Jim Hougan

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Jim Hougan
BornOctober 14, 1942
Brooklyn, New York
United States
Pen nameJohn Case (with Carolyn Hougan)
Occupationauthor, journalist, film producer
Genrefiction, non-fiction
Notable worksSpooks (1978)
Secret Agenda (1984)

James Richard Hougan (born James Richard Edwards on October 14, 1942)[1] is an American author, investigative reporter and documentary film producer.

A best-selling novelist in both the United States and Europe, his books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. He is best known for Secret Agenda, the first investigative work to question the orthodox narrative of the Watergate scandal as propounded by The Washington Post.[2]

Hougan was born in Brooklyn, New York,[1] and graduated from William Horlick High School in Racine, Wisconsin in 1960. In 1966, he earned a degree in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Soon afterwards, he wed Carolyn Johnson and began work as a newspaper reporter and photographer for the Prince George's County Sentinel in the Washington metropolitan area.[3]

After winning awards from the Maryland-Delaware Press Association, he joined the Capitol Times newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1971, while working at the Cap Times and as a stringer for The New York Times, he was awarded a coveted study grant from the Alicia Patterson Foundation[4] and Rockefeller Foundation fellow. Reporting from Mexico City, Amsterdam, Ibiza, Athens, and London, his articles for the two foundations about "contemporary Western youth movements" were published in an array of national newspapers and magazines.[5] During this time, while covering countercultural movements in the West, he reported as well on the massacre of student dissidents in Tlatelolco, Mexico City and on the violent repression of their Greek counterparts by the Greek military junta in Athens.[6] Both assignments were considered dangerous.

Rebecca Moore endorsed Hougan's body of work as being the "most credible example of leftist conspiracy literature."[7] She expanded on this in another article, where she writes: "I described Mr. Hougan's article in Lobster as falling within the genre of conspiracy literature. I stand by that statement, and I believe other readers of the article would agree. [...] I believe the editors published Mr. Hougan's piece because of its conspiracy themes. However, there is a difference between an article written by a professional conspiracist, and an article with a conspiracy theme written by an investigative reporter. I recognize the importance of making that distinction, and I am happy to do so."[8]

In 2014, his former high school publicly recognized him and five others as "graduates of distinction."[9]

Hougan has been an advisory board member of the Colodny Collection at Texas A&M University since at least 2019.[10] The collection contains the research materials and over one hundred interviews conducted by Len Colodny during the writing of Silent Coup and The Forty Years War.[11] Hougan serves alongside other such notable members as Russ Baker, Kris Millegan of TrineDay, S.T. Patrick of Midnight Writers News, Gerald Posner, and Trisha Posner.[10]

Hougan is an investigative journalist and broadcaster. He lives in Afton, Virginia.[12]

Career[]

Hougan's first book, Decadence, was published soon after his return from Europe. His second book, Spooks, reported on the "metastasis" of the American intelligence community and the emerging "cryptocracy." In its review, the Los Angeles Times declared Spooks "one of the best non-fiction books of the year, a monument of fourth-level research and fact-searching." Howard Hughes, Robert Maheu, Robert Vesco, Aristotle Onassis, and Yoshio Kodama were among the book's more infamous subjects, but its most important contribution to the investigative canon may have been its reportage about lesser known intelligence agents such as Bernard Spindel, Lou Russell, Mitch WerBell, John Frank, Joseph Shimon and others.

Hougan testified at the trial of Mark Knops, editor of the Madison Kaleidoscope, a newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin.[13]

Aa Washington Editor of Harper's Magazine (1979–84), Hougan wrote extensively about the U.S. intelligence community, and the CIA in particular. His investigation of the Watergate break-in uncovered links between the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in the Watergate office building and a call-girl ring at a nearby apartment complex. This liaison arrangement, coupled with evidence implicating the CIA in the operation, led to the publication of Secret Agenda: Watergate, Deep Throat and the CIA by Random House in 1984. A Book of the Month Club selection, Secret Agenda was chosen by The New York Times as "one of the year's most noteworthy books." Throughout this period, Hougan made numerous radio and television appearances on such programs as NPR's All Things Considered, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and programs hosted by Larry King, Tom Snyder, and Regis Philbin.

