Altruistic World Online Library

Cub Scout Lester Knox Coleman III aged eight.


Boy Scout executive Lester Knox Coleman III in 1988 on the eve of Operation Shakespeare, his last mission as an agent of the United States' Defense Intelligence Agency.


The beachfront villa in Beirut where Coleman lived in 1985 during his first DIA undercover assignment. Posing as Middle East correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network, he was on a mission to serve as linkman for the DIA's Lebanese spy network and to frustrate an Iran-Contra arms deal engineered by Oliver North.

The identity badge and pass issued to Coleman in 1987 when he taught a course in audio and video surveillance at the National Intelligence Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.


Coleman's DIA spy kit. Consisting of off-the-shelf commercial equipment that anyone might buy, it included the Sony video camera that was still signed out to him at the time of his arrest by the FBI in 1990 on a trumped-up passport charge.

Two of Coleman's DIA-issue tape recorders and 'bugs'. The Sony voice-activated machine was used to record the conversation with a DEA attache Micheal Hurley seven months before Lockerbie in which Coleman warned him of the 'disaster waiting to happen'.


The identity papers seized by the FBI at the time of Coleman's arrest in May 1990. Most of them are in the name of Thomas Leavy, a cover identity originally provided by the CIA in 1982 and reinforced by the DIA in 1990 for Operation Shakespeare.
The Thomas Leavy birth certificate issued to Coleman in 1982 by the CIA. In 1990, he was charged with applying for a copy of a birth certificate in that name and using it to make a fraudulent passport application. The FBI has yet to explain why he would have needed another copy when he already had one.


A rare moment of relaxation for Lester and Mary-Claude Coleman in the Bakamo-Galaxen refugee camp after they sought political asylum in Sweden in 1991.
 

Front-pages news, 19 October 1992. Eighteen months after the Colemans' arrival iDAG, Sweden's national afternoon newspaper, tells the story of the first American citizens to seek asylum in that country since the Vietnam war.

Embassy of the United States of America

Office of the Legal Attache
24 Grosvenor Square
London, England WIA LAE

11 June, 1992

40-CG-76385

Sigvard Ronnback
Head of Interpol
Rikspolisstyrelsen
Interpolsektionen
Box 12 256
S-102 26 Stockholm
Sweden

Your File: IP1513/92/AC

Subject: LESTER KNOX COLEMAN, III

Reference is made to your communication dated 6 May, 1992 and a telephone call between Mr. Anders Claesson of your office and myself.

Enclosed per a request of Mr. Claesson is a report detailing the background of Lester Knox Coleman.

As Coleman is a fugitive, we would greatly appreciate any information you may be able to provide on his current status in Sweden and the possibility Swedish law would allow for his deportation to the United States.

As always, your assistance is greatly appreciated.

Very truly yours,

Susan A. Sprengel
Assistant Legal Attache

For: R. John Theriault, Jr.
Legal Attache

Smoking gun I: Washington tries to persuade Stockholm to deport Coleman to the United States.


U.S. Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation

Chicago, Illinois 60604
March 30, 1992

LESTER KNOX COLEMAN, III,
aka Thomas Leavy;
PASSPORT VIOLATION

Chicago

Investigative Summary prepared: March 30, 1992

Basis for Investigation:

This investigation was instituted on February 7, 1990, when New London, Connecticut Resident Agency, New Haven Division, reported they had been notified by the New London Bureau of Vital Statistics that a person identifying himself as THOMAS LEAVY, had requested a copy of his birth certificate. LEAVY's Date of Birth (DOB) was listed July 4, 1948, his parents were listed as JOHN and MARY LEAVY and THOMAS LEAVY's address was listed as 416 County Line Road, Barrington, Illinois. A computer check of the Bureau of Vital Statistics Records revealed that the real THOMAS LEAVY had died in New London, Connecticut, two days after his 1948 birth.

On April 6, 1990, RICHARD BECKMAN, Chicago Passport Office, 230 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, advised the FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (FBI) Chicago, that he had a possible passport violation. An application, submitted by a THOMAS LEAVY on March 26, 1990 at the Arlington Heights Post Office, had a number of indicators that pointed to a violation.

The first indication was the birth certificate for the dead baby. Other indicators were recently issued driver's license and Social Security Account Numbers. Also the home and work addresses on the applications came back to two separate mail drop locations. The home contact telephone number on the application is not a north suburban telephone exchange. The listing is for a cellular telephone.

Another indicator was that the contact person listed on the application was a relative. The contact is LESTRE COLMAN, 415 West County Line Road, Barrington, Illinois, telephone number (708) 381-1056, listed as a brother-in-law. The telephone number, 381-1056, comes back to ARTHUR MCINTOSH, 416 West County Line Road, Barrington.

Investigation to date:

Investigation at Chicago revealed that the owner of one mail drop and the Office Manager of the second, identified the photo from the passport application as LESTER KNOX COLEMAN. The owner of a printing shop advised that LESTER COLEMAN had ordered two sets of business cards. One was in the name LESTER COLEMAN, the other THOMAS LEAVY.

Numerous checks at the address listed for emergency contact, which was the same address the birth certificate was to be mailed to, failed to reveal any tenants. On April 16, 1990, the next door neighbor was approached for information. The neighbor advised that LESTER COLEMAN was house sitting for the owner of the home, ARTHUR T. MCINTOSH. The neighbor identified the photo from the application as LESTER COLEMAN. She advised that the COLEMAN family left on April 7, 1990 for California. COLEMAN was to go to Japan and on his return flight stop in Hawaii to meet the rest of the family. The neighbor stated that on April 11, 1990, KOLDON MOVING AND STORAGE, 410 Telser Road, Lake Zurich, Illinois arrived to move COLEMAN's belongings to storage.

On April 17, 1990, Magistrate W. THOMAS ROSEMOND, Jr., Northern District of Illinois, issued a warrant for LESTER KNOX COLEMAN, III. This warrant was for willfully and knowingly making a false statement in an application for a passport, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1542.

On April 25, 1990, KOLDEN MOVING AND STORING advised that COLEMAN can be reached at telephone number (205) 540-2448. The telephone number was sent to the FBI office in Mobile, Alabama. On May 1, 1990 LESTER KNOX COLEMAN, III, was arrested without incident at Townhouse Residence SE-14, 1616 Fort Morgan Road, Fort Morgan, Alabama.

After his arrest COLEMAN claimed to have petitioned to have his name changed to THOMAS LEAVY. A check with Jefferson County Probate Records Department, Birmingham, Alabama, revealed that COLEMAN did not petition the court until April 12, 1990 to change his name.

Smoking gun II: he FBI's so-called 'Investigative Summary' which accompanied the letter to Stockholm, setting out the basis for the passport charge.


To Whom it May Concern:

I am a journalist working on a book project which indirectly involves American foreign policy.

On January 18th, 1993, I called the Records Office in New London, Connecticut, and asked to speak to the Clerk, Gloria Hatfield. I asked Ms. Hatfield if the New London records showed that a Thomas Leavy had died on the 6th of July, 1948. Ms. Hatfield examined her files and informed me that she had looked under 1946, '47, '48 and '49, but could find no record of such a person. When I asked if she had information showing the birth of a Thomas Leavy as being July 4, 1948, she replied that obtaining a birth record required the presentation of documents, which I did not have.

Sincerely,

Diana Holdsworth
January 25, 1993

EVELYN F. NABBAH
NOTARY PUBLIC
State of Connecticut
1/25/93
MY COMMISSION EXPIRES MARCH 31, 1995

Smoking gun III: The sworn statement of Diana Holdsworth contradicting the FBI's assertion that the 'real' Thomas Leavy died on 6 July 1948.


Fugitive warrant ploy: Ordered by the Federal court to report to Dr. Hakan Hallberg in Trollhattan for a medication examination, Coleman discovers that Dr. Hallberg knows nothing about the arrangement. Although Coleman submits a written statement from the doctor to that effect, a bench warrant is issued for Coleman's arrest on grounds of 'failure to appear.'

PRETRIAL SERVICES REPORT

District/Office: SOUTHERN/ALABAMA

Judicial Officer: Magistrate William H. Steele

Charge: FALSE STATEMENT ON A PASSPORT APPLICATION

DEFENDANT

Name: LESTER KNOX COLEMAN, III

Employment: Self-emp: Journalist

Address: No permanent address in U.S.

Time in Community: 2 weeks

Monthly Income: $3500

Time in Empl.: Over 10 yrs.

