E.

Howard Hunt and the JFK Plotters

By Eric Hamburg
How much of Howard Hunts scenario holds up under
examination. urprisingly! much of it does. "he people
that he names as part of the plot are! for the most part!
people whose names ha#e cropped up o#er and o#er again
in the assassination literature. "here is substantial e#idence
to implicate them in a plot to $ill JFK. For this reason!
Hunts re#elations are more credible than they might
otherwise be. % re#iew of the literature indicates why this
is so.
&ets start with 'illiam Har#ey. He was named by Hunt as
the mastermind of the plot! as well as being called an
(alcoholic psycho) by Hunt.. "here is ample e#idence for
both of these propositions.
*
+onsider the following statements regarding 'illiam
Har#ey! made by author %nthony ummers in his seminal
wor$ (+onspiracy). ummers writes! (,n the closing
stages of the -House. %ssassinations +ommittee mandate!
some staff members felt that! while /afia mar$smen may
ha#e carried out the assassination! it could only ha#e been
orchestrated by someone in %merica intelligence! someone
with special $nowledge of 0swalds bac$ground. %s they
pondered this! in#estigators ga#e renewed attention to the
senior +,% officer who co1coordinated the +,%1/afia plots
against +astro 2 'illiam Har#ey.
ummers goes on to state3 ('illiam Har#ey died in *456
7 %s far bac$ as *484! he was one of only three officers
pri#y to plans to send false defectors to the o#iet 9nion.
*484 was the year of 0swalds suspect defection. :enuine
defection or not! Har#ey almost certainly $new about it in
detail.
(ubse;uently! Har#ey was the man who concei#ed and
planned the +,%s Executi#e %ction program! the
<
contingency plan for foreign assassinations. He was in
close touch with men of the same il$ as &ucien arti! and
the +orsicans now alleged to ha#e been the gunmen in
=ealey Pla>a.
(?ext! as head of "as$ Force '! Har#ey was in direct
charge of anti1+astro operations! in personal touch with the
mobsters antos "rafficante and John @oselli. ,nciting them
to murder Fidel +astro. He became a close friend to
@oselli.)
Har#ey hated Bobby Kennedy with a (purple passion)! and
the feeling was mutual. He sent commando teams into
+uba at the height of the missile crisis in *46<! which made
Bobby Kennedy furious. %s a result! Bobby had Har#ey
transferred out of 'ashington and sent to the +,%s station
in @ome! ,taly.
ummers adds! (Aet Har#ey was still meeting with @oselli!
in the 9nited tates! as late as June *46B! and , ha#e
learned that he #isited anti1+astro camps in Florida! at a
B
time when he was theoretically already in @ome.
%ccording to new! unresearched information! initial
approaches to hire assassins in Europe were made in @ome
2 sometime before the recruitment approaches allegedly
made to the +orsican /afia in /arseilles.
ummers ;uotes one %ssassination +ommittee staffer as
saying this3 "he feeling of some of the +,% people we
tal$ed with was that Har#ey was hea#ily in#ol#ed with the
organi>ed crime figures. "he feeling was that he was out of
control and may ha#e wor$ed with organi>ed crime figures
to murder JFK. He beha#ed as if he was all1powerful7 He
may ha#e been the $ey to accomplishing the assassination.)
"his staffer was probably =an Hardway! a member of the
professional staff of the House elect +ommittee on
%ssassinations! which in#estigated the Kennedy
assassination for the 9 +ongress in the late *45Cs. ,n his
boo$ (Flawed Patriot)! author Bayard toc$ton ;uotes
Hardway as saying this of Har#ey3 (, had placed him in the
middle of a web of intrigue. Har#ey was central to
D
e#erything that went on7 Har#ey was a natural suspect.
He had the assassination teams. He was in charge of
J/E'%FE Gthe +,% station in /iamiH. , was con#inced
that Bill Har#ey was in#ol#ed in the assassination. ,
wanted to in#estigate Har#ey #igorously7 , was
determined to pro#e his complicity in the assassination! if ,
could.)
Bill Har#ey had a history with the +orsican /afia. ,n her
boo$ (I@ @ifle)! +laudia Furiati wrote! (,t was learned
that during *46*! 'illiam Har#ey tra#eled to /arseille in
France and recruited another agent -code name JJE',?.
who wor$ed on the &umumba case. ',? appears in the
House +ommittee in#estigations3 he was one of the men
from the +orse 9nion! the /arseille organi>ed crime
group! which showed the presence of the /afia in the plans
to assassinate foreign leaders. JJE',? met the
indispensable re;uirement of being a /afioso of non19..
origin.)
8
Farious #ersions of JJE',?s identity ha#e been
published! but it is interesting to note his connection to
/arseille and the +orsican /afia. JJE',? was recruited
by Har#ey as a possible assassin or recruiter of assassins
for the +,%! alone with another mysterious figure code
named ',E@0:9E. Both men were sent to the +ongo to
ta$e part in an assassination plot against +ongolese leader
Patrice &umumba! who was assassinated in January *46*!
Kust before Kennedy too$ office.
Har#ey had an affinity for +orsicans! particularly for use in
assassination operations. ,n his biography of Har#ey!
entitled (Flawed Patriot)! former +,% officer Bayard
toc$ton wrote that Har#ey recommended +orsicans for
use in the I@E@,F&E assassination program. (%ccording to
the one set of notes a#ailable! Har#eys in;uiries during his
trip to Europe seemed to center on "rieste7 I@E@,F&E
was intended to be carried out by non1%merican criminal
elements.))
6
,n his memo! Har#ey wrote! (Exclude organi>ed criminals!
e.g. icilians! criminals! those wE record of arrests! those wE
instability of purpose as criminals.) But he added!
(organi>ation criminals! those with record of arrests! those
who ha#e engaged in se#eral types of crime. +orsicans
recommended. icilians could lead to /afia.)
toc$ton also suggests that Har#ey may ha#e used his time
in @ome to recruit Europeans criminals for the JFK plot.
(0nce in @ome! Har#ey might ha#e contacted European
criminals andEor the 9nion +orse G+orsican /afiaH ! the
icilian /afia -with whom he had loose liaison.! and the
mainland ,talian +amorra G/afiaH! on behalf of @oselli.
"hus! though it has not been pro#en! Har#ey may ha#e
acted as a line of communication between European and
%merican plotters.) He adds! (Har#ey left behind a hint
that he had some $nowledge of the JFK $illing. %fter he
had testified to the 9.. enates +hurch +ommittee in
*458! he commented! ("hey didnt as$ the right ;uestions)!
implying that he might ha#e had some answers to more
pointed ;uestions regarding the assassination.)
5
(+orsicans recommended). Har#ey ga#e the same ad#ice
to Peter 'right! head of British intelligence! who wrote
about this in his memoir (py catcher). Bayard toc$ton!
Har#eys biographer! was an old friend and colleague from
Har#eys days in Berlin in the *48Cs! ultimately reached
the conclusion that Har#ey was not in#ol#ed in the
assassination! despite the o#erwhelming e#idence against
him. toc$ton bases his conclusion on this statement3 (?o
one who $new Har#ey at his prime belie#es! or belie#ed
that he possibly could ha#e been in#ol#ed in the JFK
assassination. ?o one. ?ot e#en those who had reason to
disli$e him.)
