15 minutes ago, Paul Brancato said:

If the confession was given orally, and the receiver of that confession later tried to sell it without being able to authenticate it that’s a problem. 

Exactly, which is why we're treating this with such caution.  And, obviously, until we get our hands on the book and translation, this is pure speculation.  I would make the note that Meletta has a number of interesting titles under his belt.

(Also, I didn't catch that this review includes Mary Haverstick's new book on June Cobb.) 

Just now, Leslie Sharp said:

1 minute ago, Paul Brancato said:

Are there pics of Puglibet? 

I have a photo taken much later, but I've filled attachment allotment on EF.

(a personal anecdote: I emailed the photo to a Dallas researcher who encountered a man posing as a cattle rancher at The Mansion on Turtle Creek in the early 1980s; when she read about Pugibet we both considered the possibility. She didn't recognize the photo in question, but said "it was a late night at the bar when he tried to pick her up."

1 minute ago, Paul Brancato said:

Are there pics of Puglibet? 

On 11/16/2023 at 8:57 AM, Bill Fite said:

French article in Le Point today - w mention of a poster here. @David Von Pein

Makes mention of the purchasing of the 'confession' - I'm not sure what that means at all.

Translation in RED via google translate except for a better translation of voila in ()!

Exclusif. Du nouveau sur l’assassinat de Kennedy

Exclusif. Deux passionnants ouvrages – Le Deuxième Tireur de Cédric Meletta et L’Inconnue de Dallas de Mary Haverstick – rouvrent l’enquête.

• Le Point
• 16 Nov 2023
• PAR FRANÇOIS-GUILLAUME LORRAIN

Impact. Parmi les suspects du meurtre de JFK, la femme à l’imper (à droite) qui tiendrait une caméra-fusil.

Sur les traces du tireur français

Le meurtre de John Fiztgerald Kennedy à Dallas est une histoire sans fin. Enquêtes, films, documentaires s’empilent depuis soixante ans. En 2024, une grosse production, avec Al Pacino et Viggo Mortensen, fera cette fois porter le chapeau à la mafia de Chicago… Il y a des obsédés, plus ou moins complotistes, du 22 novembre 1963. Ils fréquentent sur YouTube la chaîne consacrée à JFK, David Von Pein’s JFK Channel, écument le site de la Fondation Mary-Ferrell, qui stocke tous les documents fédéraux sur les suspects. Durant toutes ces années, les rapports se sont accumulés. En 1964, la commission Warren affirma la culpabilité de Lee Harvey Oswald, tireur unique ; plus grand monde ne semble accorder de crédit à cette thèse. Dès 1966, le procureur de La Nouvelle-Orléans, Jim Garrison, qui n’y croyait déjà pas, rouvrit le dossier, mais fit chou blanc en accusant à tort des anticastristes, dont l’un, David Ferrie, ancien de la CIA, est tout de même mort mystérieusement après avoir été auditionné par Garrison.

En 1967, Josiah Thompson publia Six Seconds in Dallas (non traduit), le premier ouvrage qui remettait en cause la théorie de la balle unique. On se mit dès lors à parler de plusieurs tireurs. Cette position fut reprise à la fin des années 1970 par le House Select Committee on Assassinations, une commission d’enquête créée par la Chambre des représentants – il y aurait eu plus de trois balles tirées –, qui relança une enquête. En 1976, l’un de ses experts, Richard E. Sprague, rédigea un ouvrage, The Taking of America 1-2-3 (non traduit), dans lequel il était le premier à mentionner un tireur français…

Cette thèse est accréditée et précisée par Cédric Meletta dans son nouveau livre, Le Deuxième Tireur. Depuis l’ouvrage de Sprague, les identités du « Frenchy » qui «tira le coup fatal, à travers les arbres, depuis sa position derrière la palissade » ont varié. Un ancien de l’OAS fut notamment évoqué. La piste de Melettaest plus sérieuse, aussi sérieuse et honnête que son investigation. Celle-ci repose sur une coïncidence troublante : un pedigree chargé, une rencontre décisive et un aveu tardif.

This thesis is accredited and clarified by Cédric Meletta in his new book, The Second Shooter. Since Sprague's work, the identities of the "Frenchy" who "fired the fatal shot, through the trees, from his position behind the palisade" have varied. In particular, a former member of the OAS was mentioned. Meletta's trail is more serious, as serious and honest as her investigation. It is based on an unsettling coincidence: a loaded pedigree, a decisive encounter and a belated confession.

Avant de mourir, les criminels sont souvent pris d’un besoin de soulager leur conscience. Ce fut le cas, visiblement, de Henry-Ernest Pugibet, en septembre 1992, dans un hôpital miteux de Mexico. Avant de rendre l’âme, il fit venir son petit-cousin préféré, Santiago Pugibet, afin de lui raconter par le menu une opération spéciale à laquelle il avait participé le 22 novembre 1963 à Dallas, où il était allé chercher une arme dans le coffre déverrouillé d’une voiture dans un parking. Voilà pour l’aveu.

Before dying, criminals are often seized with a need to ease their conscience. This was the case, apparently, of Henry-Ernest Pugibet, in September 1992, in a seedy hospital in Mexico City. Before passing away, he called his favorite cousin, Santiago Pugibet, to tell him about a special operation he had participated in on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, where he had gone to retrieve a gun from the unlocked trunk of a car in a parking lot. So (there it is) the confession.

Après Vichy, HenryErnest Pugibet fut récupéré par Allen Dulles, patron de la CIA.

