Helms' Lies and Obstruction of Justice

[Michaleen Kilroy]

As a part-time student of the assassination, I compared the sworn testimony of CIA officers to the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) from the ‘70s with what is known today from the document releases of the past two decades.  I found the most interesting disparity between what former CIA chief Richard Helms told the HSCA compared to the known facts today.

For simplicity's sake, you can compare Helms' testimony to the 2014 open letter from Robert Blakey, Chief Counsel of the HSCA, detailing the CIA’s subterfuge around agency case officer George Joannides and the Cuban student group DRE:  http://aarclibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/robert_blakey_aarc_9_26_letter.pdf[aarclibrary.org

The known facts in Blakey’s letter directly contradict this statement from Helms to HSCA investigators on September 25, 1978:

MR DODD:

Are there other things that you can recall that might have had relevancy–things of importance, to the Warren Commission’s investigation of the assassination of an American President.

Mr. HELMS – Well, I don’t know of any others. I can’t think of what they might have been, but then we might have been guilty of some other errors of omission, I don’t know. None come readily to mind. This didn’t come readily to mind at the time.

[source: http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/jfkinfo2/jfk4/hscahelm.htm[mcadams.posc.mu.edu]

To summarize the timeline:

• December 1962 -  Helms appoints agency case officer George Joannides to run the DRE and have Joannides report personally to him.
• August 1963 – Lee Harvey Oswald has several run-ins with the New Orleans chapter of the DRE that are publicized in the local news.  The DRE chapter even writes a press release denouncing Oswald and asking for a Congressional investigation of the ex-Marine: http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/images/dre_press.gif[mcadams.posc.mu.edu]
• Nov. 22, 1963 – Broadcast video of Oswald handing out pro-Castro leaflets in New Orleans is delivered to Congressional representatives and media in Washington DC by a fervent anti-communist based in New Orleans named Ed Butler, who had also participated in a radio interview with Oswald and a DRE representative in August 1963.  Butler actually arrived with the video in DC before the president’s body did from Dallas. DRE officials also contacted media and reported on Oswald’s pro-Castro activities the day of the assassination with the tacit permission of the CIA.
• 1964 - Serving as the CIA’s liaison to the Warren Commission, Helms does not tell the WC anything about the CIA’s founding and continued funding and guidance of the DRE, or his appointment of George Joannides to run the group.
• 1977 – George Joannides is appointed as the CIA’s liaison to Congress and HSCA investigators, never revealing his role as the case officer to the DRE during 1963 and, as Blakey notes, lying directly to investigators and slowing the process of producing documents.
• 1978 – Helms makes his above statement to the HSCA.  As Blakey writes, the CIA at the time still maintained that the agency had no contact with the DRE in ’63.

Not sure if anyone else has delved into comparing the known facts with CIA testimony.  Also, I would love to know if anyone has a link to the primary doc that shows Helms' appointment of Joannides.

Thanks.

Edited November 15, 2017 by Mike Kilroy
Forgot a link

[James DiEugenio]

That's good Mike.

Thanks for that one.

[David Josephs]

Nice stuff Mike....

A question.  The men at Odio's claimed they were representing JURE, if you do... how do you see that intersecting with DRE info above?

[Michaleen Kilroy]

Thanks, Jim. I consider that high praise indeed.

David - i think JURE was the more liberal Cuban exile group that the CIA did not want in power if Castro was ever taken down. Could've been an attempt to link them to the assassination instead of the DRE in case the pro-Castro/KGB assisted cover story failed or if the lone nut cover story failed as well.

I try to look at the bigger picture mostly. And what I have surmised is that Joannides is the model of subterfuge and obstruction - the CIA man who knows the most incriminating information is put in charge of liaisons to the investigations (Helms - WC, Joannides - HSCA), in charge of internal investigations (Angleton), or simply sits on the investigating body (Dulles - WC).

If you're part of the conspiracy, what better way to protect your arse and maintain your cover.

