FROM THE FILES OF THE FBI 246
[poor xerox copy; cut off at the top]
C[__]RATION LIMITED PANAMA
POST OFFICE BOX 4150 PANAMA CITY. 5 REPUBLIC OF PANAMA
YOUR [illegible word] OU2 [illegible] 14 July 1971
________________________________________________
Secret
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
U.S. Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C.
U.S.A.
Dear Gentlemen:
We feel that the enclosed reports are most vital to your Committee in that
these reports involve officials of the United States Goverment:
1. Using the name of the President of the United States in connection
with criminal actions involving destruction and the threat of destruction
of foreign vessels.
2. Threatening the destruction of this Company's vessel of Panamanian
registry.
3. Threatening to murder the vessel's company of 380 men, women and
children, many of whom are Americans.
4. Using the name of the Central Intelligence Agency to threaten such
death and destruction.
5. Plainly demonstrating that the State Department and CIA act on false
information.
We became involved with the American Consul in Casablanca due to the
tragic suicide of a 23 year old American named Susan Meister, who had been
aboard our vessel for a scant four months. Miss Meister was a member of
the Church of Scientology of California, a client company of ours, and was
part of that group's drug rehabilitation programme sent to us for
administrative training in the hopes that she would be of assistance in
the project to establish drug rehabilitation centers in California. Miss
Meister was herself formerly addicted to drugs and was well acquainted
with the drug sub-culture in America.
Unfortunately, her suicidal tendencies were unknown to us. According to
her mother, Mrs. George Meister of Greeley, Colorado, Susan had previously
attempted suicide at the age of 16 by taking an overdose of pills. She
was released after a year's psychiatric treatment under Dr. Fairchild of
Denver. This psychiatrist stated to her mother that she was perfectly all
right and that her sole troubles were really due to her father; however,
Mrs. Meister claims
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her daughter never really recovered and was continuously threatening
suicide. All this is given in strictest confidence merely to explain how
it came about that we were visited by _Mr. Galbraith_ Vice-consul in
Casablanca, the man sent by his senior, _Mr. Nelson_, to see to the
necessary documents and investigation required.
Mr. Galbraith showed little concern in this matter except to state
continuously that he wanted no publicity. Our Company has had to handle
the advisement of Miss Meister's death to her family, has had to push to
try to obtain official documents which could be sent to her family, has
had to send Miss Meister's belongings to her family and are currently
trying to arrange for her remains to be sent to America for burial at our
Company's expense.
All Mr. Galbraith has done is to threaten our death and destruction should
we cause him any more trouble, as if the suicide of Miss Meister was
something which we had ourselves caused just to make trouble for him, his
senior and the U.S. Goverment. Further, Mr. Galbraith has made all manner
of accusations about our activities. In fact Mr. Galbraith has conducted
himself criminally in this whole matter, as the enclosed document reveals.
We are deeply anxious now about the safety of our vessel and those who
sail in her. We have taken steps as best we can to protect ourselves from
some sudden and mysterious catastrophe as the enclosed letter to Attorney
General Mitchell states.
Furthermore, uttering such things in public here only 72 hours after an
attempted and unexplained coup d'etat against the head of state could
easily draw the blame for it upon the President and CIA and cause
reprisals against all Americans.
We ask of your Committee that it take action to ensure our protection and
survival and that these men, Mr. Galbraith and Mr. Nelson, are handled by
the Attorney General for having made such criminal threats.
We report this to you well understanding that it could mean further
reprisals against us as threats have been made already all too plainly.
Sincerely yours,
[signed] N.H. [illegible]
Lorman [sic] H. Starkey,
Captain.
cc: The President of the United States
The Attorney General
