'PRIVATEER' FINDS HE IS IN DEMAND

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000200350030-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 24, 1998
• Sequence Number: 30
• Publication Date: July 8, 1958
• Content Type: NSPR

NEW YORK TIMES JUL 61958
idj~WpAF-or ~ elease 1999/09/07: CIA-RDP7
PS,
HE IS. IN DEMAND FOIAb3b
Man Who Asked Congress'
for License Kept Awake
by Offers of Aid
By CLAYTON KNOWLES
The stuff of which privateer-:
ing is made does not respect?
normal sleeping hours, Lyle H.;
Munson discovered yesterday. ;,
His bid for a letter of, mar-,
quo and reprisal from Congress,
,produced a telephone call at'
6:30 A. M. from Sydney, Aus
.tralia. The caller offered the,
services of fifty trained fight
,Ing men for any authorized-
expedition to free Americans
held captive abroad.
The communication was one
of scores, arriving by mail, .tel-
egraph and telephone, that Mr.
Munson ' has received since lie'
;oiled his petition with Congress
ast week. All offered aid in
either cash or services.
A century and more ago,!
,pa.tions commissioned priva-!
jeers with letters of marque'
and reprisal in efforts to stamp;
out piracy on the high seas.'
Some. viewed the practice as'
little more than licensed piracy
..nd the Declaration of Paris in'
1856 sought to, outlaw it.
The United States agreed in;
!principle to the declaration,,but!
never signed it, Now Mr. Mun-j
son contends nations that have`
jailed Americans are nothing,
but . pirates.. He wants to bel
commissioned' to liberate the!
'captives.
He says that he or, anyone!
else so licensed could use al
plane or helicopter, or even a
PT boat perhaps more effec=i
tively than a regular ship. He
thinks the knowledge and con-
tacts he made as an undercover
agent for thr United States
Government qualify him to dual
with underground movements
that would have to help in any
!-move to free the -Americans.
Mr. Munson served in both l
th '"b fice dt' Strategic Services
andnctl ,, ra e~ncei "Clear-;, there is piiblie. con--,
i1'rnit offers that are coming1cern here," he. said. "I may not,
'In to him, chiefly from peoplelba commissioned, but if my of-~
-too old to volunteer for service, fort serves to focus public con-I
have posed a problem, he says. corn on this subject, it may!
He is listing all offers but ad-serve to awaken some Adminis-i
wising that, "until Congress in tration interest."
.its wisdom acts,'ho is not able; Letters of marque have long
to accept contributions.. been out of bougue and Priva-
Several of the offers have teems have a status between
'been of $100, Mr. Munson said. that of a merchant vessel and)
Be reported also that a large a warship and the commander;
corporation-he declined to must be in the service of the
identify it directly-said it state and his crew is subject to
would be "prepared to assist in military discipline.
a. rather substantial way." Mr., Article I, Section 8 of the
Munson?quoted an official of the Constitution, detailing the pow
corporation as having said that, ors of Congmess, gives it epe-
while it doubted he would et a cific authority in Paragraph 11
get ?,a-_,.
CPYRGHT
FOIAb3b
poration Ve i +or~ ~ Trr IA- DP75-00001 R000200350030-5
ocean-goes) ips. n . a d et.