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John Singlaub and the Chinese Connection


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Jack Anderson served alongside Capt. John Birch, Capt. Mitchell L. WerBell III, S/Sgt. Robert Emmett Johnson, USMC, Major John Singlaub, Lt. Roger Hillsman, et al. !! (Gerry Hemming)

It's a pity that Gerry seems to be no longer posting as this information is tantalising to say the least.

I assume Gerry means they were all in China during the Second World War. John Birch was a member of the China Air Task Force when he was killed in 1945. Anderson worked as a foreign correspondent in China. He disliked this work and managed to get involved with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). This is where he made his future CIA contacts including Phil Graham who I suspect helped him get the job with Drew Pearson on the Washington Post in 1947. Mitchell WerBell was also a member of the OSS and saw action in Burma and China. Singlaub was in the OSS in France but moved to China in the final stages of the war. Unfortunately I know very little about Robert Emmett Johnson's war record. Hillsmen was in China but I do not see this as being significant. However, it might have helped shape his views on Vietnam where he was a JFK dove. As a result he was sacked by LBJ after the assassination.

There were other interesting figures in China working with the OSS. This includes William Pawley, Tommy Corcoran, Whitey Willauer, Claire Lee Chennault, Paul Helliwell, E. Howard Hunt, Lucien Conein and Ray Cline.

Why was this important?

(1) This was the first time that these right-wingers joined forces with drug lords to fight communism. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, these OSS members in China were paid for their work with five-pound sacks of opium. When most of these became members of the CIA they continued this relationship with criminals. This was especially true of Cuba in the 1950s and South-East Asia in the 1960s and 1970s. Ted Shackley became the leader of this group and as well as the assassination of JFK they were also the core members of the Iran-Contra scandal.

(2) The other reason China is important is that it was the first time that the intelligence services began to do "private jobs" for right-wing businessmen. Tommy Concoran was the main instigator of this program. Later William Pawley was to play a central role in this. This started in Guatemala in 1954 but then spread to other countries in Latin America. Operation 40 was used to assassinate people who got in their way.

For the full story see the thread on Assassination, Terrorism and the Arms Trade: The Contracting Out of U.S. Foreign Policy: 1940-2006.

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There were other interesting figures in China working with the OSS. This includes William Pawley, Tommy Corcoran, Whitey Willauer, Claire Lee Chennault, Paul Helliwell, E. Howard Hunt, Lucien Conein and Ray Cline.

I missed out another important figure who was in the OSS in China - Richard Helms.

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I think the most important figure in this Chinese group is John Singlaub. He was recruited by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during the Second World War and was parachuted into Nazi occupied France and helped to organize the French Resistance before the D-Day invasion.

Singlaub joined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and he was sent to Manchuria during the Chinese Civil War. In 1951 he became Deputy Chief of the CIA station in South Korea. Later he moved to Laos where he worked closely with Ted Shackley.

In 1964 Singlaub became chief of Military Assistance Command Studies and Observation Group (MACV-SOG). This was an unconventional warfare task force that oversaw assassination and paramilitary operations throughout Southeast Asia. MACV-SOG now took over Oplan 34-A from the CIA. Shackley, CIA chief in Laos, reported having monthly meetings with Singlaub. According to one report, Singlaub "oversaw political assassinations programs in Laos, Cambodia and Thailand" (Inside the Shadow Government).

In 1966 Ted Shackley was placed in charge of CIA secret war in Laos. He appointed Thomas G. Clines as his deputy. He also took Carl E. Jenkins, David Morales, Raphael Quintero, Felix Rodriguez and Edwin Wilson with him to Laos. According to Joel Bainerman it was at this point that Shackley and his "Secret Team" became involved in the drug trade. They did this via General Vang Pao, the leader of the anti-communist forces in Laos. Vang Pao was a major figure in the opium trade in Laos. To help him Shackley used his CIA officials and assets to sabotage the competitors. Eventually Vang Pao had a monopoly over the heroin trade in Laos. In 1967 Shackley and Clines helped Vang Pao to obtain financial backing to form his own airline, Zieng Khouang Air Transport Company, to transport opium and heroin between Long Tieng and Vientiane. In 1968 Shackley and Clines arranged a meeting in Saigon between Santo Trafficante and Vang Pao to establish a heroin-smuggling operation from Southeast Asia to the United States.

In 1969 Shackley became Chief of Station in Vietnam and headed the Phoenix Program. This involved the killing of non-combatant Vietnamese civilians suspected of collaborating with the National Liberation Front. In a two year period, Operation Phoenix murdered 28,978 civilians.

