THIS IS THE EEENNND!

Meeting of the CIA Planning Committee
January, 1970 – Arlington, VA

“We all know why we’re here, but let me just state a brief summary to put this meeting in perspective. The White House is planning several initiatives in Southeast Asia and in Latin America this year to shore up our positions on foreign policy. NSA chief Henry Kissinger is particularly concerned about Latin America, where he believes Castro is making progress. President Nixon is determined to stop infiltration by NVA regulars into South Vietnam using the Ho Chi Minh trail in Cambodia by increasing the bombing and, if necessary, crossing into Cambodia.

“But before we can pursue these initiatives we have to solidify domestic support for the president’s policies or the Soviet Union and our allies around the world will think we’re weak. Too much internal dissent from the president’s policies will be interpreted as a lack of resolve, and with much of our resources tied down in Asia, could encourage our adversaries to try to test us at certain pressure points where they might consider us vulnerable.

“A certain amount of domestic dissent is desirable up to a point because it legitimizes the administration by showing that we are free democracy. Beyond that point, it becomes a liability, particularly if foreign countries believe that the administration is domestically weak and, again, with so much of our military tied down in Vietnam, we can’t afford to be perceived as weak.

“The White House believes that is has been able to keep the Democrats in congress under control by going over their heads and explaining the administration’s position directly to the electorate, and so far this has been the case. Unfortunately, the extra-parliamentary opposition has been more intractable, and the adverse publicity they have been able to generate has been a distraction for the White House.

“I’m not talking about the political radicals. SDS and the Black Panthers have been easy to infiltrate and manage. Hoover tells me that the political radicals are totally under control. In fact, many of the bombings, demonstrations and shootouts with the police have been advantageous because they have polarized public support in the president’s favor.

“The one aspect we have had been less successful in controlling is the cultural aspect. Support for the administration has been eroded by Hollywood, the entertainment industry and the music industry. When a politician makes a speech, people listen to the speech and they forget it and go about their business. But when a singer sings a song the effects of the song continue to reverberate, particularly if the song is a hit and the radio stations play it endlessly.

“In some countries if a folksinger gets up in a coffeehouse and sings a song against the president he can be made to vanish the next day. Radio stations won’t touch that kind of content. It used to be like that here as well. But the huge profits to be made in recorded entertainment, and by that I mean the music business, has eroded the willingness of record companies and radio stations to cooperate with the establishment.

“Things are spinning out of control because of this music. All these antiwar acts and anti-establishment acts are causing the president’s support among decisive sectors of the population, particularly white, college-educated young person, to deteriorate. The president may be a great guy, but when these kids get lured into smoking pot and engaging in sex and drug orgies, particularly when these events are colored by hatred of the establishment and of the military, then it becomes a much deeper problem.

“Look at France. That country has a strong leader, De Gaulle, and a strong economy. But last year the longhaired hippy radicals brought the whole country to its knees and forced De Gaulle to resign. If that were to be replicated here it could endanger our whole way of life and erode our whole overseas empire.

“Let’s not forget that every empire has been destroyed not by external pressures but by an erosion of resolve at its core.

“This meeting was called to establish a program to staunch the internal hemorrhaging that is occurring inside the body of our society. Strong medicine may be required, and by that I mean the liquidation or elimination of the more virulent and destructive elements that are causing so many problems for society in general and for the Nixon administration in particular.

“This agency has had an excellent record of eliminating political threats to the system. We eliminated both Kennedys and Martin Luther King, though we had less success against Castro and the third Kennedy brother. I’m not here to assign blame for Edward Kennedy’s survival. Our operatives did a good job of forcing him off the bridge at Chappaquidick. His car was totally submerged in ten feet of water. Maybe they could have stuck around a while longer to make sure that the fat slob wouldn’t float back to the surface, but what’s done is done. Obviously, a bullet would have been more decisive, but with the other two brothers having been shot it would have been too much of a coincidence. Fortunately, he was so loaded that he didn’t even know what hit him, so we’re totally off the hook on that.

“Now, what I’ve done is to assemble a short list of entertainers who have been particularly damaging to American interests. You all have a copy. Again, nobody should feel bad about liquidating entertainers. Back in ancient China they used to bury writers alive when they proved troublesome. Down in South America they have no problem throwing guitar players out of flying helicopters.

“Let’s go down the list and see if we can arrive at any kind of a consensus:

The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
Led Zepplin
Pink Floyd
Jimi Hendrix
The Doors
Country Joe and the Fish
Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Janis Joplin
The Grateful Dead
Joan Baez
Bob Dylan
Sly and the Family Stone
Buffalo Springfield
Creedence Clearwater Revival

“Now, if anybody here has any ideas or questions, I’m going to open the meeting for suggestions.”

“Sir, a lot of these bands are composed of British subjects. I’m not sure we can afford to anger the British Foreign Office.”

“Your point is well taken. Scratch The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd.”

“Jones, sir.”

“Yes, Jones.”

“A couple of these acts, and I’m not saying they’re not bad actors, but they have a very small following and I’m not sure that wasting the Company’s resources on such small fry is the way to go.”

“And to whom are you referring?”

“Specifically, Country Joe and the Fish and Joan Baez.”

“We’ll take that under advisement. The fact that Joan Baez is so political may actually save her.”

“Sir…”

“Yes.”

“Creedence Clearwater Revival is a great band. My kids and I listen to them and they are good Americans. It’s unthinkable that they would advocate any un-American activity.”

“Remember, no one rock band establishes a seditious environment or ambiance. It’s a total environment that we are trying to break up here. Next?”

“Crosby Stills Nash & Young just play stupid elevator music. They don’t mean anything.”

“I agree. I don’t even know how they made the list. Who does that leave?”

Jimi Hendrix
The Doors
Janis Joplin
The Grateful Dead
Bob Dylan
Sly and the Family Stone
Buffalo Springfield

“What about Bob Dylan?”

“Sir, this prick is at the core of the whole thing. He definitely deserves to go. Maybe we could do something to his motorcycle.”

“Good idea. What else?”

“Well, The Grateful Dead are all junkies. One already died from and overdose. Maybe we could get them some really, really strong heroin.”

“Well, we certainly have enough of that. Follow up on it.”

“Ditto Sly and the Family Stone. They’re so messed up that they don’t even make it to their gigs half the time.”

“Put them on the list for the strong heroin as well. Who does that leave?”

Buffalo Springfield
Jimi Hendrix
The Doors
Janis Joplin

“Sir, Janis Joplin is a stone-cold junkie.”

“Good, give her the heroin as well.”

“Buffalo Springfield are real bastards. Their song “For What It’s Worth” has caused us some real problems.”

“Jones is right, sir. The only problem is, they broke up a couple of years ago. A couple of them are now in Crosby Stills Nash & Young, who we already decided to spare.”

“Sir, that song was terribly destructive. I say they deserve to die just on general principles.

“I’ll decide on that later. Who’s left?”

“Jimi Hendrix and The Doors, sir.”

“This is where I’ll state my opinion. Jimi Hendrix is a dead man. He’s probably more responsible for the mess this country’s in than any man alive. If I were a young man again I would choke him with my own hands. Make sure he suffers a particularly gruesome death. The same with this guy from The Doors. He has infected a whole generation of young people with his immoral behavior and obscene stage act. Tell them to waterboard him, submerge him in his bathtub until his heart gives out.

“Well, I think that resolves the issue for now. Anybody have anything else to add?”

“Sir, I’d like to suggest one more artist.”

“And who might that be?”

“Frank Zappa.”

“Never heard of him.”

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