Jim Hargrove

CIA people often don’t have to fight back or talk. They have a near endless supply of elite media assets to do their fighting and talking for them. "The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media." --William Colby, former CIA Director, cited by Dave Mcgowan, Derailing Democracy "You could get a journalist cheaper than a good call girl, for a couple hundred dollars a month." --CIA operative, discussing the availability and prices of journalists willing to peddle CIA propaganda and cover stories. Katherine the Great, by Deborah Davis "There is quite an incredible spread of relationships. You don’t need to manipulate Time magazine, for example, because there are [Central Intelligence] Agency people at the management level." --William B. Bader, former CIA intelligence officer, briefing members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, The CIA and the Media, by Carl Bernstein "The Agency's relationship with [The New York] Times was by far its most valuable among newspapers, according to CIA officials. [it was] general Times policy ... to provide assistance to the CIA whenever possible." --The CIA and the Media, by Carl Bernstein "Senator William Proxmire has pegged the number of employees of the federal intelligence community at 148,000 ... though Proxmire's number is itself a conservative one. The "intelligence community" is officially defined as including only those organizations that are members of the U.S. Intelligence Board (USIB); a dozen other agencies, charged with both foreign and domestic intelligence chores, are not encompassed by the term.... The number of intelligence workers employed by the federal government is not 148,000, but some undetermined multiple of that number." --Jim Hougan, Spooks "For some time I have been disturbed by the way the CIA has been diverted from its original assignment. It has become an operational and at times a policy-making arm of the government.... I never had any thought that when I set up the CIA that it would be injected into peacetime cloak and dagger operations." --former President Harry Truman, 22 December 1963, one month to the day after the JFK assassination, op-ed section of the Washington Post, early edition --Above from mtracy9.tripod.com/cia_instructions.htm To see the infamous CIA document dated 4/1/1967 about how to counter criticism of the Warren Commission, CLICK HERE.

The FBI certainly played the pivotal role in the cover-up, but powerful members of the CIA used all the power and privilege of the National Security State to hide the simple facts that by 1963 they were in open rebellion against the Kennedy Administration, had designed and executed the assassination of JFK, had set up their own operative as the fall guy, and eventually lied to, manipulated and misled every subsequent investigation of their crimes.

Mr. Trejo continually points out that the evidence against the CIA for its involvement with both “Lee Harvey Oswald” and the Kennedy assassination is simply not good enough for his standards. But he knows full well that over the years the Agency has done everything in its power to prevent more evidence from seeing the light of day. For example…. Earl Warren reportedly said that “full disclosure was not possible for reasons of national security.” Whatever could the mean? According to Mary Ferrell, “In the aftermath of the JFK assassination, a senior officer named John Whitten was put in charge of collecting investigative data on Oswald and the assassination. Within weeks he was replaced and James Angleton's CounterIntelligence division was put in charge…. With CounterIntelligence officer Ray Rocca as the main contact point, the CIA supplied the Warren Commission with information….” As the HSCA was getting started, Chief Counsel Richard Sprague declined to sign CIA secrecy oaths and began asking questions such as the following: Mr. Trafficante, have you at any time been an employee, a contract employee, or in any manner been in the service of the Central Intelligence Agency, or any other agency of the Federal Government of the United States. Mr. Trafficante, have you ever met with representatives of the Central Intelligence agency to discuss the assassination of various world leaders, including Fidel Castro. Sprague and committee chairman Henry Gonzales were quickly forced to resign. Organized crime expert G Robert Blakey became the new chief counsel and diverted attention away from the Agency. Only relatively recently has Blakey realized (or at least admitted) how thoroughly the CIA lied to him. The CIA’s liaison to the HSCA, the man responsible for lying to them, was George Joannides. Long after the HSCA had disbanded, it came to light that Joannides was handing out money to the DRE, some of “Lee Harvey Oswald’s” playpals in 1963. Similar CIA machinations can be found associated with the Garrison investigation, the Church Committee and extending right through to the time of the ARRB and beyond. Mr. Trejo confidently tells us to wait for next year, when more documents may be released. If they are, you can bet they will have been scrubbed to remove any documentary evidence that “Lee Harvey Oswald” was a CIA agent. All along, though, its been perfectly obvious, even from the Official Story®, that Oswald was an intelligence agent. He was supposedly released early from the Marine Corps (where he worked in a radar bubble near top-secret U-2s) because his mother had a sore nose. Saving his non-convertible military scrip, he somehow gets the money to travel to Europe and Russia, staying at first class hotels and hiring individual tour guides in Moscow. He tells the American ambassador in Moscow that he plans to tell the Russians everything he knows and tries to renounce his citizenship but can’t because it is Saturday. In Russia, he marries an Russian-intelligence connected woman, writes an incredibly detailed report about life in Russia, and is eventually loaned the money to return to the U.S., where he faces no charges whatsoever and isn’t even debriefed. A few years later, he is given permission by our government to travel to communist countries again! Then, we’re told, he shoots JFK. And we’re supposed to believe that this guy was just a CIA wannabe? Can you keep saying that with a straight face?

