Larry Hancock: Someone Would Have Talked

[Judyth Baker]

Tony, concerning that map, that seems to have vanished, interestingly enough, Lee had a map he said he made marking the locations of four payphones. I don't know if it was in hhis roominghouse area or downtown, though.

It may be that at first they thought they could use this map to incriminate him, but when they found out that there were payphones involved, they got rid of the map, because that might have led to embarrassing telephone records to look into. Just a thought.

I had a couple of maps myself with payphone locations to be used in a special rotation so I knew where and when to be to get a phone call from Lee.

====Judyth===

[John Simkin]

Larry: In chapter 18 of Someone Would Have Talked you state that Tony Cuesta was captured in Cuba and identified Herminio Diaz Garcia as one of those involved in the assassination of JFK. When and how was this information released? Did Cuesta mention any others involved in this conspiracy?

[Larry Hancock]

Hi John, the answer to the Cuesta question is that the primary source is Fabian Escalante and his remarks during the two Cuban conferences with reseachers. Secondary sources are articles writen by Dick Russell on the conference and notes posted by Gordon Winslow on his web site.

There is no doubt Cuesta was captured and Garcia killed on the mission, but as far as any specific corroboration for Escalante's information it would have to come out of Cuba and of course some folks don't trust anything coming out of Cuba.

I did find it persuasive that Escalante described the Cuesta incident in detail and was amazed that the Cuesta people came on shore in such an exposed location and right next to a Cuban militia group....it was a disaster and he was very surprised that someone with Cuesta's skill, apprent intel sources and previous mission record made such a terrible mistake. He also stated that Cuesta's remarks on JFK were at his own inititiave and were not really part of his Cuban interrogation - which certianly makes a lot of sense give that they were meaningless to the Cuban military's main concerns about exile raider groups. Cuesta brought it up at his own initiative.

Having said that, certainly we have to be cautious with Cuban sources since they do have their own political agenda and one can see they have been influenced by JFK assassination books - however whenever they bring up primary sources such as interrogations or their own intelligence network information on things like exile activities or on counter intelligence it seems to me that their information should be considered.

-- Larry

[John Simkin]

Thank you for that. Using your reference to Fabian Escalante I was able to find details of the conference in Dick Russell’s book The Man Who Knew Too Much. I see that Cuesta also named Eladio del Valle.

Nathaniel Wey’s book, Encounters With Communism, has some interesting things to say about Operation Tilt. I would be interested in your observations on this information. He writes:

In 1963, John Martino came to me with a fascinating story. He had attended a meeting in Palm Beach at which a Cuban who used the nom de guerre of Bayo claimed that the Soviets had deceived President Kennedy and that Russian missiles were still in Cuba. Bayo said he knew tills because two of the Soviet officers guarding these clandestine missiles had defected, were being hidden and guarded by the remnants of the anti-Castro underground and were desperately anxious to tell their story.

I was told that this was an emergency. The Russians could be captured by Castro's forces at any time. John Martino said that their Cuban protectors could get them safely to the northern coast of the island and thence by boat to some agreed-upon rendezvous point in the Bahamas if we acted immediately.

Martino added that Bayo and the other Cuban patriots would have nothing to do with anyone from the CIA because they believed that the Agency had betrayed them at the Bay of Pigs.

Could I get a yacht, designate a time and place to meet on some remote Bahamas island, get there and bring the Russian officers to the American mainland? If it was to be done, it must be done immediately.

Nathaniel approached Georgie Moore Lapham who used her contacts to get a boat. This she did but the CIA then took over. William Pawley also became involved and his yacht, the Flying Tiger, was used for Operation Tilt.

Did your research reveal a similar story?

I have raised some issues with Nathaniel at:

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=1055

[Larry Hancock]

John, all of Mr. Weyl's basic information is very consistent with what I've learned, esepcially as to the very early beginnings of the mission. However it got far more involved than that and the CIA did not insert itself; WAVE documents clearly show that Pawley went to Shackley and essentially pushed him into into it despite Shackley's concerns over some of those involved, specifically including Martino.

And given Bayo's initial stance about the CIA, it is pretty amazing to see that the final mission included several CIA personnel - and not minor ones at all, Robertson was there (the senior WAVE tactical mission leader) as was Martinez (theie chief boat insertion pilot and a virtual legend). Gonzalez may also have been on the mission going under the Lomulru alias. Not to mention a chartered PBY and radar coverage by one ot the two main CIA raider mother ships...uunder the direct supervision of David Morales.

