The Wilderness of Mirrors

Summary

Who Killed JFK? Episode Summary: "The Wilderness of Mirrors"

In the episode titled "The Wilderness of Mirrors," hosted by Soledad O’Brien and Jefferson Morley, the podcast delves deep into the enigmatic world of CIA counterintelligence under James Jesus Angleton. This episode explores the intricate web of deception, manipulation, and possible connections between the CIA and Lee Harvey Oswald, shedding new light on one of America's most enduring mysteries: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

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1. Introduction to James Jesus Angleton and CIA Counterintelligence

Time Stamp: 01:45 – 03:32

The episode opens with an overview of James Jesus Angleton, the then-head of the CIA’s counterintelligence operations. Angleton was a pivotal figure in shaping the CIA's internal security measures and was instrumental in expanding the agency's reach during the Cold War.

Soledad O’Brien (01:45): "This is who killed JFK. 60 years later, what can we uncover about the greatest murder mystery in American history? And why does it still matter today? I'm your host, Soledad O'Brien."

Angleton's controversial dismissal in 1974, shortly after the Watergate scandal, marked a significant shift in the CIA's internal dynamics. His removal was triggered by revelations of massive domestic spying programs exposed by the New York Times, which detailed the CIA’s surveillance of anti-war activists and other dissident groups.

Jefferson Morley (02:09): "Colby made the decision after a front-page expose in the New York Times revealed that Angleton was running a massive domestic spying program."

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2. The Church Committee and CIA's Secret Abuses

Time Stamp: 03:02 – 03:57

Following Angleton's ousting, journalists and lawmakers intensified scrutiny of the CIA's clandestine activities. This scrutiny culminated in the formation of the Church Committee, a Senate committee led by Senator Frank Church of Idaho, tasked with investigating the CIA, NSA, FBI, and IRS.

Jefferson Morley (03:32): "Before and after the Cold War, these agencies were involved in global assassination conspiracies, infiltrating news programs, and conducting mind control experiments through programs like MK Ultra."

The Church Committee's final report in April 1976 unveiled a series of secret abuses, shocking the American public and highlighting the extent of the CIA's overreach in both domestic and international arenas.

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3. The Wilderness of Mirrors: Deception and Disinformation Tactics

Time Stamp: 04:12 – 10:18

Jefferson Morley introduces the concept of the "wilderness of mirrors," a term borrowed from T.S. Eliot, to describe the deceptive practices employed by the CIA and the KGB during the Cold War. This environment made it exceedingly difficult to distinguish reality from fabricated narratives.

Jefferson Morley (04:12): "Welcome to the counterintelligence world of James Jesus Angleton, a world he referred to as the wilderness of mirrors."

Angleton's strategy involved creating layers of information and disinformation, using a network of spies, informants, and double agents to manipulate perceptions and obscure the truth. This tactic was intended to protect American interests by confusing adversaries and controlling the narrative.

Jefferson Morley (08:26): "The better you lied and the more you betrayed, the more likely you would be promoted. I did things that in looking back on my life, I regret. But I was part of it and I loved being in it."
— James Angleton (08:26)

Angleton's approach fostered an environment of "organized paranoia," where suspicion was the norm, and verifying truth became nearly impossible.

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4. Lee Harvey Oswald: A CIA-Tracked Operative

Time Stamp: 04:33 – 12:20

The episode shifts focus to Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President Kennedy. Oswald's background reveals his complex interactions with intelligence agencies:

• Early Life and Military Service: Oswald enlisted in the Marines at 17 and later worked as a radar operator on U2 spy planes in Japan, obtaining a security clearance.

• Defection and Return: After defecting to the Soviet Union and marrying a Russian woman, Oswald returned to the United States with his family without renouncing his U.S. citizenship, allowing him to "slip under the radar."

Jefferson Morley (05:35): "It's possible. But don't forget, we are at the height of the Cold War. The fear of nuclear annihilation is hanging over our heads."

• CIA Surveillance: Angleton placed Oswald under close surveillance, tracking his activities and communications, as revealed by recently declassified CIA memos.

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5. Shepp Dipping Oswald: Manipulating His Narrative

Time Stamp: 12:20 – 19:27

George de Moreenshield's Role: George de Moreenshield, a CIA-connected oil executive, befriends Oswald upon his return to the U.S., effectively "sheep dipping" him—providing Oswald with a CIA operative status to manipulate his actions and public persona.

Jefferson Morley (12:30): "George de Maurinchild was a Russian speaker who worked for oil companies looking for petroleum all over the world."

Through de Moreenshield, Oswald is introduced to Ruth Payne, another CIA-adjacent individual with deep intelligence connections. This network ensures Oswald is embedded within CIA-influenced circles without direct agency oversight.

Fair Play for Cuba Committee: Oswald establishes a single-member chapter of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee in New Orleans, publicly aligning himself with pro-Castro sentiments, a strategic move orchestrated by the CIA to control his narrative.

Jefferson Morley (32:13): "Oswald's behavior with the Fair Play for Cuba Committee is kind of strange."

This façade serves to mask any covert operations or intelligence-driven motives, portraying Oswald as a disenchanted individual seeking recognition rather than a government-controlled operative.