Excellent question, Sandy.

Wilcott said there were at least “six or seven” CIA people who, according to your excuse, were “pulling his chain.” It’s hard for me to make jokes about the Kennedy assassination more than half a century later, and yet, according to you, those half dozen or so CIA employees could joke about his murder starting the very next day! You defend them so loyally, those people who made jokes about the murder of their commander-in-chief immediately after his death. They must have been really funny guys . . . or they must have really hated Kennedy. Thanks for sharing this bit of CIA humor. It's really funny!

* Richard Sprague, chief counsel to the U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations said, "If he had it to do over again, he would begin his investigation of the Kennedy assassination by probing 'Oswald's ties to the Central Intelligence Agency." * Sen. Richard Schweiker said, "We do know Oswald had intelligence connections. Everywhere you look with him, there're fingerprints of intelligence." * CIA Agent Donald Norton said, "Oswald was with the CIA, and if he did it then you better believe the whole CIA was involved." * Former CIA agent Joseph Newbrough said, "Oswald was an agent for the CIA and acting under orders." * CIA Agent John Garrett Underhill told friends, just before he died, "Oswald is a patsy. They set him up. They've killed the President. I've been listening and hearing things. I couldn't believe they'd get away with it, but they did." * CIA Agent William Gaudet said, "The man who probably knows as much as anybody alive on all of this... is... I still think is Howard Hunt"----CIA Agent and Watergate burglar E. Howard Hunt. * CIA employee Donald Deneslya read reports of a CIA agent who had worked at a radio factory in Minsk and returned to the US with a Russian wife and child--that agent could only have been Oswald. * CIA officer David Phillips provided the Warren Commission with information that Oswald was at the Russian and Cuban embassies in Mexico City, then later admitted that the information he had provided was false. * CIA accountant James Wilcott said that Oswald "was a regular employee, receiving a full-time salary for agent work for doing CIA operational work." * Marvin Watson, an adviser to President Lyndon Johnson, said that Johnson had told him that he was convinced that there was a plot in connection with the assassination. Watson said the President felt the CIA had something to do with this plot.

