CRITIQU,

,Conspiracies 67 Metaphysics

VOL. IV. NO. 3,4 [# 15/14]

The Hidden Dangers of the New Age

The Dead Sea Scroll Cover-Up?

High Tech: MysterioUi Deaths

The "Architects of Fear" How Real is the Psi Gap?

A journ

Better Red Than Ed

The Psi Battlefield

The Round Table

Philip. H. Melanson

Arthur E. Palumbo

Karen Degenhart

E.K. Roosevelt

Marian Kester

Robin Ramsay

Bob Banner - L.A. Rollins

V-.1111

-

l of

-7./

" •

Fall/Winter '84/85

7

40 -'

-

•

-

•

,**

5

•

1

— ---

='

ri

-4-

-

14;

-

•

•

.•

-

- •

•

"What about the mysterious-deaths theory?".

"People die, people do get into .lucidents, die

President Kennedy, the most frequently asked sinister, pattern. In the dozen or so TV and radio assassination witnesses into a coherent, and Probe Witness Found Dead," "Key Witness In Trial of shows in which I participated around the time of Jr. who was one of the first researchers to link

Commission counsel and staunch defender of questions were: first, "Who did it?" and second, CIA complicity in the JFK assassination, alone, five key witnesses died. All had important goes far beyond the 17 material witnesses who died Castro. All met their demise knowledge concerning one or more of the following reinvestigation of the JFK assassination. In 1977 the twentieth anniversary of the assassination of Former Spy Is Found Dead," "Ex- ntelligence Analyst Committee could question them about the above first three years. naturally." But the pattern of

CIA-anti-Castro plots and operations against non-conspiracy theories, is fond of pointing out: what appeared to be the random deaths of JFK Accused of Spying Found Dead." It witnesses for the House Assassination Committee's murder:--and beyond the continuing demise of JFK topics. witnesses and investigators extending beyond the within three years of the JFK assassination--five

interrelated areas: CIA links to Oswald, possible

by "natural" causes; 12 by accident, suicide, or

The headlines are very familiar: "Assassination

Consider, for example, the fate of potential

The ill-fated class of '77 included:

