Page 680 of 703

EES
MORI DocID: 1451843
. ' / A rr :
. Co H . . “
: 5317 Briley Place |
. Washington, D. C. 20016 I
January 11, 1972
Mr. Lloyd Shearer . .
Editor at Large : ee .
Parade Magazine ne
733 Third Avenue .
| New York, New York 10017 . Co Co :
Dear Mr. Shearer: i
In your issue of January Sth, one of Walter Scott's Personality Parade St
responses stated that CIA "uses political assassination as a weapon' and .
that Operation Phoenix "run by the CIA established a new high for U. Ss. .
political assassinations in Vietnam. ' Since I have held responsible positions i
+ in CIA for many years and was also (during detached service from CIA) re- i
sponsible for U. S. support to Operation Phoenix, I believe I am uniquely . Bl i
| qualified to testify (as I have in public session under oath to Senate and House : :
Committees) that: .
a. CIA does not and has not used political assassination as a )
i ‘weapon. B
b. Operation Phoenix svas run not by the CIA but by the Govern- .
ment of Vietnam with the support of the CORDS element of thé U. Ss.
Military Assistance Conunand in coordination with several U. S. ©
agencies including CIA. . ’ f
€. Operation Phoenix is not and was not a program of assassina- H
tion. It countered the Viet Copg 2pnaratus 2temnting to overthrow Ji R i
House the Government of Vietnam 57 trieehenahg Sal edn, its leaders, MVALr<y]
g “Sapzemcliheve were killed in fivefights during military operations or |
LAS resisting capture. There is a vast difference in kind, not merely in. |
A degree, between these combat casualties (even including the few
Na abuses which occurred) and the victims of the Viet Cong's systematic i
“7 campaign of terrorism to which Mr. Scott quite accurately referred. {
=A In order to clarify this important questicn to the millions of concerned |
Americans who read Parade, I should appreciate your publishing this letter. . -
Sincerely, i
. NY )
= =
W. Z. Colby ] .
: 00670
i