LETTER OF APPRECIATION - DAVID ATLEE PHILLIPS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88G01116R000800980003-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 17
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 12, 2011
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: June 9, 1986
• Content Type: MEMO

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STAT
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Central Intelligence Agency
Mr. David Atlee Phillips
Dear Dave:
Thank you for your recent letter and for the interesting
information about CHALLENGE.
I enjoyed our discussion at Naples. It is always a
pleasure to hear from you.
Yours,
William J. Casey
Director of Central Intelligence
W 2o2o /
STAT
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PAO 86-0043
9 June 1986
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence
FROM: George V. Lauder
Director, Public Affairs Office
SUBJECT: Letter of Appreciation - David Atlee Phillips
1. Action Requested: Sign the attached letter acknowledging receipt of
Mr. Phillips' information about CHALLENGE, an intelligence officers' legal
action fund.
2. Background: During your recent Florida trip, you expressed an
interest to Mr, Phillips about CHALLENGE.
3. Recommendation: Sign the attached letter to Mr. David Atlee Phillips.
i s/ hh (
George V. Lauder
1 ~ JUN 1986
Director of Central Intelligence ante
erector of Central Intelligence Date
STAT
STAT
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EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT
RO('TING SUP
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Exe Live Secretary
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22 DDCI
3 EXDIR
16 May 86
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David Atlee Phillips
86- 2020X
14 May 1986
The Honorable 4illiam J. Casey
Director of Central Intelligence
The Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, D.C. 20505
Dear Director Casey,
It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to talk with you during
the recent dinner in Florida.
During our conversation you expressed interest in my book for young
people who contemplate intelligence careers. Enclosed find a copy of
Careers in Secret Operations.
You also asked for information about CHALLENGE, an intelligence
officers' legal action fund. Enclosed find the most recent report made
to CHALLENGE supporters.
This would seem the appropriate time to set the record straight on
one news item. You will note that the Washington Times report about my
recent litigation settlement contains the statement that I was dis-
appointed by the lack of support from the CIA in my legal battle. I
never said that. The words were put into my mouth by the Times reporter
in the wake of a series of questions asking me to;confirm that CIA had
secretly funded CHALLENGE, and consequently me, during several law
In fact, while CIA did not support CHALLENGE financially, the
assistance provided to me by Agency lawyers was
attached letter written by one of my attorneys t
indicates how fine the performance was.
Sincerely nd cordially,
David Atlee Phillips
STAT
STAT
0-1-?Ii7--~_
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Dear Challenger
2- April 1986
vres,oent
Capt J E. Dolan, USMC Ret.
wce Pres,eenr
William W. Tyng
Secretary
Col. Mary D. Thompson, USAR Ret.
Treasurer
Charles W. Claxon
Lt Cot Norman L. Botsford, Jr.,
USA Ret
Charles W. Claxon
Warren Dean
Capt. J.E Dolan, USMC Rot
Samuel Halpern
Richard H. Lansdale
Col. John V. Lanterman, USA Ret
Cot Mary D. Thompson, USAR Ret.
William W. Tyng
William E Colby
Michael Collins
Alfred Coppel
Lyman B. Kirkpatrick Jr.
Gen. Richard G. Stillwell,
USA Ret
W. Raymond Wannall
Now into another year, we have good news and bad news. But
before telling you of that, I call your attention to the list of
officers, directors, and advisors to the left. They were elected and
affirmed for the current year at our annual meeting in November.
Missing from this year's list of advisors is James Buckley. He asked:
to be removed because of appointment to be a justice on the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Remaining as an
advisor to a legal action fund would have placed him an awkward
position.
Now for the good news. The second of four suits we have
supported, that of David Atlee Phillips against those responsible for
writing and publishing the book "Death in Washington" in which he was
implicated in the murder of ex-Chilean diplomat Orlando Letelier and
an assistant among other acts, has ended, favorably.
After extended pre-trial proceedings, the defendents sought an
out-of-court settlement. This resulted in the filing in the U.S.
District Court for the District of Columbia of a statement retracting
completely all statements they made in the book and a press
conference about Dave, including a repetition of the allegation of
Dave being Lee Harvey Oswald's case officer under a pseudonym. This
statement was placed in an ad in Publishers Weekly (see the attached
package), following a press conference in Washington on 14 February.
Selected reports on the press conference are also in the package. If
this was not covered in media in your area, feel free to use it and
let us know how.
