Bradley Ayers

[John Simkin]

For those people who have the 1976 edition of Bradley Ayers' The War That Never Was, you might be interested in this list of pseudonyms:

Ted Morley (Ted Shackley)

Dave (David Morales)

Keith Rarndall (Gordon Campbell)

Turk McPhail (Rip Robertson)

Perry (Dewey Simpson)

Julio (Felix Rodriguez)

Harold (William Harvey)

Connors (James O'Connell)

Bob (Bob Wall)

[John Simkin]

Memorandum from Christopher Barger to Tim Wray (undated):

The purpose of this memo is to give you background on who Brad Ayers is and the story he tells. His story is accepted to differing degrees, depending on who one talks to, but the basics of his story check out, according to our research.

Ayers was an infantry officer in the U.S. Army during the early 1960's, specializing in paramilitary training. In early 1963, (records checks indicate it was in early April) Ayers was "loaned" by the Army to the CIA, which assigned him to the JMWAVE station. Ayers' job was to train Cuban exiles and prepare them for an invasion of Cuba. This much of his story is borne out by checks of his military and CIA files.

From here, the veracity of Ayers' claims are less easy to discern. He claims to have seen many figures at JMWAVE who were not there, according to the official record; these include Johnny Roselli and William Harvey (former Task Force W /SAS chief for CIA, who was removed from that position by Kennedy after Harvey overstepped his authority after the Missile Crisis). Ayers also claims to have gone on several raiding missions with his proteges, and to have come under fire from Castro's forces in the summer of 1963. This is significant because according to the official record, all government sanctioned action against Castro had ceased by that point.

Ayers says that many of his colleagues at the JMWAVE station built up a strong resentment of President Kennedy, and says that he believes several of them to have played roles in the assassination. Foremost among these, he says, was David Morales, the operations officer for CIA in Miami.

The HSCA interviewed Ayers, and performed searches for his records. In doing so, they discovered five sealed envelopes in his file, which HSCA staff was not allowed access to. The envelopes have ben the source of some speculation among those in the research community who believe Ayers' story.

On May 12, I interviewed Ayers at his home outside of St. Paul, Minnesota. At that point, the questions were based on information obtained from open sources only, as few of the staff had their clearances yet.

[Bruce Cormier]

Memorandum from Christopher Barger to Tim Wray (undated):

The purpose of this memo is to give you background on who Brad Ayers is and the story he tells. His story is accepted to differing degrees, depending on who one talks to, but the basics of his story check out, according to our research.

Ayers was an infantry officer in the U.S. Army during the early 1960's, specializing in paramilitary training. In early 1963, (records checks indicate it was in early April) Ayers was "loaned" by the Army to the CIA, which assigned him to the JMWAVE station. Ayers' job was to train Cuban exiles and prepare them for an invasion of Cuba. This much of his story is borne out by checks of his military and CIA files.

From here, the veracity of Ayers' claims are less easy to discern. He claims to have seen many figures at JMWAVE who were not there, according to the official record; these include Johnny Roselli and William Harvey (former Task Force W /SAS chief for CIA, who was removed from that position by Kennedy after Harvey overstepped his authority after the Missile Crisis). Ayers also claims to have gone on several raiding missions with his proteges, and to have come under fire from Castro's forces in the summer of 1963. This is significant because according to the official record, all government sanctioned action against Castro had ceased by that point.

Ayers says that many of his colleagues at the JMWAVE station built up a strong resentment of President Kennedy, and says that he believes several of them to have played roles in the assassination. Foremost among these, he says, was David Morales, the operations officer for CIA in Miami.

The HSCA interviewed Ayers, and performed searches for his records. In doing so, they discovered five sealed envelopes in his file, which HSCA staff was not allowed access to. The envelopes have ben the source of some speculation among those in the research community who believe Ayers' story.

On May 12, I interviewed Ayers at his home outside of St. Paul, Minnesota. At that point, the questions were based on information obtained from open sources only, as few of the staff had their clearances yet.

Whatever the theory or source, there always seems to be a connecting road to JMWAVE, doesn't there? Which, I suppose, should not be surprising given the role this crew played in annointing LHO as "the one" on the afternoon of 11/22 and through the weekend. Yet another reason why Morley's lawsuit matters.

Fellows of Ayers' vintage will relatively soon be like US veterans of WWII, who are dying at the rate of 1000 per day. I hope someone is out there cconducting interviews and collecting documents.

[John Simkin]

Bradley Ayers, letter to Jack Anderson (1st March, 1995)

It will be twenty-four years next month since I sat in your living room , identified a photograph of John Rosselli and answered the rest of your test questions about his personality, dress, drink and activities. You needed someone to verify Rosselli's contention that, despite his admitted mobster-Mafia connections, he had served honorably with the CIA in the secret war against Cuba following the Bay of Pigs and, in fact, was a key player in the Castro assassination plots. I responded to your detailed questioning to your satisfaction because I had been with JMWAVE, the CIA's Miami station in 1963 and 1964.

