Jean Rene Souetre expelled from the US 18hrs after JFKA?!

[Steve Thomas]

1 hour ago, Roger Odisio said:

Does that mean you think the SDECE planted the story in the French newspaper about Souetre being expelled from Dallas soon after the JFKA?  

Roger 

I don't think the French Intelligence Services were any more monolithic than ours were.

It could have been someone from SAC who planted the story. Read what I wrote about Gilbert Lecavalier on page 2 of this Thread:

Jean-Rene Souetre aka Rob8n Hood

 https://educationforum.ipbhost.com/topic/22775-jean-rene-souetre-aka-robin-hood/page/2/#comment-389566

SAC and the OAS hated each other.

Steve Thomas

[Steve Thomas]

25 minutes ago, Leslie Sharp said:

Steve, do you think Commandoair40 is arguing that INS in Dallas didn't actually detain individuals they identified as having French citizenship? Is he suggesting that SDECE planted the story?  

Leslie,

I can't say that. I have no idea what he thought about the INS detaining people. All I can deduce is that he seemed to agree with William Reymond that the story of Souetre being in Dallas was false and designed to discredit the OAS.

Steve Thomas

Edited February 26, 2023 by Steve Thomas

[Leslie Sharp]

14 hours ago, Steve Thomas said:

Leslie,

I can't say that. I have no idea what he thought about the INS detaining people. All I can deduce is that he seemed to agree with William Reymond that the story of Souetre being in Dallas was false and designed to discredit the OAS.

Steve Thomas

Do you think that makes sense? The Facebook 'friend' who shared the DST photo with me seemed to have hung his hat on everything Raymond said about Souetre, but if memory serves, didn't Raymond do an about turn at some point? Have you communicated with him directly on the subject of Souetre? 

[Steve Thomas]

45 minutes ago, Leslie Sharp said:

Do you think that makes sense? The Facebook 'friend' who shared the DST photo with me seemed to have hung his hat on everything Raymond said about Souetre, but if memory serves, didn't Raymond do an about turn at some point? Have you communicated with him directly on the subject of Souetre? 

Leslie,,

Taking your last question first no, I have never spoken with William Reymond.

I do know that at one time, he was suggesting that one of the three tramps was named, "Max",

"Maxime" was the call sign for Souetre's 40/541 Regiment

Just as an aside, the Regiments of the 541 were:

Posted by Rudy Laures in the History of the GCPA Forum

http://www.chemin-de-memoire-parachutistes.org/t12436p15-historique-du-gcpa

(these were radio names or nicknames used in radio transmissions to prevent them from being intercepted by the Algerian insirgents)

.Le 10 : MARTEL
Le 20 : MANOIR
Le 30 : MAQUIS
Le 40 : MAXIME
Le 50 : MAILLON

Le commandement du GCPA 00/541 : NORPOIS

 

At one time, I wrote a note to myself...

"Louis Assemat-Tessandier met with Michael Roux in Montreal circa January 20-21. Roux allegedly tried to recruit Louis in an assassination plot against DeGaulle in March, 1964. Louis published an article in an obscure French newspaper in February, 1964. The paper was called Cote-Basque Soir of Bayonne. Was Assemat-Tessandier the source of William Reymond's information?"

http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg Subject Index Files/S Disk/Souetre Jean with aka's/Item 11.pdf

Reymond wrote a book called,  JFK, autopsie d'un crime d'Etat. in it, he said, 

"Le 22 février 1961, il est arrêté dans la région de Mostaganem avec, à ses côtés, cinq civils et quatre militaires dont "Max", le tireur de Dealey Plaza. Le 15 avril (1961), tous sont trasférés à la prison de la Santé puis, courrant décembre 1961, vers le camp de Saint-Maurice-l'Ardoise où sont incarcérés les partisans de l'Algérie française. Le 19 février 1962, il s'évade avec dix-sept autres prisonniers.

On February 22, 1961, he was arrested in the Mostaganem region with, at his side, five civilians and four soldiers, including "Max", the Dealey Plaza shooter. On April 15 (1961), all were transferred to the prison of La Santé then, in December 1961, to the Saint-Maurice-l'Ardoise camp where the supporters of French Algeria were imprisoned. On February 19, 1962, he escaped with seventeen other prisoners.