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6. CIA Surveillance of Oswald's Communications

Time Stamp: 23:25 – 38:33

A significant revelation discussed in the episode is the CIA's interception and summarization of Oswald's mail, both during his time in the Soviet Union and after his return to the U.S. This surveillance was part of Angleton's broader strategy to monitor and influence individuals deemed critical to national security.

Jefferson Morley (38:09): "The Times story showed that not only was the CIA reading Oswald's mail while he was in the Soviet Union, when Oswald comes home, Efron writes a memo which he sends to his boss, which says Mrs. Edgeder in CIC will be interested."

Reuben Efron's Involvement: Reuben Efron, a CIA analyst and translator, was responsible for overseeing the mail surveillance of individuals on Angleton's list, including Oswald.

Jefferson Morley (37:29): "Angleton had a list of about 200 people whose mail he opened, copied, filed, and Oswald was one of those people starting from the week he went to the Soviet Union in 1959."

The existence of a CIA memo summarizing a letter between Oswald and his mother, revealed by Peter Baker of the New York Times in June 2023, underscores the agency's extensive monitoring efforts.

Soledad O’Brien (35:10): "They're staging this? How else would the public know that Oswald was pro Castro unless it was picked up by the press?"

This interception not only demonstrates the CIA's vigilance but also raises questions about the agency's intent to shape public perception of Oswald.

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7. Implications and Concluding Insights

Time Stamp: 39:21 – 39:36

The episode concludes by connecting the dots between Angleton's counterintelligence tactics and the possible manipulation of Oswald. As Angleton sought to dismantle pro-Castro elements within the United States, Oswald became an asset—or a pawn—in this covert operation.

Jefferson Morley (39:32): "And when Angleton needed someone in 1963 to play a role in his efforts to take down Castro, he tapped someone he knows, Lee Harvey Oswald."

The orchestration of events leading up to the JFK assassination through a controlled narrative underscores the complexities of intelligence operations and their intersection with pivotal historical events.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• James Angleton on Deception:

  "The better you lied and the more you betrayed, the more likely you would be promoted."
  — James Angleton (08:26)

• Jefferson Morley on Angleton's Power:

  "He could do virtually anything he wanted under the name of protecting America."
  — Jefferson Morley (09:02)

• George de Moreenshield on Conspiracy:

  "Somebody gave me Lee's address, and one afternoon I drove to Fort Worth, about 30 miles from Dallas."
  — George de Moreenshield (13:03)

• Jefferson Morley on Oswald's Role:

  "Oswald was about to be sent right, right into the thick of it."
  — Jefferson Morley (29:00)

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Conclusion

"The Wilderness of Mirrors" offers a compelling examination of the blurred lines between truth and deception within the CIA's counterintelligence operations. By highlighting James Angleton's influence and the possible manipulation of Lee Harvey Oswald, the episode invites listeners to reconsider established narratives surrounding the JFK assassination. The intertwining of intelligence tactics with historical events underscores the enduring complexity of uncovering the full truth behind America's most notorious political murder.

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Next Episode Preview: The podcast teaser hints at delving into the story of Richard Case Nagle, described as "the man who knew too much," suggesting further exploration into untold aspects of the JFK assassination conspiracy.

Transcript

[Soledad O'Brien]

To have a murder as gruesome as.

[Jefferson Morley]

Jay Beasley's doesn't happen very often down.

[Lauren Bright Pacheco]

Here in Marion, Illinois. An 11 year old girl brutally stabbed to death, her father's longtime live in girlfriend maintaining innocence but charged with her murder.

[Soledad O'Brien]

I am confident that Julie Beverly is guilty.

[Jefferson Morley]

They've never found a weapon, Never made sense.

[Danny Trehoving]

Still doesn't make sense.

[Lauren Bright Pacheco]

She found out she was pregnant in jail.

[Soledad O'Brien]

The person who did it is still out there.

[Lauren Bright Pacheco]

Listen to Murder on Songbird road on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or where you get your podcasts.

[Danny Trehoving]

You should probably keep your lights on for Nocturnal Tales from the Shadow. Join me Danny Trehov and Step into the Flames of Fright, an anthology podcast of modern day horror stories inspired by the most terrifying legends and lore of Latin America. Listen to nocturnum on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

[Jon Stewart]

Catch Jon Stewart back in action on the Daily show and in your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. From his hilarious satirical takes on today's politics and entertainment to the unique voices of correspondents and contributors, it's your perfect companion to stay on top of what's happening now. Plus, you'll get special content just for podcast listeners like in depth interviews and a roundup of the week's top headlines. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jefferson Morley]

In 1974, just months after the Watergate scandal ended with Richard Nixon's resignation, another man who for decades had also helped shape America's place in the world, was quietly dismissed from his job. William Colby, who was then the head of the CIA, fired spymaster James Jesus Angleton.

[Soledad O'Brien]

Colby made the decision after a front page expose in the New York Times revealed that Angleton was running a massive domestic spying program. The CIA was spying on 10,000Americans involved in the anti war movement and other dissident groups.

[Jefferson Morley]

Colby had been trying to get rid of Angleton for years, but Angleton was a bit of a legend. He was the head of counterintelligence for the CIA, and for better or for worse, he was one of the agency's founding fathers. Journalists who were hoping to be the next Woodward and Bernstein were all over this story. They wanted to know why. The buzz around Angleton's firing prompted the formation of a special Senate committee headed up by Idaho Senator Frank Church. And for the first time in the CIA's history, their dirty laundry was about to be exposed.

