The phrase "terminate with extreme prejudice" was not invented by the scriptwriters, but rather had already been used as a euphemism for "kill" during the Vietnam War. It was first popularized in a 14 August 1969 article in the NY Times about a murder which became known as the "Green Beret Case". A North Vietnamese asset (Thai Khac Chuyen) was accused of being a double agent. Chuyen was tortured and interrogated by Special Forces officers, and allegedly the local CIA officials directed them to terminate Chuyen with extreme prejudice. Special Forces Colonel Robert Rheault and seven others were brought to trial for Chuyen's murder, but the charges were later dismissed and there was considerable debate as to who (if anyone) had actually approved the execution. The details of this case are quite similar to Colonel Kurtz's background (i.e. murdering several alleged Vietnamese double agents).

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