But that statement is false! inoperati#e and in#alid. ,t flew
out the window when E. Howard Hunt! who $new Har#ey
and wor$ed with him in the +,%! asserted his strong belief
that Har#ey was the prime mo#er behind the assassination.
toc$ton! who died shortly after his boo$ was published in
<CC6! could not ha#e $nown that e#en as he was writing
L
those words! they were being contradicted by the words of
E. Howard Hunt.
,n his memoir (%merican py)! posthumously published in
<CC5! E. Howard Hunt wrote this of Bill Har#ey3 ("here
has been suggestion in some circles that +,% agent Bill
Har#ey had something to do with the murder and had
recruited se#eral +orsicans! including a crac$ shot named
&ucien arti! to bac$ up 0swald and ma$e sure the hit was
successful. upposedly! arti was dressed in a =allas
police uniform and fired the fatal bullet from the grassy
$noll behind the pic$et fence7 ,s is possible that Bill
Har#ey might ha#e recruited a /afia criminal to administer
the magic bulletM , thin$ its possible7 Har#ey could
definitely be a person of interest! as he was a strange
character hiding a mass of hidden aggression. %llegations
ha#e been made that he transported weapons to =allas.
+ertainly it is an area that deser#es further in#estigation.)
o much for toc$tons assertions about Har#eys
innocence. Hunt goes on to say of Har#eys role in the
4
plot! (,f thats the case! Har#ey had seniority and would
ha#e been the person in charge! with the others ta$ing
orders from him7 Ha#ing been stationed in @ome! he #ery
well might ha#e come into contact with the +orsican /afia
and heroin traffic$ers whom theorists claim he recruited for
the assassination7 Har#ey! howe#er! is the most li$ely
suspect. ,f he felt his position was in Keopardy! he was the
type of person who would ha#e ta$en drastic action to
remember the situation. ,t is a big leap! because he was a
brain1addled pistol1toting drun$7 but there is the slightest
possibility that Har#ey and &BJ could ha#e formed some
$ind of thie#es pact between them.)
Hunt went on to say! (,f &BJ had anything to do with the
operation! he would ha#e used Har#ey! because he was
a#ailable and corrupt7 'ho $nows the depth of Har#eys
criminal connectionsM He may easily ha#e $nown /afia
members who ha#e been named as possible conspirators!
such as Johnny @oselli! antos "rafficante! am :iancana!
and +arlos /arcello7 "hese are names which ha#e come
up in connection with the assassination plot on +astro.)
*C
%ll of these ;uotes incidentally are ta$en directly from
#ideotaped inter#iews that , conducted with Howard Hunt
in /iami in %pril <CC8! along with his son t. John. Hunt
also mentioned another suspicious +,% figure! =a#id
/orales! in connection with Bill Har#ey. Hunt wrote!
(%nother +,% person of interest who has been lin$ed to
that dreadful day is =a#id /orales. Bill Har#ey posted
/orales to the +,%s /iami station in *46*! where he
became chief of +o#ert 0perations for J/E'%FE! an
operation to destabili>e +astro after the Bay of Pigs.
/orales and Har#ey could ha#e been manufactured from
the same cloth 2 both were hard1drin$ing! tough guys!
possibly completely amoral. /orales was rumored to be a
cold1blooded $iller! the go1to guy in blac$ ops situations
where the go#ernment needed to ha#e someone neutrali>ed.
, tried to cut short any contact with him! as he wore thin
#ery ;uic$ly.)
+learly! Bill Har#ey is a highly suspicious figure in any
scenario. But could Har#ey ha#e done all this on his ownM
**
'hen , met with Fabian Escalante! former head of +uban
intelligence! in Ha#ana in *44D! he expressed s$epticism.
(Har#ey had to ha#e a patron!) he said! (and that patron
was @ichard Helms.) Helms was the +,%s =eputy
=irector for Plans -head of its co#ert operations di#isionN
in *46B! and later became =irector of the +,% under
President Johnson. Helms was close to Har#ey! and also to
Howard Hunt. But Helms was a #ery discreet figure who
$ept his hands clean.
,n (I@ @ifle)! +laudia Furiati describes Helms this way3
(%nd who was the author of the entire schemeM @ichard
Helms! the brain of the +,%. Helms was the ultimate chief
of the co#ert and parallel operations from the beginning of
0peration /ongoose Gthe +,%s plot to $ill +astroH. He
was the director of the plans which included the GpoisonH
capsules! the special missions! the terrorist commandos! the
/afia! the Banister unit! Pontchartrain! 'illiam Har#ey!
/anuel %rtime! @olando +ubela! =esmond Fit>gerald! &ee
Har#ey 0swald! antos "rafficante! =a#id %tlee Phillips!
and I@ @ifle. He was the conductor of the in#isible
*<
go#ernment and the maestro of plausible denial. Finally!
he was the lin$ of the %gency with the (hardliners) and the
mentor of the pro#ocations during the Kennedy
administration. But Helms in#ol#ement was not apparentO
he was behind four walls! an in#isible man.)
Furiati! writing before Helms death in <CC<! described him
this way3 (+urrently he is a business consultant. He is tall!
with fine blac$ thinning hair. He is discreet and e#asi#eO
the perfect bureaucrat. He is considered the most astute
and the coldest of all the directors of the %gency 2 so cold
that he was nic$named (/r. +ool.))
/r. +ool 2 an in#isible man! hidden behind four walls.
'hat an apt description of @ichard Helms. Howard Hunt!
in (%merican py)! put it this way3 (But in the end! Helms
was an expert in +A% -co#er your ass.! not +,%. 'hen the
time came when he might ha#e been able to help me and
come to my defense! =ic$ said! (0h! Hunt7 0h! well! ,
sort of $now him. He was a romantic) %nd that was all he
*B
had to say about me. He pretended that he barely $new me
when in fact he had $nown me for years.)
Hunt related to me a #ery interesting anecdote about Helms
and &BJ! which he included in his boo$. He wrote!
(=uring the course of a year! we would ha#e lunch between
three and six times. ,n fact! Helms had made a confidant
out of me! once calling me at the office to say! (/eet me
downstairs right away. , ha#e something to tell you.)
'hat he had to tell me was that he had bro$en up with his
wife and had mo#ed to a country club in anticipation of a
di#orce. "his was! at the time! extremely pri#ileged
information. 'e had lunch about six wee$s later. Helms
told me that he had Kust been summoned down to &BJs
ranch and had spent a wild wee$end there riding a Keep at
top speed through the property. 0ut of that emerged the
confidence that he was going to be announced as the deputy
director of the +,%! which! of course! e#ol#ed o#er time to
=+, G=irector of +entral ,ntelligence! to which he was
appointed by JohnsonH. o far as , $now! , was the first
person he told about such important e#ents in his life.)
*D
But why did &BJ summon Helms to his ranch! when he
could ha#e easily informed Helms of this in 'ashington.
+ould it be that at this meeting! &BJ flashed a green light to
Helms for a plot against JFK! in the pri#acy of his own
"exas ranchM "his can only be speculation! but it is clear
that Helms had a good and close relationship with &BJ.
"his meeting had to ha#e ta$en place in late *46* or early
*46<! as Helms was appointed =eputy =irector in February
of *46<. %nd as Hunt points out in his boo$! (&BJ
appointed him as director! but he wouldnt play ball with
?ixon or comply with ?ixons re;uests to in#estigate
'hite House lea$s! so the president G?ixonH basically fired
him! sending him to ,ran during 'atergate.)