External video
video icon Interview with Hougan about Secret Agenda. The Today Show (NBC), with Bryant Gumble. Season 34, Episode 51. (November 12, 1984)

In the mid-1980s, Hougan joined author Sally Denton in forming a Washington-based company – Hougan & Denton – which undertook investigative research for law firms and labor unions. Clients included the AFL-CIO, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the United Mine Workers of America, and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). During this same period, Hougan joined with Norman Mailer and Edward Jay Epstein in forming what Hougan characterized as "an invisible salon," but which The New York Times called "a small coterie of intelligence buffs, conspiracy theorists and meta-political speculators, who, with all proper self-mockery, call themselves 'the Dynamite Club.'" The group met irregularly at the Manhattan apartment of Edward Jay Epstein and at the Washington manse of Bernard "Bud" Fensterwald (founder of the Assassination Archives and Research Center in Washington, D.C.). Attendees included Dick Russell (author of The Man Who Knew Too Much), Don DeLillo (Libra and Underworld), Kevin Coogan (Dreamer of the Day), G. Gordon Liddy (Will) and others. At the time, Hougan was helping Norman Mailer in his research for what became the latter's CIA novel, Harlot's Ghost. While Mailer referred to these informal gatherings – drinks and dinner – as "meetings," the affairs had more in common with those of a salon than of an actual "club."[14]

In early 1991, Hougan was retained as a private investigator by AFL-CIO's Industrial Union Department (IUD) and by the United Steelworkers of America (USWA). At stake were the jobs of more than 1,700 workers at the Ravenswood Aluminum Corporation (RAC) in Ravenswood, West Virginia – a demographic that constituted the majority of the town's workforce. Hougan discovered that the plant from which the workers had been locked-out was secretly controlled by Marc Rich, a fugitive billionaire and commodities broker then resident in Zug, Switzerland. For the next two years, Hougan led the investigative component of an international campaign marked by demonstrations in Switzerland and England, and by congressional hearings in Washington and parliamentary speeches in Bern. In the summer of 1992, Rich finally capitulated and the Steelworkers returned to their jobs. The Ravenswood campaign has since been called "one of the most innovative and sophisticated contract campaigns ever waged by an American union. What happened in this small West Virginia town serves as a beacon of hope for American workers..."[15]

External audio
audio icon Interview with Hougan about Jonestown. Midnight Writer News Show, with S.T. Patrick. Episode 57. (April 9, 2018)

The Summer of 1992 also marked the 20th anniversary of the Watergate fiasco, and G. Gordon Liddy capitalized on the opportunity presented by the brief reemergence of public interest in the case. He hosted a special edition of his radio show live at the Watergate Hotel on June 18, 1992 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the crime, and joining him was an assortment of guests who each played a role in the events of 1972 in one way or another. Liddy was flanked by Watergate researchers Jim Hougan and Len Colodny who took part in discussion with callers and their special guests—John Barrett, Paul Leeper, and Carl Shoffler—the three arresting police officers of Watergate fame. The event was broadcast on television nationwide on by C-SPAN.[16]

With the successful closure of the Ravenswood campaign, Hougan returned to investigative reporting, documentaries and books. In 1993, he became one of the first, if not the first, American journalist to return to Beirut after years of internecine warfare, kidnappings and bombings. On assignment for the television documentary program, 60 Minutes, Hougan and Lowell Bergman paved the way for Mike Wallace to interview three of Hezbollah's most powerful figures: its spiritual leader, Sheik Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah; its former Secretary-General, Sheik Subhi al-Tufayli; and Hussein Mussawi, an Iranian agent and head of Islamic Amal. Both Musawi and Tufayli have been implicated in Lebanon's torturous Hostage Crisis. The segment, titled "Three Days in Beirut," aired on January 16, 1994.[17] Hougan continued to work for 60 Minutes over the next two years, after which he returned to writing books.