« Un faisceau d’indices ». En 2013, Santiago, le récipiendaire de l’aveu, s’en délesta lors d’un deal d’archives du sculpteur Bartholdi, membre de sa famille. Son acheteur était un intrigant personnage, Fabrice Fourmanoir, bourlingueur commercial, qui trouva son chemin de Damas en traquant urbi et orbi les faux tableaux de Gauguin. C’est lors de cet accord que Fourmanoir, installé au Mexique, reçoit les confidences de Santiago Pugibet sur Henry-Ernest, très fine gâchette. En 2018, Meletta, le futur auteur de l’ouvrage, est contacté par Fourmanoir qui l’a entendu parler de son ouvrage sur Porfirio Rubirosa, gendre du dictateur de Saint-Domingue, Trujillo, dont il fut l’un des hommes à tout faire. Or Henry-Ernest Pugibet, qui avait rencontré Rubirosa à Vichy en 1942, avait également beaucoup oeuvré auprès de Trujillo après guerre: voilà pour la rencontre décisive. Familier de la « planète Rubirosa », Meletta a décidé d’enquêter sur cette nouvelle piste.

"A bundle of clues." In 2013, Santiago, the recipient of the confession, relinquished it in an archival deal with the sculptor Bartholdi, a member of his family. Its buyer was an intriguing character, Fabrice Fourmanoir, a commercial traveller, who found his way to Damascus by tracking down Gauguin's fake paintings urbi et orbi. It was during this agreement that Fourmanoir, who had settled in Mexico, received Santiago Pugibet's confidences about Henry-Ernest, who was very trigger-happy. In 2018, Meletta, the future author of the book, was contacted by Fourmanoir who had heard him talk about his book on Porfirio Rubirosa, son-in-law of the dictator of Santo Domingo, Trujillo, of whom he was one of the handymen. Henry-Ernest Pugibet, who had met Rubirosa in Vichy in 1942, had also worked extensively with Trujillo after the war: (there it is!) the decisive meeting. Familiar with the "planet Rubirosa", Meletta decided to investigate this new lead.

Affirme-t-il de manière certaine qu’il a identifié le meurtrier de Kennedy ? Non. « Un faisceau d’indices », préfère-t-il évoquer : en l’occurrence, la présence attestée à Dallas le jour fatidique de ce Pugibet pourvu d’un CV long comme le bras qui fait de lui un client possible pour prendre place derrière le fusil. Pour suivre le raisonnement de l’auteur, il faut aussi accepter la thèse privilégiée depuis quelques décennies: le commanditaire ne serait autre qu’Allen Dulles, légendaire patron de la CIA, débarqué par Kennedy après le fiasco, en 1961, de la baie des Cochons, la tentative américaine pour renverser Castro. Thèse jamais formellement établie, à laquelle Charles de Gaulle semblait croire quand on se remémore ses propos sur Dallas tenus à Alain Peyrefitte : « On ne saura jamais la vérité. Elle est trop terrible, trop explosive… Toutes les polices du monde se ressemblent quand elles font de basses besognes. »

Does he say with certainty that he identified Kennedy's murderer? No. "A bundle of clues," he prefers to mention: in this case, the attested presence in Dallas on the fateful day of this Pugibet with a CV as long as his arm, which makes him a possible client to take his place behind the gun. To follow the author's reasoning, we must also accept the thesis favoured in recent decades: the sponsor would be none other than Allen Dulles, legendary head of the CIA, landed by Kennedy after the fiasco in 1961 of the Bay of Pigs, the American attempt to overthrow Castro. A thesis that has never been formally established, and which Charles de Gaulle seemed to believe in when we recall his remarks about Dallas to Alain Peyrefitte: "We will never know the truth. It's too terrible, too explosive... All the police forces in the world look the same when they do dirty work. »

La mort de JFK est le résultat de la rencontre entre deux trajectoires, celles des balles mortelles et de la voiture qui avançait au ralenti lors de son défilé. Meletta émet un postulat équivalent : la présence le jour J à l’endroit clé, « derrière la palissade », d’un individu aux identités multiples – il n’aura cessé de modifier les lettres de son nom – passé jusque-là sous les radars, qu’il parvient à exhumer, dans une quête obsessionnelle, pour en dresser l’étonnante biographie. Au-delà du rôle éventuel joué par ce monsieur X le 22 novembre 1963, son ouvrage est surtout le portrait d’un agent trouble de l’Histoire, un «caméléon» franco-mexicain qui aura réussi l’exploit de travailler pour Vichy, la CIA, et Trujillo. Beaucoup pour un seul homme.

JFK's death is the result of the meeting of two trajectories, those of the fatal bullets and the car that was moving in slow motion during its parade. Meletta puts forward a similar postulate: the presence on D-Day at the key place, "behind the fence", of an individual with multiple identities – he never stopped changing the letters of his name – who had gone under the radar until then, whom he managed to exhume, in an obsessive quest, to draw up an astonishing biography. Beyond the possible role played by this Mr. X on November 22, 1963, his book is above all the portrait of a troubled agent of History, a Franco-Mexican "chameleon" who managed the feat of working for Vichy, the CIA, and Trujillo. A lot for one man.