DEFENDANT HISTORY

1. The information below was gathered through interview of the defendant and through contact with DEA Headquarters, NBC News, and the subject's attorney.

I. Lester Coleman was born in Pensacola, FL on September 25, 1943.

II. Although Mr. Coleman's employment history sounds quite improbable, information he gave to the Pretrial Services Officer has proven to be true. Coleman is a free-lance journalist, specializing in the Middle East, who has also worked as an undercover investigator for the Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States. NBC News Foreign Correspondent Brian Ross contacted this office on May 3, 1990 to verify Coleman's relationship with NBC News. He also indicated Coleman has worked with other news agencies, as well. Ross indicated Coleman has contributed stories regarding Middle East terrorism and drug trafficking to NBC News numerous times throughout the 1980's. They have interviewed him on the air, on NBC nightly news, as an expert in terrorism and drug production in the Middle East. Ross also verified that Coleman has testified before Senate committees on these same subjects.

Ray Tripiccio, an agent with DEA in Washington, D.C., verifies that Coleman has formerly worked in a relationship with the Drug Enforcement Administration. The only information he could give on this secret activity is that Coleman was deactivated as a contract consultant as of 6-24-88.

Joseph Boohaker of the Counsel of Lebanese-American Organizations, verifies that Coleman has been employed with that group in the past, for about a year. His contract ended 3-31-90, and it appears likely that Coleman has not had a regular pay check, since that time. Coleman indicates that he is currently working on a book, and that he was attempting to make arrangements to return to the Middle East, in order to do more research. (It is noted that Coleman has gone to Jefferson County Probate Court in Birmingham, to have his name legally changed to, "Thomas Leavy.") Joseph Boohaker, the subject's attorney, verifies that this was accomplished sometime in April. (The present charge from Chicago apparently pre-dates the legal name change.) Coleman states that he needed a passport in a different name, because his name is known to drug traffickers in the Middle East.

IV. I have no information indicating that Mr. Coleman has ever been arrested.
Coleman's Pretrial Services Report, in which the Drug Enforcement Administration describes him, correctly, as a 'contract consultant' engaged in 'secret activity.'


UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
EASTERN DIVISION

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff,
vs.
LES COLEMAN,
Defendant.

90 CR 365

MOTION FOR PRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS
UNDER RULE 16(a)(1)(C)

Now comes the defendant Les Coleman by his undersigned counsel and respectfully requests the following government documents which are material to the preparation of defendant's defense:

1. All records by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and any other United States Intelligence or Law Enforcement Agency reflecting their employment and/or working relationship with the defendant, Les Coleman, including all DEA records referring to DEA Informant ID #SX9860002, all records of DIA MC 10 pertaining to the defendant, as well as all files from the CIA and DEA related to an operation named "COREA" from December 1987 to January 1989.

Included in the document request are all documents or other writings reflecting payment, work assignments, evaluations, travel authorizations, equipment requisitions or any other reference to a Les Coleman, Benjamin B, Thomas Leavy, Jr., Stevens Mantra Corp., Middle East Television, Condor Television Ltd., AMA Industries, and Wildwood Video. All of these names are code names and front companies under which defendant worked for the government.

In support of this request defendant states that his defense to the charge in making a false statement in application for a passport, is that he was working for the government at the time he made such false statements and that the alleged false birth certificate upon which the false statement is based was supplied to him by the government and was used to obtain a passport to conduct a secret intelligence operation for the government. Consequently, all documents showing the defendants working relationship with government intelligence agencies would be corroborative of his claim and material and necessary for his defense.

Respectfully submitted,

Dated: August 30, 1990

MICHAEL E. DUETSCH
Attorney for Defendant
343 S. Dearborn
Suite 1607
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 235-0070

Defending himself against the passport charge, Coleman seeks a court order on 30 August 1990, requiring the DEA, the DIA and other agencies to produce his government employment records. Washington refused to comply on grounds of 'national security.'


UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DIVISION OF NEW YORK

IN RE AIR DISASTER AT LOCKERBIE,
SCOTLAND ON DECEMBER 21, 1988

PAN AMERICAN WORLD AIRWAYS, INC., PAN AM WORLD SERVICES, INC., and ALERT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, INC.,

Defendants/Third Party Plaintiffs,

- against -

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Third-Party Defendant.

M.D.L. 799 (TCP) (All Cases)

(JMS 7190)

AFFIDAVIT IN OPPOSITION TO MOTION TO DISMISS OR FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

THIS DOCUMENT IS FILED IN:

ALL ACTIONS

LESTER K. COLEMAN, being duly sworn, deposes and says:

1. I am currently self-employed as a freelance writer, author and security consultant. I am a United States citizen and am temporarily residing outside of the United States.

2. I am fully familiar with the facts in this affidavit, and all of the statements contained in this affidavit are made on my personal knowledge except as otherwise stated. I make this affidavit in opposition to the motion of third-party defendant, United States of America (the "Government"), for an order dismissing the claims of the third-party plaintiffs against the Government or, alternatively, for an order granting the Government summary judgment on those claims.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

3. I was raised in the Middle East where I lived in Iran, Libya and Saudi Arabia, and I speak Arabic in three ...

TRANSCRIPT TELEPHONE CONVERSATION

MAY 1 1988 TIME: 10:10 a.m. CYPRUS LOCAL

CALL MADE FROM EURAME TRADING COMPANY OFFICE NICOSIA

TO DEA COUNTRY OFFICE, AMERICAN EMBASSY NICOSIA

PRIVATE LINE, TELEPHONE 02-465-182

LC=LESTER COLEMAN MH=MICHEAL HURLEY DEA ATTACHE

LC: HELL MIKE?

MH: YEA

LC: THE SITUATION HERE IS GETTING OUT OF HAND ..

MH: WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

LC: WE'VE GOT PEOPLE COMING IN AND OUT OF HERE ... LIKE A TRAIN STATION ... PINKO'S PEOPLE BRINGING IN ALL SORTS .. I DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE ... LEBANESE ... WITH NAMES WE HAVE IN THE FILES ... YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? WE HAD AN AGREEMENT. IT REALLY WORRIES ME ... BEING EXPOSED LIKE THIS ...

MH: LET ME WORRY ABOUT THAT ... YOU JUST HELP IBRAHIM GET THOSE REPORTS OUT ... I'LL DEAL WITH THE CYPRIOTS ... WHOSE OVER THERE NOW?

LC: JUST ME AND IBRAHIM .. BITCHING AND COMPLAINING AS USUAL ... SAYS HE CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE ... WANTS TO QUIT ... HE'S DRIVING ME NUTS. GOD DAMN MIKE THIS IS NOT WHY I CAME BACK HERE.

MH: YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO DO THE BEST YOU CAN.

***

"LC:" LEAVE? THAT'S ALOT OF CRAP MIKE ... LOOK I'M NOT ONE OF YOUR LEBANESE OR CYPRIOTS OR IRAQI CI'S ... YOU REQUESTED MY SERVICES, REMEMBER? AND I WAS TOLD IF I DIDN'T LIKE IT I COULD PULL OUT ANYTIME. YOU TALK TO WHO EVER YOU WENT TO TO GET ME INVOLVED IN THIS CANDY ASSED OPERATION ... TELL THEM, AND I'LL TELL THEM WHEN I GET BACK TO THE STATES ... I'M PULLING. THIS IS A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN ... EVEN YOUR OWN PEOPLE THINK THIS IS BULL SHIT.

Coleman's affidavit in Pan Am vs USA, to which was appended a transcript of his conversation with Micheal T. Hurley in which, seven months before Lockerbie, he warned the DEA attache about 'a disaster waiting to happen.'


UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DIVISION OF NEW YORK

IN RE AIR DISASTER AT LOCKERBIE,
SCOTLAND ON DECEMBER 21, 1988

PAN AMERICAN WORLD AIRWAYS, INC., PAN AM WORLD SERVICES, INC., and ALERT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, INC.,

Defendants/Third Party Plaintiffs,

- against -

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Third-Party Defendant.

M.D.L. 799 (PLATT, CH. J.)
(ALL CASES)

DECLARATION OF LIEUTENANT COLONEL TERRY E. BATHEN

I, Terry E. Bathen, Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army, Assistant General Counsel, Defense Intelligence Agency, do hereby declare the following to be true and correct:

5. My review of Department of Defense HUMINT records reveals that Mr. Coleman was formerly associated with a Department of Defense intelligence activity. On or about October 25, 1985, Coleman contacted Defense Intelligence Agency personnel by telephone and volunteered to provide information concerning the Middle East. Mr. Coleman's offer to provide video tapes associated with his travels in that part of the world was favorably evaluated, and he became affiliated with a classified Department of Defense Intelligence activity during December 1986.

