Philby Greenstreet
Encyclopedia
Philby Greenstreet is a cover name adopted by Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA) counter-intelligence
(CI) officer W. Alan Howell (born 1934), a protege of legendary spymaster and Cold War architect James Jesus Angleton
who turned sharply against his mentor over the conduct of Operation CHAOS
during the Richard Nixon administration. The name Philby Greenstreet, however, purportedly became a great deal more than simply a cryptonym, assuming the proportions of urban legend, not unlike that of the mythical character Keyser Söze
in the film "The Usual Suspects." In the argot of the intelligence services, such an assumed identity is, in fact, known as a "legend," designed to mislead or otherwise confuse the adversary. In Howell's case, however, the adversary seems to have been mostly the enemy within, as accounts have him fighting a nearly fifty year insurgency against more reactionary elements in the agency.
According to accounts credited to psychedelic guru Timothy Leary
and attributed to alleged JFK mistress Mary Pinchot Meyer
, Howell's metamorphosis into Philby Greenstreet began on an August evening in 1962 when he was invited to Camp David to "drop acid" (take LSD
) with the President of the United States. Along for the journey, according again to Leary's second-hand account, were "Captain" Alfred Matthew Hubbard
, writer Aldous Huxley
(who would die a little more than a year later on the very day of Kennedy's assassination), rat-packer and presidential brother-in-law Peter Lawford
, and Mary Meyer herself. Howell had briefly been an attache to CIA Director Allen Dulles, accompanying Dulles to White House briefings of the president, and Kennedy had taken an immediate liking to the young intelligence officer which Howell himself later described as a "psychic kinship." To close the circle of coincidence, Howell's immediate supervisor at the CIA was Frank Wisner
, who had also been the superior of Cord Meyer
, who had been the husband of Mary Meyer, who was a close friend and confidante of Cicely d'Autremont, who was married to James Jesus Angleton. Meyer herself was murdered in 1964.
Based on records only now being released under a Freedom of Information Act request, the moniker "Philby Greenstreet" mutated and became, throughout the Reagan/Bush years and up to almost the present day, a collective identity and an emblem of discontent within the national security community. From the channels of government, the "legend" leapt to the internet, and from the internet to an alternate reality game
known as The Gauntlet, in which Philby Greenstreet appears to have been both character and player. According to sources in the gaming community, the latest and potentially most transformative use of the name is its adoption by Matthew Ross-Hinge III, billionaire scion of a Colorado aerospace dynasty and an avid gamer himself. Ross-Hinge is credited with fostering the evolution of The Gauntlet into a persistent world
, and of greatly expanding its presence, on and off the internet, as a chaotic fiction.
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
(CIA) counter-intelligence
Counter-intelligence
Counterintelligence or counter-intelligence refers to efforts made by intelligence organizations to prevent hostile or enemy intelligence organizations from successfully gathering and collecting intelligence against them. National intelligence programs, and, by extension, the overall defenses of...
(CI) officer W. Alan Howell (born 1934), a protege of legendary spymaster and Cold War architect James Jesus Angleton
James Jesus Angleton
James Jesus Angleton was chief of the Central Intelligence Agency's counterintelligence staff from 1954 to 1975...
who turned sharply against his mentor over the conduct of Operation CHAOS
Operation CHAOS
]Operation CHAOS or Operation MHCHAOS was the code name for a domestic espionage project conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency. A department within the CIA was established in 1967 on orders from President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson and later expanded under President Richard Nixon...
during the Richard Nixon administration. The name Philby Greenstreet, however, purportedly became a great deal more than simply a cryptonym, assuming the proportions of urban legend, not unlike that of the mythical character Keyser Söze
Keyser Söze
Keyser Söze is a fictional character in the 1995 film The Usual Suspects, written by Christopher McQuarrie and directed by Bryan Singer. According to Roger "Verbal" Kint, Söze is a crimelord whose ruthlessness and influence have acquired a legendary, even mythical, status among police and criminals...
in the film "The Usual Suspects." In the argot of the intelligence services, such an assumed identity is, in fact, known as a "legend," designed to mislead or otherwise confuse the adversary. In Howell's case, however, the adversary seems to have been mostly the enemy within, as accounts have him fighting a nearly fifty year insurgency against more reactionary elements in the agency.