[Soledad O'Brien]

The Church committee published its final report In April of 1976 it revealed a trove of secret abuses at the hands of the CIA, nsa, FBI, and the irs. Before and after the Cold War, these agencies were involved in global assassination conspiracies, infiltrating news programs and conducting mind control experiments through programs like MK Ultra. The committee's revelations shocked Americans.

[Jefferson Morley]

We'll get into all of that over the next few episodes. But for now, what's important to understand is that in the 1960s, James Jesus Angleton had control over a network of spies, informants, and double agents that reached into the farthest corners of the globe. And the events that would be the cause of his dismissal were just getting underway.

[Soledad O'Brien]

This is who killed JFK. 60 years later, what can we uncover about the greatest murder mystery in American history? And why does it still matter today? I'm your host, Soledad O'Brien.

[Jefferson Morley]

Welcome to the counterintelligence world of James Jesus Angleton, a world he referred to as the wilderness of mirrors.

[Soledad O'Brien]

The term wilderness of mirrors points to the tactic of deception and disinformation that both the CIA and the KGB used against each other during the Cold War.

[Jefferson Morley]

It's a world where it's virtually impossible to tell what is reality and what is merely a reflection of reality. And our journey into the wilderness starts with Lee Harvey Oswald. So let's recap. Oswald was a disenchanted young man who found himself in a psychological study run by a doctor with connections to the CIA. At age 17, he enlisted in the Marines and was shipped to Japan, where he received a security clearance to work as a radar operator on U2 spy planes. Upon returning to the United States, he spent time at a base in California and another base in Nags Head, North Carolina, which focused on special operations. Then, after learning Russian, he defected to the Soviet Union. Two years later, he returned to the United States with his Russian wife and baby and was welcomed back with open arms. He was never questioned. Why?

[Soledad O'Brien]

Well, Oswald didn't actually renounce his U.S. citizenship when he was in Russia. It even though he tried at the embassy. So maybe they didn't take him all that seriously. Maybe they saw him and thought, eh, that guy, you know, he's all bark and no bite. There's this philosophical theory I know, you know, called Occam's Razor, right, that says the simplest answer is often the correct one. So if you apply that here, what if he's just a Communist sympathizer? What if he just defected? He just came back to the US and sort of slipped under the radar?

[Jefferson Morley]

It's possible. But don't forget, we are at the height of the Cold War. The fear of nuclear annihilation is hanging over our heads. Now, if you are willing to enter that wilderness of mirrors with me, by the time we exit, I think things will become clear. But I have to warn you, before things become clear, they will become confusing. And in fact, confusion is the point. So why don't we try to embrace the confusion and step into the wilderness of mirrors? During World War II, America had an intelligence gathering agency called the OSS. The Office of Strategic Services. The information that they were able to gather helped us win the war. The OSS was officially disbanded in 1945, but certain factions of their work continued. America's biggest enemy at the time was the Soviet Union. And for years they had been honing their skills of COVID intelligence operations. So in an effort to play catch up, the OSS was revamped into a full blown intelligence gathering agency in 1947. It was called the CIA. In the wake of its creation, President Harry Truman drafted directive to 10 2, which was a top secret memo that gave the CIA the green light to engage in different forms of warfare, including propaganda, sabotage and deadly covert operations against anyone it deemed, quote, hostile to the United States. Think of the 102 memo as marching orders into the dark arts of spycraft. And to protect the President, the CIA developed a practice called plausible deniability. If the President wasn't told about a particular secret plan, then he could plausibly deny having anything to do with it. Plausible deniability empowered the CIA to act without presidential approval. They would carry out missions with no awareness outside the agency. Accountability was intentionally clouded. Soledad, could you read this for me?

[Soledad O'Brien]

The better you lied and the more you betrayed, the more likely you would be promoted. I did things that in looking back on my life, I regret. But I was part of it and I loved being in it.

[Jefferson Morley]

That is a quote from James Angleton. Now, if you visualize a creepy secret agent from the 50s and 60s, you will see Angleton.

[Soledad O'Brien]

I can confirm that pictures of him show a lanky guy with thick glasses, hollow cheekbones and translucent looking skin.

[Jefferson Morley]

Angleton could do virtually anything he wanted under the name of protecting America.

He was the Chief of Counterintelligence, so he was in charge of defending the CIA. But that position required him, enabled him to do anything, and so there was no check on his power whatsoever.

[Soledad O'Brien]

That's our old friend Jefferson Morley, creator of JFKfacts.org, morley wrote the book on Angleton called the Ghost. Why do you call the book the Ghost?

[Jefferson Morley]

Because he was this invisible presence in the US Government that nobody could see. I mean, I think President Kennedy knew who Jim Angleton was, but not many people in the US Government knew what Angleton did.

[Soledad O'Brien]

Describe him.

[Jefferson Morley]

He was very charismatic intellectually. He had been an English major at Yale with a literary bent.

He, he was known as the poet's spy. His friend, the poet E.E. cummings, said the following about Angleton, quote, what a miracle of momentous complexity is the poet.

He was the spy as intellectual. He was a very creative thinker. People who knew him in his prime were very impressed and regarded him as really something of a genius. Counterintelligence has been described as organized paranoia. To catch spies, you have to be very suspicious of everybody.

