Operation Stella Polaris

[Jim Root]

Over the past year I have began communicating with alot of people on this forum and within the research community as a whole. I think that John Simkin has put together a great forum that allows us to share, no matter how varied our opinions may be, our ideas and thoughts about the assassination of JFK in a collegial manner. For that I thank him.

An example of the reasources that we can bring together, I believe, can be shown by the cooperative effort that Antti Hynonen and I were able to piece together that has expanded the previously known information about the available flights that may have been used by Oswald as he traveled from London to Helsinki.

In the past week I sent some information to a researcher that I had gathered last weekend while at the Hoover Library on the Stanford University campus. In a return email I was asked if I had additional information about a particular person that can be found amoung the myriad of people within the assassination web. Although slightly aware of this person I had never looked into their past, as I have a tendancy to do.

When I did, I came accross an OSS, CIA, NSA program that included "Operation Stella Polaris" that this person seems to have been involved in. This is a program that I had never heard of before but has now sparked action into a new area of "coincidence."

My question, has anyone else come accross information about this program that they could share?

Jim Root

[Ron Ecker]

Jim,

I imagine you've already found this abstract. The article looks like it would be a prime source of info:

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/fcp/...000003/art00002

Ron

[James Richards]

Hi Jim,

In case you haven't been down this road, there is a lot of information to be sourced on 'Operation Stella Polaris' via a character by the name of Wilho Tikander who was the OSS Chief in Stockholm.

The Duluth Public Library carries historical information including clippings and the like on Tikander.

The Library's email page is here -

http://www.duluth.lib.mn.us/EmailRefForm.html

Hopefully this will be of help.

James

[Jim Root]

James

Thanks for the heads up, I know that Library well and the many used book stores that are in close proximity.

It seems that Wilho Tikander was a resident of St. Louis County were my brother made his home. Do you know if Tikander is still living and how/why did you know about him?

By the way, I'm following a tie that may lead to Harrod Miller here...

Jim Root

[James Richards]

James

Thanks for the heads up, I know that Library well and the many used book stores that are in close proximity.

It seems that Wilho Tikander was a resident of St. Louis County were my brother made his home.  Do you know if Tikander is still living and how/why did you know about him?

By the way, I'm following a tie that may lead to Harrod Miller here...

Jim Root

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Jim,

I don't know if Tikander is still alive or not but I originally came across his name when I was doing some research on Bill Donovan, Howard Hunt and the OSS.

I discovered that there was lots of stuff available on him at the Duluth Library but being here is Australia I didn't pursue it any further.

The tie to Miller sounds very interesting. I will be fascinated to see what you come up with.

James

[Jim Root]

James

Donovan I understand but how does Howard Hunt fit into this?

Do you know much about Japanese involvement? Intercepted Japanese diplomatic messages that led to US involvement prior to VJ day? Integration of Finnish inteligence personel into US Intelligence vs Soviet Union? The recovered NKVD Codebook? The X-2 Person who oversaw the program?

The answers to these questions are leading toward some interesting persons whose names, once again, coincidentally pop up surrounding the assassination of JFK. The added peculiarity is Finnish Intelligence and Winston Scott.

Jim Root

[James Richards]

Hi Jim,

I don't believe E. Howard Hunt fits into this at all. I came across a possible connection between him and Harrod Miller that ultimately went nowhere. This connection allegedly began in the late 1950's and continued until Miller's death in 1966.

As to your other questions, I delved into this when I began looking into the Venova material and Meredich Gardner. I don't have anything more than what can be readily researched.

I naively tried to research the whole codebreakers scenario but just ended up in more of a tangle. I will try to find a reference but I seem to remember X-2 head James Murphy had some history with Harrod Miller. Given that James Angelton was X-2 Station Chief in Rome at the end of WW2, I became very interested in this aspect.

My interest in Harrod Miller came about when he seemed to be a common denominator in all of this.

Have you ever looked into Oleg Penkovski?

James

[Jim Root]

James

This is going into some interesting places.

Meridith Gardner was a person who learned the Japanese language in three months during WWII. His work in decrypting the Soviet codes was, as stated in his induction to the NSA hall of honor:

"Mr. Gardner decided that merely decrypting VENONA messages was not enough if the decrypts could not be put to good use. He sent a memo, “Special Report #1,” to a small number of Army Security Agency (ASA) seniors in the summer of 1947, describing what sort of intelligence VENONA could provide. He also included samples of the material being recovered. Mr. Gardner’s report helped the Army’s leadership to recognize the value of VENONA, leading to cooperation between the ASA (later NSA) and the FBI in the identification of Soviet agents working in the United States."