TESTIMONY OF JAMES B. WILCOTT, A FORMER EMPLOYEE OF THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY: Mr. Goldsmith. For the record, would you please state your name and address and occupation? Mr. Wilcott. My name is James B. Wilcott. My address is 2761 Atlantic Street, in Concord, and my occupation is electronic technician. [ . . . . ] Mr. Goldsmith. And, Mr. Wilcott, is it true that you are a former employee with the CIA and that you are here today testifying voluntarily without a subpoena? Mr. Wilcott. Yes. Mr. Goldsmith. During what years did you work for the CIA? Mr. Wilcott. I worked from the years, May, of 1957 to, April, of 1966. Mr. Goldsmith. And in what general capacity did you work with the CIA? Mr. Wilcott. All in the finance--in accounting all of the time. [. . . .] Mr. Goldsmith. Drawing your attention to the period immediately after the assassination of President Kennedy, at that time, did you come across any information concerning Lee Harvey Oswald's relationship with the CIA? Mr. Wilcott. Yes, I did. Mr. Goldsmith. And will you tell the Committee what that relationship was? Mr. Wilcott. Well, it was my understanding that Lee Harvey Oswald was an employee of the agency and was an agent of the agency. Mr. Goldsmith. What do you mean by the term "agent?" Mr. Wilcott. That he was a regular employee, receiving a full-time salary for agent work for doing CIA operational work. Mr. Goldsmith. How did this information concerning Oswald first come to your attention? Mr. Wilcott. The first time I heard about Oswald being connected in any way with CIA was the day after the Kennedy assassination. Mr. Goldsmith. And how did that come to your attention? Mr. Wilcott. Well, I was on day duty for the station. It was a guard-type function at the station, which I worked for overtime. There was a lot of excitement going on at the station after the Kennedy assassination. Towards the end of my tour of duty, I heard certain things about Oswald somehow being connected with the agency, and I didn't really believe this when I heard it, and I thought it was absurd. Then, as time went on, I began to hear more things in that line. Mr. Goldsmith. I think we had better go over that one more time. When, exactly, was the very first time that you heard or came across information that Oswald was an agent? Mr. Wilcott. I heard references to it the day after the assassination. Mr. Goldsmith. And who made these references to Oswald being an agent of the CIA? Mr. Wilcott. I can't remember the exact persons. There was talk about it going on at the station, and several months following at the station. Mr. Goldsmith. How many people made this reference to Oswald being an agent of the CIA? Mr. Wilcott. At least--there was at least six or seven people, specifically, who said that they either knew or believed Oswald to be an agent of the CIA. Mr. Goldsmith. Was Jerry Fox one of the people that made this allegation? Mr. Wilcott. To the best of my recollection, yes. Mr. Goldsmith. And who is Jerry Fox? Mr. Wilcott. Jerry Fox was a Case Officer for his branch, the Soviet Russia Branch, [REDACTED] Station, who purchased information from the Soviets. Mr. Goldsmith. Mr. Wilcott, did I ask you to prepare a list of CIA Case Officers working at the [REDACTED] Station in 1963? Mr. Wilcott. Yes, you did. [Witness then recites a lengthy list of case officers and station names, quite a few redacted in this document--jh] [. . . .] Mr. Goldsmith. At the time that this allegation first came to your attention, did you discuss it with anyone? Mr. Wilcott. Oh, yes. I discussed it with my friends and the people that I was associating with socially. Mr. Goldsmith. Who were your friends that you discussed this with? Mr. Wilcott. [REDACTED] George Breen, Ed Luck, and [REDACTED]. Mr. Goldsmith. Who was George Breen? Mr. Wilcott. George Breen was a person in Registry, who was my closest friend while I was in [REDACTED]. Mr. Goldsmith. Was he a CIA employee? Mr. Wilcott. Yes, he was. Mr. Goldsmith. And would he corroborate your observation that Oswald was an agent? Mr. Wilcott. I don't know. Mr. Goldsmith. At the time that this allegation first came to your attention, did you learn the name of Oswald's Case Officer at the CIA? Mr. Wilcott. No. Mr. Goldsmith. Were there any other times during your stay with the CIA at [REDACTED] Station that you came across information that Oswald had been a CIA agent? Mr. Wilcott. Yes. Mr. Goldsmith. When was that? Mr. Wilcott. The specific incident was soon after the Kennedy assassination, where an agent, a Case Officer--I am sure it was a Case Officer--came up to my window to draw money, and he specifically said in the conversation that ensued, he specifically said, "Well, Jim, the money that I drew the last couple of weeks ago or so was money" either for the Oswald project or for Oswald. Mr. Goldsmith. Do you remember the name of this Case Officer? Mr. Wilcott. No, I don't. Mr Goldsmith. Do you remember when specifically this conversation took place? Mr. Wilcott. Not specifically, only generally. Mr. Goldsmith. How many months after the assassination was this? Mr. Wilcott. I think it must have been two or three omths [sic] after the assassination. Mr. Goldsmith. And do you remember were this conversation took place? Mr. Wilcott. It was right at my window, my disbursing cage window. Mr. Goldsmith. Did you discuss this information with anyone? Mr. Wilcott. Oh, yes. Mr. Goldsmith. With whom? Mr. Wilcott. Certainly with George Breen, [REDACTED] the circle of social friends that we had. Mr. Goldsmith. How do you spell [REDACTED] last name? Mr. Wilcott. [REDACTED] (spelling). [. . . .] Mr. Goldsmith. Did this Case Officer tell you what Oswald's cryptonym was? Mr. Wilcott. Yes, he mentioned the cryptonym specifically under which the money was drawn. Mr. Goldsmith. And what did he tell you the cryptonym was? Mr. Wilcott. I cannot remember. Mr. Goldsmith. What was your response to this revelation as to what Oswald's cryptonym was? Did you write it down or do anything? Mr. Wilcott. No; I think that I looked through my advance book--and I had a book where the advances on project were run, and I leafed through them, and I must have at least leafed through them to see if what he said was true. [Three pages of discussion about Wilcott's "Request for Advance" book follows but is omitted here. --jh] Mr. Goldsmith. And for purposes of clarification, now, if Oswald was already dead at the time that you went to this book, why did you go back and examine the book? Mr. Wilcott. Well, I am sorry--if Oswald was what? Mr. Goldsmith. At the time you went to look at the book, Oswald was already dead, is that correct? Mr. Wilcott. That is right. Mr. Goldsmith. Why did you go back to look at the book? Mr. Wilcott. Well, the payments that were made especially to substations like Oswald's was operated--it was a substation of the [REDACTED] Station, and they had one in [REDACTED] and they had one in [REDACTED]--and it may be six months or even a year after the initial allocation that the final accounting for those funds were submitted, and they would operate out of revolving funds or out of their own personal funds in many cases. Mr. Goldsmith. So, is your testimony then that even though Oswald was already dead at the time, the book might have contained a reference to either Oswald or the Oswald project and that that reference would have been to a period six months or even a year earlier, is that correct? Mr. Wilcott. That is correct. [As far as I can determine from this 54-page typed document, HSCA Counsel Michael Goldsmith never asks Wilcott the essential question, which would be: "Was the Oswald cryptonym you no longer recall in your "Request for Advance" book?" Strange. The most relevant testimony is found on pages 18-19, as follows. --jh] Mr. Goldsmith. But as a matter of routine, would the CIA cash disbursement files refer to the cryptonym of either the person or the project that is receiving funds? Mr. Wilcott. Yes, I am sure somewhere. Mr. Goldsmith. As a matter of routine, there would be that reference? Do you believe that there was such a reference to Oswald? [Mr. Wilcott.] Yes, I do, and I believe there was such a reference. [. . . .]

