The Conjugal Dictatorship

The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos
democracy. In the light of the traditional American policy of fighting its
defensive wars outside the American continent, the Philippines becomes
America’s special concern because it is a vital link in the U.S. world-wide
defense network designed to keep wars away from American shores.
5) A Philippines gone Communist could present the U.S. with a problem
on its defense arrangements similar to what is now the so-called Portugal
Trojan horse.
6) Freedom-loving Filipinos desirous of overthrowing the dictatorial yoke
of Mr. Marcos are stymied by the posture of support the state department
has shown for the martial regime; various organized groups waiting for a
clarion call to shed blood for the restoration of democracy in the Philippines
are even more fearful that they might face American troops and arms from
Clark Field, if they should take up arms to overthrow the Marcos regime.
We are not even asking the United States to come to the aid of the
freedom-yearning Filipinos and actively assist them in overthrowing a
dictatorial regime. We want to restore democracy to our ravished country by
our own resources, animated only by our unquenchable thirst for freedom.
We only ask that the United States stand aside, state categorically that it
does not, and will not, support a dictatorial regime that has by now all the
hallmarks of an incipient Vietnam gone Communist.
The opening statement I read before the committee was, of course, only a
capsule of the story of the terrible dark night of dictatorship that has devoured
the Republic of the Philippines. It was this story, so damaging to his claim of
legitimacy as chief of state of the Republic of the Philippines, that President
Marcos tried to prevent me from telling the American Congress and people.
However, the bizarre bribery attempt made by President Marcos to silence
me did not end with the first offer he made to me in Washington, D.C. on June
16, 1975. The bribe offer followed me all the way back to San Francisco,
thereby establishing a second stage, or perhaps, a second criminal act, in the
attempt of Dictator-President Marcos to stop me from talking about his martial
regime.
The first attempt involved an offer made to me by Marcos of a bribe
amounting to $100,000.00 as quid pro quo in the following manner:
1) $50,000.00, if I would withhold my scheduled testimony, or in the
alternative, to tone down my said testimony, on the events leading up to the
imposition, and during the first three years, of martial law in the Philippines,
before the Sub-committee on International Organizations; and 2) Another
$50,000.00, if I, upon compliance with the first condition, would leave the
United States and reside in another country. Australia was suggested because
I have a sister who resides in Perth, W. Australia
I rejected the offer and testified as scheduled at 2 p.m. on June 17, 1975,
before the Subcommittee on International Organizations, denouncing the oneman
military dictatorship of Marcos in the strongest and most authoritative
language yet used against Marcos in a forum where it really counted so much.
I confided the bribe offer at about 8:30 a.m. on June 17,1975, to San
Francisco lawyer Gerald N. Hill; to John Salzberg, staff consultant of the
Subcommittee on International Organizations at about 11 a.m. on June 18,
1975; to Les Whitten, an associate of columnist Jack Anderson, at about 5 p.m.
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