In so doing, as a former Army officer and CIA operative, I was torn by conflicting emotions. At that time no one who had been on the inside with the Agency had ever gone public. Nevertheless, my Catholic sense of integrity prevailed. I came to Washington and became your source because I trusted you and felt you were on your way to making revelations far more significant than the CIA-Mafia connection and the plans to kill Castro. Had there been conspiracies in the murders of the Kennedy's, I believed you would uncover the truth and expose the perpetrators.

I left the military and the CIA after the death of JFK because l felt in my guts that some of those I was serving with were involved in the murder of the President. What I have learned in the years since has reinforced that instinctive perception. I cannot understand why you did not continue with your discovery efforts.

It was very difficult for me to leave the life to which I had devoted a dozen years - the only life l really knew from age 18. And, although I have made a pretty

lousy civilian, I do not regret making the moral decision I did. I still feel a sense of purpose and have a keen sense of the historical significance of my experience. Civilian life has and continues to be difficult, somewhat because of what I shared with you so many years ago.

Despite the obstacles and distractions, f have persevered in my effort to make known that information from my service with the CIA that I believed was rplevant to the Kennedy assassination and that I felt the American people had a right to know. Naively, I wrote a book, THE WAR THAT NEVER WAS, which was published in 1976, expecting that my manuscript would make a contribution to the growing body of evidence pointing to a conspiracy in the President's death. I have recently learned that the managing editor at the publishing house was on the CIA payroll, intercepting and censoring books that might be damaging to the Agency.

I will be sixty years old in a few days. Physically, I am much the same as I was in 1971; 1501bs, trim and hard as nails, ready to run six miles at the drop of a hat, positive in attitude and direction. Still a professional soldier in mind, spirit and body, I await with enthusiasm my next "mission," whatever my God has in mind for me.

One of the tasks I am determined to complete is to place the information I possess into the hands of those who may use it in the pursuit of truth and justice. I still have faith in you. In the spirit of your mentor, you must press on. For that reason and no other, I am compelled to place the accompanying documents in your hands - for whatever purpose they may serve. Regardless of what you may think or others may say, I was motivated by the same honorable purpose when I became your source twenty-four years ago.

[Ryan Crowe]

A good friend has sent me a batch of documents on Bradley Ayers. This includes a letter to Jack Anderson (1st March, 1995). Bradley reveals that he had been supplying information to Anderson for 24 years about JM/WAVE and the secret war against Cuba. Bradley criticizes Anderson for not using all the information that he sent him.

John,

Does Ayers say anything specific about what info Anderson didnt use??

[James Richards]

Turk McPhail (Rip Robertson) (John Simkin)

You've gotta love that one.

James

[John Simkin]

A good friend has sent me a batch of documents on Bradley Ayers. This includes a letter to Jack Anderson (1st March, 1995). Bradley reveals that he had been supplying information to Anderson for 24 years about JM/WAVE and the secret war against Cuba. Bradley criticizes Anderson for not using all the information that he sent him.

John,

Does Ayers say anything specific about what info Anderson didnt use??

The relevant passage in the letter is:

"I left the military and the CIA after the death of JFK because l felt in my guts that some of those I was serving with were involved in the murder of the President. What I have learned in the years since has reinforced that instinctive perception. I cannot understand why you did not continue with your discovery efforts."

The suggestion is that it was the information on CIA operatives at JMWAVE that Anderson did not follow-up. That makes sense, Anderson never exposed any information that the CIA did not want to come out. Anderson was the expert on what Victor Marchetti called the "limited hangout".

"A "limited hangout" is spy jargon for a favorite and frequently used gimmick of the clandestine professionals. When their veil of secrecy is shredded and they can no longer rely on a phony cover story to misinform the public, they resort to admitting - sometimes even volunteering some of the truth while still managing to withhold the key and damaging facts in the case. The public, however, is usually so intrigued by the new information that it never thinks to pursue the matter further."

[Antti Hynonen]

John Simkin Posted Today, 08:39 AM

QUOTE(Ryan Crowe @ May 9 2006, 07:05 PM)

QUOTE

A good friend has sent me a batch of documents on Bradley Ayers. This includes a letter to Jack Anderson (1st March, 1995). Bradley reveals that he had been supplying information to Anderson for 24 years about JM/WAVE and the secret war against Cuba. Bradley criticizes Anderson for not using all the information that he sent him.

John,

Does Ayers say anything specific about what info Anderson didnt use??

