A Few Good Men

William Kelly · April 4, 2009

http://jfkcountercoup.blogspot.com/

A Few Good Men from Philly to Gitmo

Two Philly guys at Guantamano – Can You Handle the Truth?

The real story is actually more incredible than the movie or the play.

The play "A Few Good Men," as recently performed at the historic Ritz Theater [915 White Horse Pike, Haddon Township, New Jersey [www.ritztheatreco.org], has called renewed attention to that still sensitive Guantanamo Bay prison issue that just won't go away.

As an arch typical military court room drama, the story focuses attention on two attorneys defending two Gitmo Marines charged with second-degree murder in a hazing incident gone wrong.

The 1992 film "A Few Good Men," directed by Rob Reiner and starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon and Jack Nicholson, is a classic of its genre that spawned the JAG TV show, and coined the phrase "You can't handle the truth!" as a modern cliche.

However exciting Aaron Sorkin's fictional film and the dramatic Shakespieriean theatrical play may be, the real story of two Philadelphia guys at Guantamano is even more incredible, the details of which stretch imagination and their entanglements with the assassination of President Kennedy.

While the U.S. military prison at Guantamano is now infamous, it was hardly an afterthought in anyone's mind until after April, 1961, when the failed Bay of Pigs invasion made the contractional lease of the Guantamano naval base a point of contention.

For William Szile and John Gordon it was a pivital point in their respective military careers, and for at least Szile, continues to haunt him up to and including today.

Their stories sound pretty close to the fictional incident of the movie and play, as Szile was in charge of the USMC prison at Guatamano when he was ordered to remove the body of a Cuban national, suspected of being a spy, who died suspiciously on the base. It probably would have been an open and shut case against Szile except for the fact that the other marine accused with him was a medal of honor recipient.

William Szile was a Philadelphia boy who grew up not far from John Gordon, a Harvard educated navy officer assigned to the Pentagon.

Just after the disasterious Bay of Pigs fiasco, ONI assigned John Gordon to Guantamano where he was to direct the efforts of a Cuban national in an attempt to assassinate Castro. He ended up in the Navy psychiatric ward.

Among the records relased under the JFK Assassinations Records Act (of 1992) is a Congressional committee report from Mason Cargill; Subject: JOHN GORDON, which reads: "The following is Gordon's story. A few days after the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, Gordon was told he was being transferred from his job in the Office of Chief of Naval Operations to the Navy base at Guantanamo as Base Intelligence Officer. He was briefed by several agencies including the CIA before heading for Guantanamo."

"At one briefing by officers from a certain office within the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), he was told that there was a Cuban national who lived on our base at Guantanamo and was an employee of the Navy who was willing and able to assassinate Fidel Castro. His name was Alonzo Gonzalez. One of the officers who told him this was Lt. James Carr. Another's name was Day, although Gordon does not remember his first name or rank."

"Gordon arrived in Guantanamo about the first of June 1961. He began working with certain Cubans on the base including Gonzalez in a program of guerilla activities within the surrounding Cuban territory. The Cubans would surreptitiously leave the base to engage in sabotage and espionage operations and then return to it. Gonzalez was one leader within this Cuban group. Gonzalez during the month of June and during the month of July spoke several times with Gordon about the possibility of assassinating Castro. Gordon however, came to believe that Gonzalez was a double agent. One reason for this was that a certain cache of weapons outside the base of which Gonzalez had knowledge was discovered by Castro agents only an hour or so after it was placed there. Another reason was that he discovered that Gonzalez was teaching his servant how to fire small-arms."

"Sometime, in July 1961 Gordon discovered that dynamite had been brought into the base surreptitiously. He suspected Gonzalez of doing this and immediately telephoned the base commander to suggest that Gonzalez be arrested. According to Gordon, less than one hour after his telephone call to the base commander he himself was arrested by the Shore Patrol and placed in the psychiatric ward of the base hospital. After several days at this hospital he was transferred to Charleston Naval Hospital and then to Philadelphia Naval Hospital, finally being discharged from the hospital in October 1961. He said he was characterized as having a problem of situational adjustment. After being discharged from the hospital, he was sent to the Fourth Naval District Headquarters in New Orleans as an intelligence officer. He heard nothing of Gonzalez until approximately 1966 when he saw something in the Philadelphia newspaper that Gonzalez had been arrested by Castro within Cuba."

"In 1969, Gordon says he wrote to the new Secretary of the Navy requesting an appointment to inform him of the Gonzalez episode. Shortly after writing this letter, Gordon was confined to the Bethesda Naval Hospital for an alleged psychiatric problem. After release from this hospital Gordon retired from the Navy in 1969. Gordon admitted that the only evidence of any CIA connection to Gonzalez, his activities, or the actions on the part of Naval officials in hospitalizing Gordon was the fact that officers in Washington who initially informed him of Gonzalez had responsibility for liason between ONI and the CIA."

"He also admitted that he had no evidence that any domestic CIA activities were involved in this affair. We advised him that as a result this matter did not appear to be within the jurisdiction of this Commission and suggested that he might get in contact with the Senate Select Committee. About one half hour after Gordon left our office, I received a call from Fritz Schwartz of the Senate Committee Staff stating that Gordon had called him requesting an appointment. I briefly described what Gordon had told us and said that the Senate Committee Staff might want to interview him, although Gordon's story seemed a little incredible to us. Schwartz said they would probably talk to him today."

Mary Ferrell, who maintained files on JFK assassination subjects, Comments: "DOB: 8/19/21. POB: Philadelphia (Upper Darby), PA. Son of Irwin Leslie Gordon who was Naval Intelligence. Gordon's first job was with Reading Railroad. His grandfather had been an executive with Reading Railroad. Social Security Number 726-09-1554 (issued by railroads in lieu of social security numbers - called Railroad Retirement Number). Attended William and Mary 1948-1953. Graduated from Harvard. Joined Navy. Service Number 52-28-50. Married Edna Cox North (granddaughter of Lord and Lady Beckwith), of Leeds, England, March 1954. Gordon was in Pine Beach, NJ, on Mill Creek Road, in 1964. In Morocco in 1956. At Pentagon in 1959 and lived on Dogwood Drive in Alexandria, VA. 1961 at Guantanamo Naval Base. Hospitalized during 1961. 1961 and 1962 at Naval Ship Yard in Philadelphia. 1963 - at Pentagon. 1964 - St. Petersburg, FL. 1965-1967 at 8th Naval District, New Orleans, LA, as Naval Intelligence Officer. 1968-1976 at Framingham, Massachusetts. From 1976 until death at Georgetown, SC. He taught at Coastal Carolina College, a subsidiary of University of South Carolina. Gordon died September 27, 1987....

Since Gordon approached the wrong committee with his information, it doesn't appear anything was done, despite Gordon's attempt to seek redemption.

Szili, William A. – USMC.

Szili's story is even more bizarre, if that's possible.

Guantanamo prison, Cuba, spies, interrogations, torture, executions, death and denials. Everywhere you go – television, radio, newspapers, internet, Guantamano is the story that won't go away, a message the meaning of which is still being debated.

Bill Szili is tired of hearing about it, and it irks him that it seems we haven't learned anything from history.

On September 30, 1961, at the height of the Cold War, Bill Szili USMC, was months away from retirement after a distinguished 12 years of service when he was suddenly awaken at his Guantamano, Cuba barracks. As the officer in charge of the base's prison, Szili was being called upon to engage in an act above and beyond the call of duty.

Szili's company commander, Captain Arthur J. Jackson, shot and killed a Cuban while escorting him off the base for being in a restricted area, an ammunition dump. The Cuban, Ruben Lopez, a bus driver on the base, who commuted to his job from nearby Guantanamo City, Cuba, was said to be No. 16 on a list of Cuban spies operating on the base. After being warned against visiting restricted areas, Lopez was caught near the ammunition dump and personally escorted to the gate by Capt. Arthur J. Jackson.

Jackson said that after being escorted from the base, Lopez "lunged" at him, and was shot by Jackson - the impact of the blast sending Lopez over a cliff to a rocky beach 25 feet below. The following day Jackson and Szili returned to the scene of the shooting, with Jackson descending to the beach and covering the body. Two or three days later, after numerous trips to check on the body, they decided it should be buried. At this point, two other officers and three enlisted men became embroiled in concealing the murder. One officer supplied nylon rope to haul the body up the cliff face, another dug a shallow grave on the base side of the fence, while the enlisted personnel helped with the moving of the body.

Arthur J. Jackson wasn't just another USMC Captain, he had earned the Congressional Medal of Honor in combat during World War II, and was one of the most highly regarded soldiers in the military service.

JACKSON, ARTHUR J.

