United States Army cover-story E. Howard Hunt?!

[Paul Brancato]

Could we start another Hunt thread perhaps? I’m still wondering what the Army backstop was all about. I’d also like to see a complete list of CIA and Military operations that Hunt was involved in. 

[Mark Knight]

I have suspected for several years that, if Lee Oswald was indeed connected with government intelligence, perhaps his files might be found under ARMY intel. WHY? Because, as an ex-Marine, those searching for Oswald docs would go to ONI [Office of Naval Intelligence] first. If he was involved in something clandestine -- and I have no idea whether he was or he wasn't -- what better place for Oswald's records to be hidden than in the Army Intel files? You might think ONI, you might think CIA, you might even think of Oswald as an FBI informant...but nobody would suspect that a check of Army intel files might turn up something on Oswald. 

So using an Army backstop for Hunt would be right in line with such a pattern...if it exists.

[Douglas Caddy]

45 minutes ago, Paul Brancato said:

Could we start another Hunt thread perhaps? I’m still wondering what the Army backstop was all about. I’d also like to see a complete list of CIA and Military operations that Hunt was involved in. 

By starting a new thread on Hunt, all the information gathered in this one would be basically shelved. It is best to keep this one going.

[Jonathan Cohen]

Are people on this thread truly swallowing the absurd notion that the CIA murdered Dorothy Hunt?

[Douglas Caddy]

Matt, you asked, "Did you sense any animus towards you from the Agency while you were Hunt's lawyer?" 

Yes, the CIA tried to have me killed shortly after the case broke. I have two sworn affidavits from the person that was asked to do the deed. It all goes back to the first hour in Watergate when Hunt used an unsecured phone to call a lawyer from the burglary team's lookout post in the Howard Johson Motor Inn. Prosecutor Silbert, Chief Judge Sirica and the U.S. Court of Appeals falsely claimed that Hunt called me. It was a classic frame-up. His call was to different lawyer, one involved in the CIA's conspiracy to drive Nixon from the presidency. 

 

Edited July 5, 2023 by Douglas Caddy

[Leslie Sharp]

1 hour ago, Douglas Caddy said:

By starting a new thread on Hunt, all the information gathered in this one would be basically shelved. It is best to keep this one going.

Then might the discussion refocus on the documents unearthed by Robert Ward Montenegro rather than a rehash of previous research? I'm particularly intrigued by the possible implications of Hunt and or Harvey Army Intel cover. Has this been analyzed in the past?

[Joe Bauer]

1 hour ago, Douglas Caddy said:

Yes, the CIA tried to have me killed shortly after the case broke. I have two sworn affidavits from the person that was asked to do the deed.

Now THAT is a bombshell revelation imo.

[Douglas Caddy]

47 minutes ago, Leslie Sharp said:

Then might the discussion refocus on the documents unearthed by Robert Ward Montenegro rather than a rehash of previous research? I'm particularly intrigued by the possible implications of Hunt and or Harvey Army Intel cover. Has this been analyzed in the past?

On page one of this thread, I posted an article from the NY Times of December 26, 1975, in which Hunt charged that the CIA had an assassination unit. He states that he himself while a CIA agent was detailed to the U.S. Army and State Department Foreign Service to do CIA work and once that was completed returned to the CIA. This has been standard practice by the CIA for years.

[Douglas Caddy]

The Senate Watergate Committee never asked me to testify. Much of what I am disclosing now about Watergate would have been disclosed then had I been asked, preferably after being served with a subpoena. 

 

[Leslie Sharp]

2 minutes ago, Douglas Caddy said:

On page one of this thread, I posted an article from the NY Times of December 26, 1975, in which Hunt charged that the CIA had an assassination unit. He states that he himself while a CIA agent was detailed to the U.S. Army and State Department Foreign Service to do CIA work and once that was completed returned to the CIA. This has been standard practice by the CIA for years.

Thanks, Douglas.  I hope you'll indulge my questions as this is not my area of expertise, but because Sam Kail features in the notes of Pierre Lafitte (as does the name Hunt - with E. Howard being our primary candidate), this line of inquiry is of particular interest.  Did EHH elaborate in any detail what specific operations specific to the spring/summer of 1963,  and to whom (if anyone) he reported to within Army Intel. Would those operations be recorded only in Army Intel files, or CIA, or both?  

[Douglas Caddy]

4 minutes ago, Leslie Sharp said:

Thanks, Douglas.  I hope you'll indulge my questions as this is not my area of expertise, but because Sam Kail features in the notes of Pierre Lafitte (as does the name Hunt - with E. Howard being our primary candidate), this line of inquiry is of particular interest.  Did EHH elaborate in any detail what specific operations specific to the spring/summer of 1963,  and to whom (if anyone) he reported to within Army Intel. Would those operations be recorded only in Army Intel files, or CIA, or both?  

