Hand-Nugan Bank, CIA and the Assassination of JFK

[John Simkin]

Does anyone know the name of the man on the left meeting two CIA bankers? One was murdered in January 1980. The other disappeared soon afterwards. So did the third partner in the venture that I think links into the JFK assassination.

[James Richards]

Does anyone know the name of the man on the left meeting two CIA bankers? One was murdered in January 1980. The other disappeared soon afterwards. So did the third partner in the venture that I think links into the JFK assassination. (John Simkin)

John,

It might be Paul Helliwell.

James

[John Simkin]

It might be Paul Helliwell.

That would be very interesting if it was. The other two are Michael Hand and Frank Nugan. They seem to have had a lot of contact with Helliwell when they established the Nugan Hand Bank. Helliwell had been the founder of the CIA bank Castle Bank and Trust in the Bahamas. As a result of a IRS investigating the bank for the laundering of drug profits, the CIA began to use the Nugan Hand Bank in Australia instead. Nugan was murdered in 1980 and his partners Michael Hand and Bernie Houghton disapperared soon afterwards. Hand and Houghton were both CIA and were closely associated with Paul Helliwell, Ted Shackley, Tom Clines, Chi Chi Quintero and Carl E. Jenkins who were involved in the drugs and arms trade. They all go back to JMWAVE in the early 1960s and were involved in the original plans to kill Castro. This plan was turned on JFK in 1963.

Do you have another picture of Paul Helliwell you can post? Do you have a picture of Bernie Houghton or Carl E. Jenkins?

[James Richards]

It might be Paul Helliwell.

That would be very interesting if it was. The other two are Michael Hand and Frank Nugan. They seem to have had a lot of contact with Helliwell when they established the Nugan Hand Bank. Helliwell had been the founder of the CIA bank Castle Bank and Trust in the Bahamas. As a result of a IRS investigating the bank for the laundering of drug profits, the CIA began to use the Nugan Hand Bank in Australia instead. Nugan was murdered in 1980 and his partners Michael Hand and Bernie Houghton disapperared soon afterwards. Hand and Houghton were both CIA and were closely associated with Paul Helliwell, Ted Shackley, Tom Clines, Chi Chi Quintero and Carl E. Jenkins who were involved in the drugs and arms trade. They all go back to JMWAVE in the early 1960s and were involved in the original plans to kill Castro. This plan was turned on JFK in 1963.

Do you have another picture of Paul Helliwell you can post? Do you have a picture of Bernie Houghton or Carl E. Jenkins?

John,

I do have photos of those guys but I can't post them just yet. Soon though. Fingers crossed.

It does look like Helliwell even though the image I have of him comes from the early 1960's.

James

[James Richards]

I do have photos of those guys but I can't post them just yet. Soon though. Fingers crossed.

It does look like Helliwell even though the image I have of him comes from the early 1960's.

James

-----

James, that is SOME amazing collection of photos you must have and we have seen only part of! Ever think of publishing a book with them and just brief biographies? Would be very helpful! But thanks for keeping us informed and seeing photos of so many who were only names before....

Thanks, Peter.

I have been asked several times to get involved in photo oriented book projects but I would prefer to post any relative images here at the forum for all to see. I do take requests.

There is a lot of unpublished material out there which will eventually see the light of day. I hope to use this forum to offer these images when the time is right. As you can appreciate, there are some folks still alive who would be compromised by such publishing.