Rank and organizations: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. Place and date: Island of Peleliu in the Palau group, 18th September 1944. Entered service at: Oregon. Born: 18 October 1924, Cleveland, Ohio. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on the Island of Peleliu in the Palau group, 18 September 1944. Boldly taking the initiative when his platoon's left flank advance was held up by the fire of the Japanese troops concealed in strongly fortified positions, Pfc. Jackson unhesitatingly proceeded forward of our lines and, courageously defying the heavy barrages, charged a large pillbox housing approximately 35 enemy soldiers. Pouring his automatic fire into the opening of the fixed installation to trap the occupying troops, he hurled white phosphorus grenades and explosive charges brought up by a fellow marine, demolishing the pill box and killing all of the enemy. Advancing alone under the continuous fire from other hostile emplacements, he employed similar means to smash 2 smaller positions in the immediate vicinity. Determined to crush the entire pocket of resistance although harassed on all sides by the shattering blasts of Japanese weapons and covered only by small rifle parties, he stored 1 gun position after another, dealing death and destruction to the savagely fighting enemy in his inexorable drive against he remaining defenses, and succeeded in wiping out a total of 12 pillboxes and 50 Japanese soldiers. Stouthearted and indomitable despite the terrific odds, Pfc. Jackson resolutely maintained control of the platoon's left flank movement throughout his valiant 1-man assault and, by his cool decision and relentless fighting spirit during a critical situation, contributed essentially to the complete annihilation of the enemy in the southern sector of the island. His gallant initiative and heroic conduct in the face of extreme peril reflect the highest credit upon Pfc. Jackson and the U.S. Naval Service.

When the details of the incident concerning the violent death of a Cuban spy at Guantanamo came to light, Jackson resigned from the Marines Corp and two other officers (Pruitt and Steiner), along with the enlisted men, were forced out. Szili was ousted under a law which "permitted the revocation of the commission of an officer with less than three years active service on the active list."

Before leaving the service however, both Jackson and Zsili had been held under guard in the psychiatric ward of the base hospital and likewise later at Camp Lejeune, NC, and were required to sign statements verifying they understood that if they ever spoke about the incident, they could face fines of up to $10,000 and 10 years imprisonment under the Espionage and Sabotage Act.

In the end, none appeared before a military or civil court (the shooting having occurred outside the base) and all left with honorable discharges, with Szili being the only one to eventually speak out.

Jackson became a mailman in San Jose, California. On May 1st, 1963, the White House announced 324 Medal of Honor winners would attend Kennedy's annual military reception the following day. On April 30, Jackson sent a telegram to the President declining the invitation on the grounds that his presence "might possibly be an embarrassment." This was a reversal of a previous acceptance made before the Gitmo story broke. Salinger, on behalf of Kennedy, replied through a press conference that "We respect his decision. Capt Jackson and his wife will always be welcome at the White House." Jackson never surfaced publicly again.

Szili returned home to Philadelphia, where he contacted his Congressman, Senator Richard Schweiker, in an attempt get reinstated in the Marines. Schweiker, a Republican Senator, called for hearings on the matter, but after a secret briefing in April, 1963 involving military officers, Navy Secretary, Fred Korth, Marine Comandant General, David Shoupe, and the Chairman of the Congressional Armed Services Committee, the hearings were cancelled.

Szili was working for Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company at the time the story broke in the media (Apr/May '63). According to newspaper accounts, Szili left the Marines in March, 1962.

In a telephone interview with Bill Kelly [10pm – Friday, August 25, 2006] William "Bill" Szili said he was a former Marine stationed at Guantamano. "Yea, I was the brig warden. I was the brig warden there before I got commissioned. I ran the prison."

Does he see the irony today? "Yes I do (Laugh). Oh, yea. My first tour of duty at Guantanamo I was a staff sergeant and Castro was still in the mountains and Batista was in power. And then I went and got my commission and went back later."

As for Castro, Szile says, "He's giving, six, seven, eight presidents a hard time."

Concerning Schweiker's cancelation of the scheduled committee hearing on his case, Szile said, "I don't know. Schweiker was just an opportunist. Hell no, he didn't help at all. All he did was to take over the Armed Services Committee when he became a Senator. He just made sure he got in print."

"I got an honorable discharge, but, yea, I didn't want to leave. All they wanted to do was to hide this thing. And that's exactly what they did."

Having kept it under wraps all this time, I asked Szile if he was still upset about it, to which he responded, "Well, the Commandant at the time was David Shoup and he said, "Time heals all wounds," and he's full of xxxx too." (Laugh)

What about Fred Korth, the Secretary of the Navy?

"Nobody went to bat for us. I have no idea what happened to anybody. I was held incommunicado for quite awhile. Everybody kind of disappeared. After I left the corps, I...I tried to...keep the family together, you know, took jobs here and there, and finally got into country club management."

There at Guantanamo in the heat of the Cold War, suddenly his story is actually relevant, "We never learn. We haven't fought a war to win since World War II." And Szile says that he has no problem talking about it today. "Anything that gives someone a kick in the ass, I'm all for it."

Now can you handle that?

[Thanks to Greg Parker and Robert Howard for their research assistance on this story]

Edited April 5, 2009 by William Kelly

William Kelly · April 6, 2009

Can anyone tell me if author Aaron Sorkin based his story of A Few Good Men on the real incidents involving William Szile and John Gordon?
One hundred people read this and nobody can say anything, positive or negative?

BK

http://jfkcountercoup.blogspot.com/

A Few Good Men from Philly to Gitmo

Two Philly guys at Guantamano – Can You Handle the Truth?

The real story is actually more incredible than the movie or the play.

The play "A Few Good Men," as recently performed at the historic Ritz Theater [915 White Horse Pike, Haddon Township, New Jersey [www.ritztheatreco.org], has called renewed attention to that still sensitive Guantanamo Bay prison issue that just won't go away.

As an arch typical military court room drama, the story focuses attention on two attorneys defending two Gitmo Marines charged with second-degree murder in a hazing incident gone wrong.

The 1992 film "A Few Good Men," directed by Rob Reiner and starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon and Jack Nicholson, is a classic of its genre that spawned the JAG TV show, and coined the phrase "You can't handle the truth!" as a modern cliche.

However exciting Aaron Sorkin's fictional film and the dramatic Shakespieriean theatrical play may be, the real story of two Philadelphia guys at Guantamano is even more incredible, the details of which stretch imagination and their entanglements with the assassination of President Kennedy.

While the U.S. military prison at Guantamano is now infamous, it was hardly an afterthought in anyone's mind until after April, 1961, when the failed Bay of Pigs invasion made the contractional lease of the Guantamano naval base a point of contention.

For William Szile and John Gordon it was a pivital point in their respective military careers, and for at least Szile, continues to haunt him up to and including today.

Their stories sound pretty close to the fictional incident of the movie and play, as Szile was in charge of the USMC prison at Guatamano when he was ordered to remove the body of a Cuban national, suspected of being a spy, who died suspiciously on the base. It probably would have been an open and shut case against Szile except for the fact that the other marine accused with him was a medal of honor recipient.

William Szile was a Philadelphia boy who grew up not far from John Gordon, a Harvard educated navy officer assigned to the Pentagon.

Just after the disasterious Bay of Pigs fiasco, ONI assigned John Gordon to Guantamano where he was to direct the efforts of a Cuban national in an attempt to assassinate Castro. He ended up in the Navy psychiatric ward.

Among the records relased under the JFK Assassinations Records Act (of 1992) is a Congressional committee report from Mason Cargill; Subject: JOHN GORDON, which reads: "The following is Gordon's story. A few days after the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, Gordon was told he was being transferred from his job in the Office of Chief of Naval Operations to the Navy base at Guantanamo as Base Intelligence Officer. He was briefed by several agencies including the CIA before heading for Guantanamo."

"At one briefing by officers from a certain office within the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), he was told that there was a Cuban national who lived on our base at Guantanamo and was an employee of the Navy who was willing and able to assassinate Fidel Castro. His name was Alonzo Gonzalez. One of the officers who told him this was Lt. James Carr. Another's name was Day, although Gordon does not remember his first name or rank."

"Gordon arrived in Guantanamo about the first of June 1961. He began working with certain Cubans on the base including Gonzalez in a program of guerilla activities within the surrounding Cuban territory. The Cubans would surreptitiously leave the base to engage in sabotage and espionage operations and then return to it. Gonzalez was one leader within this Cuban group. Gonzalez during the month of June and during the month of July spoke several times with Gordon about the possibility of assassinating Castro. Gordon however, came to believe that Gonzalez was a double agent. One reason for this was that a certain cache of weapons outside the base of which Gonzalez had knowledge was discovered by Castro agents only an hour or so after it was placed there. Another reason was that he discovered that Gonzalez was teaching his servant how to fire small-arms."

"Sometime, in July 1961 Gordon discovered that dynamite had been brought into the base surreptitiously. He suspected Gonzalez of doing this and immediately telephoned the base commander to suggest that Gonzalez be arrested. According to Gordon, less than one hour after his telephone call to the base commander he himself was arrested by the Shore Patrol and placed in the psychiatric ward of the base hospital. After several days at this hospital he was transferred to Charleston Naval Hospital and then to Philadelphia Naval Hospital, finally being discharged from the hospital in October 1961. He said he was characterized as having a problem of situational adjustment. After being discharged from the hospital, he was sent to the Fourth Naval District Headquarters in New Orleans as an intelligence officer. He heard nothing of Gonzalez until approximately 1966 when he saw something in the Philadelphia newspaper that Gonzalez had been arrested by Castro within Cuba."

