Jun 22, 1996 by Victorla@mail.utexas.edu 

                      
                    Cia Documentary Under the Flag

³I sat there in agony thinking about all that had led me to this private hell. 
My idealism, my patriotism, my ambition, my plans to be a good intelligence
officer to help my country fight the communist scourge - what in the hell had
happened?  Why did we have to bomb the people we were trying to save?  Why were
we napalming young children?  Why did the CIA, my employer for 16 years, report
lies instead of the truth?  I thought about the loaded AR-15 by my bed upstairs
and the small loaded pistol in my night stand...² --Ralph McGehee (former CIA
officer for 25 years)

For many decades, the Central Intelligence Agency has conspired to assassinate
heads of state, trained death squads, installed foreign dictators, overthrown
democratic governments, poisoned innocent civilians, and spied on its own
citizens.

Under the Flag  is a new feature length documentary film that will expose these
atrocities by drawing on the personal stories of numerous ex-CIA agents. 
Interspersed with the ex-agents' own personal accounts will be photos from 
their albums, excerpts of explosive government reports, CIA training films, and
archival footage.  The film will also include interviews with former KGB, MI5,
and Israeli Mossad agents.  All of these elements combine to tell a troubling
story, not only of the CIA's complicity in the overthrow of   governments which
led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people, but the current
and future uses of advanced spy technology on America's own citizens.

The central point of the documentary will be the conflict between life as a
secret agent and the need to uphold a moral structure.  The film will show the
extremes to which people are capable of going for patriotic ideals and how 
their lives and those of their families were affected by the CIA.  The agents
will also speak about current covert operations and their deadly 
consequences as well as how to identify a spy in your community.

Executive Producer Rick Linklater is one of the leading young filmmakers of our
time (Slacker, Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise).  Also collaborating 
on Underthe Flag is Linklater's long time cinematographer, Lee Daniel, and 
producer Anne McBay. Director James Otis co-founded the first organization 
of former intel agents to openly oppose covert operations.  He has traveled
throughout the world documenting the secret wars of the CIA.

The filmmakers plan to disseminate this film world-wide, through theatrical
release, broadcast or cable-cast, accompanied by extensive screenings at
churches, community organizations and universities.  Director Otis will be in
attendance at these screenings to facilitate conversations with the audience.

The project's goal is to build greater awareness of the violent activities 
being perpetrated in the name of U.S. citizens, with their taxpayer dollars and
without their informed consent. Going behind closed doors, into darkened 
rooms, and over barbed wire, Under the Flag tells a frightening story never 
before told on film.
victrola@mail.utexas.edu


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