The John Birch Society was famous for finding a "Bolshevik under every bed." The Russian speaking man who went by the name "Lee Harvey Oswald" was a U.S. intelligence agent. CIA accountant James Wilcott paid him.

Here's the original Richard Starnes piece from 10/2/63 that so appalled the Times' Arthur Krock: The Washington Daily News, Wednesday, October 2, 1963, p.3 'SPOOKS' MAKE LIFE MISERABLE FOR AMBASSADOR LODGE 'Arrogant' CIA Disobeys Orders in Viet Nam By Richard T. Starnes SAIGON, Oct.2 - The story of the Central Intelligence Agency's role in South Viet Nam is a dismal chronicle of bureaucratic arrogance, obstinate disregard of orders, and unrestrained thirst for power. Twice the CIA flatly refused to carry out instructions from Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge, according to a high United States source here. In one of these instances the CIA frustrated a plan of action Mr. Lodge brought with him from Washington because the agency disagreed with it. This led to a dramatic confrontation between Mr. Lodge and John Richardson, chief of the huge CIA apparatus here. Mr. Lodge failed to move Mr. Richardson, and the dispute was bucked back to Washington. Secretary of State Dean Rusk and CIA Chief John A. McCone were unable to resolve the conflict, and the matter is now reported to be awaiting settlement by President Kennedy. It is one of the developments expected to be covered in Defense Secretary Robert McNamara's report to Mr. Kennedy. Others Critical, Too Other American agencies here are incredibly bitter about the CIA. "If the United States ever experiences a 'Seven Days in May' it will come from the CIA, and not from the Pentagon," one U.S. official commented caustically. ("Seven Days in May" is a fictional account of an attempted military coup to take over the U.S. Government.) CIA "spooks" (a universal term for secret agents here) have penetrated every branch of the American community in Saigon, until non-spook Americans here almost seem to be suffering a CIA psychosis. An American field officer with a distinguished combat career speaks angrily about "that man at headquarters in Saigon wearing a colonel's uniform." He means the man is a CIA agent, and he can't understand what he is doing at U.S. military headquarters here, unless it is spying on other Americans. Another American officer, talking about the CIA, acidly commented: "You'd think they'd have learned something from Cuba but apparently they didn't." Few Know CIA Strength Few people other than Mr. Richardson and his close aides know the actual CIA strength here, but a widely used figure is 600. Many are clandestine agents known only to a few of their fellow spooks. Even Mr. Richardson is a man about whom it is difficult to learn much in Saigon. He is said to be a former OSS officer, and to have served with distinction in the CIA in the Philippines. A surprising number of the spooks are known to be involved in their ghostly trade and some make no secret of it. "There are a number of spooks in the U.S. Information Service, in the U.S. Operations mission, in every aspect of American official and commercial life here, " one official - presumably a non-spook - said. "They represent a tremendous power and total unaccountability to anyone," he added. Coupled with the ubiquitous secret police of Ngo Dinh Nhu, a surfeit of spooks has given Saigon an oppressive police state atmosphere. The Nhu-Richardson relationship is a subject of lively speculation. The CIA continues to pay the special forces which conducted brutal raids on Buddhist temples last Aug. 21, altho in fairness it should be pointed out that the CIA is paying these goons for the war against communist guerillas, not Buddhist bonzes (priests). Hand Over Millions Nevertheless, on the first of every month, the CIA dutifully hands over a quarter million American dollars to pay these special forces. Whatever else it buys, it doesn't buy any solid information on what the special forces are up to. The Aug. 21 raids caught top U.S. officials here and in Washington flat-footed. Nhu ordered the special forces to crush the Buddhist priests, but the CIA wasn't let in on the secret. (Some CIA button men now say they warned their superiors what was coming up, but in any event the warning of harsh repression was never passed to top officials here or in Washington.) Consequently, Washington reacted unsurely to the crisis. Top officials here and at home were outraged at the news the CIA was paying the temple raiders, but the CIA continued the payments. It may not be a direct subsidy for a religious war against the country's Buddhist majority, but it comes close to that. And for every State Department aide here who will tell you, "Dammit, the CIA is supposed to gather information, not make policy, but policy-making is what they're doing here," there are military officers who scream over the way the spooks dabble in military operations. A Typical Example For example, highly trained trail watchers are an important part of the effort to end Viet Cong infiltration from across the Laos and Cambodia borders. But if the trailer watchers spot incoming Viet Congs, they report it to the CIA in Saigon, and in the fullness of time, the spooks may tell the military. One very high American official here, a man who has spent much of his life in the service of democracy, likened the CIA's growth to a malignancy, and added he was not sure even the White House could control it any longer. Unquestionably Mr. McNamara and Gen. Maxwell Taylor both got an earful from people who are beginning to fear the CIA is becoming a Third Force co-equal with President Diem's regime and the U.S. Government - and answerable to neither. There is naturally the highest interest here as to whether Mr. McNamara will persuade Mr. Kennedy something ought to be done about it.

