The CIA released 693 pages of previously classified documents that revealed repeated assassination attempts on the life of Cuban President Fidel Castro. But that’s not all! The documents, known within the agency as “Family Jewels,” also show that the agency tested mind-altering drugs such as LSD on “unwitting” citizens, wiretapped journalists, and spied on civil rights and Vietnam protesters who thought differently than the conservative “establishment.” There’s even evidence of tampering with foreign mail, and break-ins into the homes of former CIA employees!

But are you really surprised? Let me refresh your memory of another “revelation” that shattered the government’s sense of amnesia. “The Pentagon Papers”, a series of documents exposed by The Washington Post, tracked the history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam/Indochina nearly a decade before the American public even knew where Vietnam was on a map. I don’t have to tell you that this didn’t help Nixon come Watergate season as well as diminished whatever trust the mass majority of American citizens had in the U.S. government.

According to the Associated Press, CIA Spokesman George Little said that the agency is declassifying “Family Jewels” as an effort to demonstrate its accountability. Current CIA officials say that the agency that is described in “Family Jewels” does not reflect the agency’s current status. Maybe their just trying to divert attention from current possible cover-ups…or maybe I should stop typing before this becomes my last blog entry…

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