Behind the Bastards cover image

Cracktoberfest Part Five: How the CIA and the L.A. Times Killed Gary Webb

Behind the Bastards

00:00

CIA Agents Don't Want Drug Trafficking

In 1987, acting CIA director Robert Gates sent a memorandum to the CIA deputy director demanding that CIA officers cease relationships with Contras even suspected of trafficking narcotics. The memo was not issued in any form that would advise agency employees generally of this policy. It stated in his report, it never got to the field agents who were supposed to use it as a guide. So it's like, look, we recognize the problem and we made it a rule that they had to run everything by the FBI and the deal. They had to check on these guys and vet them to make sure they're not moving drugs. We noticed there was a problem and we took action. Would you tell anyone whose job it

Transcript
Play full episode

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
App store bannerPlay store banner
Get the app