It always seemed a bit of a surprise that an obvious intelligence asset like Russian-speaking "Lee Harvey Oswald" would be selected as the patsy for the Kennedy assassination, but it's also clear that the plotters knew Oswald's intel connections would be suppressed. And, after all, the CIA and JFK's administration were clearly having a PUBLIC war the very month before Kennedy was killed. See, for example:

He was also convinced that if Marina wasn't KGB before she met Oswald, that she was by day two after she met him. Yes, but I can think of only two explanations for Marina's obvious pursuit of both Webster and "Oswald." 1. That she wanted to use any American man as a get-out-of-Russia card. 2. That she was a Russian intel honey trap for American "defectors." Considering all we know, and the many problems associated with point 1 above, I vote for point 2.

That’s it!!! Megathanks, Chris. To me, even just examining the Official Stories®, it’s as obvious that Marina was a Russian intelligence agent as it is that “Lee Harvey Oswald” was an American agent. Neither government would have given the general license they did to either one of these folks had they been just common civilians.

Some people at the CIA clearly suspected Marina was a Russian agent because there is a CIA report indicating 29 reasons to suspect Marina was KGB or MVD. I haven't been able to find it yet, but if I do I'll post it or a link to it.

It would be interesting to ask Mr. Zboril if he spent any time with Oswald at Pendleton, and if he knew Russian at all, and if there was any chance Zboril and Oswald spoke to one another in Russian.

The discovery that SS agent Charles Zboril was placed in the same 1957 Camp Pendleton Marine unit as Russian-speaking Lee HARVEY Oswald strikes a number of us besides Vince Palamara as just too much of a coincidence to accept at first encounter. A scholar who has researched the early years of Harvey and Lee Oswald in particular wrote to me yesterday with an interesting speculation: One possible connection between Zboril and Harvey Oswald is the cultural background of these two young men. If Zboril were of Russian or Slavic extraction, he may have been able to speak fluent Russian. In that case, he would have been a perfect resource for Harvey to keep in practice in speaking idiomatic Russian at a time when he was preparing for his phony defection assignment. Obviously, much work lies ahead in studying Zboril's background. But I do find his penmanship to be intriguing. Is this the scroll of a student educated in the American system. Or, is it the handwriting of an individual whose first language was Russian? He also included an EBAY LINK to a USPS commemorative stamp document signed by Mr. Zboril. According to the eBay posting, Mr. Zboril is shown next to JFK in the image above.

Thanks you for this, Jim. When I started this thread, there was another lengthy thread active here called “Was Oswald an Intelligence Agent?” Some participants seemed to believe it was a legitimate question. What’s remarkable is that even the official cover story makes it abundantly obvious that Oswald was an agent. The guy supposedly works in a radar bubble near top secret U2 aircraft in Japan, then leaves the Marines and “defects” to the Soviet Union, tells our man in Moscow he’ll tell the Russkies everything he knows, is then loaned the money to return to the U.S. with his Russian intelligence-connected wife, arrives and faces no charges, and then just a couple of years later is given permission by our government to visit Communist countries again! And some people still wonder if he was an agent. Or a phony wannabe agent. Gimme a break!

