disinfozone/The_Info_Web
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull requests Projects Releases Packages Wiki Activity Actions

Fresh start from commit 85df488cc66fa4934e54d62f1eaeffd274743b7a

Browse source
This commit is contained in:
disinfo.zone 2025-08-05 00:33:58 -04:00
commit 2dffe9e0bb
1282 changed files with 19990 additions and 0 deletions
Download patch file Download diff file Expand all files Collapse all files

38
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Clark Clifford.md Normal file
View file

@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
---
tags: ["Person", "Lawyer", "Government Official", "BCCI"]
---
Clark Clifford was a prominent American attorney and government official who advised Democratic presidents since [[Harry S. Truman|Truman]].[^1] He served as chairman of [[First American Bank]] and was chief U.S. counsel to [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]].[^2]
### Political and Legal Career
Clifford arrived in [[Washington, D.C.]] in 1945 as a naval aide at the White House.[^3] He was a principal architect of "Fair Deal" politics and a co-author of the [[National Security Act of 1947]], which established the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] and the [[National Security Council]].[^4] He was a key figure in the creation of the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] and participated in the formulation of the [[Truman Doctrine]], a policy of Soviet containment.[^5]
He advised [[John F. Kennedy]] after the [[Bay of Pigs Invasion]] and served as Secretary of Defense under [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], leading efforts to extricate the United States from [[Vietnam]].[^6] Clifford also counseled [[Jimmy Carter]] on the [[Panama Canal Treaty]] and acted as his special envoy to Greece, Turkey, and India.[^7]
After leaving government service, Clifford maintained a private law practice, representing major corporations such as Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Time Incorporated, and General Electric.[^8] He was known for his ability to navigate political complexities and his influence in Washington.[^9]
### Involvement with BCCI
Clifford became involved with BCCI through his association with [[Bert Lance]], who introduced him to [[Agha Hasan Abedi]].[^10] Clifford and his law partner, [[Robert Altman]], were instrumental in BCCI's secret acquisition of [[Financial General Bankshares]], which later became First American Bank.[^11] They served as BCCI's lead counsel in the United States and were paid substantial legal fees for their work.[^12]
Clifford and Altman were accused of lying to U.S. banking regulators about BCCI's secret ownership of First American Bank.[^13] In February 1988, they sold a large portion of their First American stock to a BCCI front man, making significant profits.[^14] This transaction occurred amidst growing scrutiny of BCCI's activities.
In July 1992, Clifford and Altman were indicted by a New York grand jury on charges of bribery and fraud related to their involvement with BCCI.[^15]
## Footnotes
[^1]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 9.
[^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 9.
[^3]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 185.
[^4]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 185.
[^5]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 185.
[^6]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 185.
[^7]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 185.
[^8]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 186.
[^9]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 187.
[^10]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 181.
[^11]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 194.
[^12]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 217.
[^13]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 30.
[^14]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 215.
[^15]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 14.