13-00000,__.. o : oy o> tft ‘ 2b och 14be ° B MEMORANDUM SUBJECT: Garrison and the Kennedy Assassination: Gordon Dwane Novel ° (201-834822) § Reference: CI/R&A Memorandum of 31 May 1967, suaject as above SUMMARY - Ve «alter At a meeting on 23 October ee the president of an answering service, Miss ) provided CIA representatives with ' information about a client, Gordon Novel, who has received much publicity in the course of the Garrison investigation. Novel told Miss that persons associated with Garrison and with Ramparts Magazine had planned an article in which Novel would be linked to the answering service and the service, | | to CIA. Central Cover Staff has used the firm's services for fifteen years. Novel told Miss not to worry because he had let Garrison. and company know that| | would sue if such a story mo : a were printed, and the story had been killed. Npact-ure-Tervely imple . additional information about Novel, who in the pas ly ‘rapited a ‘and even claimed association with CIA. DETAILS 4 wt i ay) o 1. At 1030 hours on 23 October 1968 Mrs.’ lof Central Cover Staff (CCS) and the undersigned met by prearrangement . 7 Lo with Mias| | founder and president of a Washington — _ answering service called L Miss offices are at NOW . to 2. Mis{| has been a contact of CEs for fifteen years. . Records checke run shortly before the meeting ¢ disclosed no o derogatory a information.
° 3. The meeting had been requested because Miss had told Mrs. that Gordon Novel was one of her clicnts and that she had information about Novel which was of possible interest to this Agency. Novel is a salesman of audio detection gear who has been prominently involved in the Garrison investigation and has sought for obscure reasons to create the false impression that he > ig employed by or associated with CIA. 4, Throughout the meeting Mis( was completely . r cooperative. She volunteered aesistance and information, and she responded most helpfully to all requests. 5. Novel became a client of ion 15 March | 1968. His account remains active. His number at the answering service is 296-6662. The sheet on which he listed the basic information Se contains the following information: pp - Gordon Howl president of International Dynamics cérporation, "electronic manufacturer and investment holdings: military and industrial counter -intrusion equipment", 518 1/2 G St. S.E/, Washington D.G., 20003, Novel listed the home, /:y/ office of International Dynamics oratio 787 1/2 : Harrison - Ave., New Orleans, La., 486-5477. b. His instructions to the service were as follows: (1) Nature of and reason for calls were to be ascertained. (2) No information wae to be given to anyone calling for Ramparte or Playboy. (3) Calle or inquiries from news media were to be considered as emergency matters and relayed to =. him immediately by collect call dr telegram to (614) | oe 267-4633. (Comment: A number in Columbus, Ohio. BS , on | See sub-paragraph cr below.) e | . c. He listed hie clients as the U.S. government, foreign - governments, and industrial security representatives. 2.  OFneme 2A eet AF. Ore Cott em |
13- ee . denen et seen manera og wenn tee eee ee < 3 % : Dupont C Circle, we d. gHe listed anticipated callere as the following: (1) Mr. Willard Robertson. (Comment: Robertson is a Volkswagen distributor for the New Orleans area and a member of Truth and Consequences Inc., a private association of Garrison supporters who have donated funds to Garrison's office. An FBI report of 10 October 1967 stated that Robertson wanted another | businessman to file charges of theft or fraud against Novel in connection with a $2,700 diamond © ring in order to get Novel in jail and "under the floor". } ; (2) Mr. Elmer Gertz. (Comment: No prior — record in Garrison case. Traces to be run. } (3) Mr. Phillip Gabriel. (Comment: As above.) (4) Mr. Walter Sheridan. (Comment: Has appeared in prior reports on thie subject. He is an NBC investigator who was aasociated earlier with the deceased Senator Robert Kennedy. Sheridan was a principal source of the information used in ' NBC's anti-Garrison TV show of 19 June 1967, after which Garrison charged Sheridan with bribery.) e. Novel listed the following as an emergency contact: Mrs. Abby Novel, 226 E. Oakland St., Columbus, Ohio. (614) 267-4633. (Comment:. ‘Miss| believed that Abby Novel is Subject's mother. The New Orleans States-Item of 22 February 1968, however, referred to Subject's wife as Abby. nee > Mulligan, a former Playboy t As etecances in Vaunions Novel 1h netea a firm of lawyere: Miller, McCarthy, Evans, and‘Cassidy at 1701 K St. He noted that he banks at Rigge National,
. Miss in the Bureau of Indian Affairs. [les placed to Novel's number: abl ar) 6. Novel told Miss that he had been associated in some way with Senator Robert Kennedy.- (Comment: The reference ray have been to Walter Sheridan, who served as an investigator for Robert Kennedy when the latter was Attorney General. ) 7. Novel asked Mis{| whether she could inake arrangements for party or conference calls to pass from the caller through the rented number in Washington to Novel's actual location and then to record the calls in Washington. She said no. 8. Novel listed his own current address asp 566 E. Main St., Suite A, Columbus, Ohio. 9. In mid-September 1968 Novel mentionedto Misg si that District Attorney Garrigon is associated with a fnu Burnham (no prior record in this context, although Richard V. Burnes is an assistant DA for Garrison), a fnu Roper (no prior record in thie context), and William Turner (a staff writer for Ramparts who has been closely associated with Garrieon and hie investigation}. Novel aleo told Miss that he hae a penetration of Garrison's office. (Comment: He hag made this claim earlier.) Through the penetration he learned that he was to appear prominently ina Ramparts article which would list him ae a client of | pnd would also list] jas a@ cover or front for CIA operations dealing with Internal (i.e., domestic) affaira. Novel told Mise not to be concerned because he had sent word back to Garrison that if euch an article appeared, ould sue. He later learned that the idea of Mise mi an article had been dropped. He told this story to with the air of one who had done her a favor. Miss Marilley had the impression, however, that Novel himself did not believe the allegation about her firm and Cl. 10. Novel told Miss| | that he is working ¢ on a real estate © deal involving a planned resort area in:Michigan. It is noted that two of the telephone calls listed below were from a fnu Cork or Corke 2s ll. The following are the tolephone calle listed by St ntae te 8 Mee oer 8 pete te er zm to Ga-sncm eS Ge tete nt cate AN es cocomeee tee rape re cere See.