Did the Warren Commission Publish Oswald’s Intelligence Report? [On June 18, 1962] Oswald walked into Pauline Bates' office in the Burk Burnett Building in Fort Worth. He introduced himself and said, "I saw your name in the phone book, can you do some typing for me?" Bates, a public stenographer, asked Oswald what he wanted typed and he replied, "Notes I made in Russia of con­- ditions there." Bates told him she would do the work for $1.00 per single-spaced page. Oswald accepted her offer and handed Bates numerous handwritten notes. Bates recalled that Oswald was very protective of his many notes, some of which were written on scraps and pieces of paper and stuffed into a manila envelope. Oswald never left Bates alone with his notes and took all typewritten pages and carbons with him when he left her office. Oswald sat in Bates's office for 3 days and helped her read the notes as she typed. She remembered the notes reflected Oswald's account of his life in Russia where he had worked 12 hours a day at a factory in Minsk, with no coffee breaks and no vaca­- tions. He kept voluminous notes on everything, including the price of various foods which he said tasted monotonous and were not very good. On June 20, as Bates finished typing the 10th page, Oswald stopped her and said, "Ten dollars is all I've got," and handed her a $10.00 bill. Bates offered to complete the work and allow Oswald to pay her later, but he declined her offer and left. She es­- timated that the project was only 1/3 complete. Oswald then visited the Criner Career School, a business school located in the Bewley Building in Fort Worth, and asked if someone could do some typing. Virginia Valle was a former student who returned to the school to practice typing and shorthand, and agreed to help. After a few hours Virginia had managed to type four or five sheets, and Oswald gave her a small sum of money and then left.45 NOTE: The Warren Commission interviewed Bates but never gave her any typewritten pages to identify as the work she produced for Oswald. They did, however, publish a 31- page typewritten manuscript, with handwritten notations and corrections, on pages 287- 336 of Volume 16. --from Harvey and Lee, pp. 395-396, Copyright © 2003 by John Armstrong Many people here are no doubt aware of this document, but if there are any who aren't, it may come as a surprise. In an era before widespread communication and spy satellites, before personal computers and the Internet, it's easy to imagine how helpful to American Intel the information in this report would have been. The whole Bates story may have been part of a cover story, but Oswald's lengthy manuscript is nevertheless fascinating. Here's the first part of Part I: The lives of Russian workers is governed, first and foremost, by the "collective," the smallest unit of authority in any given factory, plant, or enterprise. Sectional and shop cells form a highly organized and well supported political organization. These shop committees are in turn governed by the shop and section party chiefs who are directed by the factory or plant party secretary. This post carries officially the same amount of authority as the production director or president of the plant, but in reality it is the controlling organ of all activities at any industrial enterprise, whether political, industrial, or otherwise personal relations. The party secretary is responsible for politiical indoctrination of the workers, the discipline of members of the Communist party working at the plant, and the general conduct and appearance of all members. The Minsk Radio and Television plant is known throughout the Union as a major producer of electronics parts and sets. In this vast enterprise created in the early 50's, the party secretary is a 6'4" man in his early 40's -- has a long history of service to the party. He controls the activities of the 1,000 communist party members here and otherwise supervises the activities of the other 5,000 people employed at this major enterprise in Minsk, the capital of the 3rd ranking Republic Belorussia. This factory manufactures 87,000 large and powerful radio and 60,000 television sets in various sizes and ranges, excluding pocket radios, which are not mass produced anywhere in the U.S.S.R. It is this plant which manufactured several console model combination radiophonograph television sets which were shown as mass produced items of commerce before several hundreds of thousands of Americans at the Soviet Exposition in New York in 1959. After the Exhibition these sets were duly shipped back to Minsk and are now stored in a special storage room on the first floor of the Administrative Building -- at this factory, ready for the next international Exhibit. I worked for 23 months at this plant, a fine example of average and even slightly better than average working conditions. The plant covers an area of 25 acres in a district one block north of the main thoroughfare and only two miles from the center of the City with all facilities and systems for the mass production of radios and televisions; it employees 5,000 full time and 300 part time workers, 58% women and girls. This factory employs 2,000 soldiers in three of the five mainshops, mostly these shops are fitted with conveyor belts in long rows, on either side of which sit the long line of bustling women. 500 people, during the day shift, are employed on the huge stamp and pressing machines; here sheet metal is turned into metal frames and cabinets for televisions and radios. Another 500 people are employed in an adjoining building for the cutting and finishing of rough wood into fine polished cabinets. A laborer's process, mostly done by hand, the cutting, trimming, and the processes right up to hand polishing are carried out here at the same plant. The plant also has its own stamp making plant, employing 150 poeple at or assisting at 80 heavy machine lathes and grinders. The noise in this shop is almost deafening as metal grinds against metal and steel saws cut through iron ingots at the rate of an inch a minute. The floor is covered with oil used to drain the heat of metal being worked so one has to watch one's footing; here the workers' hands are as black as the floor and seem to be eternally. The foremen here looks like the Russian version of "John Henry," tall and as strong as an ox. He isn't frilly, but he gets the work out. The plant has its electric shop, where those who have finished long courses in electronics work over generators, television tubes, testing experiment of all kinds. The green work tables are filled high here. Electric gadgets are not too reliable, mostly due to the poor quality of wires, which keep burning out under the impact of the ususal 220V____ voltage. In the U.S. it is 110V. The plastics department is next. Here 47 women and three physically disabled persons keep the red hot liquid plastic flowing into a store of odd presses, turning out their quota of knobs, handles, non-conducting tube bases, and so forth. These workers suffer the worst condition of work in the plant, an otherwise model factory, for the Soviet Union, due to bad fumes and the hotness of the materials. These workers are awarded 30 days vacation a year, the maximum for workers. Automation is now employed at a fairly large number of factories, especially the war industry. However, for civilian use, their number is still small. At this plant at least one worker is employed in the often crude task of turning out finished, acceptable items. Often, one worker must finish the task of taking the edge of metal off plastic and shaving them on a foot driver lathe. There is only so much potentiality in presses and stamps, no matter what their size. The lack of unemployment in the Soviet Union may be explained by one of 2 things. Lack of automation and a Bureaucratic corps of 16 workers in any given factory. These people are occupied with the tons of paperwork which flow in and out of any factory. Also the number of direct foremen is not small to the ratio of workers in some case 1-10, in others 1-5, depending on the importance of the work. These people are also backed by a small array of examiners, committees and supply checkers and the quality control board. These people number (without foremen) almost 300 people, total working force 5,000 -- 3-50 without foreman. To delve deep into the lives of the workers, we shall visit most of the shops one after another and get to know the people. The largest shop employs 500 people; 85% women and girls; females make up 60% of the work force at this plant. Here girls solder and screw the chassis to the frame attaching, transistors, tubes and so forth. They each have quotas depending upon what kind of work they are engaged in. One girl may solder 5 transistors in four minutes while the next girl solders 15 wire leads in 13 minutes. The pay scales here vary but slightly with average pay at 80 rubles without deductions. Deductions include 7 rubles, general tax, 2.50 rubles for bachelors and unmarried girls and any deductions for poor or careless work the inspectors may care to make further down the line. They start teams of two mostly boys of 17 or 18, turning the telvisions on the conveyor belts right side up, from where there has been soldering to a position where they place picture tubes onto the supports. These boys receive for a 39 hour week, 65-70 rubles, not counting deductions. Further on, others are filling tubes and parts around the picture tube itself, all along the line there are testing apparatus with operators hurriedly afix shape type testing currents, and withdrawing the snaps that fitting out a testers card, pass the equipment back on the conveyor, speed here is essential. The full text of this report can be read at John McAdams' website at this address: http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/thecollective.htm