Cheers,

James

[John Simkin]

Namebase entry for Michael Jon Hand:

Laos 1965-1966 Vietnam 1967-1968 Australia 1968-1980 South Africa 1975-1976

Bainerman,J. The Crimes of a President. 1992 (72, 74-5)

Blum,W. The CIA: A Forgotten History. 1986 (283-4)

Christic Institute. Sheehan Affidavit. 1988-03-25 (28-30, 33-5, 38)

CounterSpy 1981-01 (30)

CounterSpy 1983-05 (9)

Covert Action Information Bulletin 1982-#16 (51-2)

Covert Action Information Bulletin 1987-#28 (6-8)

Freney,D. Get Gough! 1985 (17, 68)

Gritz,J. Called to Serve. 1991 (382)

Intelligence/Parapolitics (Paris) 1984-06 (3)

Jensen-Stevenson,M. Stevenson,W. Kiss the Boys Goodbye. 1990 (196-7)

Kessler,R. Inside the CIA. 1994 (289)

Kwitny,J. The Crimes of Patriots. 1987

Lernoux,P. In Banks We Trust. 1984 (63, 66, 69)

McCoy,A. The Politics of Heroin. 1991 (461-78)

NameBase NewsLine 1997-01 (12)

Naylor,R.T. Hot Money and the Politics of Debt. 1994 (316, 319)

Parapolitics/USA 1983-03-01 (27)

Parapolitics/USA 1983-06-01 (20)

Stich,R. Defrauding America. 1994 (354-5)

Stich,R. Drugging America: A Trojan Horse. 1999 (97-9)

Stich,R. Russell,T.C. Disavow: A CIA Saga of Betrayal. 1995 (89-90, 95-6)

Texas Observer 1991-09-20 (16)

Thomas,K. Keith,J. The Octopus. 1996 (91-3)

Trento,J. Prelude to Terror. 2005 (36-7, 59-60, 142)

Wall Street Journal 1982-08-24 (1, 22)

Wall Street Journal 1982-08-26 (14)

Walter,I. The Secret Money Market. 1990 (173)

Washington Post 1984-12-26 (E7)

Z Magazine 1991-01 (70)

http://www.namebase.org/main3/Michael-Jon-Hand.html

[John Simkin]

Namebase entry for Frank John Nugan:

http://www.namebase.org/main2/Frank-John-Nugan.html

Australia 1973-1979

Bainerman,J. The Crimes of a President. 1992 (72-4)

Blum,W. The CIA: A Forgotten History. 1986 (283-4)

Christic Institute. Sheehan Affidavit. 1988-03-25 (28, 38)

CounterSpy 1981-01 (30)

CounterSpy 1983-02 (7)

Covert Action Information Bulletin 1982-#16 (51, 54)

Covert Action Information Bulletin 1987-#28 (6-8, 10)

Freney,D. Get Gough! 1985 (25-6, 36, 68)

Intelligence/Parapolitics (Paris) 1984-06 (6)

Jensen-Stevenson,M. Stevenson,W. Kiss the Boys Goodbye. 1990 (196)

Kessler,R. Inside the CIA. 1994 (288-9)

Kwitny,J. The Crimes of Patriots. 1987

Lernoux,P. In Banks We Trust. 1984 (63, 65-71)

McCoy,A. The Politics of Heroin. 1991 (461-78)

NameBase NewsLine 1997-01 (12)

Naylor,R.T. Hot Money and the Politics of Debt. 1994 (316, 318-9)

Parapolitics/USA 1981-08-15 (44)

Parapolitics/USA 1982-03-31 (14)

Parapolitics/USA 1983-06-01 (20)

Spotlight Newspaper 1993-05-31 (3)

Stich,R. Defrauding America. 1994 (353-4, 447)

Stich,R. Drugging America: A Trojan Horse. 1999 (97-8)

Stich,R. Russell,T.C. Disavow: A CIA Saga of Betrayal. 1995 (2-3, 19, 89, 95-6)

Texas Observer 1991-09-20 (16)

Thomas,K. Keith,J. The Octopus. 1996 (91)

Trento,J. Prelude to Terror. 2005 (59-60)

Wall Street Journal 1982-08-24 (1, 22)

Wall Street Journal 1982-08-26 (1, 14)

Walter,I. The Secret Money Market. 1990 (173)

[John Simkin]