"In 1969, Gordon says he wrote to the new Secretary of the Navy requesting an appointment to inform him of the Gonzalez episode. Shortly after writing this letter, Gordon was confined to the Bethesda Naval Hospital for an alleged psychiatric problem. After release from this hospital Gordon retired from the Navy in 1969. Gordon admitted that the only evidence of any CIA connection to Gonzalez, his activities, or the actions on the part of Naval officials in hospitalizing Gordon was the fact that officers in Washington who initially informed him of Gonzalez had responsibility for liason between ONI and the CIA."

"He also admitted that he had no evidence that any domestic CIA activities were involved in this affair. We advised him that as a result this matter did not appear to be within the jurisdiction of this Commission and suggested that he might get in contact with the Senate Select Committee. About one half hour after Gordon left our office, I received a call from Fritz Schwartz of the Senate Committee Staff stating that Gordon had called him requesting an appointment. I briefly described what Gordon had told us and said that the Senate Committee Staff might want to interview him, although Gordon's story seemed a little incredible to us. Schwartz said they would probably talk to him today."

Mary Ferrell, who maintained files on JFK assassination subjects, Comments: "DOB: 8/19/21. POB: Philadelphia (Upper Darby), PA. Son of Irwin Leslie Gordon who was Naval Intelligence. Gordon's first job was with Reading Railroad. His grandfather had been an executive with Reading Railroad. Social Security Number 726-09-1554 (issued by railroads in lieu of social security numbers - called Railroad Retirement Number). Attended William and Mary 1948-1953. Graduated from Harvard. Joined Navy. Service Number 52-28-50. Married Edna Cox North (granddaughter of Lord and Lady Beckwith), of Leeds, England, March 1954. Gordon was in Pine Beach, NJ, on Mill Creek Road, in 1964. In Morocco in 1956. At Pentagon in 1959 and lived on Dogwood Drive in Alexandria, VA. 1961 at Guantanamo Naval Base. Hospitalized during 1961. 1961 and 1962 at Naval Ship Yard in Philadelphia. 1963 - at Pentagon. 1964 - St. Petersburg, FL. 1965-1967 at 8th Naval District, New Orleans, LA, as Naval Intelligence Officer. 1968-1976 at Framingham, Massachusetts. From 1976 until death at Georgetown, SC. He taught at Coastal Carolina College, a subsidiary of University of South Carolina. Gordon died September 27, 1987....

Since Gordon approached the wrong committee with his information, it doesn't appear anything was done, despite Gordon's attempt to seek redemption.

Szili, William A. – USMC.

Szili's story is even more bizarre, if that's possible.

Guantanamo prison, Cuba, spies, interrogations, torture, executions, death and denials. Everywhere you go – television, radio, newspapers, internet, Guantamano is the story that won't go away, a message the meaning of which is still being debated.

Bill Szili is tired of hearing about it, and it irks him that it seems we haven't learned anything from history.

On September 30, 1961, at the height of the Cold War, Bill Szili USMC, was months away from retirement after a distinguished 12 years of service when he was suddenly awaken at his Guantamano, Cuba barracks. As the officer in charge of the base's prison, Szili was being called upon to engage in an act above and beyond the call of duty.

Szili's company commander, Captain Arthur J. Jackson, shot and killed a Cuban while escorting him off the base for being in a restricted area, an ammunition dump. The Cuban, Ruben Lopez, a bus driver on the base, who commuted to his job from nearby Guantanamo City, Cuba, was said to be No. 16 on a list of Cuban spies operating on the base. After being warned against visiting restricted areas, Lopez was caught near the ammunition dump and personally escorted to the gate by Capt. Arthur J. Jackson.

Jackson said that after being escorted from the base, Lopez "lunged" at him, and was shot by Jackson - the impact of the blast sending Lopez over a cliff to a rocky beach 25 feet below. The following day Jackson and Szili returned to the scene of the shooting, with Jackson descending to the beach and covering the body. Two or three days later, after numerous trips to check on the body, they decided it should be buried. At this point, two other officers and three enlisted men became embroiled in concealing the murder. One officer supplied nylon rope to haul the body up the cliff face, another dug a shallow grave on the base side of the fence, while the enlisted personnel helped with the moving of the body.

Arthur J. Jackson wasn't just another USMC Captain, he had earned the Congressional Medal of Honor in combat during World War II, and was one of the most highly regarded soldiers in the military service.

JACKSON, ARTHUR J.

Rank and organizations: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. Place and date: Island of Peleliu in the Palau group, 18th September 1944. Entered service at: Oregon. Born: 18 October 1924, Cleveland, Ohio. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on the Island of Peleliu in the Palau group, 18 September 1944. Boldly taking the initiative when his platoon's left flank advance was held up by the fire of the Japanese troops concealed in strongly fortified positions, Pfc. Jackson unhesitatingly proceeded forward of our lines and, courageously defying the heavy barrages, charged a large pillbox housing approximately 35 enemy soldiers. Pouring his automatic fire into the opening of the fixed installation to trap the occupying troops, he hurled white phosphorus grenades and explosive charges brought up by a fellow marine, demolishing the pill box and killing all of the enemy. Advancing alone under the continuous fire from other hostile emplacements, he employed similar means to smash 2 smaller positions in the immediate vicinity. Determined to crush the entire pocket of resistance although harassed on all sides by the shattering blasts of Japanese weapons and covered only by small rifle parties, he stored 1 gun position after another, dealing death and destruction to the savagely fighting enemy in his inexorable drive against he remaining defenses, and succeeded in wiping out a total of 12 pillboxes and 50 Japanese soldiers. Stouthearted and indomitable despite the terrific odds, Pfc. Jackson resolutely maintained control of the platoon's left flank movement throughout his valiant 1-man assault and, by his cool decision and relentless fighting spirit during a critical situation, contributed essentially to the complete annihilation of the enemy in the southern sector of the island. His gallant initiative and heroic conduct in the face of extreme peril reflect the highest credit upon Pfc. Jackson and the U.S. Naval Service.

When the details of the incident concerning the violent death of a Cuban spy at Guantanamo came to light, Jackson resigned from the Marines Corp and two other officers (Pruitt and Steiner), along with the enlisted men, were forced out. Szili was ousted under a law which "permitted the revocation of the commission of an officer with less than three years active service on the active list."

Before leaving the service however, both Jackson and Zsili had been held under guard in the psychiatric ward of the base hospital and likewise later at Camp Lejeune, NC, and were required to sign statements verifying they understood that if they ever spoke about the incident, they could face fines of up to $10,000 and 10 years imprisonment under the Espionage and Sabotage Act.

In the end, none appeared before a military or civil court (the shooting having occurred outside the base) and all left with honorable discharges, with Szili being the only one to eventually speak out.

Jackson became a mailman in San Jose, California. On May 1st, 1963, the White House announced 324 Medal of Honor winners would attend Kennedy's annual military reception the following day. On April 30, Jackson sent a telegram to the President declining the invitation on the grounds that his presence "might possibly be an embarrassment." This was a reversal of a previous acceptance made before the Gitmo story broke. Salinger, on behalf of Kennedy, replied through a press conference that "We respect his decision. Capt Jackson and his wife will always be welcome at the White House." Jackson never surfaced publicly again.

Szili returned home to Philadelphia, where he contacted his Congressman, Senator Richard Schweiker, in an attempt get reinstated in the Marines. Schweiker, a Republican Senator, called for hearings on the matter, but after a secret briefing in April, 1963 involving military officers, Navy Secretary, Fred Korth, Marine Comandant General, David Shoupe, and the Chairman of the Congressional Armed Services Committee, the hearings were cancelled.

Szili was working for Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company at the time the story broke in the media (Apr/May '63). According to newspaper accounts, Szili left the Marines in March, 1962.

In a telephone interview with Bill Kelly [10pm – Friday, August 25, 2006] William "Bill" Szili said he was a former Marine stationed at Guantamano. "Yea, I was the brig warden. I was the brig warden there before I got commissioned. I ran the prison."

Does he see the irony today? "Yes I do (Laugh). Oh, yea. My first tour of duty at Guantanamo I was a staff sergeant and Castro was still in the mountains and Batista was in power. And then I went and got my commission and went back later."

As for Castro, Szile says, "He's giving, six, seven, eight presidents a hard time."

Concerning Schweiker's cancelation of the scheduled committee hearing on his case, Szile said, "I don't know. Schweiker was just an opportunist. Hell no, he didn't help at all. All he did was to take over the Armed Services Committee when he became a Senator. He just made sure he got in print."

"I got an honorable discharge, but, yea, I didn't want to leave. All they wanted to do was to hide this thing. And that's exactly what they did."

Having kept it under wraps all this time, I asked Szile if he was still upset about it, to which he responded, "Well, the Commandant at the time was David Shoup and he said, "Time heals all wounds," and he's full of xxxx too." (Laugh)

What about Fred Korth, the Secretary of the Navy?

"Nobody went to bat for us. I have no idea what happened to anybody. I was held incommunicado for quite awhile. Everybody kind of disappeared. After I left the corps, I...I tried to...keep the family together, you know, took jobs here and there, and finally got into country club management."

