Distorting History: A Reply

[John Simkin]

I get one or two emails a day from Don Bohning about Operation 40. They are usually full of abuse and contain no information of any use. However, I have just received this email that some researchers might find useful.

John,

just to let you know I have been going through a lot of recently declassified CIA bay of pigs documents, including some in spanish by the brigade itself while in guatemala.

It blows a VERY BIG HOLE in your website phony baloney that Operation 40 was a worldwide assassination unit, in which you slander dozens of folks. What crap!!!

I intend to use much of the following material to reinformce my case in a chapter in the book I am currently writing and it will certainly take apart all the errors - intentional or otherwise - in your misinformation website. So attack me all you want, i will do the same to you, and more. My evidence is documented; yours isn't.

see below:

i have found numerous documents that refer to operacion 40 as a civil intelligence battalion whose commander at the guatemala camps is vincente leon. He was killed during the invasion, one of the few, if not the only, Operation 40 member who actually disembarked with the Bay of Pigs Brigade.

also numerous documents that list operation 40 - with numbers of personnel - ranging from low 50s to 62 at any given time as one of the bay of pigs battalions as i have been tryhing for two years to convince you of, but your ideology stands in the way.

I also have obtained the transcript of a Havana television documentary by a host named Aacanda and based on an interiew with a brigade member who was captured. Tthe three part series was apparently broadcast within a year or two after the invasion while the brigade members were still imprisoned in cuba.

the segment begins with the narrator saying that "that documents obtained from captured members of the brigade members did not mention a select group. He points out that none of them were captured because they did not disembark; nevertheless, the narrator stresses, the prisoners mentioned the select group over and over. He suggests that the prisoners were unaware of their mission, refererring to 'Operation 40.''

As one of the brigade members recalled, "we were recruited in miami...in the beginning we were responsible for investigating those who came to the recruting offices. We were all experienced before receiving U.S. training. He points out that none of them were captured because they did not disembark; Later, when Mr. Joaquin San Gini [sic], our boss, gave the approval, they were sent to the [Tracks [sic] Base in Guatemala. We sort of served as internal investigators. There was 53 of us. We separated ourselves from the rest of the Brigade when we arrived. We had absolutely nothing to do with them. We were to be the rear guard, to take care of the neighborhoods and cities as they were taken by U.S. troops. We were trained in matters of population registration; filing; military and civil intelligence; and first, second and third degree interrogation. We had to obtain sensitive information from enemy forces -- such as the number of troops, location, preparation, morale -- and collect informatin on civil and military leders sho supported Castro. Some Operation 40 participants would later use that knowledge to interrogate prisoners in Vietnam."

Oh, so I get it...they weren't trained in assassination, only torture. How dare we think someone trained to "take up the rear guard" and "collect information" and "interrogate" might also kill a commie or two! The horror!

This convinces me even more that Op 40 was trained to kill the likes of Manolo Ray. The assassination lists found in the CIA files were intended for someone. Who better than the guys serving as "internal investigators" while "taking up the rear guard"?

This is an interesting point. Don seems to be so keen in showing that I am wrong about Operation 40 he has lost sight of the moral issues involved.

[John Simkin]

Message from Don Bohning:

Just to let you know so you stop whining, your long-winded and barely intelligible response to my earlier piece on your "distortion of history," - which you most certainly are guilty of - is in the AFIO intelligencer. It also has my response to it, suggesting you - not me - is the one using McCarthyite tactics. You can get a copy from one of your "dittoheads" since I am certainly not going to give you any aid in obtaining it.

[William Kelly]

Message from Don Bohning:

Just to let you know so you stop whining, your long-winded and barely intelligible response to my earlier piece on your "distortion of history," - which you most certainly are guilty of - is in the AFIO intelligencer. It also has my response to it, suggesting you - not me - is the one using McCarthyite tactics. You can get a copy from one of your "dittoheads" since I am certainly not going to give you any aid in obtaining it.

It would be nice if someone who subscribes to the AFIO Intelligencer to post the responses.

I guess it wouldn't do any good to inform the editor and publisher that Bohning was a CIA asset, since they all are.

Why don't you sic John Bevlaquavelva attack dog on him and try to get him investigated, arrested and fired?

