MEMORANDUM: GARRISON AND THE KENNEDY ASSASSINATION
Agency: CIA
Originator: CIA
From: KESLER, J. W. CIA/R&A
To: DCI, DDP AND OTHERS
Document date: 6/5/68
Document type: PAPER-TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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MEMORANDUM No. 9

SUBJECT: Garrison and the Kennedy Assassination

I. SUMMARY

This memorandum provides information about twenty persons

who have not been listed previously in this series, who are involved

in the Garrison case, and who have or have claimed to have a connection:

with the Central Intelligence Agency. One, William Clarene WOOD,

is a former staff employee.

Il. PERSONNEL

1. Thomas Edward BECKHAM (aka Mark EVANS)

a. GARRISON subpoenaed BECKHAM 30 December 1967

and an Omaha, Nebraska, judge ordered him to return to

Louisiana 30 January 1968. BECKHAM says he helped Sergio

ARCACHA Smith raise funds for Guban revolutionary forces in

New Orleans in 1962. BECKHAM i an entertainer-evangelist

who uses the stage name of Mark EVANS.

b. On 3 January 1968 BECKHAM allegedly told David

LEWIS of New Orleans that he, BECKHAM, and a Jim LNU

"from Omaha" are agents of the CIA.

c. RID has no record of BECKHAM.

2. Melvin BELLI

a. BELLi was a defense attorney for Jack RUBY.

b. Jim GARRISON was a weekend guest of BELLI when

GARRISON visited San Francisco in October 1967.

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Excluded from autemati:

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c. BELLI was reportedly involved in illicit drug

traffic with Morris ELOWITZ in 1958. ELOWITZ was a

suspected contact of Lucky LUCIANO.

3. Donald Dean BOHNING (201-813709)

a. BOHNING in the Latin American Editor of the

Miamt Herald. He was granted & POSA on 21 Auguat 1967

and a CSA on 14 November 1967. He is AMCARBON-3.

= b. BOHNING reported he was contacted on 28 March 1968

by & Winston SMITH who claimed to be investigating Rolando

MASFERRER for Jim GARRISON.

4. Colonel I. Robert CASTORR

a. Col. CASTORR allegedly met with Jack RUBY,

Robert PERRIN, and others in Dallas In 1962 to plan a Cuban

muggling operation. GASTORR is also allegedly an associate

of General Edwin A. WALKER. Joachim JOESTEN and others

have broadly hinted that CASTORR is associated with CIA.

b. There is no record of agency association with

CASTORR. An FBI report of 13 March 1968 reported that

CASTORR had lunch with Viktor Ivanovich MIRONOV (201-731045).

a KCB officer at the Soviet Embasay in Washington.

5. Lloyd J. COBB

•. As President of the New Orlean Trade Center.

COBB was, according to Plot or Politice, the "boas" of Clay SHAW.

b. COBB was granted a CSC on 3 October 1953 for use

on a private attorneys' panel for the OQC. COBB was granted a

PSA on 19 June 1967 to permit contact and aisessment in connection

with his use on a cleared attorneys' panel for the OGC.

6. Michael Charles CONLEY

a. Michael Charles CONLEY is an apparent US Government

source of Robert Kenneth BROWN.

b. A Dr. Michael C. CONLEY applied for Agency

employment in 1964. Identity with a, above, has not been

establiehed.

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7. Allen W. DULLES

a.. GARRISON subpoenaed MI. DULLES on

16 February 1968 as a material witness.

b. On ? March 1968 Judge Matthew BRANIFF issued

a second subpoena for MI. DULLES.

c. On 22 May 1968 GARRISON's office accused the

Justice Department of refusing to cooperate in the subpoenaing

of MI. DULLES an a witness.

8. Wieslaw CORNICK! (201-198323)

GORNICKI is a Poliah journalist who was the author

of a long article on the GARRISON investigation in "Polityka"

No. 1 (566), Year XII Warsaw, 6 January 1968.:

b. GORNICKI was the subject of an unsucceesful

recruitment attempt in 1965 while he was a correspondent at

the UN.

9. Marshall Wileon HOUTS (201-833160)

a. HOUTS, & former FBl agent, is the author of an

article in Medical Economies 4 March 1968 which criticized

the autopsy of President Kennedy.

b. HOUTS served with OSS in Burma during World

Ward and was involved in the misappropriation of government

property. HOUTS unsuccessfully applied for Agency employment

in 1952.

10. Guy Pereac JOHNSON (201-207873)

•. JOHNSON wae an early defense counsel for

Clay SHAW.

b. A POA was requested 14 May 1954 for JOHNSON

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to be used on Guam as a contract agent for ORKODIAK (training 24

base on Saipan). The request for the POA was later cancelled.

11. William R. KLEIN

a. According to Plot or Politice KLEIN was an

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incorporator of Friends of Democratic Cuba, along with

Guy BANISTER, William DALZELL, and Grady C. DURHAM.

KLEIN denied contact with DURHAM, BANISTER, and Friends

of Democratic Cuba. He admitted association with DALZELL to

set up the Free Voice of Latin America. KELIN seems to be

a personal friend of Jim GARRISON.

b. KLEIN applied for agency employment in 1965

but accepted a job with the US Navy General Counsel's Office.

12. Robert Evensen LEE

LEE was an Assistant District Attorney for Jim

GARRISON from 1 January 1967 to 1 January 1968.

b. LEE applied for agency employment on 5 January 1968.