,n his own posthumous memoir! (% &oo$ o#er /y
houlder)! @ichard Helms wrote this of his relationship
with Johnson and ?ixon. (, was ne#er sure why President
?ixon distrusted me! aside from associating me with %llen
=ulles and the other East +oast! ,#y &eague! establishment
figures whom he loathed and thought of as dominating the
*8
upper brac$ets of 0 and subse;uently +,%. ,n contrast! ,
always had an excellent relationship with &yndon Johnson!
who had at least as much claim as ?ixon to ha#e been born
in a log cabin! and whose #iews of ,#y &eaguers were! at
the best! reser#ed.)
0b#iously! Helms and Johnson were close. &i$ewise!
Helms and Hunt were close for many years. Hunt ne#er
claimed that he himself had any direct contacts with &BJ.
o if Hunt belie#ed that &BJ was in#ol#ed in the plot to
assassinate JFK! which he clearly did! his impression
probably came #ia @ichard Helms! who was the missing
lin$ between &BJ and Howard Hunt. Helms was also the
missing lin$ between &BJ and Bill Har#ey.
%nd what of @ichard ?ixonM ,n his inter#iews with me!
Howard Hunt was adamant that ?ixon had no role in the
JFK assassination. ,n (%merican py) Hunt wrote! (%s far
as ,m concerned! as paranoid as he was! ?ixon would
ne#er ha#e been in#ol#ed. He would not only ha#e been
horrified of the action but would ne#er ha#e trusted anyone
to $now he was in#ol#ed.) Hunt seemed to me to be
*6
sincere in this belief! although he did not say the same of
&yndon Johnson.
0n the famous (smo$ing gun) 'atergate tape of June <B!
*45<! @ichard ?ixon said this to his top aide H.@.
Haldeman3 ('hen you get in there with Helms! say! &oo$
the problem here is that this will open the whole Bay of
Pigs thing7 ,t would be #ery bad to ha#e this fellow GE.
HowardH Hunt! he $nows too damned much7. ,t would
ma$e the +,% loo$ bad! and its li$ely to blow the whole
Bay of Pigs thing! which we thin$ would be most
unfortunate 2 both for the +,% and for the country.
H.@. Haldeman! in his memoir ("he Ends of Power)!
offered his interpretation of this statement. He wrote! (,t
seems that in all of those ?ixon references to the Bay of
Pigs! he was actually referring to the Kennedy
assassination7 %fter Kennedy was $illed! the +,%
launched a fantastic co#er1up7 ,n a chilling parallel to
their co#er1up at 'atergate! the +,% literally erased any
connection between Kennedys assassination and the
*5
+,%7 %nd when ?ixon said! (,ts li$ely to blow the whole
Bay of Pigs thing)! he might ha#e been reminding G+,%
=irectorH Helms! not so gently! of the co#er1up of the +,%
assassination attempts on the hero of the Bay of Pigs! Fidel
+astro 2 a +,% operation that may ha#e triggered the
Kennedy tragedy and which Helms desperately wanted to
hide.)
"his is highly suggesti#e! to say the least. Haldeman in his
memoir also ;uoted former enator Howard Ba$er! a
member of the enate 'atergate +ommittee! as saying that
(Helms and ?ixon ha#e so much on each other that neither
one of them can breathe.) Perhaps Helms was
blac$mailing ?ixon with his $nowledge that ?ixon had
originated the assassination plots against +astro -with the
help of E. Howard Hunt.! plots which may ha#e morphed
into aO plot against JFK. %nd ?ixon might ha#e been
blac$mailing Helms with his $nowledge of the +,%s role
in the JFK plot. ,n any case! ?ixon found it expedient to
get rid of Helms at the height of 'atergate! remo#ing him
from the directorship of the +,% and dispatching him far
*L
away as 9 ambassador to ,ran. ,t is still an open ;uestion
as to what ?ixon meant when he said on the tapes that
("his fellow Hunt! he $nows too much.) ,t is also unclear
what ?ixon was referring to when he said that ('e
protected Helms from one hell of a lot of things.)
,n his own memoirs! (@?)! ?ixon wrote that he was ne#er
able to get the +,%s complete file on the (Bay of Pigs)!
despite repeated re;uests to Helms. ?ixon compared the
+,% to a loc$ed safe! to which he could ne#er get the
combination to unloc$ it. "his might ha#e been an
additional factor in his decision to remo#e @ichard Helms
as =+,.
+ould &BJ ha#e flashed a (green light) to @ichard Helms
during their pri#ate trip to the ranchM "he idea is not
unprecedented. Historian %rthur chlesinger has
suggested! in his boo$ (@obert Kennedy and His "imes)!
that then1Fice President @ichard ?ixon may ha#e gi#en a
similar signal with regard to the assassination plots against
Fidel +astro as far bac$ as *46C. chlesinger wrote! (Aet
*4
the GassassinationH plant was an integral part of the in#asion
plan. %nd it is hard to suppose that e#en the runaway
agency mordantly portrayed in the reports of the
Presidents Board of +onsultants would ha#e decided
entirely on its own to $ill the chief of a neighboring country
G+,% =irectorH =ulles must ha#e glimpsed a green light
somewhereE +ould it ha#e been flashed by the
Fice President of the 9ntied tatesM (, ha#e been).
@ichard ?ixon said in *46D of the in#asion proKect! (the
strongest and most persistent ad#ocate for setting up and
supporting such a program.))
imilarly! presidential historian /ichael Beschloss wrote in
this boo$ ("he +risis Aears)! ('e will probably ne#er
$now for certain whether Fice President ?ixon flashed the
green light for a +,%1/afia attempt against +astro. But it
is hard to belie#e that as President he would ha#e made
such a hea#y1handed demand of Ehrlichman merely to
retrie#e e#idence of his support for in#ading +uba in
*46C7 "he demand ma$es more sense if ?ixon was
worried about public embarrassment by information
<C
showing his in#ol#ement in a murder plot against a foreign
leader. "his concern may ha#e led to 'atergate.)
"hese are two highly reputable historians both suggesting
that ?ixon may ha#e gi#en a (green light) to assassination
plots against +astro. :ranted! ?ixon was not Johnson! and
+astro was not JFK. But the same principle applies. %nd
if we assume that there is a straight line connecting the
+,%1/afia plots against +astro to the plot against JFK!
then surely there is a similarity in the modus operandi of
the two plots. ?ixon would naturally not want his
connection to the plot exposed! yet his tacit appro#al may
ha#e been necessary for the plot to go forward. &i$ewise!
&BJs flash of a green light to Helms may ha#e pro#ided
him with all the authority necessary to go forward with the
plot against JFK. ,n both cases! we ha#e means! moti#e
and opportunity! but we do not ha#e definiti#e proof. %nd
such proof may be impossible to find! gi#en the extreme
secrecy and sensiti#ity of these operations. 'e can only
speculate! and wonder.
<*
But E. Howard Hunt clearly belie#ed that &BJ was part of
the plot. ,n (%merican py)! Hunt wrote this3 (&yndon
Johnson was an opportunist who would not ha#e hesitated
to get rid of any obstacles in his way. He could easily ha#e
been in touch with GBillH Har#ey or G=a#idN Phillips7
Phillips was a man on the way up and became a significant
figure that &BJ would ha#e wanted to get to $now7 ,n
'ashington there is a caste system in regard to who will
tal$ to whom. 'ould &BJ ha#e spo$en directly to Har#eyM
Aes! , thin$ he could ha#e done that! as Har#eys ran$ and
position was such that a #ice president could tal$ to him.
