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James Phelan was a nationally known and distributed reporter for over 20 years, notably between the 1950s thorugh the 1970s. At the apex of his career, Phelan wrote for True, Time, Fortune, The Reporter, Saturday Evening Post, and New York Times Magazine. Wheras he introduced himself as a an independent investigative journalist, Phelan was a staff writer for the Saturday Evening Post for seven years in the 1960's. In the seventies, he was writing almost exclusively for New York Times Magazine.

Biography of Howard Hughes
Best-known for his 1976 book about Howard Hughes, (Howard Hughes: The Hidden Years,), Phelan's journalism had a real impact on political affairs of his time.

Career as a Journalist
Phelan became very notable for his involvement in the investigation done by Jim Garrison on the Kennedy assassination. Phelan first came into contact with Garrison after writing an article on his investigation of the JFK affair. Phelan later came to New Orleans to report on the Garrison investigation. Phelan later served as a witness for the defense of Claw Shaw, defending Shaw against Garrison's investigation.

which he detailed in the Saturday Evening Post, New York Times, and his book Scandals, Scamps, and Scoundrels. In his book, Scandals, Scamps and Scoundrels: The Casebook of an Investigative Reporter, he detailed his experiences working as a young investigative journalist following a story on organized crime, a situation where he wound-up "in a ditch with a gun pressed against his head". California Governor Edmund G. Brown credited his 1962 gubanatorial win to an article by Phelan in The Reporter magazine about a loan that Mr. Hughes made to Mr. Nixon.

FBI and CIA informant
James Phelan was suspected of a relationship to the intelligence community. These suspicions were confirmed by documents released under the JFK Act and FOIA, which stated clearly that Phelan acted for many years as an informant for the FBI, CIA and FDA.

According to records released under FOIA and the JFK Act, James Phelan crossed the line between journalist to full-blown government informant starting from at least 1963. U.S. government records show Phelan to have served as an informant during his work on the Jim Garrison investigation, during which time Phelan remitted his investigative material directly to the FBI, on a voluntary basis. Phelan was also found in FOIA documents related to CIA activities, leading investigative journalists who reseached the matter to call Phelan a "CIA White House lackey" who vehemently denied any such affiliation, even when confronted directly with the proof.

Phelan's principal contact to Howard Hughes was Hughes' advisor, Robert Maheu, a former CIA officer. , a longtime Phelan friend and contact, also a former CIA officer.Phelan's role as an FBI and CIA informant was contested by author Patricia Lambert who was a family friend and godmother to Phelan's daughter, Janet. The 2009 book, “A Terrible Mistake” features interviews by author Hank Albarelli of Phelan's wife and daughter who directed Albarelli to the whereabouts of Phelan's lifelong friend Jean Pierre Lafitte, a CIA asset who was one of the suspected murderers of CIA officer Frank Olson.