FYI: Dave is pursuing a suit in England, without CHALLENGE's assistance,
against the London Observer, under whose auspices was the initial publication
implicating him in the John F. Kennedy assassination as Lee Harvey Oswald's case
officer under the name Maurice "Morris" Bishop occurred. He is being assisted in
this by a British member of CHALLENGE. It is expected a favorable outcome may be
achieved later this year.
As for other cases for which CHALLENGE has provided support, we have heard
nothing new since our last report to you about the suit by Ambassador Nathaniel
Davis, etal, against those responsible for the book and movie "Missing." I would
note that the person responsible, Costa Gravas, also produced the movie "State of
Siege" about another government employee killed in Uruguay, in which the the truth
was also distorted apparently to confirm with his political predilictions.
Of the two requests for CHALLENGE assistance noted in my last commun-
ication to you, we have heard nothing further on one for which we asked for
additional information. In the second, that of Adolph Saenz, additional
information was forthcoming as requested. He provided a lengthy report on
what had occurred in his case and a list of the expenses that had been in-
curred in the pre-trial interrogatories. After reviewing this material, the
board voted to send him $2,000 for some of his expenses. He expects to submit
a request for additional assistance.
(Over)
P.O. Box 34320, Bethesda, Maryland 20817 Telephone: (301) WH2-2085
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- 3 -
Ms,01nl
Capt J.E Dolan, USMC Rot
Wc. Pr.arwnl
William W. Tyng
s.crer..r
Col Mary D. Thompson, USAR Rot
treasurer
Charles W. Claxon
Lt Cot Norman L Botsford. Jr.,
. USA Rot
Charles W. Claxon
Warren Dean
Capt J.E Dolan, USMC Rot
Samuel Halpern
Richard H. Lansdale
Cot John V. Lanterman, USA Rot
Col. Mary 0. Thompson, USAR Rot
William W. Tyng
William E Colby
Michael Collins
Alfred Coppel
Lyman B. Kirkpatrick Jr.
Gen. Richard G. Stillwell,
USA Rot
W. Raymond Wannall
FlVGF
inc.
~ OVIHLWNCE ,~.LEaft AaM RV
FROM
aI
LENGE I L ".. .
FOR
IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
14 February 1986
FORMER INTELLIGENCE OFFICER WINS COMPLETE RETRACTION
AND FINANCIAL SEITLF 1i1T IN LIBEL SUIT
CHALLENGE, Inc., an intelligence officers' legal action fund,
today announced in Washington, D.C. that a libel suit for which it
had provided financial assistance was resolved when four of five
defendants sued by David Atlee Phillips for malicious libel
retracted allegations about the former CIA officer and entered
into an out-of-court financial settlement for an undisclosed
amount. The defendants, in a 1980 Washington press conference and
later that year in a book, had alleged that Phillips and the
Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) had been
involved in the 1976 assassination of former Chilean diplomat
Orlando Letelier. The book also repeated the canard that Phillips
used the alias "Maurice Bishop"
Harvey Oswald.
as CIA's case officer for Lee
The details of the retraction are contained in a Statement of Retraction
(See Attached) signed by the defendants and submitted this morning to Judge
Jackson of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, ending
almost five years of litigation. (Civil Action No. 81-1407 and Civil Action No.
81-2578). Two of the defendants, writers Donald Freed and Fred Simon Landis,
together with journalist John Cummings, participated in the 1980 press
conference in which Phillips, AFIO, and other organizations and former
government employees were accused of engaging in a conspiracy to cover up facts
leading up to and following Orlando Letelier's assassination. The fourth
defendant, Lawrence C. Hill, publisher of Death in Washington, also signed the
statement of retraction and participated in the settlement with plaintiff
Phillips. The whereabouts of the fifth defendant, William F. Pepper, have been
unknown for five years, despite attempts of private investigators to locate him.
Contact: Capt. J.E. Dolan, USMC Ret.
P.O. Box 34320, Bethesda, Maryland 20817
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LIBEL ACTIONS BEING ASSISTED FINANCIALLY BY CHALLENGE
(An Attachment to the CHALLENGE press release of 14 February 1986)
Litigation by former CIA officer.
David Atlee Phillips is a retired CIA official who, in 1975, founded the
Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO). The association promotes
the need for a strong U.S. intelligence capability and Phillips has personally
been active in writing and speaking to defend that thesis.
By 1981 a pattern of malicious allegations about Phillips and other former
government employees became evident. In addition allegations were being made
increasingly about AFIO and similar organizations advocating a strong national
security policy.
Perhaps emboldened because Phillips. had become a "public figure", and thus
needed to prove malice in any libel action, writers and editors became more
flagrant in their allegations. In 1979 a book published in England argued that
Phillips may have been a person called "Maurice Bishop", a CIA case officer who
allegedly was in contact wi.th Lee Harvey Oswald before the assassination of
President John F. Kennedy. The book was published in the U.S. early in 1980.
