CIABASE

Ralph McGehee's Letter to the President

11 March 1996
President Clinton
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Fax 202 456 2461

Mr. John Deutch
Director of CIA
Washington, D.C. 20505
Fax 703 482 6790

Herndon Town Council
P.O. Box 427
Herndon, VA 22070

My name is Ralph McGehee and I am a twenty-five year decorated 
veteran of the CIA and a critic. My primary effort in this regard is a 
computer data base, CIABASE. The below letter was posted on 
Internet today - a measure I reluctantly take in order to defend 
myself from efforts by local police, especially the Herndon Police, 
to apparently implicate me in some crime. The level of effort 
directed at me has increased substantially in the last few weeks -- 
and I ask that these actions be halted. 

I over the last few years have made similar appeals with no action 
taken in my defense. I appealed to Mary Pecora, of the U.S. Office 
of Special Counsel (File no. MA-95-2196), only to be advised that 
she believed me but the CIA was exempt from the Counsel's 
authority. 

In October of last year there was an effort at Fair Oaks Mall to 
"catch me" as the exit door alarm sounded just as I entered the exit 
area. I veered away fearing to exit, only to be confronted by an 
angry, apparent security officer. 

Due to a medical problem, I have in the last couple of weeks 
availed myself of the Jacuzzi at the Herndon Community Center. 
On my second visit a Herndon policeman came into the locker room 
and advised me that he would, "catch me later." Yesterday shortly 
after I entered the center two apparent plain clothes police (one 
forgot to turn off his portable radio that began broadcasting) 
entered the area and focused their attentions on me and probably 
set a trap. A number of recent incidents in the local K Mart have 
made me avoid that establishment. 

It is impossible to enter commercial establishments in Fairfax and 
Loudon Counties without being the subject immediate interest by 
the store security services. In my defense I have begun -- just as I 
enter an establishment - to explain to the spotter that I am a critic of 
the CIA and that it is slandering me and this is the reason for 
(whatever) notice that have re me. For bona fides, I hand them a 
brochure of CIABASE. 

In the past I have addressed letters to both you Mr. President and to 
you Mr. Deutch about this situation. I was advised by Lee S. 
Stickland, Chief Information, Privacy and Classification Review of 
the CIA, that his office would conduct an FOIA search but that I 
would have to wait my turn. From others I know that it takes 
around three years for action on a request. In any case it is 
extremely doubtful that the responsible Agency office(s) would 
make a written record of its illegal operations. 

The actions against me began in the summer of 1993, shortly after a 
review of CIABASE appeared in the journals of AFIO and NMIA. 
It soon thereafter became obvious that my phone was tapped and 
that local commercial establishments had been warned about me. 
When I made my knowledge of the tap obvious, the tap was used as 
much for harassment as monitoring. I have also received an implicit 
phone threat and was surveillied on a trip to Maine. 

Since I have the written approval of the CIA to distribute my data 
base -- it uses only non-classified material -- the actions taken 
against me by the CIA are in violation of United States law. 

Do you Mr. Deutch wish to be the medium for violations of law? 
Has not your Agency disgraced itself enough without adding this 
crime to its record? Do you Mr. President allow your executive 
branch to operate illegally without taking action? Do you members 
of the Herndon Town Council, allow your police force to act as 
vigilantes and are you willing to accept the consequences of its 
actions? 

I request that addressees take appropriate action and advise me of 
the results. 

Ralph McGehee
422 Arkansas Avenue
Herndon, VA, 22070

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The below is from a posting of 15 July 1995 in response to a 
number of requests for specific details of the actions taken against 
me.
Ralph McGehee 3/16/96

A number of people have contacted me about my postings re 
harassment and have asked for specific examples. Below I provide 
that information. Please note that I list specific individuals and 
organizations -- all of which are checkable. 

My name is Ralph W. McGehee and I am a 25 year veteran of the 
CIA and a severe critic of the CIA and compiler of the data base - 
CIABASE. I live in Herndon, Virginia, a bedroom community for 
the CIA's Headquarters as well as the location of several CIA office 
buildings. Following comprehensive reviews of my computer data 
base on the CIA in "The Intelligence," a publication of the pro-CIA 
veterans lobbying group - Association of Former Intelligence 
Officers (AFIO); and, the magazine of the National Military 
Intelligence Association, "NMIA Newsletter," an organization of 
generally retired military intelligence officers, in July 1993, I have 
been subjected to an investigation/harassment operation. 

