-891-4}}.
* ''Freedom Betrayed: How America Led a Global Democratic Revolution, Won the Cold War, and Walked Away'', Washington, D.C.: AEI Press, 1996 {{ISBN|0-8447-3992-8}}.
* ''Machiavelli on Modern Leadership: Why Machiavelli's Iron Rules Are As Timely and Important Today as Five Centuries Ago'', New York: Truman Talley Books/St. Martin's Press, 1999 {{ISBN|0-312-20471-X}}.
* ''The War against The Terror Masters: Why It Happened, Where We Are Now, How We'll Win'', New York: St. Martin's Press, 2002 {{ISBN|0-312-30644-X}}.
* ''The Iranian Time Bomb: The Mullah Zealots' Quest for Destruction''. Truman Talley Books, 2007. {{ISBN|0-312-37655-3}}. {{ISBN|978-0-312-37655-0}}.
* ''Obama's Betrayal of Israel,'' New York: Encounter Broadsides, 2010 {{ISBN|978-1594034626}}
* ''[[The Field of Fight|The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies]]'' co-written with Lt. General [[Michael T. Flynn]], New York: St. Martin's Press, 2016 {{ISBN|978-1-25010-622-3}}.

==See also==
*[[Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]]
*[[Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections (July 2016 – election day)]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=25em}}
*{{cite book |last1=Bonini |first1=Carlo |last2=D'Avanzo |first2=Giuseppe |author1-link=:it:Carlo Bonini |author2-link=:it:Giuseppe D'Avanzo |title=Collusion: International Espionage and the War on Terror |publisher=[[Melville House Publishing]] |date=April 11, 2007 |isbn=9781933633275}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160306183610/http://analyst-network.com/profile.php?user_id=85 Profile] at International Analyst Network
* {{C-SPAN|8360}}
* {{Internet Archive film clip|id=openmind_ep814|description="The Open Mind – An Insiders Account of the Iran-Contra Affair (1988)"}}
* {{LCAuth|n50042573|Michael Arthur Ledeen|23|}}

{{Neoconservatism}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ledeen, Michael}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:2025 deaths]]
[[Category:American Jews]]
[[Category:Historians of fascism]]
[[Category:Iran–Contra affair]]
[[Category:Writers from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni]]
[[Category:Washington University in St. Louis faculty]]
[[Category:The American Spectator people]]
[[Category:American conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:American contract bridge players]]
[[Category:Neoconservatism]]
[[Category:New Right (United States)]]
[[Category:Members of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America]]