Namebase entry for the Nugan-Hand Bank:

http://www.namebase.org/main3/Nugan-Hand-Bank.html

Australia 1973-1979

Bainerman,J. The Crimes of a President. 1992 (72-6)

Blum,W. The CIA: A Forgotten History. 1986 (283-4)

Brewton,P. The Mafia, CIA, and George Bush. 1992 (280-1, 337)

Chasey,W. Pan Am 103: The Lockerbie Cover Up. 1995 (141)

Christic Institute. Sheehan Affidavit. 1987-01-31 (38-9)

Christic Institute. Sheehan Affidavit. 1988-03-25 (27-39)

Cockburn,L. Out of Control. 1987 (103-4)

Constantine,A. Psychic Dictatorship in the U.S.A. 1995 (186)

Corn,D. Blond Ghost. 1994 (321, 356-7)

CounterSpy 1981-01 (30-3)

CounterSpy 1983-02 (7-8)

CounterSpy 1983-05 (8-9)

Covert Action Information Bulletin 1982-#16 (51-5)

Covert Action Information Bulletin 1987-#28 (6-10)

Covert Action Information Bulletin 1990-#35 (43-4)

Freney,D. Get Gough! 1985 (25, 28-30, 36, 51-2, 55, 67-71)

Gritz,J. Called to Serve. 1991 (380-2)

Jensen-Stevenson,M. Stevenson,W. Kiss the Boys Goodbye. 1990 (87, 153, 184-5, 193, 196-7, 263, 282, 287, 362-3)

Kessler,R. Inside the CIA. 1994 (288-90)

King,D. Lyndon LaRouche and the New American Fascism. 1989 (329)

Kwitny,J. The Crimes of Patriots. 1987

Lernoux,P. In Banks We Trust. 1984 (66-76, 158)

Livingstone,N. The Cult of Counterterrorism. 1990 (382)

Loftus,J. Aarons,M. The Secret War Against the Jews. 1994 (394)

Marshall,J. Drug Wars. 1991 (55-6)

Marshall,J... The Iran-Contra Connection. 1987 (36-40, 67, 73, 256)

McCoy,A. The Politics of Heroin. 1991 (461-78)

NameBase NewsLine 1997-01 (12)

National Security Archive. The Chronology. 1987 (25)

Naylor,R.T. Hot Money and the Politics of Debt. 1994 (303, 310, 316-20, 402-3)

New Zealand Monthly Review 1987-02 (6)

New Zealand Monthly Review 1987-09 (5)

Parapolitics/USA 1981-08-15 (44-6)

Parapolitics/USA 1981-10-31 (50)

Parapolitics/USA 1983-03-01 (27-8)

Parapolitics/USA 1983-06-01 (19-20)

Scott,P.D. Marshall,J. Cocaine Politics. 1991 (92)

Seagrave,S. The Marcos Dynasty. 1988 (345-7, 367-72)

Seagrave,S.& P. Gold Warriors. 2003 (148)

Stich,R. Defrauding America. 1994 (353-6)

Stich,R. Drugging America: A Trojan Horse. 1999 (2, 97-9)

Stich,R. Russell,T.C. Disavow: A CIA Saga of Betrayal. 1995 (89, 93-6, 176)

Tarasov,K. Zubenko,V. The CIA in Latin America. 1984 (29)

Texas Observer 1991-07-12 (13-4)

Texas Observer 1991-09-20 (14-5)

Thomas,K. Keith,J. The Octopus. 1996 (90-3)

Trento,J. Prelude to Terror. 2005 (37, 59-60, 64, 141-2, 178-9)

Truell,P. Gurwin,L. False Profits. 1992 (124-5)

Wall Street Journal 1982-08-24 (1, 22)

Wall Street Journal 1982-08-25 (1, 14)

Wall Street Journal 1982-08-26 (1, 14)

Wall Street Journal 1984-04-18 (1)

Walter,I. The Secret Money Market. 1990 (173)

Washington Post 1984-12-26 (E7)

Z Magazine 1991-01 (70-1)

[John Simkin]

The story begins with Michael Jon Hand. In May 1963 Hand joined the US Army and started his training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In Vietnam he won the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). According to the DSC citation he almost single-handedly held off a fourteen-hour Vietcong attack on the Special Forces compound at Dong Xaoi.

