Tailwind: An Apology

By WALTER ISAACSON/MANAGING EDITOR

On June 7, CNN broadcast a story on NewsStand: CNN & TIME alleging that sarin nerve gas was used by U.S. forces in a secret operation in Laos, known as Tailwind, and that U.S. defectors were intentionally killed. TIME ran a companion story that week, "Did the U.S. Drop Nerve Gas?," written by the CNN journalists. After these stories provoked strong denials, CNN launched an investigation, overseen by the eminent attorney Floyd Abrams, and we promised that we would examine the issue and report back to you.

Our findings, based on reporting by our Pentagon correspondent Mark Thompson and others, matched those reached by Abrams for CNN. The allegations about the use of nerve gas and the killing of defectors are not supported by the evidence.

One on-the-record source was the platoon's second-in-command, former Lieut. Robert Van Buskirk. He said he had seen two American defectors, vividly described killing one of them and seemed to confirm that nerve gas was used. His assertion about defectors, however, was based on a "recovered memory" that occurred while being interviewed by CNN. In his own book on Tailwind, he had not made this charge. Both in his early interviews with CNN and in statements he made after the story ran, he was ambiguous about whether the "Caucasians" he recalled were American defectors or Russian advisers. He was also ambiguous, before and after the broadcast, about his knowledge of the gas used.

Another source was retired Admiral Thomas Moorer, who at the time was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Moorer, now 86, indicated that sarin was "available" and offered what CNN took to be a confirmation that the deadly gas was used. He now says that he never had any direct knowledge that sarin was used, never meant to confirm its use and only heard about it later through "rumors" or "verbal statements."

Retired Major General John Singlaub was also quoted in a way that seemed to confirm that American defectors were intentionally killed. He was not, however, involved in the Tailwind mission, and he says he has no knowledge of the events there. Subsequently he has been among those denouncing the assertion that sarin gas was used.

For its initial story, CNN also conducted telephone interviews with a former senior military official who would not go on the record but at times seemed to confirm the use of sarin gas. His statements, however, were not based on first-hand knowledge. Since the broadcast and story, this source has stated that he does not believe the gas used was sarin or nerve gas.

Other people subsequently interviewed made a compelling case that some form of tear gas, rather than a lethal nerve gas, was used in Tailwind. Gary Michael Rose, who was the medic on Tailwind, spoke quietly but determinedly to TIME about his version of events. "At no time was the word deserter or any type of thing that could be alluded to as poison or toxic ever briefed during the mission briefings that we had," he said. When the U.S. planes dropped the gas, Rose said he knew that it was tear gas rather than a nerve gas. "It burned like CS [tear gas] in the eyes; my throat felt like CS; and my skin felt like CS," he said. "CS is like a skunk--once you are exposed to it, there is no question in your mind what it is... I saw no single human being displaying any of the symptoms described for any type of toxic nerve agent."

Art Bishop flew one of the planes that dropped the gas that day. "They briefed it was tear gas--CBU-30, they called it," he says. Eugene McCarley, the mission commander, agrees. "My eyes burned slightly, and maybe a little bit difficult to breathe, but not so it should have rendered anyone ineffective," he says. "We did not use lethal gas, and we did not kill any defectors, men, women or children." John Plaster, who served in the Studies and Observation Group during Tailwind, says, "Nerve agent never was used, and it was not available on call even if we'd wanted to use it." Denver Minton, who as a sergeant first class was second-in-command of one of the three platoons involved in Tailwind, told the St. Petersburg Times, "We weren't there to kill defectors... There was no talk whatsoever about defectors." An airplane did drop gas "to help with our rescue," Minton said, "but I believe it was tear gas, not nerve gas." Many others involved in the mission have also subsequently given similar accounts to TIME.

In its detailed and candid 54-page report, which it released publicly last week, CNN said, "Although the broadcast was prepared after exhaustive research, was rooted in considerable supportive data and reflected the deeply held beliefs of the CNN journalists who prepared it, the central thesis of the broadcast could not be sustained at the time of the broadcast itself and cannot be sustained now."

We respect the forthright way that CNN handled their reinvestigation, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with them. We have learned a lot from the mistakes made, and we are working out new procedures to avoid them in the future. Like CNN, we retract the story and apologize.

Our credibility is our most important asset. When we make mistakes, it's important to be open and honest about them, get all the facts out as quickly as possible and try to set the record straight. And to say we're sorry. We are.