Source de William Reymond dans son bouquin "JFK, autopsie d'un crime d'Etat".page: 434.

http://oasassassinatjfk.e-monsite.com/pages/nom-de-guerre-max.html

From this, I gather that Reymond was not saying that Souetre was one of the shooters, but someone different, one of the military men who was with him hiding out on the farm of Robert Martel in early 1961.. (At least I think the farm belonged to Martel).

This link is apparently now broken, so I don't know if he took this web site down or what. I don't know if William Reymond has changed his thinking, but like I said, I've never spoken to him.

Steve Thomas

 

 

 

 

[Steve Thomas]

On 2/26/2023 at 4:36 PM, Steve Thomas said:

Reymond wrote a book called,  JFK, autopsie d'un crime d'Etat. in it, he said, 

"Le 22 février 1961, il est arrêté dans la région de Mostaganem avec, à ses côtés, cinq civils et quatre militaires dont "Max", le tireur de Dealey Plaza. Le 15 avril (1961), tous sont trasférés à la prison de la Santé puis, courrant décembre 1961, vers le camp de Saint-Maurice-l'Ardoise où sont incarcérés les partisans de l'Algérie française. Le 19 février 1962, il s'évade avec dix-sept autres prisonniers.

On February 22, 1961, he was arrested in the Mostaganem region with, at his side, five civilians and four soldiers, including "Max", the Dealey Plaza shooter. On April 15 (1961), all were transferred to the prison of La Santé then, in December 1961, to the Saint-Maurice-l'Ardoise camp where the supporters of French Algeria were imprisoned. On February 19, 1962, he escaped with seventeen other prisoners.

 

http://jeanyvesthorrignac.fr/wa_files/Revue_20de_20presse_20n_C2_B059.pdf

5/ Saint Maurice l’Ardoise : Un camp pour activistes dans le Gard en 1962

Source:

http://www.midilibre.fr/2016/11/13/les-fiches-de-l-oas-internes-au-camp-de-l-ardoise-le-jeune-couple-iacono-au-camp- de-saint-maurice-the-slate 1423719.php

(this link is broken)

"On February 8, 1961, he deserted with a group of about twenty officers, non-commissioned officers and ordinary soldiers as well as civilians to found a maquis in the hinterland of Mostaganem. Baptized France Resurrection, he hoped to raise people against power.". 

“SOUETRE — un personnage charismatique, avec un mélange assez prononcé de
panache et d’immaturité — faisait distribuer à grande échelle des tracts où il affirmait : “Voici venue l’heure des centurions. Il est temps de franchir le Rubicon.”

SOUETRE - a charismatic character, with a rather pronounced mixture of

Panache and immaturity - had distributed leaflets on a large scale in which he asserted: " Here comes the hour of the centurions.  It is time to cross the Rubicon.”

Though the Maquis started out small, it began to attract people in larger numbers. If you can't read this list, you can copy it to n image editing program and enlarge it, or drop me a message and I'll email it to you. If William Reymond is right, it's conceivable that one of JFK's shoters can be found in this list. Nine men were arrested at the farrm, but a larger number escaped with (it is said), a cache of about 400 arms.

http://deltas-collines.org/galerie/OFFOAS

This list can be found bi going to the Deltas-Collines site and following the links to:

OAS>Officiers

 

Underneath this list is a list of officers:

Maquis Combattants (Officers)

Capitaine Raymond BAUMANN
Commandant Paul BAZIN
Lieutenant Roger BERNARD
Capitaine Guy BRANCA
Adjudant Rudy BRÜCHAUSER
Lieutenant Pierre DELHOMME
Colonel GARDES
Commandant Henri LOUSTAU
Lieutenant MADOUI
Adjudant Albert MAMBRESINI
Capitaine Pierre MONTAGNON
Aspirant Jacques MUJICA
Adjudant Georges MUZZATI
Lieutenant Gérard POSTE
Capitaine Claude POUILLOUX
Lieutenant Marc PROHOM
Lieutenant RICHARD
Sergent ROBIN
Sergent-chef Aldo SICARDI
Capitaine SOUETRE
Sous-Lieutenant Michel HOLSTEIN
Lieutenant JACOBSEN

Steve Thomas

Edited March 3, 2023 by Steve Thomas

[Roger Odisio]

On 2/25/2023 at 12:47 AM, Steve Thomas said:

On May 28, 2015, a poster using the pseudonym Commandoair40 postedi n the Forum:

Paras, bérets bleus, verts et rouges, tous unis !
(slang) Paratroopers, berets, blue,green and red, all united! 

