RESEARCH FIRM USED AS CIA FRONT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000303520010-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 23, 2010
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: February 4, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/23: CIA-RDP90-00552R0003
A} TIG L APPEAREDr THE FAIRFAX JOURNAL
ON Pn~ 4 February 1982
Around the State
03520010-9
Research Firm Use
cis CIA Front
A former Richmond city council-
man and,FBI agent confirms he set up
?a hon business research firm in thp.
1950,9 -that was used by the CIA as a
fr
it as a patriotic citizen," John
E. -Lawler, a former Richmond coun-
cilman, told The Richmond News
Leader in a story published Tuesday.
. Lawler said he began accepting CIA
assignments when he retired as spe-
cial agent in charge of the Richmond
FBI office in 1950 and became an exec-
utive of an insurance company. He
was on the council from 1956-60.
He said he. set up CIA-backed con-
cerns iaAfrica, including an airline in
Libya: He told the newspaper he was
paid only for his expenses. , .
Lawler, 73,. ran a phony research or-
ganization dubbed the Old Dominion
Research Co. that was a ron for a
CI remand payroll operation,
the newspaper said.
The firm, which Lawler operated
-during the four years he was a council-
man?,--_ fit, the pattern of other CIA-
ba-cked-organizations that posed as
foundations to pay students and schol-
ars abroad to collect intelligence. , ,
Lawler agreed to the interview after
he'donated a large collection of per-
sonal papers and documents to Virgin-
ia Commonwealth University.
One folder in the collection includes
applications for overseas research
grants or letters from Lawler approv-
ing research projects in the Middle-
East and Europe,.the paper said.. .
Lawler. maintained he never knew
much about what went one in the re-
.search corporation and what he did-.
know he has since forgotten. ~ r
"It just vanishes in time," he said.
The CIA declined to confirm or deny
the News Leader's report.:.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/23: CIA-RDP90-00552R000303520010-9