Thank you for this, Vince. The Zboril link sounds fascinating. I wonder if... as plans for the plot against JFK were being made in the summer and fall of 1963, this fellow didn't think back and wonder about that fellow in his company. The long Marine Corps chapter in Harvey and Lee remains, to me, the clearest evidence of all about what CIA accountant James Wilcott called "the Oswald project." You can just see the two guys following sometimes parallel paths but with two completely different groups of soldiers. Reading the unit diaries makes the whole thing abundantly clear. You can see how one Oswald constantly spoke Russian and read Russian literature while the other didn't, how one got drunk and visited prostitutes while the other was a teetotaler, how one shot himself in the left arm and the other didn't, and on and on. Thanks again.

Tommy, Do you really think these two men look "almost identical" and have an "uncanny resemblance?" I don't see it at all. What do other people think?

Since it’s so hard to agree on anything in this case, I’d like to just stick to the basics on this issue. So, here’s more proof that “Lee Harvey Oswald” was a U.S. Intelligence agent. The document below shows that the Department of the Navy believed Oswald “may have had access to Confidential info” while in the Marine Corps. It also states that, while in Moscow, “Oswald stated he was radar operator in Marcorps and has offered to furnish Soviets info. He possesses on U.S. Radar.” The very fact that Oswald could travel to the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, tell our man in Moscow that he was going to tell the Russkies everything he knew, and then come home a few years later without facing charges of treason—or even unkind words--is proof enough for me that he was really a spy. Of course, we’ve spent the last 55 years or so listening to all the reasons he just simply had to be left alone by the USG. He was just a wannabe spy, don’t cha know, not a real one, and had his RIGHTS! What a hoot!

