Opinion ID: 614361
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Raid

Text: A few documents address the raid itself. The first is a memorandum from Hawley to FBI Director Hoover on February 16, 1962. Hawley recounts that during the night of February 15-16, the main plant and warehouse of Philippine Tobacco's flue-curing and re-drying operation burned to the ground, and that arson was strongly suspected. Philippine Tobacco provided illegal tobacco to U.S. Tobacco. According to Hawley the fire probably destroyed large portion of evidence of illegal tobacco dealing. Hawley wrote that Lukban had inferred from the fire that Stonehill knew of the NBI investigation, and that Lukban therefore wanted to act quickly. He scheduled the raid and arrest for February 24. Hawley sent a memorandum to Hoover a week later, on February 23, 1962. He wrote, Lukban advised today planned raid instant matter delayed for further preparation. No date set. Hawley sent a final pre-raid memorandum to Hoover a week later, on March 2, 1962. He wrote: The raids planned on the Stonehill companies including U.S. Tobacco Corporation for February 24, 1962, are now to be put into effect on March 3, 1962. During the course of these raids they said effort will be made to obtain documents relating to the import of the tobacco paper through the subject and Universal New York [i.e. the BLA criminal case]. If any discrepancies appear as alleged by MENHART SPIELMAN a substantial case will be in the making. It is anticipated that large masses of papers and files will be accumulated in the raids, photographed, and returned because it is presumed that STONEHILL will use every legal device to protect his interests. Both DIOKNO and LUKBAN are very aware of the Bureau's interest in these matters and will advise of any pertinent developments. The crucial document concerning the lead-up to the raid is the Picture Folder. Through FOIA requests, Taxpayers were able to obtain not only the two pages introduced during Chandler's testimony at the 1967 suppression hearing, but also a further sketch and the twenty-two photographs that the second page had referenced. The sketch depicts two buildings, marked at various places with circled numbers one through twenty-two. On the side of the sketch is written, US Tobacco Co. and Note: Numbers indicate the point of view of the corresponding pictures. The handwriting is not Chandler's. The twenty-two photographs depict several buildings from different angles. They are clearly the photographs referenced both by one of the pages introduced in the original suppression hearing and by the sketch uncovered through FOIA. Several of the photographs have notes or instructions written on them in Lukban's handwriting. In reference to one door, Lukban wrote: To be thoroughly searched. break open.  (Emphasis in original.) Nearly all of the other comments are identifications of what is stored in specific places in the buildings, or whose offices are in the buildings. The documents just described make several things clear. First, given that Hawley sent a memorandum on March 2 informing Hoover that the raid was planned for the next day, it is clear that Hawley lied in his deposition when he said that he did not know about the timing of the raid until he read about it in The Manila Times the next morning. Second, the documents show a keen U.S. interest in the raid, and they show at least an informal agreement that Lukban would make an effort to obtain documents useful to the United States in its tax case and possible criminal case. However, they also demonstrate that it was Lukban and the NBI who were organizing and planning the raid. There is nothing to suggest that Hawley or Chandler was involved in selecting the date. Indeed Hawley, who was always very diligent about sending updates to FBI headquarters in Washington, did not inform Hoover of the date of the raid until the day before the raid occurred. Third, although the Picture Book demonstrates that Chandler wrote notes that were used by Lukban to identify targets for the raid, it is not clear how the now-complete Picture Book demonstrates Chandler's involvement any more than did the two pages from the Picture Book introduced in the district court during the original suppression hearing. Finally, none of the documents contradicts Chandler's testimony that he was simply recording information given to him by Spielman.