Over the last two years I wrote a number of letters to the FBI and 
the CIA complaining of harassment. The FBI responded a few 
weeks ago and said they were not investigating or harassing me and 
that I should direct my enquiries to another government agency. 

The first observable event happened in August 1993 just after the 
two aforementioned reviews of CIABASE had been published. 
(This incident was followed in rapid succession by a series of other 
harassments). In early August 1993, I entered the super market at 
Reston's Lake Anne area, gathered a few things and went to the 
check out counter. The two female checkout clerks were not there 
but soon arrived. I tried to pay for the food but the clerks kept 
stalling until apparently the manager and another male came and 
stood by the checkout clerk focusing their attention on me. When 
finally permitted to pay for the food and as I started to leave the 
manager stepped directly in front of me as if to confront me. I 
thought this was quite strange but thought they may have suspected 
me of being a shoplifter and were checking me out. About a year 
later I went back to the supermarket (now closed) and asked the 
same cashier why they acted as they did. She denied any such 
action. 

A day or so after that, I was in Staples in Herndon and the store 
was nearly void of customers. As I entered Aisle 3 the loudspeaker 
told an employee to go to aisle 3. As I went to check out two 
employees apparently from the manager's office stood and watched 
me. The reason for this I could not fathom except again that they 
may have suspected me of shoplifting. There have been two or three 
similar incidents in this store over the next two years. The manager 
and other employees of this store are a checkable resource. I did 
confront the manager in about May this year but he denied my 
accusations. 

On about the first week of September, I went to Giant's supermarket 
in Herndon, bought a few things and as I tried to check out a Giant 
employee came up immediately behind me in the two-person line. 
By now becoming upset at this procedure I left the line and went to 
the next one. As I was driving on the road in front of Giant's, a car 
in a parking aisle that was facing front sped out of the space and 
came directly towards my truck. I had to swerve to avoid being hit. 
Later I saw that Giant employee park his vehicle in the same spot as 
the threatening vehicle - it appeared to be the same vehicle. 

Again in September on a Sunday, I went in to Super Fresh in 
Herndon, bought two items and went to the checkout counter. The 
manager came immediately to stand beside the cashier who told him 
to go away as she could "handle this." This latter employee I believe 
still works a Super Fresh. 

On the 23th of September 1993, I planned to go with a friend to the 
afternoon showing of "Demolition Man," at Worldgate in Herndon. 
I went to the ticket window and a male came up and said they were 
closed, I could not fathom this as the theater was operating at full 
capacity. I stood there and he repeated that they were closed. 
Finally as I stood there and as the line behind me began to grow, he 
deigned to sell me a ticket. I entered and handed my ticket to a 
ticket-collector who seemed upset to see me and asked "what is 
your name." As the film ended and the viewers exited we had to 
walk through a narrow cordon of velvet ropes where a number of 
theater employees were standing eyeing those leaving including a 
large black man wearing a police or security-type jacket. This type 
of cordon is the first time this has ever happened to me in that 
theater. What is particularly upsetting about this event is that the 
employees all seemed to have been prepared in advance for my 
appearance. This of course is a very checkable event. All that needs 
to be done is to get the work sheets for that day and interview those 
on duty at the time. 

From mid-October to mid-December 1993, I went bicycling about 
six times on the bike trail and parked my truck in the small parking 
lot across the street from the Herndon Golf Course. I went biking 
for approximately two and a half hours on each occasion. On three 
of the occasions when I returned, an occupied Herndon police car 
was the only other vehicle in the parking lot. The police car was 
facing the empty ball field - not the street. On one other occasion 
there was an occupied car next to the police car - I could not 
determine if this was an unmarked police car. 

In Manassas at about this time I went with my wife, Norma, to get 
some glasses. The manager - after we went back to pick up the 
glasses - said nastily "Why don't you go home." He loudly 
proclaimed uncomplimentary information about my wife. We were 
both quite upset. Manassas is some 15 to 20 miles from Herndon - 
apparently word on me was wide-spread or was being disseminated 
based on phone taps or house bugs. 