As Attorney David Belin, former Warren

1

4

1'3H TECH MYSTERIOUS DEATHS-

Philip H. Melanson

by

before

mysterious deaths

+ids

the House

Penn Jones, CRITIQUE -- 210 -- Issue #15/16 CRITIQUE -- 211 -- Issue #15/16

--George de Mohrenschildt, who had extensive ties --William Fawley, a wealthy adventurer and friend to both CIA and Army Intelligence and who had of CIA Director and member Alan worked for the Agency For International Dulles, had once owned an airline and a bus line in Development, a notorious CIA front. De Cuba before the Castro takeover. Pawley was active Mohrenschildt was Oswald's friend and patron in in generating political and financial support for and, many think, "babysat" Oswald for anti-Castro activities and reportedly had also been American intelligence. The House Assassinations involved with the CIA-sponsored overthrow of the Committee tracked de Mohrenschildt down in leftist government in Guatemala in 1954. Like de and called to arrange an interview. Just hours Mohrenschildt and Prio, Fawley was ruled by after this call, he was found shot to death through authorities to have shot himself. There were the mouth with a 20-guage shotgun. It was ruled a other murders, attempted murders, suicides, and suicide [See Marian Kester's "Better Red Than Ed: accidents which befell persons possessing the same Reflections on "Who is Edward Jay Epstein?'" in kind of knowledge as the class of '77. These this issue]. occurred both before and after 1977. But the --William Sullivan was the assistant FBI director pattern of 1977 is the most striking. who, under Hoover, oversaw much of the Bureau's Intelligence-related mysterious deaths also appear investigation of the JFK assassination, conducted in smaller cluster. In 1982-83 ex-CIA agents Edwin for the Warren Commission. In 1975 Sullivan had P. Wilson and Frank E. Terpil were charged with told another Congressional committee that, illegally aiding Libyan terrorists by providing regarding a possible relationship between Oswald arms and expertise [See "The Secret World of Frank and the CIA: "No...I think there may be something Terpil" in this issue] Two potential witnesses on that, but y_u asked me if I had seen anything. I against Wilson and Terpil died, as did another man don't recall having seen anything like that, but I who was indicted for selling secrets to Wilson. think there is something on the point...It rings a Rafael Villaverde, an anti-Castro Cuban who bell in my head." In July of 1977, the 65-year-old allegedly had met with Wilson in Geneva to discuss Sullivan was shot to death in the woods near his a purported assassination plot, was killed when his Sugar Hill, New Hampshire home. In what was ruled a boat exploded in the Bahamas. Bahamian authorities hunting accident, Sullivan was walking through the ruled that there was no foul play. Former CIA man woods at daybreak to meet two hunting companions Kevin Mulcahy, a key witness who had blown the when he was mistaken for a deer by a young hunter whistle on Wilson and Terpil and had provided the who shot him, killing him instantly. information which started the federal --Carlos Prio, the millionaire former President of investigation, was found dead outside his Virginia Cuba who was heavily involved in CIA-sponsored motel under bizarre circumstances which will be anti-Castro activities and who had been linked in discussed later. Waldo F. Dubberstein, an testimony to , allegedly committed suicide ex-intelligence analyst indicted for selling one week after George de Mohrenschildt. Frio was secrets to the Libyans through Wilson, allegedly found slumped in a chair outside the garage of his shot himself to death. home in Miami. There was a pistol beside him. Because so many of the mysterious deaths relate --Charles Nicoletti, who reportedly had been to the CIA's turf, it is instructive to examine the involved in CIA assassination conspiracies against state-of-the-art regarding the technology of Castro, was found shot dead in a burned-out car in murder. The agency has gone to considerable effort Chicago. This occurred the day after the House to discredit the mysterious death theory. One 1967 Assassinations Committee began efforts to find memo from CIA headquarters to station chiefs Nicoletti in order to set up an interview. provides detailed instructions as to how to refute JFK-assassination conspiracy allegations aimed at counsels: the agency. Regarding mysterious deaths, it

(poison dart) which could penetrate clothes and researching and developing a wide range of termination techniques, many of which were designed liquid botulinum toxins, which, when tested on examination. Testifying before the Church Committee to avoid detection. There were pills containing in 1975, CIA Technical Services Division Engineer "noise-free disseminator" with which to fire the Charles Senseney, good-naturedly known among some (pulmonary- monkeys, could not be detected in post-mortem There was a "nondiscernible microbioinoculator" the agency's exotic TWEP technology ["termination of his colleagues as "Mr. Death", revealed some of skin without the victim feeling it. The dart itself with extreme prejudice" - intelligence jargon]. would dissolve after injecting a lethal poison silent. Although the existence of a dart--accurate up to 250 feet and completely

embolism-causing pill) has been widely acknowledged which would leave no trace. The agency developed a

within clandestine culture for some time, the CIA

explained in some more rational way: e.g., the Such vague accusations as that "more than ten Commission] staff questioned 418 witnesses (the individuals concerned have for the most part FBI interviewed far more people, conducting appeared on television, it emerged that two of a large group, a certain number of deaths are to died of natural causes; the Commission [Warren originators of the "ten mysterious deaths" line, 25,000 interviews and reinterviews), and in such one from cancer [Jack Ruby], one was from a people have died mysteriously" can always be the deaths on his list were from heart attacks, be expected. (When Penn Jones, one of the head-on collision on a bridge, and one occurred Yet, since the 1950's, the CIA had been when a driver drifted into a bridge abutment.)