I certify under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Terry E. Bathen
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army
Assistant General Counsel
Defense Intelligence Agency

Executed this 29th day of May 1991.
Limited hang-out I: The declaration of DIA counsel in Pan Am vs USA which unexpectedly admits that Coleman worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency, although it plays down the extent and nature of his employment as a HUMINT agent.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DIVISION OF NEW YORK

IN RE AIR DISASTER AT LOCKERBIE,
SCOTLAND ON DECEMBER 21, 1988

PAN AMERICAN WORLD AIRWAYS, INC., PAN AM WORLD SERVICES, INC., and ALERT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, INC.,

Defendants/Third Party Plaintiffs,

- against -

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Third-Party Defendant.

M.D.L. 799 (PLATT, CH. J.)
(ALL CASES)

DECLARATION OF MICHEAL T. HURLEY

I, MICHEAL T. HURLEY, declare and say:

1. I am a Special Agent (criminal investigator) of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), a component of the United States Department of Justice. I have been employed by DEA and its predecessor agencies since September 1968.

2. I submit this declaration in connection with the allegations against the United States Drug Enforcement Administration regarding the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988.

6. Coleman was established as a DEA-cooperating individual ("CI") on January 31, 1986, partially because of his technical capabilities and he said that he could establish a CI network in Lebanon. He was to recruit sub-sources to collect data regarding opium production in Lebanon. The data would enable DEA to develop strategic information on opium production in that region, including crop estimates, crop eradication, and major trafficking routes.

I hereby declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.

Signed this 31st day of May, 1991.

MICHEAL T. HURLEY
Special Agent
Drug Enforcement Administration

Limited hang-out II: The declaration of Micheal Hurley in Pan Am vs USA in which he concedes that Coleman worked for the DEA in Cyprus, while playing down the nature of his assignment, and from which it is clear that Coleman was working for the Defense Intelligence Agency at the same time.


REDACTED VERSION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT

Docket Nos. 92-9251, 92-9253 and 92-9255

IN RE: AIR DISASTER AT LOCKERBIE, SCOTLAND ON DECEMBER 21, 1988

JUDITH A. PAGNUCCO, individually and as Executrix of the Estate of Robert I. Pagnucco, deceased; MOLENA A. PORTER, Individually and as Administratrix of the Estate of Walter L. Porter, deceased; and DONA BARDELLI BAINBRIDGE, Individually and as Administratrix of the Estate of Harry M. Bainbridge,

Plaintiffs-Appellees,

v.

PAN AMERICAN WORLD AIRWAYS, INC., and ALERT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, INC.,

Defendants-Appellants.

On Appeals from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York

BRIEF FOR APPELLANTS PAN AMERICAN WORLD AIRWAYS, INC. AND ALERT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, INC.

Clinton H. Coddington
Coddington, Hicks & Danforth
Suite 300
555 Twin Dolphin Drive
Paragon Center, Redwood Shores
Redwood City, California 94065
(415) 592-5400

James M. Shaughnessy
Windels, Marx, Davies & Ives
156 West 56th Street
New York, New York 10019
(212) 237-1000

Richard M. Sharp
Frederick C. Schafrick
Eric C. Jeffrey
Lisa A. Landsman
Shea & Gardner
1800 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 828-2000

Attorneys for Pan American World Airways, Inc. and Alert Management Systems, Inc.

Under Seal Version Dated: January 28, 1993
Redacted Version dated: February 9, 1993

2. Defendants' Contention: The Method of Bombing Was Not Established. Defendants contended that it could not be determined from the evidence developed by the parties how the terrorists had planted the bomb on Flight 103. [6] Defendants were precluded from presenting the opinions of three experts (Airel Merari, Noel Koch, and Peter Gurney) [7] that the plaintiffs' theory as to how the bomb got on board was implausible and the evidence was insufficient to permit an expert to conclude that the bomb bag had been transferred in Frankfurt from Air Malta (e.g., J.A. 3465-68). In consequence, the jury heard only one expert for the defense (Dr. Lee Grodzins), and his testimony, as truncated by another ruling (see pp. 8-9 below), related to technical aspects of x-ray that were not in dispute by the parties (Tr. 5728-57).

Defendants were permitted to adduce testimony and records from Air Malta to show that no unaccompanied bag had been loaded onto Flight KM 180. [8] Plaintiffs' supposedly contradictory baggage records from varying sources in the FAG, defendants contended,

_______________

6. In a series of discovery rulings, defendants were prevented from obtaining discovery from the United States as to information that it might have regarding how the bombing was committed.

7. See J.A. 4435-38 (Gurney); J.A. 3498-502 (Merari); Offer of Proof for Noel Koch, J.A. 448.

8. On Air Malta, the head loader must physically count the number of bags loaded in a plane's cargo hold to ensure that it equals the number on the baggage manifest (J.A. 3358 (Agius)). Moreover, no baggage of any kind from Flight KM 180 had been designated on the passenger transfer message (J.A. 1151) for transfer to Pan Am Flight 103 (J.A. 3367 (Borg)).

Extracts from Pan Am's appeal brief against the finding 'wilful misconduct' by a New York jury in the 1992 compensation suit brought by the families of the victims of the Lockerbie disaster.


contained so many demonstrable errors and omissions that no reliable conclusion could be based on them (J.A. 3603-12).

Defendants also adduced testimony that plaintiffs' theory of the bombing (the "Air Malta theory") was wrong because a bag containing a radio-cassette player had not been seen by the operator who x-rayed the interline bags that were loaded on to Pan Am Flight 103 in Frankfurt. Kurt Maier, who performed that inspection on December 21, 1988, testified that his duty report (J.A. 1099-1100) showed that he had x-rayed 13 bags for Flight 103, that he had been told to call a supervisor if he saw a radio inside any bag, and that none of the 13 bags x-rayed for Flight 103 contained a radio-cassette player (J.A. 3382-83, 3388-89, 3392-93). [9] Plaintiffs contended that Mr. Maier had not been properly trained as an x-ray operator and that he had not been wearing his eyeglasses (J.A. 2967 (Vincent)). Mr. Maier rejoined that his eyeglasses were only reading glasses that he did not need or use to perform his job (J.A. 3379-80).

Pan Am was precluded from presenting a demonstration of the x-ray equipment that would have supported Mr. Maier's testimony and would have shown the freeze-frame image produced on the monitor by a Toshiba radio-cassette player inside a Samsonite suitcase. The demonstration would have been presented by Dr. Lee Grodzins of M.I.T. The court ruled that the demonstration was irrelevant on the ground that plaintiffs, in effect, stipulated that radio-cassette players would be visible on the x-ray's monitor (J.A. ____); even though plaintiffs contended that Maier himself had been incapable of detecting such a radio.

Twelve of the 13 bags x-rayed by Maier for Flight 103 could be traced to passengers. Plaintiffs asked the jury to infer that the thirteenth bag was the alleged unaccompanied bomb bag from Air Malta. Defendants introduced evidence that the thirteenth bag was not the bomb bag, but rather was the unaccompanied "rush-tag" bag [10] of a Pan Am pilot, Captain Hubbar, who had sent two bags home, one of which was found at Lockerbie. [11]

B. The Parties' Contentions On Wilful Misconduct Relating to Plaintiffs' Air Malta Theory

1. The Alleged Violation of the ACSSP. Plaintiffs contended that Pan Am's x-ray procedure violated the aviation security requirements contained in the FAA's Air Carrier Standard Security Program ("ACSSP"). At the time of the Lockerbie disaster, ACSSP § XV.C.1(a) required that carriers at "extraordinary security" airports, such as Frankfurt, Heathrow, and other major European airports:

_______________

9. Maier was intensely cross-examined on, among other subjects, earlier deposition testimony that appeared to say that he stopped bags with radio-cassette players only if they appeared "suspicious." Maier explained that he would have stopped any radio-cassette player as being suspicious (J.A. 3394-96, 3408-09). Some of the difficulties with Maier's deposition appear to have been caused by the poor quality of the translation between English and German. (Maier does not speak English.) See, e.g., J.A. 3411 (in-court translator notes video deposition translation as "poor German, and ambiguous").

