MEMO:GARRISON AND THE KENNEDY ASSASSINATION: INTERVIEW OF GARRISON ON DUTCH TV BY WILLIAM L. OLTMANS
Agency: CIA
Originator: CIA
To: DCI, DDP AND OTHERS
Document date: 3/1/68
Document type: PAPER-TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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104-10104-10350

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1 March 1968

MEMORANDUM

SUBIECES

Garrison and the Kennedy Aris almation

Interview of Carrimon on Dutch IT by

Willinca Ie Oltrasma (201-155221)

REJERENCES: A. Jolut State-USIA cable, HCH $53.

116045 - 3981 21 Februmy 1968

B. [The Hague 3870,)14 59064,

27 February 1968

SUMMARY

Garrison appeared on Datch TY on 22 Febrarry 1968. He

contlaned - In fact, encalated -- hla attack apon ClA in a perenanire

performance. There is e palsibility ain followe progrini

Willem I. Oltmans, la & Dutch pro-Communint, although he pretende

not to be, and a homosexual who seema to be or to have been intimate

with ex-Preuident Sukarno of Indonesia.

Consideration in being siren to forwarding/to the Station at

The Hague overt derogatory Information about Carlos from the U.S.

press and TV/ radio Interviewe for relente to CA nisets thare.

DETAILS

1. References state that on 22 February 1968 Carrison

appeared on Dutch TV (Dutch Television Foundation, NIS) during

prime time for one hour (time not stated). Neither reference explaime

whether Garrison travelled to The Hague or whether the Show war

taped in the U.S. and sent on tape to Holland. The Dutch desk belleves

that the latter 1e true.

REVIEWED BY FBI/JFK TASK FORCE

ON -

7193

113

RELEASE IN FULL

RELEASE IN PART

TOTAL DENIAL

SECRET

... CHOUP 1•

Excluded from automatic

downgrading and

declassificallon

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Z. The following were Garrison's charges:

a. Kemedy was murdered because he favored "

deconto detrimantal to the inbereate of the toillitary-

ladastrial comples".

b. Kennedy was the victim of a ClA plot. CIA

has made common ciuse with the military Indentrial

establinhment becaune of a vested interest in maintaining

the cold war.

c. CIA le comaltted to the land war in Ali,

Whereas one of President Kennedy's last ordere directed

= reduction of troope there.

d. A U.S. prenident who brings the U.S. to the

brink of peace will suffer Kennedy's fate.

=. Aoked why the program had been designed for

& curopean audience, Carrion maid that the growing

Influence of CA on U.S. media had made it Impossible for

him to be beard in his own country.

.?=.

3. Reference A says Garrlion, calm and compored. war

muficlently credible to elicit rather faverable reviews from generally

well Intermed Dutch newspapers.

"Several Dutch viewers also

commented on the credibility of 7 klu person and presentation.

Likely that the NIS will try to sell this program to other Europeas

stations."

4. Reference B says that the Dutch press was generally favorable

and that many comments noted he seemed logical and in control of bia

facts. The majority opiaton among Embassy, USIS, and CIA personnel

[at The Hague]ie that he seemed credible to a large propartion of the

Dutch viewers. (SYMPATHIZER 17 feels that the program created an

all-time low in the U.S. Image in the Netherlands. Dutch TV alluded

to a third part of the interview, "till to come.

5. Garrison was interviewed by William L. Oltrams. A

synopais regarding Oltmans follows:

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LLLE

•. DPOB 10 June 1925 Hulsen, The Netherlando.

b. Studled at Inle 1950 but expelled fos unstated

Therenfter worked briefly an correspondent

for U. P. and for Dutch paper De Ielegraal but damtased

by both fos unutated cause.

d. An FBI report of 1960 utates that he calla

hmself ant Commantat but expresses the vlowe "of a

great admalrer of comsauadam"."

.. *

•. An INS report of 1961 liats hin addres, for

1956-19614s 118:09 '8IrdAve., Kew Cardens Longlued

New Tork,

lo A CIA report of 1961 liste him as & UN

correspondent then planning an unsponsored trip to East

Germany, Poland, Csechoslovabla, and Hungary. Dutch

correspondents sald that thay had yet to see a tory written

by him. When he applied for memberahip in the UN

correspondente anseciation, he was mable to produce a

lagle elfpping lauapport of the application: He travela

extensively, He has excellent contacte in all Communist

countries Including Cuba.

E. The Haague Post of 15 April 1951, with e

natlonwide rendership, characterised Oltmans as an

intimate friend of the then President of Indonesia, Sukarno,

and an having tried for five yoars to arrange contact.

for Sukarne In Holland.

h. An FBI report of 24 November 1961 restates

the above and adds that he had been separated or divorced

Irom his American wile 18 months earlier because "he li

not a roan". He was llving with a male at the time of the

1. An FBI report of 1 February 1962 Includes an

Intervlew with the ex-wife Frleda Bleling (she had remarried).

3

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She said that ber ex-husband and President Sukarao

were close friends and that he wrote to Sukarno at

least ence a week thronghout theis marriage. Around

1957 she and Oltmans lived at the Paramous Hotel.

New Tesk, for a time, The Indoneelen government

pald thels bill, which was more than $309. She sunt

Sukarna through her husband in May 1959 in Copenhagen.

At the time of the introduction Sularo cleared the

room of all advimors and bodyguaris, then said to ber,

"So you are Isteds. Vell., Iam Bukle." He tald hes

"ghat he looked forward to recelving his weekly messages

from her husband and that he always read them just

before he went to ninep while he was in bad " She sald

that ten minutes aftex her wedding ceremony with

Oltmans was over, the was alone. Her father, she

Inld, lored that Oltmas had a police record fos

molesting young boys in Arnterdam. She obtained i

Mexican divosce in 1960. She said that Oltmans 1e at

leant intellectually « Communiat and belleven Communam

to be the sconamle yater of the future.

J. HAGU-1365, 21 October 1966, maya Oltmas

wrot pro-bumumbe articles la 1960, vinited Cuba in 1962

and perhapa 1963, developed Isendly relations wish.

Chicoins it The Flague and may bave visited China In 1964.

In August 1966 be applied for a Chicom visa at The Hague.

k. An FBl report of 1& May 1967 ways that Oltrans

claimed to have written for Ramparts an article about CLA

In Indonesia. No such article has been found.

6. Reference & requelted background Information about

Garrison's mental health and performance as a public official. A

suramaty of derogatory information from overt U.S. media for the

past year (March 1967 to March 1968) has been complled in response.

A decision will soon be made as to whether part or all of this material

may be sent to/the Station]ior une by Dutch CA asseto.

SECT

ANOT

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Metribation:

Orig - DGI

1 - DDP, ADDP

1-Eir/Netherlande

1 - Office of General Counsel

1 - Office of Security

1 - C/C. DC/CI

1 • RA Chrone

1 - DP reporte file

5

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