Héritier de Français de l’Ubaye et du Pays basque partis construire des empires industriels au Mexique, ce Pugibet, fou d’aviation, fut d’abord un jeune homme embarqué dans la mission pétainiste de reconstruire la France en 1940. Dirigeantfondateur de la Jeunesse de France et d’Outre-Mer, Jeunesses hitlériennes à la française qui comptèrent près de 20 000 membres, instructeur d’un centre de tir à Carcassonne proche des services secrets vichystes de l’armée de l’air, il finira par être arrêté le 19 octobre 1944 pour avoir été speaker à Radio-Paris, la radio des collaborateurs. Sa vie bascule dans la grande machine à laver de l’immédiat après-guerre. Malgré sa détention à Fresnes, il se retrouve en 1945 – Meletta en a trouvé trace dans les Archives fédérales – sur les listes de l’opération américaine Paperclip, dans la catégorie « récupération intellectuelle ». Après Vichy, Pugibet fut donc récupéré par Allen Dulles. « À l’origine de l’OSS, l’ancêtre de la CIA, Dulles voulait les meilleurs. Il avait une conception aristocratique de l’espionnage. » Voilà Pugibet Ernesto qui renaît au Mexique, où Meletta le débusque en patron de deux sociétés-écrans de la CIA, spécialisé dans l’épandage aérien de pesticides. Les avions et les hélicoptères, fournis par les États-Unis, servent aussi à surveiller le territoire mexicain: sans pouvoir en apporter la preuve formelle, l’auteur place à ce moment la rencontre professionnelle entre Pugibet et Dulles.

Si Meletta parvient à tirer le fil à partir de cet entrepreneur aux multiples identités, passe-muraille et tout-terrain, c’est qu’il a été repéré par le FBI dès 1949, à la suite de ses nombreux déplacements aux États-Unis. Son dossier fait de lui aussi le directeur des services spéciaux du dictateur Trujillo à Saint-Domingue – la connexion Rubirosa remontant à Vichy où ce bel hidalgo, époux de Danielle Darrieux, était consul –, autrement dit un redoutable tueur, chef d’orchestre d’assassinats ciblés, membre parailleurs d’une officine au Mexique qui fut « les yeux et les oreilles de Dulles sur le territoire aztèque ». À Saint-Domingue, envisagé un temps comme base de repli pour les mafieux américains après la prise de pouvoir castriste à Cuba, Pugibet prend du recul en 1961 aux Pays-Bas, date à laquelle Trujillo est renversé. C’est en explorant la base de données de la Fondation Mary-Ferrell que Meletta est retombé sur le nom de Pugibet. Celui-ci est mentionné en 1969 par un escroc qui tentait de monnayer sa sortie de prison contre des révélations sur le meurtre de Kennedy. Des confidences, passées inaperçues, qu’il avait faites à un expert membre d’un comité d’enquête sur l’assassinat. Que découvre-t-on ? Le nom de l’hôtel où Pugibet était descendu à Dallas du… 19 au 22 novembre 1963. Coïncidence troublante que Meletta, fort des informations apportées par Fourmanoir, fort aussi des résultats de sa propre enquête, met en relation avec cet aveu tardif d’un tireur couché sur son lit de mort. CQFD

Le Deuxième Tireur, de Cédric Meletta (Éditions Bouquins, 220 p., 20 ¤).

@Bill Fite thank you so much for this translation.  I'm passing it on to Alan Kent who has been in hot pursuit of Pugibet.

I too was concerned by the suggestion the confession was paid for.  I wondered if there was something lost in translation.

48 minutes ago, Anthony Thorne said:

Not yet. Still investigating. But one name in particular has me pondering a few puzzles this morning - in particular, whether it matches up with a person who was visually in the thick of things on the day.

I have 18 tabs open on my browser right now, half being historical books, some being reports from CIA collections, some news articles. I'm going to do a run through and grab info that I think is pertinent. Once I'm done, I'll do a fat post here, with the links, and the relevant background and info. Then everyone can poke at it and pick it apart and likely provide a lot more info as to whether the balloon floats or sinks. 

But he has links to the organisation of assassinations, and also limited connections to the CIA, as agents were assigned to his area of expertise in his resident country throughout the 60's. CIA likely worked with him prior to the JFK assassination, and evidently worked with him afterwards. But the Mossad definitely worked with him. He also might have helped Angleton out at one point.

He's not Israeli, and I'd never heard of him till recently. When I searched his name on this forum, I got one single hit, as his name appears in a list, with no further info, so he's never been discussed on this forum before. But he's a striking figure.

 

 

 

 

Of course I'm anxious to read this new material to determine if there are parallels and/or convergences with the names and details presented in Lafitte's records.  

as an aside, did you see the photo of JJA and Amit Meir taken in 1967 in Tucson?

Among the most admirable traits of JFK the human was the capacity to evolve.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/history/1828866/jfk-adolf-hitler-diary

4 hours ago, Michael Griffith said:

This is sad, wrong, and embarrassing. Unlike Truman and Ike, JFK sold the Hawk anti-air missile system to Israel. As I've documented in other threads, JFK made several speeches in which he made his pro-Israeli position clear. 

Yes, JFK wanted the Dimona site inspected, and, yes, the Israelis resisted this. They did so because they correctly believed that if any nation on Earth had the moral right to have nukes, it was Israel. JFK was simply wrong on this issue. Friends don't always agree. 

The "Palestinians" would not have lost any land if their radical, pro-Hitler leaders had not rejected the 1947 UN partition plan. Their leaders were so confident that the five neighboring Arab nations could wipe the Jews into the sea in short order that they foolishly rejected the UN plan and told the five neighboring leaders that they would welcome an invasion. But, incredibly enough, the Jews fought off the five invading armies and won their independence, and formed the only democracy in the Middle East.

