12 August 2015
Thoughts About Michael Hastings
Regarding Michael Hastings' "accident," the CIA does appear to have cultivated
a talent for orchestrating these. For example, see
"CIA and Assassinations:
The Guatemala 1954 Documents" in GWU's National Security Archive. In
particular: Document 2:
"A Study
of Assassination":
"For secret assassination, either simple or chase, the contrived accident
is the most effective technique. When successfully executed, it causes little
excitement and is only casually investigated."
"If the subject's personal habits make it feasible, alcohol may be used [very
successfully] to prepare him for a contrived accident of any kind."
In light of this it's disappointing that no one in the mainstream press has
gone beyond superficial coverage. Back in the 1970s a gang of angry journalists
invaded Arizona after the death of Don Bolles:
Dennis Hevesi,
"Robert
Greene, 78, Dies; Investigative Journalist," New York Times, April 12,
2008.
"The project began after Don Bolles, a reporter for The Arizona Republic
who had been investigating ties between organized crime and politicians,
was killed by a car bomb on June 13, 1976. Mr. Bolles had been a founding
member of Investigative Reporters and Editors, a national organization that
Mr. Greene had helped start."
Have things really changed that much?
Finally, spies who work in clandestine ops in particular are cold fish and
won't hesitate to resort to violence if they perceive it as expedient. This
means leaving "in the event of my sudden demise" packages with several
trustworthy confederates. Why on earth didn't Hastings plan ahead if he knew
he was working on a "big story?"
Hastings may very well have simply pushed his luck one too many times with
reckless behavior. In true Hunter S. Thompson fashion. Even then it would
still be interesting to know what he was working on. A lesson for acoyltes
of the press?
Bill Blunden
San Francisco State University
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