10. A "rush-tag bag" is a bag that has become separated from its owner/passenger. This is a common, some would say routine, occurrence on every airline. The general practice of the airlines is to specially ticket the bags ("rug-tag") and send them on their way. At Frankfurt, Pan Am x-rayed such bags before carrying them. See note 11 infra.

11. Captain Hubbard tagged two bags for carriage from Berlin to his home in SEattle, and then he piloted an aircraft to Karachi (Tr. 5420-43). One of his bags arrived at Seattle; the other was found at Lockerbie. Pan Am introduced evidence to show that because it required rush-tag bags to be x-rayed, one could infer that the Hubbard bag found at Lockerbie had been x-rayed by Maier before being placed on board Flight 103. (J.A. 1120-23; Tr. 5241 (Wunderlich).) Plaintiffs contended either that Hubbard's bag was put on Flight 103 in London (J.A. 762 (memo. of Jones)) or that it was not x-rayed in Frankfurt (Tr. 5263-66 (Wunderlich)).


SUBCOMMITTEE STAFF REPORT

Syria, President Bush and Drugs -- the Administration's Next Iraqgate --

November 23, 1992 [1]

Chairman Charles E. Schumer of the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and Criminal Justice directed the Subcommittee majority staff to prepare this report. This report has not been reviewed or approved by other Members of the Subcommittee.

... Syrian Government involvement and the ____ some military units or Syrian officials, U.S. Government officials publicly claim that they are not in a position to substantiate such charges. However, Subcommittee staff spoke with former government officials who confirmed the existence of satellite photos showing Syrian military units, including tanks, artillery, and infantry encampments, strategically placed in, and adjacent to, recognized fields and known heroin laboratories.

Another source with intimate knowledge of the U.S. Government's files on Lebanese drug traffickers informed Subcommittee staff that the U.S. Government now possesses extensive intelligence information implicating many Syrian Government officials in the Lebanese drug trade. Much of this information is raw intelligence in the form of reports from confidential informants, intercepted wire and telephone communications, and other intelligence information received from foreign governments.

1. Monser al-Kassar -- "The Drug Prince of Marbella" and "The Godfather of Terrorists"

To better understand why the U.S. Government is apparently hesitant to act on such information, consider our Government's response, or lack thereof, to the infamous Monser al-Kassar.

The al-Kassar family has been part of the present Damascus regime since Hafez Assad took power in 1970. Monser's father, Mohammad al-Kassar, served in the Syrian diplomatic corps. The al-Kassars have been characterized as "the largest drug and arms dealing family in Syria."

Extracts from a congressional report prepared by the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and Criminal Justice documenting Syria's involvement in Lebanese narcotics trafficking.

2. Rifaat Assad

From about 1976 until about 1984, President Assad's younger brother, _____, leading baron of the Lebanese drug trade. He used Syrian military trucks, aircraft and diplomatic pouches as tools of his international drug network which he based out of the northern Bekaa. The 569th Syrian Army division which he commanded was reportedly little more than "muscle" for his drug trafficking organization.

Specializing in opium and heroin, Rifaat amassed an illicit fortune. After an unsuccessful attempt to depose his brother, Hafez, he was effectively exiled and now leads a life of luxury in his heavily-guarded villa on the French Riviera. He reportedly continues to play a substantial role in Bekaa Valley drug trafficking with the tacit approval of some Western governments. Two of Rifaat's sons, Darid and Firas, are also reportedly based in France and involved in smuggling arms and drugs throughout the Mediterranean.

3. Mustafa Tlass, Syrian Minister of Defense

Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass is associated with at least three known drug traffickers including Hamad Ali al-Kis from Baalbak. Tlass was recently involved in procuring an exit visa for a very high-profile trafficker who had to leave Syria quickly, presumably to avoid "problems." This is consistent with other reports of his obtaining visas for traffickers traveling to Argentina, Spain and Germany.

During August 1989, the Syrian Defense Ministry reportedly distributed more than 1,000 "laissez passer" or travel permits at $10,000 each to "friends" of the Defense Ministry. This report is consistent with news accounts that drug smugglers from Lebanon were intercepted on their way to Israel and Egypt with special travel passes signed by "M. Tlass." At least one government source has told the Subcommittee staff that the U.S. Government presently possesses sufficient information to indict Tlass for drug trafficking.

4. General Ali Dubah, Commander of Syrian Military Intelligence

Dubah, related to Monser al-Kassar by marriage, is one of President Assad's closest friends and confidantes. He is connected with many major Lebanese trafficers including the Jaffar clan.

He also coordinates Syrian extortion efforts to ensure that sufficient drug profits are left over from the "personal corruption" so that the Syrian military intelligence service is not deprived of its institutional share. Dubah's role in the drug trade has been characterized as "having his hand in everyone's cookie jar."

Kenaan has also been shown to arbitrate disputes between _____ known drug trafficking clans, presumably for a fee.

Tlass, Dubah and Kenaan have all personally issued travel passes to known drug traffickers. Such passes allow the dealer to move freely in Lebanon and/or Syria "with his car, his personal weapon and cargo, without being searched or detained."

Working together with the Lebanese clans who have traditionally controlled the drug trade, these and other lesser officers are heavily involved with the Lebanese trafficking networks to serve essentially their own purposes:

(1) They rake off whatever immediate drug profits they can for personal enrichment;

(2) They use the drug money for other purposes related to their military/intelligence activities (i.e. they buy informers); and

(3) They use their ability to manage the drug trade of any of the organized groups by either threatening to seize that group's drugs, or more subtly, by allowing one group to move its product to market more quickly and cheaply.

VI. Syrian Military and Diplomatic Officials Have Been Repeatedly Linked to Drug Trafficking During the Last Ten Years.

Syrian military and intelligence officials in occupied Lebanon are involved in the drug trade at all levels: cultivation, production and transportation. Such connections between high-level Syrian Government officials and drug traffickers are not coincidental. These bonds are merely a representative sample of the Syrian Government's widespread pattern and practice of associating itself with those who peddle poison around the world.


INTERFOR, INC.

575 MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10022, SUITE 1006, TEL. 212-605-0375, TLX: 237699 WWBUS, FAX: 212-3089834

INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

I. ASSIGNMENT:

As the overall assignment, Defense trial counsel retained us to investigate the facts of the disaster, gather intelligence, develop leads, locate witnesses, locate and obtain physical evidence, and to locate expert witnesses and advise and consult with counsel as it may direct. The first stage assignment was to determine the facts and then to identify the sources, nature, extent, form and quality of available evidence; and then to recommend the action to obtain such evidence in court-admissible form, and to estimate the likelihood of obtaining same and the costs.

II. REPORTED RESULTS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT INVESTIGATIONS:

The assignment commenced some six months after the disaster during which time law enforcement agencies of Great Britain, Federal Republic of Germany and the United States have investigated the matter. Reports of their results and theories have been published in various journals via direct quotes attributed and unattributed from official investigative sources. Review of same shows that many key facts have been established while others remain in dispute. Therefore, it is useful to summarize same before we state our independent findings.

A. Facts Generally Agreed by Law Enforcement:

The flight originated in Frankfurt on a Boeing 727 on December 21, 1988. The flight landed in London's Heathrow airport. A second plane, a Boeing 747, was then used for the continuation leg to New York JFK under Number 103. All continuing passengers deplained in Heathrow and then boarded the 747 with the London passengers. The flight crashed over Lockerbie, Scotland, due to a bomb explosion, with all lives lost.

Law enforcement investigators have determined that the bomb was made of Samtex explosive and concealed in a suitcase which was in a cargo hold, that it weighed approx. 1.25 pounds (568 grams), that it exploded over Lockerbie, and that it was sufficient in explosive power to cause the plane to crash.

A. SOURCES.

Source 1 is comprised of six persons working in different units of the intelligence community of a Western government. Reliability of this information is very good. Generally this group of agencies is only fair to good among the various persons reporting based on our prior experience and its past record. However, the very number of separate sources in these agencies (not necessarily sympathetic to each other), all sharing the conclusion, as well as the depth of the intelligence gathered, and the agencies' considerable resources and special interest in the matter, justifies rating this information as very good.

Source 2 is comprised of three persons working in different units of the intelligence agency of a second Western government. Reliability of this information is very good, not so much due to prior experience with the sources, which is good to very good, but because of their position to know the particular facts.

Source 3 is one person working for the intelligence agency of a third Western oriented government. Reliability of this information is excellent based on our prior experience with both the agency and the particular person, its and his prior record, and its position to know first hand these matters.