(blue, green, and red are the various colors of the berets worn by different services)

(The 40/541 was the Regiment or demi-brigade for which Jea Rene was the Captain from November, 1957 to April, 1960. He was promoted to Captain when the Regiment's then current commander, Captain Fuhrer was wounded in battle.)

https://paras.forumsactifs.net/t13070-grand-combattant-jean-souetre

"Le journaliste d’investigation français William Reymond, pense que le SDECE a voulu fabriquer « de toutes pièces la présence de Souètre, détenant ainsi un moyen de pression sur l’OAS."

TRANSLATION

The French investigative journalist William Reymond, thinks that the SDECE wanted to manufacture “from scratch" the presence of Souètre, thus having a means of pressure on the OAS.

I personally believe that that comes closest to the truth. The allegation that Souetre was in Dallas was not so much an attempt to shed light on what happened on November 22nd, as it was a ruse by the SDECE to discredit the OAS.

Steve Thomas

 

 

"The French investigative journalist William Reymond, thinks that the SDECE wanted to manufacture “from scratch" the presence of Souètre, thus having a means of pressure on the OAS.

 

I personally believe that that comes closest to the truth. The allegation that Souetre was in Dallas was not so much an attempt to shed light on what happened on November 22nd, as it was a ruse by the SDECE to discredit the OAS."

 

I'm curious, Steve, as to how you reached such a conclusion, to the extent it is a conclusion.

 

Reymond is saying the story of Souetre in Dallas is untrue (the SDECE had to make it up "'from scratch").  It was planted by the SDECE as a ruse to discredit the OAS.  Were they acting on their own?  Who else in the French government knew it was false?

 

The Legal Attache in Paris worked with the FBI in the US sharing information in pursuit of international terrorists.  Apparently they didn't know the story was untrue.  As you know, they contacted the FBI about it a few months later to to ask them what they knew about it. In particular, they wanted to know the reason for Souetre's expulsion and his destination from Dallas. The FBI then contacted the CIA, who, it turned out, had a file on Souetre, and the INS to ask what they knew.  

 

All three agencies said they knew nothing about Souetre being in Dallas; they had no information.  That's not surprising, particularly if Souetre was involved in the shooting, and even if he wasn't.

 

The Legal Attache contacted the FBI on behalf of DeGaulle who was planning an upcoming trip to Mexico.  He knew Souetre to be an OAS terrorist and wanted to know if Souetre could be in the area.  Apparently DeGaulle and his staff didn't know the story was a ruse either.  Do you think DeGaulle's staff or the LA office responsible for keeping track of international bad guys ever thought to check  the veracity of the original story putting Souetre in Dallas, if in fact the SDECE had planted it?   Do you think they ever talked to the SDECE about it?

 

Are you sure the story in that small newspaper was the only information DeGaulle and the French intelligence agencies had about Souetre and Dallas?  DeGaulle  thought the CIA was involved with Souetre in the attempts on his life.   According to David Talbott, Kennedy, apologized to DeGaulle about the CIA's role, saying he could not control everything the CIA did.  When Kennedy was murdered, DeGaulle surmised the same people who were after him got Kennedy. He didn't need a lot of convincing that Souetre was dangerous. There doesn't seem to be any indication he doubted Souetre was in Dallas.

 

Add to this the memo from Richard Helms about the creation of the ZRRifle project.  Its purpose was "to spot, develop, and use foreign agent assets in Division D operations".  The memo expresses a preference for using agents outside their country of residence, for "operational security reasons".

 

So if you believe Reymond's yarn, what do you think the SCEDE was up to?  Do you think they believed Souetre was involved in trying to kill their boss or Kennedy either? 

 

In any case, Reymond's story seems to dangle out there on its own.  It makes no claim about where Souetre actually was.   If I were to believe it, I would need some corroboration.  The actions of other major players like DeGaulle and the LA indicate some level of belief that Souetre *was* in Dallas.  But even if I believed Reymond that the SDECE planted the story to throw shade on the OAS, that claim does not preclude the possibility that Souetre was in Dallas.  Both things could be true.

 

One other thing.  Another reason that Souetre, or someone like him from the OAS, would want to take part in the JFKA was Kennedy's 1957 speech on the Senate floor advocating independence for Algeria. It was a major speech. Panned by the foreign policy establishment, the MSM, other politicians, and even Adlai Stevenson from his own party.  But it established JFK as an enemy of the OAS and he became a major enemy of theirs as president backing DeGaulle.  Add the OAS to the long list of JFK's enemies and Souetre as a major figure among those enemies.