There at Guantanamo in the heat of the Cold War, suddenly his story is actually relevant, "We never learn. We haven't fought a war to win since World War II." And Szile says that he has no problem talking about it today. "Anything that gives someone a kick in the ass, I'm all for it."

Now can you handle that?

[Thanks to Greg Parker and Robert Howard for their research assistance on this story]

April 7, 2009

Can anyone tell me if author Aaron Sorkin based his story of A Few Good Men on the real incidents involving William Szile and John Gordon?
One hundred people read this and nobody can say anything, positive or negative?

BK

Bill,

More and more, I'm thinking two sub forums would work better here....one devoted to debate/discussion of film and photographic evidence, and the other to non film/photo related research, theories and text based evidence. Everything lengthy and nonvisual is drowned out in these threads, too often.

Taking a stab at answering your question:

The story timeline is stated as set in "Summer 1986"

http://books.google.com/books?id=8MZEoxmE3...er+1986#PPA7,M1
A few good men‎ - Page 6

by Aaron Sorkin - Drama - 1990 - 125 pages

SCENE The action takes place in various locations in Washington, DC, and on the

United States Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. TIME Summer, 1986 ...

Limited preview -

http://www.afgm.co.uk/play/

synopsis

Guantanamo Bay, 1986: not a prison camp but a U.S Marine Barracks, and one of the toughest commands its hemisphere. ...

...Sorkin was inspired to write the playby a phone conversation with his sister Deborah, who had graduated from Boston University Law School and signed up for a 3-year stint with the Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps. She was going to Guantanamo Bay to defend a group of Marines who came close to killing a fellow Marine in a hazing ordered by a superior officer. Sorkin took that information and wrote much of his story on cocktail napkins while bartending at the Palace Theatre on Broadway.

In 1988 Sorkin sold the film rights for his play before it even premiered, for a deal possibly worth a sum well into six-figures. When it reached Broadway, at the Music Box Theatre, the play, starring Tom Hulce and directed by Don Scardino, ran for 497 performances....

William Kelly · April 7, 2009

Can anyone tell me if author Aaron Sorkin based his story of A Few Good Men on the real incidents involving William Szile and John Gordon?
One hundred people read this and nobody can say anything, positive or negative?

BK

Bill,

More and more, I'm thinking two sub forums would work better here....one devoted to debate/discussion of film and photographic evidence, and the other to non film/photo related research, theories and text based evidence. Everything lengthy and nonvisual is drowned out in these threads, too often.

Taking a stab at answering your question:

The story timeline is stated as set in "Summer 1986"

http://books.google.com/books?id=8MZEoxmE3...er+1986#PPA7,M1
A few good men‎ - Page 6

by Aaron Sorkin - Drama - 1990 - 125 pages

SCENE The action takes place in various locations in Washington, DC, and on the

United States Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. TIME Summer, 1986 ...

Limited preview -

http://www.afgm.co.uk/play/

synopsis

Guantanamo Bay, 1986: not a prison camp but a U.S Marine Barracks, and one of the toughest commands its hemisphere. ...

...Sorkin was inspired to write the playby a phone conversation with his sister Deborah, who had graduated from Boston University Law School and signed up for a 3-year stint with the Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps. She was going to Guantanamo Bay to defend a group of Marines who came close to killing a fellow Marine in a hazing ordered by a superior officer. Sorkin took that information and wrote much of his story on cocktail napkins while bartending at the Palace Theatre on Broadway.

In 1988 Sorkin sold the film rights for his play before it even premiered, for a deal possibly worth a sum well into six-figures. When it reached Broadway, at the Music Box Theatre, the play, starring Tom Hulce and directed by Don Scardino, ran for 497 performances....

Thanks Tom,

So his sister was a JAG and she told him the story of the marine's hazing death.

Not related to the 60s spy sagas at all, and it appears that he didn't even know about them.

And I concur, that they should put all the Zapruder fake threads together.

BK

Greg Parker · April 10, 2009

Bill,

I started working on an article concerning Szili some time ago.

You (finally!) putting yours out there gave me the impetus to complete mine.

I believe the whole incident was a Northwoods style false flag operation gone wrong.

The latter part of the article deals with the Hyde/U2 incident and why I believe it too, was a Northwoods inspired operation.

Pretextural Obligato - a Symphony of Lies

Robert Howard · April 10, 2009

Bill,
I started working on an article concerning Szili some time ago.

You (finally!) putting yours out there gave me the impetus to complete mine.

I believe the whole incident was a Northwoods style false flag operation gone wrong.

The latter part of the article deals with the Hyde/U2 incident and why I believe it too, was a Northwoods inspired operation.

Pretextural Obligato - a Symphony of Lies

from HSCA Segregated CIA Collection, Box 37 104-10104-10046

MEMO RE DEBRIEFING OF ALPHA 66 GROUP

1. We were not involved in the Guantanamo de-briefing of the ALPHA-66 group. They were debriefed by the FOSG [Field Operations Service Group] which is a clandestine Navy organization. Apparently this is the clandestine group” Justice Department referred to.

2. I understand Harry Pieper, an old-time JMWAVE contract agent, is now used for direct contact with Juana Castro. He helped me in furnishing Juana’s house, when she was first recruited and his wife was a staffer in the JMWAVE PP office. I assume Jake may have had some contact with her.

Robert: May I be so bold as to suggest Jake is “Jake” Esterline........

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...amp;relPageId=1

from HSCA Segregated CIA Collection, Reel 47 Mexi and dir cables 104-10528-10224

CABLE: FOWARDING OF NEWSPAPER EDITION WHICH REPORTED CONFESSIONS OF CAPTURED EXPEDITIONARIES

To: Director

From: MEXI

Action: SAS 8

Airmailing to PIEPER Address 3 Nov Editions of newspaper Hoy, containing detailed account confessions captured REX expeditionaries.

Source [01]

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...amp;relPageId=1

A Piece of the Puzzle fits even if it is in the wrong section?

I always thought this graph was one of those Kodak moments...lol

http://www.namebase.org/cgi-bin/nb06?_ESTERLINE_JACOB_D

Edited April 10, 2009 by Robert Howard

William Kelly · April 10, 2009

Bill,
I started working on an article concerning Szili some time ago.

You (finally!) putting yours out there gave me the impetus to complete mine.

I believe the whole incident was a Northwoods style false flag operation gone wrong.

The latter part of the article deals with the Hyde/U2 incident and why I believe it too, was a Northwoods inspired operation.

Pretextural Obligato - a Symphony of Lies

from HSCA Segregated CIA Collection, Box 37 104-10104-10046

MEMO RE DEBRIEFING OF ALPHA 66 GROUP

1. We were not involved in the Guantanamo de-briefing of the ALPHA-66 group. They were debriefed by the FOSG [Field Operations Service Group] which is a clandestine Navy organization. Apparently this is the clandestine group" Justice Department referred to.

2. I understand Harry Pieper, an old-time JMWAVE contract agent, is now used for direct contact with Juana Castro. He helped me in furnishing Juana's house, when she was first recruited and his wife was a staffer in the JMWAVE PP office. I assume Jake may have had some contact with her.

Robert: May I be so bold as to suggest Jake is "Jake" Esterline........

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...amp;relPageId=1

from HSCA Segregated CIA Collection, Reel 47 Mexi and dir cables 104-10528-10224

CABLE: FOWARDING OF NEWSPAPER EDITION WHICH REPORTED CONFESSIONS OF CAPTURED EXPEDITIONARIES

To: Director

From: MEXI

Action: SAS 8

Airmailing to PIEPER Address 3 Nov Editions of newspaper Hoy, containing detailed account confessions captured REX expeditionaries.

Source [01]

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...amp;relPageId=1

A Piece of the Puzzle fits even if it is in the wrong section?

I always thought this graph was one of those Kodak moments...lol

http://www.namebase.org/cgi-bin/nb06?_ESTERLINE_JACOB_D

Robert, thanks for that link re: Confessions of captured REX expeditionaries. Are the newspaper stories available?

Greg, I agree with your thesis that these incidents are Northwoods connected events.

But I don't think that they intended to kill Glenn on his mission, as you seem to imply, only activate Northwoods if the Mercury mission failed, and Glenn died on reentry, then blamed the Cubans/Russians for their radio interference.

In that regard, this letter from a former enlisted man stationed at Lackland AFB, Texas, at the time Glenn was there, is interesting in that he seems to be like Dinkin, a technician who suspects there is a plot to kill the President, based on information obtained from their classified jobs in the military.

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=9966&relPageId=255

Philip A. Robinson

80 Passaic Ave., Passaic, New Jersey

DOB: 6/3/38 Brooklyn, NY

"Father Jacob Robinson, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ

In contact with Soviet in Japan in 1955, and in 1969 contacted Amtorg Trading Corp. attempting to locate Soviet.

7/17/70 Letter to Glann.

Wrote letter to FBI re: Cosa Nostra 6/6/67

Robinson said he's "interested in writing short stories for magazines."

J.A. Robinson (Father) accounting office

Colonel John Glenn

Sleepy Hollow Court

Seabrook, Texas 77586

October 26, 1970

Dear Colonel Glenn:

If you recall we met in an elevator in the Lackland A.F.B. Hospital on August 2, 1961 while you were in final checkout for your historical flight and I was in training as a reservist…U.S.A.F.