These were thrillers, all but one written with his wife, the novelist Carolyn Hougan, using the pseudonym, "John Case."[12] The first of these of was The Genesis Code (New York: Ballantine Books, 1997), a New York Times best-seller. The First Horseman (New York: Ballantine Books, 1998) followed a year later. Kingdom Come (New York: Ballantine Books, 2000) was published under his own name, and was subsequently reprinted as The Magdalen Cipher after becoming a runaway bestseller in Spain.[18] To date, his subsequent novels, all written under the John Case pseudonym, include The Syndrome (2002); The Eighth Day (2002); The Murder Artist (2004); and Ghost Dancer (2007). All were published in the U.S. by Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, Inc., as well as by publishers in Europe, Asia, South America, Australia and New Zealand. Writing with his wife as "John Case," Hougan has twice been short-listed for the Hammett Prize, honoring literary excellence in crime writing.[19]

On February 25, 2007, Hougan’s wife Carolyn passed away as a result of stomach cancer.[20]

Filmography[]

Hougan's films include The Vodka Dons, a documentary for the Discovery Channel about the Russian Mafia in the United States.

In 1998, Hougan produced Jonestown: Mystery of a Massacre, an episode of the TV show Investigative Reports, hosted by Bill Kurtis.[21] The documentary aired on November 9, 1998 on A&E in the United States and Channel 4 in the United Kingdom.[22]

Publications[]

Articles[]

  • "Being Old and Hip & Broke in Ibiza." Alicia Patterson Foundation (1972). OCLC 990309261.
"Jim Hougan was an Alicia Patterson Foundation award winner on leave from The Capital Times newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin."
On the emergence of counterculture in Mexico and the liberalization of women's roles on young men. Explores the impact of rock lyrics on a counterculture and speculates why a conservative government and an up-tight bourgeoisie try to suppress a counter-culture without first making an attempt to understand it.
  • "Kilroy's New Message." Harper's Magazine (November 1972), pp. 20-27.
  • "Greece: The Illusion of Stability." The Nation, vol. 216, no. 11 (March 12, 1973), pp. 329-334.
Discusses various political and economic issues related to Greece: economic implications of terrorism, effects of massive industrialization, and relations with other countries.

Undated

A brief biographical profile about his wife, Carolyn, for the official John Case website.

Book reviews[]

Books (non-fiction)[]

Published as John Case[]

Book contributions[]

Letters to the editor[]

Hougan responds to a review by Aaron Latham and Bob Woodward of Secret Agenda, and Latham follows with a defense of his work.
  • "Letters: From Jim Hougan, Washington, U.S.A." Lobster (UK), no. 10 (January 1986), pp. 37-40. Full issue.
"...this letter was written between the reviews of Hougan's book Secret Agenda which appeared in Lobsters 8 and 9."
"...a response [...] in the form of an email [...] to Vanity Fair's assertion that Deep Throat was Mark Felt. Since the author seems to want an audience, I've decided to publish."

