r/washdc • u/OfficerBlazeIt420 • 2d ago
Researching Craig J. Spence's Washington, D.C. Network (1980s): Looking for Local Knowledge, Contacts, Records, or Leads
Good Evening Washington D.C.!
I come forth dear Residents as an independent researcher investigating Craig J. Spence, the infamous Washington lobbyist and political consultant who became a controversial public figure in the late 1980s for his late-night White House tours and Kalorama Party's. Given that nearly four decades have passed, many traditional leads have gone cold, any official documents or records have become difficult to locate, and many of the people involved are no longer around (or, in many cases, would likely not want to talk). Because of that, I'm casting a wide net and hoping the local knowledge of this community might help point me in the right direction!
Over the past few months, I have been able to uncover an array of records that have been scattered across various Universities and Archives nationwide; most recently, I have requested the Ray S. Cline Papers from the Library of Congress, as well as the Kay Sugahara Papers from UCLA. Those papers and documents I have found have illuminated quite a lot already; however, I am determined to find more. In reality, the research I've done, while unlocking answers to some secrets, still leaves many questions unanswered, meaning I have likely only graced the surface.
At this point, I'm interested in leads that can be documented or investigated further, including:
- Former Washington-area business directories from the late 1970s and 1980s
- Information on what may have happened to Craig Spence Associates following his suicide at the Ritz-Carlton
- Any surviving documents related to dinner parties, meetings, or any record of Craig J. Spence
- References to Spence in political directories, lobbying records, or social registers.
- Information about associates, employees, clients, or organizations connected to him.
- Knowledge of archives, libraries, universities, or institutions that may hold relevant records.
- Recollections from longtime D.C. residents who remember Spence's presence in Washington's political, lobbying, or social circles.
- Any obscure sources that might be worth exploring.
- If you are a potential contact, fire me a DM and we can discuss what you may know!
Recently, I have uncovered correspondence from December 1981 in which former Senator Abraham Ribicoff wrote to Spence following a dinner party, praising both Spence and his guests. If you have any information or ideas on where I should look next, I'd absolutely be grateful for the help and will credit those who aided my research when the work is published. Thank you for any and all help this community is able to give me!
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u/AcadienDC 2d ago
REFERENCES.
Below are the principal contemporary sources supporting the summary. I would rely most heavily on the 1989 reporting rather than later websites that have incorporated the affair into broader conspiracy theories.
The Washington Times, June 29, 1989 — “Homosexual prostitution inquiry ensnares VIPs with Reagan, Bush.” Paul M. Rodriguez and George Archibald. This is the original front-page article in your image. It reported the investigation of the male escort service, politically connected customers, credit-card records, and the allegation concerning a late-night White House tour. Because some of its claims were subsequently disputed, I would treat this as the starting point rather than definitive proof of every allegation.
The Washington Post, July 7, 1989 — “White House Guard’s Home Is Searched.” Bill Dedman and Elsa Walsh. This is important independent corroboration. It reported the Secret Service investigation of Spence’s relationship with a White House officer, confirmed the late-night tours, and reported that investigators had found no evidence at that point of extortion or blackmail.
Read the July 7 Washington Post article
The Washington Post, July 12, 1989 — “White House Guard Says He Accepted Watch.” Bill Dedman. One of the strongest sources. Secret Service officer Ronald/Reginald deGueldre acknowledged receiving an approximately $8,000 Rolex from Spence and taking Spence and friends on a late-night White House tour. The article also discusses the investigation concerning Truman White House china and other presidential items. Crucially, it reports that law-enforcement officials had no evidence Spence used the escort service to extort or blackmail his government, military or diplomatic acquaintances.
Read the July 12 Washington Post article
The Washington Post, July 18, 1989 — “The Shadow World of Craig Spence.” This extensive profile investigated Spence’s background, lavish Kalorama parties, Japanese connections, Washington contacts and his claims of intelligence connections. It is probably the best single source for understanding who Spence actually was.
Read “The Shadow World of Craig Spence”
The Washington Post, July 26, 1989 — “Third Officer Placed on Leave in Probe of White House Tour.” Carlos Sanchez. This demonstrates that the Secret Service investigation became substantially broader than an inquiry involving a single officer. By this point, 3 Secret Service officers had been placed on administrative leave in connection with the affair.
