JAMES WOLLWEBER

[Tim Gratz]

The information below is from one of a. j. weberman's "nodules". Query whether anyone has any additional information about it or comments on it?

JAMES WOLLWEBER

One possible lead on the team's escape that was never adequately investigated concerned a report by Atlanta Klansman James Wollweber. At 5:00 p.m. on November 22, 1963, James Wollweber called the FBI and told them that he had just received a call from a " (FNU) Johnson." Johnson stated he knew James Wollweber was a person who could keep quiet, and he wanted James Wollweber to fly him to Dallas on November 23, 1963. There, they were to pickup an unknown individual and fly him to Nassau. James Wollweber was to meet (FNU) Johnson at Opa Locka Airport near Miami. When the FBI checked its files on James Wollweber it found he had contacted its Miami and Atlanta offices in the past concerning Cuban matters "and he is believed to be unreliable." Regardless, the Atlanta FBI office was ordered to "run it out." The FBI stated: "In view of the extreme importance of this matter, possibility of (deleted) contacting unknown individual with last name Johnson should be appropriately resolved. Keep Bureau and Dallas advised per all SAC Radiogram...Must receive preferential treatment."

The next morning, James Wollweber called the FBI and said that due to weather conditions in the Atlanta area, and the unavailability of a specific airplane, he would not make the trip. James Wollweber said he would contact the FBI should he change his plans.

ANALYSIS

Had the FBI been interested in unearthing a conspiracy, an agent pretending to be James Wollweber would have made the trip. What struck this document analyst about the Wollweber investigation as reflected in the FBI files was it's brevity. In total, less than one page was devoted to it. In June 1993 STURGIS associate William Johnson, stated: "Wollweber was a smuggler. He was a scam artist that was takin' money from all over the country. He'd buy an airplane and sell it to two people and never paid for it. He was a tall guy, about 50, out of Atlanta. He was tongue-tied. He had a wife that was like a show girl. And I was on a boat with him - we did a seizure for Customs of a narcotics shipment out of Jamaica. Wollweber had a record at the time. He was working-off a beef. I think the beef was out of Atlanta - it could have been Dallas. That would be interesting. There was a Wollweber. Now that was my name, but I didn't want to go to Dallas. I'll tell ya who could have called him. It's your buddy, STURGIS, he was using my name. Wollweber didn't come into my life till about 1970. He didn't know my first name. If my name popped in, they would have sure started lookin'. The mention of the Bahamas, that is consequential. That's funny how that guy came to me - I got to think this one out." [FBI 89-43-1166, 62-109060-640, 790] William Johnson was mailed copies of the James Wollweber documents. He commented: "Wollweber worked for Wallace Shanley. I got a picture of him. FRANK used my name. I confronted him with it. He didn't give me the right answers. I said to him that I was going through Freedom of Information papers and 'What do you think about this?' He says, 'There's a lot of Johnsons.' I said 'Not the one that flies to the Bahamas and not the one who knows Wollweber. Somebody used my name, and I think its you FRANK.'"

HEMMING: "The Johnson was Bill Johnson. Look at Johnson's attitude when he was asked about it. He ain't too happy with STURGIS. It puts FRANK in Florida trying to get somebody out of Dallas. Johnson ain't gonna pay for this xxxx. Johnson was a pilot and had access to aircraft. Why would he want this guy to fly him? Czukas knew Wollweber."

ANALYSIS

William Johnson probably called James Wollweber on behalf of FRANK STURGIS. He wanted to evacuate a team member who had been left behind - maybe McCORD. HEMMING: "This is an indicator of the level of competence of a team. Team members aren't pilots? That tells me they're xxxxing amateurs." When the CIA stole STURGIS' briefcase Bahamian Air Navigational Charts were found.

[James Richards]

Tim,

If my memory is serving me correctly, the Bill Johnson in question was a pilot who flew missions for MIRR operations. He didn't come cheap and the money supposedly came from Paulino Sierra out of Chicago. This is interesting given the Chicago connection which of course included Homer Echevarria.

Johnson also was closely associated with Orlando Bosch. Again going on memory here but Johnson may have ended up owning or running a used car yard in North Miami.

FWIW.

James

[Tim Gratz]

Thanks, James, the plot thickens, as they say.