Washington – A member of the CIA’s first post-Sept. 11 class is alleging in a federal lawsuit that the agency violated his First Amendment rights by ordering dozens of deletions in his book about spy training after initially approving it.
T.J. Waters was chosen from more than 150,000 who submitted their résumés to the CIA, hoping to contribute to the U.S. government’s counterterrorism operations. He worked for the agency from 2002 to 2004, going through training for the clandestine service but ultimately joining the CIA’s intelligence-analysis division for a short time.
Waters’ book – “Class 11: Inside the CIA’s First Post-9/11 Spy Class” – chronicles his year at the CIA’s training facility, where recruits learn how to use disguises, how to withstand interrogation techniques and other spy craft. The precise location of the center, known as “The Farm,” remains classified but is near Williamsburg, Va.
Waters said his class of more than 100 included a New York comedian, an executive chef, a professional athlete and the fiancée of a World Trade Center victim.
Current and former CIA employees are allowed to publish books, but they must first be cleared by a special review board to ensure that they don’t contain classified data. Waters said he believes CIA Director Porter Goss opposes agency personnel writing books and has put the publications review staff under pressure to slow the process.
CIA spokeswoman Jennifer Dyck said the director is not seeking delays in the reviews. She said the prepublication review board exists to ensure that classified information is protected. “All former employees must go through this process,” she said.
Recently, Goss has been highly critical of the damage done by leaks of classified information.
“I’m stunned to the quick when I get questions from my professional counterparts saying, ‘Mr. Goss, can’t you Americans keep a secret?”‘ he told Congress last month.
Waters is going through the established publication process. His attorney, Mark Zaid, said Waters submitted his book to the agency in May 2004 and that by September 2004, just four words were blocked from publication. Waters resubmitted changes for a final review just over two months later. But last month, the agency informed him that dozens of deletions would be required. The publisher, Penguin Group’s Dutton, was planning to distribute the book next month.
