Jump to content
The Education Forum

Hank Greenspun


John Simkin

Recommended Posts

On 23rd May, 1973, James W. McCord admitted that the "Plumbers" had been involved in several covert activities. This included a plot to steal documents from Hank Greenspun's safe (the editor of the Las Vegas Sun). McCord testified that Attorney General John N. Mitchell had told him that Greenspun had in his possession blackmail type information involving a Democratic candidate for President.

Carl Oglesby (The Yankee and Cowboy War) believes that this material had something to do with Richard Nixon, Robert Maheu and Howard Hughes: "Greenspun was an ally of Robert Maheu, the top Hughes aide who connected the CIA and the Mafia in 1960, who came to prominence in the Hughes empire during the Las Vegas period, and who then lost out in the Las Vegas power struggle that violently reconfigured the Hughes empire late in 1970."

The break-in did not take place and therefore the Sam Ervin Committee demanded to see these documents. So also did the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). However, Greenspun took the case to the courts and got a ruling that these documents could remain private.

In an article published in Las Vegas Sun (16th November, 1986) Greenspun admitted that he and Robert Maheu did have important information that iinterested Nixon:

"There was also some information on Edmund Muskie in my safe that held interest for the Committee to Re-elect the President. I did have the information they sought as did Bob Maheu who was present at the Saints and Sinners roast and questioned Liddy on some aspects of Watergate. Maheu told him that if they wanted information, all they had to do was ask. I suppose my answer could have been the same. They didn't have to break into my safe."

However, Greenspun does not explain why he used the courts to keep this information from the public.

In this article Greenspun also indicated that Nixon was upset with him after publishing an article in 1972 about a $100,000 campaign contribution from Howard Hughes to Nixon delivered to Bebe Rebozo in cash.

I think this is part of a disinformation campaign in an effort to direct attention to what was really in the safe.

I have been doing some research on Greenspun and I now have some idea what they were after. I suspect that this had more to do with the assassination of JFK than the removal of Nixon.

Greenspun served in Europe during the Second World War. I believe this is where he first made contact with the people who eventually established the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) in 1948. It was this department that organized Operation Mockingbird.

In 1949 the International Typographical Union in Las Vegas became involved in a long-drawn out labour dispute. Frustrated by the way the dispute was being reported, the union established its own newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal. In 1950 Greenspun purchased this newspaper for $104,000. He renamed it the Las Vegas Sun, and turned it into a daily newspaper. I believe this money was provided by Frank Wisner as part of Operation Mockingbird.

The newspaper never made money and Greenspun would have gone out of business without his investments in casinos and land deals. Well, that is how he explained how he managed to keep the newspaper going.

In 1952 Frank Wisner began having trouble with J. Edgar Hoover. He described the OPC as "Wisner's gang of weirdos" and began carrying out investigations into their past. It did not take him long to discover that some of them had been active in left-wing politics in the 1930s. This information was passed to Joseph McCarthy who started making attacks on members of the OPC. Hoover also passed to McCarthy details of an affair that Wisner had with Princess Caradja in Romania during the war. Hoover, claimed that Caradja was a Soviet agent. Cord Meyer, who was in charge of Operation Mockingbird at the time, was suspended from duty after been accused of being associated with Communist-Front organizations.

Wisner now unleashed Operation Mockingbird on McCarthy. The first shot in this war was fired by Hank Greenspun. On 25th October, 1952, Greenspun wrote in the Las Vegas Sun that: "It is common talk among homosexuals in Milwaukee who rendezvous in the White Horse Inn that Senator Joe McCarthy has often engaged in homosexual activities."

McCarthy considered a libel suit against Greenspun but decided against it when he was told by his lawyers that if the case went ahead he would have to take the witness stand and answer questions about his sexuality. In an attempt to stop the rumours circulating, McCarthy married his secretary, Jeannie Kerr. Later the couple adopted a five-week old girl from the New York Foundling Home. However, the damage had been done. Other CIA controlled journalists such as Drew Pearson, Joe Alsop, Jack Anderson, Walter Lippmann and Ed Murrow joined in and McCarthy was permanently damaged by the media coverage orchestrated by Wisner.

Greenspun was an active member of the Republican Party and wanted to seek public office. However, this was out of the question because of his criminal record. However, in 1961 President John F. Kennedy pardoned Greenspun's felony conviction, and therefore restored his right to stand as a political candidate. The following year, Greenspun attempted to obtain the Nevada gubernatorial nomination. However, he was defeated by the Mayor of Las Vegas, Oran Gragson.

Did Greenspun know anything about the JFK assassination? A fire destroyed the Sun's offices and production plant in November 1963. Greenspun suspected arson and later accused Tom Hanley, in prison for murdering a union boss, of starting the fire.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKgreenspun.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

John,

Excellent stuff on Greenspun.

Here's a curiosity below. That is Greenspun on the left.

James

James, I almost wish you hadn't posted that photo...now all we need is a link to UFO's, and the people who dismiss conspiracy theorists as "nutcases" might have something to chew on... :rolleyes:

Still, good stuff...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've read Greenspun's autobiography and he was definitely his own man. More intriguing to me than any CIA ties are his close ties to Maheu, Morgan, Williams, and one might assume Rosselli. He teamed up with Maheu to bilk Hughes out of a bundle. I'm convinced that the dirt on Muskie line was a cover and that they were really after the dirt Maheu had on Hughes and Nixon regarding the pay-offs to Rebozo. The planned break-in fell apart when Hughes' people decided it wasn't worth the effort.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Stephen Turner
John,

Excellent stuff on Greenspun.

Here's a curiosity below. That is Greenspun on the left.

James

James.

Im pretty sure that the guy on the right is one of the"faces" in Dealy Plazza :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

James, I almost wish you hadn't posted that photo...now all we need is a link to UFO's, and the people who dismiss conspiracy theorists as "nutcases" might have something to chew on... :D (Mark Knight)

Hi Mark,

Unfortunately, we can definitely cover the link to UFO's with Fred Lee Crisman and Gordon Novel. The mind can only boggle. :up

I guess the scarier thought here is pondering the time when Elvis visited Nixon and offered his services as a narc. I believe Nixon made him an honorary member of the DEA or something equally as idiotic. The fact the Elvis was high during his White House visit only adds to the absurdity. And they say conspiracy theorists are nutcases. 'The Edge Of Reality' has taken on a whole new meaning for me. :D

Im pretty sure that the guy on the right is one of the"faces" in Dealy Plazza (Stephen Turner)

Steve,

I think that must have been an Elvis look-a-like. I believe at the time, Elvis was preoccupied with Ann Margret. B)

James

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...