1 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: It's September twentieth, nineteen sixty three. A man in a 2 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:13,320 Speaker 1: dark suit walks into a post office in al Paso, Texas, 3 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:19,280 Speaker 1: emails three registered letters, then strolls across the street and 4 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: enters the State National Bank. He approaches the teller and 5 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 1: asks for one hundred dollars in American Express travelers checks. 6 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: As the teller works on his request, the man in 7 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 1: the dark suit pulls out a forty five caliber revolver 8 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: and fires two shots into the ceiling of the bank. 9 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:43,200 Speaker 1: As people duck for cover. The man casually exits the bank. 10 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: An off duty police officer named Jim Bundron, who is 11 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: in the vicinity. Here's the shots. 12 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:50,479 Speaker 2: Believe it or not. 13 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 3: I was on my day off, that's Officer Bundron. 14 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 4: I heard the shots. Everybody was just, you know, just shocked. Right, 15 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 4: says where is he and what's he wearing? And he 16 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:08,960 Speaker 4: said in a blue suit, white shirt, red tie. Evidently 17 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 4: he had run out of the bank with a gun 18 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 4: in his hand. And I know he couldn't have gotten 19 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 4: that far ahead of it, right, And this car pulls 20 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:18,680 Speaker 4: out of the alley. Then I could see his face 21 00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 4: was flushed. I could see the white shirt red tie 22 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 4: and I just I drew and he didn't say anything. 23 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: Officer Bunden arrests him, and as he's being handcuffed, the 24 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:36,119 Speaker 1: man in the dark suit invites the officer to look 25 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 1: into the trunk of his car. The officer carefully opens 26 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: the trunk and in it he finds a bizarre collection 27 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:46,759 Speaker 1: of cameras, photos, and documents. 28 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:51,480 Speaker 2: He had a real small minulti camera I think in 29 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 2: the loser probably called a spy. Came right and he 30 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 2: had his own processing with him. I searched his car 31 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 2: and he had pictures of top secret restricted areas, pictures 32 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:10,079 Speaker 2: of inside of compounds, had a lot of pictures of 33 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 2: dead bodies. 34 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 5: The man in the dark suit is Richard case Nagel. 35 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 3: That's Dick Russell. Richard case Nagel is a former US 36 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 3: Army veteran, three times Purple Heart recipient, intelligence officer and 37 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:24,519 Speaker 3: CIA operative. 38 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,520 Speaker 5: Nagel's arrested and charged with attempted bank robbery. 39 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 4: And then there is a preliminary here. I sat and 40 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 4: just talked to him. It's like you and I were talking, 41 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 4: and he says, well on a graduate company. He says, 42 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:41,360 Speaker 4: I really don't want to be in Dallas. I said, well, 43 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 4: what do you mean by that? He says, you'll want 44 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 4: him there. 45 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: Nagel was arrested on September twentieth, nineteen sixty three, two 46 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:52,840 Speaker 1: months before President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 47 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:59,079 Speaker 3: This is who killed JFK Sixty years later? What can 48 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 3: we uncover about the greatest murder mystery in American history? 49 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:07,080 Speaker 3: And why does it still matter today? I'm your host, 50 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 3: Solidad O'Brien. 51 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:14,720 Speaker 1: Now, last episode, we took you through Oswald's bizarre return 52 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 1: to the United States. We met his CIA connected babysitters, 53 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: George de Moornshield and Ruth Payne, who were tasked with 54 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 1: looking out for him. We discussed the time that Oswald 55 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 1: spent in New Orleans, where he was arrested for handing 56 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,920 Speaker 1: out pro castro leaflets. We also introduced you to the 57 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 1: CIA's head of counter intelligence, James Jesus Angleton and his 58 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 1: Wilderness of mirrors. Angleton was known as the Poet's Spy, 59 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: and he was obsessed with removing Castro from Cuba. Now, 60 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 1: it's important to keep all that in mind as. 61 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 6: We move forward. 