In 1966 he left the army to work "directly for the U.S, Government". Friends of Hand have suggested that he was employed on undercover missions for the Central Intelligence Agency in Vietnam and Laos. One reported that he "helped train the mountain people - Montagnards - and worked closely with the Air America crews that supplied them". According to Jonathan Kwitny, Michael Hand worked for William Colby during the Vietnam War.

Michael Hand moved to Australia in September, 1967. At first Hand went to work selling development lots along the Australian coast. The company, Ocean Shores Development, was run by lawyer Fred Miller, a senior executive for the shipping empire owned by Sir Peter Abeles, the longtime business partner of Rupert Murdoch. One of the largest investors in this scheme was the singer Pat Boone. The registered directors included Boone of Beverly Hills, California and Pat Swan of Sydney, Australia.

It was while working for Miller that Hand made contact with Bernie Houghton who had also moved to Australia in January 1967. Maurice Bernard Houghton was the son of an oil driller in Texas. Little is known of his war record but he told one investigator that he "served alongside Australian servicemen and had gained a great deal of fondness and appreciation for them."

Houghton was discharged in 1946 and according to Houghton "went into business, restaurants, clubs, surplus war material and miscellaneous". In the same police interview he admitted to being in Vietnam during the early 1960s where he was involved in the construction of airport and military bases. Houghton told investigators from the Australian Joint Task Force on Drug Trafficking he worked for a man called Green in Saigon who was later killed.

According to Alexander Butterfield (of Watergate fame), Houghton worked with him as an intelligence officer in Vietnam. This is confirmed by Allan Parks, a former air force colonel who claims that Houghton "ferried C-47s, cargo airplanes" in South-East Asia. Parks adds that Houghton was also connected to General John K. Singlaub, who ran covert air operations throughout the Vietnam-Laos-Thailand war.

Houghton established the Bourbon and Beefstake Bar and Restaurant in Sydney. He claimed that he met Hand in the autumn of 1967. However, in one interview he admitted he had been told about Hand in 1964: "I had heard of Mike Hand's great combat expoits and courage, which was well-known in Vietnam."

Regular visitors to the Bourbon and Beefstake Bar included two Central Intelligence Agency station chiefs in Australia (Milton Corley Wonus and John Walker). Lieutenant Colonel Bobby Boyd, a Texan who was a former U.S. embassy military attache in Latin America, also went to work for Houghton.

In 1969 Michael Hand formed his own company called Australian and Pacific Holdings. His two partners were Clive Wilfred Lucas and John J. Foley. The plan was to develop an island off Australia's barrier reef. Hand and Lucas visited Vietnam where they raised $16,000 from members of the U.S. Army.

In May 1970 a list of Australian and Pacific's shareholders was filed with the government. Of the thirty-seven listed shareholders, four had the address c/o Air America wheras another had the address c/o Continental Air Service. Later both Air America and Continental Air Service exposed as a CIA front. Five shareholders were reachable through the U.S. Agency for International Development. This agency posed as a cover for CIA covert operatives such as David Morales.

In the early 1970s Hand spent a lot of time travelling. A former CIA colleague, Douglas Sapper, claimed "Michael showed up in Laos a lot. I saw him in Phnom Penh (Cambodia) from time to time." Sapper also saw Hand with Houghton in Vietnam. Houghton later told the police that he was with Hand buying surplus U.S. war material for resale.

