MEXICAN OFFICIAL INTIMIDATED MAGAZINE

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP90-00965R000706940038-8
Release Decision: 
RIFPUB
Original Classification: 
U
Document Page Count: 
1
Document Creation Date: 
December 22, 2016
Document Release Date: 
December 15, 2011
Sequence Number: 
38
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
October 3, 1986
Content Type: 
OPEN SOURCE
File: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon CIA-RDP90-00965R000706940038-8.pdf71.19 KB
Body: 
Declassified and Approved For Release 2011/12/15: CIA-RDP90-00965R000706940038-8 A,T"7Lt A LN tQ T Gr4 PAGE WASHINGTON POST 3 October 1986 JACK ANDERSON and DALE VAN ATTA ml~ Mexican Official Intimidated Magazine The Central Intelligence Agency has learned that a Mexican cabinet member's subordinate trie unsuccessfully to bribe the editors of a Mexican news magazine to kill a critical report on the ca met official. Informed CIA and Mexican law enforcement sources ve to us t at t e uncovere an attempt t o ormer c ie o t e a eral Directorate of uric , Jose Antonio Zorilla, to pay the editors of roceso million worth o sos, with a promise-of mi on more t e agree to spike a story t ey a o tam on ri s boss. Interior mister Manuel Bart ett Diaz. T u foldin for Mexican police and CIA agents with the publication in Mexico it of an auto iographical book, "The residents," by Pr so s u is er u to erer. As we reported recently, t e k contains the full story that Proceso never printed the 1983 kidnaping of Bartlett's teen-age niece and nephew from a religious commune in Venezuela, arranged by the interior minister as a favor to his sister, the children's mother. In his book, Scherer also tells how Bartlett's minion, Zorilla, succeeded in intimidating Proceso's editors with threats of violence. Mexican reporters and columnists have been threatened often in the past by government officials, and some have been killed. But Scherer did not relate the unsuccessful attempt at a bribe by Bartlett's emissary. Proceso's editors would not comment on the matter, "especially to an American reporter," one of them told us. However. our CIA and Mexican police said that Zorilla later bra 11 to fellow lice officials that We had often oceso s editors to kill t e Bart ett stor wtt out paymQ em "a sinole Peso" o e million pesos he had in cash. It is no es is au o the bribe attempt. is Bartlett is a "iron hand" of President Miguel de nr~~ secret profile. the has this to say about him: "A pelf-described political animal, Bartlett is probably one of de la Madrid's closest advisers on domestic political affairs. [He] has the ear of the president on a wide range of issues .... "As de la Madrid's campaign manager and de facto head of the [ruling party] during 1981-82, Bartlett established control over many of the party mechanisms, and he directed the vote-ri gging operation during de la Madrid's election .... Here's how the CIA report describes the police force that allowed Zorilla and Bartlett) to intimi ate roceso s editors: a most a ective civilian internal security force is the Federal Directorate of Security (DFS) subordinate to Manuel Bartlett .... The DFS fields about 1,300 genes at ~ Q . -- -- ers and a ea Quart at branches in all of the states .... . e irectorate s main responsibility is to monitor suspected dissidents and opposition groups with a view to discovering and investigating any possible subversive efforts. The DFS does not hesitate to conduct searches and seizures and even to detain and interrogate individuals suspected of subversion." Declassified and Approved For Release 2011/12/15: CIA-RDP90-00965R000706940038-8