According to accounts credited to psychedelic guru Timothy Leary
Timothy Leary
Timothy Francis Leary was an American psychologist and writer, known for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs. During a time when drugs like LSD and psilocybin were legal, Leary conducted experiments at Harvard University under the Harvard Psilocybin Project, resulting in the Concord Prison...
and attributed to alleged JFK mistress Mary Pinchot Meyer
Mary Pinchot Meyer
Mary Eno Pinchot Meyer was an American socialite, painter, former wife of Central Intelligence Agency official Cord Meyer and intimate friend of United States president John F. Kennedy, who was often noted for her desirable physique and social skills...
, Howell's metamorphosis into Philby Greenstreet began on an August evening in 1962 when he was invited to Camp David to "drop acid" (take LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
) with the President of the United States. Along for the journey, according again to Leary's second-hand account, were "Captain" Alfred Matthew Hubbard
Alfred Matthew Hubbard
Alfred Matthew Hubbard was an early proponent for the drug LSD during the 1950s. He is reputed to have been the "Johnny Appleseed of LSD" and the first person to emphasize LSD's potential as a visionary or transcendental drug...
, writer Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley
Aldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. Best known for his novels including Brave New World and a wide-ranging output of essays, Huxley also edited the magazine Oxford Poetry, and published short stories, poetry, travel...
(who would die a little more than a year later on the very day of Kennedy's assassination), rat-packer and presidential brother-in-law Peter Lawford
Peter Lawford
Peter Sydney Ernest Aylen , better known as Peter Lawford, was an English-American actor.He was a member of the "Rat Pack", and brother-in-law to US President John F. Kennedy, perhaps more noted in later years for his off-screen activities as a celebrity than for his acting...
, and Mary Meyer herself. Howell had briefly been an attache to CIA Director Allen Dulles, accompanying Dulles to White House briefings of the president, and Kennedy had taken an immediate liking to the young intelligence officer which Howell himself later described as a "psychic kinship." To close the circle of coincidence, Howell's immediate supervisor at the CIA was Frank Wisner
Frank Wisner
Frank Gardiner Wisner was head of Office of Strategic Services operations in southeastern Europe at the end of World War II, and the head of the Directorate of Plans of the Central Intelligence Agency during the 1950s....
, who had also been the superior of Cord Meyer
Cord Meyer
Cord Meyer, Jr. was an American Central Intelligence Agency official.-Early life:Meyer's father, Cord Meyer Sr., was a diplomat and former real estate developer. His grandfather, also called Cord Meyer, was a property developer and a chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee. He was...
, who had been the husband of Mary Meyer, who was a close friend and confidante of Cicely d'Autremont, who was married to James Jesus Angleton. Meyer herself was murdered in 1964.
Based on records only now being released under a Freedom of Information Act request, the moniker "Philby Greenstreet" mutated and became, throughout the Reagan/Bush years and up to almost the present day, a collective identity and an emblem of discontent within the national security community. From the channels of government, the "legend" leapt to the internet, and from the internet to an alternate reality game
Alternate reality game
An alternate reality game is an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform, often involving multiple media and game elements, to tell a story that may be affected by participants' ideas or actions....
known as The Gauntlet, in which Philby Greenstreet appears to have been both character and player. According to sources in the gaming community, the latest and potentially most transformative use of the name is its adoption by Matthew Ross-Hinge III, billionaire scion of a Colorado aerospace dynasty and an avid gamer himself. Ross-Hinge is credited with fostering the evolution of The Gauntlet into a persistent world
Persistent world
A persistent world is a virtual world that continues to exist even after a user exits the world and that user-made changes to its state are, to some extent, permanent...
, and of greatly expanding its presence, on and off the internet, as a chaotic fiction.