Har#ey may ha#e had an intense personal disli$e for the
Kennedys and e#en had a se#ere clash with Bobby
Kennedy around the time of the missile crisis.)
Hunt went on to add that (the person who had the most to
gain from Kennedys assassination was &BJ. "here was
nobody with the le#erage that &BJ had! no competitor at
all. He was the #ice president! and if he wanted to get rid
of the president! he had the ability to do so by corrupting
different people in the +,%. ,t has also been said by many
<<
&BJ biographers! such as @obert +aro in ("he Path to
Power)! that the man idoli>ed money! was corrupt and
unprincipled! with unlimited ambition 2 not the type of
indi#idual who was content to end his career as #ice
president7 /any people conKecture that Johnson was set
to drop e#en lower in footnote status! obser#ing that he was
set to be cut from the *46D presidential tic$et. He and
Kennedy did not get along! and theirs was purely a
marriage of con#enience7)
Hunt concluded in (%merican py) that (Ha#ing Kennedy
li;uidated! thus ele#ating himself to the presidency without
ha#ing to wor$ for it himself! could ha#e been a #ery
tempting and logical mo#e on Johnsons part. ,t wouldnt
ha#e been hard for him to ma$e contact with Har#ey!
another ruthless man who was not satisfied with his
position in the +,% and its go#ernment salary. He
definitely had dreams of becoming =+,! and &BJ could do
that for him if he were president. ,f &BJ had anything to do
with the operation! he would ha#e used Har#ey! because he
was a#ailable and corrupt. &BJ had the money and the
<B
connections to manipulate the scenario in =allas and is on
record as ha#ing con#inced JFK to ma$e the appearance in
the first place.) 0f course! we $now that &BJ did not ma$e
Har#ey the =+, Ghead of the +,%H! but rather put @ichard
Helms into this position 2 perhaps another indication that
Helms was a $ey figure in the plot.
%nd what do we $now about &ucien arti! the French
+orsican /afia gunman named by Howard Hunt as the
second shooter on the grassy $nollM ,n a sidebar to the
@olling tone article entitled ("he &ast +onfession of E.
Howard Hunt)! writer @ob heffield wrote! (% +orsican
drug traffic$er! arti was $illed by police in *45<.
+on#eniently! nothing concrete is $nown about him.) But
this is not true. ,n the boo$ ("he :reat Heroin +oup) by
Heinri$ Kruger! published in *4LC before artis name was
connected with the JFK assassination! Kruger detailed
aspects of artis criminal career. ,n the preface to the
boo$! by noted JFK researcher Peter =ale cott! it was
noted that (%s support for his argument that the traffic once
<D
dominated by @icord was simply redirected to +uban exiles
in touch with the +,% and with antos "rafficante! Kruger
points to the extraordinary story of %lberto icilia Falcon.
omehow icilia! a twenty1nine +uban exile from /iami!
was able to emerge as the ringleader of the so1called
(/exican connection) which promptly filled the #acuum
created by the destruction of the @icord networ$ in *45<.
&ucien arti! a top @icord lieutenant! was shot and $illed by
authorities in /exico on <5 %pril *45<! after being located
there by 9.. agents.) "his latter fact is ;uite interesting.
Eliminating international drug traffic$ers was one of the
missions of the 'hite House plumbers unit! of which Hunt
was a member! and artis murder occurred Kust before the
'atergate brea$1in in June *45<. ,s this a lin$ between the
JFK assassination and 'atergate 2 or is it Kust another
coincidenceM
pea$ing further of the @icord drug organi>ation in France!
Kruger writes this3 ("he @icord organi>ation was di#ided
into four teams7@icord himself ran the main team from
%suncion! Paraguay! and o#ersaw the entire operation.
<8
+hiappe and /ichel ?icoli led another team! =omini;ue
0rsini and &ouis Bonsignour a third! and %ndre
+ondemine and &ucien arti a fourth7. ,t was /urder
,ncorporated in French. ?early all had been sentenced to
death in France.) ,t is interesting to note the inclusion of
the name /ichel ?icoli! who later became one of those
who identified &ucien arti as the shooter of JFK! while
?icoli was in the federal witness protection program in the
9.
Kruger refers again to arti in his boo$! saying that (,n
*466 0ld /an @icord enlarged his already immense
narcotics networ$ upon disco#ering how easily he could
smuggle heroin into the 9 #ia &atin %merica7 "he old
man surrounded himself with hardcore thugs. By *45C the
/obs leaders were @icord! sentenced to death in absentia
for treason! torture and murderO &ucien arti! wanted for
the murder of a Belgian policemanO +hristian =a#id!!
sentenced to death in absentia7and French gangster and
former %+ agent! /ichel ?icoli.) ?icoli and +hristian
=a#id! of course! were later the two French criminals who
<6
independently identified &ucien arti as the assassin of
JFK! in separate confession to author and in#estigator te#e
@i#ele.
Kruger further details the capture and death of &ucien arti.
He says that! (%uguste @icords *45* imprisonment in
Paraguay taught +hristian =a#id and &ucien arti that it
was time to mo#e on. "heir choice of location was Bra>il!
in particular ,lha Bella! an island off the coast north of
antos! con#eniently only two hours from ao Paulo and
fi#e from @io de Janeiro. ,t also pro#ided a small harbor
and landing strip. "he two holed up in the Bordelao! a
small hotel run by Haide %rante> and +laudio @odrigue>!
friends of artis Bra>ilian mistress! Helena Ferreira.
Beau erge G+hristian =a#idH was by then the undisputed
boss of the (Bra>ilian +onnection) ,ts other leaders were
arti! /ichel ?icoli) and se#eral others!.
Kruger describes the e#ents leading to artis death. (,n
/arch arti went to /exico +ity! where he was Koined by
his wife &iliane in an attracti#e residential district
<5
apartment. arti had no notion that the police had been
trailing him e#er since his entry from /exico. omebody
had tipped them off7 ,n the e#ening of %pril *5! arti and
&iliane left their hideout to go to the mo#ies. Before they
got to their car! they were surrounded by the police. arti
was unarmed! but the police shot and $illed him! and
arrested &iliane.)
,n their boo$! (/arseille /afia)! Pierre :alante and &ouis
apin pro#ide further bac$ground on artis criminal
career. ,n *46*! &ucien arti was in#ol#ed in the murder of
a Belgian police constable named %lbert de &eener. "he
officer was ambushed by a group of French criminals! one
of whom was arti. =e &eener was shot and $illed! and his
body dumped into the trun$ of a car ("he body was lifted
upO the boot of the car opened. =uring the operation! a
small piece of cardboard fell from the poc$et of the man
who had fired the final shot. "he in#estigators found it on
the pa#ement! a little later. ,t was a fa$e identity card
bearing the name &ucien abatier. "he photo was of a
$nown French criminal! aged about thirty! who had a
<L
record under that name at the Juai des 0r#efres. He was
called &ucien arti.)
("he following e#ening! arri#ing in Paris! &ucien arti read
the papers and learned that he had been identified7 He
was now a hunted man. "here was only one thing for him
to do3 go to outh %mericaE) His trail from there led him
to /exico! and from there on to =allas! according to the
findings of author te#e @i#ele.