During our conversation I passed information on to you about Lee Harvey Oswald in an attempt to prevent the assassination your friend President John F. Kennedy.

Without going into details I might inform you that I also discussed the matter with Commander Shepard, Commander Schirra, President (Vice President) Lyndon B. Johnson, Press Aide William Moyers, Peace Corps Chief Robert Sargent shriver and others from 1961 through 1963.

Basically I would deeply appreciate it if you would confirm our conversation, note the name of the gentleman with whom we rode, and if you tell me what happened with any inquiries put to you as to our conversation if any for historical purposes.

Thank you in advance for your response.

Yours truly

Philip A. Robinson

80 Passaic Ave. Passaic New Jersey 07055

Edited April 11, 2009 by William Kelly

Greg Parker · April 11, 2009

Bill,
I started working on an article concerning Szili some time ago.

You (finally!) putting yours out there gave me the impetus to complete mine.

I believe the whole incident was a Northwoods style false flag operation gone wrong.

The latter part of the article deals with the Hyde/U2 incident and why I believe it too, was a Northwoods inspired operation.

Pretextural Obligato - a Symphony of Lies

from HSCA Segregated CIA Collection, Box 37 104-10104-10046

MEMO RE DEBRIEFING OF ALPHA 66 GROUP

1. We were not involved in the Guantanamo de-briefing of the ALPHA-66 group. They were debriefed by the FOSG [Field Operations Service Group] which is a clandestine Navy organization. Apparently this is the clandestine group" Justice Department referred to.

2. I understand Harry Pieper, an old-time JMWAVE contract agent, is now used for direct contact with Juana Castro. He helped me in furnishing Juana's house, when she was first recruited and his wife was a staffer in the JMWAVE PP office. I assume Jake may have had some contact with her.

Robert: May I be so bold as to suggest Jake is "Jake" Esterline........

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...amp;relPageId=1

from HSCA Segregated CIA Collection, Reel 47 Mexi and dir cables 104-10528-10224

CABLE: FOWARDING OF NEWSPAPER EDITION WHICH REPORTED CONFESSIONS OF CAPTURED EXPEDITIONARIES

To: Director

From: MEXI

Action: SAS 8

Airmailing to PIEPER Address 3 Nov Editions of newspaper Hoy, containing detailed account confessions captured REX expeditionaries.

Source [01]

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...amp;relPageId=1

A Piece of the Puzzle fits even if it is in the wrong section?

I always thought this graph was one of those Kodak moments...lol

http://www.namebase.org/cgi-bin/nb06?_ESTERLINE_JACOB_D

Robert, thanks for that link re: Confessions of captured REX expeditionaries. Are the newspaper stories available?

Greg, I agree with your thesis that these incidents are Northwoods connected events.

But I don't think that they intended to kill Glenn on his mission, as you seem to imply, only activate Northwoods if the Mercury mission failed, and Glenn died on reentry, then blamed the Cubans/Russians for their radio interference.

Bill,

You may be right, though they are hardly likely to spell out in a document any plan to murder a national hero.

For the sake of argument and looking at it in the best light possible, the JCS were kind of be hoping that the Mercury flight crashed and killed Glenn so they could use it as a pretext. It's a fine line they were walking...and I can't buy it.

In reality, I can't see them going to the trouble of fabricating evidence just in the off chance the Mercury space flight crashes. It's kind of like LBJ accepting the VP roll on the off-chance JFK dies in office. And if the JCS had anything to do with killing Kennedy, why would they blink at killing Glenn? As a last resort, I think they could have brought themselves to do it. They certainly had the capability.

In my opinion, this was the root cause of Shoup's outburst to Jackson. Simple frustration. Someone of some note had to be sacrificed for the cause. It wasn't Glenn's fault it wasn't him. But it was Jackson's fault he wasn't the one.

I think Lopez was supposed to be discovered in the restricted area by Jackson and that Jackson would be ordered to escort him off the base. In the process, Lopez was to kill Jackson. A Medal of Honor winner murdered by a Castro spy inside Gitmo would probably be enough to justify an invasion... Jackson's heroics on the Island of Peleliu would be plastered all over the media and everyone would just know revenge here was not only okay - it was godamn necessary for the national psyche.

Jackson of course, was not "in" on it - any more than Glenn would have been. Unfortunately for Szili, his career was collateral damage.

In that regard, this letter from a former enlisted man stationed at Lackland AFB, Texas, at the time Glenn was there, is interesting in that he seems to be like Dinkin, a technician who suspects there is a plot to kill the President, based on information obtained from their classified jobs in the military.

I couldn't find any reference to him being a technician - only a trainee reservist and later an employee in his father's accounting firm. He also has the plot going back as far as 1961 - which is when he said he had his conversation with Glenn. As he gave the exact date of his talk with Glenn, I have to wonder why the FBI did not check if Glenn had been at Lackland that day? There should have been a record of it somewhere.

Without discounting this guy altogether, the document indicates he gave information about the Mafia on one other occasion and he does come across as someone trying to get into the middle of events. But then, maybe that's the impression the FBI was trying to give?

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=9966&relPageId=255

Philip A. Robinson

80 Passaic Ave., Passaic, New Jersey

DOB: 6/3/38 Brooklyn, NY

Father Jacob Robinson, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ

In contact with Soviet in Japan in 1955, and in 1969 contacted Amtorg Trading Corp. attempting to locate Soviet.

7/17/70 Letter to Glann.

Wrote letter to FBI re: Cosa Nostra 6/6/67

Robinson said he’s “interested in writing short stories for magazines.”

J.A. Robinson (Father) accounting office

Colonel John Glenn

Sleepy Hollow Court

Seabrook, Texas 77586

October 26, 1970

Dear Colonel Glenn:

If you recall we met in an elevator in the Lackland A.F.B. Hospital on August 2, 1961 while you were in final checkout for your historical flight and I was in training as a reservist…U.S.A.F.

During our conversation I passed information on to you about Lee Harvey Oswald in an attempt to prevent the assassination your friend President John F. Kennedy.

Without going into details I might inform you that I also discussed the matter with Commander Shepard, Commander Schirra, President (Vice President) Lyndon B. Johnson, Press Aide William Moyers, Peace Corps Chief Robert Sargent shriver and others from 1961 through 1963.

Basically I would deeply appreciate it if you would confirm our conversation, note the name of the gentleman with whom we rode, and if you tell me what happened with any inquiries put to you as to our conversation if any for historical purposes.

Thank you in advance for your response.

Yours truly

Philip A. Robinson

80 Passaic Ave. Passaic New Jersey 07055

Robert Howard · April 11, 2009

Home/Archive/Documents/JFK Assassination Documents/JFK Documents - Central Intelligence Agency/HSCA Segregated CIA Collection (microfilm)/HSCA Segregated CIA Collection (microfilm - reel 2: Artime - Barker)/

NARA Record Number: 104-10163-10206

DISPATCH: MEETING BETWEEN LT JACK MODESETT JR. , NEWTON H. KILLEDAN AND STANLEY R. ZAMKA

FROM: Chief of Station JMWAVE

TO: Chief Task Force W

GYROSE/Operational

Action Required: None, For Your Information [illegible] files

1. Attached herewith is a memorandum of contact between Lt. Jack Modesett, Jr. Guantanamo Naval Base Intelligence Officer, Newton H. Killedan and Stanley R. Zamka.

2. The conversation concerned Zamka’s survey at Guantanamo Naval Base, AMCRAIG-1 Amancio MOSQUEDA aka El Yarey

and Luis K. Balbuena.

END OF DISPATCH

18 May, 1962

1. At 1800 hours on 18 May 1962, Lt. Jack MODESETT, Jr., called the writer from the Miami International Airport that he had been instructed by Lt. Commander Joe WILSON in ZRMETAL to contact ZAMKA on his arrival to the JMWAVE area. Lt. MODESETT said he was on his way to the Guantanamo Naval Base and would only remain overnight. He was scheduled to depart for Montego Bay early the next morning. Arrangements were then made to contact him at the airport the same evening. He was told that another officer would accompany the writer.

2. Lt. MODESETT was met at the lobby of the Airport Hotel at 1850 hours. MODESETT said that he traveled directly from El Paso to Miami. Moreover that Cmdr. WILSON had talked to him several times by telephone and had briefed him lightly regarding Austin D. HAZARIAN and ZAMKA’s trip to Guantanamo.

He said that other than this he had no deatils as to what the survey revealed or what recommendations were made. ZAMKA proceeded to give him a briefing regarding what the survey revealed and recommendations made. He was told that Cmdr. RUMBLE, Naval Base Chief of Intelligence, would most likely give him a much more detailed briefing on his return.

3. Lt. MODESETT was asked about AMCRAIG-1, MODESETT said that A-1 had cooperated with him on many occasions and though highly of him. MODESETT neither revealed nor intimated that A-1 was considered by them as a Navy controlled source. Zamka told MODESETT that it was believed A-1 was at the Base

on private business regarding the repair of dock facilities and was expected to return in a day or so. It was later discovered that A-1 had returned to the JMWAVE area the day before.