Source 4 is one person working for the intelligence agency of a fourth Western government. Good. It is normally rated very good but is conservatively downgraded as to this matter because its information seems in some aspects to be derivative, i.e. in great part based on information received from other agencies.

(It must be emphasized that these sources did not have as their objective the acquisition of evidence for the apprehension and trial of the perpetrators; rather, their objective is to monitor terrorist acts, draw conclusions based on their expertise, and then use what they learn so as to defend their countries in the future.)

Source 5 is an experienced Director of airport security for the most security conscious airline. He was in a position to receive the inside consensus of various security officers at Frankfurt Airport, which he reported to us. He also receives daily terrorism intelligence from his company's liaison with its host country's highly regarded intelligence service, and ...

Extracts from a confidential report on the Flight 103 disaster commissioned from Juval Aviv, of Interfor Inc., by James M. Shaughnessy in the course of Pan Am's own investigation.


BACKGROUND HISTORY

The subject disaster resulted from planning and events ___ a couple of years earlier.

Libya's Qadaffi is a major funder of terrorism. He tired of the ineffectiveness and costs of the internal jealousies among terrorist factions, wanted more effective terrorism against America, yet did not want to suffer further American retaliation. He demanded that the more skilled terrorist groups coordinate better, and do it so as to preserve his deniability.

At the same time, Syrian intelligence, which had been exposed as planning the Hindawi bomb attempt against El Al in London out of its embassy there, sought deeper cover and backed Ahmed Jibril's PFLP as its front team.

Meetings were then held among leaders of various factions: Ahmed Jibril of PLFP, Abu Nidal, George Habash, Ali Issa Duba of Syrian intelligence, and Iranian radicals, (named by us hereafter for convenience as the "Interterror Group"). They agreed to cooperate and seek secure routs for smuggling contrabad and people for terrorism while raising additional funds. (Some of these groups had been doing so individually for some time). They never trusted each other, kept secrets from each other, and never worked together in full cooperation, but there were frequent although wary joint contacts and operations.

They set up a complex drug and arms smuggling operation via various European cities. Eventually Abu Nidal ran the drugs-arms operations, while Ahmed Jibril concentrated on arms and terrorist planning.

Monzer Al-Kassar, born 7/1/47, in Nabak, Syria, is married to Raghda Duba, the sister of Syrian intelligence chief Ali Issa Duba, (sometimes spelled Douba). Al-Kassar is a major arms and drug smuggler who has played a key role in terrorism banking and "diplomacy" among terrorist groups, and has acquaintances with certain Western leaders. For example, he is known to have had friendly contacts with former Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky.

Al-Kassar has had long term romantic affairs with Raja Al-Assad, the daughter of Rifat Assad, who is the brother of Syrian President Hafez Assad, spending time with her at her ...

***

The PanAm Frankfurt smuggling operation worked as follows: an accomplice boarded flights with checked luggage containing innocent items. An accomplice Turkish baggage handler for PanAm was tipped to identify the suitcase, then switched it with an identical piece holding contraband, which he had brought into the airport or otherwise received there from another accomplice. The passenger accomplice then picked up the baggage on arrival. It is not known how this method passed through arrival customs where such existed, but this route and method worked steadily and smoothly for a long time.

The Turkish baggage handlers attended mosques in Cologne and Bonn which were fundamentalist Islamic sects. It was there that they were recruited.

Khalid Jafar was a regular "passenger" accomplice for the drug route.

The BKA/DEA/CIA surveillance operation continued to monitor the route without interfering with it, apparently seeking intelligence. As they realized the extent of the oepration they decided to try to channel the operation into less numerous areas so that they could concentrate their surveillance focus. So BKA began a combination of arrests and visible police presence at other drug operation locales in West Germany, which eventually induced the operators to concentrate where there was no such visible presence, at Frankfurt airport, PanAm.

CIA had another motive to channel the operation to PanAm's baggage area. It had for some time been surveilling separate activities there involving shipments (contents unspecified) to and from the East Bloc via PanAm through Frankfurt, Berlin and Moscow. This would enable them to more efficiently monitor both operations now.

The CIA unit involved in this Frankfurt airport surveillance works in West Germany with BKA and has a control at an unknown location in the Washington area. We cannot say with certainty that the activities of this unit were fully reported if at all up the channels to CIA HQ; it appears that it eventually operated to some or a large extent as an internal covert operation without consistent oversight, a la Oliver North or Edwin Wilson. To distinguish what it knew as opposed to what CIA HQ definitely knew, we refer to that unit as CIA-1.

***

CONCLUSIONS.

From this perspective the apparent contradictions in the reports of the official investigations might be explained as follows: (1) Jafar checked a suitcase, possibly in a manner which was not recorded or noticed, and we stand by our sources as to this; (2) The signs of an explosion in the CIA luggage was likely an anti-entry small explosive often used by them, and was likely triggered by the first explosion or a hurtling object; (3) the nervous CIA presence and strange behavior at the crash site indicates the sensitivity of the contents of the CIA passengers' luggage.

It is pointless to try to pin down further the exact motives and identities and roles of the terrorists. All had the same goal: to strike at America. They are known to work together, albeit in duplicity. Confusion of funders, planners, perpetrators and motive is a mark of Syrian intelligence planning.

We are also persuaded by the intelligence as to the BKA-CIA-1 surveillance, videotape and possession of key evidence by the U.S. Government, as well as the communications codename. The persons so reporting spoke from what appears to be detailed knowledge. It was our impression that more than one of these persons prefers to keep the truth hidden (and assumes that it will remain so) while others prefer that it emerge, although not in a position to do so.

From the perspective of intelligence analysis our findings are conclusive. From the perspective of journalists it is publishable speculation. From the perspective of trial lawyers it probably remains inadmissible speculation or hearsay.


The police authority of Trollhattan, Sweden, hereby merely certifies that this is a copy of a page in a passport, which has been presented before the police authority by a gentleman, who states that his name is Lester Knox Coleman and who has applied for asylum in Sweden on political grounds. The police authority does not certify the authenticity of the passport in question.

POLISMYNDIGHETEN

Ulrica Ericsson
Deputy Police Superintendent

Specimen pages from Coleman's still valid American passport with some of the visas and entry and exit stamps that support his account of his movements as a DIA secret agent.

