Ex-agent of CIA died in Habana
January 9, 2008
Agee specialized in Latin American problems, mainly «covering» the parties and organisations of left direction in Ecuador, Uruguay, Mexico.
The decision to escape from the CIA was taken by Agee after his romantic conceptions of working in the intelligence in the name of «freedom and democratic ideals» clashed with daily practice of ruthless persecution and suppression of dissent, often with the help of «experts» from local police.
After quitting the CIA, Agee tried to settle down in Britain, France, Germany. He wanted to complete the book about his activity in the USA intelligence, but CIA did not give peace. He was permanently followed, and once he found a bug in his type-writer. In the long run the authorities expelled him from the country without giving any reasons.
In 1979 his passport of the US citizen was cancelled and Agee, being afraid for his life, settled down in Habana. So former American intelligence officer with full authority could, speaking about himself, use the classic formula of the «cold war» epoch in respect of defectors from Soviet camp: «He preferred freedom», though, possibly, in his particular case, it was a little bit ironical.
Among the books written by Agee his biographic story «Inside the Company: CIA Diary» acquired a world-wide popularity. It was translated to more than 20 languages and for some time it used to be a bestseller, especially in Latin American countries. In the Soviet times the book was published in Russian, but certain spicy events, as to how American agents used to spend money for investigation of «intimate private life» of their colleagues from behind the iron curtain, had been removed.
The second breath of Agee's activity in exposure of CIA was given by emergence of the so called «populist regimes» in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador. Agee thought the threat to these regimes from the «empire» to be very serious and during his visits to the South American countries called for vigilance. Such last trip to Venezuela was made by Agee not long before his death.
The obituary in «Granma» said, in particular,: «He was a faithful friend of Cuba, true defender of struggle of people for a better world».
It is necessary to mention that Agee closely watched the developments of events in distant Russia, had faith in its revival. In one of RTR TV programmes (on 28.10.07) devoted to efforts of the USA to set up a single-polar world, Agee gave the following advice to Russian leaders and generally to all Russians: «Under Putin the situation in Russia has changed, and I feel that in the USA and Europe there grows a concern regarding revival of the Great power that possesses rich natural resources. I want to tell all Russians: don't be naive. The CIA is an instrument that is already being used against Russia in order to stop it.»
Agee knew what he was saying...