Zach Robertson Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 (edited) Following these important but older topics - Robert Emmett Johnson, Cubans in Scandinavia, and AMHINT and the Assassination of JFK - I think it would be beneficial to start a new topic on John Koch Gene. John Koch Gene, or Koch as he liked to be called, was AMHINT 26 - a CIA asset / DRE member. AMHINT was the name given to the leaders of the DRE; AMSPELL was the cryptonym for the CIA's relationship with the DRE. AMSPELL files refer to the group and its activities; AMHINT files refer to the individuals. A note in the report entitled “Separate Tracks: Agency Planning – Mafia Plotting” that had been written by Jack Pfeiffer, the CIA’s in-house historian, in September 1983 -claims that “AMHINT was related to the work of the Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil (DRE).” Pfeiffer then goes on to say that he found a document that included AMHINT request of 14 January 1961 for “Silenciadores.” These were rifles with silencers and telescopic sights. Documents on Koch make it clear he received AMOT training under David Morales and was infiltrated into Cuba. Afterwords, many of these individuals, because of their age and as former students linked up with the DRE. Koch first appeared on a CIA list of DRE infiltrators in 1961 and attended the World Youth Festival in Helsinki Finland in July, 1962 (initially staying at the same Hotel - Klaus Kurkias - as Lee Harvey Oswald did three years prior). Koch was a close associate of Manuel Artime & Rafael Quintero. Koch, also an associate of David Ferrie, was arrested July 31, 1963 when the FBI raided an illegal DRE dynamite cache on Lake Pontchartrain at LaCombe. The Associated Press reported, "FBI agents swooped down on a house in a resort section near here today and seized more than a ton of dynamite and 20 bomb casings. An informed source said the explosives were part of a cache to be used in an attack on Cuba. But the FBI would only say that the materials were seized in connection with an investigation of an effort to carry out a military operation from the United States against a country with which the United States is at peace...." The materials seized by the FBI included 48 cases of dynamite, 20 firing caps, M-1 rifles, grenades, and 55 gallons of napalm. The FBI arrested two men: Sam Benton, a conduit between William McClaney and the anti-Castro Cubans, and Richard Lauchli, co-founder of the Minutemen and a close friend of Jack Ruby. ARRESTED AT LACOMBE: John Koch Gene, Sam Benton, Richard Lauchli, Earl J. Wassem Jr. Ralph Folkerts, Victor Espinosa, Carlos Eduardo Hernandez Sanchez, Acela Pedros Amores, Miguel Alvarez Jimenez, Antontio Soto Vasquez, Victor Panque. In response to FBI queries, Carlos Hernandez took the Fifth Amendment about the dynamite, and said he was associated with Manuel Artime. The FBI questioned Victor Paneque about the explosives. Carlos Quiroga told the New Orleans District Attorney's Office that Victor Paneque was in charge of training at this camp. The CIA reported: "His file contains no information to indicate connection in the LaCombe, Louisiana, area." HEMMING 1994: "The men at the LaCombe training camp were the top terrorists in the Cuban community." - Nodule 18, page 119 In August of 1963, Koch and Victor Hernandez (AM/HINT 25) were involved in a plot to bomb Cuban targets using explosives sourced out of New Orleans. Koch was born in Havanna (May 29, 1940), 'had a white look,' and allegedly made a trip to Texas in the week leading up to the assassination. Just speculation, but it is possible Koch moved on to Artime’s AMWORLD project in Nicaragua after the assassination. Some sources on John Koch Gene - AMHINT 26 Koch File - Finland Trip FBI file - Lake Ponchartrain The Road to Dallas - David Kaiser Edited May 29, 2011 by Zach Robertson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kelly Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Following these important but older topics - Robert Emmett Johnson, Cubans in Scandinavia, and AMHINT and the Assassination of JFK - I think it would be beneficial to start a new topic on John Koch Gene. John Koch Gene, or Koch as he liked to be called, was AM/HINT 26 - a CIA asset / DRE member. AMHINT was the name given to the leaders of the DRE; AMSPELL was the cryptonym for the CIA's relationship with the DRE. AMSPELL files refer to the group and its activities; AMHINT files refer to the individuals. A note in the report entitled "Separate Tracks: Agency Planning – Mafia Plotting" that had been written by Jack Pfeiffer, the CIA's in-house