In about mid-December 1993, I went to the Book Alcove in Hunters 
Woods Plaza in Reston where I have often gone and purchased 
many used books from their excellent collection of books on 
intelligence. I spent a lot of time looking over their collection on 
intelligence and more on their art collection. When I turned around 
I saw immediately outside the window near where I was looking 
over the Art books, a person wearing a "police" or "security" jacket 
who was eyeing me. As I left he made sure to enter the door as I 
opened it and made a point of addressing me. 

On Saturday the 7th of January 1994, I went with a friend to a 
clothing store - Nachman's - on its announced last day of operation. 
A car with an older black man was sitting across the rear of cars 
pulled into a convenience store next to Nachman's. I parked across 
the street and as I and my friend crossed in front of the apparently 
parked car - it leaped forward and struck me a glancing blow. The 
car had stopped just before it would have struck my friend. I did 
not report it as I was not hurt and I feared that the Herndon police 
who also had been harassing me would not be objective. My friend 
can attest to this incident. I am not suggesting that this was part of 
the harassment - merely a consequence of the distribution of 
derogatory information about me in the general geographic area of 
Herndon/Reston and Tysons Corner. 

On 16 January 1994, about 3 p.m., I entered the nearly empty 
Jamesway Store at Herndon Junction. I shopped for about 10 
minutes when the loud speaker announced that security should go 
to section 2 - an employee came hurrying up behind me, made a 
comment in my ear, and then went down an adjacent aisle. As I 
continued toward the front of the store - the loud speaker 
announcement said security should go to Section 5. 

In about July 1994, after making telephone arrangements, two 
members of the Covert Action Working Group, visited my home. 
Just prior to their arrival at about 12 noon, two Herndon police cars 
pulled up and double-parked on the narrow street in front of my 
house. The two cars sat there for 20 minutes to a half hour and the 
police in the cars seemed to be looking in through my picture 
window. The two members of the group remember seeing the police 
cars there - this is a checkable resource. 

I later speculated on the arrival of the two police cars just minutes 
before the two members were scheduled to arrive. We had 
discussed meeting arrangements over the phone - this and a number 
of other events led me to the conclusion that my phone was tapped. 

About two weeks after the visit by the two Herndon Police cars, 
another Herndon police car sat across from my house as I installed 
a bike rack on the back of my truck. After finishing, I put the bike 
on the rack and just as I opened the door to get in the truck the 
police car started his motor. After this obvious warning I wrote 
letters to the Town Council and police harassment stopped for 
some time. I asked the Town Council to advise me of their 
determination re the police harassment - they have never responded 
- this is an easy-to-check resource. 

After the Herndon Police temporarily stopped their harassments, 
civilians in a number of vehicles and situations apparently assumed 
their task. Since the various Faixfax County police forces work in 
close coordination with the CIA and receive training and support 
from the CIA - I suspect they had been used by the Agency and 
when the Herndon police were ordered to stop by the Town 
Council - then the CIA's Office of Security stepped up the 
"investigation." 

On several occasions as I biked on the nearby bike trail, I suspected 
surveillance - once especially when I approached Partlow's store in 
Ashburn, a man on a bike with a radio-phone reported my position 
as I passed by. On a number of other occasions persons on the trail 
whom I was not really looking at - shouted at me as if to draw 
attention to the fact that I was their target. A number of what 
appeared to be surveillance vehicles also parked in the golf course 
parking lot across the street from the small parking lot I use. 

I speculated on how I was being harassed at various stores when I 
had only announced to my wife where I was going - and was alert 
for vehicular surveillance and noticed none. To test my theory that 
the house was bugged I shouted out that I was going to Kmart and 
instead went to Caldors across town. I shopped unmolested for 
about a half an hour and left. As I left, a well-dressed young white 
male in a discreetly marked yet obvious commercial van, sped up 
jumped out and recorded obvious and visible dismay when he saw 
me. I repeated this process a number of times with occasionally 
similar results. 

I believe that the harassment developed a process wherein store 
managers or personnel when they saw me, called a number - either 
of the CIA's Office of Security and/or the Association of Former 
Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and that a person or persons are 
frequently dispatched to try and arrange for a harassment action. If 
that is not possible, then the store personnel -- who have obviously 
been provided derogatory information about me, on occasion take 
action on their own. 

A number of incidents in the local Kmart - all initiated by supposed 
Kmart personnel - and my confronting the manager over them 
forced me to avoid that store for about a year. A number of 
unpleasant incidents at the nearby McDonalds, and 7/11 has forced 
me to stop going to those stores. 