Houghton clearly had important contacts in Australia. When he applied for a new Australian visa in 1972, he gave the immigration officers the name of Leo Carter, director of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) in New South Wales, to support his application. Carter also arranged for him to get permission for unlimited re-entries to Australia in the future.

Allan Parks claims that Houghton was active in the drug trade in the 1970s. "There's no doubt about it, he'd fly anything. The Golden Triangle, that's where he got his opium from. There was one flight, he flew in slot machines. He did some deals over in India."

In 1973 Frank Nugan and Michael Hand established the Nugan Hand Bank. Nugan was a lawyer whose company had a lucrative contract to supply goods to the United States Navy base at Subic Bay in the Philippines. Another key figure in this venture was Bernie Houghton, who was closely connected to CIA officials, Ted Shackley and Thomas G. Clines.

Nugan ran operations in Sydney whereas Hand established a branch in Hong Kong. This enabled Australian depositors to access a money-laundering facility for illegal transfers of Australian money to Hong Kong. According to Alfred W. McCoy, the "Hand-Houghton partnership led the bank's international division into new fields - drug finance, arms trading, and support work for CIA covert operations." Hand told friends "it was his ambition that Nugan Hand became banker for the CIA."

In 1974 the Nugan Hand Bank got involved in helping the CIA to take part in covert arms deals with contacts within Angola. It was at this time that Edwin Wilson became involved with the bank. Two CIA agents based in Indonesia, James Hawes and Robert Moore, called on Wilson at his World Marine offices to discuss "an African arms deal". Later, Bernie Houghton arrived from Sydney to place an order for 10 million rounds of ammunition and 3,000 weapons including machine guns. The following year Houghton asked Wilson to arrange for World Marine to purchase a high-technology spy ship. This ship was then sold to Iran.

By 1976 the Nugan-Hand Bank appeared to have become a CIA-fronted company. This is reflected in the type of people recruited to hold senior positions in the bank. For example, Rear-Admiral Earl P. Yates, the former Chief of Staff for Policy and Plans of the U.S. Pacific Command and a counter-insurgency specialist, became president of the company. Other appointments included William Colby, retired director of the CIA, General Leroy J. Manor, the former chief of staff of the U.S. Pacific Command and deputy director for counterinsurgency and special activities, General Edwin F. Black, former commander of U.S. forces in Thailand, Walter J. McDonald, retired CIA deputy director for economic research and Dale C. Holmgren, former chairman of the CIA's Civil Air Transport. Former CIA agent, Kevin P. Mulcahy later told the National Times newspaper "about the Agency's use of Nugan Hand for shifting money for various covert operations around the globe."

What has this to do with the assassination of JFK? The investigative journalist, Jonathan Kwitny, became convinced that the Nugan Hand Bank had replaced the Castle Bank & Trust of Nassau, as the CIA's covert banker. The bank was run by Paul Lional Edward Helliwell (see picture above).

Helliwell was born in 1915. He was a lawyer before he joined the United States Army during the Second World War. Later he was transferred to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) where he served under William Donovan. In 1943 Colonel Paul Helliwell became head of the Secret Intelligence Branch of the OSS in Europe. Helliwell was replaced in this post by William Casey in 1945.

Helliwell became chief of the Far East Division of the War Department's Strategic Service Unit, an interim intelligence organization formed after OSS was closed down. In 1947 Helliwell joined the Central Intelligence Agency. In May 1949, General Claire Chennault had a meeting with Harry S. Truman and advocated an increase in funds for Chaing Kai-shek and his Kuomintang Army (KMT) in his war in China. Truman dismissed the idea as impractical. However, Frank Wisner, was more sympathetic and when Mao Zedong took power in China in 1950, he sent Helliwell to Taiwan.

Helliwell's main job was to help Chaing Kai-shek to prepare for a future invasion of Communist China. The CIA created a pair of front companies to supply and finance the surviving forces of Chaing's KMT. Paul Helliwell was put in charge of this operation. This included establishing Civil Air Transport (CAT), a Taiwan-based airline, and the Sea Supply Corporation, a shipping company in Bangkok.

