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In reply to the discussion: Mass Media ignoring 'RFK Believed in Conspiracy' shows corrupt nature of America's Press [View all]Octafish
(55,745 posts)279. Philip Zelikow and Max Holland spring to mind.
I've written a bit on Mr. Zelikow and Mr. Holland's opus on their work on the "Kennedy Tapes."
More on how they are relevant to the media coverage:
Jim Garrison, the KGB, and the CIA
An open letter to Foreign Affairs magazine
by Oliver Stone
The Nation magazine, August 5 /12, 2002
Last fall, Nation contributing editor Max Holland wrote an article for the ClA publication Studies in Intelligence asserting that former New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison was duped by a KGB disinformation operation that led him, along with most Americans, to believe that the CIA had been involved in the assassination of President Kennedy.
This spring, Foreign Affairs magazine published a generous review of Hollands article. As co-writers of the film JFK, we sent a reply to Foreign Affairs. The editors refused to publish it. We offered to pay for an ad, but Foreign Affairs again refused.
For the record, here is our reply:
Dear Editors of Foreign Affairs
Philip Zelikow's review of Max Holland's recent article in the CIA publication Studies in Intelligence is a disservice to your readers. Zelikow uncritically accepts Holland's theory that a KGB disinformation operation back in 1967 is at the root of most Americans' current belief that the CIA was involved in the assassination of President Kennedy.
Holland's thesis rests on one unproven premise: that the KGB planted a false story in March 1967 in Paese Sera, an Italian leftwing newspaper. The story reported that Clay Shaw, then recently charged with conspiracy to assassinate the President, was a board member of Centro Mondiale Comerciale (CMC), an organization that had been forced out of Italy amid charges that it was a CIA money-laundering front.
The problem Zelikow ignores is that Holland's only evidence to support his premise is one handwritten note by a KGB defector named Vasili Mitrokhin that "refers to a disinformation scheme in 1967 that involved Paese Sera and resulted in publication of a false story in New York." The note, supposedly summarizing a KGB document that Holland has never seen, does not mention Clay Shaw, Centro Mondiale Comerciale, Jim Garrison, or any specific New York publication.
Holland speculates that the New York publication may have been the National Guardian, which based an article on the Paese Sera series. But one short article in an obscure left-wing weekly that routinely picked up stories from the international press does not seem like much of an accomplishment for a KGB disinformation operation. There is no evidence that the Guardian article was picked up anywhere else in the U.S.
Rather than speculate, Holland might have tried to interview the editors of Paese Sera who were responsible for the articles on Centro Mondiale Comerciale, as scholar Joan Mellen has done for her forthcoming biography of Garrison. They would have told him that the six-part series had nothing to do with the KGB or the JFK assassination, that they had never heard of Jim Garrison when they assigned the story six months before, and that they were astonished to see that Shaw might have any connection to the assassination. The articles were actually assigned in the wake of a right-wing coup in Greece and were intended to prevent such a coup in Italy.
Holland says "everything in the Paese Sera story was a lie." His evidence? A recently released CIA document saying that the Agency itself looked into Paese Sera's allegations. and found that the CIA had no connection to CMC or its parent Permindex. Holland may be willing to accept this as the whole truth, but it is unconvincing to the rest of us who have noticed the Agency's tendency to distance itself from its fronts, to release to the public only documents that serve its interest, to fabricate evidence, and to lie outright even under oath to congressional committees.
Two important facts from the Paese Sera story remain true:
1. CMC was forced to leave Italy (for Johannesburg, South Africa) in 1962 under a cloud of suspicion about its CIA connections.
2. Clay Shaw was a member of CMC's board, along with such well-known fascist sympathizers as Gutierrez di Spadaforo, undersecretary of agriculture for Mussolini; Ferenc Nagy, former premier of Hungary, and Giuseppe Zigiotti, president of the Fascist National Association for Militia Arms.
Holland claims that the Paese Sera articles were what led Garrison to believe the CIA was involved in the assassination. This is nonsense. Garrison's book On the Trail of the Assassins describes in detail how his uncovering of various pieces of evidence actually led him to the conclusion that the CIA was involved. This gradual process began two days after the assassination when he questioned David Ferrie, a pilot who flew secret missions to Cuba for the CIA and trained Lee Harvey Oswald in his Civil Air Patrol unit. It included his investigation of a 1961 raid of a munitions cache by CIA operatives in Houma, Louisiana; the discovery that several of Oswald's co-workers at Reily Coffee Company in New Orleans now worked at NASA; the fact that Oswald was working out of an office that was running the CIA's local training camp for Operation Mongoose; many eyewitnesses who saw Clay Shaw, David Ferrie and Oswald together, etc. No doubt the Paese Sera series was another piece of the puzzle for Garrison, but it was not the centerpiece of his thinking that Holland makes it out to be.
From the moment his investigation of the JFK assassination became public, Garrison was pilloried in the press. This treatment was part of an orchestrated effort by the CIA to discredit critics of the Warren Commission. A CIA memo dated April 1, 1967, never mentioned by Holland or Zelikow, outlines the strategy and calls for the Agency's "assets" in the media (writers and editors) to publish stories saying the critics were politically motivated, financially motivated, egomaniacal, sloppy in their research, supported the Soviet Union, etc. This is exactly the inaccurate portrait of Garrison that emerged in the press.
