# Does the US have government assassins **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 12, 2014, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495 "2014-03-12T01:38:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/1 "2014-03-12T01:38:57Z")
Hello Everyone, I was watching the Bourne Identity this evening and it got me wondering. Is there any hard proof that the US (or any other first world countries) have assassins on the payroll. I’m not referring to dictators and their third world hit squads, but rather a government employee that can be called at a moments notice to eliminate somebody. He carries a briefcase containing various passports and a silenced firearm. Also, I’m not referring to groups such as the Navy Seals. While they are called upon to eliminate subjects like OBL, they area a legitimate military group, one that is well known. I’m talking deep undercover men that act on the President’s order to go and whack someone. Of course since an enterprise such as this would be secret, there very well might not be an answer. So while I’m looking for fact, I’ll settle for your best guess. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/2 "2014-03-12T01:43:36Z")
yes and you’re next since you’ve uncovered the truth ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/3 "2014-03-12T01:46:26Z")
I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone who’s sole job is assassinations. There just aren’t that many people who need whacking. Between the military and the clandestine service in the CIA, there are plenty of people to get the job done when deemed necessary. ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/4 "2014-03-12T01:54:21Z")
Well Israel certainly does: > **[List of Israeli assassinations](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Israeli_assassinations)** > > The following is a list of alleged and confirmed assassinations reported to have been conducted by the State of Israel. It includes attempts on notable persons who were reported to have been specifically targeted by the various Israeli security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies. > According to Eyal Weizman, "targeted assassinations have become the most significant and frequent form of Israeli military attack", and serve not only to contain terror but as a "political tool" to control P... Check out the latest assassination in Dubai - it is pretty much known to have involved over a dozen people in country. These usually aren’t lone hit men, but get on the wrong side of a bare chested leader whose name rhymes with Rasputin - you might not live very long either. The CIA certainly wanted to have hit men - the MK Ultra experiments and Church commission proved that. How many people err actually killed by the US that way is unknown. It is almost certain that we have been at least involved in dispatching Iranian nuclear scientists - but also very likely that the actual agents that plant the bomb, place the ear drop, drop the Mickey, or break in at night are out the same day if it went undetected and living in Israel. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/5 "2014-03-12T01:56:03Z")
Drone pilots. ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/6 "2014-03-12T01:56:41Z")
And friedo is right - the Mossad does other stuff as well, but it wouldn’t surprise me if some were spending most of their time finding and planning assassinations. The scope of the Dubai case was massive and took way more time than you’d guess at first blush. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/7 "2014-03-12T01:56:57Z")
I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/8 "2014-03-12T02:00:13Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > yes and you’re next since you’ve uncovered the truth He’s standing right behind me, isn’t he?:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/9 "2014-03-12T02:07:14Z")
President Ford issued an executive order forbidding government assassination. No. 12333. Of course the golden years would be with the Kennedys: famously, LBJ uttered the appalled words: ‘_We’ve been running a damned Murder Inc. down there_.’ In the Caribbean and points south. But I’d imagine that would have been as inept, stupid and messy as the original Murder Inc. run by Lepke. Assassinations are difficult, need to be covered up and cause problems greater than that which they try to solve. Even the soviets couldn’t manage them well. **[AMERICAN](https://www.bc.edu/dam/files/schools/law/lawreviews/journals/bciclr/26_1/01_TXT.htm)** LAW AND POLICY ON ASSASSINATIONS OF FOREIGN LEADERS: THE PRACTICALITY OF MAINTAINING THE STATUS QUO As it ends: _When dealing with rogue dictators or terrorists such as Saddam Hussein or Usama bin Laden, the United States has consistently employed aerial bombardment and cruise missile attacks to strike at them directly. As each was an attack against a military target or a counterterror operation, any resulting deaths would not be considered assassinations under the Clinton and Reagan exceptions to Executive Order 12333_ ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/10 "2014-03-12T04:10:03Z")
The great thing about an executive order is that any future executive can issue another order undoing it. Those orders can be situational, too, and classified. “Go kill that guy. BTW, EO 12333 does not apply to this mission. kthxbye.” What EO 12333 really means is that nobody can participate in an assassination without the President’s permission. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/11 "2014-03-12T04:16:30Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > What EO 12333 really means is that nobody can participate in an assassination without the President’s permission. Isn’t the entire point of black ops is that it’s performed outside the knowledge of higher administration? ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/12 "2014-03-12T04:47:26Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > There just aren’t that many people who need whacking. You don’t have many dealings with the general public, do you? ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/13 "2014-03-12T09:19:26Z")
Of course not. For targetted assasinations the US has used proxies and agents for decades. As for the law and Executive Orders, to paraphrase, that’s for the little people. Iran-Contra is all you need to know. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/14 "2014-03-12T09:44:07Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > **[AMERICAN](https://www.bc.edu/dam/files/schools/law/lawreviews/journals/bciclr/26_1/01_TXT.htm)** LAW AND POLICY ON ASSASSINATIONS OF FOREIGN LEADERS: THE PRACTICALITY OF MAINTAINING THE STATUS QUO > As it ends: _When dealing with rogue dictators or terrorists such as Saddam Hussein or Usama bin Laden, the United States has consistently employed aerial bombardment and cruise missile attacks to strike at them directly. As each was an attack against a military target or a counterterror operation, any resulting deaths would not be considered assassinations under the Clinton and Reagan exceptions to Executive Order 12333_ It makes it so much more moral if you kill lots of innocent or insignificant people at teh same time. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/15 "2014-03-12T11:13:40Z")
A related question might be - Do you believe that your government (whichever one it is) has a right or moral duty to assassinate people? And if so - which ones? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/16 "2014-03-12T15:52:01Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > A related question might be - Do you believe that your government (whichever one it is) has a right or moral duty to assassinate people? And if so - which ones? Anyone I damned well want them to. What do I pay taxes for anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/17 "2014-03-12T16:04:04Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Isn’t the entire point of black ops is that it’s performed outside the knowledge of higher administration? No, it’s performed outside the knowledge of the general public, Congress, and law enforcement. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/18 "2014-03-12T16:32:25Z")
The USA is just not whacking enough people to make it a full-time job - unless you count drone strikes. So any actual assassinations in the last few decades are likely one-off, recruiting people from other tasks or contracting out. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/19 "2014-03-12T16:37:11Z")
I sure hope this aint another dude I have to tip. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495/20 "2014-03-12T17:37:25Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > A related question might be - Do you believe that your government (whichever one it is) has a right or moral duty to assassinate people? And if so - which ones? I have a list. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-have-government-assassins/683495.md?page=2)