The same "Maurice Bishop" allegations were repeated in October, 1980, in a book-
length article in "Washingtonian" magazine. In none of these instances was
Phillips contacted before publication for comment on the charges, particularly
so for the "Washingtonian" article though Phillips had written two articles
related to intelligence for the magazine and was working personally with
Washingtonian editor Jack Limpert on a third article, and thus available, when
he was surprised publication of the defamatory story.
Also in 1980, a press conference in Washington, D.C. accused Phillips and
AFIO, among other persons and organizations, of involvement in the assassination
of former Chilean foreign minister Orlando Letelier. Phillips was surprised by
the press conference, and was not given an opportunity to comment about the
allegations. Nor was he contacted before publication of a book later in 1980
reiterating the press conference charges and repeating the "Maurice Bishop"
allegations.
Originally CHALLENGE was organized to provide financial assistance to
Phillips after he decided to file libel suits. In the case against
"Washingtonian", Maryland lower courts dismissed it because, in the court's
opinion, Phillips was a public figure and would not be able to prove malice. A
libel suit instituted by Phillips in London, where the "Maurice Bishop"
allegations were first published, has passed the pre-trial stage; a trial date
will be announced shortly.
A timely example of the continuing defamation of former government
employees is the current release of a new book on the Kennedy assassination by
author Henry Hurt, published by Henry Holt and Company. Hurt has repeated the
"Maurice Bishop" allegations about Phillips in a selective manner. 'And---once
again---Phillips was not contacted by the author for comment prior to
publication.
The Statement of Retraction is the out-of-court resolution of two suits by
Phillips in the matter of alleged complicity in the death of Orlando Letelier,
and of his connection with Lee Harvey Oswald.
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7 -
j
ews of the Week Pwbasim-em Weekly
Ex-CIA Official Settles
Suit Over Letelier Book
Aformer CIA official,
who sued the authors
and the publisher of the 1980
book, Death rn Warhirgaan, has
agreed to settle out of court for
an undisclosed sum of money
and a published retraction.
The agreement, submitted
to U.S. District Court in Wash-
ington February 14, ended a
4'/:-year effort by David Atlee
Phillips to dear his name of
charges made by authors Don-
ald Freed and Fred S. Landis
that he had led an effort to
mask the connection of the
1976 assassination of Orlando
Letelier, former foreign minis-
ter of Chile, and the CIA.
Although the amount of the
financial settlement between
Phillips, Lawrence Hill & Co.
Publishers of Westport, Conn.,
and the coauthors was not dis-
closed under terms of the
agreement, Phillips said in an
interview, "It's a sum suitable
to us ... the symbolic part of
the act is important to us."
The agreement for a retrac-
tion requires a full-page adver-
tisement to be taken in a "ma-
jor media magazine." It will say
that the authors. gret any sug-
gestions that Phillips obstruct-
ed justice, was an accessory
before and after the fact of the
murder, conspired to defame
Letelier, and acted as an unreg-
istered foreign agent.
Hill's part in the retraction
says, "In light of the foregoing
statements by the authors, the
publisher expresses its regret
that the book as published con-
ained the statements now re-
tracted by the authors."
The suit, which sought f 120
million, was backed by Chal-
lenge Inc., a legal action fund
founded by Phillips to help for-
mer intelligence offIrs and
other former government offi-
ciak bring libel suits. The fund
remains active.
At the time the suit was filed,
Lawrence Hill accused Chal-
lenge of attempting to silence a
publisher of books critical of
the intelligence establishment
and stated that he had no inten-
tion of altering his publishing
program because of the suit. "I
really am very much in the
mood of fighting back and us-
ing this thing to expose these
guys," Hill said. (Hill was on
vacation when the settlement
was announced and could not
be reached for comment.)
The retraction statement in-
dicates, however, that the cir-
cumstances of the case nude it
difficult for the defendants to
launch a defense. The state-
Sim
Grc
iinc
Am
S
slack a
board c
neiasna
At the
y i
In dic
U.S. Am
activide
Of hi
Simon I
our all
renews
Robe
compatr
other
we did
associati
Geo4
to be an
going. I
put ya
to Us.
Jerea
Sdwsaw
ment says, "Beta,
Phillips' long career
secrecy requiremer
by tCIA A and enfc fc ftW**WnP0J#
by the h
the courts made it '
Freed and Landis to
essary evidence fo
fense."