It was Helliwell's idea to use these CIA fronted companies to raise money to help support Chaing Kai-shek. According to Joseph Trento (Prelude to Terror): "Through Sea Supply, Helliwell imported large amounts of arms for the KMT soldiers to keep the Burmese military from throwing them out of the country. The arms were ferried into Burma on CAT airplanes. CAT then used the "empty" planes to fly drugs from Burma to Taiwan, Bangkok, and Saigon. There the drugs were processed for the benefit of the KMT and Chiang Kai-shek's corrupt government on Taiwan."

Civil Air Transport (CAT), later renamed Air America, provided the CIA with the air power needed to sustain its covert operations for the next twenty-five years. Helliwell was to play an important role in running these covert, and often illegal operations.

By the late 1950s it became clear that Chaing Kai-shek would never be strong enough to invade China. The main focus changed to stopping the spread of communism to countries like Burma, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. At the time, the main group fighting communism in the region were the large private armies controlled by the drug lords. For example, General Vang Pao was employing his 30,000-man army to help the Pathet Lao. In return for joining the CIA, Helliwell helped Vang Pao to modernize the drug trade. William Corson claims that: "Portable heroin processing facilities were brought in. It was a creation of the CIA's technical services division." Some of these profits went to help CIA run some unofficial covert operations.

In 1960 Paul Helliwell was transferred to provide business cover for the CIA’s Cuban operations. According to Peter Dale Scott (The Iran Contra Connection) Helliwell worked with E. Howard Hunt, Mitch WerBell and Lucien Conein on developing relationships with drug-dealing Cuban veterans of the Bay of Pigs invasion. It was during this period that Helliwell met Ted Shackley and Thomas Clines. Helliwell later became CIA paymaster for JM/WAVE. In this way, Shackley was able to finance unofficial CIA operations against Cuba. I believe it is possible that Helliwell supplied the money to David Morales and Carl E. Jenkins to arrange the assassination of JFK.

After the assassination of JFK, Helliwell was sent by the CIA to the Bahamas where he set up offshore banks for CIA use. At first he established the Mercantile Bank and Trust Company and then the Castle Bank and Trust Company. Helliwell also established the American Bankers Insurance Company based in Galveston, Texas. This provided insurance cover for businessmen who cooperated with the CIA. Helliwell also established Intercontinental Holding, a company in the Cayman Islands that owned the Lear jet used by Barry Seal for his drug running activities.

Helliwell also established a Miami office for the Sea Supply Corporation. According to Joseph Trento (Prelude to Terror): "The primary objective of Helliwell's operations in Florida was to cement the CIA's relationship with organized crime." This included Santos Trafficante, who had a common business interest in Asia, the "successful exportation of Chinese white heroin."

In 1973 the Internal Revenue Service began an investigation called Operation Trade Winds. During its investigation it discovered that some major organized crime figures such as Morris Dalitz, Morris Kleinman and Samuel A. Tucker were using the Castle Bank and Trust Company. It soon became clear that the bank was laundering CIA funds and drug profits. The IRS eventually announced that it was dropping its investigation of Castle Bank because of "legal problems". According to the Wall Street Journal, the reasons for this was "pressure from the Central Intelligence Agency".

On 27th January, 1980, Frank Nugan was found shot dead in his Mercedes Benz. With his body was a Bible that included a piece of paper. On it were written the names "Bob Wilson" and "Bill Colby". Robert Wilson was a senior member of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee and William Colby was a former director of the CIA.

Wilson was first elected to Congress in 1952. He was re-elected 13 times, rarely facing serious opposition as San Diego was a Republican stronghold at the time. His campaigns featured fear-based anti-communism themes, stressing the importance of a strong military. He also opposed high taxes, championing rugged individualism instead. While in Congress he became a major spokesman for the defense industry. After the death of Nugan he resigned from Congress.

