SUSPICION OF COMMANDER OF EXECUTIVE MANSION GUARD BEHIND THE KILLING OF BUCHANAN COMMANDER

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06769269
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: March 9, 2023
• Document Release Date: September 3, 2020
• Case Number: F-2017-02018
• Publication Date: June 1, 1990

Approved for Release: 2020/09/03 C06769269
SECRET// NOFORN
Classified By: UNSPECIFIED
Classification Reason: UNSPECIFIED
Declassify On: April 26, 2042
NF) SUBJ: SUSPICION OF COMMANDER OF EXECUTIVE
MANSION. GUARD BEHIND THE KILLING OF BUCHANAN
COMMANDER
Identifiers:
Messaging System: 90 6849354
Document Number:
Ingestion ID: 166549021
GUIDE: guide://1012/bs2sj
Dates:
Date Acquired: approximated undefined 31-May-1990
Date Published: 01-Jun-1990 13:14:00
Date Received: 01-Jun-1990 14:17:11
Coverage:
CIA Country Code: LBR
Region: AFRICA, LIBERIA
Publisher:
Agency Acronym: CIA
Office Name: NCS
Warnings- NF) CENTRAL
INTELLI ENCE AGENCY INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED
INTELLIGENCE
(U) CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
(U) INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE. REPORT CLASS S
DIST: 01 JUNE 1990
(U) REPORT CLASS s-E-e-R-FT--WARNING
- DISSEMINATION AND EXTRACTION OF INFORMATION
CONTROLLED BY ORIGINATOR. DECL RECORDED REPORTING
OFFICER. ALL PORTIONS CARRY CLASSIFICATION AND CONTROLS OF OVERALL
DOCUMENT.> ORIG/REL: NNNN END OF MESSAGE SRZ
,NF) 1. THERE IS A GROWING SUSPICION AMONG ARMED FORCES OF LIBERIA
(AFL) SERVICEMEN AND SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS INCLUDING LIBERIAN
PRESIDENT SAMUEL K. ((DOE)) THAT EXECUTIVE MANSION GUARD (EMG) COMMANDER
MAJOR GENERAL CHARLES ((JULUE)) WAS BEHIND THE KILLING OF THE BUCHANAN
COMMANDER LIEUTENANT COLONEL SAMUEL ((APPLETON)). APPLETON WAS
REPORTEDLY KILLED ON 29 MAY 1990 WHEN REBELS ATTACKED THE PORT CITY OF
BUCHANAN AFTER THE AFL HAD RETAKEN IT DURING THE WEEKEND OF 26-27 MAY.
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
,�ZET NOFORN 1
Approved for Release: 2020/09/03 C06769269
(b)(3)
Approved for Release: 2020/09/03 C06769269
SEZRET/J NOFORN
NF) 2. APPLETON WAS HIGHLY RESPECTED BY THE SOLDIERS IN HIS UNIT
BECAUSE OF HIS WILLINGNESS TO LEAD HIS MEN INTO BATTLE AND HIS CONCERN FOR
THEIR WELFARE. APPLETON'S UNIT WAS COMPRISED OF MEMBERS OF THE KRAHN,
KRU, AND GREBO ETHNIC GROUPS. COMMENT: OTHER REPORTING INDICATES (b)(1)
THAT APPLETON WAS INDEED A CAPABLE MILITARY COMMANDER WHO EARNED THE (b)(3)
RESPECT OF HIS SOLDIERS. HOWEVER, APPLETON DID NOT MAINTAIN CLOSE CONTROL
OVER HIS SOLDIERS WHO WERE FREQUENTLY ACCUSED OF HARASSING AND ABUSING
THE LOCAL CITIZENS OF BUCHANAN. THESE ABUSES, IN PART, SUBSEQUENTLY LED TO
CIVILIAN SUPPORT FOR THE REBELS. APPLETON WAS ALSO REPORTED TO BE VERY
CORRUPT AND A HEAVY DRINKER.)
