Miguel Cercone

It's a great article Bill. I've tried to wrap my head around the idea that someone at the posts could have lied and "pretended" they heard a transmission. I maybe don't give this argument enough credence because of two things: 1) The existence of the Mexico City tapes the FBI listened to on Nov. 23/63 that did not have LHO's voice on them. This suggests to me that there was someone actually there to physically "impersonate" LHO and Duran. 2) The nature of the transcripts that we do have seem to me to be very choppy and stilted. They are a bit cryptic in places - needlessly so if you are just forging text. Its much easier for me to visualize that type of dialogue being spoken spontaneously, as opposed to written. Then again, the Oct. 1 call does sound a touch too scripted. Its hard for me to envision Obeyedkov stating a phrase like "Kostikov, he is dark?" as an opening line in his conversation. Sounds too neat - too cloak and dagger. The more I think about things, the more I get confused. I keep coming back to the idea that there has to be a list that we can get at revealing who was working on those days at the Listening Posts.

Thanks Larry. State Secret makes reference to the AMOTs being used in "foreign listening posts" by citing the Sturbitts testimony in Chapter 5, but I can't help but feeling there's got to be a more direct piece of corroborating evidence out there. A logbook with shift schedules possibly. Maybe a record of pay stubs. The Mexico City Station and/or the DFS had to have a list of who was being employed there during this time. I'm trying to determine how the forged LHO/Duran calls could have logistically been made. The voices on those tapes had to come from somewhere. Right now, I'm testing the hypothesis that the calls may have originated from the Listening Posts. There were probably a limited number of females working in the Posts on September 28th from which to choose the part of "Duran." Some of the male names we already know. If we can come up with a list, it shouldn't take too long to narrow it all down. As an aside, having read your entire body of work -- its a pleasure to be communicating with you. I really found your recent blogposts on the Chicago Visit and the Wheaton Names to be illuminating. Please keep up the great work.

Does anyone have any documentation on whether there were any Morales-trained AMOTs manning the Listening Posts in Mexico City, circa September/October 1963? Anything other than the William Sturbitts testimony would be appreciated.