Exhibit 1063 · Agency journal article · Withdrawn
Managing a Nightmare: CIA Public Affairs and the Drug Conspiracy Story (Studies in Intelligence article, six-page release)
Withdrawn: Duplicate of exhibit 1011 (cia-1997-dujmovic-managing-a-nightmare); same document.
A CIA officer's account, in the Agency's own journal, of how CIA Public Affairs handled the 1996 'Dark Alliance' series. It calls the series 'a genuine public relations crisis,' says the Agency was limited in its response during the IG review, credits 'a ground base of already productive relations with journalists' and the Public Affairs Staff, says the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and New York Times criticism produced 'balanced reporting,' says Public Affairs gave reporters and news directors copies of the Post's critical articles, and records the Mercury News executive editor's May 1997 apology. It also states that Public Affairs 'cannot dictate stories to the media.' Pages 9-14 of the journal issue (issue number not shown in the release).
- Source
- Central Intelligence Agency (Studies in Intelligence); author's name redacted in the release
- Date
- Written after late 1997; released 18 September 2014 (stamped Approved for Release 2014/07/29, C01372115)
- Quoted from
- Journal p. 9 (release page 1), first column, after the opening paragraph
- Grade
- Primary record
- Document
- https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/DOC_0001372115.pdf
- Accessed
- 2026-11-10
- Cited by
- Findings citing this exhibit
- Note
- Read from page images of the 2014 release. Further exact wording: p. 12: 'The growth in balanced reporting was largely due to the criticisms of the San Jose Mercury-News series by The Washington Post, The New York Times, and especially The Los Angeles Times.' (footnote mark 13 omitted); p. 11: 'Public Affairs made sure that reporters and news directors calling for information—as well as former Agency officials, who were themselves representing the Agency in interviews with the media—received copies of these more balanced stories.'; p. 12: 'Public Affairs cannot dictate stories to the media—nor would we want to live in a society where that was possible.'; p. 10: 'Webb ... would later claim ... that he tried to call the Agency but was unsuccessful: "Essentially, our trail stopped at the door of the CIA. They wouldn't return my phone calls."' (check exact punctuation on p. 10 before quoting). The Intercept (25 September 2014) identified the author and reports he confirmed authorship; the release redacts the name. The article is one officer's account, not an Agency finding.