He referred to his work as the wilderness of mirrors, a phrase that he borrowed from T.S. eliot. There was information, disinformation, secret agents and double agents. Anything to deceive the enemy, hide the CIA's tracks and create confusion. Confusion was his weapon of choice. And that confusion came into play when Oswald returned to the United States. Oswald, his Soviet wife Marina, and their infant child June, they land on the docks of Hoboken, New Jersey on June 13, 1962. There they're met by a man named Spaz Reikin. Rakin was a representative of the Traveler's Aid Society. Now I want you to take a look at this through the lens of James Angleton.

[Soledad O'Brien]

Okay.

[Jefferson Morley]

Spas. Reagan was not only a representative of the Traveler's Aid Society, he was also an official of the Anti Bolshevik Nations, a group with deep ties to US Intelligence, A fact that was totally ignored by the Warren Commission. Now understand that the Traveler's Aid Society wasn't there to massage Oswald's feet after his long trip. It was an anti communist organization that had direct ties to the CIA.

[Soledad O'Brien]

Oh, so he's pretty much welcomed back by the CIA.

[Jefferson Morley]

Right. And again, if you look at this through Angleton's eyes, Reagan is the perfect person to meet Oswald in order to make sure that his reentry into America goes smoothly. Reagan was somebody they could trust and couldn't be tied directly back to them. So Reagan helps the Oswalds get through customs and immigration, then sends them on their way to Fort Worth, Texas. In Fort Worth, Oswald meets a man named George de Moreenshield. Now I'm guessing that name doesn't ring any bells.

[Soledad O'Brien]

This is the first time you're hearing the name George de Moreenshield. He's key when we consider the movements of Lee Harvey Oswald on his return to the United States.

[Jefferson Morley]

George de Maurinchild was a Russian speaker who worked for oil companies looking for petroleum all over the world.

[Soledad O'Brien]

That's Jefferson Morley again.

[Jefferson Morley]

And so in 1962, he was living in Dallas, and he heard of this man who had returned from the Soviet Union, Lee Harvey Oswald. So they become good friends.

Don't you think it's odd that a wealthy, worldly, erudite, and much older man would become good friends with Lee Harvey Oswald?

[Soledad O'Brien]

De Morenshield told the journalist Edward Epstein, Quote, somebody gave me Lee's address, and one afternoon I drove to Fort Worth, about 30 miles from Dallas.

[Unknown]

De Morenshield told Epstein that a CIA operative, J. Walton Moore, was the person who gave him the address of Lee Harvey Oswald and suggested that he meet him, that he would be doing the CIA a favor.

[Soledad O'Brien]

De Moornschild told Epstein that J. Walton Moore asked him to find out about Oswald's time in the Soviet Union.

[Jefferson Morley]

And for essentially babysitting Oswald, Dumornschild was awarded a mineral contract from the Haitian government for $300,000.

[Soledad O'Brien]

De Morenschield told Epstein that he assumed this was because of the help de Morenshield had given to the CIA.

[Jefferson Morley]

When you think of people who work for the CIA, you think of people who work directly with the Agency, but it's not that simple. There are also people who are, for lack of a better term, CIA adjacent. They're assets. And these assets will do favors for the CIA. And sometimes they expect favors in return.

[Soledad O'Brien]

So that would describe George de Moreenshield.

[Jefferson Morley]

Yeah, Right. And as part of his babysitting duties, de Morenshield introduces the Oswalds to a friend of his. This is a woman named Ruth Payne who was supposedly interested in learning Russian.

[Soledad O'Brien]

Hmm, that's convenient. Dick Russell interviewed ruth Payne in 1976.

[Unknown]

The way that you first met the Oswalds was at that party, right?

[Jefferson Morley]

It was a private party.

[Unknown]

What was it about the Oswalds that you liked?

[Jefferson Morley]

I was especially interested in Marina as somebody who was native in Russia, and I didn't really talk to her much that evening, but I did their address.

And visited them at their apartment in Dallas.

[Unknown]

It's important to know who Ruth Payne is. Her sister was a CIA operative, although that was hidden and then denied for decades. Her father was employed by the United States Agency for International Development.

[Soledad O'Brien]

For decades, there's been suspicion that the U.S. agency for International Development was a Cold War policy tool created in 1961 to implement CIA operations around the world.

[Unknown]

Ruth Payne's husband and other family members had intelligence connections as well. In 1967. When the district attorney from New Orleans, Jim Garrison tried a case that questioned the Warren Commission's findings, he tried to get the Payne's tax returns and he was told they were classified. Another little tidbit. Ruth's best friend Mary Bancroft was Alan Dulles mistress.

[Jefferson Morley]

Because of her friendship with the Oswalds, Ruth Payne was a key witness for the Warren Commission. In her testimony, she was asked by Allen Dulles what she suspected Oswald's motive might have been. She said that she always felt that Oswald saw himself as a small person and that he wanted to be greater and to be noticed. George de Morenshield also testified to the Warren Commission and left out many of the key details that he would share later on in his life. Details that may have caused severe damage to the lone gunman case that the Warren Commission was trying to build.

[Unknown]

And during the time of his testimony, an eyewitness saw de Morenshield having private lunches with Allen Dulles.