4. Modesett was asked whether or not it was possible to permit A-1 to send reports through the YPO. MODESETT said that he saw no problems with this and would make such arrangements upon his return from the Base. In fact MODESETT appeared to be somewhat elated that A-1 could be of some use. A-1 will send whatever information he obtains at the Base from his contacts and send it through the FPO to a mail drop established for him in Miami. Since A-1 is a subsource of AMOT-2 the latter will handle incoming reports.

5. Plans are now underway by the Station to fully check out AMCRAIG-1 for possible use as a unilateral asset. Providing no other Department or agency, including Guantanamo Naval Base is using AMCRAIG-1 as an intelligence agent, he will be recruited on his return from the Base.

6. MODESETT was also asked if he knew the wherabouts of Anancio MOSQUEDA aka El-Yarey. MODESETT said he would let us know soon after he returned to the Base. MOSQUEDA aka El-Yarey. MODESETT said that MOSQUEDA had been at the Base requesting arms, etc., but was reissued. After staying on the Base for a few days MOSQUEDA decide on his own to go into the mountains to fight Castro. MOSQUEDA told MODESETT that he knew where there was a cache of weapons MODESETT was asked that if he located the wherabouts of MOSQUEDA it would be of extreme interest to the writer. MODESETT said he would let us know soonafter he returned to the Base.

7. Newton H. KILDALLEN who accompanied ZAMKA to the meeting already knew Modesett from previous contacts with him at Headquarters. KILDALLEN questioned MODESETT about a letter, a copy of which we have in our possession, in which Luis K. BALBUENA, contact of MODESETTs, requested his cousin to send him sniper rifles, Thompson or M-3 machine guns and .45 caliber pistols. All these were to be sent via the FPO to Lt. MODESETT.

Modesett stated that he had read the letter but that BALBUENA did not know this. A second point concerning BALBUENA discussed was some information we had recieved to the effect that subject’s operational secuity was reportedly quite poor. People who came on the Base and contacted him were allegedly picked up by G-2 shortly after returning to Cuban soil. This allegedly did not happen to people who made contact with the American intelligence on the Base. MODESETT commented that BALBUENA was a very controversial figure, lived on the Base, and his activities against the regime were well known to people on the Base. MODESETT stated that ONI was very careful in their dealings with Balbuena for the above reasons.

8. MODESETT, like other Guantanamo Base Intelligence Officers is much in favor of changing National Policy so as to permit the Base to take a much more aggressive attitude towards Cuba. He said that secure PI type assignments can be mounted from the Base and intimated that they had successfully run some very minor operations already. He also said that they would welcome the assignment of KUBARK Case officers to the Base and felt they could accomplish much because of their training and profession. He said he felt the base could absorb several KUBARKERS without any fanfare. He also said that both Navy and KUBARK could mount joint operations which would be of interest of all concerned. MODESETT was very cooperative, friendly, pleasant to deal with and appears easy to get along with.

Of all the Naval Intelligence Officers ZAMKA met at Guantanamo, MODESETT appears to most knowledgeable regarding Cuban affairs as well as having extensive background knowledge of Cuban personalities working at the Base. Subject has an excellent understanding of the Spanish language and speaks it with a certain fluency.

9. Arrangements were made between MODESETT AND ZAMKA to keep in touch with each other by mail on problems of mutual interest

Stanley R. Zamka

JMWAVE S/O

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...amp;relPageId=1

Obviously there is a lot of information to be gleaned from the document above. All I will add is that in light of documents posted on this thread regarding Russo's thesis of a Castro hit on JFK, defies any type of reason, in the fact that the CIA and ONI as shown here, were all over the issue of suspected Cuban G-2 suspects.....Even allowing the ultimate absurdity that a Cuban G-2 assassin killed Kennedy [which nothing in 44 years has ever been proven that that is what happened,] ONI and CIA citing this last document as an example would, in my estimation, been setting back and letting it happen, in which case, who pulls the trigger becomes almost semantic.

New Names, my friends, new names AMOT-2 in particular

April 11, 2009

Proabably all "old news" to veteran researchers...but it wasn't to me, so I post it now:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...,897012,00.html
Mystery Ship

Friday, Nov. 08, 1963

...For proof, Castro displayed captured grenades and announced the arrest of six "agents" of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Several of the prisoners, he said, had been captured Oct. 21 while attempting a night landing on the western tip of the island, coming ashore in two launches from a "mother ship" that Castro identified as the Rex, a 170-ft. vessel flying the Nicaraguan flag and operating out of West Palm Beach. The raiders were armed with two .30-cal. machine guns on each of the launches, and the Rex was loaded for bear: a 75-mm. cannon, two 57-mm. and five twin 20-mm. cannon. In seven months, continued Castro, the Rex has carried out ten missions to slip arms and men into Cuba—"and it is not the only boat that the CIA has."

How much truth was there to Castro's story? There seems to be some. A 174-ft. vessel called the Rex, a converted U.S. Navy patrol boat flying a Nicaraguan flag and carrying radar, searchlights and a heavy crane, has indeed been tied up at West Palm Beach. Port fees are paid by the SeaKey Shipping Co., known only by a Miami post office box. The Rex's voyages are shrouded in mystery. It engages in electronic and oceanographic research, says a Miami oil executive who claims to own the ship. On her last sailing, Oct. 19, the Rex left with two 20-ft. launches, and returned last week without the speedboats. The Spanish-speaking crew has nothing to say about anything, but Cuban exiles in Miami buzz with stories of four dead men and a wounded man transferred to a U.S. submarine off the coast of Cuba on the morning of Oct. 22.

CIA officials issued their standard "no comment."

http://www.assassinationresearch.com/v2n1/chrono1.pdf
....Contrary to his statement to Secret Service, Ferrie appeared to have been in Dallas on May 22, 1962, having made a call to Gill's office. Six days later, he called the Saddlers again from New Orleans, and on June 5 phoned an unidentified number in Dallas. On June 30, he once again called Gill's office from Dallas.

Ferrie didn't call Dallas again until Sept. 5, 1962, this time to a number listed under A.M. Belcher Oil and Mae Belcher on Averill Way. On Sept. 6, Ferrie was again in Texas, calling Gill's office from Abilene and Albany before returning to New Orleans. He phoned the Highlander Hotel on Sept. 10, 1962 (also listed under J.K. McDonough), and again on Sept. 13, as well as an unlisted number on Sept. 14. On Sept. 16 and 17, he made calls to Gill's office from Dallas and Marshall, TX. After returning to New Orleans, Ferrie made a call on Sept. 20 to the U.S. Federal Aviation office in Ft. Worth, and five days later called the Dallasite Motor Hotel (also listed under Harry K. Caughey), which he called again the next day. He also called the Highlander again on Sept. 27 and another number the same day (this time from Kenner, LA). On Oct. 1, 1962, Ferrie called Belcher Oil again, followed on Oct. 3 by a call to an unidentified number (this time from LaPlace, LA).

Ferrie's contact with Dallas/Ft. Worth really picked up in October, 1962, beginning on Oct. 4 when he once again called the Highlander (from Kenner) and another unidentified number. On Oct. 5 he called Belcher Oil and the Highlander, as well as two other Dallas numbers (one from Kenner.) On Oct. 9, Ferrie called a number at the Republic National Bank Bldg. in Dallas listed to John O'Connor (as well as Dresser Industries), and on Oct. 13 phoned Hine Pontiac in Dallas, as well as three other calls to unidentified Dallas numbers from the 14th to the 16th. He again phoned Belcher Oil on Oct. 18 as well as Oct. 22, and phoned Gill's office from Dallas the same day. On Oct. 24, he called a Dallas number from Luling, LA, and six days later called Belcher Oil again, as well as calling the Highlander the next day. On Nov. 7, he made a call to another unidentified Dallas number, followed by another call to the U.S. Federal Aviation office in Ft. Worth the next day. On Nov. 10 and 13 he again called the Highlander, and another number in Dallas on Nov. 15. On Nov. 29, Ferrie called Belcher Oil, and Dec. 4 and Dec. 18 the Highlander. In between, he had called Gill's office from Dallas on Dec. 14......

http://books.google.com/books?um=1&q=j...nG=Search+Books
The fish is red: the story of the secret war against Castro‎ - Page 146

by Warren Hinckle, William W. Turner - Political Science - 1981 - 373 pages

JA Belcher of the Belcher Oil Company, the nominal owner of the Rex, could only

say damned-if-I-know about his mystery ship. "I don't know if it had any ...

The New York Times Index

The New York Times Index‎ - Page 209

New York times - 1964

... О 28, 4:7 Castro charges CIA operates raider ship called Rex based in West

... of Rex, which returned to port Oct 28; oil exec JA Belcher, Rex owner, ...

Edited April 11, 2009 by Tom Scully

Robert Howard · April 11, 2009

Someone who once posted on the Forum, a self-appointed coordinator of assassination research mocked me for bringing up freemasonry in the context of the assassination, despite the fact that a cache of ammunition was once found near the White House in the "old Masonic Building," admittedly more of a factoid than anything else, but at the same time, if one ever wants to discover one of those "I didn't know that" types of information, you will find that the head of the Dallas Crime Commission in 1963 was years later involved in bilking a Masonic lodge out of money, and the name he was going by in 1963 was not even his real name.