 

Frustrated that they couldn't eliminate DeGaulle, it was natural for the OAS to turn to JFK, who had become a powerful force backing indigenous movements around the world trying to free themselves from colonialists. That was anathema to everything the OAS stood for. 

 

 

 

[Paul Brancato]

Who is William Reymond? I don’t mean to shoot he messenger, but having looked around a bit it seems that he and Billy Sol Estes co-wrote a book claiming that Mac Wallace killed JFK on orders from LBJ. It also seems that in a previous book Reymond named two Cubans who along with LHO did the deed. 

[Steve Thomas]

2 hours ago, Paul Brancato said:

Who is William Reymond? I don’t mean to shoot he messenger, but having looked around a bit it seems that he and Billy Sol Estes co-wrote a book claiming that Mac Wallace killed JFK on orders from LBJ. It also seems that in a previous book Reymond named two Cubans who along with LHO did the deed. 

Paul 

William Reym9nd wrote a book entitled, JFK : Autopsie d'un crime d'état,, first published in 1998.

I was just reading through portions of it. His section on Souetre begins on p. 430.

He talks about Souetre being interviewed by representatives of Fensterwald and by journalists (who Souetre thought were intelligence agents) in the 1980's.

He seems to agree with Souetre that it was Michael Mertz in Dallas, masquerading as Souetre.

Reymond says that Mertz was not alone, but was accompanied by two former members of the 1st. REP ( the French Foreign Legion.)

The shooters were named, Max, Ladislav, and Etienne.

Reymond and Souetre said that blaming Souetre was an effort by French Intelligence to implicate the OAS

Reymond asks the question, How did the French know that Souetre had been expelled from the United States on  November 24th,  but the American INS, nor the FBI, nor the CIA didn't?

That strains credulity..

One other thing that he said that I found interesting was that according to Gilbert Lecavalier in his book, Aux Orders du SAC, Christian David.was also a member of ETEC.

Steve Thomas

 

[Roger Odisio]

37 minutes ago, Steve Thomas said:

Paul 

William Reym9nd wrote a book entitled, JFK : Autopsie d'un crime d'état,, first published in 1998.

I was just reading through portions of it. His section on Souetre begins on p. 430.

He talks about Souetre being interviewed by representatives of Fensterwald and by journalists (who Souetre thought were intelligence agents) in the 1980's.

He seems to agree with Souetre that it was Michael Mertz in Dallas, masquerading as Souetre.

Reymond says that Mertz was not alone, but was accompanied by two former members of the 1st. REP ( the French Foreign Legion.)

The shooters were named, Max, Ladislav, and Etienne.

Reymond and Souetre said that blaming Souetre was an effort by French Intelligence to implicate the OAS

Reymond asks the question, How did the French know that Souetre had been expelled from the United States on  November 24th,  but the American INS, nor the FBI, nor the CIA didn't?

That strains credulity..

One other thing that he said that I found interesting was that according to Gilbert Lecavalier in his book, Aux Orders du SAC, Christian David.was also a member of ETEC.

Steve Thomas

 

I think you've got that backwards, Steve.  What strains credulity is Reymond, as an author of two books on the JFKA, not understanding why the CIA, FBI, and INS would deny any knowledge of Souetre being expelled after the JFKA.  The CIA is still witholding the file the FBI said they (the CIA) had on Souetre.

Why would you credit Souetre's word on his whereabouts?

If both DeGualle and the LA, with the responsibility of keeping track of guys like Souetre for the French government, believed the story of Souetre's expulsion, why, and on what basis, was Reymond claiming the SCEDE denied it?  As I said, Reymond's claim is out there on an island by itself as far as I can tell.  Any corroboration?

Do you think DeGaulle's staff, the LA, and the SDECE, never talked about Souetre and his whereabouts after the JFKA?  The questions the LA posed to the FBI on behalf of DeGaulle came more than 3 months after the JFKA.  Do you doubt that DeGaulle's first suspicion after the JFKA was that the OAS and probably Souetre were involved in it?

