Zachary Young, a U.S. Navy veteran who recently won a defamation case against CNN, claims the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is censoring him by demanding he delete his unpublished spy memoir. Young, who is CIA-trained, alleges the agency rejected his manuscript for publication and ordered him to destroy it, citing a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) he signed during his service.
Young, who helped evacuate people from Afghanistan during the 2021 U.S. withdrawal, successfully argued in court that CNN falsely implied he profited illegally from the operation. His upcoming memoir, co-authored with 'American Sniper' co-author Scott McEwen, was submitted to the CIA Author Review Office (ARO) for prepublication review. Young maintains the book does not contain classified information and that his CIA background was already part of the public record after the agency confirmed it to CNN reporters.
The CIA ARO rejected the manuscript, stating it contained sensitive information subject to Young's NDA. The agency instructed him to delete the manuscript entirely, according to a letter Young received earlier this month. Young has publicly criticized the CIA's actions, calling them censorship.