Frank Nugan's inquest took place in April, 1980. Two months later it was discovered that both Houghton and Hand had disappeared. They have never been seen since. I expect Houghton is dead but I would be interested in hearing from Michael Hand.

[Dawn Meredith]

I do have photos of those guys but I can't post them just yet. Soon though. Fingers crossed.

It does look like Helliwell even though the image I have of him comes from the early 1960's.

James

-----

James, that is SOME amazing collection of photos you must have and we have seen only part of! Ever think of publishing a book with them and just brief biographies? Would be very helpful! But thanks for keeping us informed and seeing photos of so many who were only names before....

Peter:

All you have to do around here is post a name and Richard has a pic up there within seconds. It's downright spooky.

Hey James: Is "the boss" gonna be doing any of his "folk" tour over your way? I'm holdin' out for another E-St. band reunion.

Dawn

[James Richards]

I do have photos of those guys but I can't post them just yet. Soon though. Fingers crossed.

It does look like Helliwell even though the image I have of him comes from the early 1960's.

James

-----

James, that is SOME amazing collection of photos you must have and we have seen only part of! Ever think of publishing a book with them and just brief biographies? Would be very helpful! But thanks for keeping us informed and seeing photos of so many who were only names before....

Peter:

All you have to do around here is post a name and Richard has a pic up there within seconds. It's downright spooky.

Hey James: Is "the boss" gonna be doing any of his "folk" tour over your way? I'm holdin' out for another E-St. band reunion.

Dawn

Hi Dawn,

There is nothing scheduled that I am aware of. I downloaded his tribute to Pete Seeger album on my Ipod and am currently giving it a good working over. His version of 'John Henry' is a classic.

BTW, John. I heard some time back that Hand was either in Hawaii or Florida. I don't know if he is still alive. Quintero would know.

James

[Michael Hogan]

I was in college when I heard Pete Seger sing John Henry. It was a powerful version, I remembered it instantly when Jim mentioned it.

Another powerful song I heard then by Pete Seger was Waist Deep in the Big Muddy. It was an allegorical referral to war.....Vietnam.

And Jim, may I add my thanks to all the great photos you post. They are captivating.

Mike Hogan

[James Richards]

I was in college when I heard Pete Seger sing John Henry. It was a powerful version, I remembered it instantly when Jim mentioned it.

Another powerful song I heard then by Pete Seger was Waist Deep in the Big Muddy. It was an allegorical referral to war.....Vietnam.

And Jim, may I add my thanks to all the great photos you post. They are captivating.

Mike Hogan

Mike,

Thanks for the nice words. Let's not forget that it was Seeger who penned The Byrds hit, 'Turn, Turn, Turn' basing the lyrics on the Book of Ecclesiastes.

Back to Nugan/Hand, the CIA and Australian politics. I post the following link as a curiosity.

http://cia_oz_files.tripod.com/pages/The_C...alia_Part_1.htm

Cheers,

James

[James Richards]

If anyone is interesting in researching the CIA and its infiltration into the banking industry, they should examine Ron Rewald who was head of the Ageny operation based in Hawaii that took over after the Nugan/Hand collapse. Rewald's story is most interesting.

This will also help to put what happened in Australia into some kind of perspective. Both operations (Australia and Hawaii) were remarkably similar. The only real difference is that Nugan was killed and Rewald lived.

The image below shows Ron Rewald on the right posing with the Hawaii Governor at the time, John Waiheihe.

FWIW.

James

Edited July 14, 2006 by James Richards

[John Simkin]

James, Jonathan Kwitny's The Crime of Patriots was published in 1987. He says that at the time the book was published, Patricia Swan, Frank Nugan's secretary, was the only one charged with a crime as a result of the Nugan-Hand Bank scandal. Did she ever appear in court? Was anyone else charged after 1987? Has a more recent book on the scandal been published?