LETTER TO MEG GREENFIELD FROM GEORGE V. LAUDER RE THE WASHINGTON POST ALLEGED T

Created: 6/21/1985

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

wa*hinoton. d. c

PUBUC AF'AIBS

5

Ms. Meg Greenfield Editor of Editorial Page THE WASHINGTON0 h.

Dear Ms. Greenfield:

rt1cle onS- THE WASHINGTON POST alleged that

2arch IMS car bombing in Beirut which killed more thaneople and wounded many others.

th? Storyh* CIA categorically denied to the ,ndfnfCt' ,nin a

iw6e> House of Representatives Select Committee on

MIEtf?iiT $lor>nter reported to

'The committee's review has uncovered no evidence that.

ny Commentas encouraged or part dpated In any terrorist activity in Lebanon. Further, the MMUttt MM able to discover no evidence that. Intelligence

sa&meiniaXiiaTof theomblng outside che

Without addressing the specifics of the allegations raised 1n

connection with this deplorable terrorist event, the committee states

that its review of relevant documents and files and its Interview of

?SEISpr1aJeofficials leads to the conclusion that.

r ,nd1rKt- can b* established with respect to theombing in Beirut."

The CIA regrets that the POST Ignored our denial of any Involvementarch Incidenteirut and that its article gave the American public and the rest of the world the totally false Impression that. Government was Involved in terrorist activity. This misleading theme has been picked upumber of other journalists as fact and has even been cited by the Shilte terrorists as one of the motives for hijacking TWA. We believes imperative that the POST promptly correct the record and bring to your readers' attention the HPSCI's refutation of Agency Involvementarch bombing. As Secretary Shultz saidommenting on the POST'S story, "If the CIA denies something, It's denied."

Sincerely,

George V. Lauder Director, Public Affairs

Enclosure

Original document.

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