CRITIQUE -- 212 -- Issue #15/16

P.E.P.

pill

has never admitted to having developed one. from Alaskan butter clams. The stockpile of toxin in Washington, D.C. There was enough to kill 14,000

launchers were used. For demises in Asia and was stored in a building near the State Department "Health Alteration Committee" within its Executive on hand. people if administered orally; 50,000 if dart Africa, the agency had a good supply of cobra venom

leaders). The Committee had at its disposal the substances developed in CIA labs--fevers, smallpox, Action Unit (set up to assassinate foreign

vast array of "debilitating" or "incapacitating"

assassin. In 1954 Morse Allen, the CIA's of the "Manchurian Candidate," the programmed vomit-inducing agents.

experiment for his colleagues. Allen hypnotized one instructing her to remain asleep. He then of his secretaries and kut her into a deep trance, she could not wake the first secretary, her rage behavioral-research czar, conducted a little hypnotized a second secretary and told her that if

assassin (the second secretary). Though she had kill. Allen left a pistol near his programmed secretary was unable to wake her colleague and earlier expressed a fear of firearms, the second would be so great that she would not hesitate to course, Allen had the good taste not to load the

gun. When he brought the women out of their pointed the gun at her and pulled the trigger. Of trances, neither of them remembered anything. control the best evidence on which he will reach us the coroner and we'll control the city." Even his conclusion as to the cause of death. One better than controlling the coroner himself is to "problem." Says the consultant: consultant (whose name is deleted) to a CIA officer declassified CIA document, a letter from a

asked the consultant's advice on a particular described only as "Bill", reveals that Bill had

CIA scientists painstakingly extracted poison

In the early 1960's the CIA also created its

In the 1950's the agency pursued the development

There is a clandestine-culture shibboleth: "Give

CRITIQUE -- 213 -- issue it

.

1510

4

v. techniques for achieving the above results are at a Bondian level of technological sophistication.

from Dallas and placed under federal jurisdiction. Take the case of Jack Ruby. On March 19, 1965, Ruby CIA's contention that mysterious deaths can be He used the words "complete conspiracy" in explained away as accidents or as naturally caused.

remarked to CBS-TV that he wished to be removed

Falls). Only three days later, Ruby was diagnosed as having lung cancer after being taken to the 7, 1966 a court granted his appeal for a new reference to the JFK assassination, stating: "If

trial to be conducted outside of Dallas (in Wichita

you knew the facts, you'd be amazed." On December hospital for what was thought to be pneumonia.

(1) (2) (4) (3)

simulate suicidal death in presenting this subject might be: local circumstances under which a given means caused by natural diseases. autopsy and chemical examinations simulate accidental death

specific anatomic change to indicate the cause might be used might suggest the technique to be death being determined by the most complete used in that case. I think that gross divisions a bath towel. In such cases, there is no strangle him with a wide piece of cloth such as As the letter goes on to describe, not all of death ... the will to do such a job. These would be either The above memo destroys the credibility of the

no special equipment besides a strong arm and believe should be mentioned since they require

to smother the victim with a pillow or to

There are two other techniques which I

You will recall that I mentioned that the

bodies left with residua that simulate those

bodies left in such circumstances as to bodies left in such circumstances as to ' bodies left with no hope of the cause of

CRITIQUE -- 214 -- Issue #15/16

"This is certainly the most toxic inorganic element

Twenty-eight days after the diagnosis, Jack Ruby lung cancer. But was it natural?

assassination--drugs that would produce what died, the victim of a particularly virulent form of cancer-causing drugs for use in political site of local application. The amount necessary to and it produces a peculiar fibrotic tumor at the appeared to be "natural" death. A 1952 agency memo

Kevin Mulcahy, the ex-CIA man who broke the Company's code, its oath of silence, by turning in reports on the cancer-inducing uses of beryllium:

lungs by having it be inhaled in small doses. produce these tumors is a few micrograms." The same case--pushing federal prosecutors to take action, techniques for getting beryllium into the victim's and Mulcahy was to be a key witness for the Wilson and Terpil for allegedly selling American memo talks of the possibility of developing military hardware and technology to Libya. Mulcahy

addresses, telephone numbers and even identities. investigation. The case was due to come to trial

had reportedly becQme obsessed with the allegedly heavy drinker, had been reported by another motel resident as drinking heavily shortly outside a rural motel cabin in Bowman's Crossing, government. Fearing for his life, he had gone speculated that Mulcahy had tried unsuccessfully to eventually succumbed to exposure (the overnight underground for extended periods--changing get into his cabin but was locked out and prodding the press, conducting a one-man locked and his keys were apparently inside. His temperature dropped to the low 40's). The storm Virginia (90 miles from Washington). Mulcahy, an before his death. Authorities at the scene door to his cabin was open but the main door was His pants were down around his ankles.

his back to the door.