With the publication of Holland's recent article attempting to link Jim Garrison to the KGB, the CIA continues to pursue this misguided strategy of smearing Garrison and other critics of the Warren Commission. Fortunately, the American public has never bought the tired old lie that the CIA's misadventures can be written off as figments of KGB disinformation. Too bad your critic did.
- Oliver Stone and Zachary Sklar co-writers of the film JFK
SOURCE:
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/CIA/JGarrison_KGB_CIA_OStone.html
More on how Dr. Zelikow and Mr. Holland are relevant in this selection from DU's archives:
Everybody knows Rush Limbaugh. Who ever heard of Phil Zelikow?
And here:
Glenn Greenwald vs. Cass Sunstein - Battle Royal, in their own words!
And here:
Philip Zelikow IMAGINING THE TRANSFORMING EVENT December 1998
There are many, many more, of course.
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Mass Media ignoring 'RFK Believed in Conspiracy' shows corrupt nature of America's Press [View all]
Octafish
Feb 2013
OP
Mass media has been ignoring lots of inconvenient truths. For a long time. nt
kelliekat44
Mar 2013
#289
Yet run-away-brides and other such "news" must be investigated and theorized at every angle.
shcrane71
Feb 2013
#59
Who reported JFK ordered CIA, Joint Chiefs to shelve first-strike nuclear war plans for 1963?
Octafish
Feb 2013
#213
Until I looked out the window on the actual floor I thought the shot was impossible. Now I know.....
Logical
Feb 2013
#5
Ever read Craig Roberts' book, "Kill Zone: A Sniper Looks at Dealey Plaza"?....
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#21
Many people have recreated this shot with no trouble at all. Here is some descriptions....
Logical
Feb 2013
#42
I'll stick with the statements made by guys who were actual snipers and had performed under less....
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#45
People love thinking a lone gunman could not do this. It scares them. But it is the truth. n-t
Logical
Feb 2013
#46
Funny, I thought we were discussing the JFK assassination. If you want to discuss....
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#69
So the single bullet theory is what your whole argument is based on? Really? Because I can....
Logical
Feb 2013
#103
How sad for you that you actually believe Specter's Folly. Good luck and so long! nt.
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#136
Oswald had a Top Secret Crypto clearance at the time he was stationed in Japan as....
OldDem2012
Mar 2013
#286
JFK wore a back brace....that kept him upright in the limo. Additionally, I don't see JFK waving
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#70
I'm sorry, I guess JFK didn't get the memo as to what he should do with his arm. nt.
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#83
Yeah....that would ruin that whole Warren Commission thing, wouldn't it? nt.
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#138
Ah, yes, the same HSCA report that ultimately concluded that there were at least two shooters,
MadHound
Feb 2013
#97
The same HSCA report which concluded that Oswald fired all the shots which struck JFK
nyquil_man
Feb 2013
#107
You are incorrect. The HSCA later changed their opinion after seeing new evidence
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#171
LOL, did you read the links to the source? Or does the source thing confuse you? And.....
Logical
Feb 2013
#102
You were quoting Wikipedia, not the sources that may or may not have been used
MadHound
Feb 2013
#104
I'd rather be open-minded about political assassinations than whatever it is you claim to be. nt.
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#140
What cracks me up are the Conspiracy Theorists who believe in the Magic Bullet
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#161
None of the conspiracy theories deny Oswald was at that location & shot at JFK.
Honeycombe8
Feb 2013
#81
OK, LOL, maybe 5 feet to the right of it. VISUALIZE. Here is a photo for you. Your issue..
Logical
Mar 2013
#324
RFK, Jr. is no ''moron.'' Why would you call a liberal Democrat that and the other things, Archae?
Octafish
Feb 2013
#36
+1. Thanks for taking up for a fine, intelligent man. A bit of an activist, but other than that,
Honeycombe8
Feb 2013
#84
That picture of Porter Goss and the company he keeps is quite telling and frightening.
Octafish
Mar 2013
#293
Lets face it, people LOVE conspiracy's. A lone gunman is boring. A huge government......
Logical
Feb 2013
#4
Oliver Stone is a nutcase, IMO. Still, Oswald had a friend involved with the mob.
Honeycombe8
Feb 2013
#87
You don't know? Have you ever watched any of the numerous documentaries on the assassination or
Honeycombe8
Feb 2013
#90
Gee, I wonder if this will turn into yet another "Who shot JFK" conspiracy theory post?...
SidDithers
Feb 2013
#6
Why was it pulled from vaccines? Because of the sort of irrational fear RFK Jr was stoking.
Spider Jerusalem
Feb 2013
#89
And uses, again, the flimisiest of pretexts to talk about a fifty year old crime that was solved
apocalypsehow
Feb 2013
#139
A can of tuna contains 2 1/2 times as much mercury as a vaccine with thimerosal...
SidDithers
Feb 2013
#182
I couldn't find where the FDA said there's a link between thimerosal and autism...
