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MORI DocID: 1451843
Tee Te iN; Lo
’ Co + 5317 Briley Place
* . Washington, D. CG. 2°75
. 10 January 1972
a Mr. Lloyd Shearer . ’
Editor at Large .
Parade Magazine
733 Third Avenue .
"| New York, New York 10017 |
Dear Mr. Shearer: -
. In your issue of January Oth, one of Walter Scott's Personality
Parade responses stated that CIA "uses political assassination as a
- weapou' and that Operation Phoenix "run by the CIA established a new
high for U. S. political assassinations in Vietnam. ' Since I have held
responsible positions in CIA for many years and was also (during de-
. tached service from CIA) responsible for U. S. support to Operation
Phoenix, I believe I am uniquely qualified to testify {as I have in public”
! session under oath to Senate and House Committees) that: :
li
| . B
f a. CIA does not and has not used political as sassgination as
| a weapon.
: b. Operation Phoenix was run not by the CIA but by the .
. Government of Vietnam with the support of the CORDS clement
: of the U. S. Military Assistance Command.
. o C- i ©
. ¢. Operation Phoenix is not a program of assassination.
Members of the Viet Cong apparatus were killed in the course
of military operations Brresisting-policerarxgrfill There is a
. vast difference in kind, not merely degree, between these [Evens
: inocluding-oacasional. wand. fowa-raabus ety and the Viet Cong's
. conscious campaign of terrorism referred to by Mr. Scott. .
: *
| - In order to clarify this important question to the midlions of con-
cerned Americans who might be misled by Mx. Scott's column, I should
- appreciate your publishing this letter.
[I Sincerely,
To. . . ”
W. E. Colby | .
- 00685 |