I really have been trying to "be nice" but this is typical Trejo b_llsh_t. John Kennedy wasn't even President when McKeown was convicted. Heh-heh-heh…. For several days now, Mr. Trejo has been offering up a 1960s excuse for Jack Ruby’s 1950s gunrunning protection, perhaps thinking we’re too dumb to notice he switched decades. You gotta hand it to him for the sheer chutzpah!

The CIA surely knew Marina spoke English because "Oswald" would have told them she did. The whole marriage reminds me of the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon show, which featured Russian spies named Boris and Natasha. "We get moose and squirrel for Motherland!” Both governments surely knew or at least strongly suspected that Russian-speaking Oswald and Marina Prusakova were spies, but both also decided to let the charade go on. The U.S. government, though, was not about to give Marina free-reign in this country. Enter Collins Radio.... NOTE: Collins Radio was located at 1200 North Alma Road in Richardson, Texas and held major communications contracts for the military and CIA, including the installa­- tion of communications towers in Vietnam. On November 1, 1963 the New York Times published a photo of a ship named the "Rex" and a story involving commandos that (were sent ashore from the ship in Cuba on Octo­- ber 22-23, 1963. The Commandos were captured on a Cuban beach with high-powered sniper rifles and admitted they had been trained by the CIA to kill Cuban leaders. The "Rex" was leased to Collins Radio of Richardson, Texas.... Another employee of Collins Radio, Kenneth Porter, quit his job after the assassination of President Kennedy, left his wife, took up with Marina Oswald, and married her in Fate, Texas on June 1, 1965. --from Harvey and Lee, pp. 872-873, Copyright © 2003 by John Armstrong Yet another employee of Collins Radio was Carl Mather, best friend of J.D. Tippit, who in 1963 serviced radio equipment on Air Force Two. Wes Wise, future Mayor of Dallas, was intimately involved in a report that "Oswald" was seen after the assassination in a car bearing Carl Mather's license plate. This story is well worth researching for anyone not familiar with it.

Thanks. I remember a little of that. Doesn't Mr. Simpich also believe much of the Mexico City shenanigans involved a mole hunt also? His book is very well researched, but considering the efforts to place more blame on Oswald as a Cuban agent, I suspect the MC charade went beyond a mole hunt. Just my opinion.

Oh, for heaven’s sake. Dozens of arms suppliers to Cuba and other Caribbean locations were arrested and/or investigated and/or jailed during the 1950s. Robert Mckeown was on probation when “Oswald” tried to buy rifles from him. U.S. Customs was investigating David Ferrie for gunrunning. On Nov. 30 1958 the 80-foot yacht Restless II was caught near Key Biscayne with 200 rifles, 7,000 rounds of ammunition. Supervising Agent Charles V. Wyatt and Border Patrolman Charles Williams made seizure. Eight men were arrested, including Guillermo Martin. For dozens more examples of gunrunning arrests directly involving Cuba, see: http://cuban-exile.com/doc_076-100/doc0095.html But other than an isolated and unfollowed-up FBI report from a confidential source, there is no indication anywhere that Jack Ruby/Rubenstein was ever investigated, charged or convicted of a similar suspense. Do you seriously believe he escaped the CIA’s notice? Why was he protected?

NOTE: In a 1997 interview Robert Webster told JFK researcher and author Dick Russell that he met Marina Prusakova in Moscow in the summer of 1959 and spoke with her in English. Webster said that Marina spoke English well, but with a heavy accent. A year after Webster was sent to Leningrad by the Soviet Government, 400 miles from Moscow, he met Marina again shortly after he applied for an exit visa so that he could return to the US. [interview of Robert Webster by Dick Russell at Cape Cod, MA. 1997] Marina's friend in Dallas, Katya Ford, said that when she asked Marina why Oswald went to Russia, Marina told her that he worked for the Rand Corporation and helped set up the American exhibit at the World Trade Exposition in Moscow.[WC Document 5, p. 259; FBI interview of Katherine Ford by SA James P. Hosty, 11/24/63] Marina had momentarily confused Harvey Oswald with Robert Webster, the 1st US "defector," whom she met in Moscow (1959) and again in Leningrad (1960). It is not a coincidence that both Webster and Oswald "defected" a few months apart in 1959, both tried to "defect" on a Saturday, both possessed "sensitive" information of possible value to the Russians, both were befriended by Marina Prusakova, and both returned to the United States in the Spring of 1962. These US "defectors," acting in perfect harmony, were both working for the CIA. --From Harvey and Lee, p. 799, Copyright © 2003 by John Armstrong