12 August 2015 Thoughts About Michael Hastings Regarding Michael Hastings' "accident," the CIA does appear to have cultivated a talent for orchestrating these. For example, see "CIA and Assassinations: The Guatemala 1954 Documents" in GWU's National Security Archive. In particular: Document 2: "A Study of Assassination": "For secret assassination, either simple or chase, the contrived accident is the most effective technique. When successfully executed, it causes little excitement and is only casually investigated." "If the subject's personal habits make it feasible, alcohol may be used [very successfully] to prepare him for a contrived accident of any kind." In light of this it's disappointing that no one in the mainstream press has gone beyond superficial coverage. Back in the 1970s a gang of angry journalists invaded Arizona after the death of Don Bolles: Dennis Hevesi, "Robert Greene, 78, Dies; Investigative Journalist," New York Times, April 12, 2008. "The project began after Don Bolles, a reporter for The Arizona Republic who had been investigating ties between organized crime and politicians, was killed by a car bomb on June 13, 1976. Mr. Bolles had been a founding member of Investigative Reporters and Editors, a national organization that Mr. Greene had helped start." Have things really changed that much? Finally, spies who work in clandestine ops in particular are cold fish and won't hesitate to resort to violence if they perceive it as expedient. This means leaving "in the event of my sudden demise" packages with several trustworthy confederates. Why on earth didn't Hastings plan ahead if he knew he was working on a "big story?" Hastings may very well have simply pushed his luck one too many times with reckless behavior. In true Hunter S. Thompson fashion. Even then it would still be interesting to know what he was working on. A lesson for acoyltes of the press? Bill Blunden

San Francisco State University