Leslie: Hunt asserted in the NY Times in 1975 that Colonel Boris Pash was head of the CIA's assassination unit. He did this just after he began serving his three-and-a-half-year Watergate sentence in prison. The obvious question is why did he decide to disclose this to the Times? I do not know the answer to that, but I think he had concluded the CIA was responsible for the death of his wife, Dorothy, a former CIA agent herself, who had figured out what Watergate was all about, a clandestine plan by the CIA to drive Nixon from office.

[Leslie Sharp]

14 minutes ago, Douglas Caddy said:

Leslie: Hunt asserted in the NY Times in 1975 that Colonel Boris Pash was head of the CIA's assassination unit. He did this just after he began serving his three-and-a-half-year Watergate sentence in prison. The obvious question is why did he decide to disclose this to the Times? I do not know the answer to that, but I think he had concluded the CIA was responsible for the death of his wife, Dorothy, a former CIA agent herself, who had figured out what Watergate was all about, a clandestine plan by the CIA to drive Nixon from office.

I saw all that; what I didn't see was reference to specifics, i.e. Army Intel operations Hunt might have been involved with in  the spring or summer of 1963 that might have generated records that might be held in Army Intel files and not CIA.  I think I understood Larry to say that (paraphrasing very loosely) whatever was in Army files related to those operations involving Hunt undercover would be in Agency files. Do you concur?

I'm not pursuing whether Dorothy was killed by the CIA. I am however keenly interested in her role as translator for the Spanish Ambassador, and Hunt's aggressive effort to ensure she could maintain at least a part time position well into 1963. Was he hoping to continue to enjoy her income stream, or was there something else in play.  If memory serves, Tracy Barnes is in the loop of the request.  

Edited July 6, 2023 by Leslie Sharp

[Douglas Caddy]

5 minutes ago, Leslie Sharp said:

I saw all that; what I didn't see was reference to specifics, i.e. Army Intel operations Hunt might have been involved with in  the spring or summer of 1963 that might have generated records that might be held in Army Intel files and not CIA.  I think I understood Larry to say that (paraphrasing very loosely) whatever was in Army files related to those operations involving Hunt undercover would be in Agency files. Do you concur?

I'm not pursuing whether Dorothy was killed by the CIA. I am however keenly interested in her role as translator for the Spanish Ambassador, and Hunt's aggressive effort to ensure she could maintain at least a part time position well into 1963. Was he hoping to continue to enjoy her income stream, or was there something else in play.  If memory serves, Tracy Barnes is in the loop of the request.  

I do not know any of the specifics of when Hunt was detailed to the U.S. Army or to the State Department Foreign Service.

I have always assumed that his cover when the CIA assigned him to Uruguay was as a Foreign Service Officer. 

Dorothy's work at a translator for the Spanish ambassador may have been a CIA assignment as she had been a CIA agent when she first met Howard. As for income, two of the Hunt children had been seriously injured in an automobile accident years before. The medical bills were heavy. The accident occurred when Brent Bozell, who had entertained the two Hunt children at his family's gathering in Virginia, told his grounds keeper to drive the children back home to Potomac, Maryland. He had no driver's license, and he caused the accident. So, the "income stream" you refer to was used for medical bills.

[Paul Brancato]

3 hours ago, Mark Knight said:

I have suspected for several years that, if Lee Oswald was indeed connected with government intelligence, perhaps his files might be found under ARMY intel. WHY? Because, as an ex-Marine, those searching for Oswald docs would go to ONI [Office of Naval Intelligence] first. If he was involved in something clandestine -- and I have no idea whether he was or he wasn't -- what better place for Oswald's records to be hidden than in the Army Intel files? You might think ONI, you might think CIA, you might even think of Oswald as an FBI informant...but nobody would suspect that a check of Army intel files might turn up something on Oswald. 

So using an Army backstop for Hunt would be right in line with such a pattern...if it exists.

Thanks Mark - my thoughts too. This Army backstopping of Hunt and Harvey, probably others too if we search around, might be significant. 
Doug - and Matt - I’m not trying to cut off your exchange, and if you don’t want to move it that’s fine. I was just trying to keep the thread a bit focused on where documents might be unexpectedly hidden. In your work for or with Hunt, did you Doug know anything about his career that would lead you to believe that Army intelligence would have documents on him we have yet to see? 
We all know, through past threads, that Dealey Plaza and Dallas Police were literally crawling with reserve Army intelligence officers including colonels. 
leslie - now I see you are asking basically the same question with additional info like Spanish Ambassador. I recall Hunt became Station Chief in Spain in 1965 (I think?) and that rumors placed him in Madrid a few years earlier than that as well. 

Edited July 6, 2023 by Paul Brancato

[Matt Allison]

5 hours ago, Douglas Caddy said:

Leslie: Hunt asserted in the NY Times in 1975 that Colonel Boris Pash was head of the CIA's assassination unit.

Some info on that here:

https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/157-10005-10228.pdf