A.M. Mulcahy was found in a sitting position with body was discovered by another motel guest at 8:05

During the 1950's the CIA developed

Another "naturally caused" death is that of On October 26, 1982 Mulcahy's body was found

CRITIQUE -- 215 -- Issue #15/16

He

was wearing a wool suit.

for a suicide because the massive damage it it damage massive the because suicide a for The shotgun is the weapon used most frequently in in frequently most used weapon the is shotgun The

these cases. It is supposedly the weapon of choice choice of weapon the supposedly is It cases. these

scene; George de Mohrenschildt, William Fawley, Fawley, William Mohrenschildt, de George scene; Carlos Prio (all of the class of '77); and Waldo Waldo and '77); of class the of (all Prio Carlos

Dubberstein, indicted in the Wilson-Libyan case. case. Wilson-Libyan the in indicted Dubberstein,

Depository after the real Oswald had left the the left had Oswald real the after Depository

looked like Oswald fleeing the Texas School Book Book School Texas the fleeing Oswald like looked

Deputy Sheriff Roger Craig, who saw a man who who man a saw who Craig, Roger Sheriff Deputy

know who was responsible for killing JFK; Dallas Dallas JFK; killing for responsible was who know

"Self-inflicted" gunshot wounds seem to predominate predominate to seem wounds gunshot "Self-inflicted"

cases--ex-CIA agent Gary Underhill, who claimed to to claimed who Underhill, Gary agent cases--ex-CIA among assassination-related, CIA-related CIA-related assassination-related, among

reached about 70 degrees... degrees... 70 about reached

circumstances being detected...If it were possible possible were it detected...If being circumstances

to subject the individual to a cold environment, he he environment, cold a to individual the subject to

would freeze to death when his body temperature temperature body his when death to freeze would

and that there would be no chance of the the of chance no be would there that and

it is highly probable that his death would result result would death his that probable highly is it

tightly sealed small room with a block of Cot ice, ice, Cot of block a with room small sealed tightly

about putting victims literally on ice as well as as well as ice on literally victims putting about

figuratively. figuratively.

the previously quoted consultant had some ideas ideas some had consultant quoted previously the

caused it?) and, because of complications created created complications of because and, it?) caused

chilly temperature exacerbated his pneumonia (or (or pneumonia his exacerbated temperature chilly

by emphysema and liver problems, he died from it. it. from died he problems, liver and emphysema by

guests; so he remained outside all night, where the the where night, all outside remained he so guests;

clear: Mulcahy was too drunk to pull his pants up, up, pants his pull to drunk too was Mulcahy clear:

authorities. But the implication of the finding is is finding the of implication the But authorities.

break into his cabin, or seek help from other other from help seek or cabin, his into break

maladies remains baffling to the medical layperson, layperson, medical the to baffling remains maladies

whether or not it was really understood by the the by understood really was it not or whether

Toxicology tests were all negative. Federal Federal negative. all were tests Toxicology

investigators found no evidence of violence. violence. of evidence no found investigators

complicated by emphysema and liver problems. problems. liver and emphysema by complicated

concluded: "the manner of death [is] determined to to determined [is] death of manner "the concluded:

be natural." The cause: bronchial pneumonia pneumonia bronchial cause: The natural." be

Virginia medical examiner Dr. James C. Beyer Beyer C. James Dr. examiner medical Virginia

Then there are the "suicide" cases. cases. "suicide" the are there Then

If an individual could he put into a relatively relatively a into put he could individual an If

Maybe. But in the letter to CIA officer Bill, Bill, officer CIA to letter the in But Maybe.

