“The truth is always more powerful than lies. It’s just harder to get people to believe it. When you write the truth, you better have a thick skin. But truth is what journalism is supposed to be about. Journalism is the art of conveying the truth, even if it hurts. The job is to hold power accountable.”

Gary Webb
Investigative Journalist
(Aug. 31, 1955 – Dec. 10, 2004)

December 10, 2024 — Today, I will spend most of my time meditating and praying in remembrance of two men who profoundly influenced my life: Trappist Monk Thomas Merton and Investigative Journalist Gary Webb. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today

RELATED POST : On This Day — Did the CIA Kill Father Louis Thomas Merton? (December 10 1968) [UPDATE : Is ChatGPT pro-establishment oriented?]

RELATED POST : On This Day — Remembering Gary Webb “CIA & Cocaine DARK ALLIANCE” (August 31 1955 – December 10 2004)

“The very thoughts of a person like me are crimes against the state. All I have to do is think, and immediately I become guilty.”

Father Louis Merton 

A Signed Confession of Crimes against the State

Many scholars and historians have argued that both men may have been assassinated by the CIA. While these allegations were never proven, such hypotheses should not be dismissed as mere conspiracy theories.

“Incredible barbarity of the Vietnam War. The ways of killing defenseless people, it is appalling. Surely the moral sense of this country is eroded.”

Father Merton

Both men deeply challenged the powers of their time. Father Merton was a powerful voice against the Vietnam War, and Webb uncovered evidence of the CIA’s relationships with individuals and groups involved in drug trafficking during the Contra conflict in the 1980s.

The CIA Inspector General issued a report in 1998 that partially corroborated Gary Webb’s Dark Alliance allegations.

“Gary Webb was MURDERED.”

FBI senior special agent
Ted Gunderson

Did you know? On December 10, 2004, Gary Webb died from two gunshot wounds to the head. The coroner ruled his death a suicide, a conclusion that remains controversial.

Webb’s work and words serve as a reminder of the journalist’s role as a watchdog and the personal cost of pursuing inconvenient truths. His legacy continues to inspire many to ask hard questions and speak truth to power.

Merton was well aware that his dissent was not welcomed by powerful political leaders, including President Johnson. Yet, he naively felt that “they” would not dare to kill a monk.

“I am not the kind of person they want in America. And I know that the people in power know it. But they can’t touch me, because I am just a monk. The fact that I am a monk is the only thing that saves me from their wrath.”

In 1997, James W. Douglass claimed that Merton had been assassinated by agents of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In 2016, theologian Matthew Fox made a similar claim.

While there is no (so far) direct evidence that Johnson ordered anything specific to silence Merton, we know that the FBI had an ongoing surveillance program on him.

“Merton was above all a man of prayer, a thinker who challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for the church. He was also a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions.’’

Pope Francis
Address to the US Congress (2015)

Merton’s writings on spirituality and mysticism have influenced countless readers and spiritual seekers worldwide. His works, especially “The Seven Storey Mountain” (his autobiography) and “New Seeds of Contemplation”, are considered classics of Christian spirituality.

In these works, Merton explored the themes of solitude, silence, and prayer, while delving into the depths of the human soul’s search for God.

Merton became friends with Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama, and his writings reflect a deep respect for Eastern philosophies, especially Zen Buddhism.

Merton’s message of contemplation, peace, and social responsibility remains just as relevant today as it was during his lifetime, offering a timeless guide for those who seek to integrate spirituality into the complexities of modern life.

References

Merton – CIA Link? — The Catholic Review (CIA Website)

This turbulent monk: Did the CIA kill vocal war critic Thomas Merton? — The Irish Times

Managing a Nightmare — How the CIA watched over the destruction of Gary Webb — The Intercept

Charlene Fassa, “Gary Webb: More Pieces in the Suicided Puzzle,” Rense.com, December 11, 2005.

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On This Day — Remembering our Heroes : Trappist Monk Thomas Merton (January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968) & Investigative Journalist Gary Webb (August 31, 1955 – December 10, 2004)

“You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope.”

Trappist Monk Thomas Merton
(January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968)