Even more shocking is the CIA concession to allowing their employees to be photograhed by a LIFE magazine photographer on an actual mission - and the apparent coordination of this between Pawley and JC King. This at a time when the Kennedy Administration was denying any operations into Cuba. This CIA cooperation with LIFE in the face of all its normal guidelines, deniability etc is almost impossible to conceive and has never really been explained. Compare this to Helms testifying in regard to Watergate that Martinez could never have seen the sniper rifle he described in regard to his Cuban missions as all weapons were packaged and concealed on penetration missions - or the CIA being literally panic stricken during the Garrison investigation because Santana could identify a few operational personnel due to his one mission as a boat guide.

All in all their was something going on that makes the TILT mission unique - I have nothing to relate that to the JFK assassination but I will say that JC King knowing LIFE was covering the mission shows something was going on that we really still don't understand.

-- Larry

[Ron Ecker]

There is no doubt Cuesta was captured and Garcia killed on the mission, but as far as any specific corroboration for Escalante's information it would have to come out of Cuba and of course some folks don't trust anything coming out of Cuba.

Larry,

I believe that Escalante's claim that Diaz Garcia was involved in the assassination is corroborated by the WC testimony of Arnold Rowland, who saw a fiftyish black man at the 6th floor window, whose face was "wrinkled or marked in some way."

In the only photo I've seen of Diaz Garcia, who was black, there is some sort of mark on his forehead.

It's possible that Escalante got the idea of involving Diaz Garcia from the testimony of Rowland. But then did Escalante also put the mark on Diaz's forehead?

[Larry Hancock]

Ron, Escalante actually talks about the witnesses who report a dark

complected man in the TSBD so it's clear that is at least on the minds of the

Cubans and is more evidence that they read JFK conspiracy books.

However I belive there is a good deal of other suggestive material on

Garcia aside from Escalante and I'm continuing to work on that - on a side

note a recently obtained CIA document from the fall of 1963 identifies

Garcia as the most likely exile to carry off an assassination of Castro and

comments that rumor of the time in Cuba associates Garcia with a near

miss which killed a man sitting beside Castro.

....Larry

[John Simkin]

In the only photo I've seen of Diaz Garcia, who was black, there is some sort of mark on his forehead.

It's possible that Escalante got the idea of involving Diaz Garcia from the testimony of Rowland. But then did Escalante also put the mark on Diaz's forehead?

You can see a picture of Diaz Garcia on my website. It is one of only two pictures available of Diaz Garcia. The other one does not give a clear view of the mark on his forehead.

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

[John Simkin]

In chapter 3 of Someone Would Have Talked you look in some detail at the case of Richard Case Nagell. In Dick Russell’s book, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Nagell claims that Desmond FitzGerald is an important figure in the the assassination of JFK.

FitzGerald suddenly collapsed of an apparent heart attack on a country-home Virginia tennis court on July 23, 1967, and died en route to the hospital. At the time he was in charge of all CIA clandestine operations. "Now there is a corpse," Nagell would write, "that should be exhumed and examined by a qualified pathologist."

Did you find any evidence of this in your research of FitzGerald?

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

[Larry Hancock]

John, one of the difficulties with Nagell's remarks is that some of them are very much "situational". In the beginning he was extremely low profile and his first letters on the conspiracy were to Congressmen involved with investigations, he did not seek publicity at all at that point. Later his initial approach to Garrison was in the same vein, until he realized that Garrison's investigator was most likely CIA affiliated (Nagell was dead on about that and realized it long before Garrison).

However there was a period in time when his wife had taken his children away from him that Nagell basically went off the deep end - this was after his deal with the CIA, his travel to Europe. At that point he started going to US embassies, making statements about the CIA and essentially raising the ante on publicity to get the CIA too cooperate and get his kids back - which he eventually did. This resulted in some very strong statements about people at high levels in the CIA which I take with a grain of salt.

