---
category: Private Organization
location: Washington, D.C.
start: 1877
summary: Major national newspaper whose national security reporter Walter Pincus,
  a former CIA operative, led the first major media attack on the Dark Alliance series.
tags:
- Organization
- Media
- United_States
- 1990s
- Dark_Alliance_Investigation
---

The Washington Post is a major national newspaper based in [Washington, D.C.](/places/washington-dc/) In October 1996, it published the first major media attack on the [Dark Alliance](/events/dark-alliance/) series, written by [Walter Pincus](/people/walter-pincus/) and Roberto Suro.[^1]

### Attack on Dark Alliance

The Post's story, headlined "The CIA and Crack: Evidence is Lacking of Alleged Plot," falsely claimed the series alleged a CIA conspiracy to target black communities. Despite [Danilo Blandón](/people/danilo-blandon/)'s testimony about selling 200 to 300 kilos of [cocaine](/concepts/cocaine/) for the Contras, the Post quoted unnamed officials minimizing the volume to "$30,000 to $60,000 worth of cocaine in two transactions." The story buried the admission that "the CIA knew about some of these activities and did little or nothing to stop them."[[^1]

### Pincus's CIA Background

Pincus had been a CIA operative in the late 1950s and early 1960s, traveling to international conferences to spy on both foreign and American students. He was later selected by the [New York Times](/organizations/new-york-times/) to review ex-CIA officer Philip Agee's expose, without disclosure of his prior CIA ties. Columnist Molly Ivins observed: "Like good little boys and girls, the Times, the Washington Post et al., toddled off to the CIA and asked the agency if it had ever done such a thing. When the CIA said 'no' the papers solemnly printed it."[^1]

### Suppression of Ceppos Letter

[Jerry Ceppos](/people/jerry-ceppos/) fired off a blistering letter to the Post pointing out factual errors. The Post held the letter for weeks, ordered Ceppos to rewrite it, and then refused to print it.[^1]

[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 27: "A very difficult decision"