As a specialist in unconventional warfare and covert operations, Singlaub kept a low profile. However, he eventually became chief of staff of the United Nations Command in South Korea. He was forced to resign in 1978 after criticizing President Jimmy Carter and his plans to reduce the number of troops in South Korea.

Singlaub now became involved in extreme right-wing politics. In December, 1979, Singlaub and retired General Daniel Graham headed a delegation from the American Security Council, a private right-wing organization, on a trip to Guatemala. Singlaub pointed out that Ronald Reagan "recognizes that a good deal of dirty work has to be done" in order to destroy communism in Guatemala. "death squad activity in Guatemala increased dramatically following the trip." Upon his return to the United States Singlaub called for "sympathetic understanding of the death squads" (The Iran Contra Connection: Secret Teams and Covert Operations in the Reagan Era).

Singlaub returned to Guatemala in 1980. This time he went with General Gordon Sumner of the Council for inter-American Security. Singlaub again took a message from Ronald Reagan who was now campaigning for the Presidency of the United States. Singlaub told his audiences that "help was on the way in the form of Ronald Reagan".

Singlaub now joined the World Anti-Communist League (WACL). Established in 1966 by the intelligence organizations of Taiwan and South Korea to provide anti-communist propaganda. Fascists played an important role in the WACL and at least three European chapters of the organization were controlled by former SS officers from Nazi Germany. By 1980 the WACL agreed that "Argentine counterterror and torture specialist would be dispatched to El Salvador to assist in the anti-communist struggle there". (Inside the League)

With a $20,000 loan from Taiwan, Singlaub created the U.S. Council for World Freedom (USCWF) in 1981. Singlaub was an advocate of unconventional warfare, which he defined as "low intensity actions, such as sabotage, terrorism, assassination and guerrilla warfare". Singlaub made clear that the USCWF would provide "support and assistance to the democratic, anti-communist Freedom Fighters of the world." Singlaub added: "I am convinced that our struggle with Communism is not a spectator sport. as a result of that view, we have opted for the court of action which calls for the provision of support and assistance to those who are actively resisting the Soviet supported intrusion into Africa, Asia and North America".

Singlaub enjoyed a good relationship with Ronald Reagan and in 1982 USCWF was granted tax-exempt status by IRS. Singlaub had to give an undertaken that "at no time will the USCWF ever contemplate providing material or funds to any revolutionary, counter-revolutionary or liberation movement".

Soon afterwards Singlaub helped establish a company called GeoMiliTech Consultants Corporation (GMT) a Washington-based arms trading company. In 1984 it is believed that Singlaub organized a shipment of weapons, ammunition and C-4 explosives to the Contras (Inside the Shadow Government).

In January 1985, Singlaub visited South Korea and Taiwan in order to obtain money and weapons for the Contras. Later that year Singlaub developed a plan for a large military action called the "Rainbow Mission" which involved the invasion of Nicaragua by Americans and Contras. This plan was approved by Robert Owen and Oliver North. Soon afterwards Singlaub procured a $5.3 million of Eastern bloc arms for the Contras through GMT. This included 500 pounds of C-4, five ground-to-air missiles, grenades and mortars.

Questions began to be asked about Singlaub's relationship with Oliver North. On 7th October, 1985, Robert McFarlane denied that: "Lieutenant Colonel North did not use his influence to facilitate the movement of supplies to facilitate the movement of supplies to the resistance. There is no official or unofficial relationship with any member of the NSC staff regarding fund raising for the Nicaraguan democratic opposition. This includes the alleged relationship with General Singlaub."

In October, 1985, Congress agreed to vote 27 million dollars in non-lethal aid for the Contras in Nicaragua. However, members of the Ronald Reagan administration, including George Bush, decided to use this money to provide weapons to the Contras and the Mujahideen in Afghanistan.

Gene Wheaton was recruited to use National Air to transport these weapons. He agreed but began to have second thoughts when he discovered that Richard Secord was involved in the operation and in May 1986 Wheaton told William Casey, director of the CIA, about what he knew about this illegal operation. Casey refused to take any action, claiming that the agency or the government were not involved in what later became known as Irangate.

Wheaton now took his story to Daniel Sheehan, a left-wing lawyer. Wheaton told him that Thomas G. Clines and Ted Shackley had been running a top-secret assassination unit since the early 1960s. According to Wheaton, it had begun with an assassination training program for Cuban exiles and the original target had been Fidel Castro.