historian, in September 1983 -claims that "AMHINT was related to the work of the Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil (DRE)." Pfeiffer then goes on to say that he found a document that included AMHINT request of 14 January 1961 for "Silenciadores." These were rifles with silencers and telescopic sights. Documents on Koch make it clear he received AMMOT training under David Morales and was infiltrated into Cuba. Afterwords, many of these individuals, because of their age and as former students linked up with the DRE. Koch first appeared on a CIA list of DRE infiltrators in 1961 and attended the World Youth Festival in Helsinki Finland in July, 1962 (initially staying at the same Hotel - Klaus Kurkias - as Lee Harvey Oswald did three years prior). Koch was a close associate of Manuel Artime & Rafael Quintero. Koch, also an associate of David Ferrie, was arrested July 31, 1963 when the FBI raided an illegal DRE dynamite cache on Lake Pontchartrain at LaCombe. The Associated Press reported, "FBI agents swooped down on a house in a resort section near here today and seized more than a ton of dynamite and 20 bomb casings. An informed source said the explosives were part of a cache to be used in an attack on Cuba. But the FBI would only say that the materials were seized in connection with an investigation of an effort to carry out a military operation from the United States against a country with which the United States is at peace...." The materials seized by the FBI included 48 cases of dynamite, 20 firing caps, M-1 rifles, grenades, and 55 gallons of napalm. The FBI arrested two men: Sam Benton, a conduit between William McClaney and the anti-Castro Cubans, and Richard Lauchli, co-founder of the Minutemen and a close friend of Jack Ruby. ARRESTED AT LACOMBE: John Koch Gene, Sam Benton, Richard Lauchli, Earl J. Wassem Jr. Ralph Folkerts, Victor Espinosa, Carlos Eduardo Hernandez Sanchez, Acela Pedros Amores, Miguel Alvarez Jimenez, Antontio Soto Vasquez, Victor Panque. In response to FBI queries, Carlos Hernandez took the Fifth Amendment about the dynamite, and said he was associated with Manuel Artime. The FBI questioned Victor Paneque about the explosives. Carlos Quiroga told the New Orleans District Attorney's Office that Victor Paneque was in charge of training at this camp. The CIA reported: "His file contains no information to indicate connection in the LaCombe, Louisiana, area." HEMMING 1994: "The men at the LaCombe training camp were the top terrorists in the Cuban community." - Nodule 18, page 119 In August of 1963, Koch and Victor Hernandez (AM/HINT 25) were involved in a plot to bomb Cuban targets using explosives sourced out of New Orleans. Koch was born in Havanna (May 29, 1941), looked white, and allegedly made a trip to Texas in the week leading up to the assassination. Just speculation, but it is possible Koch moved on to Artime's AMWORLD project in Nicaragua after the assassination. Some sources on John Koch Gene - AMHINT 26 Koch File - Finland Trip FBI file - Lake Ponchartrain The Road to Dallas - David Kaiser Now Zach, don't be starting up no real research again or it might distract from the debates going on, and we don't want to get sidetracked with any important facts that might actually lead somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Graves Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 (edited) Following these important but older topics - Robert Emmett Johnson, Cubans in Scandinavia, and AMHINT and the Assassination of JFK - I think it would be beneficial to start a new topic on John Koch Gene. John Koch Gene, or Koch as he liked to be called, was AM/HINT 26 - a CIA asset / DRE member. AMHINT was the name given to the leaders of the DRE; AMSPELL was the cryptonym for the CIA's relationship with the DRE. AMSPELL files refer to the group and its activities; AMHINT files refer to the individuals. A note in the report entitled "Separate Tracks: Agency Planning – Mafia Plotting" that had been written by Jack Pfeiffer, the CIA's in-house historian, in September 1983 -claims that "AMHINT was related to the work of the Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil (DRE)." Pfeiffer then goes on to say that he found a document that included AMHINT request of 14 January 1961 for "Silenciadores." These were rifles with silencers and telescopic sights. Documents on Koch make it clear he received AMMOT training under David Morales and was infiltrated into Cuba. Afterwords, many of these individuals, because of their age and as former students linked up with the DRE. Koch first appeared