Now there are certainly some mysterious things about Fitzgerald and there are also indications that the Cubela contact was turned into an assassination project by Fitzgerald and Helms without any oversight....but there is little doubt that Fitzgerald was very much tied up with that in the fall of 1963. At this point I've certainly seen nothing that would tie him directly to the JFK conspiracy, I have not doubt he knew some things that could have jeapardized certain officers career paths though. On the other hand if I had copies of all the memos between Phillips and Des Fitz or knew what the two had agreed to in private I might feel differenly. Phillips was reporting to him in the critical period and if nothing else Fitzgerald might have know that Phillips was using Oswald in some fashion. If that were true it could be the cause for Nagell's remark and it may be more accurate than I know..

-- wish I knew more, Larry

[Steven Gaal]

Dear Mr. Hancock, The best explanation of the facts of RCN (Richard Nagell) are these.......... JJA (James Angleton) and Fittzgerald were at odds, RCN knew this, there would be people loyal to Fitz even after he died......... RCN worked for JJA not Fitz. RCN was very, very bright. RCN may have found a way to live and pressure CIA at the same time...

RCN was discredited via his history of mental problems, however, he was a loose end. Why didnt this loose cannon (taking the assumption RCN "was" CIA and Dallas related) with a history of mental problems - not "take" his own life - Why did he live ?????

Bruce Adamson in Vol 9 has shown the possibility that JJA ran DEMOH (George de Mohrenschildt) post assassination... If JJA ran DEMOH post - what about PRE ??????

THANKS STEVE GAAL

[John Simkin]

   

RCN was discredited via his history of mental problems, however, he was a loose end. Why didnt this loose cannon (taking the assumption RCN "was" CIA and Dallas related) with a history of mental problems - not "take" his own life - Why did he live ?????

In the book ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ Richard Case Nagell is obviously not telling Dick Russell everything he knew. The reason for this is not clear. As Larry points out, Nagell definitely does not feel a sense of loyalty towards the intelligence services.

The most revealing aspect of the book is Russell’s interviews with Vaughn Marlowe. He is one of the few people who appears to be willing to talk freely to Russell. It appears clear that Nagell was trying to implicate Marlowe in a plan to assassinate JFK in 1963. I suspect he was trying to do the same to Lee Harvey Oswald. It would seem that Nagell began to have doubts about the morality of killing JFK and tried to get it stopped. However, he was unwilling to go to the next stage and reveal who was behind the assassination.

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

[Larry Hancock]

Comments on both John and Steve's posts.

First, John, I think you captured a very important point about Nagell. Nagell was the ultimate in focus - as we know from his Korean war and later Japan intel assignments, he was hugely singleminded and would do whatever it took to gain his goal regardless of personal risk. I think there is a very good case that he made exile introductions to both Marlowe and Oswald in order to gain access to the exiles and leverage with them. That's the only thing that explains the speed of his penetrations in New York, Miami and indeed New Orleans. If that meant helping them with their assassination concept, so be it. Russell speculates that Nagell actually picked up Marlowe from his LAPD contacts and gave him to the exiles; I concur and suspect he may have given them Oswald too. However when all that got very real in September and he couldn't break Oswald from them, that was another story.

Second, Steve, I also think it's safe to say that all of Nagell's tasks in Mexico were "counter intellingence", that brings him much more under the purvue of CI and CI/SIG (who were playing games with Oswald in Mexico City) much more than Plans/Ops with Fitzgerald. Problem is we (or I for sure) have almost no insight into how Angleton really operated, his reports, how he reached beyond Washington D.C. (we know he personally did black bag jobs and bugging in D.C. but surely he must have had agency assets elsewhere). I'd love to get educated on how Angleton really worked - I expect David Phillips could have told us. But if Nagell was being manipulated by somebody I myself would suspect the CI side of things vs. Fitzgerald.

-- Larry

[David Boylan]

Mr. Hancock,

We've seen this letter before but do ytou have any new interpetations based upon what you know now? Who's the Bravo (Alpha 66) affiliate? Tony Cuesta's Commandos-L?

