THE CIA: BOOK EDITING DIVISION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000100010023-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 24, 2000
• Sequence Number: 23
• Publication Date: August 10, 1972
• Content Type: NSPR

V1.LL1i.ir, V V1V.G
10 August. 1972
Approved : ar Red s ; n 10 12 I - D, !75,*Oa
CPYRGHI
Wash-Writers working on projeLt.s that, rnlght--.offdi d:
''the
government have been warned to be wary of haing:Ilarper
& Row as a publisher. The- warning has been: given :hy the
tifyii:g before .Congressional corn-
nittees-put?pressure on Harper
11ow:!; The-:CIA "did . not.. try
erioosly- to claim than national
security is involved. The agency
mpugns the accuracy of the book
nd '...wanted to, se-e-. it before
'ublication in-ar attempt to per-
uarle:- the ,, publisher -..to : make
'corrections"= so the CIA. and
Cher American ' agencies won't
ook so bad: (The First Amend-
ent stands even if the CIA had
nsisteii that'.. national .- security
might. have been. breachgd,- but.
Harper '& Row yielded ona much
oiter point. That's what is so at-
pallingly?surprising-after-all we
avc'learned-frornmthe Nixon.ad-
inistration concerning its inten-.
ions - with: regard to:,the' Iirst_
Amendment.
Seymour-: Hersh-'quotes ' B::
rooks Thomas,.-: vice-president
nd general counsel of.Ilarper &
how,. as having no: doubts- about
he book. ("We've had it reviewed
y others-'and ;we're. persuaded
FOIAb3b
CPYRGHT
I/ Alfred W. McCoy; a Ph.D. can- able addition to the Times-
present rnalidgement of that very publishing house.'
house. But then, the- CIA asked interest in Alfred McCoy's book is
Harper & Row for lx:rrnission to due to'McCoy's allegations that
review McCoy's book, "The Poli- "both CIA and State Departnient-
tics of Heroin- in Southest Asia.'-'. officials- have'-provided-political
prior to publication.: and :.'military-.support .'for
Despite the lessons of the battle America's Indochinese allies -ac=:
to publish the r'entngon- Papers, tively engaged in the drug-traffic;":
despite the.continuing travail of- have consciously covered-up evi--
dictate In , titneast Asian history ington bureau in my-memory, dug:
at Yale, spent 18 months inves- out ' the story' as part of a con--
tigating narcotics-operations in tinuing investigative-account of
South,est Asia. The resultant book, the increasing quantity: of heroin
commissioned by Harper & Row, conning into this country, frani
had been thoroughly examined by Southeast-Asia. As Hersh points
attorneys for the publishing out (Times; July 22),,?the-CIA'
Beacon- Press (publishers of the dense of such involvement;- and.
Gravel -edition of tl:e:- Pentagon have been actively involved them-
Papers), despite:Y.'the. 1, First selves in the narcotics trade."
Amendment, Harper ? 8: :"The :-CI11; "understandably- ex-
acceded to the CIA's request!-- acerbated--all - the.',,: more :so
Seymour f-ersh; the.most'valu .-l'because Mr: McCoy has been tes-.
hat . the -work is .amply docu
zentc and scholarly;") :.`None-
thelless, Thomas. adds:,
'We're'- taking:..-a:-responsible
niddle position. -I.just believe that
he CIA should have the chance to
eview it."'`:..':,,..:::-::';:..-:? -.-:. _':..
:'Accordingao lIersh, the book's.
iithor, Alfred McCoy; was given
he choice of`agrcenrg with Mr.
? Thomas's w ="responsible r middle
-- )osition"-"or,-not having. his .book
)ublished by Harper. &. Row.. .
13rooks Thomas tells me that's
lot accurate. An either/or-situa-
ion,-he says; did not develop.:,.:
McCoy had refused. to allow
he-page proofs to-be seen by the
IA," prior-to publication I asked
omas; -."would-you.-have. pub-
shed the book?'-
"don't know what, we would
ave?doneThomas 'answered:
`In any Lase; "we- persuaded
3cCoy to let the CIA see it." (:Mfy
nformation is that Harper & Row
mould not have published the book
f:''McCoy--- had . resisted prior
hewing by the CIA: )
_I-am:: sorry that Mr.. McCoy
flowed himself to be persuaded.
At -first,.- Hersh -writes, McCoy
': efused to go along, but "changed
is mind during protracted nego-
iations." ?
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