-- Index --

Abbas, Abu 82, 86
ABC Network 49, 103, 146, 180-1,
186, 217-18, 223, 252-3, 262, 266-7,
275, 295
Aharoni, Daniel 292
Air Jordan 152, 156
Air Malta 73, 75, 113, 177-8, 183, 236,
238, 298-9
al-Assad, Raja 82
al-Kassar, Monzer 16-19, 50, 80, 82-6,
107-8, 119, 142, 166-7, 169-71, 197,
201, 235-6, 284
al-Megrahi, Abdel 183-4, 186, 301
al-Mogbrabi, Mahmoud 112, 233, 277
Al Shiraa 136
al-Zawi, Ahmed 187
Alabama, University of 191-2, 200,
205, 259
Alert Management Inc. 270
Alford, Bob 295
AMA Industries 13 0
Amal militia 108-9, 152-3
American Victims of Flight 103 52
Ammerman, Bert 52
Anderson, Jack 50
Anderson, Terry 130
Antoine 102
Aoun, Gen. Michel 4, 208-10
APEXCO 190
Arlington Hall 7, 21, 25, 28, 91-2
Arnett, Peter 4, 211
Asmar, Tony 3, 101-4, 109-10, 121,
128-30, 132-5, 189, 194, 198, 203-6
Assad, Pres. Hafez 50, 86, 132, 167-8,
172, 208, 302
Assad, Rifat 16-18, 30, 82, 119, 151, 153,
166-7, 302
Auburn University 132, 136, 149, 259
Aviv, Juval 42, 78-88, 90, 138-42, 181,
219, 224, 235-9, 241, 251, 256, 265-8,
272-6, 290-7, 302, 318
Baabda 4, 210-11
Bahamas 57, 61-4
Baker, James 139
Baltimore 65
Bank of Credit & Commerce International
(BCCI) 107, 121, 247
Barber, Alden 38, 40
Barr, William 182
Barron's 181-2, 266, 292
Barhen, Lt-Col. Terry E. 228, 230-2, 244,
263, 276-7
Beaini, Fohad 154
Bechari, Ibrahim 186
Beckman, Richard 288-9
Behrens, Lesley 5-9, 23
Beirut 4, 19, 50, 83, 96, 98-110, 129-32,
142, 161, 168, 192, 203, 209, 256
Bekaa Valley 17-19, 29, 119, 122, 152-3,
163-5, 167, 170, 226
Bell, Ian 179, 182
Bern 169-70
Bernard, Laurie 66
Berri, Nabi 108-9, 152, 156
Bitar, Victor 210
Black September 41-2, 44
Boohaker, Joseph L. 8, 21-4, 26, 208-10,
283-5
Boutros, Marcel 210
Boy Scouts of America 37-40, 45, 57,
205, 208-9, 259-60
Boyce, William D. 37
Boy's Life 57
Broadcasting 95
Brokaw, Tom 20, 45, 206
Bufkins, Russ 38
Buhler, Gregory W. 139, 146-7,
Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) 14-19, 42, 46,
49, 56, 71-2, 74-7, 82-6, 117, 142,
166, 221, 245-6
Burchette, Lloyd 200, 251, 254, 257-8,
263-4, 267
Bush, George 49-51, 70, 114, 117, 119,
172, 184, 186, 209, 280, 304
Byron, Christopher 255-65, 268, 287,
291, 294, 296
Cable News Network (CNN) 66, 129-30,
175, 211, 218-19, 228, 250, 261
Calero, Adolfo 102
Calero, Mario 102, 106
Cannistraro, Vincent 175-6, 181,
291-3, 295
Casey. William 96, 101, 103, 108, 122,
130, 149, 256
Casolaro, Danny 247-51, 255
CBN 95-8, 101-2, 105-10, 121
CBS News 67-8, 258, 290, 294, 296-7
Cetera, Mario 190
Channon, Paul 49, 186
Christian Broadcasting Network 95, 101,
159, 231, 256
Christian Lebanese Forces 102, 106, 142,
205-8, 211-12
CIA 7, 15-19, 30, 45-6, 57, 61, 64, 66,
79-89, 92, 116, 139, 149, 153, 156,
165-6, 169, 172-6, 181, 190, 193, 197,
214, 217, 230, 236-7, 256, 293
Clayton, Mark 37, 41
Clinton, Bill 303
Coddington, Clinton 271
Colby, William 27
Coleman, Jocelyn 36, 58, 60
Coleman, Lester Knox 31-2
Coleman Jr., Lester Knox 31, 34, 297
Coleman III, Lester Knox 2-10, 13,
20-45, 47-8, 56-69, 87-8, 91-110,
120-36, 146-70, 173, 175-6, 189-221,
226-31, 235-7, 239-41, 243-69,
275-7, 281-90, 294, 297, 301-2,
305-6, 308-13, 320
Squeal 61, 64, 159
Coleman, Margie 213, 282
Coleman, Mary-Claude 4, 6-9, 24, 26,
100, 104-5, 108-10, 126, 129, 148,
189, 203, 205-7, 212, 220-1, 229
Commission on Aviation Security
& Terrorism 114-17, 266,
276
Condor Television Ltd 121-2, 124-5,
133, 231
Connelly, Phillip 46-7, 138, 226, 233,
274, 277
Connors, John J. 244-5
Contras 16, 83, 101-3, 106, 108, 110,
149, 166, 201, 207, 247, 256
COREA see Operation Corea
Council of Lebanese-American
Organizations 210
Crane, David 66-7
Cronkite, Walter 38-9, 57
Cypriot Police Force Narcotics Squad
(CPFNS) 153-5, 193, 195, 197
Cyprus 3, 17-18, 29-30, 42, 50, 56, 107,
109-10, 121, 124, 126, 138, 142, 146,
148-66, 188, 192-204, 218, 225-6,
229, 252, 292, 313
Daily Mail 78
Daily Telegraph 78, 185
Dakar 172, 175-6
Dalkamoni, Hafez Kassem 14-16, 47-9,
71, 187, 233, 277
Damascus 50, 142, 302
Daod, Abou 155-6
DeCesare, Don 67-8
Defense Intelligence Agency (D1A) 2,
19, 24-8, 45, 48, 56, 65, 91-4, 97-8,
101-2, 105-8, 121, 129-30, 142-4,
149, 192, 194, 197, 200, 206, 209,
213-17, 227-8, 230-2, 253, 260, 310,
312-13, 320
Deutsch, Michael 214, 243-4
Dhyer, Pierre 106
Donaghue, Ethel 60
Donleavy, Bill 93-5, 97-100, 105, 107-8,
110, 121-9, 132-5, 148-50, 160, 164,
166-8, 189-92, 194, 196, 205-6, 232
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
1-2, 6-7, 17-19, 22-3, 25, 27-30,
42, 48, 50, 81-3, 87, 122, 138-9,
145-6, 148-9, 153, 160, 163-5, 169,
175-6, 180, 182, 188-90, 192-7, 204,
207, 213-20, 225-32, 235, 245-6,
255, 261-3, 265-7, 272, 294, 303,
309-11, 313
Dubah, Gen. Ali Issah 82, 86, 167,
171, 302
Dumfries & Galloway Constabulary 45,
111-12
Eddi, Raymond 210
El Al 14, 55
El-Jorr, Ibrahim 42, 151-2, 189, 192-6,
198-9, 202-3, 258
Elias, Abu 187
Emerson, Steven 158, 175, 218, 2S0, 257,
261, 265-8, 287, 291, 295
Esseff, John A. 210, 220, 260
Esseff, Joseph 210
Esson, George 111-12
Eurame Trading Company 29, 146,
193-8, 202, 204
Evans, Michael 251
Express, L' 172-3
Fadellah, Sheik Mohammed Hussein 102
Fatal Accident Inquiry 111, 114, 179, 276
FBI 4-5, 7, 9, 28, 47, 61, 89, 139, 141,
157, 174, 176-7, 180, 182, 214,
216, 235, 238-9, 243, 282, 288_90,
303-4, 306-7
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 28,
52-4, 114-16, 225, 271, 298_9
Federal Tort Claims Act 145, 180
Fenton, Tom 67
Fhimah, Lamen Khalifa 183-4, 186, 301
Fitzgerald, A. Ernest 247-50
Fitzwater, Marvin 184
Flint, Julie 174-5
Foster, Tom 223
Frankfurt 16, 80, 84, 88, 119, 125
Airport 14, 17, 19, 46-7, 49, 51-5,
71-8, 82-3, 113, 115-16, 119, 137,
145-6, 224-5, 270-1, 299
Franks, Michael 102-3, 108, 110, 200-1,
256, 268, 275
Fraser, Lord 49, 111, 113, 184, 186
Freedom of Information Act 223-4, 273
Frezeli, Charles 209
Fulbright Commission 192, 254
Gaddafi, Col. Muammar 16, 82, 126-8,
173-4, 176, 186-7
Gallagher, Neil 47
Ganem, Fred 164, 195, 199
Gannon, Matthew Kevin 83, 85, 143, 206
Gauci, Tony 183
Gavzer, Bernie 26
Gazarik, Richard 237
Geagea, Shamir 211-12
Geohagen, Tom 40-1, 43
George (Syrian) 151, 155, 162, 170,
190-1, 194, 205, 259, 275, 282, 285
George (Taxi) 151, 155
Gerardo, Frank 107
Germany 46, 183, 185, 233
Ghadanfar, Abdel Fattah 14-16, 47, 49,
71, 233, 277
Gilbey, Emma 223
Goben, Mobdi ('the Professor') 15, 84
Graham, Gen. Danny 40, 43-4, 62
Greene, Stephen H. 180, 225
Grissom, Gregory 88-9
Guardian 78
Gurney, Peter 299-300
Habib, Dany 125, 150-1, 164, 196, 216
Haddad, Khaisar 187
Hadjiloizu, Penikos 155
Hallberg, Dr Hakan 244, 308
Hamadan, Jamal 153-4, 156-8
Hamilton, Adrian 186
Hamilton, William 247-9
Haser, Arman Jirayer 169-71
Hashim, Gushan 102, 106, 108-10
Hatfield, Gloria 289
Hayes, Dr Thomas 178, 233, 239, 277
Helms, Richard 93
Helsinki 19, 53, 175
Henderson, DC Derrick 276
Hershow, Sheila 28-9, 50
Hezbollah 17, 109, 122, 129, 131
H.M. Customs & Excise 18-19, 46-7, 54,
138, 226
Holdsworth, Diana 307
Hoobaka, Eli 106-7, 205
Horne, John 299
hostages (Beirut) 129-32, 168, 192, 204
House Government Operations Subcommittee
28, 180
House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee
on Crime & Criminal Justice 316
Hudson, Paul 182
Hurd, Douglas 186
Hurley, Michael T. 1-3, 7, 18, 25-9,
110, 122-5, 148-56, 158-66, 168-70,
189-92, 194-204, 215-16, 218,
227-32, 244, 253-4, 257-8, 261, 267,
275-7, 311, 313
Hussein, Saddam 4, 50, 119, 169, 172,
181, 209
iDAG 287
Imandi, Marten 112, 117
Independent 74, 78, 172-5, 181
Inslaw Inc. 198, 247, 249
Intelligence & Security Command 95
Interfor Report 78-89, 139, 141, 181-2,
219, 224, 237-8, 251, 256, 266, 291,
302, 318
Iran 13, 17, 20, 32, 34, 70, 83, 102, 112,
117, 135-7, 142, 166, 174, 184-6, 188,
197, 236, 241
Iranian Airbus 1, 11, 13, 17, 20, 143