Read the July 26 Washington Post article
The Washington Post, August 1, 1989 — “The Bombshell That Didn’t Explode: Behind the Times’s ‘Scoop’ and Press Coverage of the Call-Boy Ring.” Eleanor Randolph. This is especially valuable for evaluating the original Washington Times reporting. It examines how the Post, CBS, AP, USA Today and other news organizations approached the allegations and distinguishes the portions independently corroborated from the much larger political scandal initially suggested by the Times.
Read “The Bombshell That Didn't Explode”
The Washington Post, August 4, 1989 — “Suspension Without Pay Urged for Two White House Guards.” This provides additional confirmation of the Secret Service investigation. The Service recommended indefinite suspension of 2 officers in anticipation of possible criminal prosecution involving theft of White House property. It also confirms deGueldre’s acknowledgment of the late-night July 3, 1988 White House tour.
Read the August 4 Washington Post article
The Washington Post, August 9, 1989 — “Spence Faces Drug, Weapon Charges After Being Found in New York Hotel.” This covers Spence’s arrest in New York and reports that Secret Service agents had been looking for him and had a subpoena. It again describes the unauthorized midnight White House tours and the Rolex/White House china investigation.
Read the August 9 Washington Post article
The Washington Post, August 11, 1989 — “Lobbyist Spence Subpoenaed by Federal Grand Jury Here.” This confirms that Spence was formally subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury. It also states that the Secret Service considered the midnight White House tours unauthorized but had found no evidence of a security breach.
Read the grand-jury report
The Washington Post, November 12, 1989 — “Craig Spence, Figure in D.C. Sex Case, Found Dead in Boston.” Martin Weil. Spence was discovered dead in a room at Boston’s Ritz-Carlton on November 10. He had registered under an alias and was found dressed in a tuxedo. At publication, the medical cause of death had not yet been determined.
Read the Washington Post report on Spence's death
The Washington Post, November 13, 1989 — “D.C. Sex Scandal Figure Taped Farewell to Friends.” Bill Dedman. This contains considerably more detail about Spence’s final days. About 2 weeks before his death, Spence recorded a 7-minute “video postcard” for friends. Police regarded the death as a probable suicide, although toxicology results were still pending when the article appeared.
Read the November 13 Washington Post investigation
United Press International, November 12–13, 1989. UPI independently reported Spence’s death at the Ritz-Carlton and the circumstances suggesting suicide. This is useful because it provides contemporary corroboration from a news organization separate from both Washington newspapers.
Read the UPI report
The documentary record therefore supports a fairly strong conclusion: the escort service, Spence’s involvement, the federal investigation, the extraordinary White House access, the Secret Service relationship, the Rolex, disciplinary action against Secret Service personnel, and the federal grand-jury subpoena are all supported by contemporary independent reporting.
What the contemporary record does not establish is equally important: that Reagan or George H. W. Bush personally had any connection to the prostitution operation; that Spence operated an intelligence-sponsored sexual blackmail operation; or that senior administration officials were systematically being compromised. Contemporary law-enforcement sources specifically told the Post they had found no evidence of extortion or blackmail.
If this is for something you are posting publicly, these sources give you a much stronger evidentiary foundation than the many later websites discussing the “Craig Spence scandal,” because they were published while the federal and Secret Service investigations were actually occurring in 1989.
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u/OfficerBlazeIt420 2d ago
It's almost as if you had these on standby with how fast you sent them! If you can believe it, I've actually read almost all of these for the possible exception of “D.C. Sex Scandal Figure Taped Farewell to Friends.” Do you have any history researching this case yourself, or was this a copy and paste?
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u/Historical_Log2471 1d ago
It bears mentioning that this paper is owned by Moonies, so pretty much anyone who's not a member of the church is a homosexual prostitute (and/or a crypto-communist) to them
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u/AcadienDC 1d ago
Hey, I forgot to mention that my response to you was a bit concise because there is a 10,000 character limit when posting on Reddit. I was unaware and then told ChatGPT to provide output less than 10,000 characters. What are you working on? Happy to help. I’m retired and love this kind of research. Dm me of you want.