AgfriNF) 3. THE LOCAL NEWPAPERS GAVE MUCH OF THE CREDIT TO JULUE WHEN
REPORTING THE INITIAL AFL RECAPTURE OF BUCHANAN ON 26 MAY 1990. UPON
LEARNING OF THE PRESS REPORTS, APPLETON'S UNIT BECAME ANGRY AND LATER
CONFRONTED JULUE. JULUE DENIED ACCEPTING CREDIT FOR THE VICTORY AND TOLD
THE SOLDIERS THAT HE DID NOT HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER THE NEWS MEDIA. THE
SOLDIERS QUESTIONED JULUE'S SINCERITY AND HIS CONCERN FOR THEIR WELFARE.
THE SOLDIERS ARGUED THAT NEITHER JULUE NOR OTHER SENIOR MILITARY OFFICERS
FOUGHT IN THE BATTLES AGAINST THE REBELS AND FREQUENTLY RETURNED TO THE
SAFETY OF MONROVIA AT NIGHT. THE SOLDIERS REFUSED TO LISTEN TO JULUE WHO
THEN LEFT THE SCENE. SEVERAL OF JULUE'S EMG SOLDIERS, WHO HAD BEEN
ASSIGNED TO APPLETON'S UNIT, LATER TOLD HIM THAT APPLETON WAS UNDERMINING
HIS AUTHORITY AND SOUGHT TO REPLACE HIM AS THE TOP MILITARY LEADER. JULUE
CONFRONTED APPLETON AND ACCUSED HIM OF BECOMING TOO AMBITIOUS.
APPLETON WAS VISIBLY SHAKEN, BUT RESPONDED THAT HE WAS NOT INTERESTED IN
TAKING JULUE'S JOB AND ONLY WANTED TO DEFEAT THE REBELS. JULUE DID NOT
ARGUE THE MATTER AND DEPARTED.
irsIF) 4. FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT JULUE AND COLONEL DAVID ((NIMELY))
RETURNED TO MONROVIA AND LATER MET WITH DOE WHO HAD INQUIRED ABOUT THE
CONFRONTATION BETWEEN APPLETON AND JULUE. JULUE TOLD DOE THEY HAD
RESOLVED THEIR DIFFERENCES AND WERE STILL ON GOOD TERMS. APPLETON WAS
REPORTEDLY KILLED FOLLOWING ANOTHER REBEL ATTACK ON BUCHANAN. SEVERAL
SOLDIERS REPORTED SEEING APPLETON ENTER A BUILDING WITH TWO BODYGUARDS
TO MAKE A TELEPHONE CALL. OTHER SOLDIERS CONTEND THAT THE TWO
BODYGUARDS WERE JULUE'S MEN WHO KILLED APPLETON AND BLAMED HIS DEATH ON
THE REBELS. AFTER LEARNING OF APPLETON'S DEATH, DOE BECAME UPSET AND
REMARKED OFFHANDEDLY THAT JULUE PROBABLY HAD MORE TO DO WITH
APPLETON'S DEATH THAN THE REBELS. ( COMMENT: THERE IS NO SOLID
EVIDENCE THAT JULUE ORDERED THE KILLING OF APPLETON; HOWEVER, BASED ON
JULUE'S PAST ACTIONS IT WOULD NOT BE SURPRISING FOR HIM TO ELIMINATE ANYONE
SUSPECTED OF BEING A THREAT TO HIM. IN ADDITION, MANY PEOPLE FEAR JULUE AND
SUSPECT THAT HE IS ALSO BEHIND THE RECENT RASH OF KILLINGS OF MEMBERS OF
THE GIO AND MANO ETHNIC GROUPS. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT IF DOE SHOULD
DECIDE TO STEP DOWN, JULUE MAY MOVE TO EITHER ELIMINATE OR REPLACE DOE AS
THE COUNTRY'S LEADER.)
Collection: CC
Creator:
Agency Acronym: CIA
Office Name: NCS
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
SE T/ NOFORN 2 (b)(3)
Approved for Release: 2020/09/03 C06769269
Approved for Release: 2020/09/03 C06769269
,......c�fi'Ef/ OFORN
Description: (U) None
Language: en
Precedence: 0
Subject: None
OFORN 3
Approved for Release: 2020/09/03 C06769269