The precise interface of Mulcahy's numerous numerous Mulcahy's of interface precise The

An autopsy was performed. Fairfax County, County, Fairfax performed. was autopsy An

CRITIQUE -- 216 -- Issue #15/16 #15/16 Issue -- 216 -- CRITIQUE

a break-and-enter, a suicide weapon in the left left the in weapon suicide a break-and-enter, a

death. Finding no such clues--clues which which clues--clues such no Finding death. about looking for signs of a struggle, evidence of of evidence struggle, a of signs for looking about hand of a right-handed victim, garroting marks on on marks garroting victim, right-handed a of hand

professionals at TWEP are unlikely to leave--local leave--local to unlikely are TWEP at professionals the neck of someone who supposedly shot himself to to himself shot supposedly who someone of neck the

developed by intelligence Laboratories, they bumble bumble they Laboratories, intelligence by developed

not automatically view intelligence-related deaths deaths intelligence-related view automatically not which are no match for the exotic, concealed toxins toxins concealed exotic, the for match no are which

through a Bondian lens. Armed with toxicology tests tests toxicology with Armed lens. Bondian a through

of suicides in shotgun deaths: deaths: shotgun in suicides of

shotguns to hunt Vietcong. A murder manual read by by read manual murder A Vietcong. hunt to shotguns

soldier of fortune types discusses the simulation simulation the discusses types fortune of soldier

contusion inflicted in the same area where the the where area same the in inflicted contusion

against suicide, and it can obliterate a local local a obliterate can it and suicide, against gunshot wound is to be inflicted. inflicted. be to is wound gunshot

Vietnam. Some of its Black Squads used silent silent used Squads Black its of Some Vietnam.

suicide: it leaves a less-precise wound track, thus thus track, wound less-precise a leaves it suicide:

reducing the possibility that the angle would argue argue would angle the that possibility the reducing

inflicts insures that death will result, rather rather result, will death that insures inflicts

than painful survival. But the shotgun is also the the also is shotgun the But survival. painful than weapon of choice for sophisticated simulations of of simulations sophisticated for choice of weapon

Coroners and constables, even competent ones, do do ones, competent even constables, and Coroners

effectively silenced. Since this technique has has technique this Since silenced. effectively

tend to indicate as much to those concerned. concerned. those to much as indicate to tend

subject's head, the hydrolic effect will cause cause will effect hydrolic the head, subject's explosive decapitation. There are no pellets to to pellets no are There decapitation. explosive

firing same by means of a blank cartridge at the the at cartridge blank a of means by same firing

been used for suicides in the past, it would would it past, the in suicides for used been be traced and the sound of the discharge is is discharge the of sound the and traced be

range wound, wound, range

than twenty inches away. Such a shot will cause cause will shot a Such away. inches twenty than

range and suicide is to be indicated, fire a a fire indicated, be to is suicide and range

powder burns and residue consistent with a close close a with consistent residue and burns powder

sufficient wallop but cause little surface surface little cause but wallop sufficient

damage to the head and neck. [The victim could could victim [The neck. and head the to damage

be knocked unconscious, then shot]. shot]. then unconscious, knocked be

blank cartridge at cartridge blank

CIA experimented extensively with shotguns in in shotguns with extensively experimented CIA

By filling a shotgun barrel with water and and water with barrel shotgun a filling By

If the subject cannot be shot at point blank blank point at shot be cannot subject the If

A large rubber mallet would also pack pack also would mallet rubber large A

CRITIQUE -- 217 -- Issue #15/16 #15/16 Issue -- 217 -- CRITIQUE

4 the entrance wound from less less from wound entrance the "natural"--a massive brain hemorrhage.