[Soledad O'Brien]

It's like Allen Dulles is everywhere.

[Jefferson Morley]

Yes, he was controlling the flow of information in and out of the Warren Commission. So it should come as no surprise that the Warren Report went out of its way to conclude that the Morinshield had no connection to the CIA. But three years later, in 1967, New Orleans district Attorney Jim Garrison interviewed the Moorenschield and discovered that not only was he connected to the CIA, he was hired by them to look after Oswald. And after talking with Garrison, de Moreenshield started to change his public stance.

What's interesting about de Moreenshield is that he testified to the Warren Commission and really was influential in depicting Oswald as a man who could have killed President Kennedy. De Morenshield came to regret that later in life and he believed that he was mistaken and that Oswald did not kill the President.

De Mornchield wrote about that in his book which was titled Lee Harvey Oswald as I Knew Him.

[Soledad O'Brien]

It's one of the first books written by someone who had a personal relationship with Oswald.

[Jefferson Morley]

After the book was published, de Morenshield started talking to the press.

[Unknown]

I interviewed George de Morenschield twice in 1976. And I remember he said, of course we know it was a vast conspiracy. And his wife tried to shut him up. And then he stood up and started walking around the room saying, it's defiling a corpse. It's defiling a corpse. Oswald had nothing to do with it. It was remarkable to see him like this. He was really upset. He was revealing something huge. And I wasn't the only person he said that to.

[Jefferson Morley]

He was talking to Edward Epstein, a journalist who had written about the Kennedy assassination.

[Soledad O'Brien]

That's Jefferson Morley again.

[Jefferson Morley]

De Moore and Schilk said that he was quite certain Oswald did not kill the President and that he was indeed what he said he was, a patsy.

He also said, quote, I would never have contacted Oswald in a million years if Moore had not sanctioned it.

[Soledad O'Brien]

That's J. Walton Moore, his CIA contact.

[Jefferson Morley]

Right. He said he wouldn't have reached out to befriend Oswald unless he was instructed to.

[Unknown]

Epstein's interview with De Moran Shield happened 14 years after Kennedy's assassination. And it was the final interview that Damor and Shield would ever give.

[Jefferson Morley]

To have a murder as gruesome as Jay Beasley's doesn't happen very often down.

[Lauren Bright Pacheco]

Here in Marion, Illinois. An 11 year old girl brutally stabbed to death. Her father's longtime live in girlfriend maintaining innocence but charged with her murder.

[Soledad O'Brien]

I am confident that Julie Begley is guilty.

[Jefferson Morley]

This case, the more I learned about it, the more I'm scratching my head. Something's not right.

[Lauren Bright Pacheco]

I'm Lauren Bright. Pacheco Murder on Songbird Road dives into the conviction of a mother of four who remains behind bars and the investigation that put her there. I have not seen this level of corruption anywhere. It's sickening.

[Jefferson Morley]

If you step sleep that many times, you have blood splatter was to change clothes.

[Lauren Bright Pacheco]

She found out she was pregnant. In jail, she wasn't treated like she.

[Jefferson Morley]

Was an innocent human being at all.

[Soledad O'Brien]

Which is just horrific. Nobody has gotten justice yet and that's what I wish people would understand.

[Lauren Bright Pacheco]

Listen to Murder on Songbird road on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jon Stewart]

Jon Stewart is back in the host chair at the Daily show, which means he's also back in our ears on the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. The Daily show podcast has everything you need to stay on top of today's news and pop culture. You get hilarious satirical takes on entertainment, politics, sports and more from John and the team of correspondents and contributors. The podcast also has content you can't get anywhere else, like extended interviews and a roundup of the weekly headlines. Listen to the Daily Show Ears edition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danny Trehoving]

Welcome. I'm Danny Thrill. Won't you join me at the fire and dare enter Nocturnu Tales from the Shadows presented by iheart and Sonoru. An anthology of modern day horror stories inspired by the legends of Latin America. From ghastly encounters with shape shifters to bone chilling brushes with supernatural creatures. Take a trip and experience the horrors that have haunted Latin America since the beginning of time. Listen to no Tales from the Shadows as part of Michael Tura Podcast Network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Soledad O'Brien]

So let's set the stage, because with all of these moving parts, it gets very confusing.

[Jefferson Morley]

Okay, so the first few months of 1963 are very tough for Oswald.

So he returns from the Soviet Union, he gets a job, he loses a job, having trouble with his wife, and in April 1963, he leaves Dallas and he decides to go to New Orleans, where he had grown up.

In New Orleans, he gets a job at a place called the Riley Coffee.

[Unknown]

Company, which is owned by William Riley, a supporter of CIA efforts against Castro. Documents show us that Riley had a relationship with the CIA for years.

[Jefferson Morley]

So we're seeing the same pattern, the same kind of thing we saw with Demorenshield In Dallas, Oswald is secretly introduced to another CIA connected guy whose Riley Coffee Company is located right next to the local FBI, CIA, Naval Intelligence and Secret Service offices. And it's here in New Orleans where Oswald is about to get sheep dipped.

[Soledad O'Brien]

Sheep dipped? What does that mean?

[Jefferson Morley]

Sheep dipped is a term of art in the intelligence world. That means coding someone to give them CIA operative status. It's a tactic of deception. It gives the appearance that a person is someone other than who he really is.