Wheaton also contacted Newt Royce and Mike Acoca, two journalists based in Washington. The first article on this scandal appeared in the San Francisco Examiner on 27th July, 1986. As a result of this story, Congressman Dante Facell wrote a letter to the Secretary of Defense, Casper Weinberger, asking him if it "true that foreign money, kickback money on programs, was being used to fund foreign covert operations." Two months later, Weinberger denied that the government knew about this illegal operation.

Singlaub agreed to divert press attention away from the activities of George H. W. Bush, Oliver North, William Casey, Donald P. Gregg, Robert Owen, Felix Rodriguez, Rafael Quintero, Ted Shackley, Richard L. Armitage, Thomas G. Clines and Richard Secord. He gave several interviews where he admitted raising money for the Contras. This included an article in Common Cause where he claimed he had raised "tens of million of dollars... for arms and ammunition".

This money was raised via the World Anti-Communist League. Most of this money came from the governments of Taiwan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. As the U.S. Neutrality Act bans a private American organization from supplying weapons to foreign groups, Singlaub established a secret overseas bank account to collect this money.

On 5th October, 1986, a Sandinista patrol in Nicaragua shot down a C-123K cargo plane that was supplying the Contras. That night Felix Rodriguez made a telephone call to the office of George H. W. Bush. He told Bush aide, Samuel Watson, that the C-123k aircraft had gone missing.

Eugene Hasenfus, an Air America veteran, survived the crash and told his captors that he thought the CIA was behind the operation. He also provided information that several Cuban-Americans running the operation in El Salvador. This resulted in journalists being able to identify Rafael Quintero, Luis Posada and Felix Rodriguez as the Cuban-Americans mentioned by Hasenfus.

In an article in the Washington Post (11th October, 1986), the newspaper reported that George Bush and Donald P. Gregg were linked to Felix Rodriguez. It gradually emerged that Singlaub, Richard L. Armitage, William Casey, Thomas G. Clines, Oliver North, Edwin Wilson and Richard Secord were also involved in this conspiracy to provide arms to the Contras.

On 12th December, 1986, Daniel Sheehan submitted to the court an affidavit detailing the Irangate scandal. He also claimed that Thomas G. Clines and Ted Shackley were running a private assassination program that had evolved from projects they ran while working for the CIA. Others named as being part of this assassination team included Rafael Quintero, Richard Secord, Felix Rodriguez and Albert Hakim. It later emerged that Gene Wheaton and Carl E. Jenkins were the two main sources for this affidavit.

Six days after the publication of Sheehan's affidavit, William Casey underwent an operation for a "brain tumor". As a result of the operation, Casey lost the power of speech and died, literally without ever talking. On 9th February, Robert McFarlane, another person involved in the Iran-Contra Scandal, took an overdose of drugs.

In November, 1986, Ronald Reagan set-up a three man commission (President's Special Review Board). The three men were John Tower, Brent Scowcroft and Edmund Muskie. Richard L. Armitage was interviewed by the committee. He admitted that he had arranged a series of meetings between Menachem Meron, the director general of Israel's Ministry of Defence, with Oliver North and Richard Secord. However, he denied that he discussed the replenishment of Israeli TOW missiles with Meron.

According to Lawrence E. Walsh, who carried out the official investigation into the scandal (Iran-Contra: The Final Report): "By the spring of 1985 it became clear that Congress would not rescue the Contras any time soon. The House defeated a $14 million supplemental aid package in March, leaving the Contras to rely on North and his associates. Calero found himself surrounded not only with recommended arms brokers like Secord - who by June 1985 had arranged several large arms shipments - but also willing broker/contribution solicitors like Singlaub."

Walsh also discovered that: "CIA officers in South Korea informed CIA headquarters on January 28, 1985, that retired U.S. Army Major General John K. Singlaub had asked the governing political party to contribute $2 million to the Contras. The Koreans told CIA personnel that some signal from the U.S. Government endorsing the Singlaub request would be necessary." Walsh obtained a memorandum from Oliver North to Robert McFarlane discussing this issue.

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The dynamics of Post WW2 America, are the place to start for anyone researching the JFK Assassination or even American history for that matter, I remember reading the Man Who Knew Too Much by Dick Russell, which also occasionally runs thru parallel areas and his mention of Maj Gen. Charles Willoughby, MacArthur's 'little fascist' as he was said to referred to his aide. Willoughby authored a book entitled 'The Shanghai Conspiracy' which, I believe detailed information concerning the Sorge Spy Ring, which I know little about. But I do know that Russell mentioned Mark Gayn, who was a rather controversial figure of that era. But then you get into the whole Joseph Kramer, thing. Joseph Kramer, Monica Kramer, lets see; Monica Kramer was the name of one of the women who was with Rita Naman in Minsk, where 'what a small world here's Lee Harvey Oswald over here.'