Once again I believe we are talking about Maxwell Taylor being in this loop. John B. Hurt and Harrod Miller were with Friedmans group of codebreaker as well.

Your common denominator in a complex number with numerous factors that all seem to be becoming prime suspects in this case.

Coincidence.

Jim Root

[James Richards]

Jim,

Yes, I agree that Maxwell Taylor was in the loop. I also agree that this is all going into some interesting places.

I have to admit though that I'm just not good enough to make all the connections.

Have you ever looked into the accounts of Martti Koski and Robert Naeslund who claim that Finnish Intelligence while in cahoots with the CIA had amongst other things, a long time program of mind control experiments?

Codebreaking, mind control, mole hunting - the OSS and ultimately the Agency certainly had their hands full.

James

[Jim Root]

James

Spent the day today with an elderly woman who knew Wilho Tikander. While she knew little of his experiences in the OSS she assured me that he was Finnish not Swedish. She herself spoke both languages fluently and talked a great deal about the Swedish-Finn communities that existed on both sides of the borders in those countries and that had carried over into the US.

Wilho was a college professor and natural leader of the Scandinavian communities that had settled in the Northern midwestern portion of the United States before the WWII began. She was sure he had long since died, having known him in her youth, he as an "older" educator, in the mid 1930's.

I hope to be in the Duluth area in the next few days. Any pointers on what I may want to look for in the Wilho Tilander collection in the Duluth Library?

The area of the United States that I am visiting was recruited heavily for a unit known as the 99th Battalion (Seperate) that later formed part of Task Force A and the 474th Infantry Regiment, both commanded by Edwin Walker as the War came to a close. Over 100 members of the 99th were recruited into the OSS (including William Colby).

Jim Root

[James Richards]

I hope to be in the Duluth area in the next few days. Any pointers on what I may want to look for in the Wilho Tilander collection in the Duluth Library? (Jim Root)

Hi Jim,

The library apparently has a collection of newspaper clippings related to Tikander. I guess the idea would be to gather them all and see what connections can be made. Unfortunately I don't know any details of the material the library maintains.

I imagine the elderly woman would have been very interesting. Good work.

BTW, in case you don't have it, this image below shows the officers of the 99th Battalion (Seperate) and the 474th Infantry Regiment. General Walker is the one in the front row second from the right.

James

[Jim Root]

James

Thanks for the picture. Do you know who the man on the right of Walker is (on the left when looking at the picture). His uniform seems different.

This group (474th) was also tasked with transporting the Nazi loot recovered from Merker's Mine near the end of the war. This was an interesting mission that required alot of secrecy and the involvement of some top level civil administrators from both the military and the State Department.

I will fill you in on what I find in Duluth.

Jim Root

[James Richards]

James

Thanks for the picture.  Do you know who the man on the right of Walker is (on the left when looking at the picture).  His uniform seems different.

This group (474th) was also tasked with transporting the Nazi loot recovered from Merker's Mine near the end of the war.  This was an interesting mission that required alot of secrecy and the involvement of some top level civil administrators from both the military and the State Department.

I will fill you in on what I find in Duluth.

Jim Root

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Jim,

I would put money on the guy to Walker's right being Crown Prince Olav.

I am looking forward to seeing what you turn up in Duluth.

Good luck.

James

[Jim Root]

James

The Duluth Library contained exactly one piece on Tikander. It was a political add when he was running in the Democratic Primary for Congress (8th District) in 1946. It does give a brief bio of his work in Government that begins in 1935 (contract and Anti-Trust Lawyer). By 1942 he is Special Assistant to the American Misister to Sweden and Chief of the OSS Mission to Sweden (till 1945).

Gives his date of birth as 1904 at Biwabik, Minnesota (local area in St. Louis County). I then did additional research at the County recorders office and ran into a local genealogist who led my search into an interesting area.

Tikander worked under Calvin Bryce Hoover in the OSS. Hoover was involved in US intelligence beginning in 1933 and remained with the CIA, etc. until the 1960's.

