ALLEGED ANTI-CIA COMMENTS MADE BY PRIENSTS AT SEATTLE UNIVERSITY
Originator: CIA
From: CHIEF, SEATTLE OFFICE
To: DIRECTOR, DCS
Document date: 02/07/1968
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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2022 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

IRES MONTION

LITED STATES GOVERNMENT

Memorandum

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ittn

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Director, DCS

John W. McConnell

SEA-57-68

DATE: 7 February 1968

ROM

: Chief, Seattle Office

UBJECT: Alleged Anti-CIA Comments made by Priests at Seattle University

iEF : Denver memorandum DEN-51-68, dated 1 February 1968, with attachment

03

1. You will find attached a copy of a Memorandum for the Record

dated 31 January 1968 and written by Don Jordan of the Denver Office.

The text of the memorandum needs no further explanation.

2. I made a cursory check with local sources who were unable to

confirm or deny the allegations made by Mrs. Margaret Fanning, mother

of Miss Clare Louise Fanning who is currently a student at Seattle

University. Since the matter is not exactly in our ken and might be

of interest to the FBI I made a digest of the original memorandum and

gave a copy to the Seattle FBI Office.

A copy of the digest was also

given to Mr. William Barrus, CIA O/S, Seattle Resident Agent. A copy

of the digest is attached.

Seattle FBI Office said that they probably

will not take any action but would pass the information along to their

headquarters in Washington DC.

In all probability the information

•will be attributed to the Seattle Field Office.

3. I made a further check with Colonel Michael J. Dolan, Place-

ment Officer, Seattle University, to determine if he had heard anything

about the subject matter on the campus.

Colonel Dolan works with Mr.

Thomas L. Culhane, CIA, OP/RD. Mr. Culhane says that Colonel Dolan

can be trusted to

be discreet in any dealings that we might have with

him. Colonel Dolan was unable to give me any information of a sub-

stantive nature regarding Subject but stated that Miss Fanning i8

having academic problems and her grade point has gone down steadily

since enrollment at Seattle University.. Her present courses are all

taught .by laymen so if she has any contact with the Jesuit priests the

contact would be outside of the classroom. It was Colonel Dolan's

opinion that the university administration would be very interested in

running down information of the nature outlined by Mrs. Fanning.

Colonel Dolan has stated he will make some discreet inquiries without

implicating either Mrs. or Miss Fanning.

BR

RETURNTO CIA

Banground Use Only

•Do NoT HOptoduce

Buy U.S. Savings Bonds Regularly on the Payroll Savings Plan

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Subject: Alleged Anti-CIA Comments made by Priests at Seattle University

4. If it is determined that there is any truth to the allegations

we will be advised. We suspect, however, that Miss Fanning 1s fabri-

cating in order to

cover up her poor academic progress.

Tar listersond

WHR : kS

cc: Chief, Denver Office (Attn:

Attachments

D.

s.

Jordan)

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COMADRNRAL

31 January 1968

MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD

SUBJECT:

Call from Mrs. Margaret Fanning Regarding Anti-CIA Activity

at the University of Seattle

1.

On 18 January 1968, 1100 hours, the Denver Office received &

call on the listed number from a woman who identified herself as

Mrs. Margaret Fanning.

Mrs. Fanning stated that she lives in Pueblo

and that at the time of the

call she was at Stapleton Airport enroute

to Texas.

Mrs.. Fanning's reason for calling us was her great concern

about what her daughter, Clare, Is being taught about the CIA and the

Kennedy assassination at the University of Seattle where Clare 18 &

student.

Mrs. Fanning has

received

several telephone calls recently

from Clare in which Clare

Informed her mother that some of the priests

at the University of Seattle (a Jesuit school) had convinced the students

that Garrison's theorles about the assassination are correct and that the

charges about the Agency's implication are also correct.

3.

CIA and considers that the CIA 1s comparable to the Gestapo.

stated that she tried to persuade Clare that what she (the daughter) had

heard 1s totally untrue but Mrs. Fanning had no success whatsoever in

changing her daughter's viewpoint.

4. Mrs. Fanning also stated that Clare asked her to be sure not

to repeat to anyone any of the foregoing Information and that the priests

,at Seattle University had instructed their students not to discuss these

matters with their parents.

Mrs. Fanning was obviously most upset that

a faculty member at a university, particularly a priest, had instructed

students not to discuss matters presented to them at the school with their

letter to the president on this particular item.

S. I also pointed out to her that if there is in progress at the

University of Seattle activity which could be construed as a threat to

the US Internal security, the FBI would be Interested. I expressed

appreciation for Mrs. Fanning's concern about the misinformation on the

CIA which is apparently being disseminated at the University of Seattle

but pointed out that there 1s very little we can do about such matters.

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