Hugh Aynesworth wrote an article about it for D Magazine in August 1983

entitled

The Strangest Story I Ever Heard.

Now you can add this factoid to your useless information list, although it is probably more deserving as a Ripley's Believe It or Not story related to the JFK Assassination.

An Associated Press article entitled “Masonic Leader In Cuba Charged” dated September 28, 1962.

HAVANA (AP)- The grand master of The Masonic Lodge of Cuba

was charged Thursday with being a counterrevolutionary, the newspaper Hoy reported.

It claimed he had direct ties to the CIA and the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay.

The Communist newspaper said George Luis Cuervo, and four other men, also believed to be Masons,

were arrested in the Havana suburb of Miramar.

It gave no date, but private sources said Cuervo was taken into custody last Friday.

Which leads to the question; Is the issue of Masonic involvement in the assassination credible?

My answer would be No.

But there is no such thing as useless information, if it is factual.

Back to Guantanamo.

The plane crash of Flight 389 in August of 1965 which killed former ONI member Harold Gordon was investigated by a fairly well known United Air Lines pilot named Ernest R. Burmeister. The Flight 389 crash was just one of the crashes Burmeister investigated. It is ironic that is easier to find out information regarding the investigator of the crash of Flight 389, than an in-depth account of the actual crash itself.

Burmeister's obituary is posted below.

Burmeister, Ernest R.

GLEN ELLYN, ILL./ LOMBARD, ILL. - Ernest R. Burmeister, age 82, of Glen Ellyn, Ill., formerly of Lombard, Ill., died Wednesday, March 21, 2007, at his home. Mr. Burmeister was a resident of Glen Ellyn for six years and was formerly a resident of Lombard for 43 years. He was a veteran, having served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a Pilot, 2nd Lieutenant during World War II. Mr. Burmeister had been a commercial pilot for more than 35 years. He had retired from United Airlines in 1985. He was involved for many years in International Air Safety and was a member of the Civil Air Patrol.

Regarding Mystery Deaths

While the issue of deaths which strongly preclude a connection between either Oswald, Jack Ruby or persons with factual knowledge of the assassination, was practically a “big joke” to the HSCA, a simple look at the facts reveals a very different picture. Off the bat, crime statistics for murder in the City of Dallas for 1964 led the entire nation, which means Dallas surpassed New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit which had not been “the previous norm.” It must be remembered that while there were a great deal of strange deaths in this period, what may seem so obvious now, was by no means obvious then. This situation was directly related to unadulterated fear by the people of Dallas, although that assertion is riduculed by those on the right, politically in America. Which only can be interpreted as a cultural denial in which the media itself, seemingly relishes the opportunity to ridicule persons who maintain this view as either conspiracy theorists, or persons of limited intelligence.

See Assassination and Education: A Guide to Dallas By Donald B. Fielding Published by Carlton Press, 1968

216 pages

http://books.google.com/books?id=8lLRGAAACAAJ&dq=

http://dallaslibrary.org/texas/archives/MA05-4.html

Edited June 20, 2009 by Robert Howard

Robert Howard · June 21, 2009

Someone who once posted on the Forum, a self-appointed coordinator of assassination research mocked me for bringing up freemasonry in the context of the assassination, despite the fact that a cache of ammunition was once found near the White House in the "old Masonic Building," admittedly more of a factoid than anything else, but at the same time, if one ever wants to discover one of those "I didn't know that" types of information, you will find that the head of the Dallas Crime Commission in 1963 was years later involved in bilking a Masonic lodge out of money, and the name he was going by in 1963 was not even his real name.
Hugh Aynesworth wrote an article about it for D Magazine in August 1983

entitled

The Strangest Story I Ever Heard.

Now you can add this factoid to your useless information list, although it is probably more deserving as a Ripley's Believe It or Not story related to the JFK Assassination.

An Associated Press article entitled “Masonic Leader In Cuba Charged” dated September 28, 1962.

HAVANA (AP)- The grand master of The Masonic Lodge of Cuba

was charged Thursday with being a counterrevolutionary, the newspaper Hoy reported.

It claimed he had direct ties to the CIA and the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay.

The Communist newspaper said George Luis Cuervo, and four other men, also believed to be Masons,

were arrested in the Havana suburb of Miramar.

It gave no date, but private sources said Cuervo was taken into custody last Friday.

Which leads to the question; Is the issue of Masonic involvement in the assassination credible?

My answer would be No.

But there is no such thing as useless information, if it is factual.

Back to Guantanamo.

The plane crash of Flight 389 in August of 1965 which killed former ONI member Harold Gordon was investigated by a fairly well known United Air Lines pilot named Ernest R. Burmeister. The Flight 389 crash was just one of the crashes Burmeister investigated. It is ironic that is easier to find out information regarding the investigator of the crash of Flight 389, than an in-depth account of the actual crash itself.

Burmeister's obituary is posted below.

Burmeister, Ernest R.

GLEN ELLYN, ILL./ LOMBARD, ILL. - Ernest R. Burmeister, age 82, of Glen Ellyn, Ill., formerly of Lombard, Ill., died Wednesday, March 21, 2007, at his home. Mr. Burmeister was a resident of Glen Ellyn for six years and was formerly a resident of Lombard for 43 years. He was a veteran, having served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a Pilot, 2nd Lieutenant during World War II. Mr. Burmeister had been a commercial pilot for more than 35 years. He had retired from United Airlines in 1985. He was involved for many years in International Air Safety and was a member of the Civil Air Patrol.

Regarding Mystery Deaths

While the issue of deaths which strongly preclude a connection between either Oswald, Jack Ruby or persons with factual knowledge of the assassination, was practically a “big joke” to the HSCA, a simple look at the facts reveals a very different picture. Off the bat, crime statistics for murder in the City of Dallas for 1964 led the entire nation, which means Dallas surpassed New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit which had not been “the previous norm.” It must be remembered that while there were a great deal of strange deaths in this period, what may seem so obvious now, was by no means obvious then. This situation was directly related to unadulterated fear by the people of Dallas, although that assertion is riduculed by those on the right, politically in America. Which only can be interpreted as a cultural denial in which the media itself, seemingly relishes the opportunity to ridicule persons who maintain this view as either conspiracy theorists, or persons of limited intelligence.

See Assassination and Education: A Guide to Dallas By Donald B. Fielding Published by Carlton Press, 1968

216 pages

http://books.google.com/books?id=8lLRGAAACAAJ&dq=

http://dallaslibrary.org/texas/archives/MA05-4.html

Linda Minor · July 8, 2011

Home/Archive/Documents/JFK Assassination Documents/JFK Documents - Central Intelligence Agency/HSCA Segregated CIA Collection (microfilm)/HSCA Segregated CIA Collection (microfilm - reel 2: Artime - Barker)/

NARA Record Number: 104-10163-10206

DISPATCH: MEETING BETWEEN LT JACK MODESETT JR. , NEWTON H. KILLEDAN AND STANLEY R. ZAMKA

FROM: Chief of Station JMWAVE

TO: Chief Task Force W

GYROSE/Operational

Action Required: None, For Your Information [illegible] files

1. Attached herewith is a memorandum of contact between Lt. Jack Modesett, Jr. Guantanamo Naval Base Intelligence Officer, Newton H. Killedan and Stanley R. Zamka.

2. The conversation concerned Zamka's survey at Guantanamo Naval Base, AMCRAIG-1 Amancio MOSQUEDA aka El Yarey

and Luis K. Balbuena.

END OF DISPATCH

18 May, 1962

1. At 1800 hours on 18 May 1962, Lt. Jack MODESETT, Jr., called the writer from the Miami International Airport that he had been instructed by Lt. Commander Joe WILSON in ZRMETAL to contact ZAMKA on his arrival to the JMWAVE area. Lt. MODESETT said he was on his way to the Guantanamo Naval Base and would only remain overnight. He was scheduled to depart for Montego Bay early the next morning. Arrangements were then made to contact him at the airport the same evening. He was told that another officer would accompany the writer.

2. Lt. MODESETT was met at the lobby of the Airport Hotel at 1850 hours. MODESETT said that he traveled directly from El Paso to Miami. Moreover that Cmdr. WILSON had talked to him several times by telephone and had briefed him lightly regarding Austin D. HAZARIAN and ZAMKA's trip to Guantanamo.

He said that other than this he had no deatils as to what the survey revealed or what recommendations were made. ZAMKA proceeded to give him a briefing regarding what the survey revealed and recommendations made. He was told that Cmdr. RUMBLE, Naval Base Chief of Intelligence, would most likely give him a much more detailed briefing on his return.

3. Lt. MODESETT was asked about AMCRAIG-1, MODESETT said that A-1 had cooperated with him on many occasions and though highly of him. MODESETT neither revealed nor intimated that A-1 was considered by them as a Navy controlled source. Zamka told MODESETT that it was believed A-1 was at the Base

on private business regarding the repair of dock facilities and was expected to return in a day or so. It was later discovered that A-1 had returned to the JMWAVE area the day before.