Dear Arturo:

I've received both of your letters, dated 9/26 and 10/4, respectively. Still

haven't seen hide nor hair of the Equipment Times, though. Does it really

advertise the likes of machines that nibble steel at the rate of three feet per

minute? Now I know why E.T. wasn't delivered. Should have thought of the reason

sooner, last week, when a recent issue of a popular magazine was withdrawn from

circulation because it featured a

bar-stretching device. Looks like the meticulous

inspection-for-microdots-and-sophisticated-cable-arrangement theory will have

to be shelved in favor of a more logical premise. Can you imagine the

possibilities that E.T.'s next issue might provide to some innate-genius with a

penchant for slapping together a facsimile of the Steel Eater, merely by

studying the specifications set forth in E.T.? Wow! I can see it now. Built on

the Q.T. in the prison library, cranked up and let loose after its christening,

like some weird science-fiction monster, easily smashing past 20,000 volumes of

Zane Grey, bursting out through the side of the library building, rumbling

slowly across the west yard toward the nearest gun tower, bullets bouncing off

its impenetrable armor, tear-gas bombs exploding all around it, sirens wailing,

bedlam -- National Guard called out, still rumbling onward, onward, not to be

stopped, finally

reaching THE WALL, angry now -- completely out of control -- spitting gooey

blobs of black molten tar at the N.G. Commander running along the top of the

wall, now rearing a gigantic head , flashing a single mamouth [sic],

keenly-polished incisor, hesitating, momentarily, then suddenly lunging

forward, chomping at the wall, bricks and chunks of concrete flying every which

way ... once ... twice ... and ... through!

Daylight on the other side! A gaping hole, 20' x 20', appears out of nowhere

... two thousand cons stampeding through, on their way to Sacramento.

After perusing your comments about the First Day's reporting

of the Great Bank Robbery -- random shots, 27 centavos, gambling activities,

etc. -- I am more convinced than ever that you should see the transcripts of

the first and second trial record. As for myself, I've never read either

transcript, though I would bet that I could give a fair account of both without

much error. I wrote sis again, this time asking her to send everything.

Here's a more up-to-date lead on Abe Greenbaum:

"Informant F-HC reports subject handed suspected courier forty pieces of silver

on 10/21/62 at Laredo, Mexico, for delivery to nuclear physicist residing in

house on 92nd Street, New York City. S/A B. O. Schernnn [sic], Washington, D.C.

Field Office, reports subject seen 11/28/62 walking east on Beacon Street,

constantly checking for tail, suddenly dashing into parked limousine sporting

U.S.S.R. Embassy license plates, which speeds away, runs red light, terminating

surveillance as Agent Schernnn forced to brake bicycle to avoid breaking the

law. Informant F-111-B reports subject and suspected courier observed at King's

Tavern, Wilmington, Del. on 12/6/62, paying for drinks with strange-looking

silver dollars taken from bulging briefcase carried by subject. Subject now

suspected of being Mr. Big in Communist plot to disrupt U.S. economy by

flooding country with hard cash. /s/ I.M. NEVERWRONG, SAIC, D.C. LAIR."

Or, we could furnish Mr.

Xerox an even more up-to-date lead, of somewhat different vintage:

Abe

Greenbaum, long suspected leftist is actually confirmed rightist, in deep

cover, working plausible denial bit with one of nation's leading and

best-financed foreign policy-making firms. He is driving along highway not far

from Langley, Va., peering intently out of jagged hole in windshield of his

Volkswagen, searching for sign bearing acronym "BPR". Date is November 21,

1963. BPR--Bureau of Public Roads--is innocuous designation used by Abe's firm.

"Gee, the Chief must be upset about something," Abe mutters to self, "he used a

rock this time instead of the ol'

soap-the-windshield trick." Purposefully cruising past BPR sign, Abe makes

U-turn in center of highway, barely missed by Fruehauf semi-trailer, then turns

right onto road leading to firm's Main Office Building. "Must not be seen

making left turn this close to headquarters," Abe mutters. Arriving at

destination, Abe circles Main Office Building five times, finally enters

parking lot abutting wooded area to right rear of building, drives to extreme

right end of lot, parks Volkswagen on right side of firm's undercover utility

truck, disguised with Bell Telephone Company markings. Sliding across

right-hand seat, he exits from right door of auto, walking long distance to

right rear entrance of Main Office Building which is draped with high

Quonset-hut type roof. "Hello there," Abe mutters as he slips by uniformed

guard he recognizes as Soviet defector, former KGB light colonel. Abe proceeds

down mile-long, musty-smelling corridor, pauses under tiny, inconspicuous

replica of firm's seal which is painted upside-down on right wall, notices that

Bald Eagle's beak on seal is pointing to far left. "Must tell Chief Bald Eagle

looking wrong way," mutters Abe. He then takes elevator to fourth floor, goes

directly to Chief's office, raps out coded knock on unmarked door, enters.