[Soledad O'Brien]

So how would that even work?

[Jefferson Morley]

By using assets of the Agency to build a narrative around that person. You're carefully led into a new identity, and it's all documented. You yourself may not know where this new identity will lead, but when it's finished, you'll have the bona fides of someone to appear completely legitimate. And the plan for Oswald in New Orleans was to sheep dip him in order to make him look like he was a pro Castro Communist.

[Soledad O'Brien]

Couldn't he just be a pro Castro Communist?

[Jefferson Morley]

If you think that the poet spy has succeeded.

[Soledad O'Brien]

The poet spy, if you'll remember, is James Jesus Angleton, head of CIA Counterintelligence and the wilderness of mirrors we're in. It's the world he created.

[Jefferson Morley]

We know. Angleton's tactics employ CIA adjacent people, assets that have enough distance from the Agency that they can deny knowing them. Then send these people to look after someone the Agency is interested in, pick them up at the airport, help them get a job to manipulate this person they're interested in without being traced back.

[Soledad O'Brien]

To what end?

[Jefferson Morley]

Angleton was obsessed With Cuba. He wanted to take down Castro. And this was not in line with the President's agenda.

[Soledad O'Brien]

After the Cuban Missile crisis, if you remember, Kennedy realized taking a hard line against Cuba could lead to an all out nuclear war. So he started back channel communications with Khrushchev and Castro to find a path to peace.

[Unknown]

But Angleton didn't see that as an obstacle. He said, and I am quoting here, it is inconceivable that a secret intelligence arm of the government has to comply with all the overt orders of the government. He thought it completely fair game that the CIA, the secret intelligence arm of the United States, could have their own set of rules and directives.

[Jefferson Morley]

So while Kennedy was trying to forge a path to peace, the CIA was conducting major anti Castro operations out of New Orleans and Miami. They sent boats to harass Cuban ships, they ran guns to exile groups. They even had training camps where they were helping the exiles prepare to mount another invasion. Bill Harvey, the CIA agent who had been demoted and sent to Rome after the Cuban Missile Crisis, played a big part in all of this.

[Unknown]

Bill Harvey created and led something called ZR Rifle. This was a CIA program designed to assassinate foreign leaders.

[Soledad O'Brien]

It wouldn't be until the 1980s that we learned how the CIA had a hand in overthrowing governments in the 1950s and 60s, including Iran, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, the Congo. This often included the assassination of the leader in charge. This is some of the dirty laundry we mentioned earlier.

[Jefferson Morley]

The CIA wanted to use that same force in an attempt to assassinate Fidel Castro. And Bill Harvey was at the head of it.

[Unknown]

To understand Harvey's stance toward Cuba, read a segment of this 17 page memo that he sent to Dick Helms who was running covert operations for the CIA at the time.

[Soledad O'Brien]

It goes, quote, the assurance of no invasion and no support of invasion will in effect constitute giving Castro and his regime a certain degree of sanctuary.

[Jefferson Morley]

His belief was that every day that passed that we didn't try to invade Cuba would make Castro grow stronger. Essentially he's saying if you're not trying to kill him, you're emboldening him. And in many people's minds, the one emboldening him the most was President Kennedy.

[Soledad O'Brien]

A declassified document reveals that Bill Harvey sent his memo to the head of the CIA in November 1962.

[Unknown]

Six months later, in May of 1963, Angleton published a 27 page paper of his own on the topic of Cuba.

[Soledad O'Brien]

This was just about seven months before the assassination of President Kennedy and within weeks of Oswald's decision to move to New Orleans.

[Unknown]

Angleton's paper was called Cuban Control and Action Capabilities. And it's important to understand who received this paper. The Pentagon, the CIA, the nsa, the intelligence chiefs of the State Department, Army, Navy and Air Force, and the Justice Department.

[Jefferson Morley]

And guess who didn't receive this paper?

[Soledad O'Brien]

The President.

[Jefferson Morley]

Bingo.

[Unknown]

Angleton didn't send it to the White House, to his National Security Council, or to the President's brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy. And there's one thing that becomes particularly interesting in hindsight.

[Jefferson Morley]

The Fair Play for Cuba Committee.

[Unknown]

The Fair Play for Cuba Committee.

[Danny Trehoving]

The Fair Play for Cuba Committee.

[Soledad O'Brien]

If you're taking notes, put a big red circle around the Fair Play for Cuba Committee.

[Jefferson Morley]

The Fair Play for Cuba Committee was a real organization. They had chapters around the country with hundreds of members. Their goal was to provide grassroots support for Cuba in America.

[Unknown]

In Angleton's eyes, members of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee were pro Castro agents in the United States. This is exactly what Angleton spent his career trying to protect America against. And so in order to better understand the organization and hopefully stop them, he needed information.

[Jefferson Morley]

And Oswald was about to be sent right, right into the thick of it. To have a murder as gruesome as Jake Beasley's doesn't happen very often down.

[Lauren Bright Pacheco]

Here in Marion, Illinois. An 11 year old girl brutally stabbed to death. Her father's longtime live in girlfriend maintaining innocence but charged with her murder.

[Soledad O'Brien]

I am confident that Julie Beverly is guilty.

[Jefferson Morley]

This case, the more I learned about.

It, the more I'm scratching my head.

