NI.La'rmя NOI.LVWИO~.l\II -r 1 Edltorlal For the first time СА/В devotes ап eпtire editioп of the todians of the sly апd coппiviпg Mehmet Ali Agca. For they magaziпe to опе issue. "The Bulgarian Соппесtiоп Revisited" too have perverted the truth; eпgaged as they have Ьееп for is the compelliпg analysis of а massive westem disiпformatioп пearly four years iп suppressiпg evideпce which coпfirms the campaigп Ьу rightwiпg govemmeпt апd iпtelligeпce officials fascist origiпs of the assassiпatioп attempt апd fabricatiпg the апd their propagandists, iп this couпtry апd iп ltaly. lt is а cam­ tissue of lies which passes for the Bulgariaп Соппесtiоп. Judge paigп which attempts the traпssubstantiatioп of the Turkish fas­ llario Martella, the presidiпg magistrate, is showп to Ье as par­ cist who shot Роре Paul 11 iпto ап ageпt ofBulgщia, and Ьу ex­ tial as the rest of the disiпformatioпists, and we accuse him of teпsioп the Soviet Uпiоп. The truth beiпg iпсопvепiепt for wittiпg participatioп iп this shabby coпspiracy to defraud the these corrupt ideologues, they Ьеgап, with the would-be assas­ world. siп imprisoпed апd uпder their coпtrol, to fabricate а case Ву devotiпg this issue to а siпgle subject-a case which is agaiпst Bulgaria. For the past three years they have stood the scheduled to соте to trial this spriпg-we do поt mеап to ig­ facts оп their head, appealiпg to religious emotioпs Ьу maп­ пore the daпgerous situatioп iп Ceпtral America. The Reagaп ipulatiпg th~- world's anger about the act agaiпst the Soviet admiпistratioп is hell Ьепt оп violatiпg every staпdard of iпter­ Uпiоп, easily coпviпciпg the supiпe westem media that the iп­ пatioпal law апd dесепсу iп its frustrated desire to make the cideпt was поt what it clearly appeared to Ье, but the very op­ govemmeпt of Nicaragua say "uпcle," апd iп its coпtemptu­ posite. More receпtly, however, this fictioп has beguп to crum­ ous refusals to discuss better relatioпs with Cuba апd other Ыe, апd all but the ideologically fossilized realize they have socialist couпtries, or to aЬide Ьу the ruliпgs of the World Ьееп duped. Court. The ups апd dowпs of the "Bulgarian Соппесtiоп" preseпt Iп the пехt issue of СА/В we will retum to these coпcems; iп а case study iп disiпformatioп uпder the Reagan admiпistratioп additioп we will Ье puЫishiпg а series of articles оп iпfiltratioп as the authors of this article unravel every straпd of the fabric of the left Ьу govemmeпt provocateurs, апd оп torture as а of lies woveп Ьу the likes of Claire Sterliпg, Michael Ledeeп, growiпg means of bolsteriпg U.S.-supported dictatorships, апd Paul Непzе. These hacks we accuse of deliberate lies, mis­ both tactics of the CIA and their suпogates which are оп the iп­ statemeпts, апd distortioпs, desigпed поt to elicit the truth but crease arouпd the world iп startliпg proportioпs. • to pervert it. That they have become the "experts," writiпg "authoritatiчe" books оп the subject, paradiпg their wares be­ , fore coпgressioпal committees, fabricatiпg froпt-page byliпe IF YOU MOVE: Please remember that CAIB is stories iп estaЫishmeпt papers like the New York Times, апd sent to subscribers through bulk mail. If you move frequeпtly starriпg iп late-пight talk shows, bespeaks the sad and do not tell us, the postal service will not forward state of the media iп the West today. We believe the iпforma­ your mail, nor will they return it to us. We will not tioп preseпted here will help to expose the Bulgarian Соппес­ know you have moved until we get your nasty letter tiоп boosters for what they are-paraпoid, dishoпest dem­ wanting to know why we did not send you the last agogues, steeped iп iпtelligeпce соппесtiопs, preteпdiпg to issue. Therefore, you must remember to inform us Ье impartial joumalists апd commeпtators. when you move. Otherwise, we are constrained Ьу W е hope iп additioп this article will serve to illumiпate pub­ our narrow budget to charge for replacement copies. ~ . ~ lic орiпiоп about the ltaliaп judiciary апd police-the sole cus- ТаЫе of Contents :Edltorlal 2 Part 111: The Second Consplracy 16 The Balgarlan Connectlon Revlslted з Part IV: Antonov: А Polltlcal Prlsoner 35 Part 1: Backgroand з PaЫlcatlons of lnterest 44 Part 11: The Plrst Consplracy 1 О Cover Credit: NC Photo CovertAction Information Bulletin, Number 23, Spring 1985, puЫished Ьу Covert Action PuЬlications, Inc., а District of ColumЬia Nonprofit Corporation, Р. О. Вох 50272, Washington, DC 20004; telephones (202) 737-5317 and (212) 254-1061. АН rights reserved; copyright © 1985 Ьу Covert Action PuЫications, Inc. Typography Ьу Your Туре, New York, NY; printing Ьу Faculty Press, Brooklyn, NY. Washington staff: Ellen Ray, William Schaap, Louis Wolf and В. Lynne Barbee. Board of Advisers: Philip Agee, Ken Lawrence, Clarence Lusane, Elsie Wilcott, Jim Wilcott. Indexed in the Altemative