DOJ Threatens HarperCollins Over Zachary Young Memoir, Warning of Criminal Charges and Seizure of Proceeds
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 15
DOJ Threatens HarperCollins Over Zachary Young Memoir, Warning of Criminal Charges and Seizure of Proceeds
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 15
Summary
HarperCollins halted Zachary Young’s memoir after a June 26 DOJ letter warned publication could trigger civil action, possible criminal referral and a constructive trust over any profits.
The department said Young’s CIA secrecy agreement required prepublication review for any writing tied to his former work and ordered him to delete all copies of the unapproved manuscript.
Young, a Navy veteran who says “American Spy” contains no classified material, called the warning coercive and said the agency has not identified any specific passage it considers sensitive.
The dispute follows Young’s high-profile defamation win against CNN, where his CIA-trained background became part of the public record; he argues the government is now reacting to embarrassment, not classification risk.