Something's not right.

[Lauren Bright Pacheco]

I'm Lauren Bright Pacheco. Murder on Songbird Road. Dives into the conviction of a mother of four who remains behind bars and the investigation that put her there. I have not seen this level of corruption anywhere. It's sickening.

[Jefferson Morley]

If you stab somebody that many times, you'd have blood splatter. Where's the change of clothes?

[Lauren Bright Pacheco]

She found out she was pregnant in jail. She wasn't treated like she was an.

[Jefferson Morley]

Innocent human being at all, which is just horrific.

[Soledad O'Brien]

Nobody has gotten justice yet. And that's what I wish people would understand.

[Lauren Bright Pacheco]

Listen to Murder on Songbird road on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jon Stewart]

Jon Stewart is back in the host chair at the Daily show, which means he's also back in our ears on the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. The Daily show podcast has everything you need to stay on top of today's news and pop culture. You get hilarious satirical takes on entertainment, politics, sports and more from John and the team. Of correspondents and contributors. The podcast also has content you can't get anywhere else, like extended interviews and a roundup of the weekly headlines. Listen to the Daily Show Ears edition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danny Trehoving]

Welcome, I'm Danny Thrill. Won't you join me at the fire and dare enter. Nocturnal Tales from the Shadows presented by I Heart and Sonoro. An anthology of modern day horror stories inspired by the legends of of Latin America. From ghastly encounters with shape shifters to bone chilling brushes with supernatural creatures. Take a trip and experience the horrors that have haunted Latin America since the beginning of time. Listen to no Tales from the Shadows as part of Michael Tura Podcast Network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

[Jefferson Morley]

Oswald arrived in New Orleans at almost the exact time that Angleton sent out his Cuban paper. And one of the first things that Oswald does is is form a local chapter of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee. And guess how many members there were in this chapter?

[Soledad O'Brien]

A hundred.

[Jefferson Morley]

You're close. One. Just one. Just Oswald. Nobody else.

Oswald's behavior with the Fair Play for Cuba Committee is kind of strange. In his time in New Orleans, he doesn't spend any time with people who support gastro.

This is Oswald being sheep dipped. A narrative is being created around him.

[Soledad O'Brien]

And what does Oswald know at this point?

[Jefferson Morley]

Probably very little. I mean, he knows he's connected to an intelligence community for some purpose. But I would bet anything that if Lee Harvey Oswald were alive today, and you asked him that at that moment, what did he think he was part of? I don't think he would even know.

[Unknown]

After he started his chapter of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, Oswald visited a man named Carlos Bringir who ran an anti Castro group called the Cuban Student Directorate. Memos have surfaced that show this group was organized and funded by the CIA.

[Soledad O'Brien]

What did Oswald want with him?

[Unknown]

Oswald told Carlos Bringiere that he was an ex Marine who despised communism and was willing to help train Cuban exiles.

[Soledad O'Brien]

So wait a minute. Oswald is starting the pro Castro Fair Play for Cuba committee and at the same time he's offering help in training anti Castro exiles. Didn't you say the New Orleans branch of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee was funded by the CIA?

[Jefferson Morley]

I did. But remember, so was Carlos Bringuer's student group. And his group was not only funded by the CIA, it was run by George Johanides. Remember him? Joannidis was the former CIA agent who sabotaged the investigation led by the House Select Committee on Assassinations.

[Unknown]

After meeting with Bryngier, Oswald goes to a very anti Castro area of New Orleans and starts handing out leaflets for the Fair Play for Cuba Committee.

[Jefferson Morley]

There are photos of this. In some of those photos, you can actually see a known CIA operator in the background. Here's a guy who's standing on a street corner in New Orleans handing out leaflets for the Fair Play for Cuba Committee. And who is filming that? And why is that even being filmed? If you want the public to know something about something, you have to create some kind of event that would make news. So while handing out these pro Castro.

Leaflets, four members of the Cuban Student Directorate confronted him, grabbed his pamphlets, threw him in the air, started shouting at him, and you know, it was about to be a fight and two cops came in and arrested them all.

The local radio station, wdsu jumped all over it.

[Soledad O'Brien]

The reporter, a guy named William Kurt Stuckey from wdsu, named the Fair Play for Cuba Committee in his report and named Lee Harvey Oswald. So what would be the implication of that?

[Jefferson Morley]

They're staging this? How else would the public know that Oswald was pro Castro unless it was picked up by the press? It had to be documented.

[Unknown]

Oswald was getting sheep dipped as a pro Castro agent. And at the same time, the Fair Play for Cuba Committee was being made to look weak.

[Jefferson Morley]

Oswald and the Cubans are all arrested. They're taken into the police station. Oswald, the first thing he does is ask for an FBI agent. Why would a leftist supporter of Fidel Castro ask to see an FBI agent?

Because it was all theater and Oswald was in the lead role.

[Soledad O'Brien]

To this day, the CIA denies their connection to Oswald. Despite everything we know, some of which we've covered so far in this series, they claim to have had very minimal awareness of Oswald and no direct connection. In June 2023, Peter Baker of the New York Times published a story revealing new details about the CIA and their relationship with Oswald. The story covered a CIA memo from June of 1962 that summarized the contents of a letter between Lee Harvey Oswald and his mother.

