Assassination euphemisms

[Victor Steinbok]

  The SPT article I linked to earlier was one of many published between
Aug. 14 (NYT) and Aug 27 on this subject. A handful of these are freely
available on GNA. The basic thrust of SPT article focused on one
individual with charges potentially being brought against 8 people, up
to a general. The specific person in question is the one credited with
the claim that he was ordered to "exterminate with extreme prejudice"
the agent in question (someone who was supposed to have watched the
trails in Cambodia). The article says that the Special Forces office
that was handling the prisoner repeatedly asked for instructions from
the CIA over a period of more than two weeks. Finally, they sent the
final notice on June 20. Having received no prompt reply, they executed
the prisoner. By the time the CIA reply came "more than 24 hours" later,
it was too late, even though the response ordered the prisoner "spared".
So the orders to "exterminate with extreme prejudice", according to this
timeline, could not have come from the CIA and their use lies strictly
within intelligence services of Special Forces/Green Berets (i.e.,
Army). Other reporters, such as NYT, might have given conflicting
information. But I do want to point out that there are readily available
resources on this case that ascribe the phrase to the Special Forces and
subsequent use--at least up to 1975--also suggests "Army intelligence"
origin. I am not claiming that this is a factually correct claim, but
certainly one worthy of consideration, if not priority, over the CIA claim.

     VS-)

On 7/14/2010 3:12 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> 1969 Terence Smith in _N.Y. Times_ (Aug. 14) 2: His status as a double agent
> was reportedly confirmed by the Central Intelligence Agency which, according
> to the sources, suggested that he either be isolated or "terminated with
> extreme prejudice." This term is said to be an intelligence euphemism for
> execution.
>
> Just how many people in the CIA might have been familiar with this phrase
> before its appearance in the _Times_ is another interesting question.  While
> "terminate" rings with authenticity as far as I'm concerned, the "extreme
> prejudice" stuff sounds like somebody groping for "extreme" emphasis.
>
> Gratuitous SWAG:  the now-familiar grotesque phrase was created at the time
> of the incident (apparently June 20, 1969) by a single individual and was
> never a general "CIA euphemism."  Its grotesqueness (and the context of its
> appearance in print) guaranteed its survival.
>
> JL

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