The Secret Man (book)
 | |
| Author | Frank Dux |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | ReganBooks |
Publication date | 1996 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 316 |
| ISBN | 978-0060391522 |
The Secret Man: An American Warrior's Uncensored Story is an memoir by martial artist Frank Dux, published in 1996 by ReganBooks. In the book, Dux asserts he was recruited by Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director William J. Casey in a public toilet to work on covert missions, including destroying a fuel depot in Nicaragua and a chemical weapons plant in Iraq. Dux's claims in the book have been contested by several notable figures, including by CIA director Robert Gates, General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., major general John K. Singlaub, as well as Soldier of Fortune magazine.
Content
The book begins with a forward by Lieutenant commander Larry Simmons, a novelist who formally commanded SEAL Team 5. Dux details his family history, describing himself as a third generation spy as his grandfather wounded Field marshal William Birdwood and shot major general William Bridges during the First world War, and his father Alfred worked for Mossad before the Second World War and joined the Jewish Brigade in 1939.
Dux states Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director William J. Casey met him in a public toilet, introducing himself as "head of the fucking CIA" and recruiting him as a covert operative. Dux states Casey was his personal handler and no-one else in the CIA knew he was working for the agency. Dux gives details of eight missions he performed for the CIA, including destroying a fuel depot in Nicaragua, being part of a joint CIA-KGB operation known as Delphi 9 which investigated the Sverdlovsk anthrax leak, and being the sole survivor of a five man high-altitude military parachuting team's failed attempt to destroy a chemical weapons plant during the Iran–Iraq War.
Dux describes major general John K. Singlaub as the leader of Phoenix Program, and states he worked with an "Admiral Smith" to deliver intelligence reports to help General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr.'s plan to disguise US helicopters as Iraqi during the Gulf War.
Reaction
Reviewing the book, Publishers Weekly said "It's hard to tell whether the author is merely posturing or expressing his fantasy life in a memoir that reads as if patterned on the early paperback Avenger series."[1] In an article about the book's disputed claims, The Plain Dealer said that Dux was either "James Bond, Rambo and the Karate Kid all rolled into one, or a fiction writer being peddled as a true American hero.[2]
Several notable figures refuted Dux's claims to have worked for the CIA. Robert Gates, William J. Casey's deputy and successor, said he had never heard of Dux, nor had anyone else he knew in the CIA. General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. and major general John K. Singlaub both denied Dux's assertions. Schwarzkopf Jr. said there was never any plan to diguise US helicopters during the Gulf War, and further added that he had never heard of the "Admiral Smith" that Dux refers to, while Singlaub was never involved in the Pheonix Program. In the book, Dux says he last saw Singlaub at a military convention in San Diego in 1993. Singlaub said he never attended the convention, and that he had never met Dux. He called the book "virtually a complete fabrication" that was "an insult" to the reader's intelligence.[2] A CIA spokesman said the book was "sheer fantasy", adding that it was unusual for the CIA to comment on such matters though Dux's claims were "so preposterous that we thought it was necessary", also stating that it was convenient for Dux that Casey was dead and unable to refute the book himself.[3] Dux's website features a letter from Lieutenant commander Alexander Martin who professes that Dux was a covert operative,[4] though the existence of Martin himself is disputed.[5] Singlaub wrote to HarperCollins, the company that owned the imprint ReganBooks which published the book, asking for it to be recalled.[2] ReganBooks refused to speak to The Plain Dealer about the allegations, and Dux did not return their calls.[2]
Author Rupert Allason says that Dux's claims about his family history do not "withstand much scrutiny", noting that his father Alfred could not have joined Mossad before the Second World War as the agency was not formed until after the war ended, and that the Jewish Brigade was not formed until several years after Alfred is said to have joined it.[6] Lieutenant commander Larry Simmons said that after reading a few pages of the book he knew he had "been deceived into lending credibility to a fraudulent endeavor". Simmons, who had the same literary agent as Dux, was asked by his agent to write a "generic" forward for the book. Simmons posed with Dux for a photograph, which Dux featured in the book, with the caption saying he was "talking shop" with the SEAL Team leader. Simmons denied "talking shop" with him, adding that Dux was "not an American warrior. He is a con man."[3]
In a scathing review, Alexander McColl from Soldier of Fortune magazine described the book as a "literary laxative". The magazine opined there were many plot holes in the book, and in their review provided ten examples of these, such as Dux's "preposterous" claim that Casey ensured that no one else in the CIA would know of his existence, yet contradicts this by describing receiving documents and support from other personnel on numerous occasions. In addition, he also criticized some of the photographs in the book, including one that shows Dux in a military uniform with what appears to be an M16 rifle, with the caption saying it was taken in 1983 in a trench. According to McColl, on closer inspection the rifle is styled to look like an M16 but is actually an Italian-made .22 Long Rifle, a low-powered firearm designed for varmint hunting and not recommended for combat. Dux refused to give any additional details about his missions for the CIA to McColl, on the grounds he and his family would face retribution if he did. McColl describes this "lame evasion" as ironic, noting that Dux wrote an entire book purporting to expose CIA secrets yet will not give the dates and locations of some events that would help verify his stories.[3] Dux sued Soldier of Fortune for libel following their criticism of The Secret Man, though the court ruled in the magazine's favor.[7]
References
- ^ "The Secret Man: An American Warrior's Uncensored Journey". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on February 10, 2019.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d Howard, Michael (June 16, 1996). "CIA Calls Dux "Quack". Spy Agency Says "Secret Man" Exploits Just Work of Fiction". The Plain Dealer. p. 16A.
- ^ a b c "Full Mental Jacket". Soldier of Fortune (August 1996): 37–39.
- ^ Figueroa, Dariel (October 21, 2005). "Lies, Litigation, And Jean-Claude Van Damme: An Exploration Into The Reality Behind 'Bloodsport'". Uproxx. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Landman, Hugh. "The Insane Story Of Frank Dux, Whose Life Allegedly Formed The Basis For 'Bloodsport'". Ranker. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ West, Nigel (2016). Cold War Counterfeit Spies: Tales of Espionage - Genuine or Bogus?. Frontline Books. p. 127. ISBN 978-1473879577.
- ^ Frank Dux v. Soldier Of Fortune Inc Larry Bailey et al, BC198883 (Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles May 14, 1999).