[Jefferson Morley]

This letter was intercepted and read by the CIA when it was originally sent. So right there we have another piece of documentation of the fact that the CIA was fully aware and tracking Lee Harvey Oswald.

[Soledad O'Brien]

Now, apparently the existence of this CIA memo wasn't news. Assassination researchers have known that this memo existed for decades. The news that the New York Times was breaking in their story was about the author of this memo, which strikes me as odd that it was more important to the CIA to hide the identity of the person who wrote the memo than the existence of the memo itself. But now that we have a basic understanding of the wilderness of mirrors and the fact that things in this world are often not what they seem, I wanted to talk to someone that could help me understand what the CIA was up to and the significance of the name that the Times uncovered. So we asked Jefferson Morley to join us once again. So, Jeff, who was the CIA agent who was reading Oswald's mail and who was he sending these summaries to?

[Jefferson Morley]

Reuben ephron was a CIA analyst and translator. He's worked for the CIA since 1955. He was in charge of reading the mail of people who were picked by James Angleton. So Angleton had a list of about 200 people whose mail he opened, copied, filed, and Oswald was one of those people starting from the week he went to the Soviet Union in 1959.

[Soledad O'Brien]

So it was known that Mr. Efron's role was to surveil the mail of people that Angleton had on this select list. What is it about this memo that stands out?

[Jefferson Morley]

The Times story showed that not only was the CIA reading Oswald's mail while he was in the Soviet Union, when Oswald comes home, Efron writes a memo which he sends to his boss, which says Mrs. Edgeder in CIC will be interested.

[Soledad O'Brien]

CIC is the Counterintelligence Special Investigations Group.

[Unknown]

CIC was so secret that almost nobody in the CIA other than Dulles, Angleton, and the people that worked in SIG knew it even existed.

[Jefferson Morley]

The fact that Oswald's file is controlled at that highest level of the CIA is extremely noteworthy. So what the Time story shows is that not only were they reading his mail, but after he returned to the United States, they were paying close attention.

[Soledad O'Brien]

To him and that they would be the poet's spy.

[Jefferson Morley]

Angleton knew all about Oswald, and if you start to connect the dots, when Angleton needed someone in 1963 to play a role in his efforts to take down Castro, he tapped someone he knows, Lee Harvey Oswald.

[Soledad O'Brien]

Next episode on who Killed jfk? We meet Richard Case Nagle, also known as the man who knew too much.

[Jefferson Morley]

By sheer accident, he stumbled on the.

[Danny Trehoving]

Fact that there was an assassination seriously planned.

[Jon Stewart]

And then at his preliminary, he says, well, I'm glad you caught me. He says, I really don't want to be in Dallas.

[Jefferson Morley]

And I says, well, what do you mean by. And he says, you'll not soon enough.

[Soledad O'Brien]

Who Killed JFK is hosted by Rob Reiner and me, Soledad O'Brien. And our executive producers are Rob Reiner, Michelle Reiner, Matt George, Jason English, David Hoffman and me, Soledad O'Brien. Our writer is David Hoffman with research by Dick Russell. Our story editors are Rob Reiner and Julie Pinero. Our senior producer is Julie Pinero. Our producers are Tristan Nash, Dick Russell, Michelle Goldfine and Amari Lee. Our editors are Tristan Nash, Julie pinero and Marcus DeLauro. Our project manager is Carol Klein. Archival Audio in this episode thanks to Dick Russell. Our associate producer is Emilse Kiros. Mixing mastering and sound design by Ben Lahoulier. Music by APM Research and fact checking by Girl Friday and Emilse Quiros. Business affairs by Hinan Nadea and Jonathan Furman. Consulting producer is Rosanne Galagini. Recorded in part at CDM Studio and 4th Street Recording Studio. Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Production assistance by Rocco Del Prior and Grace Barron. Special thanks to Joe Honig, Rose Arce and Dan Storper. If you're enjoying the show, leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. Who Killed JFK is a production of Soledad O'Brien Productions and I Heart Podcasts to have a murder as gruesome as.

[Jefferson Morley]

Jade Beasley's doesn't happen very often down.

[Lauren Bright Pacheco]

Here in Marion, Illinois. An 11 year old girl brutally stabbed to death, her father's longtime live in girlfriend maintaining innocence but charged with her murder.

[Soledad O'Brien]

I am confident that Julie Beverly is guilty.

[Jefferson Morley]

They've never found a weapon, never made sense.

[Danny Trehoving]

Still doesn't make sense.

[Lauren Bright Pacheco]

She found out she was pregnant in jail.

[Soledad O'Brien]

The person who did it is still out there.

[Lauren Bright Pacheco]

Listen to Murder on Songbird road on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danny Trehoving]

You should probably keep your lights on for Nocturnal Tales from the Shadow. Join me, Danny Trehoving and step into the flames of Fright and then anthology podcast of modern day horror stories inspired by the most terrifying legends and lore of Latin America. Listen to nocturnal on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

[Jon Stewart]

Jon Stewart is back at the Daily show and he's bringing his signature wit and insight straight to your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Dive into John's unique take on the biggest topics in politics, entertainment, sports and more. Joined by the sharp voices of the show's correspondents and contributors, and with extended interviews and exclusive weekly headline roundups, this podcast gives you content you won't find anywhere else. Ready to laugh and stay informed, listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.