Joe Trento

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E L L i s R u E I N LAw O F : F I C E s , P A .

E L L is S . Ro:BINCl t i . . N A I . LAW

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l t l t Gt S ~ I : I t i : OGII:Nt: l tAI . I 'RACTICI:

N Z L S O N A . FA X B B Z B , J B .C B . L B I . . l : S H . S I N ~ l l

August 31, 1978

2 e 5 ~ 0 . - T H E A S T< e ~ "T E R R A C E

............ f'LORIOA 3 3 1 3 7

1 3 0 5 ) & 7 e - s o o

Honorable Louis Stokes , Chairman .S e l e c t Committee on Assass in a t io n sU. S. House ·o f Rep resen ta t iv e s3331 House Off ice B ui ld ing , Annex 2Washington, D. C. 20515

Dear Mr. Chairman:

Thi s o f f i c e i s l e g a l counse l f o r E. Howard Hunt , J r . , whoyou have subpoenaed dur ing t h e ·cu r r en t y ea r regard ing your

. _ i n v e s t i g a t i o n s . I t i s m unders t and ing t h a t s e v e r a l sched : .· ..... u l e d appearances by Mr. Hunt have been can ce l l ed by your

-.·. .; - · .. committee , a l though Mr. Hunt remains most anxious to c l a r i f y' th e . s i t u a t i o n , and to respond to any o f t h e commit tee ' s

. - . .. ~ - - - .. : q u es t io n s .

·_- ~: . : : _ - ~_ ./ N £ ~~ l t

appears . most · impera t i ve t h a t you a l low my _l ~ e n t

t o- _ ,; appear b e fo re your · committee i n the pub l ic se ss io n s t h a t: ~ - ·y ou :_ a r e scheduling f o r t h e : ba l ance o f t h i s year. I enc lose

· - a -· copy o f what p u rp o r t s t o . b e . d i sc lo su re s from your coumi t t ee· .. . .. p ~ r s o n n e lto r e p o r t e r s and s t a f f cor responden t s employed by

··-·· . h e · Sunday News Jou rna l o f Wilmington, Delaware . The a r t i c l e·speaks · f o r i t s e l f , and · was p icked up and c a r r i e d by t h e w i r e

>- s e r v i c e s . I t . i s e '{ident to _ h i s r ead e r t h a t your c r e d i b i l i t yand t h a t o f ·your · committee members and s t a f f has been com-

-__·_p l e t e l y compromised, r e f u t e d . and des t royed - n o t to mention· =-~ t h a t o f E. _Howard Hunt , J r . . You a r e t h e Chairman, and t h e

~ -.. ~ -~c o ~ t t e et h a t n a y ~~ ~beeh P J ? O m i s ~ n g.. t h e pub l ic no p r i o r . r e - . _l e a s e s~ no l e a k s ; no : ·smear ing of wi tnes ses b e fo re they appear ·

_ ,.___ - · b e f o r e .-your committee . . . AND- NOW THIS. Since you have s een-~ .: ~ . - ~ t _i t

_ t o r e l e ·ase : h i s~ i n f o ~ t i o n~ o a . news s o u rce ·, may I . r e ) ~~ :: ·: ~ ~_ .-_ ·q ~ s t - · nay, .. d e m a n d ~: : th:a t . o ~ immediately _send t h i s w r i t e r

· - -: ~;; _ ; ; ; . : _ :;:_ ·.: : ·a ~ :t r u e - f acs imi l e · o f~ th e ::-; • sec r e t CIA memorandum : . . i n i t i a l e d. . _ , :. : . . :; : ~-..> - b'y '· Richard _M: :: Helms ; and : James ·· J . Angleton . t i s a l so . r e -. .._ : ·· .. q u es t ed th a t ' ·, you provide · me .:w i t h · a l i s t o f t h e names _and

: _ ~ i - ·. · ·. ad d re sse s _ o f the CIA. _sources : . who have prov ided the a s s a s s i· _ _ - ._. ~ .7 · r i a t io n · commid:ee __w i t h _t e r i a lp e r t a i n i n g t o Hunt • s a l l e g e d

. -- . :·P.resence . i n Dal l a s . : · ·. ·I .. .

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Honorable Louis S t o k e s , · chairman ·S e l e c t Committee 6n A s s a s s i n a t i o n s

August 31, 1978P ~ g eTwo

. . .