on a CIA list of DRE infiltrators in 1961 and attended the World Youth Festival in Helsinki Finland in July, 1962 (initially staying at the same Hotel - Klaus Kurkias - as Lee Harvey Oswald did three years prior). Koch was a close associate of Manuel Artime & Rafael Quintero. Koch, also an associate of David Ferrie, was arrested July 31, 1963 when the FBI raided an illegal DRE dynamite cache on Lake Pontchartrain at LaCombe. The Associated Press reported, "FBI agents swooped down on a house in a resort section near here today and seized more than a ton of dynamite and 20 bomb casings. An informed source said the explosives were part of a cache to be used in an attack on Cuba. But the FBI would only say that the materials were seized in connection with an investigation of an effort to carry out a military operation from the United States against a country with which the United States is at peace...." The materials seized by the FBI included 48 cases of dynamite, 20 firing caps, M-1 rifles, grenades, and 55 gallons of napalm. The FBI arrested two men: Sam Benton, a conduit between William McClaney and the anti-Castro Cubans, and Richard Lauchli, co-founder of the Minutemen and a close friend of Jack Ruby. ARRESTED AT LACOMBE: John Koch Gene, Sam Benton, Richard Lauchli, Earl J. Wassem Jr. Ralph Folkerts, Victor Espinosa, Carlos Eduardo Hernandez Sanchez, Acela Pedros Amores, Miguel Alvarez Jimenez, Antontio Soto Vasquez, Victor Panque. In response to FBI queries, Carlos Hernandez took the Fifth Amendment about the dynamite, and said he was associated with Manuel Artime. The FBI questioned Victor Paneque about the explosives. Carlos Quiroga told the New Orleans District Attorney's Office that Victor Paneque was in charge of training at this camp. The CIA reported: "His file contains no information to indicate connection in the LaCombe, Louisiana, area." HEMMING 1994: "The men at the LaCombe training camp were the top terrorists in the Cuban community." - Nodule 18, page 119 In August of 1963, Koch and Victor Hernandez (AM/HINT 25) were involved in a plot to bomb Cuban targets using explosives sourced out of New Orleans. Koch was born in Havanna (May 29, 1941), looked white, and allegedly made a trip to Texas in the week leading up to the assassination. Just speculation, but it is possible Koch moved on to Artime's AMWORLD project in Nicaragua after the assassination. Some sources on John Koch Gene - AMHINT 26 Koch File - Finland Trip FBI file - Lake Ponchartrain The Road to Dallas - David Kaiser Now Zach, don't be starting up no real research again or it might distract from the debates going on, and we don't want to get sidetracked with any important facts that might actually lead somewhere. That's right, Zach. If you don't watch your step, the "Truthers" and other "True Believers" will swarm down on you like ravenous locusts and eat you alive, boy, and something even worse than that-- they'll accuse you of being a "Disinfo Agent"!!!!!!!! LOL --Thomas Edited May 5, 2011 by Thomas Graves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Robertson Posted May 6, 2011 Author Share Posted May 6, 2011 (edited) Now Zach, don't be starting up no real research again or it might distract from the debates going on, and we don't want to get sidetracked with any important facts that might actually lead somewhere. That's right, Zach. If you don't watch your step, the "Truthers" and other "True Believers" will swarm down on you like ravenous locusts and eat you alive, boy, and something even worse than that-- they'll accuse you of being a "Disinfo Agent"!!!!!!!! LOL --Thomas Fellas, thank you for your support. I am hoping the research gurus do not deem this topic to be a public relations disaster. Here are a couple more useful files on AMHINT 26: PRQ FILE(Personal Record Questionnaire) HSCA note Infiltration Operation Training Station Asset Report Koch's brother Herman was killed during the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Herman Koch – Killed in combat Age: 22. U.S. citizen. Date: 17-04-61. Location: Bay of Pigs, Las Villas province. Occupation: Engineering student at University of Villanueva, Havana. Place of residence: Havana. Description: Paratrooper, member of the 2506 Brigade, killed in combat during the Bay of Pigs invasion. Zach Edited September 10, 2011 by Zach Robertson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Parker Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 (edited) Fellas, thank you for your support. I am hoping the research gurus do not deem this topic to be a public relations disaster. Zach, when I