Chief is reclining in swivel-chair with feet on desk, arms folded, sleeping. On

desk Abe sees torn-up typewritten letter addressed to CHIEF, DIVISION OF DIRTY

TRICKS, signed by B. KNOW NOTHING. Chief is balding, slender man, oft referred

to by underlings as "Dirty Dick", albeit behind back. "What's up, Chief?" asks

Abe. Chief blinks eyes, opens them, snaps, "I see you got my message!" Chief

smiles. "What's with this guy Osborne recruited for Fair Play Caper? XYZ man

claims he's being used for wet affair by team we sold out at Cochina Bay." Abe

shifts weight to left foot, uncomfortably. "Don't know, Chief," he mutters,

"Ozzie seems like good man for penetration of target." Chief stands and yawns,

grins slyly. "Well, just the same you'd better contact Tidbit and have him

execute alternate ... plan." Abe stares at Chief with knowing-look. "Right,

Chief, I'll get on it ... first thing Monday morning." Abe picks up cloak and

dagger conveniently lying on desk, turns to leave, stops dead in tracks.

"Incidentally, Chief, Bald Eagle on firm's seal is pointing left." Chief grins,

sits down in swivel chair, leans back, puts feet on desk, clasps hands behind

head, closes eyes. "Really?" He says. Soon Chief is snoring. Abe departs,

returns to Volkswagen, worried about jagged hole in windshield. Mutters to

self, "Gee, I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow."

Of course, this lead is utter fiction too, a figment of the imagination ...

still, it may make interesting reading for somebody.

Are you aware that a

Duesseldorf record company has come out with just the thing for any German who

wants to relive the heady days of Nazi victory? It is two long-playing

phonograph records called, "From the Fuehrer's Headquarters (Aus dem

Fuehrerhauptquartier)." Billed as documentary records, they are comprised of

victory announcements and special bulletins from the Nazi high command,

military music and soldier's songs, Nazi songs and speeches. A booming voice

discloses the Nazis are fighting for the German nation and the security of

Europe "against the ... plot of the Jewish-Anglo Saxon warmongers ... and

against the ... Jewish rulers of the Bolshevik central in Moscow."

(Now where did he get that? What does all this

gobbledygook mean, anyway? Could this be an important lead? ... I mean there is

this thing about doing business with the Military-Industrial Complex, you

know.)

Seriously, Arturo, I had better give with a plausible

lead on this Abe Greenbaum fella, in spite of this business about plausible

denial, or "they" are liable to drop his name from my approved correspondents

list. That would be catastrophic, considering that he is the only other person

besides sis who is so approved. And the lead had best not sound too cryptic

either, or "they" might ship #83286 [Nagell's prisoner number] back to the

Funny Farm ... you know, for more

"treatment."

So let's try again:

Young Regent of Yanquis Land is visiting

"Little D" to plug for assistant who is fast losing popularity amongst

ultra-conservative proletariat of Friendship Province. Date is

well-remembered date in fall of '63. Young Regent is hated by proponents of

Secret War (and by director of large pharmaceutical combine

specializing in manufacture of cyanide capsules) because word is out he intends

to decree curtailment of clandestine operations of various Yanquis Land spook

outfits, citing as reasons that regime's continued reliance on covert methods

of achieving political goals widens faith-in-government gap, is corrosive to

principles of democracy, etc., especially when spooks get caught in the act.

Young Regent feels one spook outfit in particular is exceeding bounds of

propriety, has expanded narrow function delegated it by International Security

Act of '47 ... is becoming TOO POWERFUL ... is unduly influencing both foreign

and DOMESTIC policy by its shenanigans ... thus, must have nefarious activities

at home and abroad throttled, or at least have them restricted to endeavors

which cannot be accomplished by other, more acceptable means. BANG! BANG! BANG!

Young Regent no longer Regent of Yanquis land. Clandestine operations of spook

outfits not curtailed. Cyanide capsule market flourishing. Too Powerful One

getting MORE POWERFUL ...

What has all this got to do with Abe Greenbaum?

ANSWER: Nothing. Is it a plausible lead? ANSWER: Not very.

Wait!