I . r e a l i z e · t h a t a -. spqkeswoman .fo.r y o u r coimnittee ; . Dawn M i l l e r .h a s r e f u s e d comment on th e _·a l l e g e d memo because :·o f · coinmitteer u l e s ; hqwever, s i n c e your- r e l e a s e ·o f t h e · ·memo and .r e p o r t ·o f your · CIA s o u rc e s t o newspaper r e p o r t e r s , t appea rs t o met h a t you have ·a l r e a d y waived such r u l e s . . The l e a s t · t h e com- ·m i t t e e could do now i s · t o p ro v i d e t h e a c c u s e d w i th c o p i e s o ft h e i n d i c t m e n t .

Wil l you a l s o be k i n d enough t o p r o v id e me w i t h a copy o fthe r e s o l u t i o n s e s t a b l i s h i n g y o u r commit tee and i t s j u r i s -d i c t i o n , and a copy o f any r u l e s o f p r o c e du r e p e r t a i n i n g t othe r i g h t s o f w i t n es s e s and t h e i r a t t o r n e y s , .f o r t h w i t h .

IT IS HEREBY REQUESTED THAT .E . HOWARD H U N T· ~ ~ JR . , BE CALLED ASA WITNESS BEFORE . YOUR COMMITTEE AT THE . EARLIEST POSSIBLE TIME,AT A PUBLIC SESSION; ·. IN ORDER THAT HE MAY ATTEMPT TO SALVAGEWHAT IS LEFT - OF- HIS NAME: AND CAREER SO GRIEVOUSLY DAMAGED · BYTHE ACTIONS OF . YOUR COMMITTEE. ~ : . " ·

. - . :- . ~ · . . .

May : I h e a r from y o u~.. i m ~ ~ H ~ d _ i a t e l y; : ~ ~ _must · a r r a n g ~ - _s c h e d u l e s·c c o r d i ~ g l y. : · · .. . .. · ... . : · :~ -· ·.' . . . . . . . . : . . .

- - · •• • • • 4 - •• ~ •

··very _ t r u l y · yours :, ... . .,. ·· ~ ; · · ·. • • ' • : : •·. • ' - - · ·: ..- , .. '. : .? o • •• · ~ ~ ~ - , : I

_· L L I ~R U ~; · ;P ; ( < t _ ,

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· · . .. _. 0 ·_ ,- ..: : ~ •• ·t ~ ~ ~j iJ J f l t~ ~~ - E: · J ~: 1~ <7 . . . .. . : · ; - .. ~ - : :

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c.t trol l n ~ AgencyW O i h i t ~ g t o nD.C. 2 ~ J703) 351-7676

21 August 1978Herbert E. HetuDirector of Public AHara

MEMORANDUMFOR: See Distribution

FROM :

SUBJECT:Joe Trento Story

of thear e Trento has wr n en 11 WasHoward Hunt in Dallas the Day JFK Died... t

drags out the o 1d ••mo1e story as we as theone on Hunt.

The Director was asked about the story todayin Dallas.

We will need to consider what response theAgency should make to inquiries.

Distribution:

~ e n r i d g eOGCOLC

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- =====SU:::::=OAY NEWS JOURNALof 20 August 1978 Wilmi ngton, Delaware

.. ~H~ ~ ~ ~1fUNT IN DALLAS tH£ nAY 1 = Tq ~ b i r en t o n R q t i f ePowe rs

..

- · - - · - - - ..:.As ecret CIA1nemosays that E. Howard Hunt :·was in D ~11 ~.. the day John F.

- - - ·- - - ~ . - ·

Kennedy was murdered and that top Agency officials plotted to c o ~ e rup Hunt's

presence there. Some CIAsources speculate that Hunt thought he was assigned

by higher ups to arrange the murder of lee Harvey Oswald. Sources s ~ Hunt,

convicted in the Watergate conspiracy in 1974. was acting chief of the CIA

station in Mexico City in the weeks prior to the kennedy assassination.

Oswald was in Mexico City and met with two Soviet KGBagents at the Russian

eni>assy there i ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ e d f a t e l ybefore leaving for Dallas, according to the official

Warren Comnission Report. The 1966 secret memo, now in the hands of theHouse Assassination COmmittee places Hunt in Dallas November 22 1963.