 

Thank you for the succinct summary, Mike. Well stated.

I wonder if you have studied this report? And can you point me to related material you may have published or posted on Ed Forum on the subject?

https://www.archives.gov/.../iwg/reports/hitlers-shadow.pdf

49 minutes ago, Anthony Thorne said:

I agree that the CIA, as documented through maybe 30 books on my bookshelf, is more prominent throughout nearly every level of the plot you can think of. At the level of assets though - and this can be reduced down to an individual here or there - the Mossad had at least a few friends that the CIA might have found useful on the day, and I don't think it's a reach to suggest that Angleton would have been better placed than many to tap them on the shoulder if required.

@Anthony Thorne at least a few friends that the CIA might have found useful on the day . . . 

Can you be specific?  Who are your candidates?

2 hours ago, Benjamin Cole said:

That's amazing!

The same thing happened to me!

I do not own the Puginet datebook, and I have signed an NDA that prevents anyone from authenticating the document. 

But!---I have been allowed to see key passages in the datebook that confirm its authenticity beyond all doubt. 

We are in the same boat! 

Exactly the same boat! 

6 minutes ago, Benjamin Cole said:

Why the antagonism? Let's coordinate!

I have the Pugibet datebook, and you have the Lafitte datebook. The power is squared! 

We can crosscheck references---and I can assure you, what Pugibet did makes Lafitte look like a small sideshow character, a cameo appearance. 

 

 

 

Post away, Benjamin.  I look forward to seeing your datebook.

And presumably, you'll be alble to meet the high bar set by Albarelli in his public testament as to provenance and authenticity of the Pierre Lafitte datebook. 

 

' . . . . Before I completed my book on Frank Olson’s murder, I had the opportunity to meet the one person who was quite close to Lafitte, his wife. I had been informed by a highly respected journalist for the New York Times, John Crewdson, that Lafitte had been living in a small town in New England for at least twelve years. By chance, I had relatives in a nearby town, and I turned to them for help in locating Lafitte. As it turned out, he was living openly with his wife. Understandably, I traveled as quickly as possible to the place where they resided, which was quite easy because I was still living in Vermont where I’d gone to write the Olson book. Of course, I shared the location and address with the DA’s office in Manhattan, but ventured there on my own. 

I was too late to find Pierre. He had passed away before my arrival. But, as said, I had the opportunity to meet his wife Rene. Our meeting was a cautious one, but I felt that by being honest about my interests and objectives an initial bond of friendship was formed. That bond grew steadily stronger through the time that Rene relocated to the Miami, Florida area. As far as I know, nobody from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office ever made the same trip I did. 

Through additional meetings with Rene, I became aware that Pierre, like George White, had kept datebooks within which he would jot down certain things, often specific to matters he was working on at the time. It was a practice that was expressly forbidden by the CIA, but Pierre and George were notorious for bending and breaking the rules. Said Rene, “He would sometimes emulate George, mainly for financial reasons, not out of any admiration or the like.”

As I’m sure you can imagine, I was especially interested in viewing and reading Lafitte’s personal writings. I respectfully made my interest known to Rene. She had agreed after thinking about it for what seemed a painfully long time. About two weeks later, she called again and said that she had become concerned about certain findings in Pierre’s materials and that she now wanted to talk with “her family’s attorney” about her concerns and liability issues. Oh, Lord, I thought, an attorney: that will surely mess everything up. But, perhaps thanks to the alignment of the stars, Rene called about a week later with good news. 

I had learned through my Olson research that Pierre and his family lived in New Orleans during the 1960s and that Pierre had been briefly employed by the William Reily Coffee Company where alleged JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald had also briefly worked in May and June 1963. I had been warned several times by writer Peter Janney, and other close friends who were also writers, to stay clear of the Kennedy assassination. “It’s a black hole that draws you in deeper and deeper, until you cannot extract yourself,” said Janney. He was right. But that’s another story that can be discussed at another time. 

What is important here is that I eventually gained conditional access to several of Lafitte’s datebooks and a precious handful of his letters. I would guess that you can imagine my surprise when I was able to make out Lee Harvey Oswald’s name in the 1963 datebook. Over a short period, I found other names connected to Oswald’s. Some identified only by initials: “O,” “OS,” “JA” and “T.” To make a long and convoluted story short, I was able to study Lafitte’s 1963 datebook. And as expected, although for entirely different reasons than my initial expectations, it was remarkable for its contents. Perhaps “remarkable” is not a strong enough word. 

There, in a worn, but well-preserved, leather-bound datebook, was a stunning parade of names: Angleton, Oswald, Joannides, Labadie, Martin—some under aliases, some coded, some not, some as bold as day, others scribbled in a hurried or tired hand, some of which I had no idea about, or even a clue as to who they were. Occasionally, I depended on expert assassination researchers like Steve Rosen, Malcolm Blunt, Dick Russell, and Stuart Wexler, and my cowriters Leslie Sharp and Alan Kent, to identify but a handful and for making sense of certain entries. At the start, I was near completely unfamiliar with the names R. G. Storey, Charles Willoughby, and Ilse Skorzeny. Through the datebook, the story of Lafitte’s involvement in the events of 1963 rolled out page by page. As hopefully will become clear to readers of this book, Lafitte played what, no doubt, was a crucial role in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 

One thing, however, should be made clear: I, as the author of this book, do not own any of Lafitte’s datebooks or letters. Fortunately, I have been granted the right to reproduce certain selections from the 1963 datebook. But, there are contents in those datebooks that the Lafitte family do not want published. Rene Lafitte was adamant about this and would not agree to anything else. It took considerable effort to convince her and others that I be allowed to reproduce her insightful comment about JFK’s death recorded in a November 23, 1963 entry: “Rene says, coup de grâce.” . . . —H. P. Albarelli Jr. 

