MY YEAR ON SUBSTACK
When I started writing here on Substack, a year ago today, I had no idea what to expect.
For five decades, I reported for the most prestigious publications in the world. In that time I earned the trust of officers and officials assigned to important duties who understood that their oath of office was sworn not to some general or admiral, or even to the president, but to the Constitution of the United States. Thanks to their integrity and courage, I wrote stories critical of every administration that passed through office—Republican or Democratic. The reach of the places I wrote for meant those words would be read at the highest levels of government.
Would it be the same if I published myself? One year on, I can honestly say I’ve had one of the most intriguing and productive years of my career—much of it thanks to you.
I revealed the flaws in the White House’s flailing project in Ukraine; broke news about the Israeli government’s plans to flatten the Gaza Strip; uncovered secret missions to make peace with Russia. I shared stories of my time reporting on Henry Kissinger, listening to Harold Pinter, and learning from Daniel Ellsberg. And, of course, I revealed the Biden administration’s role in the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline—a story I have continued to cover throughout the year. (The White House, predictably, has never acknowledged the truth about what President Biden ordered, but I can’t help noticing that, one year ago, their cover story was to blame Russia, and today they promote a completely different set of facts.)
There’s a lot more to do—and believe me, I’m up for it.
We have a president who is struggling, but remains fanatically determined to keep pursuing the same failed strategies—even as the wars he’s helped unleash spiral out of control. We have a military full of capable leaders, but increasingly incapable of pushing back against the White House. And we have a Congress that is, put simply, too politically unhinged to carry out even its most basic responsibilities.
These are all political issues, but my promise to you remains the same: this is not a column of political views, but a column based on information from the inside that I believe the American public needs to hear.
Thank you again for reading and for engaging. Your support, in the past and now, is what makes this all possible.
Seymour Hersh