Richard Gott
Encyclopedia
Richard Willoughby Gott (born 28 October 1938, Aston Tirrold
, England
) is a British
journalist and historian, who has written extensively on Latin America
. A former Latin America correspondent and features editor for the British newspaper The Guardian
, he is currently an honorary research fellow at the Institute for the Study of the Americas
at the University of London
.
in Kingston upon Hull North for the 'Radical Alliance', running on a platform which stressed opposition to the Vietnam War
; he polled only 253 votes.
, Gott was invited to a celebration of the revolution party at the Soviet Union
embassy in Havana
. During the evening, a group of invited journalists who were chatting in the garden were joined by Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara
for a few hours, who answered their questions.
After following Guevara to Bolivia
in 1967, Gott played a role in confirming that the 4-5 hour-old body in question was actually Guevara's. He was the only witness in Bolivia who had actually met Guevara.
Years later, after repeated accusations of being anti-British, he finally resigned as literary editor of the Guardian in 1994 after allegations were made in The Spectator
that he had been an "agent of influence" for the KGB
, claims which he rejected, arguing that "Like many other journalists, diplomats and politicians, I lunched with Russians during the cold war." He asserted that his resignation was "a debt of honour to my paper, not an admission of guilt", because his failure to inform his editor of three trips abroad to meet with KGB officials at their expense had caused embarrassment to the paper during its investigation of Jonathan Aitken
. The source of the allegation that he was an agent, KGB defector Oleg Gordievsky
. In his resignation letter Gott admitted "I took red gold, even if it was only in the form of expenses for myself and my partner. That, in the circumstances, was culpable stupidity, though at the time it seemed more like an enjoyable joke".
Aston Tirrold
Aston Tirrold is a village and civil parish at the foot of the Berkshire Downs about southeast of Didcot. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Origin of the name:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
journalist and historian, who has written extensively on Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. A former Latin America correspondent and features editor for the British newspaper The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, he is currently an honorary research fellow at the Institute for the Study of the Americas
Institute for the Study of the Americas
The Institute for the Study of the Americas was founded in August 2004 through a merger of the Institute of Latin American Studies with the Institute of United States Studies , both of which had been founded in 1965 at 31 Tavistock Square...
at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
Early career
He studied history at Oxford University and worked at the Royal Institute of International Affairs. In the 1960s he worked at the University of Chile, where he wrote Guerrilla Movements in Latin America. In January 1966, Gott was a candidate in a by-electionHull North by-election, 1966
The Hull North by-election of 27 January 1966 was held after the death of Labour Member of Parliament Henry Solomons on 7 November 1965. The seat was retained by the Labour Party. This has been attributed to the announcement of the construction of the Humber Bridge by the government during the...
in Kingston upon Hull North for the 'Radical Alliance', running on a platform which stressed opposition to the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
; he polled only 253 votes.
Che Guevara
In November 1963, working as as a freelance journalist for The Guardian in CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Gott was invited to a celebration of the revolution party at the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
embassy in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
. During the evening, a group of invited journalists who were chatting in the garden were joined by Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
for a few hours, who answered their questions.
After following Guevara to Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
in 1967, Gott played a role in confirming that the 4-5 hour-old body in question was actually Guevara's. He was the only witness in Bolivia who had actually met Guevara.
Guardian resignation
In 1981 the BBC sought to appoint Gott to the position of editor at its cultural magazine The Listener, but his radical politics led to him failing to obtain security clearance and the post went instead to Russell Twisk.Years later, after repeated accusations of being anti-British, he finally resigned as literary editor of the Guardian in 1994 after allegations were made in The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
that he had been an "agent of influence" for the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
, claims which he rejected, arguing that "Like many other journalists, diplomats and politicians, I lunched with Russians during the cold war." He asserted that his resignation was "a debt of honour to my paper, not an admission of guilt", because his failure to inform his editor of three trips abroad to meet with KGB officials at their expense had caused embarrassment to the paper during its investigation of Jonathan Aitken
Jonathan Aitken
Jonathan William Patrick Aitken is a former Conservative Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom, and British government minister. He was convicted of perjury in 1999 and received an 18-month prison sentence, of which he served seven months...
. The source of the allegation that he was an agent, KGB defector Oleg Gordievsky
Oleg Gordievsky
Oleg Antonovich Gordievsky , CMG , is a former Colonel of the KGB and KGB Resident-designate and bureau chief in London, who was a secret agent of the British Secret Intelligence Service from 1974 to 1985.-Early career:Oleg Gordievsky attended the Moscow State Institute of International...
. In his resignation letter Gott admitted "I took red gold, even if it was only in the form of expenses for myself and my partner. That, in the circumstances, was culpable stupidity, though at the time it seemed more like an enjoyable joke".
Books
- Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian Revolution (2005), Verso. ISBN 1-84467-533-5
- Cuba: A New History (2004) Yale University Press, New Haven. ISBN 0-300-10411-1
- In the Shadow of the Liberator: The Impact of Hugo Chávez on Venezuela and Latin America (2001), Verso. ISBN 1-85984-365-4
- The Appeasers (2000, with Martin GilbertMartin GilbertSir Martin John Gilbert, CBE, PC is a British historian and Fellow of Merton College, University of Oxford. He is the author of over eighty books, including works on the Holocaust and Jewish history...
) Phoenix Press. ISBN 1-84212-050-6 - Guerrilla movements in Latin America (1970), Thomas Nelson
- A Future for the United Nations? CND Pamphlet. Not dated, circa 1968
External links
- New StatesmanNew StatesmanNew Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
, 4 October 1999, Book Reviews - A looking-glass world - In 1994 it was claimed that Richard Gott was a KGB "agent of influence". In this article he responds that the claim was anti-spy hysteria which amounted to McCarthyism - The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 1 February 2006, - A Comment piece about his standing in the 1966 North Hull By election - The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 2 April 2007, - Argentina's claim on the Falklands is still a good one - Richard Gott Relishes this Sweet Moment in US-Cuban Relations by Richard Gott, The Guardian, April 14 2009
- What If Latin America Ruled the World? - a review by Richard Gott, July 3 2010
- Who Comments? - Richard Gott - Chronology of articles and biographical information