4 hours ago, Paul Brancato said:

The general level of discourse by several posters on this interesting thread is disappointing to say the least. And I’ll note that major writers like Larry Hancock and Jim DiEugenio have unfortunately stayed out of the fray completely. 
so if I understand what Leslie is saying, the Frenchman Pugibet, the subject of an essay by Alan Kent in Albarelli’s Coup is also the subject of a new French book claiming that he confessed on his deathbed to being the second gunman at Dealey Plaza. 
what I would like to know is who was FBI informer Allen Wright? 

Random notes: As Alan Kent points out in his essay, Chester Zochowski a.k.a. Chester Gray, an associate of FBI informant Allen Wright, shows up in documents that indicate he was also associated with Mitch WerBell in the 1970s; thus far I haven't found anything to confirm they were associated as early as 1962/63 in context of Lafitte's references to WerBell in early '63.

It's also worth emphasizing that Allen Eli Wright had been smuggling diamonds in the late '50s — as had Pierre Lafitte — and was an informant for the government of Dominican Republic prior to Trujillo's assassination. We know that expert sniper Robert Emmett Johnson (a name that appears in the 1963 Lafitte datebook) was based in the DR in the employ of Ulius Amoss, infamous for developing the concept of 'leaderless resistance.'

 

Full text of a document referenced by Alan K. in his Pugibet essay

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
Memorandum
To: Chief, Contact Division
ATTN: Support Branch

FROM: Chief, Miami Field Office

DATE: 18 December, 1962

SUBJECT: Reported interest of Soviet Diplomat in Defecting

1. On 18 Dec 62 I received a call from Joseph Merola of Miami Beach, notorious racketeer, gun runner, and ex-convict. Merola was released in November after serving 14 months of a five year tern in Federal prison, having been connected with the theft of weapons from a National Guard Armory in Ohio.
2. Merola informed me that a US national, Allen Eli Wright had arrived in town from Mexico, and stated that Julio Couttilenc of the Mexican Secret Service had informed him that the "Number 2 Man" of the Soviet Embassy in Moscow was interested in defecting. I checked with JMWAVE to see of there was any information on Wright and Couttilenc, and both names were listed. I then requested Mercola to set up an appointment with Wright, which he did the same evening.
3. Wright was accompanied by Chester Gray, a well known "con-man" and racketeer, but who knew nothing about the Mexican situation. Wright stated that Julio Couttilenc had been in frequent contact with the Soviet diplomat since 1959, when the Soviet was in a lower post. Wright did not know the Soviet's name, but said that he was about 35, dark complexioned, 5' 10", about 175 pounds and extremely nervous.
4. The Soviet is reported to have told Couttilenc that he wanted US $50 thousand plus complete anonymity in the US for his defection and the information which he would furnish to the US Government. The Soviet also wanted assurances that he would not be turned over to the USSR. In the negotiations he gave no evidence of being interested in anyone except himself. It is not known if he is married.
5. Couttilenc told Wright in July 1962 the Soviet was willing to defect under the described circumstances and Wright said that his last contact with Couttilenc had been in July.
6. Wright stated that Couttilenc had been on the payroll of General Trujillo and also on the payroll of General Somosa as an informer on matters of interest to the Governments involved. Wright said that Couttilenc was willing to do anything for money, and that Couttilenc wanted US $50 thousand for his part in arranging the Soviet's defection.
7. Wright indicated that he likewise expected some assistance from the US Government in return for his services. When I inquired as to what he had in mind, he did not reply directly but indicated that he was in trouble with a branch of the US Government, possibly Secret Service, and that a kind word might not be amiss. He also indicated that renumeration for his expenses would be acceptable.
8. Wright gave me his date and place of birth as 26 Nov 22, Bowles, Arkansas. He apparently has operated as a freelance informer to a variety of governments, including Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic prior to Trujillo's assassination. He stated he had arranaged the theft of some papers from the Cuban Embassy in 1959 on behalf of the US Government, for which he had to pay of $23 thousand which was never funded. He stated he would be in Miami until 22 December when he would return to Laurel, Mississippi, where he is currently living. He will advise me through Merola if he receives any further information from the Soviet.

P.S. As of 1500 hours on 18 Dec a phone call from Julio Couttilenc to Wright indicates that the individual is still available and interested. Wright's full address is: 105 Central, Laurel, Mississippi

EN

original doc. https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=40590#relPageId=2&search=couttilen

20 hours ago, Benjamin Cole said:

Only a white supremacist proto-fascist would challenge the authenticity of the Pugibet datebook. 

I have given you proof: on 11/24, Pugibet wrote in datebook that he had encountered a Dallas sheriff and a "municipalité de Dallas gen" on or near the GK, and that he escaped by showing Secret Service credentials. "gen." is short for "gendarme." 

The incident of someone flashing Secret Service credential was not known to the public until much later---proof Pugibet was there. How could Pugibet know of the Secret Service credentials on the GK unless he was there? 

Like a certain other author, I am talking the "take it or leave it" attitude.

I know the Pugibet document is real, by the manner in which it was obtained, and later authentication efforts. 

I would love to show people the document, but I have signed a NDA with filmmakers, for a very high budget production. This will make Stone's film look like a Super-8 home movie.

