Jefferson Morley has claimed that the "biggest single revelation" generated by his legal fight with the CIA was the medal given to George Joannides for his career service with the agency. Morley has repeatedly implied or flatly stated that Joannides received the medal from the CIA for "stonewalling" the HSCA in the late seventies. This example comes from a 2021 Counterpunch article:
"Fifteen years [after the assassination], [Joannides] was called out of retirement to stonewall the House Select Committee on Assassination, a performance that won him a CIA medal."
Another example from Counterpunch where Morley has often made outrageous claims:
"I believe Joannides was honored because he concealed the existence of an authorized covert operation involving Oswald that has never been publicly acknowledged."
But the medal, called the Career Intelligence Medal, was awarded for Joannides' performance during the entirety of his CIA career. Indeed, Morley knows this because the medal citation is on his website. It reads:
In recognition of his exceptional achievement with the central intelligence agency for more than twenty-eight years. During that period, he served in diverse assignments of increasing responsibility at headquarters, the domestic field and overseas. His outstanding linguistic skills and area knowledge, expertise in specialized operational activity, and superb managerial techniques truly earned him the respect and admiration of superiors and colleagues. Mr. Joannides' overall career performance and dedication to duty uphold the highest traditions of the Operations Directorate reflecting credit on himself and the Federal service.
In his defense, Morley lamely told Dale Myers that the CIA citation "covers [Joannides'] work in 1963 and 1978." But the citation specifically recognizes the achievements of his complete career and does not single out 1963 or 1978.
When will Morley, who still refers to himself as a "journalist," stop making ridiculous and purposely misleading claims such as this?
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