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Threatening Letters from Freeport-McMoRan


Six of the seven who received threatening letters from Freeport. From left to right: Robert Bryce, Daryl Slusher (elected to the Austin City Council on June 1, 1996), Alan Cline, Lori Udall, Bill Bunch, and Bob Boyer. The venue is Jim Bob's (Moffett) grill at the Barton Springs Country Club. Missing is Steven Feld.

See the article "Freeport threatens action against critics," Austin American-Statesman, December 14, 1995, p. B1. "Besides (Steven) Feld, the company sent letters to Alan Cline, a professor of computer sciences and mathematics; Robert S. Boyer, a professor of computer sciences, mathematics, and philosophy; Lori Udall, Washington director of the International Rivers Network; Bill Bunch, a lawyer for the Save Our Springs Legal Defense Fund in Austin; and Robert Bryce and Daryl Slusher of The Austin Chronicle." See also Naked City, column, Austin Chronicle, December 15-21, 1995, which includes the text of the threat letters to Bryce and Slusher.


Freeport's Threatening Letter to Boyer

Received by Fax on December 13, 1995.

From: Thomas J. Egan, Senior Vice President and Senior Administrative Deputy to the Office of the Chairman, telephone (504) 582-1626, fax (504) 582-1611, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., 1615 Poydras Street, New Orleans LA 70112, P. O. Box 51777, New Orleans, LA 70151.

To: Dr. Robert S. Boyer, Professor of Computer Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78713

Dear Dr. Cline: (sic -- wrong salutation)

We continue to read with dismay and disappointment continued unfounded attacks, and malicious and malevolent distortions of the truth alleging Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold's (Freeport) involvement in the unfortunate and deplorable human rights violations in Irian Jaya (West Papua).

As it seems you either are uninformed or choose to ignore the Bishop of Jayapura, H. F. M. Munninghoff's, recent public statement publicized both in articles and paid advertisements in the Austin American-Statesman making clear that his report is not about Freeport and does not contain accusations about Freeport, we enclose a copy of the Bishop's signed statement of November 22, 1995 and a video tape of the Bishop reading that statement.

With this letter we have provided you with documentary material clearly demonstrating that prior charges you have made, repeated, or publicized against Freeport about alleged human rights violations were inaccurate and false. Without waiving any rights we may have with regard to any false and damaging charges that have already been made against Freeport to date, we want to state clearly that if false and damaging accusations about Freeport continue to be made, there is every possibility that we will have no alternative but to seek legal recourse against those parties responsible for the future dissemination of false charges, accusations, and misrepresentations directed against Freeport.

Sincerely,
Thomas J. Egan

Who knows just how many other people were threatened by Freeport? The Times Picayune reported on July 30, 1996 that it had obtained documents that suggest that "after the cancellation, Freeport threatened OPIC employees with the possibility of personal lawsuits."