 

[Steve Thomas]

5 hours ago, Roger Odisio said:

 

Why would you credit Souetre's word on his whereabouts?If both DeGualle and the LA, with the responsibility of keeping track of guys like Souetre for the French government, believed the story of Souetre's expulsion,

Roger,

What is LA.?

I have been wondering where the Department of State is in all of this.

If a French national was expelled from the United States, wouldn't the Department of State know about it?

Did the French government complain?

In 1963, Jean-Rene Souetre was a wanted man, actively being sought internationally. The CIA knew who he was. "Someone" from the CIA met with him in Madrid in the Spring of 1963.

Did the CIA or the INS have an internationally known terrorist in their hands, and blithely let him slip through their fingers without telling anyone?

How could anyone, the U.S. or France, know that he had been expelled, but not know where?

How did they know it was by air? How did they know he wasn't put on a bus, or driven by car and dumped at the border?

Was it a commercial flight, or a military aircraft? What airlines did they use? What was the flight number?

For that matter, the declarative statements that he had been in Fort Worth in the morning, and that he had been expelled; is that coming from the French, or by the American author of that memo?

Who wrote that memo? Who was it from, and who was it to?

I''m sorry,, but the whole tthing is fishy as hell.

I have no doubts that the French government was inquiring about the whereabouts of Souetre in the Spring of 1964 in advance of DeGaulle's planned visit to Mexico. They did the same thing with the Italians and West Germans in 1962.

 But from that point on, everythig in that memo goes south.

Steve Thomas

 

[Roger Odisio]

7 hours ago, Steve Thomas said:

Roger,

What is LA.?

I have been wondering where the Department of State is in all of this.

If a French national was expelled from the United States, wouldn't the Department of State know about it?

Did the French government complain?

In 1963, Jean-Rene Souetre was a wanted man, actively being sought internationally. The CIA knew who he was. "Someone" from the CIA met with him in Madrid in the Spring of 1963.

Did the CIA or the INS have an internationally known terrorist in their hands, and blithely let him slip through their fingers without telling anyone?

How could anyone, the U.S. or France, know that he had been expelled, but not know where?

How did they know it was by air? How did they know he wasn't put on a bus, or driven by car and dumped at the border?

Was it a commercial flight, or a military aircraft? What airlines did they use? What was the flight number?

For that matter, the declarative statements that he had been in Fort Worth in the morning, and that he had been expelled; is that coming from the French, or by the American author of that memo?

Who wrote that memo? Who was it from, and who was it to?

I''m sorry,, but the whole tthing is fishy as hell.

I have no doubts that the French government was inquiring about the whereabouts of Souetre in the Spring of 1964 in advance of DeGaulle's planned visit to Mexico. They did the same thing with the Italians and West Germans in 1962.

 But from that point on, everythig in that memo goes south.

Steve Thomas

 

I asked you some questions about your support for Reymond's claim that Souetre was not in Dallas.  You didn't answer any of them. Before I answer your questions below let me briefly summarize my argument.

 

Souetre was in Dallas as part of an assassination team under the auspices of the CIA.  He was deported by them after the murder.  Of course neither the CIA, FBI, nor INS acknowlegdes any of this.

 

 

What is LA.?

 

RO:  The Legal Attache in Paris, as I explained, is a liaison with the FBI:  "in the words of Assistant Director for International Operations Joe Demarest, the [LA's] goal is 'fostering strategic partnerships with foreign law enforcement, intelligence, and security services as well as other FBI divisions and other government agencies by sharing knowledge, experience, capabilities, and exploring joint operational opportunities.'” Originally established by the Americans in Paris after WWII, the office is now run by the French.

 

https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/legal-attach-paris

 

I have been wondering where the Department of State is in all of this.

 

If a French national was expelled from the United States, wouldn't the Department of State know about it?

 

RO: You think the State Dept. would interfere with a CIA operation?  They were not a factor.

 

Did the French government complain?

 

RO:  When the CIA, FBI, and INS denied knowledge of Souetre being in Dallas, the French understood they were not going to get more information from them.  As I said, DeGaulle suspected the CIA with Souetre killed Kennedy after failing to get him.

 

In 1963, Jean-Rene Souetre was a wanted man, actively being sought internationally. The CIA knew who he was. "Someone" from the CIA met with him in Madrid in the Spring of 1963.

 

Did the CIA or the INS have an internationally known terrorist in their hands, and blithely let him slip through their fingers without telling anyone?

 

How could anyone, the U.S. or France, know that he had been expelled, but not know where?