sophistication. CIA contract agent and aide to crime cause for suspicion, authorities will often scratch far behind high tech TWEP in terms of technological court when Ferrie's body was found in his their heads for only a brief moment, shrug, then as to the cause of death and even when there is authorities will rule suicide. Forensic science is associates, Eladio Del Valle, a prominent apartment. The cause of death was deduced to to be one of the main targets of New Orleans District Garrison was about to have Ferrie brought into of is a case in point. Ferrie was a rule death by suicide or natural causes. The death skull was split open. Was somebody terminating anti-Castro exile, was found dead in Miami. Del and was seen with Oswald by so, whoever eliminated Ferrie couldn't seem to Attorney 's assassination probe. before the JFK assassination. In 1967 Ferrie was numerous and credible witnesses only two months decide whether the indications should be suicide or certain members of one of the CIA's anti-Castro Valle had been shot at point-blank range and his boss Carlos Marcello. He was also an associate of indicating suicide (presumably, the authorities deduced that Ferrie left them because he was about apartment, but all toxicology tests were negative. natural causes. networks before Garrison could question them? If naturally caused brain hemorrhage). Both the notes comfortable if they can unearth evidence that the half-empty medicine bottles were strewn around the to use the power of negative thinking to induce his deceased was plagued by "depression." The evidence were typed and so were the signatures. Empty and is almost always there, but not necessarily because cases involve people with intelligence connections the depression caused the suicide. Most of these

Moreover, even in the face of conflicting data

The same day that Ferrie died, one of his

Near Ferrie's body were not one but two notes

In ruling suicide, authorities are much more

CRITIQUE -- 218 -- Issue #15/16

to be questioned by a court or an investigative who possess dangerous knowledge and who are about

morose, edgy, and fearful because they know what a body. Such persons would be expected to become dangerous and vulnerable position they are in, and

of the people who might want to silence them. Maybe they also know the ruthlessness and sophistication

is a striking pattern in which the "suicide" often this alone is a motivation for suicide, but there occurs just before the individual is to speak on-the-record to authorities. Is it because this is

the most painful moment for the individual, or must be silenced by those whom his knowledge because it is the point at which the individual

threatens? Oswald's intelligence baby-sitter, apparently did

have psychological problems. But he was not an interview to an independent researcher on the same morning on which he got a call from the House hesitant to talk about the JFK case and had granted

interview. He received the call with apparent Assassinations CommittA, setting up his first as a surprise to him that he would be called before tranquility. After all, it could hardly have come

the Committee. But that afternoon he allegedly shot

himself with a shotgun. former Defense Department intelligence analyst was

indicted by a federal grand jury for selling ($80,000) and prison (57 years). He was 75 years

Edwin Wilson. As a result of the indictment,

Dubberstein faced the possibility of fines military secrets to Libya through ex-CIA agent

sitting position in the basement storage area of old and had a bad heart. Duberstein was found in a

his Arlington, Virginia apartment. He had been shot

in the head. A shotgun and several shells were

officer Randall Bertsch--no sign of a struggle or nearby. "It appears to be a suicide," said police

of foul play. On the day of his death, Dubberstein

was scheduled to appear before the grand jury that had indicted him, to answer questions--to speak on the record. The implied motive for the "suicide"

George de Mohrenschildt, whom many believe was

The case of Waldo Dubberstein is similar. The

CRITIQUE -- 219 -- Issue #15/16 (to be consulted whenever the next official probe

jury. special knowledge of Oswald's relationship to investigation dealing with an assassination case or allegedly traveled under cover to Tripoli, Libya on authorities as members of an endangered species, several years, during which he would remain free. In the meantime, for those people who have a soon as they are identified as potential witnesses. and should be given extraordinary protection as avoid spending his last years in jail. But his poor is initiated) should read, in part: of CIA anti-Castro operations, a survival manual relating to a legal proceeding or an official five occasions to sell secrets supposedly killed But the man who only four years earlier had conspicuous display of selling it. frequent contributor to The Nation and Independent his trial and appeals could easily have taken himself rather than face questions from a grand health might have gained him a postponement of a PHILIP H. MELANSON is professor of Political supply of live chickens when he visited New York? He knew what he was doing. deliveries. Remember Fidel Castro bringing his own trial or of prison. Even without a postponement, was to avoid this painful experience and/or to Science at Southeastern University; a hypothermia. with CIA operations should be treated by American intelligence, of renegade CIA networks, or third is forthcoming about the JFK assassination.

News Alliance. He has written two books and his

pairs of long thermal underwear--to ward off

It is clear that any witnesses with knowledge

C.

B.

A.

In addition to a bulletproof vest, wear two Don't order room service or fast-food Don't buy a shotgun. If you own one, make a

CRITIQUE -- 220 -- Issue #15/16