Iraq 4, 181, 190, 209, 262
Israel 4, 19, 106, 183, 185
Israeli Defence Forces 143, 225
Jafaar, Khalid Nazir 29-30, 47-8, 83-6,
146, 170, 180, 196, 229, 239-40, 246,
263, 267, 301-3
Jafaar, Sami 152-4, 156-8, 169-71, 190
Jafaar clan 17-19, 29-30, 152-3,
189-90, 195-6
Jeffries, Jan 58
Jiacha, Abdu Maged 183-4
Jibril, Abmed 13-14, 16--17, 19, 47,
82, 84-5, 119, 175-6, 181, 185, 187,
235, 242
Johnston, David 46
Jones, Michael F. 46-7, 138, 226, 274
Kabbara, Zouher & Nadim 152, 189-90
Kappler, Lt. Gen. James 92
Kasikopu, Andreous 154
Keefe, James 88-9
Keenan, Brian 130
Kenaan, Gen. Ghazi 130, 132, 167-8
Khomeini, Ayatollah 13
Khreesat, Marwan Abdel 14-16, 71, 74,
82, 118, 179
Kimbrough, Walton 33-4
King, David 200-1
Kohn, Aaron 58
KPI Repon 53-4, 56
Kreindler, Lee 235, 238, 270, 291-2
Kurz, Anat 185
Langotsky, Yossi 53
Lamaca 121, 151, 190, 195
Lasser, Stanley 169-70
LBC 106
Leavy, Thomas J. 3, 7, 22, 63-4, 94,
149, 210-12, 216--17, 221, 231, 245,
288-90, 307
Lebanese Army 209
Lebanon 3, 17-19, 102, 121, 196, 204,
208-11, 262
Leppard, David 74, 81, 112-13, 116, 178,
238-42, 277
Lester, Jocelyn see Coleman, Jocelyn
Levin, Jerry 129-30
Libya 16, 20, 34, 44, 70, 73--4, 76, 82,
113, 117, 119, 125-8, 168, 172-9,
182-8, 239, 241, 270-1, 299, 301
Libyan Arab Airlines 183-4
Lindsey, John 139
Lockerbie 1, 12, 20, 45-6, 48, 116,
172-3, 186
Incident Centre 48, 112
Lovejoy, David 19, 143, 201, 225, 236,
256-8, 275
Luqa Airport 72-4, 178, 183-4, 236
McAteer, Det. Insp. Watson 178, 241
McCarthy, John 130-1
McCloskey, James B, 65-6, 68, 91-2, 94,
110, 121, 231, 248-9
McDermott, Martin 192
McFarlane, Robert 102, 135-6
Mack, Linda 218
McKee, Major Charles 45, 83, 85, 143,
204, 206, 235-7
McLaughlin, Ann 114
MacMichael, David 251-4
MacQuarrie, James 11
Magharian, Berkev & Jean 169-71
Mahan, Danny 60-1
Maier, Kurt 300
Major, John 186
Malta 73-4, 76, 89, 112-13, 173, 176,
178, 181, 183, 236, 239, 270-1, 299
Marchetti, Victor 181
Maroni, Walid 210
Martin, Conrad 247
Martz, Ron 200, 251-S, 257-8, 261, 267
Mayer, Hartmut 42, 44, 166, 220-1, 233,
245-6, 277
Megrahi, Abdel see al-Megrahi
Merritt, John 77, 81, 118-19, 141, 237-8
MI6 95, 98, 106
Middle East Media Operations 161
Middle East Television (MET) 95-7,
102, 105
Mikalis, Sgt 155-6
Miller, Marshall Lee 26-8, 120, 147, 213
Miller, Neal 192, 205-6
Mills, David 159-60, 218
Mims, Lambert 37
Mobile 5, 21, 23-4, 35-7
Mogamarat 167, 170-1
Mogbrabi, Mahmoud see al-Moghrabi
Mohtashemi, Ali Akbar 13, 187, 241
Moran, James B. 214, 216, 243-5, 255
Mossad 15, 17, 19, 42, 84-5, 102,
194, 292
Mowat, Sheriff Principal 276
Mueller, Robert 182, 184
Mugraby, Dr Muhamad 210
Munich Olympics 41-2, 152, 166
Mutual Radio 126-7, 159
Nader, Pierre Abu 107
NARCOG 149, 151-3, 155, 159, 161,
163-4, 166, 168, 170, 192, 198, 201,
204, 207, 220
National Alliance of Lebanese Americans
(NALA) 208, 210
National Intelligence Academy 191-2, 259
National Security Agency 92, 139,
223, 224
NBC News 20, 22, 45, 145-6, 159,
180-1, 206-7, 217-18, 266-7,
275, 295
Neuss 14-16, 112-13, 117
New York 255, 259-60, 262, 265, 269,
287, 291
New York Post 53
New York Times 172, 186
Newsday 184
Newsweek 159, 218
Newton, Wayne 159
Nicosia 18, 25, 29, 50, 121, 146, 149,
154, 161, 164, 192-3, 195
Nidal, Abu 82, 84, 167
Niknam, Hussein 143
North, Lt-Col. Oliver 16, 48, 101-2,
107-8, 110, 130, 135-6, 159, 166,
200, 256
Observer 71-2, 77-81, 84, 88-9, 113-14,
118, 141, 174, 179, 186-7, 237-8,
254, 266
O'Connor, Bonnie 184
Olmert, Yossi 185
O'Neill, Roland 88-90, 140, 274
Operation Blessing 108
Operation Corea (Courier) 80, 86, 88,
146, 180, 236, 263
Operation Dome 193
Operation El Dorado Canyon 126, 159
Operation Goldenrod 152-3, 158, 169
Operation Polar Cap 169, 190
Operation Shakespeare 3, 23, 56, 192,
211, 216, 260, 290
Operation Steeplechase 101, 105-6
Operations Sub-Group on Terrorism 152
Orr, DCS John 48-9, 51, 71-2, 74, 112
Overseas Press Services Inc. 102-3
Owens, Richard 169
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
163, 183, 187, 194
Pan Am 2, 19, 46, 50-6, 71-6, 82-5,
89-90, 114-16, 138--41, 207, 215,
217-18, 220, 239-40, 311-14, 318
Flight 103 1, 12, 19, 30, 48, 53, 80, 85,
88, 118-19, 143, 145, 206
lawsuits 78, 81, 137-8, 145, 180-1,
222-6, 233-5, 255-6, 264-8,
270-80, 291, 294, 298-301, 311_15
Pan American World Services 270
Parkinson, Cecil 50-1
Passic, Gregory 169
Pavlick, Michael 152, 170
Pedemonti, Richie 60-1
Pentagon 7, 26, 94, 209, 216
Phillippo, Ron 38
Philps, Alan 185
Pindling, Lyndon O. 63--4
Pindsorf, Bert 221, 233, 245, 277
Plaskett, Thomas G. 114-15, 139,
271, 294-5
Platt, Judge Thomas C. 140-2, 144,
233-5, 240, 242, 255, 271, 274, 278
Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC)
13-17, 19, 47, 49-50, 70-5, 82, 84,
112, 117, 119, 142-3, 167, 174-5,
177-9, 185, 187-8, 198, 235-6, 302
Private Eye 51, 185-6
PROMIS Ltd 197-8, 247, 249
Racep, Ali 84
Rath, Volker 185
Rather, Dan 67
Reagan, Ronald 152, 157-8, 184
Rebmann, Kurt 80
Reefe, James 274
Reich, Rocky 36
Reno, Janet 303-4
Richardson, Elliot L. 247-9
RKO Radio Network 59
Robertson, Pat 48, 95-7, 101-3, 109-10,
159, 231
Robertson, Tim 96-7, 106, 109
Rockwell, Norman 57
Rogers III, Capt. Will 13
Romeo 95-6
Rosenthal, A.M. 186
Ross, Judge Allyne 141, 224, 238
Ross, Brian 22, 29, 146, 159, 218, 255-6,
261, 276
Rowan, Roy 235-8, 240, 251, 255-6,
260-1, 284
Salazar, Raymond 114-15
Salinger, Pierre 49, 146, 186-7, 218, 252,
255-6, 262-3, 275
Sands, Jim 35
Sarnoff, Robert W. 38
Sasser, Col. John 110, 121-2, 124, 158
Saudi Arabia 67-8, 258
Schafer, Michael see Franks, M.
Schreiber, Manfred 42
Schweitzer, Peter 67-8, 258
Shaughnessy, James M. 81, 87-9, 138-45,
147, 222-7, 230-1, 233-4, 236-7, 244,
256, 271-80, 292-4, 297, 318
Shaw, Connor 32
Silverman, Ira 159
Singlaub, Gen. John K. 101-2, 110
Skunk Kilo 154-5, 157
Sleigh (Sly), Robert 205, 282-7
Slizewski, Tom 257
Smith, Raymond 114
Soldier of Fortune 228-9, 252, 254, 257-8
Starnes, Evelyn 126-7
Steele, William H. 23-4
Stephen, Andrew 114
Stetham, Robert 152
Stringer, Howard 67
Suit, W. Dennis 102-3, 159-60
Sunday Correspondent III
Sunday Telegraph 53
Sunday Times 49, 74, 81, 112-13
Sweden 112, 117-18, 221, 233, 243-4,
246, 251, 281-3, 287-8, 290,
297, 305-6
Swire, Dr James 184-5
Syracuse Post Standard 223
Syria 14, 16-20, 50, 70, 82, 102, 115,
117-19, 131-2, 153, 165, 168, 172,
174, 181, 184-6, 188, 208_9, 241,
302-3, 316
Talar, Abou 154
Talb, Mohammed Abu 16, 73, 112, 117,
183, 233, 277
Teresa, Mother 221, 247
Terrell, Jack 200
Thatcher, Margaret 49-51, 70
Theodolus, Mike 254
Thompson, Charlie 28
Time 235-41, 251, 256, 258, 260-1,
264-7, 284, 295
Times 47, 78, 185, 251
Traficant, James 78-9, 81, 139
Trelford, Donald 187
Tribune-Review 237
Tripiccio, Ray 22, 261
Tripoli 113, 125-7, 173, 175, 184, 186
Tunayb, Major Khalil 301
Turner, Ed 130
Tuzcu, Kilin Caslan 88-90, 140, 274
TWA 747 hijack 152, 156
Unclassified 251-2
United States
Department of Defense 94, 97, 251
Justice Department 23, 81, 183, 198,
214, 222, 244-5, 247, 249, 262,
272-3, 276, 278, 280, 288, 297, 304
State Department 18-20, 53, 85, 88,
139, 209
US Aviation Underwriters 291
Van Atta, Dale 50
Vincennes, USS I, 11, 13, 20
Waite, Terry 130-1, 185
Wallace, Mike 290-6
WAPI-TV 57
Washington Journalism Review 265,
269, 287
Washington Post 50, 238-9, 241
Watson, Peter 270
WBZ-TV 58
Webster, William 139
Wehbe, Nabile 84
Werbell III, Lt Gen. Mitchell 103
Westinghouse 58-9
WFSB-TV 60-1
Whelen, James 101
Whitaker, Lawrence G. 178, 241
White House press corps 59-60
Wilkinson, Paul 174-5, 185
Williams, Hollis 226
Wilson, Edmund 20
Windels, Marx, Davies & Ives 81, 138
WMAR-TV 65-6
Woonie Radio 36-7
WSGN 58, 126, 129
WTN 131
Yeffet, Isaac 53-4
Younis, Fawaz 152-4, 156-7, 169,
190, 218
Zurich 126, 128, 170