Hoover was also part of the "Intelligence Group" and a special advisor to General Draper in Post War Germany. It seems he was still involved in that area when McCloy and Max Taylor came on the scene. It seems his paper, "Germany and European Economic Recovery" was the basis of the plans for the recovery of the German Economy. Hoover went on to become a specialist on the Soviet Economy and had visited the Soviet Union many times beginning in the 1930's.

Apparantyl Tikander was the real life character behind the book/film Counterfeit Spy. Are you familiar with this story (I have not had time to look it up)? Tikander was also officially honored by the Finnish Government for his service in the OSS during WWII. (As a sidebar, a Majken V. Tikander, US Citizen, died at the US Consulate in Stockholm on August 12, 1999. He was born in 1913 so he is not our Wilho)

It seems that Tikander was the right man for the job in Sweden and Stella Polaris. Are you familiar with the Carelian Finn movement in America? The Finnish relief program called "Guard the Frontier" (circa 1939)? The "Lotta Svard" organization? Help Finland, Inc.? All seem to be able to be connected through family or friends to Tikander.

Of more interest to myself would be a group called the "Tyomies" and an organization known as the "(Virginia) Finnish Workingmen, Association. These organizations were Socialist by nature which is of course of interest to my own theories. It seems that Tikander (and family members) were involved in organizations that relocated and supported thousands of Finns that went to the Soviet Union in the 1920's and 1930's. About one thousand of this group were exterminated during the Stalin purge of 1938.

I have a lead on a Tikander researcher and another professor that is familiar with the history of the above named organizations. Hope to hear from them soon.

Once again I am interested in learning more of the connection to Harrod Miller.

Jim Root

[James Richards]

James

The Duluth Library contained exactly one piece on Tikander.  It was a political add when he was running in the Democratic Primary for Congress (8th District) in 1946.  It does give a brief bio of his work in Government that begins in 1935 (contract and Anti-Trust Lawyer).  By 1942 he is Special Assistant to the American Misister to Sweden and Chief of the OSS Mission to Sweden (till 1945).

Gives his date of birth as 1904 at Biwabik, Minnesota (local area in St. Louis County).  I then did additional research at the County recorders office and ran into a local genealogist who led my search into an interesting area.

Tikander worked under Calvin Bryce Hoover in the OSS.  Hoover was involved in US intelligence beginning in 1933 and remained with the CIA, etc. until the 1960's.

Hoover was also part of the "Intelligence Group" and a special advisor to General Draper in Post War Germany.  It seems he was still involved in that area when McCloy and Max Taylor came on the scene.  It seems his paper, "Germany and European Economic Recovery" was the basis of the plans for the recovery of the German Economy.  Hoover went on to become a specialist on the Soviet Economy and had visited the Soviet Union many times beginning in the 1930's.

Apparantyl Tikander was the real life character behind the book/film Counterfeit Spy.  Are you familiar with this story (I have not had time to look it up)?  Tikander was also officially honored by the Finnish Government for his service in the OSS during WWII.  (As a sidebar, a Majken V. Tikander, US Citizen, died at the US Consulate in Stockholm on August 12, 1999.  He was born in 1913 so he is not our Wilho)

It seems that Tikander was the right man for the job in Sweden and Stella Polaris.  Are you familiar with the Carelian Finn movement in America?  The Finnish relief program called "Guard the Frontier" (circa 1939)?   The "Lotta Svard" organization?  Help Finland, Inc.?  All seem to be able to be connected through family or friends to Tikander.

Of more interest to myself would be a group called the "Tyomies" and an organization known as the "(Virginia) Finnish Workingmen, Association.  These organizations were Socialist by nature which is of course of interest to my own theories.  It seems that Tikander (and family members) were involved in organizations that relocated and supported thousands of Finns that went to the Soviet Union in the 1920's and 1930's.  About one thousand of this group were exterminated during the Stalin purge of 1938.

I have a lead on a Tikander researcher and another professor that is familiar with the history of the above named organizations.  Hope to hear from them soon.

Once again I am interested in learning more of the connection to Harrod Miller.

Jim Root

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Excellent stuff, Jim. Great work.

There is a lot of information in your post in which to pursue. I have heard of several of the movements and people you mention but I do not have enough general knowledge of such to offer a comment. It seems I have a full weekend ahead of me.

Speaking of the Finnish Workingmen Association, have you ever seen this image below? Do you know who these men are?

I am still spinning my wheels regarding Miller but I will keep at it. Living in such a remote region, I have limited access to library and reference materials.

Keep up the excellent work.

James

Edited June 24, 2005 by James Richards