Before

visit to Little D, Young Regent also thinking of effecting rapprochement with

Isle of Cuber, establishing nicer rapport with Isle of Cuber's Big Mother

Busher. Strange! ... Young Regent of Isle of Cuber also thinking of effecting

rapprochement with Yanquis Land, establishing nicer rapport with Yanquis Land's

Big Doctrine, Monroe.

How nice!

Feelers put out by

both Young Regents through "private" channels in July '63, then quasi-official

channels in August '63, through "official" channels in September '63.

Meanwhile, anti-Castor Oilers known as Bravo Club gets wind

of feelers ... doesn't like smell ... nohow! There is huddle. There is chant:

"Remember Cochina Bay! -- Remember Cochina Bay! Soon there is talk (louder than

'62 talk) of giving Young Regent of Yanquis Land Xmas present ... yo! ... gonna

brow that out to keep situation status quo (at worst) ... to change status quo

for worse (at best).

Patsy is needed!

She is pro-Castor Oiler well-known to Bravo Club. Two Bravo members speak to

Patsy, convince her they are boyfriends, buy her Cuber Liber Cocktail (minus

rum), get her drunk on glory, tell her they are special emissaries to Yanquis

Land personally by Young Regent of Isle of Cuber to give Xmas present to Young

Regent of Yanquis Land ... have "chosen" Patsy to help deliver Xmas present.

Will be furnished Safe Conduct Pass to Isle of Cuber by Embassy in Mexico City.

Will be given proper treatment on arrival. Oh, joy! Will live happily ever

after. Can Patsy join Xmas Present Committee now?

Uh-uh! Not yet. First must prove self deserving of great honor. Must set up

Chapter of Foul Ploy for Isle of Cuber, must stand on street corner ... pass

out pro-Castor Oil tracts, must appear on TV ... root for Castor Oil products,

must rumble with anti-Castor Oil salesman. Above all, must not mention Xmas

Present Caper to anybody, not even husband, Ivan.

Meanwhile, Single-Man named "Snerd" gets wind of Xmas Present Caper and

going-on at Bravo Club. Snerd is Isle of Cuber's Big Mother Busher's

illegitimate son. Snerd gets in touch with Double-Man Abe Greenbaum, working in

deep cover at BPR, Division of Dirty Tricks, as Rightist. Actually, Abe is

Leftist-turned Middlist. Middlist Abe contacts Triple-Man Zero, sitting on ice

because has burned butt. Triple-Man Zero instructed to join Delta Club, which

is affiliate of Bravo Club, find out if things real. Zero

does just that, craftily, in guise of crossbow expert. Discovers Patsy

undergoing hypnotherapy by ex-ferry pilot named Hairy De Fairy. Reports to Abe

things are for real, yes siree! Abe passes info on to Dirty Dick (and Snerd).

Snerd passes info on to Big Mother Busher. Somebody flashes word back for Zero

to let go with well-aimed arrow in Patsy's rump ... leave Yanquis Land, hubba

hubba! Zero chickens out day he is to arrow Patsy, six days before Xmas present

to be delivered. Pens Abe nasty note. Pens Snerd nastier note. Pens Dirty Dick

even nastier note. Also pens note to Boss of Yanquis Land's Main Secret Police

Bureau, tattles on Xmas Present Caper, tattles on Patsy, etc. Burns butt again.

Searches in vain for cake of ice to sit on. Winds up in Friendship Province

Halfway House.

End of lead? Not hardly.

Apparently something amiss. Xmas Present Caper does not

come off per schedule. Delta Club disintegrates. Bravo Club Xmas Present

Committee disintegrates. Abe drops out of sight. Dirty Dick is mum. Snerd

crawls back inside Big Mother Busher's womb, dies. De Fairy puts on falseface,

hides at 3330 Clubhouse, gets whipped. Director of large pharmaceutical combine

gives order for increased production of cyanide capsules. Boss of Main Secret

Police Bureau sits in office, drums fingers on desk, waits. Zero is still in

Friendship Province Halfway House, getting older ... if not wiser.

End of lead? ... Not hardly.

Day of Infamy arrives! Patsy crouched at open window, armed with second-hand

crossbow, quiver filled with curare-tipped arrows slung across shoulder. ZIP!

ZIP! ZIP! BANG! ZIP! BANG! ZIP! BANG!