62 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 3: So what comes next? 63 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 6: Okay? 64 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,720 Speaker 1: In New Orleans in the summer of nineteen sixty three, 65 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: while handing out the leaflets for the Fair Play for 66 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: Cuba Committee, Oswald gets into a fight with a bunch 67 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 1: of anti Castro activists. He's arrested, and the first thing 68 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 1: he does is request to speak to an FBI agent. 69 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:15,360 Speaker 1: On September twenty fifth, the White House announces that the 70 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:19,839 Speaker 1: President will be visiting Dallas in November. Then we start 71 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:24,280 Speaker 1: to see a swell of covert activity. Chess pieces are 72 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 1: being moved around the board. Richard case Nagel, the man 73 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:30,359 Speaker 1: in the dark suit who shot two bullets into the 74 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 1: ceiling of the bank. He's going to give us insight 75 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 1: into how all this covert activity will lead us to 76 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:38,560 Speaker 1: a history changing event. 77 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:45,160 Speaker 3: So Dick explain to us who is Richard K. S. 78 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 7: Nagel. 79 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 5: Nagel was a decorated veteran, a Bronze Star medal winner, 80 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:52,040 Speaker 5: and a former intelligence officer. As we mentioned earlier, he 81 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 5: first met Oswald in Japan, where they were tasked to 82 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:57,719 Speaker 5: try to recruit a Soviet officer to defect. 83 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:01,360 Speaker 3: So how did you firm encounter Nakel? 84 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:04,440 Speaker 5: I first heard about him from another JFK researcher in 85 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:07,880 Speaker 5: the nineteen seventies. I was intrigued hearing about this Bronze 86 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 5: Star medal recipient that claimed to have known Oswald, So 87 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:13,479 Speaker 5: I did some research. I went to El Paso, where 88 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:16,159 Speaker 5: he was arrested for the so called bank robbery. I 89 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:18,039 Speaker 5: went through the newspaper and court files. 90 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:18,320 Speaker 6: There. 91 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 5: There were both Secret Service and FBI files saying that 92 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:25,360 Speaker 5: he requested quote to speak to a Secret Service agent 93 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 5: about an urgent matter the afternoon of the assassination. I 94 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:32,000 Speaker 5: knew I'd stumbled onto something, so I found out where 95 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 5: he lived. I traveled to Manhattan Beach in southern California, 96 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:39,040 Speaker 5: and I just knocked on the door and this shadowy 97 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:41,480 Speaker 5: figure with a scar across his face opens the door 98 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:44,599 Speaker 5: and asked me what I wanted. I told him I'd 99 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 5: come all the way from New York to interview him. 100 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 5: After an uncomfortable silence, he let me in and once 101 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:52,600 Speaker 5: we sat down, I asked if I could tape him, 102 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 5: and he looked at me and said no, but I'm 103 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 5: going to tape you. So he turned on his tape 104 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 5: recorder started to talk, and he spoke cryptically, but it 105 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 5: was about knowing Oswald and that had been involved in 106 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:10,200 Speaker 5: the assassination. For some reason, he seemed to trust me, 107 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:13,839 Speaker 5: so we agreed to meet again, this time at a 108 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:16,679 Speaker 5: CD dive bar because he was aware that his movements 109 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 5: were being tracked, and he was there that he told 110 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,720 Speaker 5: me that what he knew about the assassination had ruined 111 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:23,159 Speaker 5: his life. 112 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:27,840 Speaker 3: The two continued to meet for fifteen years, and eventually, 113 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 3: in nineteen ninety two, Dick published his eight hundred and 114 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:34,640 Speaker 3: twenty four page book about Nagel, called The Man Who 115 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:38,600 Speaker 3: Knew Too Much. So take me back to where this 116 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:39,600 Speaker 3: all started. 117 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:42,920 Speaker 5: For Nagel in Japan in nineteen fifty seven and nineteen 118 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:46,159 Speaker 5: fifty eight, Nagel was working for a top secret army 119 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:49,839 Speaker 5: intelligence unit that was closely connected to the CIA. It 120 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:53,680 Speaker 5: was called Field Operations Intelligence, or FOI. 121 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 3: The American public didn't know that FOI existed until Nagel 122 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 3: described its mission in a nineteen seventy four court document. 