Further reading[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Hougan, Jim 1942–." In: Contemporary Authors Online: A Bio-bibliographical Guide to Current Writers in Fiction, General Nonfiction, Poetry, Journalism, Drama, Motion Pictures, Television, and Other Fields. Volume 153. New Revision Series. Detroit: Gale (2006). pp. 153-155. ISBN 978-0787679071.
  2. ^ Lukas, J. Anthony (November 11, 1984). "A New Explanation of Watergate." Review of Secret Agenda: Watergate, Deep Throat and the CIA by Jim Hougan. New York Times, sec. 7, p. 7. Archived from the original.
  3. ^ "About the Author: Jim Hougan." Penguin | Random House. Archived from the original.
  4. ^ Staff writer (December 13, 1971). "Jim Hougan Wins Top Journalism Study Grant." Capital Times, vol. 110, no. 1 (Madison, Wis.), pp. 1, 4.
  5. ^ President's Ten-Year Review & Annual Report 1971 (1972). Rockefeller Foundation.
  6. ^ Hougan, Jim (April 1974). "Hard Times at the _th_ns News." Harper's Magazine, vol. 248, no. 1487, pp. 24, 28-30, 32.
  7. ^ Moore, Rebecca (October 2000). "Is the Canon on Jonestown Closed?" Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions, vol. 4, no. 1, p. 21. doi:10.1525/nr.2000.4.1.7. JSTOR 10.1525/nr.2000.4.1.7..
  8. ^ Moore, Rebecca (March 11, 2013). "Response to Jim Hougan." Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple. San Diego State University. Archived from the original.
  9. ^ Staff writer (July 29, 2014). "Six honored as Horlick Graduates of Distinction." Journal Times. "Jim Hougan, Class of 1960—While at Horlick High School, Hougan participated in baseball, cross-country, and was a member of the extra-curricular discussion group 'Stimulus' which focused on current events. It was this discussion group that began to prepare Hougan for a career in journalism that would take him abroad and back to the U.S. where he would work as Washington Editor of Harper's Magazine and as a producer for Mike Wallace at 60 Minutes. Hougan is also an accomplished author who along with his late wife Carolyn, wrote a series of best-selling thrillers under the name 'John Case.' Hougan is currently working on a new novel and last year traveled to Havana for the Frontline program on PBS to interview one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives, a former CIA officer who has been on the run for more than 30 years."
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "Advisory Board Members." The Colodny Collection at Texas A&M University. watergate.com.
  11. ^ "The Colodny Collection: 'Giving America Its History Back.'" The Colodny Collection at Texas A&M University. watergate.com.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "About the Author: John Case." Penguin | Random House. Archived from the original.
  13. ^ Staff writer (August 30, 1970). "Editor Kidnapped!" Madison Kaleidoscope, vol. 2, no. 18, p. 1. OCLC 1756402 . JSTOR community.28040342.
  14. ^ Spencer, Scott (September 22, 1991). "The Old Man and the Novel." Review of Harlot's Ghost by Norman Mailer. New York Times, sec. 6, p. 28. Archived from the original.
  15. ^ Juravich, Tom, and Kate Bronfenbrenner (1999). Ravenswood: The Steelworkers' Victory and the Revival of American Labor. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
  16. ^ "Watergate 20th Anniversary." (June 17, 1992). C-SPAN. Hosted by the G. Gordon Liddy Show on WJFK-FM.
    "G. Gordon Liddy, who spent more than four years in prison for his involvement in the Watergate break-in, hosted a radio talk show live from the Watergate Hotel to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the crime. The show featured the three officers who made the arrest of the burglars."
  17. ^ "Three Days in Beirut." 60 Minutes, CBS. Season 26, Episode 47 (January 16, 1994). 16 min. — via The Paley Center for Media: "Mike Wallace goes to Lebanon to interview retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel Bill Cowan, who is heading up an investigation of the terrorist attacks against Americans during the 1980s. Cowan believes that Syria, and therefore Syrian President Hafas Assad, knew about and helped organize many of the attacks, including the bombing of the United States Embassy, the kidnapping of Terry Anderson, and the kidnapping and murder of William Buckley. Wallace then questions three leaders of the Hesballah, or 'Party of God,' the terrorist army that controls the southern portion of Beirut, who deny any involvement in the attacks." Summary.
  18. ^ See: El Ultimo Merovingio (in Spanish). Barcelona: Editorial Planeta (2004). Translated by Sofía Coca and Roger Vázquez de Parga.
  19. ^ crimewritersna.org
  20. ^ Steve. "Carolyn Hougan (1943-2007)" (obituary). Mystery*File [blog] (May 2, 2007)
  21. ^ "Jonestown: Mystery of a Massacre." IMDb.
  22. ^ "Jonestown: Mystery of a Massacre." Turner Classic Movies.
  23. ^ "Target America." IMDb.

External links[]

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