From the jacket cover, First U.S. Edition:

"Somebody was hammering on the front door. It was light now, and he went through to the kitchen, which overlooked the street, to see who it was. As he looked out, a young man in a blue FBI windbreaker glanced up from below, hand on holster, and tried to hide behind a telephone pole." -- from the book

Trail of the Octopus tells the story of Lester Knox Coleman, an agent for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), who was prosecuted by the U.S. government for his efforts to reveal what he knew about the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988, that took the lives of all 259 passengers and crew, and another eleven persons on the ground. Coleman didn't set out to be a spy, but he turned out to be a good one. Having learned Arabic as the son of an oil engineer, electrical engineering as a radio broadcaster, and public relations with the Boy Scouts of America, he eventually put all these skills to work for the DIA. In 1984, at the age of thirty-nine, he began working as a DIA agent in Lebanon and Cyprus, undercover as a broadcaster, a newsman, and a college professor researching drug dealing for his thesis. He ran dozens of intelligence assets, gaining detailed knowledge of the drug and weapons trafficking that saturated the region.

When Coleman discovered that some of the agents, who were running Lebanese heroin to the U.S. through the Frankfurt and London airports for use in stateside "sting" operations, had gone rogue, he warned his superiors of the danger, but they took no action to stop the operation. Disgusted wtih a system that seemed to be obsessed with documenting everything and acting on nothing, in May 1988, Coleman withdrew from his position in Cyprus and returned to the United States.

When the Lockerbie tragedy occurred seven months later, Coleman didn't initially realize that what he had learned in the Middle East would be of value to investigators. He had turned his back on the spy business, and returned to journalism. But the spy syndicate wasn't done with him yet, and after he agreed to go back into the field for a new mission in the Middle East, Coleman learned what it was like to be an enemy of the United States.

This First U.S. Edition includes a new Foreword by Lester Knox Coleman and excerpts from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals decisions in Pan Am Airlines' appeal from the trial court verdict, including the stinging dissent by Justice Van Graafeiland that calls into question the evidentiary basis for the verdict that ended Pan Am's corporate existence and aborted further inquiry into the U.S. government's role in the disaster.


From the jacket cover, First U.K Edition:

Lester Knox Coleman is a man who knows too much.

An American spy on the run, he knows too much about the Lockerbie disaster. He knows too much about terrorist activities in the Middle East. He knows too much about American's ultra-secretive Defense Intelligence Agency.

Hunted by his own government, Coleman has been forced to seek asylum in Sweden.

In Trail of the Octopus Coleman tells all he knows -- not from any wish to betray his country but in order to survive, to give himself, his wife and their three young children some hope of a normal life. Once his knowledge is made public, there should be no further reason for Washington to seek to silence him.

Trail of the Octopus is the story of the biggest international cover-up in modern times.

Lester Knox Coleman is the first American citizen since the Vietnam war to seek political asylum in another country. Hounded by the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Middle East heroin traffickers, Coleman is a victim of the biggest international cover-up in modern times.

In the spring of 1988 Coleman was on a mission for the world's most secretive and well-funded espionage organization -- The Defense Intelligence Agency. Coleman had been ordered to spy on the DEA in Cyprus which, along with the CIA, was running a series of 'controlled deliveries' of Lebanese heroin through the airports of Frankfurt and London en route to America. Coleman discovered that the security of this 'sting' operation had been breached and warned the American embassy that a disaster was waiting to happen. He was ignored. Seven months later, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie. Among the dead was a DEA courier.

Over the last four years Washington has ensured that the blame for the bombing rests with Libyan terrorists and negligent Pan Am officials. With Pan Am and their insurers fighting this version all the way, it was never likely that Coleman's experiences in Cyprus would go unnoticed. In 1991 America's state security apparatus -- the 'optopus' -- made its move.

Trail of the Octopus is a gripping investigation into the causes of the Lockerbie disaster and the subsequent manipulation of the evidence. It is a revelatory insight into the rival American intelligence agencies and their use of Middle East drug traffickers and terrorists. And it is the story of a man who became a prisoner of his own knowledge.

A Londoner by birth, Donald Goddard lived in the US for ten years, for eight of them as an editor at the New York Times. He is the author of numerous critically acclaimed bestsellers, including Joey, The Last Days of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, All Fall Down, Undercover and The Insider.