Assassinations / Pope

Herman, Edward S. and Brodhead, Frank. The Rise and Fall of the Bulgarian Connection. New York: Sheridan Square Publications, 1986. 255 pages.

During the 1991 hearings for confirmation of Robert Gates as director of the CIA, it was revealed that for years following the 1981 shooting of the Pope, CIA analysts had been unable to find evidence of Soviet complicity. In 1985 William Casey told Gates to try harder, at which point the issue became more political than analytical and the waters got very muddy.

It may have always been political; professional propagandists were hard at work after the shooting to lay the blame on the USSR. One was Paul Henze, a long-time CIA officer, another was Michael Ledeen and his friends at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and then there was Claire Sterling, who wrote an article on the shooting for Reader's Digest in 1982. All appeared to be more interested in their crusade against "Soviet-sponsored terrorism" than with presenting hard facts to support their case.

This book argues that the hard facts never existed. The authors analyze the background of Mehmet Ali Agca and the evidence surrounding the shooting, and trace the history of the "Bulgarian connection" as an example of Western disinformation. Frank Brodhead is affiliated with Resist, a progressive funding agency, and Edward Herman is an editor of "Lies Of Our Times" and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.


Yallop, David A. In God's Name: An Investigation into the Murder of Pope John Paul I. New York: Bantam Books, 1985. 388 pages.

David Yallop, a British author with four previous crime investigations to his credit, came to the attention of "highly-placed, secret sources within the Vatican" who convinced him to look into the September 1978 death of John Paul I. During his 33 days as pope, Albino Luciani's leadership and incorruptibility threatened certain interests in the Vatican. These interests were connected with Licio Gelli's P2 network, Michele Sindona, Roberto Calvi and the emerging Banco Ambrosiano scandal, the Mafia, Italian intelligence, and Freemasonry. It was becoming clear to Luciani that a major housecleaning was in order.

Yallop believes there was a plot, but after three years of investigation his evidence is still circumstantial. Security was minimal, access to the pope or to his food or medicine would not have been difficult, and it was a good bet that there would be no autopsy. The cause of death was reported as acute myocardial infarction, but Luciani's medical history makes this difficult to accept. Death was so sudden that the pope didn't even have time to press the alarm button a few inches from his hand, which seems unlikely. When Karol Wojtyla was elected pope the Vatican returned to business as usual. With John Paul II in control, even the Italian government was unable to get the Vatican to come clean on its role in the Banco Ambrosiano scandal.

Here are the names most frequently mentioned in the above books:

    ABBRUCIATI DANILO     ABS HERMANN JOSEF     ADAMS NATHAN M     AGCA ADNAN     AGCA MEHMET ALI     AHMAD FEROZ     AIVAZOV TODOR     ALBANO ANTONIO     ALESSANDRINI EMILIO     ALTAYLI ENVER     ALVAREZ GREGORIO     AMBROSOLI GIORGIO     ANDREOTTI GIULIO     ANDRONOV IONA I     ANTI-BOLSHEVIK BLOC NATIONS     ANTONOV ROSSITSA     ANTONOV SERGEI IVANOV     APPLE R.W. (JOHNNY) JR (NEW YORK TIMES)     ARCE GOMEZ LUIS (LUCHO)     ARICO CHARLES     ARICO WILLIAM JOSEPH     ARONWALD WILLIAM I     BAFFI PAOLO     BAGCI OMER     BAGGIO FRANCESCO     BAGGIO SEBASTINO     BANCO AMBROSIANO     BARBIE KLAUS     BARONE MARIO     BARRON JOHN (AUTHOR)     BAUMHART RAYMOND C     BAYHAN KUDRET     BAYRAMIC      BEGIN MENACHEM     BELMONTE GIUSEPPE     BENELLI GIOVANNI     BERTOLI PAOLO     BIASE NICOLA     BIRINDELLI ADMIRAL     BLUHDORN CHARLES G     BONOMI ANNA BOLCHINI     BORDONI CARLO     BORGHESE VALERIO     BREYTENBACH BREYTEN     BROWN IRVING JOSEPH     BRZEZINSKI ZBIGNIEW     BUSH GEORGE H.W.     CALVI ROBERTO     CAMPIONE MARCELLO     CAPRIO GIUSEPPE CARDINAL     CARBONI FLAVIO     CARTER BARRY EDWARD     CARTER BILLY (BROTHER OF JIMMY)     CARUSO ANTHONY     CASAROLI AGOSTINO CARDINAL     CATLI ABDULLAH     CAVALLO LUIGI     CELEBI MUSA CEDAR     CELENK BEKIR     CELIK ORAL     CENTER STRATEGIC INTERNATIONAL STUDIES     CHAFIK ALI     CHERNE LEO     CICCHITTO FABRIZIO     CILLERI GIUSEPPI     CIOLINI ELIO     CIRILLO CIRO     CLINE RAY STEINER     COALITION DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY     COCKBURN ALEXANDER     CODY JOHN PATRICK     COLOMBO EMILIO     COMMITTEE PRESENT DANGER     CONSOLO      CONTINENTAL ILLINOIS NATIONAL BANK     CONTRERAS SEPULVEDA MANUEL JOSE     CORROCHER GRAZIELLA TERESA     COUNTER-GUERRILLA ORGANIZATION     CRAXI BETTINO     CROZIER BRIAN ROSSITER     CURIEL HENRI     CUTOLO RAFFAELE     DAILY AMERICAN     DAMATO ALFONSE M (R-NY)     DE BONIS DONATO     DE BORCHGRAVE ARNAUD     DE LORENZO GIOVANNI     DE MARENCHES ALEXANDRE     DE STROBEL PELLEGRINO     DE WECK PHILIPPE     DECTER MIDGE     DEGER EMIN     DELLACHA GIUSEPPE     DELLE CHIAIE STEFANO     DEMIREL SULEYMAN     DENTON JEREMIAH A (R-AL)     DI BELLA FRANCO     DI DONNA LEONARDO     DIGOS (ITALIAN POLICE)     DIONNE E J JR     DIOTALLEVI ERNESTO     DOBBS MICHAEL     DONTCHEV IVAN     DOVIDIO PIETRO     DOZIER JAMES LEE     DRAGANOVIC KRUNOSLAV     DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION     ECEVIT BULENT     EOF MUSTAFA     EPSTEIN EDWARD JAY     EVREN KENAN     FEDERATION TURKISH IDEALIST ASSOCIATIONS     FEDERICI FEDERICO     FIEBELKORN JOACHIM     FOLIGNI MARIO     FORD JOHN (JESUIT)     FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE     FRANKLIN NATIONAL BANK     FREEMASONRY      FRESCO ROBERT     FURNO LAMBERTO     GAGE NICHOLAS     GALLUCCI ACHILLE     GAMBERINI GIORDANO     GANS HERBERT J     GARMENT SUZANNE R     GELB LESLIE H     GELLI LICIO     GELMAN HARRY     GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY     GIANNETTINI GUIDO     GIANNINI ORAZIO     GILBERT SARI     GINNO PADRE     GIUDICE RAFFAELE     GODELUPPI LIVIO     GRASSINI GIULIO     GRAY COLIN S     GRAY WOLVES     GREECE CIA IN     GREELEY ANDREW     GRIFFITH WILLIAM EDGAR     GRILLMAIER HORST     GUARINO PHILIP A     GUERRI SERGIO CARDINAL     GULF-WESTERN      GUNES HASAN FEHMI     GUZZI RODOLFO     GWERTZMAN BERNARD M     HAIG ALEXANDER M JR     HAMBROS BANK     HAWKINS PAULA (R-FL)     HEBBLETHWAITE PETER     HENZE PAUL BERNARD     HOEMEYER DR.     