You can believe me, when I say the high-powered film executives went to extremes to authenticate the document. 

@Benjamin Cole, for one to take you seriously, it's entirely reasonable to ask you to produce 1) photo images of the physical instrument; 2) photo images of a number of entries in said datebook; 3) specific details found in your datebook related to the Kennedy assassination; and 4) first hand testimony as to the provenance and authenticity.   All eyes and ears, Benjamin.

9 minutes ago, Karl Kinaski said:

 

 Was Pugibet standing behind the fence hand in hand with James Files both smoking heavily creating puffs of smoke?🚬🚬

Good question.  As I noted, it's awfully crowded behind the fence.

However, still unresolved is the high strangeness and synchronicity that on November 19, former member of French resistance and gunman for hire Pugibet checked into the same Dallas hotel occupied by psychotic French terrorists Alice Lamy and Jean Filiol.

PUGIBET—Alan Kent essay notes: 

Documents pertaining to Allen Eli Wright and associates:

NARA # 1994.05.17.08:24:18:250005; # 104-10074-10133 (Wright background); # 124-10202-10343 (Wright background); # 124-90115-10030 (Chester Zochowski); # 104-10074-10133 (Wright-Gleichauf meeting

Letter from Bill Turner to Jim Garrison, July 16, 1967, JFK Assassination Records, National Archives, Papers of Jim Garrison, Investigative Files Received From New Orleans District Attorney Harry Connick, Box 10 (Bill Turner, Ramparts)

Summary of notes from Bernard Fensterwald interview with Allen Eli Wright, Mary Ferrell Chronologies, Entry #7730

Documents pertaining to Enrique Ernesto Pugibet and associates: Dallas County Sheriff’s Office data on Pujibet, (incl. “Friend, Norman Rothman, Dallas Texas,”) accessed by Lee Farley, posted on Education Forum, Sept. 13, 2013

NARA # 124-10300-10078 (Thomas FBI memo)

(Information on Roscoe Gaither) No Decision / Leagle.com

NARA # 124-10226-10267 (Rothman, Zochowski, Merola, Trujillo); # 124-10226-10244 (Pugibet, Miranda brothers)

Scott, Peter Dale, Deep Politics and the Death of JFK 1993, pp. 177-179

Albarelli Jr., H. P., A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA’s Secret Cold War Experiments, 2009, (Lafitte) pp. 432-438

19 minutes ago, Michael Crane said:

Oh my,with your writing ability,this one went right over your head?

Did you need me to put a name tag on that dog?

Roy. :-)

Sorry!  a little slow on the uptake!

3 minutes ago, Michael Crane said:

Oh my,with your writing ability,this one went right over your head?

You're right, right over my head, Michael.

What do writing skills have to do with an itchy bottomed terrier?

Alan Kent writes, 'Pugibet was—like Allen Wright—a person of interest to FBI and CIA. From a documentary study focusing on him, utilizing multiple trusted FBI informants as well as statements from Pugibet himself, we find that he had been a member of the French resistance during the Second World War—as an “anti-communist” he would emphatically declare to investigators, had been a naturalized citizen of Mexico from 1947 on, and had worked for the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture and also the notorious Mexican Federal Security, on the “Communist squad.” While going through the United States—he would say on a mission for the Ministry of Agriculture—in 1959, he was deported from the US after being convicted of a crime “involving moral turpitude.” 

         A source within the Mexican government advised US authorities that Pugibet had been charged in the past on various occasions with “crimes of fraud and abuse of confidence.” When, on October 23 and October 28, Pugibet voluntarily spoke to personnel at the US Embassy in Mexico City, he stated that he had been referred there by “a mutual acquaintance,” Colonel Roscoe B. Gaither, a Mexico City attorney. In fact, Gaither was not a run-of-the-mill lawyer. He was a highly connected international figure, who represented oil companies in Venezuela and Mexico, among other countries, and he was the founder of the Papantla Royalties Corporation. His intervention of Pugibet’s behalf is an indication that Pugibet had developed important connections.

         Pugibet told embassy personnel that he had a background that included training in protection, and that he was closely associated with the Chief of the Presidential Staff of Mexico, General Jose Gomez Huerta. He added the information that he had been advised by a friend of his “who is Director of Presidential Security on the staff of the Mexican President, Arturo Wollfer,” that during a visit of the Mexican President to Washington D.C., the Chief of Security of the United States Secret Service, one Sr. Bauman (phonetic) had shown Wollfer a card with a photograph of Pugibet thereon, a card which had the designation thereon “Communist and possible bomb-thrower.” The skewed spelling of the Secret Service head’s name no doubt referred to the head of Secret Service during the Eisenhower administration, U. E. Baughman.

         Pugibet had friends in both high and low places. An important FBI report, written in 1961 by Bureau agent Henry Thomas, notes Pugibet’s booking in Dallas in 1958 on a worthless check charge. Dallas County Sheriff's office records from this time period describe Pugibet as claiming to be a cattleman, a confirmation of the information about Pugibet given by Wright. He was described by “a source” as “the biggest crook in the world.” On entirely another level, FBI informant NY-T-2 described Pugibet as a one-time agent of Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo.