,n *4L8! @i#ele became interested in the Kennedy
assassination and in particular the French connection.
@i#ele was a successful author who later became a
prominent screenwriter in Hollywood. @i#eles research
led him to a man named +hristian =a#id! who had been a
prominent member of the French connection! and a leader
of the +orsican /afia. He was then ser#ing time in
&ea#enworth Penitentiary. @i#ele helped =a#id find an
attorney! and in return was told a remar$able story by
=a#id.
<4
%s recounted in the boo$ (+onspiracy) by %nthony
ummers! (,n /ay or June *46B! according to =a#id! he
was as$ed by %ntoine :uerini! the +orsican /afia boss in
/arseille! to accept a contract to $ill (a highly placed
%merican politician). :uerini made it ob#ious whom he
meant! calling the politician (le plus grosse legume) 2 the
biggest #egetable. "he President was to be $illed on 9
territory. =a#id turned down the contract! on the ground
that it was too dangerous.)
("he contract! said =a#id! was accepted by &ucien arti! a
+orsican drug traffic$er and $iller! and two other members
of the /arseille mob! whom he refused to name. "hey
were! he said! (specialists de tir) 2 (sharpshooters). He
learned what happened some time after the assassination! at
a *468 meeting in Buenos %ires. Present were arti!
/ichel ?icoli!! G+hristianH =a#id and two others. "his is
how the assassination was carried out! as =a#id tells it.
@i#ele went on to describe the scenario! which he learned
independently from both +hristian =a#id and /ichel
BC
?icoli! to British Kournalist %nthony ummers. ,n
(+onspiracy)! ummers wrote that! (arti and the two
other assassins flew from /arseilles to /exico +ity in the
fall of *46B. "hey stayed there se#eral wee$s! and were
then dri#en to the 9nited tates border! which they crossed
at Browns#ille! "exas. "hey were met at the border by a
representati#e of the +hicago /afia! who con#ersed with
them in ,talian. G+ould this ha#e been Johnny @oselliMH He
dro#e them to a house in =allas.)
ummers goes on to add! (0n ?o#ember <<! =a#id told
@i#ele! three gunmen were in position. "wo were in
buildings to the rear of the President when he was hit 2 one
of them (almost on the hori>ontal.) "he third $iller! arti!
dressed in some sort of uniform as a disguise! was (on the
little hill to the front! the one with the fence.)7 Four shots
were fired that day! according to arti and another of the
assassins. "he first shot! from the rear! struc$ President
Kennedy in the bac$. "he second shot missed! and hit (the
other man in the car) G:o#ernor John +onnallyH. "he third
shot! from arti on the hill! struc$ the President in the head!
B*
$illing him. arti used (an explosi#e bullet)! the only
member of the group to use that type of ammunition. "he
fourth shot missed the car entirely.)
"his scenario is remar$able in that its details fit so well
with e#idence de#eloped by the House elect +ommittee
on %ssassinations and other sources. But there is more.
(%fter the assassination! according to =a#ids allegations!
the murderers lay low in =allas for about two wee$s. "hen
2 says =a#id 2 they were then flown out of the country by
pri#ate aircraft! to /ontreal.)
"his is the story of the assassination! as relayed from
+hristian =a#id to te#e @i#ele to %nthony ummers.
'hen @i#ele as$ed =a#id who could confirm his story! he
named /ichel ?icoli! a fellow +orsican gangster who was
now in the 9 federal witness protection program as a
result of his *45< testimony against the mob. % =E%
official who $new him #ouched for his credibility in strong
terms. E#entually! ?icoli was located! and he told @i#ele
the same story that =a#id had told! although the two men
had not seen each other for years. "o ma$e a long story
B<
short! nothing was done by the FB, to follow up on this
remar$able de#elopment.
,n his account of the conspiracy! E. Howard Hunt named
eight central figures. "hese were &yndon Johnson! +ord
/eyer! =a#id %tlee Phillips! 'illiam K. Har#ey! %ntonio
Feciana! Fran$ turgis! =a#id /orales! and &ucien arti.
0f these! perhaps the most surprising name is that of +ord
/eyer. /eyer was a high official of the +,%! who had
good reason to hate John F. Kennedy! yet his name has
rarely come up in assassination circles.
+ord /eyer was born in *4<C and graduated from Aale in
*4D<. He Koined the 9 /arines and ser#ed in the outh
Pacific! losing an eye in combat. ,n *4D8! he married /ary
Pinchot! who would later ha#e an affair with President
Kennedy. ,n *4D5! he was elected president of the 9nited
'orld Federalist! and was a strong left1wing ad#ocate of
world go#ernment and the 9nited ?ations.
BB
Howe#er! by *4D4! /eyer had Koined the +,% at the urging
of %llen =ulles! and wor$ed closely with James %ngleton
among others. /eyers #iews gradually mo#ed from left to
right! and he became a strong anti1+ommunist! as well as a
hea#y drin$er. ,n *48L! he was di#orced from /ary
/eyer! who was a free1spirited artist. ,n *46*! /ary began
an affair with President Kennedy which lasted until his
death -she had $nown him as far bac$ as prep school in the
*4BCs.. ,n *46D! after Kennedys death! /ary was
murdered mysteriously during an e#ening stroll on the
ban$s of the towpath in :eorgetown. 0fficially! the
murder was ne#er sol#ed! although rumors had it that the
+,% might ha#e been in#ol#ed. hortly after her death!
James %ngleton of the +,% personally bro$e into her studio
and retrie#ed her personal diary! the contents of which ha#e
ne#er been re#ealed. +ord /eyer left the +,% in *455! and
died in <CC*.
,n my con#ersations with Howard Hunt! it was clear that he
was fascinated by both +ord and /ary /eyer! in particular
her mysterious death! Kust after the release of the 'arren
BD
+ommission report. "his was also e#ident in his memoir
(%merican py). %mong other things! Hunt wrote!
(%nother name that pops up in JFK conspiracy theories is
+ord /eyer. He was a high le#el +,% operati#e who wife!
Kournalist /ary Pinchot! was ha#ing an affair with John F
Kennedy7 By the time of the assassination! +ord had been
promoted to chief of the +,%s ,nternational 0rgani>ations
=i#ision7 "he theorists suggest +ord would ha#e had a
moti#e to $ill Kennedy because his wife was ha#ing an
affair with the President7. "hen! on 0ctober *<! *46D!
/ary was tragically gunned down while wal$ing on a
towpath in :eorgetown. By that time! she and +ord had
di#orced! and the media did not reali>e that her former
husband was a high ran$ing +,% official. ?either did they
find out about her relationship with the President7)
Hunt went on to describe the suspicious circumstances
behind /ary /eyers death. (/ary had cautioned at least
one close friend to grab her diary if anything e#er happened
to her. Journalist -later editor. Gand Kennedy friendH Ben
Bradlee happened to be married to /arys sister!
B8
%ntoinette! who found the letter and diaries shortly after the
death. But there is an interesting fact here. 'hen the
Bradlees arri#ed at /arys house shortly after the murder!
they found James %ngleton already there! rummaging
around the house! loo$ing for the diary and letters7
Bradlee has said that the door was loc$ed when he arri#ed.
o does that mean %ngleton bro$e inM)
,t was clear to me from my con#ersations with Hunt years
later that he was bitter about the fact that %ngleton had
bro$en in and gotten away scott free! whereas Hunt himself
had ser#ed BB months in prison for a similar brea$1in.
