Nexus - 0401 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

responding to a disturbance complaint at a club called The bad spy fiction, but his infamy stretched back to his role as one of Palomino—another pale horse.*'! Nichols said he was not the Watergate burglars and well before. Hunt had brought and involved in any disturbance but had only stopped in at the club for lost a defamation case against accusations that he had been a couple of beers. Further testimony and legal documents reflect- involved in the JFK assassination.* Like Fred Crisman, the asso- ed an impressive list of former business partners, including ciate of Riconosciuto's father, Hunt had been identified as one of Howard Hughes cohort Robert Maheu and Texas oil magnate the JFK railroad tramps,” and one former marine chum of Lee Clint Murchison.* Harvey Oswald suggested that Hunt's role in the assassination Casolaro may not have understood the possible danger of pos- involved brain implant technology.* Even without that distinc- sessing the information he had learned from Richard Stavin—that tion, Hunt certainly had been active in spook projects of the Nichols may have offered himself as a government stool- Kennedy era, most notably in the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. pigeon—or of mentioning what he knew to Nichols. If word of | Even as Casolaro developed a "cordial, even effusive" relation- his association with the Mafia and the ship with Hunt,*® he was taking Yakuza did leak out during their con- notes. versation, he may have perceived such _ Steinberg observed that by this In a memo, Steinberg observed information as being very dangerous . . that by this time Casolaro had fol- personally. Six days after talking to time Casolaro had followed the trail lowed the trail of the Inslaw and Stavin, Casolaro spoke again with i related stories "back to a dirty CIA Nichols. The following day, Casolaro of the Inslaw and related stories ‘Old Boy' network" that had begun informed Stavin that Nichols had "back to a dirty CIA ‘Old Boy’ working together in the 1950s warned him off the investigation. network" that had begun working around covert operations in Apparently, this time the warning . Albania. These men had gotten into bothered Casolaro. If he did reveal to together in the 1950s around covert the illegal gun and drug trade back Nichols what he had learned, he may operations in Albania. then and have continued in that have portrayed the information as business ever since. being unearthed by his own investiga- Martin Killian, a Washington cor- tions, not Stavin's. At about the same respondent for Der Spiegel, also time, he called FBI Agent Thomas Gates and asked whether he spoke to Casolaro about the conspiratorial entity that Casolaro should take seriously Nichols' warning that, "If you continue this was by now calling "the Octopus"—a cabal which Casolaro investigation, you will die." Despite this, Gates characterised believed had been started by CIA superspook James Jesus Casolaro as "upbeat, not like a person contemplating suicide". Angleton. Casolaro believed that the motive for creating the Octopus had been revenge for the notorious Albanian operation SEA CREATURE SURFACING which had been compromised by Soviet mole Kim Philby.” Tony On 8th May 1991, the Inslaw case was overturned on second Casolaro said that his brother did not see the Octopus as a tightly- appeal, on the technicality that it should not have been tried in structured organisation. "He didn't envision them as a group like Bankruptcy Court. The ruling came on the day before the Justice the Mafia. More as a network. They would overlap when their Department would have had to release all of its software to the needs coincided." Hamiltons.** The Hamiltons asked the Supreme Court to hear the The view reflected in Casolaro's notes was that "This is the case in October.* Octopus whose defensive posture could reap havoc anywhere in In mid-June 1991, Danny Casolaro met with Jeff Steinberg, the the world. Indeed, what you will learn in this true crime narrative Lyndon Larouche aide. Steinberg, who had earlier arranged the is a massive unraveling of modern history's most incredible contact between the Hamiltons and Michael Riconosciuto, puzzles.""' te Hema far 00 SEA CREATURE SURFACING On 8th May 1991, the Inslaw case was overturned on second appeal, on the technicality that it should not have been tried in Bankruptcy Court. The ruling came on the day before the Justice Department would have had to release all of its software to the Hamiltons.** The Hamiltons asked the Supreme Court to hear the case in October.* In mid-June 1991, Danny Casolaro met with Jeff Steinberg, the Lyndon Larouche aide. Steinberg, who had earlier arranged the contact between the Hamiltons and Michael Riconosciuto, arranged this time for Casolaro to talk to an informant who went by the odd name of CHIPS— a former Customs agent who was now assisting the Treasury Department. Steinberg believes that —™ CHIPS turned Casolaro's ( cine = investigations further in the direction of Robert Booth Nichols and toward adi the Gambino Mafia fami- We ly and drug trafficking. by Shortly thereafter, ary Casolaro made phone contact with E. Howard a Hunt**—a name that appeared on the 'A' list of - many conspiracy ——_ researchers. Of late, Hunt =~ a —~ had made a career writing NEXUS - 35 operations in Albania. DECEMBER 1996 - JANUARY 1997