123 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:06,279 Speaker 3: He said it was quote a covert extension of CIA 124 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 3: policy and activity designed to conceal the true nature of 125 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 3: CIA objectives. He then went on to say, quote, in 126 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:18,280 Speaker 3: the event I was apprehended, killed, or compromised during the 127 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:22,240 Speaker 3: performance of my illegal FOI duties, the Department of the 128 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 3: Army would publicly disclaim any knowledge of or connection with 129 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:28,120 Speaker 3: such duties. 130 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:31,320 Speaker 5: In the early sixties, when Nagel came back to the 131 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:35,240 Speaker 5: United States, Cuba had become the focus of American intelligence. 132 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:39,760 Speaker 5: The CIA gave Nagel the assignment of renouncing his American 133 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:44,880 Speaker 5: citizenship and approaching Soviet intelligence to offer his services, much 134 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 5: like they'd done with Oswald, and the Soviets then recruited 135 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:51,000 Speaker 5: him for their own intelligence. 136 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 3: Gathering, so he became a double agent. 137 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:58,600 Speaker 5: Correct The Soviets gave him two missions, one penetrate a 138 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:03,360 Speaker 5: violent group of anti Castro Cuban exiles and two keep 139 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:06,520 Speaker 5: an eye on Lee Harvey Oswald, who had just returned 140 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:07,320 Speaker 5: to America. 141 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:09,720 Speaker 3: And were those two missions related. 142 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:13,280 Speaker 5: At first, there was no relationship between Oswald and that 143 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 5: particular group of Cuban exiles, But in the summer of 144 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 5: nineteen sixty three, Nagel went to New Orleans and that's 145 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 5: where he was reconnected with Oswald. He learned that Oswald 146 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,400 Speaker 5: was being brought into plans that he didn't fully understand, 147 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:33,359 Speaker 5: and that plots to assassinate Kennedy were being discussed. Oswald 148 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 5: was being primed to be the fall guy, but the Soviets, 149 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:40,320 Speaker 5: who had become fully aware of these plans. Didn't want 150 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 5: Kennedy killed, and they didn't want Oswald to be blamed. 151 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 5: They knew it would be pinned on them or Cuba 152 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:48,360 Speaker 5: and could trigger a nuclear war. 153 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 3: So what did the Soviets want Nagel to do? 154 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:54,079 Speaker 5: They wanted him to take Oswald out. 155 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 3: You mean to kill him? 156 00:08:55,600 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 5: Yes, they wanted him to take Oswald out. 157 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:08,640 Speaker 3: You mean to kill him? 158 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 6: Yes. 159 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:13,040 Speaker 5: Nagel was trapped. His loyalty was to the United States. 160 00:09:13,559 --> 00:09:16,079 Speaker 5: He knew he couldn't do it, but he also knew 161 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:19,080 Speaker 5: that if he ignored the orders from the KGB, they 162 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:20,080 Speaker 5: would take him out. 163 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 3: Talk about between a rock and a hard place. So 164 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:23,559 Speaker 3: what does he do? 165 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 5: First? He tried to warn Oswald that he was being used, So. 166 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:29,160 Speaker 3: Walk me through that. How did he warn him? 167 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:32,080 Speaker 5: He meets with Oswald in Jackson Square in New Orleans 168 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:34,840 Speaker 5: and tries to explain to him that the group of 169 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:37,640 Speaker 5: Cuban exiles he's been associated with are not who they 170 00:09:37,679 --> 00:09:41,480 Speaker 5: say they are, and that he is being used by 171 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:45,960 Speaker 5: extreme fascist elements to attempt an assassination on Kennedy in 172 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:49,559 Speaker 5: order to justify invading Cuba. Nagel told me that when 173 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:53,840 Speaker 5: Oswald heard this, he was quote visibly shaken, but denied 174 00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 5: there'd been any discussion about killing Kennedy and just shrugged 175 00:09:57,240 --> 00:10:01,319 Speaker 5: him off. Nagel knew that when he he couldn't convince Oswald, 176 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:04,360 Speaker 5: his life would be at risk, so he figured the 177 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:07,360 Speaker 5: safest place for him was to be in prison. He 178 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:09,960 Speaker 5: told me that just before shooting up the bank, he 179 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:12,760 Speaker 5: mailed a registered letter to Jay ed Garhover detailing what 180 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:16,320 Speaker 5: he knew about the assassination plot, and sent another warning 181 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 5: letter to his handlers in the CIA. Then, to back 182 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:22,960 Speaker 5: up his story, he placed a notebook in his car 183 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:26,400 Speaker 5: that contained information that only someone on the inside would 184 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 5: have had. Several of the notations were virtually identical to 185 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:33,840 Speaker 5: what the authorities later found among Oswalt's possessions. They both 186 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:37,600 Speaker 5: had small Minolta spy cameras, they both had leaflets