[Paul Brancato]

One more thing about Helms - he put Harvey in charge of ZRRIFLE, and he sent Harvey to Rome apparently without notifying JFK. I have to assume that Helms knew what Harvey was up to - he was his direct superior.

[Steve Thomas]

On 11/12/2017 at 9:51 PM, Mike Kilroy said:

To summarize the timeline:

• December 1963 - Helms appoints agency case officer George Joannides to run the DRE and have Joannides report personally to him.
• August 1963 – Lee Harvey Oswald has several run-ins with the New Orleans chapter of the DRE that are publicized in the local news.

Mike,

 

I see Oswald as an agent provocateur working on behalf of someone else:

• an effort to infiltrate the DRE and then pick a public street fight in an effort to discredit them in August. The first thing he does is ask to see an FBI agent.
• visit to Sylvia Odio of Jure in September (I personally believe she was involved in trying to smuggle guns into Cuba).
• Oswald's role as a possible informant in the Lawrence Miller/Darnell Whitter case.
• visits to the house on Harlendale "in the last several months" where Alpha 66 is holding bi-weekly meetings.

I think I see a pattern here.

 

Steve Thomas

[Michaleen Kilroy]

There does seem to be one.  Maybe it all wouldn't look so bad if the CIA had been upfront with the WC that the DRE members in NO were CIA assets, instead of lying about it for decades.  But then even Earl Warren would've smelled a rat and dug deeper to find the truth.

And who meets up with CIA assets and the FBI in the same day?  Jason Bourne and LHO, apparently.

[Michaleen Kilroy]

3 hours ago, Paul Brancato said:

One more thing about Helms - he put Harvey in charge of ZRRIFLE, and he sent Harvey to Rome apparently without notifying JFK. I have to assume that Helms knew what Harvey was up to - he was his direct superior.

True, Paul. I believe RFK had told the agency to fire Harvey after he ran a raid on Cuba during the height of the Cuban missile crisis. Just another insubordination by CIA.

[Michaleen Kilroy]

For me, the only way this thing makes any sense is a cabal at the highest echelon of the CIA. My summary is:

David Atlee Phillips ran Oswald.

Angleton oversaw 'Oswald' spook games in MC to possibly pin the assassination on the Russians, Cubans or both. Or scare away any serious investigation by introducing Kostikov.

Helms oversaw NO with the help of Joannides to create proof of Oswald's commie bona fides for mass media consumption post-assassination.

Harvey and Morales managed the dirty work at Dealey.

Dulles did clean-up.

[Paul Brancato]

4 hours ago, Mike Kilroy said:

For me, the only way this thing makes any sense is a cabal at the highest echelon of the CIA. My summary is:

David Atlee Phillips ran Oswald.

Angleton oversaw 'Oswald' spook games in MC to possibly pin the assassination on the Russians, Cubans or both. Or scare away any serious investigation by introducing Kostikov.

Helms oversaw NO with the help of Joannides to create proof of Oswald's commie bona fides for mass media consumption post-assassination.

Harvey and Morales managed the dirty work at Dealey.

Dulles did clean-up.

I think we may be on the same page. I rarely see anyone pointing at Helms. Have you considering the possibility that the actual shooters were European assassins hired through QJWIN? 

Also wanted to doublecheck the date that Helms appoints Joannides to link with DRE.?

Steve - what is the Lawrence Miller Darnell Whitten case? I agree btw that it always seemed to me that Oswald was an agent or agent provocateur working for someone, and his possible presence at Alpha 66 meetings fits with that. That reminds me of the files discovered at the Paine's house. It's unclear to me whether Trejo is right that they were Ruth's, and personal in nature. I still have not seen convincing evidence of what was in those boxes, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't files on proCastro Cubans. When I first read about Oswald at the Alpha 66 safe house in Dallas it made me wonder if he kept files on the anti-Castro crowd. I can't prove this, and at this point think it's unlikely. But there seems to be some lingering mystery on the file cabinets. 

