The devil and Mr. Casement

By Jordan Goodman

Subjects: Human rights, Consuls, Indians of south america, history, Irish, foreign countries, Rubber industry and trade, Human rights, south america, Atrocities, Great britain, biography, Casement, roger, sir, 1864-1916, Imperialism, New York Times reviewed, Offenses against the person, Arana, julio cesar, 1854-1952, Social conditions, History, Travel

Description: "This title features an untold story of the most horrifying crimes and massacres of the twentieth century. In September 1910, the activist and anti-imperialist Roger Casement arrived in the Amazon to investigate reports of widespread human-rights abuses in the vast forests stretching along the Putumayo River. There, the Peruvian entrepreneur Julio Cesar Arana ran an area the size of Belgium as his own private fiefdom; his British-registered company operated a systematic programme of torture, exploitation and murder. Fresh from documenting the scarcely imaginable atrocities perpetrated by King Leopold in the Congo, Casement was confronted with an all-too recognizable scenario. He uncovered an appalling catalogue of abuse: nearly 30,000 Indians had died to produce four thousand tons of rubber. From the Peruvian rainforests to the City of London, Jordan Goodman recounts a crime against humanity that history has almost forgotten, but whose exposure in 1912 sent shockwaves around the world. Drawing on a wealth of original research, The Devil and Mr Casement is a story of colonial exploitation and corporate greed with enormous contemporary political resonance."--Publisher's description.