for 187 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:40,720 Speaker 5: the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, and they both had 188 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:43,960 Speaker 5: the same unlisted phone number for the Cuban embassy in 189 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:45,680 Speaker 5: Mexico City. 190 00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:48,480 Speaker 3: Did getting arrested save him? 191 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:51,040 Speaker 5: It kept him alive for a while, but it ended 192 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 5: up ruining his life. He was in prison for four 193 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:56,800 Speaker 5: and a half years, part of which he spent in 194 00:10:56,880 --> 00:10:59,679 Speaker 5: a psych ward. That's how they began to build out 195 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:01,600 Speaker 5: an nerve that he was nuts. 196 00:11:02,559 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 3: So, as a person who's interviewing him because you're writing 197 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:09,000 Speaker 3: your book, how do you navigate that question of his credibility? 198 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:11,640 Speaker 3: How do you decide you know what's true? 199 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:16,880 Speaker 5: First you assess the existing evidence, which means Nagle's notebook, 200 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:19,679 Speaker 5: the fact that he had an ID card for Oswald 201 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:23,240 Speaker 5: showing up in his lawyer's files, and the newspaper accounts 202 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:25,160 Speaker 5: of his trial in El Paso where he tried to 203 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:29,160 Speaker 5: bring up Oswald and the assassination. Second, interview as many 204 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:31,640 Speaker 5: people as possible who knew him, and I found many 205 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:35,320 Speaker 5: who attested to his background and credibility. A couple of these, 206 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:39,720 Speaker 5: Jim Garrison and attorney Bernard Finsterwald Junior, told me Nagel 207 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:42,720 Speaker 5: was the most important living witness to what happened on 208 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 5: November twenty second, nineteen sixty three. And I realized that 209 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:50,280 Speaker 5: the powers behind the cover up were determined to marginalize 210 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:54,319 Speaker 5: him first paint him as crazy. Then after he got 211 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:57,560 Speaker 5: out of prison, the CIA tracked his movements and there 212 00:11:57,559 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 5: were a number of attempts on his life. 213 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 3: How long were you in contact with him? 214 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:05,520 Speaker 5: I met with him periodically for more than twenty years, 215 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:08,920 Speaker 5: and during that time, I saw a man who was torn. 216 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:12,640 Speaker 5: He wanted to come clean, to reveal what he knew, 217 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:15,559 Speaker 5: but he knew that if he told everything, he'd be killed. 218 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:18,439 Speaker 5: So he would drop hints to steer me in the 219 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:19,360 Speaker 5: right direction. 220 00:12:19,559 --> 00:12:21,439 Speaker 3: Like deep Throat in Watergate. 221 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 2: Right. 222 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 5: And at one point he told me that if anything 223 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:25,960 Speaker 5: happened to him, there was a record of everything he 224 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 5: knew that he kept stored in various locations and that 225 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:32,439 Speaker 5: only certain people were aware of And he believed that's 226 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:33,400 Speaker 5: what kept him alive. 227 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:36,920 Speaker 3: So he did manage to stay alive. 228 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:37,520 Speaker 6: For a while. 229 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 5: Then, in nineteen ninety five, when the Assassination Record's Review 230 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:44,760 Speaker 5: Board was doing its investigation, they heard me talk about 231 00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:47,560 Speaker 5: Nagel at a conference and decided that they wanted to 232 00:12:47,559 --> 00:12:51,000 Speaker 5: interview him on the data. Subpoena arrived at his apartment, 233 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:52,920 Speaker 5: Nagel was found dead. 234 00:12:53,920 --> 00:12:57,480 Speaker 3: So you believe that Nagel was killed before he could talk. 235 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,160 Speaker 5: Let me answer that this way. When I called his 236 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:04,040 Speaker 5: son to tell him about his father, his son told 237 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:06,400 Speaker 5: me that his apartment had just been broken into and 238 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:09,880 Speaker 5: was ransacked. Then he told me about his key his 239 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,600 Speaker 5: dad had left in his apartment to a storage unit 240 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:15,559 Speaker 5: in Tucson, and that in that storage unit was a 241 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:18,800 Speaker 5: purple trunk which contained a material his father had kept 242 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:22,160 Speaker 5: hidden for years. When he heard what had happened to 243 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:24,760 Speaker 5: his dad, Nagel's son flew to Tucson to check the 244 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:29,440 Speaker 5: storage unit. He opened it up, looked inside, and the 245 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:33,720 Speaker 5: only thing missing was the purple trunk. So was Nagel 246 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:34,880 Speaker 5: killed before he could talk? 247 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:36,400 Speaker 6: Yeah? 248 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:37,440 Speaker 5: I believe he was. 249 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:39,560 Speaker 6: And he wasn't the only one. 250 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:42,520 Speaker 3: What happened to Nagel happened to others. 