Hunts theory of the brea$1in went li$e this3 ('hen
%ntoinette e#entually found the diary! she turned it o#er to
%ngleton! who later admitted that the boo$ detailed the
affair! tal$ing specifically about how /ary and Kennedy
would drop &= before ma$ing lo#e. /ary apparently
thought that JFKs murder had ta$en place because the
industrial1military complex couldnt allow his mind to be
expanded by the drug. "he fact that %ngleton was already
there in the house when Bradlee got there is mysterious! as
B6
so little time had gone by since the murder.) Bear in mind
that %ngleton was a #ery high official of the +,%! unli$ely
to personally ta$e part in a (blac$ bag Kob) except in the
most extreme circumstances. "his would be roughly
e;ui#alent to J. Edgar Hoo#er personally brea$ing into a
building on behalf of the FB,.
Hunt concluded his analysis with these suggesti#e
comments3 (Journalist &eo =amore wrote in the ?ew Aor$
Post that a +,% source told him that /arys death was
probably a professional hit because (he had access to the
highest le#els. he was in#ol#ed in illegal drug acti#ity.
'hat do you thin$ it would do to the beatification of
Kennedy if this woman said! (,t wasnt +amelot 2 it was
+aligulas courtM) o , thin$ it was probably a
professional hit be someone trying to protect the Kennedy
legacy.) 0r! perhaps! to co#er up her $nowledge of the
Kennedy assassination.
@enowned historian John H. =a#is! author of se#eral boo$s
on the Kennedys and the assassination and himself a
B5
cousin of Jac;uelyn Bou#ier Kenney! wrote an unpublished
manuscript in *44L entitled (John F. Kennedy and /ary
Pinchot /eyer3 % "ale of "wo /urdered &o#ers). =a#is
wrote! ('hen! in early 0ctober! *46D /ary /eyer first
read the 'arren @eport on the assassination of President
Kennedy she immediately recogni>ed it as a co#er1up.
%mong its many omissions /ary noted there was no
mention in the @eport of the +,%1/afia plots to assassinate
+astro.) he told a friend that the document was full of
lies and that (they had co#ered up e#erything.))
=a#is added! ('e may picture this slim blonde woman of
DD in her small coach house studio in :eorgetown7
leafing through this report on the murder of a man she had
seen regularly during the last <C months of her life! then
tossing the boo$ aside in disgust7 and phoning up a few of
her closest friends to tell them she thought the @eport was
worthless! that it was full of glaring omissions and was
essentially a (pac$ of lies.)7 ,f it became $nown among
those who perpetrated the co#er1up that some woman who
had been close to President Kennedy was going around
BL
blabbing her mouth off about some of the most sensiti#e!
and potentially explosi#e! omissions in the @eport! that
person was ta$ing an enormous ris$.)
=a#is concludes3 (,t was a tribute to the perspicacity of
/ary /eyer to recogni>e at first reading what almost no
one recogni>ed at the time3 that the 'arren +ommissions
in#estigation of the JFK assassination was deeply flawed
and that the 'arren +ommission was essentially a
fraudulent co#erPup7 'e must ine#itably conclude that
/ary /eyers reKection of the 'arren +ommissions
conclusions when an entire nations was accepting them
indicated that she $new things that #ery few people $new
and that for that reason told %nne "ruitt she feared for her
safety and told her that if anything happened to her she
should consign her diary to the +,%s James Jesus
%ngleton. "he burning ;uestion! then! is what did /ary
$nowM %nd the only answer we can gi#e is that she $new
too much.)
B4
,n the boo$ ("he :eorgetown &adies ocial +lub) by +.
=a#id Heymann! &eo =amore was ;uoted as saying this!
(/ary /eyer was $illed by a well1trained professional hit
man! #ery li$ely somebody connected to the +,%. %fter the
assassination of John Kennedy! /ary had become an
incon#enient woman! the former mistress of one of the
worlds most powerful political leaders and the ex1wife of a
+,% honcho. "he feeling in the agency was that heres
somebody who $nows too much for her own good. he
$nows where all the bodies are buried. he $nows the
'arren +ommission report! released shortly before her
death! is nothing but a grandiose co#er1up. he $nows
about the /afia! the +ubans and the %gency! and how any
one of them could ha#e conspired to eliminate Kennedy.)
'hat she didnt $now! according to =amore! is that a
month after the Presidents murder! the %gency placed her
under twenty1four hour sur#eillance! tapping her phone!
wiring her house! intercepting her mail! and initiating
se#eral brea$1ins in search of notes and letters to and from
JFK and others of e;ual interest.)
DC
,nter#iewed by author =a#id Heymann shortly before his
death in <CC*! +ord /eyer was as$ed about the death of his
wife /ary. (,t was a bad time)! he said. (%nd what could
he say about /ary /eyerM 'ho had committed such a
heinous crimeM) His answer to Heymann was re#ealing.
("he same sons of bitches)! he hissed! (that $illed John F.
Kennedy.))
%nother $ey figure in the plot! according to Hunt! was
=a#id %tlee Phillips. Phillips was a &atin %merican
specialist who wor$ed with Hunt on the +,% coup in
:uatemala as far bac$ as *48D. He also collaborated with
Hunt on the plans for the Bay of Pigs in#asion in *46*.
"he two men were close friends and collaborators o#er
many years in the +,%. %uthor :aeton Fon>i! who
in#estigated Phillips in depth for the House elect
+ommittee on %ssassinations! came to some firm
conclusions about =a#id Phillips! who had allegedly met
with co1conspirator %ntonio Feciana! a +uban exile leader!
under the pseudonym (/aurice Bishop3 in the summer of
*46B in =allas in the presence of &ee Har#ey 0swald. "he
D*
ostensible purpose was to put 0swald! who was about to
tra#el to /exico! in touch with Fecianas cousin :uillermo
@ui>! who wor$ed in the +uban embassy in /exico +ity.
,n his boo$ ("he &ast ,n#estigation! :aeton Fon>i wrote
this3 ()/aurice Bishop) was =a#id %tlee Phillips. , state
that une;ui#ocally7,n addition to the abundance of
e#idence detailed in this boo$ which unerringly points to
Phillips being Bishop! belie#e me! , $now that he was. %nd
Bob Bla$ey Gstaff director of the committeeH and the House
elect +ommittee $new that he was! although its report did
not admit that.)
Fon>i goes on to add! (=a#id %tlee Phillips played a $ey
role in the conspiracy to assassinate President Kennedy. ,
dont embrace the assumption that Phillips relationship to
0swald may ha#e been extraneous to any conspiratorial
role.) ,t should be noted here that Howard Hunt insisted to
me and in his boo$ that Phillips met with 0swald not Kust
in =allas! but also in /exico +ity! where Phillips was
stationed.
D<
Fon>i continues! ("hat Phillips rose to the top echelon of
the %gency as +hief of the 'estern Hemisphere di#ision is!
, thin$! significant when we tal$ about (elements) of the
+,% being in#ol#ed in the Kennedy assassination. -+an
those who control the ideological soul and operational body
of the %gency be considered simply (elements) within itM.)
,t should be noted! though! that @ichard Helms admitted
that he $ept +,% =irector John /c+one in the dar$ about
all assassination acti#ities! so the plot probably did not go
to the #ery top of the +,% hierarchy.
