INTERVIEW WITH FORMER CIA AGENT RALPH MCGEHEE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00587R000200780005-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 17, 2010
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: October 2, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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RADIO TV REPORTS, INC.
4701 WILLARD AVENUE, CHEVY CHASE, MARYLAND 20815 [phone]
FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS STAFF
STAT
PROGRAM As It Happens STATION WAMU-FM
NPR Network
DATE October 2, 1986 11:00 PM CITY Washington, DC
) W-M
SUBJECT Interview with Former CIA Agent Pa
t-rick McGeshee
ALAN MAITLAND: Remember those stories about American fli
hts over
g
Libya last August and reports of dissatisfaction inside the country, army
troops ready to rebel, dissidents at the ready?
Well, it now appears it was all a part of an elaborate American
plan to topple the regime of Colonel Muamar Quaddafi. Details of the destab-
ilization plan were printed in today's Washington Post.
We've reache
McGeehf 'a former CIA agent and author of
the book, Deadly Deceits, in Herndon, Virginia.
- No
DENNIS TRUDEAU: Mr. McGeehy, who would be making these decisions?
Who made the decision to plant phony stories in the American media about Mr.
Quaddafi?
PATRICK McGEEHY: Well, the senior officials, such as Reagan,
President Reagan, Casey and -- Casey is the Director of the CIA -- and
Secretary of State George Shultz probably were involved.
TRUDEAU: It was the top?
McGEEHY: It was the very top. The decision was made at a Cabinet
level meeting and it was -- well, President Reagan even commented after the
meeting that -- he commented about how Quaddafi had a proclivity for ostenta-
tious clothing and he said "why not invite Quaddafi.to San Francisco since he
likes to dress up so much?" and Shultz said, "why not give him AIDS?"
TRUDEAU: Mr. Shultz said that?
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McGEEHY: Yes, Secretary of State Shultz.
TRUDEAU: According to the Washington Post today?
McGEEHY: According to the Washington Post, right.
TRUDEAU: Now what kind of phony stories -- I presume they knew
them to be phony -- were they planning to plant?
McGEEHY: Well, it was an elaborate deception program that
involved a series of coordinated things, such as covert actions, diplomatic,
military and public action, to convince Quaddafi that he was about to be
attacked again by U.S. bombers, and also that he might be subject to an
internal coup.
TRUDEAU: Was there any -- any grain of reality or truth in there
at all? Were there forces inside Libya ready to have a coup?
McGEEHY: Well, the CIA for a year had been sponsoring groups
inside of Libya, but they were disorganized and weren't ready to make the
coup, and that element was not true at all.
TRUDEAU: Was there any truth to the rumor or the pretense that
Mr. Quaddafi was on the verge of more terror, organizing or financing or
sponsoring more terrorism?
McGEEHY: That
was not doing anything.
newspapers?
TRUDEAU: Now,
totally contrived. They had evidence that he
some of these stories were planted in American
McGEEHY: Exactly.
TRUDEAU: How do they do that?
McGEEHY: Well, let me quote
investigated the CIA.
from the Senate committee that
The CIA currently maintains a network of several hundred foreign
individuals who attempt to influence opinions or the use of corporate propa-
ganda. These individuals provide the CIA with direct access to a large number
of newspapers and periodicals, scores of press services and news agencies,
radio and television stations, commercial book publishers and other foreign
media access. Then it goes on to talk about how the CIA has access to
American journalists, a number of American journalists who are working for the
CIA.
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And the Berstein article -- David Bernstein wrote a major article
on this. He said there are somewhere between 350 and 400 American journalists
who are doing things for the CIA either under direct contract to the CIA, you
know, placing articles in the media, or suppressing articles that the Agency
didn't want in.
TRUDEAU: Is the CIA allowed to do this? I mean, you mentioned
foreign, but we also here are dealing with stories that were planted in the
W
CIA all Street Journal and the Washington Post, and presumably elsewhere. Is the
allowed to o f is inside the nite Cates?
McGEEHY: Yes, it is, unfortunately, and President Reagan in
December of '81 gave the Agency authority to conduct "operations," unquote, in
the United States.
TRUDEAU: Is it easy to do? I mean, this decision was taken --the
decision was made, and the story appeared in the Wall Street Journal and the
Post. Is it simply that easy? You just press the button?
McGEEHY: Oh, it's certainly that easy. The Administration
spokesman -- I think in foreign affairs there are sources for about 80 percent
of the news, according to a survey, and in my estimation that means about 80
percent of the news we get about international relations from our spokesmen is
pretty much lies or propaganda.
TRUDEAU: On "As It Happens," we did interviews at that period
--in late August -- about ship movements, about chances of more terrorism.
McGEEHY: Yes.
TRUDEAU: We were duped?
McGEEHY: It's so easy to do because when the President says
something everybody picks up on it and -- and goes with the story.
There's a report on foreign editors and columnists that are
recruited, newspapers and magazines are subsidized, press services are
supported.
TRUDEAU: Is there any evidence, Mr. McGeehy, that this particular
action worked? Is Mr. Quaddafi any weaker? He wasn't toppled, but was he
shaking on his throne?
McGEEHY: There apparently was no evidence on all this. There is
some indication that might have provoked him into the attack on the airline --
the Pan American Airline in Pakistan. There isn't any hard evidence on that,
but there is some indication that it might have, you know, provoked him into
taking that action.
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TRUDEAU: Have you done this, Mr. McGeehee?
McGEEHY: Have I. been involved in misinformation operations?
TRUDEAU: Yes.
McGEEHY: Everybody who's involved in the Agency is involved in
misinformation.
TRUDEAU: Does it work?
McGEEHY: Of course. The American people, I think, are the most
naive in the world. They're so misled by American -- by Agency disinformation
operations.
TRUDEAU: By their free press?
McGEEHY: By their free press. Apparently free press.
TRUDEAU: Now why should I believe the story that's in the
Washington Post today just because they say they've got a leak of a memo
from r. oin exter, the National Security Advisor? Maybe this is
disinformation.
McGEEHY: Well, that -- that's the big problem, what is true and
what is not true, and that's the problem you get in when you maintain an
Agency like the CIA that does nothing but deceive American and foreign public
opinion.
TRUDEAU: Mr. McGeehy, why should I believe you?
McGEEHY: Well, I'm not asking you to believe me.
TRUDEAU: Maybe the CIA put you out there to write books and make
them look powerful.
McGEEHY: Well, that's one feasible thought, but I ask you to look
at the Senate Church Committee report that was published in 1976, and it talks
about all of these things, and it's very well-documented to -- not only to the
Church Committee but to CIA documents.
TRUDEAU: Fascinating stuff.
McGEEHY: It is indeed.
TRUDEAU: Thanks very much. Goodbye.
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McGEEHY: Bye.
MAITLAND: The former CIA Agent, Patrick McGeehy is author of
Deadly Deceits. We reached him in Herdon, Virginia.
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