went to that other thread, it had 10 people reading it. I came here, and was the only one reading. It's doing it's job. It's a distraction. Please keep up the good work, regardless... Edited May 6, 2011 by Greg Parker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Boylan Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Zach, Great information. What is your source for this statement? "...and Richard Lauchli, co-founder of the Minutemen and a close friend of Jack Ruby." Lauchli was a close associate of Frank Fiorini/Sturgis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Robertson Posted May 6, 2011 Author Share Posted May 6, 2011 (edited) Zach, Great information. What is your source for this statement? "...and Richard Lauchli, co-founder of the Minutemen and a close friend of Jack Ruby." Lauchli was a close associate of Frank Fiorini/Sturgis. Hi David, Thanks for replying. Great question - I spent more time looking at the documents and in my haste I did not source that. Mainly because Michael Hogan, who is a great researcher and valuable member of the forum, quoted John Armstrong and wrote about it here:Oswald a member of the Minutemen? I was not surprised when I looked at my copy of Harvey and Lee I found that passage on pages 553-554. So Michael, if you see this, Thank You! A connection to Fiorini/Sturgis is definitely another avenue of research worth looking at. I think what we will see is that the conspiracy to assassinate President Kennedy was very small and not all that complicated but the people involved had a vast array of connections, which makes it seem like the conspiracy would be larger. These people traveled in the same circles, were from different backgrounds, but their main thing in common was an intense feeling of anti-communism. Zach Edited September 10, 2011 by Zach Robertson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Robertson Posted May 6, 2011 Author Share Posted May 6, 2011 Fellas, thank you for your support. I am hoping the research gurus do not deem this topic to be a public relations disaster. Zach, when I went to that other thread, it had 10 people reading it. I came here, and was the only one reading. It's doing it's job. It's a distraction. Please keep up the good work, regardless... Greg, The amount of worthless madness in regards to this subject never ceases to amaze me. Thank you very much for the kind words! I am hoping you will keep up your good work as well, as I always enjoy reading your posts. Zach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Robertson Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 Herman Koch Gene below MÁRTIRES DE LA BRIGADA 2506 Zach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Robertson Posted May 28, 2011 Author Share Posted May 28, 2011 (edited) John Koch's Case Officer was Ross Crozier AKA "Harold R. Noemayr," "Roger Fox," and "Clarence Smeryage." Crozier was mentioned in Gaeton Fonzi's great book The Last Investigation under the name Ron Cross. Among other things he confirmed David Atlee Phillips was "Bishop." Crozier was the liaison between JM/WAVE and the Miami DRE, run by Carlos Bringuier. Crozier has stated that the DRE was the first to report the missiles in Cuba, but the information was ignored. Despite this, the DRE remained the most troublesome anti-Castro organization in the United States. It had concluded 1962 by publishing verbal attacks on President Kennedy and Crozier failed to adequately control the student group to the satisfaction of station chief Ted Shackley. The DRE refused to spend its money as ordered or confine its activities to propaganda (which David Atlee Phillips oversaw) rather than sabotage. With financial backing from wealthy cold warriors like William Pawley and Clare Booth Luce, the DRE was on its way to setting up an independent military capability (which David Sanchez Morales oversaw). Richard Helms stepped in and assigned George E. Joannides, a young, well-educated, and experienced junior officer on a fast track inside the agency, to take over as the DRE's contact officer. Helms picked Joannides because Ross Crozier had failed to earn the respect of the DRE and therefore had little control over these CIA assets. When Joannides took over, all of this changed. Joannides was the chief of the Psychological Warfare Branch of the Miami station for more than a year before the JFK assassination. He was the directorate's paymaster, keeping the exile group in funds to the tune of $25,000 a month. More than any other CIA officer, Joannides, who worked under the name Walter Newby (code name "Howard"), knew about the real