 

RO:  You misunderstand.  They did not "let him slip through their fingers".   *He was working for them*.  They deported him.  Read the CIA memo again about the ZRRifle project if you haven't already.  They have a preference for using foreign assassins "for operational security reasons".  They are less traceable, e.g.

 

How did they know it was by air? How did they know he wasn't put on a bus, or driven by car and dumped at the border?

 

Was it a commercial flight, or a military aircraft? What airlines did they use? What was the flight number?

 

RO:  Probably by government plane.

 

For that matter, the declarative statements that he had been in Fort Worth in the morning, and that he had been expelled; is that coming from the French, or by the American author of that memo?

 

Who wrote that memo? Who was it from, and who was it to?

 

RO:  The idea that Souetre was in Dallas does not depend on one memo or newspaper article, Steve.  

 

I''m sorry,, but the whole tthing is fishy as hell.

 

I have no doubts that the French government was inquiring about the whereabouts of Souetre in the Spring of 1964 in advance of DeGaulle's planned visit to Mexico. They did the same thing with the Italians and West Germans in 1962.

 

 But from that point on, everythig in that memo goes south.

 

Steve Thomas

 

 

 

[Paul Brancato]

Steve - Roger is doing a better job than I have over the years countering your position on Souetre. Would you at least agree that Reymond is not a neutral observer? Do you agree with his latest theory on Mac Wallace and LBJ? Of course none of us are entirely neutral either, but we are not published authors.

[Leslie Sharp]

12 hours ago, Steve Thomas said:

Roger,

What is LA.?

I have been wondering where the Department of State is in all of this.

If a French national was expelled from the United States, wouldn't the Department of State know about it?

Did the French government complain?

In 1963, Jean-Rene Souetre was a wanted man, actively being sought internationally. The CIA knew who he was. "Someone" from the CIA met with him in Madrid in the Spring of 1963.

Did the CIA or the INS have an internationally known terrorist in their hands, and blithely let him slip through their fingers without telling anyone?

How could anyone, the U.S. or France, know that he had been expelled, but not know where?

How did they know it was by air? How did they know he wasn't put on a bus, or driven by car and dumped at the border?

Was it a commercial flight, or a military aircraft? What airlines did they use? What was the flight number?

For that matter, the declarative statements that he had been in Fort Worth in the morning, and that he had been expelled; is that coming from the French, or by the American author of that memo?

Who wrote that memo? Who was it from, and who was it to?

I''m sorry,, but the whole tthing is fishy as hell.

I have no doubts that the French government was inquiring about the whereabouts of Souetre in the Spring of 1964 in advance of DeGaulle's planned visit to Mexico. They did the same thing with the Italians and West Germans in 1962.

 But from that point on, everythig in that memo goes south.

Steve Thomas

 

Steve, you ask, ‘How did they know it was by air? How did they know he wasn't put on a bus, or driven by car and dumped at the border? Was it a commercial flight, or a military aircraft? What airlines did they use? What was the flight number?’

 From Coup in Dallas . . . 

            ‘ . . . As the FBI agents that spoke with [Dr.] Alderson remarked, this plane, part of a CIA proprietary, was technically a “government plane.” According to [Pierre] Lafitte, the private plane that carried Souetre from Dallas was piloted by Joseph Silverthorne.

The Pilot [on November 15, 1963, Pierre Lafitte noted in his datebook the following:]

/Nov 22/

Willoughby backup

team [the word team has a strike through] squad- tech

building-- phone booth/bridge

O says turn them.

Silverthorne-

Ft. Worth

-Airport

     Mexico    

—Lafitte datebook, November 15

 Silverthorne, a long-mysterious name that also appears in William Harvey’s infamous, handwritten QJ/WIN notes, is Joseph “Joe” Silverthorne, a former member of the OSS and a CIA asset, who had the wide reputation of being an incredibly daring bush and cargo pilot, and an occasional and trusted assassin. Silverthorne flew over 250 flights for United Fruit Co. in the 1950s. He traveled “for a certain federal agency” to “countless countries” for “reasons best left unsaid.” He said: “Bill Harvey was my friend; I never made fun of him. You don’t do that with friends.” (Albarelli’s Florida interview with Silverthorne.)   . . .

. . . Not only had authorities failed to pursue their own arrests made in the first forty-eight hours of the assassination—with one spectacular exception, the arrest of the patsy Lee Harvey Oswald—but for decades, the responsible agencies deflected investigations into Jean Souetre and the clues he left behind that would expose the hierarchy behind Project Lancelot.