a. Qn 30 Auguot 1968 Mr. fnu Gabriel, Sr., called from New Orleans, 522-5075. No further information. - (Presumably identical with the Phillip Gabriel of paragraph d (3) above.) . » »b. 4September 1968. As above. c. 4 September 1968, from Amy Helmuth, Reno, Nevada, 358-0331. -No further information. d. ? September 1968. Office of Mr. Cork, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 343-5704. No additional information. e. 5 September 1968. Caller, J.J. Harris, said that there had been no word from London. No more information. (Comment: One Jones Harris is an assistant of Richard H. _ Popkin, a journalist who has made repeated trips to New Orleans, who is strongly pro-Garrison, and who wrote a book called The Second Oswald. ) f. § September 1968. Call from Mr. Gabriel of New Orleans. g- 5 September 1968. Call from Mrs. fnu Hellman of Reno, Nevada, asking Mr. Novel to call Mrs. Francis. h. 5 September 1968. Call from Mrs. fnu Francis, Reno, 358-0331. \ } _ 4. 6 September 1968. Call from Mr. Gabriel, New Orleans. _ J. 10 September 1968. Call from Mrs. Francis, Reno, — k. 10 September 1968. To Amy Helmuth, Reno, 3586 0331. She was to call Jo Capurro. _ 4. 11 September 1968. Call from Mr. Gabriel, New Orleans, 522-5075. m. 19 September 1968. Re a meeting with Mr. «com, Washington, 343-5704. . . See aR? Ser ann of
26, September 1968. Call from Mr. Wallace, Americes Aircraft, Washington, NA 8+1462. o. As above. » p. 4 October 1968. Call from Mr. Williams, Hunington National Bank, Columbus, Ohio, 469-7500. q. 8 October 1968. As above. -r. 10 October 1968. Call from Amy Hellman, Reno, 358-0331. (Comment: Helman and Helmuth seem to be identical. ) s. 12 October 1968. Call from Mr. Wallace, Spy Shop, Washington, NA 8-1462. (Comment: See sub- paragraph n, above.) 7 _ t. 14 October 1968. Mr. Logan. No further information. (Comment: An FBI report of 11 May 1967 says that a source of the Bureau's New Orleans office was in-contact with a landlady who told Andrew Scilambria, an investigator - for Garrison, that William Wayne Dalzell had been placed in contact with a CIA agent in New Orleans, a man named Logan, by a former New Orleans attorney named Grady Durham. Ramparts, January 1968, p. 53, says that a CIA man named Logan wae closely linked to a group called "The Friends of Democratic Cuba''.) ue 15 October 1968. Mr. Wallace of NA 8-1462. rig v. 15 October 1968. Mer. Raft. 882 5292. we. 15 October 1968. Mr. Wallace. x. 17 October 1968. Amy Hellman, Reno, 358- 0331. . % ys 22 October 1968, ‘Mr. Deiton, Kansas City, - 221-5862... . oS erneny ote,
13- 00090" creel 12. Miss Jsaid that she believed that she could obtain additional information about Novel by writing to a friend of hers, Mr. Aaron M. Kohn, who is the managing director of the Metropolitan Crime Commission in New Orleans. She asked whether there was any objection to her doing so. She was told that there was no objection as long as her inquiry was couched within the frame of reference of her own business and had nothing to do with CIA. She then penned a note to-Mr. Kohn, inquiring about Novel as a customer of her service and read it aloud. She was assured. that there was no objection. She added that Mr. Kohn had done fine jobs of cleaning up first Denver, then New Orleans. (Comment: ‘ Kohn is a firm antagonist of Garrison. ) Mies ila tioned that she may not get a reply for several weeks e will give CIA any information about Novel that Kohn may provide. 13. Novel's motives remain obscure. As was reported earlier, _ there is a clear possibility that he remained an ally of Garrison after their seeming antagonism developed. If so, his efforts to link himself publicly with CIA could be part of Garrison's attack upon the Agency. This theory would aleo explain Novel's relationship to a Garrison crony like Willard Robertson. Another possibility is that the feud is genuine. (Novel has made very strong accusations against Garrison in major radio broadcasts; these include charges of occasional homosexuality and poesible direct involvement in the alleged murder of David Ferrie.) Misd_ ormed a clear impression that Novel's dislike of Garrison is genuine. If so, hie ' persistent attempts to link himself to CIA may be part of a campaign - to create for International Dynamics Corporation an aura of prestige as a result of supposed ties to the federal government. He Heted the U.S. government with as one of his clients. His relationship to Willard Robertson might then be explained by his - repeated assertion that he has a penetration in Garrison's entourage. Donovan E. Pratt DC/CI/R&A | Distribution: ' | Orig - DDP l « c/ccs / | 7 at ae earn i -reeoety SORE ERI ERR DE mee ee ep ge mm eR em me tem et ee eee