1983: INDICTED EXPERT ON MIDEAST IS FOUND DEAD - CIA Agent W. Dubberstein

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INDICTED EXPERT ON MIDEAST IS FOUND DEAD IN VIRGINIA
By B.DRUMMOND AYRES Jr., Special to the New York Times

Published: April 30, 1983



WASHINGTON, April 29— Waldo H. Dubberstein, a former Defense Department intelligence analyst who was indicted Thursday on charges of selling secret military data to Libya, was found dead today in a storage room of an apartment building in nearby Arlington, Va. The police said he apparently killed himself with a shotgun.

Mr. Dubberstein, who was 75 years old, was scheduled to be arraigned today in Federal District Court in Alexandria, Va. The seven-count indictment charged that he had been paid more than $32,000 from 1977 through 1980 for sensitive information about military strength and capabilities in the Middle East.

Some of his dealings were said to have been with Edwin P. Wilson, the former Central Intelligence Agency operative who was recently convicted of smuggling arms to Libya.

Federal officials said Mr. Dubberstein had been under summons, rather than arrest or bond, because he had promised through his lawyers to show up for arraignment. When he did not, a warrant for his arrest was issued. Several hours later, the police reported he had been found dead with a wound in his head and a shotgun lying at his side.

''It appears to be a suicide,'' a spokesman for the Arlington County Police told reporters. Planned a Not Guilty Plea

Mr. Dubberstein had intended to plead not guilty, according to one of his lawyers, Howard M. Bushman. Had he gone to trial and been convicted on all counts, he could have been sentenced to up to 57 years in prison and fined as much as $80,000.

Mr. Dubberstein, who lived in Virginia, analyzed Middle East affairs for the Defense Intelligence Agency until about a year ago. He had been permitted to work past the normal retirement age of 65 because of his special knowledge of Egypt and Libya.

The indictment charged that Mr. Dubberstein traveled to Tripoli in 1978 under an assumed name and gave Libyan officials information about the deployment of various military forces throughout the Middle East. It was in that period that Libya and Egypt came close to armed conflict.

It was also in that period that Mr. Wilson was in Libya, working out arms deals with the Government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. According to the indictment, Mr. Dubberstein met Mr. Wilson in 1977 and thereafter began funneling information to the Libyans through Douglas M. Schlachter, a Wilson associate. Both Mr. Wilson and Mr. Schlachter were named as unindicted co-conspirators in the Dubberstein indictment.

Mr. Wilson is serving 32 years in prison after being convicted of smuggling arms to Libya in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Mr. Schlachter is also serving a prison term for illegally shipping goods to Libya. At their trials, Mr. Dubberstein's name and activities did not figure prominently. ---- Last Seen by Companion

WASHINGTON, April 29 (AP) -Federal sources said Mr. Dubberstein was last seen by a female companion with whom he apparently lived in the building where was found dead.

The building is about five miles from the Alexandria courthouse where Mr. Dubberstein was scheduled to appear for arraignment. Sources quoted his companion as saying he had told her he was going to court.

They described the woman as a 32-year-old East German who once worked in Iran's diplomatic mission here, but they would not give her name.

Tom Bell, a spokesman for the Arlington County Police, said officers were called to an apartment building in the early afternoon and found the body.

Mr. Bell said there was no note near the body, but he said officers found nothing in their investigation to indicate anything other than a suicide. Notes Reported Found

However, the Federal sources said that several handwritten notes had been found and were being checked to see if they were in Mr. Dubberstein's writing. The sources did not say where the notes were discovered.

At the home of Mr. Dubberstein's estranged wife, Marie, a woman who would identify herself only as a friend said that Mrs. Dubberstein had been informed that Mr. Dubberstein had been found dead in an Arlington apartment house where he had lived since the couple separated.

When Mr. Dubberstein failed to appear in court, his attorney, Mr. Bushman, said his client ''is 75 and has heart problems,'' and added, ''I'm worried.''

http://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/30/us/in ... ginia.html

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He was a co-author of this book back in 1956 and knew much of Israel's ancient history....

http://www.caeno.org/_Nabonassar/pdf/Pa ... lendar.pdf