HOWE MARVINE     IGNATIUS DAVID R     IMPALLOMENI GIUSEPPE     IMPOSIMATO FERDINANDO     INFELISI LUCIANO     IPEKCI ABDI     ITALY CIA IN     JACKSON HENRY MARTIN (SCOOP D-WA)     JOHN PAUL I (POPE)     JOHN PAUL II (POPE)     JONATHAN INSTITUTE     JUSTICE PARTY     KALB MARVIN     KAMM HENRY     KAMPELMAN MAX M     KEEGAN GEORGE J (GEN)     KELLER ERNST     KENNEDY DAVID MATTHEW     KIKOSKI JOHN F     KINTEX COMPANY     KIRKLAND LANE     KISACIK RASIT     KISSINGER HENRY A     KNIPE MICHAEL     KOLEV SOTIR     KOVACI ISMAIL     KRAUSE LAWRENCE B     KUPPERMAN ROBERT H     LAGORIO LELIO     LANDRA LUIGI     LAQUEUR WALTER Z     LEAHY PATRICK J (D-VT)     LEDEEN MICHAEL A     LEDL LEOPOLD     LEFEBVRE MARCEL     LEFEVER ERNEST W     LEVIN CARL M (D-MI)     LIO ERMENEGILDO     LOGGIA PROPAGANDA     LOPEZ REGA JOSE (MINISTER OF SOCIAL WELFARE)     LYNCH WILLIAM S     MACALUSO JOSEPH     MACCHI PASQUALE     MACNEIL-LEHRER NEWS HOUR     MAGEE JOHN (BISHOP)     MAGNONI PIER SANDRO     MANTAROV IORDAN     MANYON JULIAN     MARCINKUS PAUL CASIMIR     MARINI ANTONIO     MARTELLA ILARIO     MARTIN GRAHAM ANDERSON     MASSERA EMILIO EDUARDO     MATEOS JOSE     MAZZANTI GIORGIO     MAZZOLA FRANCESCO     MCDONALD LAWRENCE PATTON     MCDOWALL BRUCE     MECELI VITO     MELADY THOMAS PATRICK     MENNINI LUIGI     MERLINO MARIO     MERSAN OMER     MESSINA ROCKY     MICELI VITO     MINNA ROSARIO     MONTINI GIOVANNI (POPE PAUL VI)     MORO ALDO     MOSS ROBERT     MOTHERLAND PARTY     MULACK PETER H     MUMCU UGUR     MUNIR METIN     MUSSELLI BRUNO     MUSUMECI GIUSEPPI     MUSUMECI PIETRO     NATIONALIST ACTION PARTY     NAZAR RUZI     NEWTON LOWELL     NOGARA BERNARDINO     NOVAK MICHAEL     OCCORSIO VITTORIO     OLGIATI CARLO     OPUS DEI     ORBIS MAGAZINE     ORLANDI EMMANUELA     ORTOLANI UMBERTO     OTTAVIANI ALFREDO     OTTONE PIERO     OYMEN ORSAN     OZBEY YALCIN     OZGUN FAROUK     PACELLI JULIO (PRINCE)     PAGLIAI PIERLUIGI     PANDICO GIOVANNI     PARISI VINCENZO     PASARGIKLIAN VAHAN     PAZIENZA FRANCESCO     PECORELLI MINO     PEOLOSI PREFECT     PERON JUAN DOMINGO     PERRY JACK (AMB)     PICCOLI FLAMINIO     PINELLI GIUSEPPE     PIPES RICHARD E     PIUS XII (POPE)     PODHORETZ NORMAN     POLETTI UGO     PRIORE ROSARIO     PROPAGANDA DUE (P2)     PUGLIESE MASSIMO     RADIO FREE EUROPE     RED BRIGADES     REMINGTON RAND     REPUBLICAN PEASANTS NATION PARTY     RITTER DON (R-PA)     RODOTA STEFANO     RONSISVALLE LUIGI     ROSONE ROBERTO     RUSTIN BAYARD     SAMET ARSLAN     SANTIAPICHI SEVERINO     SANTINI MARIANO     SANTOVITO GIUSEPPE     SARCINELLI MARIO     SAVOV DIMITER     SCALAPINO ROBERT A     SCRICCIOLO LUIGI     SEABURY PAUL     SEJNA JAN     SENER MEHMET     SENZANI GIOVANNI     SHEVCHENKO ARKADY N     SICA DOMENICO     SINDONA MICHELE     SIRI GIUSEPPE     SISMI (ITALIAN INTELLIGENCE)     SLAVOV ATANAS     SMITH JOSEPH BURKHOLDER     SOLIDARITY UNION     SOUSTELLE JACQUES     SPADA MASSIMO     SPAGNUOLO CARMELO     SPATOLA ROSARIO     SPELLMAN FRANCIS CARDINAL     SPORTELLI COL.     STANS MAURICE H     STERLING CLAIRE     SUAREZ MASON CARLOS GUILLERMO     SUFFERT GEORGES     SVERDLEV STEFAN     TAGLIABUE JOHN     TAMBURINO GIOVANNI     TASSAN DIN BRUNO     TOB-DER      TOMOV IVAN     TORRISI GIOVANNI     TRANSPORT INTERNATIONAUX ROUTIERS     TRONCONI MARIO     TURCHI LUIGI     TURKES ALPASLAN     UGURLU ABUZER     VAGNOZZI EGIDIO     VAN CLEAVE WILLIAM R     VASSILEV JELIO     VATICAN BANK (INSTITUTE RELIGIOUS WORKS)     VESSEY JOHN W JR (GEN)     VIEZZER ANTONIO     VILLOT JEAN     VIOLANTE LUCIANO     VISSER JAN     VOLPE JOHN ANTHONY     WALTERS VERNON ANTHONY     WATTENBERG BEN J     WHITING ALLEN SUESS     WHITNEY CRAIG R     WILL GEORGE F     WILSON HELEN DOLAN     WORLD ANTI-COMMUNIST LEAGUE     YETKIN SULEYMAN     YILDRIM RIFAT     ZAGLADIN VADIM     ZALBA MARCELLINO     ZANFAGNA GENNARO

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