SidDithers
Feb 2013
#186
The FDA is concerned about the link between mercury levels and neuropathology...
AntiFascist
Feb 2013
#191
I'd love to see this, but there's no way that staunch corporatist Charlie Rose
amandabeech
Feb 2013
#7
But most of the population believes that JFK's assassination was a conspiracy, regardless.
HiPointDem
Feb 2013
#10
In 1964 Britain, Lord Bertrand Russell asked about the failure of the press...
Octafish
Feb 2013
#33
Bertrand Russell, one of the century's greatest philosophers & mathematicians?
JackRiddler
Feb 2013
#71
"Respectable people" like those who have much to hide? The same folks who are enmeshed....
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#40
Bill Moyers: '... it is quite revealing that it's Oliver Stone that's forcing Congress to open up...
Octafish
Feb 2013
#34
American mass media are tools of propaganda for the State (read: Ownership Class)
Octafish
Feb 2013
#58
Betsy lewis: so ignorant she doesn't know it's "Hear, hear" not "Here, here".
HiPointDem
Feb 2013
#25
How long do you really think the hit team lived after completing their task in Dealey Plaza? nt.
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#51
I don't care if even one person didn't agree with me, lynne. I'll continue to post on JFK, RFK, MLK.
Octafish
Feb 2013
#199
Thank you. Your posts are important and significant to many thinking people.
AnotherMcIntosh
Feb 2013
#201
you can write that with a straight face? anderson fucking vanderbilt cooper did hours on
HiPointDem
Mar 2013
#285
The fact that it was that film that began to cause many people to begin doubting
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#172
Yes, conspirators are annoying. They let others tell them stories about what happened in
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#210
Your entire comment is based on a personal opinion that anyone who dares to ask
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#221
It is most troubling, seeing the way history has unfolded since that terrible day.
Octafish
Feb 2013
#134
If the geometry works, why did WC member and FBI spy Gerald Ford have to alter the report?
Octafish
Feb 2013
#216
Was that the photo Regis BLAHUT was looking at? The guy CIA had at HSCA before George Joannides?
Octafish
Mar 2013
#237
Nothing to laugh at, William Seger. Ford was FBI stooge who obstructed justice.
Octafish
Mar 2013
#243
And using computers, Peter Jackson can make cave trolls act like real live creatures,
MadHound
Feb 2013
#95
The computer-generated view from the TSBD if the Secret Service had stayed on the car...
Octafish
Feb 2013
#119
You're using an article written for the LA Times as a rebuttal? Really?? nt.
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#143
Excerpts from the book "JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters"
Ghost Dog
Mar 2013
#302
My observation is that the more people are silenced, the more curious they become
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#99
Right wingers, like the Bush gang eg. See Octafish's links in his response to me.
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#159
Well, put it this way. I would believe the Democratic Kennedy kids over the lying,
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#170
Yes, if it doesn't matter, why does it matter? The most obvious explanation is that it involves CIA.
patrice
Feb 2013
#127
OR...this was fifty years ago, and the Public (and media) are focused on more topical matters...
brooklynite
Feb 2013
#155
Such as: L.A. County coroner changes Natalie Wood's cause of death (31 years)
johnnyreb
Feb 2013
#156
You mean like what the Kardashians are doing lately? Yes, you are certainly correct
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#160
'The web keeps the story alive.' Thank you for the heads-up. Here's a bit more from Bill Kelly...
Octafish
Feb 2013
#198
“A smart researcher might come in and see some connections that the government doesn’t,”
doublethink
Feb 2013
#205
Immediately after the assassination, government agencies were specifically directed...
AntiFascist
Feb 2013
#208
Thanks for pointing out the abuses within the criminal justice system doublethink...
AntiFascist
Mar 2013
#251
Dallas County District Attorney Henry Wade was poised to profit off JFK files
Octafish
Mar 2013
#254
Not help U.S. citizens make vital public choices? Like choosing Democrats over Republicans?
AntiFascist
Feb 2013
#178
It is possible to 'regiment the public mind every bit as much as an army regiments their bodies.'
Octafish
Feb 2013
#209
Chomsky credits Alex Carey. For some reason, re Dallas, he agrees with Alexander Coburn.
Octafish
Mar 2013
#229
Groden told the truth to the HSCA. What you post is from the OJ trial. That's disingenuous.
Octafish
Mar 2013
#269
Here's someone to know: Secret Service Agent Abraham Bolden, the first African American on WH Detail
Octafish
Mar 2013
#271
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on..."
MinM
Mar 2013
#320
@johnsimkin: Cartha (Deke) DeLoach, the man who helped LBJ cover-up the assassination of JFK...
MinM
Mar 2013
#327
Maybe I should of ended the above post with "Oh wait" ... or something like that.
doublethink
Mar 2013
#258
Your list of names and the pdf file found with the link is very interesting.
AnotherMcIntosh
Mar 2013
#303
"out there" is apparently some kind of word code for politicians & staff, msm, because "it can't
bobthedrummer
Mar 2013
#246
What theory? RFK's kids expressed their father's thoughts that the assassins are at large.
Octafish
Mar 2013
#312