operational purpose behind Oswald's staged pro-Castro activities in New Orleans and his carefully scripted contacts with the DRE during the month of August 1963, just weeks before he left for Mexico City. In November 1963, Joannides was working on psychological warfare operations in the CIA's Miami station [JM/WAVE]. The purpose of psychological warfare, as authorized by U.S. policymakers, was to confuse and confound the government of Fidel Castro, so to hasten its replacement by a government more congenial to Washington. The first revelation was that Joannides had agents in a leading Cuban student exile group [DRE], an operation code-named AMSPELL in CIA files. These agents had a series of close encounters with Oswald three months before JFK was killed. This was the reason Helms worked so assiduously to keep Joannides's name from ever surfacing in any of the investigations into the JFK assassination. Even when the so-called 1992 JFK Records Act forced the CIA to surrender Joannides's 201 file, the file was purged. It was Helms' concern that if John Whitten, who Helms initially appointed to undertake the Agency's in-house investigation, was allowed to continue he would discover the FBI reports on Oswald's "pro-Castro" activity in New Orleans and concentrate the inquiry on the CIA's JM/WAVE station. In 1963, with a team of thirty agents and a staff of thirty clerical workers Whitten might have shaken loose any operational secrets involving Joannides and the DRE and exposed a clearer picture of the CIA's interest in Oswald. Helms was determined to keep these "family jewels" securely locked away and out of reach of a colleague whose ethical integrity made him a poor risk as a co-conspirator. It was this looming threat that prompted Helms to remove Whitten from the investigation and turn it over to James Angleton. Angleton, like his professional counterpart, J. Edgar Hoover, dropped the Cuban angle in the assassination and turned the investigation over to Counter-intelligence's Soviet Division to determine whether the KGB had influenced Oswald in any way. The Road to Dallas David Kaiser on the DRE DRE Newsletter DRE Propaganda John Koch's Tradecraft below -- Zach Edited May 29, 2011 by Zach Robertson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Robertson Posted May 29, 2011 Author Share Posted May 29, 2011 (edited) Some information on the AMOT program: After leaving Havana, David Morales assumed the responsibility for training and organizing an exile counter-intelligence/security operation: AMOT – the CIA’s shadow intelligence organization – in support of the 1962 effort against Castro. AMOTS were Cubans in Miami who gathered information primarily from debriefing Cuban refugees. The AMOT program involved more than two dozen people and lasted for several years. John Koch Gene received AMOT training. Some information below: AMOT Project AMOT Memo AMOT Report on Exile Groups Recruiting Cubans for Services Zach Edited September 10, 2011 by Zach Robertson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Rosen Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Excellent information, Zach, thanks. Reminiscent of Lee Forman and James Richards. Where are those guys? Cheers, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Robertson Posted August 28, 2013 Author Share Posted August 28, 2013 (edited) Thanks for reviving this classic thread, Steve. It seems that this old topic has been removed: Following these important but older topics - Robert Emmett Johnson... Oops. Perhaps it was deleted on accident. Johnson is a pretty interesting character worth studying. Zach Edited September 24, 2013 by Zach Robertson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Rosen Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Zach, Thanks for pointing that out. John Simkin - any idea why a Robert Johnson thread was deleted? Zach is correct, Johnson is important in the shadowy world of commercial intelligence, with odd connections to many people on the Spartacus bio pages. I don't believe he has any solid connections to the JFK case, at least that I've seen. He is worthy of research as an intriguing 20th century soldier of fortune, writer, and paid intel advisor to Rafael Trujillo and others. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Richards Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Excellent information, Zach, thanks. Reminiscent of Lee Forman and James Richards. Where are those guys? Cheers, Steve Hi Steve, I am still here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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