                                                      ***

         One of Pugibet’s Dallas-based friends who bridged the gap between “high and low” was Norman (Roughhouse) Rothman, a well-known operative of Santo Trafficante Jr. Pugibet is connected to Rothman in several FBI documents. Significantly, Thomas writes: “It is to be noted that information concerning the subject has been set forth in various reports in the case entitled: ‘Norman Rothman; IS-DR; RA-DR, Bureau file 97-3487. Pertinent information from this investigation…” And that is where the sentence, and any further reference to Pugibet and Rothman, stops. What appear to be pages later—not formally redacted, just missing, lead to a non-sequitur finish. It is relevant to the inquiry into Pugibet to note that both of the specific FBI Rothman files cited by Thomas have to do with Rothman’s dealings with the Trujillo government in the Dominican Republic. 

         One more story emerges from the truncated Thomas report, this one both stunning and relevant to our inquiry. Pugibet was apparently involved directly in a political assassination. FBI informant NY T-1, a prized and protected FBI source “advised one Pugibet killed Jose Almoina Mateos, former secretary to Trujillo, in Mexico, in May 1960.” NY T-1’s detailed account “regarding the assassination of Jose Almoina Mateos, former Private Secretary to Generalissimo Trujillo in Mexico, in May 1960” claimed that two individuals presently being held by Mexican police on suspicion of the murder of Almoina, namely Artemio Servado Molina and Francisco Quitana Valdes, did not kill Almoina. NY T-1 said Almoina was killed by Pugibet, “who is now working for the Dominican Military Intelligence Service (SIM). NY T-I stated that Pugibet was directly involved in the murder, and that he either “drove the car, did the actual shooting, or he was the third man in the plot.” '

29 minutes ago, Benjamin Cole said:

I have, in my possession, the Pugibet datebook. 

I came across it totally incidentally, and through someone who had no idea of my interest in the JFKA. 

Unfortunately, I have signed NDA with a filmmaker, and this datebook will not be available to be authenticated. 

Pugibet was behind the wooden fence, armed with CVA Scout v2 pistol, that fires 6.5 WCC rounds. He placed this pistol under his waistband.

Pugibet immediately left the ground behind the wooden stockade, then met a Dallas police officer and then a sheriff, but showed them Secret Service ID. Puginet wrote that into his datebook on 11/24, before it was known to the public that such an encounter had taken place. 

The datebook has an 11/20 entry, "Op +'ed by AD" which means the operation was approved by Allen Dulles. 

 

 

 

 

Maybe you meant this for Rumble, or maybe Trump's Truth Social where this low IQ amateur satire seems to thrive.  

 

19 minutes ago, Sandy Larsen said:

 

"There is no known evidence he was there. Therefore, he wasn't there."

Sorry Jonathan, that doesn't follow.

 

Similarly, because Jonathan thinks Albarelli is lying, he must surely be lying doesn't follow either. 

46 minutes ago, Michael Crane said:

Goodluck with that.

Are you confused? 
Did you mistake Ed Forum for Rumble, or Truth Social?
 

37 minutes ago, Sandy Larsen said:

 

Hey Evan, me too! I was in Provo with a peanut butter sandwich at the time.

I was living in Edgemont (a suburb of Provo) then. I was in school at the time, so really got the sandwich later.

 

Tell me this isn't a diversionary tactic from discussion of Pugibet?

@Evan Marshall is it my imagination, or do you manage to take time away from writing your book(s) when anything related to the French assassins — not a couple of disgruntled Vietnam soldiers — reappears on the forum?

1 hour ago, Roger Odisio said:

Morley has interviewed Reiner about his podcast, which apparently will be 12 episodes, once per week.  I was surprised at Reiner's breadth, and in some cases maybe the depth, of knowledge and analysis.  I've thought of him as another Hollywood dilettante with a lot of time on his hands. He fell for Russiagate after all and used rant about it in an ignorant, even deranged, way.

Not so with JFK.  He thinks there were 4 shooters and believes he can name them, Souetre among them.  He offers lots to ponder.

https://jfkfacts.substack.com/p/the-jfk-facts-podcast-talks-to-rob?utm_source=podcast-email%2Csubstack&publication_id=315632&post_id=138841523&utm_campaign=email-play-on-substack&utm_medium=email&r=r5oy#details.

 

I look forward to the evidence Reiner relies on for Souetre's role in the assassination. It is disturbing at best that he failed to follow up with Hank Albarelli while he had the opportunity as referenced in correspondence between Dick Russell and Hank in January 2019.  

As I've stated in a previous comment on this thread, when Hank first began sharing in confidence with Dick the details revealed in the Pierre Lafitte records he had gained access to, he was not aware that Dick and Rob were involved in a related project. As Hank emailed Dick on January 14, 2019, (paraphrasing) what a significant opportunity for collaboration we have before us.

Our concern at the time was not just the possibility that Rob Reiner might inadvertently be privy to Hank's confidential information prior to publication of our forthcoming book, but that without an understanding of the context, sensational details found in Lafitte's records could be misinterpreted  or worse, "lost to the wind" if cherry-picked or cannibalized to suit a bias.  For example, unless one fully grasps the significance of SS Otto Skorzeny and his wife Ilse and Reich banker Hjalmar Schacht's roles, the appearance of Jean Souetre in Dallas will not be fully understood.  Further, if Col. Jack Canon (first identified by Dick in TMWKTM) and Col. Charles Askins, or Souetre allies Lamy and Filiol and Litt are not named in this podcast, the "opportunity" missed back in 2019 and subsequently is all the more devastating to an accurate historical record and the resolution of this cold case murder investigation. 

 

50 minutes ago, Jonathan Cohen said:

To make sure everyone on this forum, and elsewhere, knows that the theories you are continually pushing rely on an unverified, unauthenticated "datebook."