Phillips indicates
settlement was not
tory and said, "I d
exonerated to the e
think our system
should allow em
Phillips, who is a a
self, added, "It's a ve
lure, whether you're
journalist or an it
man, to know just i
line is between
Amendment and the
secret operations."
-Hot
84 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17. 1986
d
N 410P'J(T31!S'E:S
V/86
Ex C.I.A?/ n
t Gains
Retraction by Authors
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 (Reuters)
A legal action group that defends for.
rater United States Intelligence officers
has announced Its first victory - no
hill retradialof an assertion that a for-
mer C.I.A. agent was linked to the kil!-
hW of Kennedy and former
ore gn MinisterlydNert Orlando Letehbr of
Chile.
The group, Challenge Inc., an intelli-
gence oftioeis' legal action fund, said
F NNaayy that the authors of "Death An
Wash[ on." a book an Mr. Letelises
slaylnjiiaa 1f78, had retracted the ape-.
gations against David Phillips, the for-
mer agent, in an out-of-court actor.-
meet.
Libel suit Settled , l
^ A former CIA agent who filed the
suit in federal court here against
the writers and publisher of a
1980 book that accused him of playing a role in the assassina- ing
tion of former Chilean ambas- ).S?
sador Orlando Letelier has set-vid
tled the case in exchange for a As-
public retraction and an undis- live
closed amount of cash. - ak-
David Atlee Phillips had said ici-
he was libeled by assertions in se-
the book "Death in Washington," ew
written by Donald Freed and sir-
Fred Simon Landis and pub- ut-
lished by Lawrence C. Hill. cup
A statement filed in U.S. Dis- utd
trict Court said the defendants der
in the suit "now retract any ay,
charges or allegations" made J.S.
against Phillips and that "the ter,
publisher expresses its regrets vil,
that the book as published con- ver
tained the statements now re- u,d
tracted by the authors.",
Phillips, founder of a group ,,_
aimed at fighting public mis- ad.
statements about the activities lag
of former intelligence officers, will
said he hopes that the settle- xct
ment will send a message "to
irresponsible critics who think MIS
they can write total, outrageous leent
d
The president of Challenge, J. I ..,,.,,,.
Dolan, a retired Marius Corp imahii- ia<
. AMq
gence captain, said the group was R.
naadng a lawsuit against the author of m the
the book "Missing" and the makers of -
a poptdar film based an It. . 'hem has
I"Misaft" ass k in United we have
States officials too
toppled of Cident~ Salvador Allende
Gossens nod for
"Death in Washington." by Donald xuaging
Freed and Fred Landis, asserted that
Mr. Phillips, using the alias "Maurice "her
Bishop." served as a C.I.A. case officer imon &
for ILe rvey Oswald, who was ar-
resrad ins- killing President Kennedy
In lI .
- k Braske see
in me ono castle of Heidelberg
and is to include searions on the
legal rights of publishers, re-
production
phic rights
and Prix" new ethnol-
ogy. Further information and
registration forms are available
from Bonenverein des Detts-
chen Buchhandels, Grosser
Huschgraben 17, D-6000
Frankfiut-on-Main I (phone
13 06-314).
_-Heitat A L 40"M
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STAT
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Please send. information about CHALLENGE to:
1 Your name will not he used unless you so request)
2)
(3)
(4)
(S)
V. t-
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Mail to CHALLENGE. Inc.. P.O. Box 34,120. Bethesda. tiID 2O8l-
CHALLENGE APPLICATION OR RENEWAL
Street & Number
Cite, State. Zip
Enclosed find my check made out to CHALLENGE, Inc..
for 5 . Keep my name on your mailing list. This
is my (check one) first contribution ( ) or a renewal,
second or more contribution ( ).
Please list on reverse names and addresses of persons you believe would want to
participate in CHALLENGE.
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20505
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Phone: [phone]
5 June 1986
STAT
Thank you for writing Director Casey, for whom I am responding.
The Central Intelligence Agency is an intelligence organization rather
than a policymaking body. Hence, we are not in a position to advocate your
ideas, laudable as they may be. We are nonetheless grateful to you for
affording us the opportunity to examine your suggestions.
Enclosed are two Agency brochures which will help you better
understand our mission.
G. L. Lamborn
Public Affairs
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F\F(:I'TIV-E SF (RETARI U.
Rol 11\(. 'I 11'
TO NFC- "F
2 DDCI
3 ' EXDIR
i 5 'DDI
6 DDA
7 DDO
8 DDS&T
27 May 86
Remarks Please see DCI annotation and prepare
ltr for his signature.
20 May 86
1-v--I"ee~
STAT
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