Press Index; ISSN 0275-309Х. 2 CovertAction Number 23 (Spring 1985) Darkness in Rome: Тhе "Вalgarian Connection" Revisited Ву Frank Brodhead, Howard Friel, and Edward S. Herman * Part 1: Backgroand and Evolation of the Case 1.1 Introduction а Bulgarian Connection in the attempted assassination of the On Мау 13, 1981 а young Turkish gunman, Mehmet Ali Роре found а welcome and uncritical reception in the westem Agca, fired shots at Роре John Paul 11 as the Pope's vehicle cir­ media. While no independent evidence linking Agca to the cled slowly through the crowd in St. Peter's Square. Im­ Bulgarians, or the Bulgarians to the crime, has ever been pro­ mediately arrested, Agca's movements prior to the shooting duced, leaks of Agca's evolving claims kept the Connection were soon reconstructed Ьу the Italian police, who sought to continuously before the puЫic. The Bulgarian official, Sergei determine his motives and accomplices. Yet when Agca was Antonov, arrested after Agca's new allegations were made, brought to trial in July 1981, little of this information was pro­ was all but convicted in the westem press. On October 25, duced in court; his aims were still unclear and no co-con- 1984, Judge Ilario Martella issued his final reportofficially in­ spirators were named. ** ' dicting Antonov, other Bulgariaµs, and several Turks as mem­ Agca's crime was committed in the first months of the bers of а conspiracy to assassinate the Роре. А trial is expected Reagan administration. From the outset, administration offi­ to begin in April 1985. cials and supporters sought to link the assassination attempt to lt is our judgment that the media's uncritical, even en­ . the Soviet Union and its allies, in accordance with the princi­ thusiastic, embrace of the ltalians' case is not merely wrong, it ples of Secretary of State Alexander Haig's war on "ter­ is also indicative of the more general propaganda role played rorism." This effort did not bear fruit, however, until the pub­ Ьу the press. As we will show below, the crediЬility of Agca, lication of an article Ьу Claire Sterling in the September 1982 the primary (in fact, sole) witness-based on his character, his­ issue of the Reader' s Digest. Sterling maintained that the at­ tory, interest, circumstances of imprisonment, and shifts and tempted assassination, previously thought to have been the contradictions in testimony-is close to zero. Furthermore, the work of а lone, rightwing gunman, was in fact instigated Ьу the logic of the case as developed Ьу its main proponents is com­ Bulgarian secret services, and behind them the KGB. The alle­ pletely unconvincing and rests ultimately on Cold War gation of а "Bulgarian Connection" received apparent confir­ ideological premises. We believe that similar evidence and ar­ mation in November 1982, when Agca declared that several guments put forward in а case not helpful to westem political Bulgarian officials living in Rome had assisted him in his interests would have been objects of derision and quickly re­ crime, and that the plan had been originally laid while he was jected and buried. passing through Bulgaria in the summer of 1980. Where the creators of the Bulgarian Connection see one con­ With the heightening of Cold War tensions, the allegation of spiracy, we see two. The first conspiracy, based in а Turkish neofascist organization called the Gray Wolves, assisted Agca in escaping from а Turkish prison in November 1979 and aided, financed, and sheltered him during the 18 months prior to the * Howard Friel is writing Оп Capitalist Realism: How to Read Time and assassination attempt. All investigations into Agca's back­ Newsweek, to Ье completed this fall. Frank Brodhead, а historian and jour­ nalist, is the former editor of Resist and co-author (with Edward S. Herman) of ground and associations in Turkey have placed him at the cen­ Demonstration Elections: U.S.-Staged Elections in the Dominican RepuЬlic, ter of an intricate web of political rightists, drug dealers, and Vietnam, апd El Salvador. Edward S. Herman is Professor of Finance, Whar­ gun runners. We develop these links, and the possiЫe underly­ ton Sc~ool, University of Pennsylvania, co-author (with Noam Chomsky) of ing motivations which would have led Agca and his associates The Washington Connection, and author of The Real Terror Network: Ter­ rorism in Fact and Propaganda. to kill the Роре, in Part 11 below. Our main focus, however, is on the political basis ofthe case as it has developed in the Italian and· New Cold War context ** Not wanting to burden readers withcitations for each fact or opinion, (Part III). We are entirely persuaded that this is the source of а we have been selective in footnoting. А general ЬiЫiographic foot­ plan and decision to pin the assassination attempt on the Bul­ note is provided at the end of the text.