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Philip Agee, CIA Agent, Traitor

Philip Agee passed away today in Cuba, January 7, 2008. For the CIA, this closes a very long and painful journey of one of the most damaging traitors in its history. How can I say that?

Two reasons, first the CIA in 1970’s assigned one of their best, Ted Shackley, to discredit, block the publication, or stop the publication of the book Agee was writing, called “Inside the Company: CIA Diary“. Ted could not figure out a way to stop the publication, so instead he had TSD create a bugged typewriter and got it to Agee to write his drafts on. A manual typewriter no less. Ted aka the Blond Ghost was legendary in the CIA, having been involved with a major covert operation in Miami (JM/WAVE) against Castro in Cuba (Operation Mongoose), was Chief of Station (COS) in Laos during the Vietnam war, and was Chief of Station (COS) in Saigon. He also the architect of the counter terror program “Phoenix” in Vietnam. Ted was my Fathers boss in both the JM/WAVE operation and Laos. They worked together and partied together. At our house, it was Ted this and Hazel that. My Father truly admired and respected Ted.

The second reason I know that Agee’s book truly damaged the CIA was when Agee’s book finally got published in England, my Dad got a paperback copy of it and read it from cover to cover. He called me a few days later and was in shock. Agee named names and specific secret operations, with no censoring by the CIA. My Dad used a yellow high lighter and bolded every agents name or operation that he recognized. When I went over to my Dad’s apartment later in the week, he showed me the book, and page after page had yellow highlighted on it. I knew right then how devastating Agee’s traitorous ways were and that they would affect the CIA for years to come. Lives were at risk and Agee did it knowingly and purposefully.

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