From the Shadows by Robert M. Gates

Author:Robert M. Gates [Gates, Robert M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Touchstone Book
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

THE “MURDER MANUAL”

In early fall 1984, CIA and the Contra program took yet another major hit. When Casey and McMahon had visited Central America in the summer of 1983, Casey had talked about the Contras’ need to pay more attention to political and psychological warfare. The result was the preparation by a contract employee of a little manual entitled Psychological Operations in Guerrilla Warfare. The “nom de plume” was “Tayacan,” a legendary Central American Indian warrior. Written in Spanish, the manual was never even seen by senior officials at CIA headquarters.

Again, as controversial as the Central American program was, the lack of tight supervision led to disaster. The manual referred to “neutralizing” officials; talked about blackmail, terror, and the use of professional criminals; and was blatant about the objective of overthrowing the Sandinistas. The manual seemed to transgress the Boland Amendments, the prohibition against assassination, and more.

Another firestorm and more hot water for Casey and the Agency. The White House issued a press statement reaffirming the rules against assassination and announcing that the President had asked Casey to have the Inspector General investigate the possibility of improper conduct. The President also asked the presidentially appointed Intelligence Oversight Board to investigate. Casey ordered the IG investigation the next day.

Once again, after getting the facts together, it was apparent that the manual was the product of incompetence, not malign intentions. The Agency was able to report that several of the offending passages had been deleted from the manual before it was circulated to the Contras and that the press characterization of another passage “stretched beyond both its intended and its literal meaning.” Ironically, one of the purposes of preparing the manual had been to try to prevent some of the excesses mentioned. Even so, Casey would tell the two oversight committees on October 31 that the manual “was not properly or adequately reviewed.” Ultimately, the House Committee attributed the manual to negligence, not an intention to violate the law.

No matter. The Agency got another black eye with the Congress and with the American people. And, if anything, the manual reinforced my belief that command and control in the DO left a lot to be desired.

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