BK

[John Bevilaqua]

Message from Don Bohning:

Just to let you know so you stop whining, your long-winded and barely intelligible response to my earlier piece on your "distortion of history," - which you most certainly are guilty of - is in the AFIO intelligencer. It also has my response to it, suggesting you - not me - is the one using McCarthyite tactics. You can get a copy from one of your "dittoheads" since I am certainly not going to give you any aid in obtaining it.

It would be nice if someone who subscribes to the AFIO Intelligencer to post the responses.

I guess it wouldn't do any good to inform the editor and publisher that Bohning was a CIA asset, since they all are.

BK

He is retired you 'tard. That is Association of Former Intelligence Officers. Start your own group.

Assn. of Casino Card Dealing Cretins - you can be the leader of the pack. Woof. Woof.

[John Simkin]

Message from Don Bohning:

Just to let you know so you stop whining, your long-winded and barely intelligible response to my earlier piece on your "distortion of history," - which you most certainly are guilty of - is in the AFIO intelligencer. It also has my response to it, suggesting you - not me - is the one using McCarthyite tactics. You can get a copy from one of your "dittoheads" since I am certainly not going to give you any aid in obtaining it.

Well, Amazing to me they published it, but I guess since they let him respond, they all wanted to further besmirch this site. It will not be so easy to get a copy. Few libraries carry it - if any do. The childish nastiness of his reply is really amazing! Says a lot about him and how much your words cut him deeply.

Maybe the local MI5 or MI6 office library will send you a copy...

I do have a good contact who will be able to get me a copy.

I get on average 2 or 3 abusive emails from Don Bohning every week. The man is clearly very disturbed. I think the main problem he has with me is that if you type in "Don Bohning" into Google, number 1 is my page on him. Although the page does include his attacks on me, it also contains the evidence that he was a CIA asset while working as a journalist. If I was him, I would be upset as well. The same goes for Carl E. Jenkins, the man I believe to have organised the assassination. That is why he and his family are so upset with me.

[John Bevilaqua]

Message from Don Bohning:

Just to let you know so you stop whining, your long-winded and barely intelligible response to my earlier piece on your "distortion of history," - which you most certainly are guilty of - is in the AFIO intelligencer. It also has my response to it, suggesting you - not me - is the one using McCarthyite tactics. You can get a copy from one of your "dittoheads" since I am certainly not going to give you any aid in obtaining it.

Well, Amazing to me they published it, but I guess since they let him respond, they all wanted to further besmirch this site. It will not be so easy to get a copy. Few libraries carry it - if any do. The childish nastiness of his reply is really amazing! Says a lot about him and how much your words cut him deeply.

Maybe the local MI5 or MI6 office library will send you a copy...

I do have a good contact who will be able to get me a copy.

I get on average 2 or 3 abusive emails from Don Bohning every week. The man is clearly very disturbed. I think the main problem he has with me is that if you type in "Don Bohning" into Google, number 1 is my page on him. Although the page does include his attacks on me, it also contains the evidence that he was a CIA asset while working as a journalist. If I was him, I would be upset as well. The same goes for Carl E. Jenkins, the man I believe to have organised the assassination. That is why he and his family are so upset with me.

Looks like anyone can go to their website, join AFIO, buy some neat little AFIO lapel pins and AFIO bumper stickers (I am going to try to get John Simkin one for Christmas, IF they let me join (LOL). And I think you can order back issues of The Intelligencer, too. Can you imagine

seeing John riding around in his car with AFIO bumper stickers on the back and the sides: (Support the AFIO, rat out someone!), wearing his little AFIO lapel pins and dark glasses? LOFL!

I think this site was either AFIO.org or AFIO.com Not too hard to find really. And not all that secretive either to an extent.

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[John Bevilaqua]

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Edited December 18, 2009 by John Bevilaqua

[William Kelly]

Message from Don Bohning:

Just to let you know so you stop whining, your long-winded and barely intelligible response to my earlier piece on your "distortion of history," - which you most certainly are guilty of - is in the AFIO intelligencer. It also has my response to it, suggesting you - not me - is the one using McCarthyite tactics. You can get a copy from one of your "dittoheads" since I am certainly not going to give you any aid in obtaining it.

It's been almost four months since this article was published in the AFIO Intelligencer.

Can't someone with a copy post it?

BK