The Torture and Death of William Francis Buckley

The Torture and Death of William Francis Buckley Released: 2022-11-08 The Black Vault entry: https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/the-torture-and-death-of-william-francis-buckley/ Canonical PDF: https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/cia/F-2019-02557.pdf This document, released by the Central Intelligence Agency in 2019, pertains to the capture, interrogation, torture, and death of William Francis Buckley, a CIA station chief in Beirut from 1984 until 1985. Buckley was kidnapped by the group Hezbollah in March 1984 and held hostage for over a year before his death in June 1985. Provenance: This document was released in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, F-2017-01851, submitted by John Greenewald Jr. on September 27, 2019. The CIA acknowledged receipt of the request and informed Greenewald that they had conducted an updated search of previously released documents on the subject, resulting in the discovery of 329 documents, consisting of 8,379 pages. The agency released 67 documents, consisting of 1,041 pages, which are enclosed with this response. The Document: Central Intelligence Agency CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Washington, D.C. 20505 21 November 2019 Mr. John Greenewald, Jr. 27305 West Live Oak Road Suite # 1203 Castaic, CA 91384 Reference: F- 2019-02557 Dear Mr. Greenewald: This acknowledges receipt of your check number 4008, dated 24 October 2019, for $30 to cover the duplication cost referred to in our 24 July 2018 letter in connection with your F- 2017-01851 request. We credited your account in full and thank you for your prompt payment. This is also a final response to your 27 September 2019 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for a copy of records, electronic or otherwise, pertaining to the capture, interrogation, torture, and death of William Francis Buckley. Specifically, you are requesting the 100 documents, consisting of 400 pages, offered you in your previous FOIA request F-2017-01851. In our letter dated 15 October 2019, we informed you that we conducted an updated search of the previously released documents on your subject and discovered 329 documents, consisting of 8,379 pages, most of which are on our website. We further narrowed the search on your subject to previously released documents not currently on our website; that resulted in 75 released documents, consisting of 1,925 pages. While reviewing the 75 documents, we discovered that six of those documents were yearly FOIA Logs which did not pertain to the subject of your request, one was not responsive from the 1960s, and one was a duplicate of an enclosed document. Therefore, enclosed are 67 documents, consisting of 1,041 pages of previously released documents on your subject. If you have questions regarding our response, you may seek assistance from CIA's FOIA Public Liaison. You may reach the FOIA Public Liaison at 703-613-1287 (FOIA Hotline). Sincerely, Maulstill Mark Lilly Information and Privacy Coordinator Enclosures: ... (document truncated) Context: On March 28, 1985, the London-based newspaper Keyhan reported that William Buckley was being held in Tehran, Iran. The report stated that Buckley was kidnapped in Lebanon two months prior and was taken to Tehran via Syria by special plane. The article suggested that Buckley's capture and placement in the hands of Iranian authorities could make him an instrument for Iran's new demands from Washington. On May 26, 1985, the Free Voice of Iran reported that Buckley had died under torture in Tehran. The report stated that the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, which had kidnapped Buckley and four other Americans and two Frenchmen, had moved them to Tehran. The organization had released its prisoners from Kuwait, except for applying pressure on Kuwait. Outro: This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. Storyflo.com.