I'll just squeeze off about 17 photos and give them to the CIA when I get back to Cali. CIA takes possession of photos and Lord knows what else. FBI very interested in Rita Naman as well as Monica Kramer, Nagell sends J. Edna a letter from Joseph Kramer which probably was burnt the day after 11/22/63 if not as soon as he recieved it.

I don't know about anyone else but yes, I believe the [Mark Gayn, Sorge Affair, OSS in China] area of American History is real compelling stuff if one can find the time to read it.

Regarding Discovery Channel Programming last night, it was interesting to say the least, I couldn't believe the last show on Marilyn Monroe's mystery death, where they didn't even mention the name of the Dr. who prescribed the Nembutal, or did I miss that?

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The dynamics of Post WW2 America, are the place to start for anyone researching the JFK Assassination or even American history for that matter, I remember reading the Man Who Knew Too Much by Dick Russell, which also occasionally runs thru parallel areas and his mention of Maj Gen. Charles Willoughby, MacArthur's 'little fascist' as he was said to referred to his aide. Willoughby authored a book entitled 'The Shanghai Conspiracy' which, I believe detailed information concerning the Sorge Spy Ring, which I know little about. But I do know that Russell mentioned Mark Gayn, who was a rather controversial figure of that era. But then you get into the whole Joseph Kramer, thing. Joseph Kramer, Monica Kramer, lets see; Monica Kramer was the name of one of the women who was with Rita Naman in Minsk, where 'what a small world here's Lee Harvey Oswald over here.'

I'll just squeeze off a photo or two and give them to the CIA when I get back to Cali. CIA takes possession of photos and Lord knows what else. FBI very interested in Rita Naman as well as Monica Kramer, Nagell sends J. Edna a letter from Joseph Kramer which probably was burnt the day after 11/22/63 if not as soon as he recieved it.

I don't know about anyone else but yes, I believe the [Mark Gayn, Sorge Affair, OSS in China] area of American History is real compelling stuff if one can find the time to read it.

Regarding Discovery Channel Programming last night, it was interesting to say the least, I couldn't believe the last show on Marilyn Monroe's mystery death, where they didn't even mention the name of the Dr. who prescribed the Nembutal, or did I miss that?

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John mentions Singlaub's involvement with the World Anti-Communist League (WACL). I recall reading in Whiteout, a book by Alex Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair, that this organisation played a kind of advance guard role for the Reagan Revolution, before they actually arrived in power in 1981.

Among these activites was the WACL's involvement in the Bolivian' Cocaine Coup' of 1980. The authors claim that Claus Barbie was among those working with the good people at WACL in this coup. The fruits of the coup helped lower the price of cocaine from $1500 an ounce in 1975 to $ 200 an ounce by 1983 (which is about the only thing that could explain the Cardinals' trading Keith Hernandez to the Mets for Neil Allen).

Hence, the 1980s was born.

Does anyone know if Singlaub was involved in the Bolivian Cocaine Coup? Was the WACL basically an updated version of the old OSS China Lobby?

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Does anyone know if Singlaub was involved in the Bolivian Cocaine Coup? Was the WACL basically an updated version of the old OSS China Lobby?

The same claim was made in "The Iran Contra Connection: Secret Teams and Covert Operations in the Regan Era" (Jonathan Marshall, Peter Dale Scott and Jane Hunter). The subject is also covered in "Cocaine Politics: Drugs, Armies, and the CIA in Central America" (Peter Dale Scott and Jonathan Marshall). The original story first appeared in Scott and Jon Lee Anderson's "Inside the League". The excellent book is written by two of Jack Anderson's sons.

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John mentions Singlaub's involvement with the World Anti-Communist League (WACL). I recall reading in Whiteout, a book by Alex Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair, that this organisation played a kind of advance guard role for the Reagan Revolution, before they actually arrived in power in 1981.

This is true. However, what is really interesting is that Shackley’s Secret Team originally supported George Bush to become president. Shackley had weekly meetings with Bush and even wrote some of his foreign policy speeches. Once Bush was defeated they gave their support to Reagan, on condition that their candidate was made vice president. This mirrors what happened to JFK and LBJ in 1960.

Singlaub was the main contact with the military dictators throughout the world. After becoming leader of the World Anti-Communist League Singlaub established committees to determine the needs of anti-communist resistance movements in Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Nicaragua, and Afghanistan.