End of lead? ... Not hardly.

Patsy awakens from hypnotic trance. Says, "What am I doing here?" Wonders what

cyanide capsule is doing clenched between teeth? Wonders what cloak and dagger

is doing on window sill? Wonders why floor of room is lettered with pro-Castor

Oil pamphlets? Wonders how chicken bones got in lunch pail? Memory returns.

Patsy flees. Refuses ride by former Bravo boyfriend driving by in utility truck

bearing Bell Telephone Company markings. Catches bus instead.

End of lead? ... Not hardly.

Patsy has gone her

way. De Fairy has gone his way. One former Bravo boyfriend now living vicinity

M. Cyanide capsule market still flourishing. Dirty Dick promoted within

superstructure of BPR ... is still mum. Snerd reborn as "Terd". Abe Greenbaum

has changed name, retired, resides in mansion protected by pack of snarling

German Shepherds, disappears for one hour each night in vault to count huge

pile of American silver dollars. Boss of Yanquis Land Main Secret Police Bureau

has four-year old secret ... but is relaxed. Zero out of Friendship Province

Halfway House ... is

now in Old Triple-Man's Home for Aged. More Powerful One now MOST POWERFUL

(evidently). End of lead? ... Not hardly. End of letter? ... yes.

Most sincerely yours,

Richard C. Nagell 83286

[David Boylan]

Here's what Dick Billings had to say about Nagell:

Nagell (correct spelling) is being handled by a special assistant DA named Bill Martin . . . Martin is a New Orleans attorney with Latin connections and background . . . He was born in Domrep [Dominican Republic] and brought up there, and Spanish is his first language . . . He went to see Richard Case Nagell under guise of his attorney of record . . . Nagell had written a letter to his sister in New York (?) and asked her to see Garrison . . . She came with message that Garrison on right track . . . And that Fair Play for Cuba was a cover . . . Nagell said he had a tape . . .

Nagell is 35 to 37, a Korean War vet, officer who was wounded three times . . . and decorated . . . After Korea he became a Marxist and went to work for the Soviet government . . . He was a reporter for Soviets, reporting to their embassy in Mexico City . . .

Message sent via sister to effect he had tape that could break the case . . . But Garrison would have to agree to certain conditions . . . The conditions: the tape is in Spanish, so man to contact him must speak Spanish . . . He would then go to man who has tape with letter from Nagell authorizing man to turn it over . . . But no effort to be made to obtain any other material Nagell keeps in a foot locker . . . This material could convict him for treason . . .

Martin went to visit Nagell April 10 . . . At first Nagell declined to talk, then changed his mind again . . . They talked that day and the next . . .

Nagell gave Martin name and address of the contact man, but he not to be contacted until Nagell can get letter out . . . This impossible unless he requests private meeting with Martin or is transferred back to Leavenworth . . . Nagell was assigned to Springfield for 45 days' observation, but that has long since passed . . . his Soviet assignment was to keep an eye on the Dallas assassination plot the Russians knew was brewing . . . There had been two previous ones, says Nagell: one in Miami when Kennedy went to the Orange Bowl, the second in California, but Nagell vague on details . . . Plan was to kill Kennedy and blame Castro and prompt an invasion . . .

Nagell realized plot was for real . . . He was in Dallas and San Antonio in summer of '63 . . . He was in a tight spot . . . If Kennedy were assassinated and he had known about it, he would be implicated . . . He would have to skip country, but then he was fearful of his Soviet superiors (for an unclear reason) . . . At any rate, he wanted it stopped, but was powerless to even save his own neck without taking drastic measures . . . Which he did . . . First, he reported precise plan to Soviet embassy in Mexico City . . . This was a couple of days before Nov. 22 . . . Then he drove to San Antonio, where he staged a phony bank holdup by shooting a couple of pistol shots into the ceiling of a federal bank . . . He was arrested, got 10 years . . . Says he told FBI about assassination plan before it happened, but this is also unclear . . . Claims he was only questioned about Soviet espionage . . . Later he wrote Hoover and claimed he had warned of assassination . . . And he corresponded with Senator Russell . . .

Tape is in both Spanish and English . . . Four voices . . . Two of them are Arcacha and man identified only as "Q" . . . Martin planning to go see Nagell again and to pursue tape . . . Garrison considers this a possible big break . . .

Dave