13. William Richard MARTIN (201-288516)

a. MARTIN was an Assistant District Attorney for

Jim GARRISON until December 1967.

b. MARTIN was a DCS contact and source in 1964 and 24

1965 when he was Director of International Relations and World

Trade of International House in New Orleans.

14. Relman MORIN (201 109129)

a. MORIN is the author of Assassination, a pro-Warren

Commiesion book.

b. MORIN provided information to OSS on his internment

in Indo China during the early part of World War I.

c. MORIN was coneidered for the job of President of the

Committee for & Free Asia in 1951 and the job of President of

02 DIPILLAR (Asia Foundation) in 1953.

15. Dr. Alton OCHSNER (201-834497)

a. An FBI confidential Informant reported on 24 April 1968

tbat Jim GARRISON believes Dr. OCHSNER was a principal

involved in the conspiracy to assassinate President Kennedy.

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b. DI. OCHSNER is Director of the Ochaner

Foundation, head of the Ochaner Clinic, and President of the

Information Council of America. He is a world-famous surgeon.

c. Dr. OCHSNER was of contact interest in October

1947 and November 1948. He has been a cleared source since

13 May 1955. The last official contact with Dr. OCHSNER

personally occurred on 8 January 1962 and with the Ochaner

Clinic on 8 November 1963.

16. Robert PERRIN

a. Robert PERRIN allegedly mot with Jack RUBY,

Col. I. Robert GASTORR, and othere in Dallas in 1962

to plan a Cuban smuggling operation. PERRIN has been accused

of being a ClA gun-runner in Spain and in Cuba.

b. A It. Ug) Robert Polloch PERRIN filed a personal

history statement with OSS in January 1944. There is no

indication he ever served with OSS or was later connected with

the Agency.

17. Benjamin SONNENBERQ

a. Mark LANE said on the acknowledgement page of

Rush To Judgements "I am deeply indebted to Benjamin

SONNENBERG, Jr. whose numerous and invaluable suggestions

have found their way into thia volume."

b. Benjamin SONNENBERG was granted a CSA on

29 June 1959 for use under Project OKENCHANT. The CSA

was revalidated for continued use on 26 July 1965.

€. An April 1959 Dunn and Bradstreet report listed

SONNENBERO as a director of the publishing firm of Henry

Holt and Company, Inc., 383 Madison Ave., New York City.

Rush To Judgement was publiched by Holt, Rinehart and Wilson

Inc., 383 Madison Ave., 'oetensibly the same company.

d. An October 1954 FBI report said that in 1938 Alfred

K. STERN earmarked $3000 in a bank account to guarantee a

bank loan made to SONNENBERG.

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e. There is no indication that SONNENBERG eveI

used the term "junior" and it is not known yet if he has a son

of that name.

18. Mr. and Mra. Edgar Bloom STERN (He is 201-178541)

a. Jack ROGERS, the committee counsel for the joint

legialative Committee on Un-American Activities for the State

of Louisiana, reported to the DCS on 1 June 1967, that

GARRISON had been receiving contributions and monetary

support from Mrs. Edgar B. STERN.

b. Mra. Edgar B. STERN is the former Edith

ROSENWALD and the former sister-in-law of Alfred K. STERN.

c. Clay SHAW attended a party given by "an old

friend'', Edith STERN, apparently in October 1967.

d. Edgar B. STERN was granted a covert clearance

in January 1953 for use as a donor in Project LPCOIN. This

Clearance was cancelled In September 1956. U2

e. Philip Maurice STERN, son of the above mentioned

couple, was granted a liaison clearance in March 1961 when he

was the Deputy Asiatant Secretary of State for Publie Affaire.

Philip STERN was alno named as one of a "board of advisors"

to Hubert HUMPHREY in 1961.

19. Monroe SULLIVAN

a. SULLIVAN claimed to be with Clay SHAW tr

San Francisco all day 22 November 1963.

b. SULLIVAN wad granted a CSA on 10 December

1962 to permit uttlination under Project OKENCHANT.

20. William Clarens WOOD (201-834272)

#. A BIll WOOD, using the name Bill BOXLEY, 1e

investigatig CIA and ita operations for Jim GARRISON.

b. Bill WOOD is belleved to be identical with William

Clarens WOOD, & former staff employee of this Agency.

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c. William Clarene WOOD, born 17 August 1920,

was approved for OSS duty in December 1944, but was not

utilized. On 13 December 1950 WOOD was granted a CSC for

utilization as a Staff Agent with Project TPFOCUS. He suffered

a nervous breakdown in March 1952. He was assigned to OTR

as an instructor (GS-1l) in May 1952. He resigned 27 January

1953, after his resignation had been requested, because of

alcoholism. While under the influence of sodium pentothol during

a medical operation in July 1953 WOOD made statemente showing

extreme antagonism toward the Agency... The FBI reported in

April 1957 that WOOD had offered assistance to the Nationalist

Chinese Intelligence Service. DCS requested clearance to use

WOOD In February 1967 but dropped the request after the FBI

reported that he was drinking heavily again.

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Originated by: CI/R&A;JWKesler;dm

5 June 1968

Distribution:

Orig - DCI

I - DDP

1 = Executive-Comptroller

• General Counsel

- A/DCI

- Office:of Security

- Director, Domestic Contact Service

1:- WH/Cuba

1 - C/CI, DC/CI

l - Res chrono

1 - Garrison file

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