In 1980 Singlaub went to Guatemala with General Gordon Sumner of the Council for inter-American Security. Singlaub again took a message from Ronald Reagan who was now campaigning for the Presidency of the United States. Singlaub told his audiences that "help was on the way in the form of Ronald Reagan".

Singlaub enjoyed a good relationship with Ronald Reagan and in 1982 USCWF was granted tax-exempt status by IRS. Singlaub had to give an undertaken that "at no time will the USCWF ever contemplate providing material or funds to any revolutionary, counter-revolutionary or liberation movement". As the Iran-Contra investigation discovered, Singlaub did not keep his promise and used his own company, GeoMiliTech Consultants Corporation (GMT) to provide these arms.

This also broke other U.S. laws. For example, the U.S. Neutrality Act bans a private American organization from supplying weapons to foreign groups. Therefore, Singlaub established a secret overseas bank account to collect this money. Most of this money came from the governments of Taiwan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. However, some came from the Texas oil industry.

Singlaub is still alive and is probably now active collecting funds to help terrorists and assassins destroy the democratic governments in Venezuela and Bolivia.

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I believe that Singlaub was connected to Nestor D. Sanchez, one of the Bay of Pigs planners and a man intertwined with JMWAVE. To check this out would require some research on my part and, unfortunately, I am not in a position to spend that kind of time at the moment.

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Guest Stephen Turner

According to AJ Webberman they were conected through the CIA, Nodule 12 if I remember rightly

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I believe that Singlaub was connected to Nestor D. Sanchez, one of the Bay of Pigs planners and a man intertwined with JMWAVE. To check this out would require some research on my part and, unfortunately, I am not in a position to spend that kind of time at the moment.

Not wishing to divert this thread, but according to a few Internet sources, it is claimed that Nestor Sanchez went to Paris with Rolando Cubela in September of 1963. A character by the name of Richard Maxwell Long was also along for the ride. Does anyone have anything on Long?

On November 22, 1963, Cubela supposedly met with Sanchez where Cubela requested a huge cache of weapons.

BTW, according to Ralph McGehee, during the period 1960-67, numerous CIA personnel requested transfers in protest of Sanchez working so closely with death squads.

FWIW.

James

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James, at this point the documents tell us that Quintero was involved in the French

trips and that Jenkins was doing some support for them although there is no

mention he himself went.

And of course Wheaton does specifically say that Jenkins introduced him to Nestor Sanchez

among others (suggesting JM/WAVE involvement for Sanchez as Jim mentioned).

One of the problems is that most of the documents from that period use

crypts extensively so without knowing what Sanchez crypt may have been its

going to be hard to locate him.

Now if somebody tells me he was called Segundo we might have something going.

-- Larry

Well OK, so I should look first next time...anyway, I think the following would give James

a yes to his question and likely confirm Jim's comment as well:

AGENCY INFORMATION

AGENCY : CIA

RECORD NUMBER : 104-10102-10026

RECORDS SERIES : JFK

AGENCY FILE NUMBER : 80T01357A

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

ORIGINATOR : CIA

FROM : SANCHEZ, NESTOR D., SAS/EOB

TO : THE RECORD

TITLE : AMLASH/1/DAINOLD

DATE : 11/13/1963

PAGES : 2

DOCUMENT TYPE : PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

SUBJECTS : JAMES CLARK

CLASSIFICATION : SECRET

RESTRICTIONS : OPEN IN FULL

CURRENT STATUS : OPEN

DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 07/19/1993

COMMENTS : JFK34 : F7 : 1993.07.19.16:39:58:280270

The following pretty well firms up the answer...yes Sanchez was part of AM/WIRLD,

yes he was working with Atime, Quintero and Jenkins circa 1963 and certainly

out of the JM/WAVE complex.

AGENCY : CIA

RECORD NUMBER : 104-10215-10169

RECORDS SERIES : JFK

AGENCY FILE NUMBER : 80T01357A

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

ORIGINATOR : CIA

FROM : DIRECTOR

TO : PARIS, LONDON, HAMBURG, FRANKFURT.

TITLE : CABLE:MR NESTOR SANCHEZ ETA PARIS 3 OCT CONTINUE MEETS

AMLALSH/1.

DATE : 09/30/1963

PAGES : 1

DOCUMENT TYPE : PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

SUBJECTS : JFK ASSASSINATION; MHAPRON PROGRAM; SANCHEZ NESTOR

CLASSIFICATION :

RESTRICTIONS : OPEN IN FULL

CURRENT STATUS : OPEN

DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 06/17/2004

COMMENTS : JFK64-50 : F24 : 20040311-1057057 :

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