French Intel?

[James Richards]

I was wondering if anyone has any more details regarding the following?

Thyraud de Vosjoli was the head of the French Deuxieme Bureau in the United States. During the missile crisis, he confirmed that his Agency was infiltrated with Communists.

In November of 1963, he allegedly learned of an assassination plot against him which emanated from within his own Intelligence Service.

He resigned, defected and stayed in the United States settling in Miami.

The timing of this alleged assassination plot is curious and I was hoping someone would have some more details regarding this?

Vosjoli below.

James

[Francesca Akhtar]

Hi James,

Is this also 'Philippe Vasjoly' under another name? I don't know anything about him except that a'Philippe Vasjoly' is mentioned on the blurb on the back of 'Farewell America' as being one of the sources for the book. It says he was a petroleum agent in the US.

[Steve Thomas]

James,

The timing of this alleged assassination plot is curious and I was hoping someone would have some more details regarding this?

From Edward Epstein's diary entry:

http://edwardjayepstein.com/diary/devosjoli.htm

"I had been invited to the Consortium for the Study of Intelligence, a foundation-financed project of the so-called Nation strategy Information Center. It was a series of conferences on international deception at which top officials of the CIA, FBI, Defense Intelligence Agency and Israeli Intelligence service discussed the concept of counterintelligence. Since I was writing a book on the subject, I found it useful to attend. The April Conference was held at 1800 K Street. Among the guests was a short, bald-headed man, Philippe de Vosjoli. "I am probably the only French intelligence officer in history to defect to the United States," he said.

Over a leisurely dinner, he explained that he had been posted to Washington in 1960 as the liaison officer between the French intelligence service, SDECE, and the CIA. He was the first French liaison officer. In this capacity, he worked closely with Angleton. Beginning in 1962, Angleton warned him that a CIA source, Anatoli Golitsyn, who had defected from the Russian Embassy in Finland, had revealed that the KGB had managed to infiltrate SDECE, his own intelligence service, at the highest levels. At first, he had assumed Golitsyn was a "lunatic". Then, Angleton gave him a "shopping list" of questions about US missile programs. It was, according to Golitsyn, to be filled by SDECE officers moonlighting for the KGB. Again, it sounded "insane" to him that French officers would be spies for the KGB and acquire US secrets on demand. His view changed radically when SDECE headquarters told him to organize a spying operation in Washington. Its targets were precisely the ones that Golitsyn had identified. He alerted the head of his service that a KGB spy ring was operating from within its ranks. In November 1963, he learned from an associate in France that he had been ordered assassinated by his own intelligence service. When he received a telegram the next week ordering him back to Paris, he assumed it was his death notice.

Rather than returning to Paris, he resigned from the French Secret Service in November 1963. Angleton helped arranged his defection. After years of hiding his identity, he sold a book idea to Leon Uris for Topaz, and moved to Lighthouse Point, Florida.

He told me over a leisurely dinner that he still had extensive files on the "take" from Golitsyn which I could see if I came to Florida. It was an offer I quickly accepted."

Steve Thomas

[James Richards]

Thanks to Francesca and Steve for your replies.

Vasjoli's full name was indeed Philippe Thyraud de Vasjoli. First I have heard that he was a source for 'Farewell America'. This is interesting indeed.

The Epstein meeting is also interesting. I wonder what the result was of viewing the Golitsyn files? Digging out the details of this alleged assassination attempt I think is going to be very difficult. Curious if as Vasjoli says that his Agency was infiltrated with Communists, then this plot may be littered with red herrings and falsities designed to implicate Communists in a wide conspiracy including the murder of John Kennedy.

Speculation of course.

James

[Francesca Akhtar]

Hi James,

I just found something else on Vasjoly in Farewell America that I had missed before.

In the foreword by William Turner, it says that when one of Garrison's investigators, Steve Jaffe went to Switzerland to try and find out more about this book he met the publisher Herve Lamarr (or so he called himself) and asked him about the sources for the book. He said Lamarr mentioned Vasjoly as one, saying that

Vasjoly had infiltrated the CIA, the Texas oil industry and also the anti-Castro groups in South Florida. He also said that Vasjoly had interviewed: 'a member of the paramilitary ambush team in Dealey Plaza, a Cuban exile, in Mexico City'.

Doesn't mention who this exile might have been. I wonder how on earth he would do that anyway?!

I have also become interested lately in the role of French intelligence in the whole affair.

Wasn't Golitsyn mentioned in the Nagell book TMWKTM? Don't have it with me right now so not sure.

[James Richards]

Hi James,

I just found something else on Vasjoly in Farewell America that I had missed before.

In the foreword by William Turner, it says that when one of Garrison's investigators, Steve Jaffe went to Switzerland to try and find out more about this book he met the publisher Herve Lamarr (or so he called himself) and asked him about the sources for the book. He said Lamarr mentioned Vasjoly as one, saying that

Vasjoly had infiltrated the CIA, the Texas oil industry and also the anti-Castro groups in South Florida. He also said that Vasjoly had interviewed: 'a member of the paramilitary ambush team in Dealey Plaza, a Cuban exile, in Mexico City'.

Doesn't mention who this exile might have been. I wonder how on earth he would do that anyway?!

I have also become interested lately in the role of French intelligence in the whole affair.

Wasn't Golitsyn mentioned in the Nagell book TMWKTM? Don't have it with me right now so not sure.

Hi Francesca,

Thanks for the information. Most interesting regarding his interview with the Cuban exile.

I do know that Vosjoli claimed a Russian defector had revealed the existence of a Communist spy network in the French government right up to de Gaulle's most trusted advisors. This Russian had the codename of Martel and had been responsible for blowing the covers of some 200 KGB agents including Kim Philby.

Vosjoli also claimed that a contributing factor to his resigning in October of 1963, was that he was ordered to set up a French spy ring in the U.S. to steal American defense and nuclear secrets. Vosjoli concluded that these nuclear secrets would have only benefitted the Soviet Union.

FWIW.

James

Edited March 21, 2006 by James Richards