4. Modesett was asked whether or not it was possible to permit A-1 to send reports through the YPO. MODESETT said that he saw no problems with this and would make such arrangements upon his return from the Base. In fact MODESETT appeared to be somewhat elated that A-1 could be of some use. A-1 will send whatever information he obtains at the Base from his contacts and send it through the FPO to a mail drop established for him in Miami. Since A-1 is a subsource of AMOT-2 the latter will handle incoming reports.

5. Plans are now underway by the Station to fully check out AMCRAIG-1 for possible use as a unilateral asset. Providing no other Department or agency, including Guantanamo Naval Base is using AMCRAIG-1 as an intelligence agent, he will be recruited on his return from the Base.

6. MODESETT was also asked if he knew the wherabouts of Anancio MOSQUEDA aka El-Yarey. MODESETT said he would let us know soon after he returned to the Base. MOSQUEDA aka El-Yarey. MODESETT said that MOSQUEDA had been at the Base requesting arms, etc., but was reissued. After staying on the Base for a few days MOSQUEDA decide on his own to go into the mountains to fight Castro. MOSQUEDA told MODESETT that he knew where there was a cache of weapons MODESETT was asked that if he located the wherabouts of MOSQUEDA it would be of extreme interest to the writer. MODESETT said he would let us know soonafter he returned to the Base.

7. Newton H. KILDALLEN who accompanied ZAMKA to the meeting already knew Modesett from previous contacts with him at Headquarters. KILDALLEN questioned MODESETT about a letter, a copy of which we have in our possession, in which Luis K. BALBUENA, contact of MODESETTs, requested his cousin to send him sniper rifles, Thompson or M-3 machine guns and .45 caliber pistols. All these were to be sent via the FPO to Lt. MODESETT.

Modesett stated that he had read the letter but that BALBUENA did not know this. A second point concerning BALBUENA discussed was some information we had recieved to the effect that subject's operational secuity was reportedly quite poor. People who came on the Base and contacted him were allegedly picked up by G-2 shortly after returning to Cuban soil. This allegedly did not happen to people who made contact with the American intelligence on the Base. MODESETT commented that BALBUENA was a very controversial figure, lived on the Base, and his activities against the regime were well known to people on the Base. MODESETT stated that ONI was very careful in their dealings with Balbuena for the above reasons.

8. MODESETT, like other Guantanamo Base Intelligence Officers is much in favor of changing National Policy so as to permit the Base to take a much more aggressive attitude towards Cuba. He said that secure PI type assignments can be mounted from the Base and intimated that they had successfully run some very minor operations already. He also said that they would welcome the assignment of KUBARK Case officers to the Base and felt they could accomplish much because of their training and profession. He said he felt the base could absorb several KUBARKERS without any fanfare. He also said that both Navy and KUBARK could mount joint operations which would be of interest of all concerned. MODESETT was very cooperative, friendly, pleasant to deal with and appears easy to get along with.

Of all the Naval Intelligence Officers ZAMKA met at Guantanamo, MODESETT appears to most knowledgeable regarding Cuban affairs as well as having extensive background knowledge of Cuban personalities working at the Base. Subject has an excellent understanding of the Spanish language and speaks it with a certain fluency.

9. Arrangements were made between MODESETT AND ZAMKA to keep in touch with each other by mail on problems of mutual interest

Stanley R. Zamka

JMWAVE S/O

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...amp;relPageId=1

Obviously there is a lot of information to be gleaned from the document above. All I will add is that in light of documents posted on this thread regarding Russo's thesis of a Castro hit on JFK, defies any type of reason, in the fact that the CIA and ONI as shown here, were all over the issue of suspected Cuban G-2 suspects.....Even allowing the ultimate absurdity that a Cuban G-2 assassin killed Kennedy [which nothing in 44 years has ever been proven that that is what happened,] ONI and CIA citing this last document as an example would, in my estimation, been setting back and letting it happen, in which case, who pulls the trigger becomes almost semantic.

New Names, my friends, new names AMOT-2 in particular

Jack Modesett married Marcia Heyne, from the family who controlled the investments for the Jesse Jones foundations in Houston for decades. It should be remembered that it was Jones who built the Lamar Hotel and lived in its penthouse while George and Herman Brown were socializing below Jesse's suite in their 8th floor suite (8-F) with their friends. The power wielded by Jesse Jones has never been fully appreciated. See http://www.minormusings.com/Page/Bridge.html.

December 31, 1961 - San Antonio EXPRESS and NEWS

St. Luke's Methodist Church in Houston was the setting for the Saturday wedding of Miss Marcia
Marie Heyne and Lt. (j.g.) John Harvey Modesett Jr. Bishop A. Frank Smith and the Rev. A. G.

Bell officiated. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Jay Heyne Jr. of Houston and is

granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Flack of San Antonio. The bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. John

Harvey Modesett of Corpus Christi. Miss Susan Lee of Houston was maid of honor and Mrs. Fred F. Morgan

[nee Nan Modesett] of Corpus Christi, sister of the bridegroom, was matron of honor. Bridal attendants Included

Miss Sharee Stillman of Phoenix, Ariz., Mrs. Edward Lasater of Falfurrias and Misses Suzanne Moody,

Deborah Detering, Elizabeth Winston, Barbara Adams and Kay Patton, all of Houston. Elizabeth Morgan

of Corpus Christi was flower girl. Fred F. Morgan of Corpus Christi was best man. Ushers included Ronald Lee,

Dr. Robert Maulsby, Gerry Lambert, Thomas Rankin of Houston, Lem Allen of Luling, Ben Vaughn III,

Richard Durham, Bruce Baxter of Corpus Christi and Bill Elliott of Fort Worth. Groomsmen were Charles

Butt, Edwin Flato of Corpus Christi, Robert Marks, Pecos, Garland Lasater, Edward Lasater of

Falfurrias, Ned Holmes, Fred J. Heyne III of Houston, brother of the bride, and Luke Ward of Greenwich. Conn.

Following a reception in River Oaks Country Club the couple left on a wedding trip to Jamaica.They will live

at Guatanamo Bay, Cuba.

Torbitt Document:

"It should be pointed out here that John Connally, Paul Raigorodsky and Jean DeMenil were close friends and business associates. The were members of an exclusive club in Northern Jamaica. The name of the club was Tryall located on Montego Bay. Bill Stephenson, former head of British Intelligence in the U.S., started in the club in 1946. Connally, DeMenil and Raigorodsky owned and still own palatial retreats within the tightly guarded Tryall compound. L.M. Bloomfield met with the three on numerous occasions at Tryall in Jamaica. Among Connally's assigned duties was the keeping of Texas police agencies in line after the murder. John Connally was an active participant in the assassination plans, but he was one of the agents whose over-all knowledge was limited by the 'need to know basis'."

http://www.asiawind.com/forums/read.php?f=11&i=134181&t=134181&v=t&phorum_auth=78e4ae40ade5e26dce5c260b86b94e17

Michael Paine's uncle, Eric Schroeder, was a friend and investment associate of geologist Everette DeGolyer, a long-time Dresser Industries director, who served on the board with Prescott Bush. Schroeder was a cousin of Alexander "Sandy" Forbes, former director of United Fruit who "belonged to the elite Tryall Golf Club retreat in Jamaica with ... Paul Raigorodsky," who has been linked to the Kennedy assassination by the Torbitt Document.

[source: Richard Bartholomew, "Possible Discovery," p. 38. See also Mary Bancroft, "Autobiography of a Spy" (New York: William Morrow, 1983).

Robert Howard · May 26, 2014

Another factoid about the De Menil family is their relationship with "Count Schlumberger;" In todays world the DeMenil's are philanthrophists as were the [Moe, & Walter] Annenberg's, the latter had donated a painting to Jackie Kennedy and JFK, I think before the assassination. As I write this, I still am every bit as interested in Lincoln Mortimer Bloomfield as I ever was, not to change the story. As far as waiting for 2017, the ostensible release date for those declassified documents, it would be wise not to think that these documents contain the smoking gun or guns, they will be subject to the same type of magic tricks as ever such as "key portions redacted," as well as the old Warren Commission trick of "location not specified," intentional misspelling of names, et cetera. I would not even debate the persons in question were, or are philanthropists, it's just that old adage so applicable for 1963, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

The ultimate gift for our Veteran's this Memorial Day would be to end corruption in our country, in every city, state at every level civilian, political and military.

Without corruption, there would be a more harmonious world, less war and less of a cultural divide,

another beginning might be politicians reforming their lives and being examples for the country of "how to be" instead of "how not to be."

Edited May 26, 2014 by Robert Howard

Paul Brancato · May 29, 2014

Robert - are you feeling that all this is falling on deaf ears? A few of us are apparently still listening. Simkin appears to have lost interest.for me the mystery is over. I don't need any smoking guns. We already got several, but they seem to fade with time into the background. A few examples - Veciana finally naming Phillips as Bishop. The George Bush Hoover memo uncovered by board member McBride.

Everyone is aware that nothing any of us post is hidden from the NSA.

A Few Good Men

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