            In the immediate aftermath of the murder in Dealey Plaza, Pierre Lafitte, the project manager of Lancelot recorded: 

Silverthorne to MX

(Jean’s gone out)

Rene dit [says] coup de grâce

Call J.V.

(JJA)

—Lafitte datebook, November 23, 1963 

Red Airport [sketch of a box with an X in the center]

—Lafitte datebook, November 24, 1963

 Note: We also see Silverthorne in Lafitte’s 1963 datebook prior to the assassination.

Silverthorne to Dallas

(cust.)

—Call T.

—Souetre

x-tray

—Lafitte datebook, November 8, 1963

-       —Lafitte datebook, November 8, 1963

Edited March 1, 2023 by Leslie Sharp
formatting

[Leslie Sharp]

12 hours ago, Steve Thomas said:

Roger,

What is LA.?

I have been wondering where the Department of State is in all of this.

If a French national was expelled from the United States, wouldn't the Department of State know about it?

Did the French government complain?

In 1963, Jean-Rene Souetre was a wanted man, actively being sought internationally. The CIA knew who he was. "Someone" from the CIA met with him in Madrid in the Spring of 1963.

Did the CIA or the INS have an internationally known terrorist in their hands, and blithely let him slip through their fingers without telling anyone?

How could anyone, the U.S. or France, know that he had been expelled, but not know where?

How did they know it was by air? How did they know he wasn't put on a bus, or driven by car and dumped at the border?

Was it a commercial flight, or a military aircraft? What airlines did they use? What was the flight number?

For that matter, the declarative statements that he had been in Fort Worth in the morning, and that he had been expelled; is that coming from the French, or by the American author of that memo?

Who wrote that memo? Who was it from, and who was it to?

I''m sorry,, but the whole tthing is fishy as hell.

I have no doubts that the French government was inquiring about the whereabouts of Souetre in the Spring of 1964 in advance of DeGaulle's planned visit to Mexico. They did the same thing with the Italians and West Germans in 1962.

 But from that point on, everythig in that memo goes south.

Steve Thomas

 

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by Leslie Sharp
repetitive

[Leslie Sharp]

12 hours ago, Steve Thomas said:

Roger,

What is LA.?

I have been wondering where the Department of State is in all of this.

If a French national was expelled from the United States, wouldn't the Department of State know about it?

Did the French government complain?

In 1963, Jean-Rene Souetre was a wanted man, actively being sought internationally. The CIA knew who he was. "Someone" from the CIA met with him in Madrid in the Spring of 1963.

Did the CIA or the INS have an internationally known terrorist in their hands, and blithely let him slip through their fingers without telling anyone?

How could anyone, the U.S. or France, know that he had been expelled, but not know where?

How did they know it was by air? How did they know he wasn't put on a bus, or driven by car and dumped at the border?

Was it a commercial flight, or a military aircraft? What airlines did they use? What was the flight number?

For that matter, the declarative statements that he had been in Fort Worth in the morning, and that he had been expelled; is that coming from the French, or by the American author of that memo?

Who wrote that memo? Who was it from, and who was it to?

I''m sorry,, but the whole tthing is fishy as hell.

I have no doubts that the French government was inquiring about the whereabouts of Souetre in the Spring of 1964 in advance of DeGaulle's planned visit to Mexico. They did the same thing with the Italians and West Germans in 1962.

 But from that point on, everythig in that memo goes south.

Steve Thomas

 

Steve, as you know, the March 4, 1964, URGENT cablegram sent to J. Edgar Hoover, FBI director from the Legat in Paris reads, “Jean Souetre, aka Michel Roux, Michel Mertz, INFO CONCERNING.” . . . 

Paris clearly knew that Souetre had used the aliases Roux and Mertz, yet in his interview with Bradley O’Leary — documented in full in O’Leary’s Triangle of Death — when Souetre is asked, “CIA Document 632-796 states that one of these three men (yourself, Mertz, or Roux) were in Dallas the day Kennedy was killed.  Did you ever know a man called Roux?” he responded, “I cannot remember anybody with that name.  I’m convinced that the man who was in Dallas that day was Mertz under my identity for all the reasons I mentioned before.”  

Where did FBI Paris come up with these two [alleged] Souetre aliases?