:aeton Fon>i went on to add! (?or is Phillips tight wor$ing
association with the %gencys most lethal operati#es
insignificant. His was a cabal of associates whose careers
were entwined with the history of +,% assassination plots!
that ranged from @ichard Helms to E. Howard Hunt and
from "ed hac$ley to the %gencys /ob liaison 'illiam
Har#ey. %nd then! or course! there was =a#id Phillips
faithful operati#e! the +,%s action legend! =a#id anche>
/orales! whose inebriated admission of in#ol#ement in the
DB
Kennedy assassination 2 ('e too$ care of that son of a
bitch! didnt weM 2 closed the circle.
Fon>i concludes! (, belie#e that =a#id %tlee Phillips $ey
role was affirmed when he lied under oath. "he #ery fact
that he had to lie 2 both about his manipulation of 0swald
in /exico +ity and his co#ert operations as /aurice
Bishop 2 was the definiti#e statement of his guilt.) ,t is
#ery significant that Hunt admitted that Phillips had met
with 0swald in /exico +ity shortly before the
assassination! presumable to frame him as a +uban
sympathi>er! as well as in =allas before his /exico trip. ,t
has also been reported by author "ad >ulc! in his boo$
(+ompulsi#e py)! that Howard Hunt was in /exico +ity
at the #ery time 0swald was #isiting there. "his raises the
possibility that both Phillips and Hunt may ha#e met with
0swald there. How else would Hunt $now of the meeting
with PhillipsM ,n his inter#iews with me! Hunt did not deny
that he was there when 0swald was there! but said that he
would ha#e to chec$ his +,% records.
DD
%nd what of %ntonio FecianaM He was a +uban exile!
leader of the militant anti1+astro group %lpha 66! and
apparently met with &ee Har#ey 0swald and =a#id Phillips
prior to the assassination. ,n E. Howard Hunts
handwritten memo prior to his death! gi#en to his son t.
John! Hunt wrote this3 *46< 1 &BJ recruits +ord /eyer.
*46B 2 +ord /eyer discusses a plot with Phillips! who
brings in 'illiam Har#ey and %ntonio Feciana. He
GPhillipsH meets with 0swald in /exico +ity that summer.
Feciana meets with Fran$ turgis in /iami and enlists
=a#id /orales in anticipation of $illing JFK there. But
&BJ changed the itinerary to =allas! citing personal
reasons.) "here is much more to Hunts memo! but this is
the passage that pertains to Feciana. ,t is clear from Hunts
account that Feciana was a $ey figure in the plot.
British author %nthony ummers! writing in (+onspiracy!
said this about Feciana3 (%ntonio Feciana was the #ictim
of a murder attempt in late *454 2an ambush while he was
on his way home from wor$. Four shots were fired! and a
fragment of one bullet lodged in Fecianas head. He
D8
reco#ered 2 in what police and doctors consider a frea$
escape. Publicly the #eteran anti1+astro fighter has blamed
the attac$ on +astro agents! but pri#ately he has also
expressed concern that it may ha#e been lin$ed to his
allegations about +,% case officer (/aurice Bishop)! who
2 says Feciana 2met 0swald shortly before the Kennedy
assassination and later urged the fabrication of a false story
about 0swald and +uban diplomats in /exico +ity.)
Feciana! who later too$ part in a failed assassination
attempt with =a#id Phillips in *45* against Fidel +astro in
+hile! is clearly a #ery suspicious character. He is also the
only one of the plotters named by Hunt who is still li#ing.
,n a recent inter#iew! Feciana told =a#id "albot! author of
(Brothers)! that he belie#ed that the +,% was in#ol#ed in
Kennedys murder. Howe#er! Feciana predictably denied
that he had any part in the plot.

%nother $ey figure in the plot was =a#id /orales. ,n his
handwritten memo! Howard Hunt wrote! (,n /iami!
turgis tells Hunt that hes buying guns for some friends
-who could be /afia or +uban acti#ists.. turgis brings
D6
/orales to a meeting he has with ?%=% GHoward HuntH
where the (Big E#ent) is referred to. %fter /orales lea#es!
turgis says (%re you with usM) Hunt replies that he cant
ma$e a decision without $nowing what the (Big E#ent) is.
'hen turgis says $illing JFK! ?%=% GHuntH is
incredulous. =oesnt ha#e a lot of faith in turgis and says
(Aou guys ha#e got e#erything you need 2 why do you
need meM turgis replies that ?%=% GHuntH could help
co#ering up. ?%=% GHuntH says he wont get in#ol#ed in
anything in#ol#ing Bill Har#ey! who is an alcoholic
psycho. "hat ends ?%=%s GHuntsN part. He resumes his
normal life and does not see turgis again until GBernardH
Bar$er brings him into the 'atergate brea$1in.)
"his passage contains many interesting elements. First! it
is clear that /orales had prior $nowledge of the (Big
E#ent)! ha#ing been brought into the plot by Feciana.
econd! it is e#ident that /orales had direct dealings with
Feciana! =a#id Phillips! Fran$ turgis! Howard Hunt! and
possibly +ord /eyer as well. /orales had wor$ed with
Hunt and Phillips in the +,% coup in :uatemala as far bac$
D5
as *48D! as well as in the Bay of Pigs operation and the
plots against +astro in the early *46Cs. /orales was
$nown as a stone $iller and a hands1on operati#e who was
not afraid to get blood on his hands. He was reported to
ha#e been in the Presidential Palace in +hile when
President al#ador %llende was assassinated in *45B! and
also too$ part in the +,% Phoenix program on
assassinations in Fietnam in the *45Cs!
,n Fon>is boo$! he describes as incident that too$ place
during a late night drin$ing bout with /orales and a friend
named Bob 'alton. (%t the mention of Kennedys name!
he recalls! /orales literally almost hit the ceiling. He flew
off the bed on that one)! says 'alton7 He Kumped up
screaming! ("hat no good son of a bitch motherfuc$erQ He
started yelling about what a wimp Kennedy was and tal$ing
about how he had wor$ed on the Bay of Pigs and how he
had to watch all the men he had recruited and trained get
wiped out because of Kennedy.)
DL
('alton says /orales tirade about Kennedy! fueled by
righteous anger and high1proof boo>e went on for se#eral
minutes while he stomped around the room. uddenly he
stopped! sat bac$ down on the bed and remained silent for a
moment. "hen! as if saying it only to himself! he added3
('ell! we too$ care of that son of a bitch! didnt weM))
%nd then we come to Fran$ turgis. turgis was a
mercenary and soldier of fortune! with ties to both the +,%
and the /afia. turgis had fought briefly on the side of
Fidel +astro in the mountains during the re#olution!
although he later switched sides and became #iolently anti1
+astro. Fidel installed turgis for a short time as the
/inister of :aming GgamblingH when he too$ power! but
turgis was ;uic$ly remo#ed when +astro closed the /afia
casinos and outlawed gambling in +uba.
turgis was associated with Howard Hunt for many years!
starting with a no#el Hunt wrote in *4D4 called (Bimini
@un)! which featured a soldier of fortune type named Han$
turgis. -Hunt later maintained that this was Kust a
D4
coincidence.. Hunt and turgis wor$ed closely together
during the Bay of Pigs period! and of course was later
arrested with Hunt during the 'atergate brtea$1in during
*45<. Hunt claimed under oath that he had met turgis for
the first time shortly before 'atergate! but this was clearly
not true! by his own later admission.
