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MORI DocID: 1451843
. H . : , B . Ia ~. . C .
RRS —_— Lo . . .
’ 5317 Briley Place
. . . Washington, D, C. 20014 .
: oo January 11, 1972 i :
"Mr. Lloyd Shearer co
. Editor at Large . ’ . . fie to
. Parade Magazine . :
733 Third Avenue R
. New York, New York 10017
: * Dear Mr. Shearer: ’ . ’ - )
Come In your issue of January 9th, onc of Walter Scott's Personality Parade -
responses stated that CIA "uses political assassination as a weapon" and
that Operation Phoenix "run by the CIA established a new high for U. s,
political assassinations in Vietnam. it Since I have held responsible positions
in CIA for many years and was also {during detached service from CIA) re-
: sponsible for U, S, support to Operation Phoenix, I believe Iam uniquely .
qualificd to testify (as I have in public session under oath to Senate and House
Committees) that: R
Ce 2. CIA does not and hag not used political assassination as a
Lo weapon,
. b. Operation Phoenix Was run not by the CIA but by the Govern-
ce ment of Vietnam, with the support of the CORDS clement of the U, §,
) Military Assistance Cominand in coordination with several U. s,
. agencies Including CIA, :
CE ¢. Operation Phoenix ia not and was not a program of assassina-
tion. It countered the Viet Cong apparatus attempting to overthrow
- . the Government of Vietnam by targetting its leaders. Wherever pes-
- sible, these were apprehended or invited to defect, but a substantial
: . number were killed in firefights during military operations or re-
sisting capture, There is a vast difference in kind, not merely in
degree, between these combat casualties (even including the few
abuses which occurred) and the victims of the Viet Cong's systematic
- campaign of terrorism to which Mr. Scott quite accurately referred.
In order to clarify this important question to the millions of concerned
. Americans who read Parade, I should appreciate your publighing thip letter,
Co . ’ Sincerely, o
To . : - - W. E. Colby
. ’ 00668