On 2 October 1994, I went to COMP USA on Route 7 near 
Vienna, Virginia. As I finished making my purchases the security 
man at the door walked toward me militantly and pulled my cart 
away from me. This special treatment seemed to apply only to me. 

On 23 October 1994, at Computer City in Vienna, Va, as I 
approached the cash register, a young female rushed to the register 
and to the consternation of the cashier told the cashier to get away, 
leave. I then moved to a second cash register - the same woman 
rushed to that register but the transaction was completed before she 
could effectively intervene. Similar later incidents like this also 
happened in the same store. About three months ago to blunt the 
action I went up to the man standing watching those entering and 
told him I was a critic of the CIA and that it had initiated a 
defamation action against me and therefore asked that they assign a 
security person to accompany me. The manager was advised and he 
said I would have to exit though their security system and it was 
not necessary to send a security guard around with me. On this 
occasion I was overcharged about thirty dollars. I noticed the 
difference, objected, the security man or manager was summoned 
and the price was reduced to its regular price. Store personnel and 
managers are an easy-to-check resource. 

About six to eight months ago I took my truck in for servicing at 
the near by Shell station where I have done business for years. As I 
went to pick up the truck one of the two owners/mechanics pointed 
and yelled at me and screamed at his employees to park their 
vehicles (across the exit route via the 7/11). I normally exit from the 
station using this exit. They did this and this was the only time I 
have ever seen that entrance blocked. The owner is an easy 
checkable source. 

On 13 November 1994, at Crown Books at Herndon Junction as I 
was scanning the book racks - a large man came close and stood 
facing directly at me. He stayed the entire time I was there. As I left, 
a man with a radio-phone was outside the store looking in. I had a 
number of other confrontations at this store - this is an easy to 
check resource. 

When I returned from a Christmas visit to my daughters family out 
of state - within hours I received a phone call from a person 
claiming to be her friend asking her address - but the caller in 
monotone recited all the details of where she lived - the town, how 
many children she had, where she lived previously, etc. I tried to 
talk to the individual but he was not interested in a conversation. 
The caller created the strong impression that this was a threatening 
phone call. 

On 23 April 1995 my wife noticed our shed door lock's hasp was 
sheared and the shed opened - nothing appeared to be taken. I did 
not report this to the police and I suspect they might have provided 
assistance to those conducting the break in. At about the same time 
a Herndon Police car tail-gated my wife's car through town. 

In about late June 1995 as I and a friend were returning from 
Walmart in Loundon County, I turned right on the Herndon 
Parkway about 50 yards behind a Herndon Police car. I was driving 
in the middle lane and the police car had pulled into the left turn 
lane - as my vehicle drew along side the police vehicle, it swerved 
widely out into my lane forcing me to swerve to avoid hitting being 
hit by the police car - my friend can attest to this occurrence. 

The June 19, 1995 issue of "The New Yorker," carried an article 
that mentions me and may or may not be part of the harassment 
effort - I do not suggest that the purpose of the article was to get 
me, but since it involved a group I had participated in - it was 
convenient to discredit me by calling me paranoid because of my 
comments re the harassment. 

The above is a list of some of the more recordable incidents - 
representing perhaps about one half to one third of all that seemed 
to me to be harassments. Please note that I list specific incidents, 
specific stores and specific individuals - many can be checked - 
particularly the Herndon Mayor and Town Council, the Herndon 
Police, my friend, two members of the Covert Action Working 
Group, the reporter who wrote the article in The New Yorker, 
managers and employees of the named stores, theater personnel and 
a number of other sources and individuals. 

What cannot be checked is the numerous sometimes daily "wrong 
number" phone calls seemingly by the same individual, the several 
identical recorded phone messages to re-schedule a visit by the 
"septic field" clean-up truck. What also cannot be checked without 
official government action are the past various incidents of vehicle 
surveillance, surveillance on or around the bike trail and of course 
the bugging and wire-tapping operation. 

To help me determine the responsible parties I am filing a Freedom 
of Information Request and a Privacy request with the CIA. I doubt 
that I will receive any admissions of guilt but if I receive redacted 
documents dated the last two years I will have some substantiating 
material. 

Ralph McGehee
Herndon, VA