To make sure everyone on this forum is aware: Jonathan Cohen has never seen the physical instrument yet continues to ignore Hank Albarelli's own testimony as to the provenance and authenticity of the Lafitte datebook.  And more pathetic, in spite of Hank putting his professional career on the line, Jonathan — who to my knowledge is an unpublished amateur researcher — considers himself a qualified authority on the Lafitte records and Hank's investigation?

Enough is enough. I formally and publicly challenge you @Jonathan Cohen to prove your insidious insinuation (and I contend allegation) that investigative journalist H. P. Albarelli Jr. is lying in his published introduction to Coup in Dallas  (cc: @Sandy Larsen @Mark Knight and other forum administrators)

 

INTRODUCTION

by H. P. Albarelli Jr.

. . . Before I completed my book on Frank Olson’s murder, I had the opportunity to meet the one person who was quite close to Lafitte, his wife. I had been informed by a highly respected journalist for the New York Times, John Crewdson, that Lafitte had been living in a small town in New England for at least twelve years. By chance, I had relatives in a nearby town, and I turned to them for help in locating Lafitte. As it turned out, he was living openly with his wife. Understandably, I traveled as quickly as possible to the place where they resided, which was quite easy because I was still living in Vermont where I’d gone to write the Olson book. Of course, I shared the location and address with the DA’s office in Manhattan, but ventured there on my own. 

I was too late to find Pierre. He had passed away before my arrival. But, as said, I had the opportunity to meet his wife Rene. Our meeting was a cautious one, but I felt that by being honest about my interests and objectives an initial bond of friendship was formed. That bond grew steadily stronger through the time that Rene relocated to the Miami, Florida area. As far as I know, nobody from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office ever made the same trip I did. 

Through additional meetings with Rene, I became aware that Pierre, like George White, had kept datebooks within which he would jot down certain things, often specific to matters he was working on at the time. It was a practice that was expressly forbidden by the CIA, but Pierre and George were notorious for bending and breaking the rules. Said Rene, “He would sometimes emulate George, mainly for financial reasons, not out of any admiration or the like.”

As I’m sure you can imagine, I was especially interested in viewing and reading Lafitte’s personal writings. I respectfully made my interest known to Rene. She had agreed after thinking about it for what seemed a painfully long time. About two weeks later, she called again and said that she had become concerned about certain findings in Pierre’s materials and that she now wanted to talk with “her family’s attorney” about her concerns and liability issues. Oh, Lord, I thought, an attorney: that will surely mess everything up. But, perhaps thanks to the alignment of the stars, Rene called about a week later with good news. 

I had learned through my Olson research that Pierre and his family lived in New Orleans during the 1960s and that Pierre had been briefly employed by the William Reily Coffee Company where alleged JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald had also briefly worked in May and June 1963. I had been warned several times by writer Peter Janney, and other close friends who were also writers, to stay clear of the Kennedy assassination. “It’s a black hole that draws you in deeper and deeper, until you cannot extract yourself,” said Janney. He was right. But that’s another story that can be discussed at another time. 

What is important here is that I eventually gained conditional access to several of Lafitte’s datebooks and a precious handful of his letters. I would guess that you can imagine my surprise when I was able to make out Lee Harvey Oswald’s name in the 1963 datebook. Over a short period, I found other names connected to Oswald’s. Some identified only by initials: “O,” “OS,” “JA” and “T.” To make a long and convoluted story short, I was able to study Lafitte’s 1963 datebook. And as expected, although for entirely different reasons than my initial expectations, it was remarkable for its contents. Perhaps “remarkable” is not a strong enough word. . . .

7 hours ago, Michael Griffith said:

Leslie, I read the linked article. It doesn't say whether the confession was recorded in any way or if Pugibet wrote it down before he died. Do you by chance know if it was recorded or if Pugibet wrote it down? 

Michael, I've not yet read the book referenced in the article.  For now, the publisher's blurb (courtesy Google translate):

(note: I find it fascinating that some on this forum dismiss new information "out of hand" without considering the possibility they have either innocently missed, deliberately dismissed, or purposefully buried significant clues for decades.  Seems to me Pugibet is likely one of those clues that is tied directly to Jean Rene Souetre. In a future thread, I will present circumstantial evidence that Souetre as a prime suspect was purposely buried beginning in 1998.)

The Second Shooter - New Revelations About the JFK Assassination By Cédric Meletta

On November 22, 1963, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was shot dead in Dealey Plaza in Dallas. The images of the assassination of the 35th President of the United States shake all of America and quickly travel around the world. Sixty years later, the mystery of this attack has still not been solved. After the recent declassification of thousands of secret defense documents by the American authorities, a new lead has surfaced. Botched interrogations, obstructed investigations, relationships in high places: an individual seems to have been strangely exonerated from the FBI's first conclusions. This book, the result of an unprecedented investigation into the heart of American archives, reveals the name of a new suspect, Henry Pugibet. This former leader of a Vichy youth movement, close to the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo as well as the godfathers of the Florida mafia, was in close contact with most of the alleged sponsors of the assassination. Thanks to dozens of pseudonyms and false papers, he managed to evade in-depth FBI investigations for decades. Why was he never brought to justice? What was the nature of his links with the all-powerful CIA of Allen Dulles? And, above all, what was he doing in Dallas on the day of the crime? After several years of research, Cédric Meletta puts forward in this book an original thesis concerning the most mysterious assassination of the 20th century and sheds light on the incredible journey of "Frenchy", the second potential shooter in Dallas.