Intrigue in Mexico City
My friend Bill Simpich is my guru when it comes to ongoing study of the spy games which went on in Mexico City in the early 60’s. Bill’s work illustrates how much can still be done with diligent study of the records available online. It takes real slogging to piece it together, but when things jell, you start learning things shed a whole new light on what was going on when Lee Oswald arrived in Mexico. Bill has been good enough to share some of the subjects he’s researching at the moment and providing document links to go with them. If you see something that interests you, feel free to join in the work….
MEXICO CITY INTRIGUE Part 1 September 26: A blond American entered the Cuban Consulate, before the next-day visits by the man calling himself Oswald. http:///?ui=2&view=js&name=main,tlist&ver=nsXQ3bL-Lv0.en.&am=%21oBL5xyaubpphRf0E8ejMQmM3bWv_ thf0Q3HHcF9ZlngK0DOiWiHKTKDN0s3LeninE880#_edn9 A blond American was "sent to the Cuban Consulate (apparently by the CIA) and the following note is from September 26, 1963 – at 1:30 pm. http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=26067&relPageId=4 http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=55179&relPageId=10 The HSCA circulated his photo for comment and was struck by the CIA transcriber’s remark that the man had been “sent to the Consulate.” This raises the possibility that the blond man’s visit may have been a preliminary to Lee Oswald’s appearance the following day. http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=26067&relPageId=2 After years of inquiry, a number of researchers have concluded that this blond man may have been an apparent CIA asset named Claude Capehart. http:///?ui=2&view=js&name=main,tlist&ver=nsXQ3bL-Lv0.en.&am=%21oBL5xyaubpphRf0E8ejMQmM3bWv_ thf0Q3HHcF9ZlngK0DOiWiHKTKDN0s3LeninE880#_edn1 Capehart is portrayed as an employee for private business contractors on government classified projects. http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=3611&relPageId=131 Curiously, an 11/20/63 bio data entry and a name check were requested on Capehart, who was at the time working for Reynolds Electrical Engineering company. http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=14179&relPageId=2 http://www.jenforum.com/capehart/messages/155.html Then, a CIA name check was requested on Capehart on 11/26/63! http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=14178&relPageId=2 http:///?ui=2&view=js&name=main,tlist&ver=nsXQ3bL-Lv0.en.&am=%21oBL5xyaubpphRf0E8ejMQmM3bWv_ thf0Q3HHcF9ZlngK0DOiWiHKTKDN0s3LeninE880#_edn3 Judge David Minier brought an FOIA suit to the Ninth Circuit as a private citizen to try to resolve the Capehart mystery, after Capehart died a few hours before his scheduled interview with Minier. http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?mode=searchResult&absPageId=222330 http:///?ui=2&view=js&name=main,tlist&ver=nsXQ3bL-Lv0.en.&am=%21oBL5xyaubpphRf0E8ejMQmM3bWv_ thf0Q3HHcF9ZlngK0DOiWiHKTKDN0s3LeninE880#_edn4 Gerry Hemming claimed that Capehart was also known as George Damon, but there is no corroboration of that… http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=4472&st=15 Capehart is described as 6'1", 220 pounds, born in Oklahoma http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=14179&relPageId=2 Damon is described as 6' 1, 185 pounds, born in New Jersey http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=89755&relPageId=14 Curiously, "Damon" had quite a reputation as an impersonator; Capehart worked for an engineering company while Damon reportedly worked in the dredging business. http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=89757&relPageId=3 http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=89755&relPageId=5 http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=89755&relPageId=5 When Whitten (initially assigned as the CIA’s lead man in the JFK assassination) reported that the "Oswald" at the Cuban Consulate was described as a blond, florid and short man, he lost the assignment – he was replaced by James Angleton. http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=50149&relPageId=13 http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=50149&relPageId=2 http:///?ui=2&view=js&name=main,tlist&ver=nsXQ3bL-Lv0.en.&am=%21oBL5xyaubpphRf0E8ejMQmM3bWv _thf0Q3HHcF9ZlngK0DOiWiHKTKDN0s3LeninE880#_edn5 On Friday, September 27, 1963 a man calling himself Oswald visited secretary Sylvia Duran on three separate occasions. He insisted that he needed a visa to get to Cuba by Monday, September 30, before his 15-day visa expired. In fact, there is no rush. Such a visa would not expire until 15 days after one's entry into Mexico. The man called Oswald entered Mexico on September 26. There was no rush, no crisis. After Oswald showed Duran that he was a card-carrying member of both the FPCC and the CPUSA, Duran couldn't understand why he hadn't made prior arrangements with the CPUSA - that was the way it was done. The consul Eusebio Azcue had never seen a card from the CPUSA at all. And this one was brand new. Duran and Azcue both described Oswald as blond, florid, and short. Oscar Contreras, a student at the nearby university, gave a similar description of Oswald. From then on, the CIA concentrated on how to massage that information and render it harmless. Someone wanted to make sure that Oswald was tied tightly to the Cubans, and felt more secure doing the job themselves. The use of an impersonator would make it possible to use that information as a bit of extortion to chill the Agency from investigating its own actions in a direction where they did not know where it would lead.
Larry Hancock 