Richard H. Helms. former CIA director and James J. A n g l e ~ o nformer Cl chief,

initialed the memoaccording t investigators who made the fnfonmation available

tothe ~ n d a yNews Journal. According to sources close to the Select Committee

on Assassinations, the document reveals: Three years after Kenndy s murder

and shortly after Helms and Angleton were elevated to their highest position

in CIA they discussed the fact that Hunt was in Dallas on the day of the

assassination and that his presence there had to be kept secret; Helms and

Angleton thought that news of Hunt's presence in Dallas would be damaging

to the ~ g e n c yshould t leak out; Helms and ~ n g l e t o nfelt that a cover stor.y

givi .ng Hunt an alibi for bef.ng elsewhere the d ~ of the assassinatfon ought to

be cons i dered 11•

Hunt, reached friday at his Miami, Florida home, denied that he was in

Dallas on November 22, 1963 and denied that he had been in Mexico City anytime

ater 1961. Hunt said that he was in tlash1.ngton the day of the Kenne_y murder.

• ••• I have plenty of witnesses . 1 took off at noon that day and went

shoppi .ng and had a ch1nese dinner 1n downtown Washi.ngton with my wife . •-· . .

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never heard o the .JAemo's existence. - C A sources who hav; provided the

assassination committee with ~ t e r i ~ lpertaining to Hunt's alleged presence

1n Dallas, say that Hunt's stor,y about shopping in downtown Washington was 1

cover stor.y concocted as a result of the memo. They say _ all Hunt's witnesses. . .

are CIA a r r ~ n g e dand th.at hts wffe cannot be questioned because she was killed

1n a plane crash. ~ e assassination committee ~ 1 1 open hearings this fall

on the Kennedy murder. Dawn Hiller, spokeswanan for the c ~ i t t e e ,said that

there would e •no conJnent on the report of a 11emo, • We will be holding detailed

heari _gs in S e p ~ r Because of conrnittee rules, that 1s all I m pennitted

to s ~ ·

Committee sources told the S u n d ~News Journal that both Helms and

Angleton h ~ dbeen questioned by committee investigators but that the issue. . .

of the memo was not raised .w1th either witness. Sources say H ~ l mtold.the committee he could not answer specific questions on the CIA's involvement

because of 1nab11ity to remember dates. Helms faulty memory on ITT's involvement tn Chile led to his sentencing last year on two counts ·of withholdi .ng. . .

information from C ~ n g r e s s .a c h ~ r 9 ereduced from perjury by o r d e r ~ o f

President Carte.r. Helms could not he reached for conrnent. A secretary said

that ne was out of town and would not be available.

When A n g l e ~ o nwas q u e s t i o ~ e dby c o m m i ~ ~ estaffers, h ~ was •evasive

accord1_ng to a s o u r c ~who was p ~ s e n t ~ g l e t o ncould not be reached forcoJTfTient. Asked to explain why a p o t ~ n t i a l l ydaTJ a9i .ng coverup plot would be

put out on paper, one ~ i g hlevel CIA s o u r c ~said, The memo is very odd. t

was almost ~ 1f Angleton was infomi _g Helms, who had just become Director,

that there was a skeleton 1n the family closet t h ~ thad to be. ~ a k e ncare of



. -.nd thls w s his r e s p o n s e ~ : = = = == = = = =: : : : . . : : _ : := = -- . - ---

-= One co11111ittee s ~ u r c es ~ the memo s h o w s ~ e CIA involvement i-n h ~ -- - .:....= ·-·_;;

Kennedy case could run into the CIA hierarchy. lie are ~ r y i n gnot to · get

ahead of ourselves but the mind b o g g l ~ s •

As liaxk part of i ts $5 million expenditure on the Kennedy and Martin

Luther King assassinations, the Committee contracted a Cambridge, ~ s s ~

sonics firm to review tape recordings made as shots were fired at the Kennedy

110torcade. The firm has provided the conrn i t tee's technical staff with new

evidence which shows that four shots and not three were fired at the Kennedy

car.

Sources ~ this would have made t mpossible for Oswald to act alone .

. •combinedWith th.e memo covering up Hunt's involvement in Dallas that day,

what have so far puts a real dent in the Harren Commission version,• a

committee source contends.