[David Josephs]

10 hours ago, Mike Kilroy said:

Thanks, Jim. I consider that high praise indeed.

David - i think JURE was the more liberal Cuban exile group that the CIA did not want in power if Castro was ever taken down. Could've been an attempt to link them to the assassination instead of the DRE in case the pro-Castro/KGB assisted cover story failed or if the lone nut cover story failed as well.

I try to look at the bigger picture mostly. And what I have surmised is that Joannides is the model of subterfuge and obstruction - the CIA man who knows the most incriminating information is put in charge of liaisons to the investigations (Helms - WC, Joannides - HSCA), in charge of internal investigations (Angleton), or simply sits on the investigating body (Dulles - WC).

If you're part of the conspiracy, what better way to protect your arse and maintain your cover.

Thanks Mike...  If I remember correctly it was JURE who worked with RFK and DRE who was linked with CIA...  

Not sure if you've seen these, given your focus on Joannides....

[Paul Brancato]

8 hours ago, Steve Thomas said:

Mike,

 

I see Oswald as an agent provocateur working on behalf of someone else:

• an effort to infiltrate the DRE and then pick a public street fight in an effort to discredit them in August. The first thing he does is ask to see an FBI agent.
• visit to Sylvia Odio of Jure in September (I personally believe she was involved in trying to smuggle guns into Cuba).
• Oswald's role as a possible informant in the Lawrence Miller/Darnell Whitter case.
• visits to the house on Harlendale "in the last several months" where Alpha 66 is holding bi-weekly meetings.

I think I see a pattern here.

 

Steve Thomas

Steve - I answered my own question about the Miller/Whitter case. Did you know that when Marina Oswald in the mid nineties publicly asked that certain documents classified secret by hsca be released, it was that file that she mentions first, followed by her belief that Oswald was the informant that led to the arrest of Miller/Whitten/Masen. Btw I recall reading that ATF agent Frank Ellsworth was investigating this case, which I believe was the armory theft. Was it their arrest that interrupted Ellsworth's investigation? 

[Michaleen Kilroy]

5 hours ago, Paul Brancato said:

I think we may be on the same page. I rarely see anyone pointing at Helms. Have you considering the possibility that the actual shooters were European assassins hired through QJWIN? 

Also wanted to doublecheck the date that Helms appoints Joannides to link with DRE.?

Steve - what is the Lawrence Miller Darnell Whitten case? I agree btw that it always seemed to me that Oswald was an agent or agent provocateur working for someone, and his possible presence at Alpha 66 meetings fits with that. That reminds me of the files discovered at the Paine's house. It's unclear to me whether Trejo is right that they were Ruth's, and personal in nature. I still have not seen convincing evidence of what was in those boxes, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't files on proCastro Cubans. When I first read about Oswald at the Alpha 66 safe house in Dallas it made me wonder if he kept files on the anti-Castro crowd. I can't prove this, and at this point think it's unlikely. But there seems to be some lingering mystery on the file cabinets. 

Blakey mentions that Helms' Dec '63 appointment of Joannides in his open letter.  I don't know what the primary source doc but I assume he does as Chief Counsel.  Would like to see it as well.

[Michaleen Kilroy]

8 hours ago, David Josephs said:

Thanks Mike...  If I remember correctly it was JURE who worked with RFK and DRE who was linked with CIA...  

Not sure if you've seen these, given your focus on Joannides....

 

 

Thanks, David.  I have seen that doc but not in a while.  The strange part is, of course, Oswald showed up on the DRE's radar screen in August and there are no more reports like this until mid-1964, I believe, after WC investigators visted NO.  Joannides appears also have been promoted to head of psyops for JMWAVE, if I'm understanding this doc correctly.

I should add that DDP is Helm's office - Deputy Director of Plans.

Edited November 15, 2017 by Mike Kilroy

[David Josephs]

No doubt history is missing key documents between August and Dec 1963.

Our 10,000 piece puzzle only has 7,000 pieces... yet they can be arranged in a million different ways...