An open letter to CIA Director William Burns
Dear Director Burns, I know you are a man of integrity who has served his country with honor in many capacities. So I call on you to do the right thing to assist me and my family in our years-long battle with the agency you lead.
Let me outline my case. In 1963 the CIA secretly wiretapped my father, Paul Scott, and his colleague, Robert Allen. They were nationally syndicated columnists whose articles appeared in more than 300 newspapers.
The wiretap lasted 90 days and occurred at their separate residences and joint office at the National Press Building in Washington, D.C. This covert activity, known as Project Mockingbird, was an attempt to learn the sources of leaked information, including at the CIA.
According to the agency, this surveillance activity was deemed quite successful, as it identified the following as key news sources: 18 members of Congress, including House Speaker John McCormick; 21 congressional staffers; 16 government employees, including one from the White House staff; an assistant attorney general; and other well-placed individuals. Mockingbird was historically significant because it was approved by then-Attorney General Robert Kennedy and CIA Director John McCone.
I learned about the wiretap in 2007 with the release of the CIA’s Family Jewels, a 700-page compilation of rogue and illicit actions by the agency spanning many years. Former CIA Director, Gen. Michael Hayden, decided to release the document saying his intent was to convince critics that the agency embraces candor when possible.
The release prompted me to begin my intense pursuit through the Freedom of Information Act process to obtain all material related to Project Mockingbird. Fifteen years later I still seek the release of those documents.
In 2020 I encountered some success as the CIA released nearly 350 pages of information, including longsought wiretap transcripts and phone logs. However, after an exhaustive review I learned the transcripts covered just 29 of the 90 days of the wiretap.
I immediately sought further explanation on the status of the remaining missing historic documents, specifically inquiring if they were lost, destroyed or perhaps transferred to another government agency such as the FBI. Instead of a straightforward answer to my direct questions, I was informed my case was closed and that the search was “reasonably calculated and adequate.”
Here’s the rub: The agency refused to explain the status of the missing documents while also admitting some material not released now remains classified for national security reasons. Also, the offices of U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Mark Warner interceded on my behalf but were likewise stonewalled.
I am running out of options, but if you hear me out I have a viable suggestion to focus and expedite this search.
In previous correspondence with the CIA FOIA staff, I proposed that Chief Historian David Robarge and his experienced staff be allowed to assist in the document search. They are the true experts on Project Mockingbird and would be more adept at finding missing files. In fact, just a limited number of CIA security officials had access to the 1963 wiretap operation, thus making the search more viable and targeted.
I also request the opportunity to personally discuss the case with Robarge to better ensure transparency and accountability.
I believe there is no longer any reasonable national security rationale to keep these 60-year-old documents classified. In fact, public consensus is that the government classifies too much information for too long.
Now is the precise time for the CIA to step up and lead the way to declassify aging government secrets and overhaul the classification process. The content of these transcripts may be of great value to historians, scholars and policy makers who need to understand what compelled so many senior government officials to leak confidential information to the press.
You have a unique opportunity to right some wrongs that occurred during a dark period in the CIA’s history. Starting on March 12, 1963, the illegal activity of Project Mockingbird began.
To put this in personal perspective, I was a sophomore at Gonzaga High School in 1963 and am now a 74-year old retiree. Yet I still don’t have all the answers.
I don’t want this chapter in my father’s life to die as “unfinished business,” at least until all viable options are exhausted. I don’t know precisely why these documents haven’t yet seen the light of day, but one educated guess is that my father’s laser-focused reporting might have “embarrassed” the CIA.
That, in itself, is no excuse to classify documents and maintain secrets.
Sunshine Week, which celebrates and educates the public about open government, is this week.
Where’s the Sunshine?
Jim Scott lives in Arnold. He is a retired director of congressional and public affairs for the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock. He was public affairs director at David Taylor Research Center in Annapolis from 1979 to 1992. He also served as news director at WNAV radio.