The relevant passage in the letter is:

"I left the military and the CIA after the death of JFK because l felt in my guts that some of those I was serving with were involved in the murder of the President. What I have learned in the years since has reinforced that instinctive perception. I cannot understand why you did not continue with your discovery efforts."

The suggestion is that it was the information on CIA operatives at JMWAVE that Anderson did not follow-up. That makes sense, Anderson never exposed any information that the CIA did not want to come out. Anderson was the expert on what Victor Marchetti called the "limited hangout".

"A "limited hangout" is spy jargon for a favorite and frequently used gimmick of the clandestine professionals. When their veil of secrecy is shredded and they can no longer rely on a phony cover story to misinform the public, they resort to admitting - sometimes even volunteering some of the truth while still managing to withhold the key and damaging facts in the case. The public, however, is usually so intrigued by the new information that it never thinks to pursue the matter further."

What comes to mind is of course the recent Mark Felt admission regarding him being deep throat.... "limited hangout".

[John Simkin]

What comes to mind is of course the recent Mark Felt admission regarding him being deep throat.... "limited hangout".

In fact, if you look at the background of Ben Bradlee and Bob Woodward, it could be argued that all the Washington Post reports on Watergate was an example of a "limited hangout". Of course Felt was one of Woodward's informants. However, he was never one of the important ones. The information that really got Nixon came from Richard Ober and Alexander Butterfield.

[Antti Hynonen]

John Simkin Posted Today, 09:08 AM

QUOTE(Antti Hynonen @ May 10 2006, 09:51 AM)

What comes to mind is of course the recent Mark Felt admission regarding him being deep throat.... "limited hangout".

In fact, if you look at the background of Ben Bradlee and Bob Woodward, it could be argued that all the Washington Post reports on Watergate was an example of a "limited hangout". Of course Felt was one of Woodward's informants. However, he was never one of the important ones. The information that really got Nixon came from Richard Ober and Alexander Butterfield.

Operation Mockingbird and the controlling of media - the Washington Post and Watregate are prime examples.

[Norman T. Field]

What comes to mind is of course the recent Mark Felt admission regarding him being deep throat.... "limited hangout".

In fact, if you look at the background of Ben Bradlee and Bob Woodward, it could be argued that all the Washington Post reports on Watergate was an example of a "limited hangout". Of course Felt was one of Woodward's informants. However, he was never one of the important ones. The information that really got Nixon came from Richard Ober and Alexander Butterfield.

Re: The information that really got Nixon came from Richard Ober and Alexander Butterfield

Care to elaborate? I am all ears.

[John Simkin]

What comes to mind is of course the recent Mark Felt admission regarding him being deep throat.... "limited hangout".

In fact, if you look at the background of Ben Bradlee and Bob Woodward, it could be argued that all the Washington Post reports on Watergate was an example of a "limited hangout". Of course Felt was one of Woodward's informants. However, he was never one of the important ones. The information that really got Nixon came from Richard Ober and Alexander Butterfield.

Re: The information that really got Nixon came from Richard Ober and Alexander Butterfield

Care to elaborate? I am all ears.

I will be covering this in the next section of Assassination, Terrorism and the Arms Trade: The Contracting Out of U.S. Foreign Policy: 1940-2006:

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=5799

[John Simkin]

I have just received a fresh batch of documents on Bradley Ayers. It includes a memorandum written by Jeremy Gunn of the Assassination Records Review Board (18th May, 1995). After an interview with Bradley Ayers he reports: “Ayers claims to have found in the course of his private investigative work, a credible witness who can put David Morales inside the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on the night of June 5, 1968 (RFK’s assassination). Ayers offered to put me (and the Board) in touch with the unnamed person, who he feels would be willing to work with the Board."

[Dawn Meredith]

I have just received a fresh batch of documents on Bradley Ayers. It includes a memorandum written by Jeremy Gunn of the Assassination Records Review Board (18th May, 1995). After an interview with Bradley Ayers he reports: “Ayers claims to have found in the course of his private investigative work, a credible witness who can put David Morales inside the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on the night of June 5, 1968 (RFK’s assassination). Ayers offered to put me (and the Board) in touch with the unnamed person, who he feels would be willing to work with the Board."

I will be very interested in learning if Ayers passed on to anyone at the ARRB the secrets he shared with ANderson. (Or if Anderson ever passed this info onto anyone). I always believed that as a few of these men got closer to dying a kind of fear of judgement day would cause some of them to talk.

Great thread John. More and more evidence of CIA involvement.

Dawn

[Sander Hicks]

CIA researcher (and CIA veteran) Brad Ayers, is a writer who is about to conclude a lifetime of research into who killed the Kennedys. He has suffered subsequent harassment, and the experience has rendered him one very paranoid individual, living isolated in a log cabin in rural Wisconsin. I'm about the publish his book, so we'll see how it goes. I'm not at all sure what will happen. But the book is pretty big.