,n her boo$ I@ @ifle! +laudia Furiati points out some
pertinent facts about turgis -nee Fran$ Fiorini.. he
writes3 R"he counterintelligence 2 Fran$ turgis and
0rlando Bosch were two of the principal agents of
0peration DC! the (parallel) counter1intelligence structure
before! during! and after the Bay of Pigs in#asion. =a#id
%tlee Phillips represented the +,% in these operations.)
("he +ommandos 1 turgis was on of the initiators of the
,nternational %nti1+ommunist Brigade7 =a#id %tlee
Phillips was the mentor of these terrorist groups. turgis
and his partner :erry Hemming opened the training camp
at &a$e Pontchartrain in ?ew 0rleans in the same era as the
creation of %lpha 66 Gheaded by %ntonio FecianaH7
8C
Pontchartrain! spared by the police authorities! became the
center of the illegal counterre#olutionary operations. Fran$
turgis! 0rlando Bosch! :uy Banister! =a#id Ferrie! +lay
haw! and &ee Har#ey 0swald all participated directly in
these.)
,n her boo$! +laudia Furiati inter#iewed Fabian Escalante
of +uban intelligence! who in turn cited the boo$ (=ouble
+ross) by am and +huc$ :iancana. Escalante
commented! R,t is interesting to obser#e! following the
details gi#en in (=ouble +ross)! that the assassination of
Kennedy was carried out by two groups3 one under the
control of Jac$ @uby! who later $illed 0swaldO and the
other by Fran$ turgis! who later became the chief of the
'atergate (plumbers). ,t is now possible to appreciate
why @ichard ?ixon didnt want the famous phone tapes
about the Bay of Pigs to become $nown.)

"he (Bay of Pigs thing) raises its ugly head again. But
why was ?ixon so concerned about the Bay of Pigs thing!
and what it might re#eal. %fter all! the in#asion too$ place
8*
under JFK! who too$ full responsibility for the fiasco. 'hy
then would this cause such embarrassment to ?ixon and to
the +,%M Perhaps because of the e#ents leading up to the
Bay of Pigs! the planning of which too$ place under ?ixon
and Eisenhower. %nd perhaps due to the aftermath of the
Bay of Pigs! which caused hatred toward Kennedy on the
part of the +,%! the +uban exiles! and the /afia. Perhaps
these three groups Koined forces to plot the murder of JFK.
%nd perhaps ?ixon reali>ed that the whole chain of e#ents
could be traced bac$ to him starting in *46C with the plots
against +astro. %nd who suggested such a plotM 0ne of
the first was none other than E. Howard Hunt.
%s the planning for the Bay of Pigs progressed! Hunt
became increasingly dissatisfied with the program being
proposed. He felt that (his) +ubans were being pushed out
in fa#or of more moderate to leftist +uban exiles 2 in effect
Fidelismo without Fidel. hortly before the actual
in#asion! Hunt in effect resigned his position in the
operation. ,n his boo$ (0swald and the +,%)! historian
John ?ewman writes that! (%fter a detour of se#eral days
8<
in pain! Hunt deli#ered his recommendations to the +uban
tas$ force Gheaded by ?ixonH in %pril. He listed four3
(*. %ssassinate +astro before or coincident with the
in#asion -a tas$ for +uban patriots.
<. =estroy the +uban radio and tele#ision transmitters7
B. =estroy the islands microwa#e relay system7
D. =iscard any thought of a popular uprising against
+astro until the issue has already been militarily
decided.
(Hunt belie#ed that! without +astro! the +uban army
would (collapse in leaderless confusion.) G"racyH
Barnes and G=ic$H Bissell read Hunts report and told
him it (would weigh in the final planning.))
ubse;uently! in July *46C! Hunt was in#ited to lunch
with ?ixons ?ational ecurity %d#iser and +hief of
8B
taff! @obert E. +ushman. ?ewman describes what
transpired! ;uoting Hunt himself. (Hunt described what
transpired3 (, re#iewed for +ushman my impressions of
+uba under +astro and my principal operational
recommendations7 +ushmans reaction was to tell me
that the Fice President G?ixonH was the proKects action
officer within the 'hite House! and that ?ixon wanted
nothing to go wrong.)) 0f course! ?ixon and +ushman
were gone! and Kennedy was President! by the time the
operation too$ place in %pril *46*. 'hy! then! ?ixons
great concern! a decade later! about the (Bay of Pigs
thing)! and the fact that E. Howard Hunt ($new too
much.) ?ixon told Ehrlichman that (if you open that
scab GHuntH! theres one hell of a lot of things.) 'hat
they were has ne#er been re#ealed.
+learly! though! Hunt $new and was familiar with many
of the $ey plotters! as well as the plot himself. Hunt
claimed in his memo that he turned down the plot!
although he certainly did not alert the police! the FB,! the
+,%! or the ecret er#ice of this $nowledge. 0n an
8D
audio tape gi#en by Hunt to t. John in his latter years!
Hunt described himself as a (benchwarmer) in the plot
to $ill JFK. 'hile this does not describe an acti#e
participant! it does describe a full member of the team
who was ready to ta$e the field and enter the game as a
player at any moment if need be. 0f course! Hunt could
also ha#e been minimi>ing his role in the plot! as might
be expected.
,n his handwritten memo to t. John! Hunt added this3
(&i$e the rest of the country! ?%=% GHuntH is stunned
by JFKs death and reali>es how luc$y he is not to ha#e
had a direct role. ,n =anbury federal prison Gafter
'atergateH! Epsilon GturgisH and ?%=% GHuntH reflect
on the (Big E#ent). 0swald is dead so the feds ha#e
nobody to prosecute. Epsilon GturgisH speculates that
Jac$ @uby was selected to $ill 0swald by the mob.
Epsilon GturgisH re#eals that one of the =allas shooters
was a foreigner.) Hunt later informed t. John and me
that the foreigner was a French +orsican gunman named
88
arti. "his could only ha#e been &ucien arti! as Hunt
suggests in his boo$ (%merican py).
+learly! Hunt was up to his eyeballs in assassination
plots. 0ne additional note is pro#ided by Bayard
toc$ton in (Flawed Patriot). He notes that! (,n /arch
*46*! well before GBillH Har#ey was in#ol#ed in
+aribbean matters! GJohnnyH @oselli went to the
=ominican @epublic! accompanied by Howard Hunt of
the +,%. @afael "ruKillo! the @epublics dictator! was
ambushed and $illed on /ay BC! *46*! but the +,% was
cleared of in#ol#ement in the assassination.) +leared by
the +,%! that is! Kust as it was (cleared) of the
assassination of &umumba in the +ongo in *46C! e#en
though the %gency had sent $illers to eliminate him.
,t is most interesting to note that in *46*! two years
before the Kennedy assassination! Howard Hunt and
Johnny @oselli were Koining forces in an assassination
plot in the +aribbean. @oselli! of course! was the
/afias liaison to the +,%! and the representati#e of the
86
+hicago /afia in &as Fegas! &os %ngeles and points
east. He was also a close friend and drin$ing buddy of
Bill Har#ey and of =a#id /orales as well.
'hen we put all these facts together! from #arious
sources! it becomes clear that Howard Hunts
assassination scenario is at least #ery possible! if not
highly probably. ,f Hunt had wanted to create a fictional
scenario! he probably would ha#e implicated Fidel
+astro in the plot! instead of his own close friends and
colleagues. "his adds to the credibility of Hunts story.
85