Helms and Angleton currently are targets of an internal CIA probe and

a new Senate intelligence committee investigation into the possibility of

that the Soviet KGBpenetrated the CIA with a mole. or higher level double agent .

· Cleveland Cram, the former CIA station chief in Ottawa, Canada,was called

out of retirement to i n v e s ~ i g a t e~ n g l e t o n sand Helms' role in the penetration.

Cram came across the Hunt memo in his mole study one investigator ·suspects.

The urgency of the mole investigation within the Agency has reached a moreI

intense level since the memo was discovered . according to a source close to the

internal investigation. Herbert E. Hetu. public affairs director of the C I A ~

told the Sunday News Journal, I had heard rumors of such a memo but have been

unable to track them down. I checked with our liaison with the assassination

corrrnittee and he didn't know about 1t. The possibility of a •mole or double

agent 1n the CIA in connection ~ i t hOswald was f i rs t brought to light in Edward

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· ~ · - : ::: = a:~ t e 4 l ' . . sJiOOkL ~ d ~ c r e : t~ o ~ ~ l s w a l ~_t boOk_

d e t ~ i l sOswal-d s ties with_US toviet and Cuban n t ~ l l i g e n ~ A c c ~ ~ i ~ ~ ~ ~~. . - .=. ..:. -

Epstein's editor at Reader s D_gest Press which published the -book, Angleton ·

was a main source for the author. ln. 1964, a Soviet defector named Uri Nosenkotold the CIA that Oswald did not act as a Russian agent in the kennedy

assassination. For year. accordi _g to the book, a battle within · the Agency

ensued as to whether or not Nosenko wa_ te l l i .ng the truth. That battle ended

in 1976 when Nosenko was accepted as ~ genuine defector and put on the CIA

payroll and given a new identity.

According to the book, ( V l g l ~ t o nu r g e ~~ a t Nosenko not e accepted because

he believed the Russian to be a double agent. HHnt•s appearance on the scene

1n Dallas and in Hex1co City at the time of the ~ r d e radds stre .ngth -to a theory

shared by some internal ClA i n v e s ~ i g a t o r s .They believe Oswald.was working for

us intelligence that he was ordered to infiltrate the KGBand that this

explains his life in Russia.

They alsQ believe ~ t Oswald proved to be so unstable that he was

•handled by the KGB into becomi_g a triple agent and assigned for the Dallas

job. The same i n v e s ~ i g a t o r stheorize that Hunt was· in Dallas that day on the

orders of a high level CIA official who in reality was a KGBmole. Hunt allegedly

thought he was to arrange that Oswald be murdered because he had turned traitor.

Actually he was to kill Oswald to prevent him from ever testifying and revealing

the Russians had ordered him to kill Kennedy, the CIA sources speculate.

CIA i n v e s ~ i g a t o r sare roost concerned that either Helms or ~ g l e t o nmightbe t h ~ tmole. Hunt first detailed the e x i s ~ e n c eof a small CIA assassination

team in an interview with the New York Times while in prison 1n Decemer 1975

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= - - ~: = _ - ~ =· _= _=_= = = = - . .. ~ for his role i n- Watergate. i h e - a s s a~ ~ ~ ~t ~ ~s-quad, alteg edly-l.eade·d b i: = = _ _ =

Carl Boris Pash, was ordered to e 1 mi nate suspected double agents and

low ranking officials. Pash s assassination unit was assigned to Angleton,

other CIA sources say. Hunt s fondness for strange plots has been widely

reported. He is alleged to have concocted schemes ranging from Watergate

t a plot to assassinate columnist Jack Anderson. Hunt is also t h ~author

of 45 spy novels.I t was also learned from CIA and committee sources that during the time

that the Warren Comnission was investi _gating the Kennedy assassination, Angleton

met regularly with a member of the Commission--the late Allan Dulles, then head

of the CIA and Angleton s boss.Dulles, on a weekly basis, briefed Angleton about the direction of the

investigation.Angleton, according to sources, in turn briefed Raymond Rocca, his closest

aid and the CIA s official liaison with the commission. Rocca, now retired

was unavailable for comment. His former wife, who also worked for Angleton,

is now working for Cleveland Cram as part of the CIA mole investigation team ;

Joe Trento

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