251 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:46,680 Speaker 1: Remember George de mornshieldt Oswald's babysitter in Dallas. 252 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:48,719 Speaker 3: Yeah, you said. The last time he talked about the 253 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:52,559 Speaker 3: assassination was in an interview he did with a journalist 254 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:56,120 Speaker 3: in nineteen seventy seven. What happened after that? 255 00:13:56,600 --> 00:13:59,360 Speaker 1: A little over a decade after testifying to the Warren 256 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:03,600 Speaker 1: Commission that Oswald had acted alone, De Mornshield decided he 257 00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:06,400 Speaker 1: was going to tell the truth about what he knew. 258 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:10,719 Speaker 1: So he wrote a manuscript titled I'm a Patsy. I'm 259 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:15,160 Speaker 1: a Patsy, which was later published posthumously as a book 260 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:18,520 Speaker 1: titled Lee Harvey Oswald As I knew him. 261 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 5: When de Mornshield started to go public. The House Select 262 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:25,560 Speaker 5: Committee decided to summon him. De Morshild was living in 263 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:28,680 Speaker 5: Florida at the time, not far from Gayton Phonsie. 264 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:33,360 Speaker 3: Remember Gayton Phonsie is a journalist who challenged Arlen Spector 265 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:36,960 Speaker 3: on the single bullet theory. At the time, Phonsie was 266 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:39,240 Speaker 3: working as an investigator for the committee. 267 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 1: Fonsie goes to De Moornshild's house to talk to him. 268 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:46,480 Speaker 1: He isn't home, so he leaves his business card with 269 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:51,200 Speaker 1: Demarnshild's adult daughter. He tells her he'll be calling later 270 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:54,080 Speaker 1: that night to set a time for a formal questioning. 271 00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:57,520 Speaker 1: And so when de Marshall arrives home, his daughter tells 272 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:01,000 Speaker 1: him about Phonsie's visit gives him fan He's business card. 273 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:04,680 Speaker 1: The Mornschell puts the card in his pocket, goes upstairs, 274 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:07,920 Speaker 1: and the next morning he's found dead with a bullet 275 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 1: in his head, with Pansie's business card still in his pocket. 276 00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:15,400 Speaker 5: They said he'd committed suicide, but his wife told me 277 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:18,520 Speaker 5: it was definitely not a suicide, and Nagel told me 278 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:22,080 Speaker 5: the same thing, that he was murdered before he could testify. 279 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:27,080 Speaker 1: There was also mob boss Johnny Rizselli right before he 280 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:31,080 Speaker 1: was supposed to testify, he was found chopped up, stuffed 281 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:36,200 Speaker 1: into an oil drum, and dumped into Biscayne Bay. There 282 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:39,760 Speaker 1: were a number of people who died mysteriously. Within three 283 00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:44,040 Speaker 1: years after the Warren Commission report was released, eighteen key 284 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:48,640 Speaker 1: witnesses died of either a heart attack, an accident, or suicide. 285 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:53,000 Speaker 1: Something that has always fascinated me is the people who 286 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:58,080 Speaker 1: were tangentially involved but managed to survive, like Ruth Payne. 287 00:15:58,320 --> 00:16:01,320 Speaker 3: Like Ruth Payne, You'll remember Ruth Payne as one of 288 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 3: the CIA connected people who became close with the Oswald 289 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 3: family when they returned to the US. 290 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:12,680 Speaker 1: On September twenty fifth, the White House formally announces that 291 00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:16,320 Speaker 1: the President will be taking a tour through Texas, stopping 292 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:21,560 Speaker 1: at Dallas on November twenty second. That same week, Marina 293 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:25,880 Speaker 1: accepts Ruth Payne's invitation to have her and her baby 294 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:29,680 Speaker 1: move in with her in Dallas. Then, in early October, 295 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:34,720 Speaker 1: six weeks before the assassination, Oswald returns to Dallas, takes 296 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:37,880 Speaker 1: a room at a boarding house, and gets a job 297 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 1: in a building position directly along what will be President 298 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:45,480 Speaker 1: Kennedy's motorcave route. And who do you think helped him 299 00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:48,640 Speaker 1: get that job. Ruth Painne, Ruth Payne. 300 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:52,400 Speaker 3: There are so many pieces to this picture. 301 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:56,400 Speaker 1: And sixty years later, pieces are still falling into place. 302 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:06,440 Speaker 3: So Rob, where do you go from here? Nearly five 303 00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:10,320 Speaker 3: thousand records remain withheld. Do you think that in those 304 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:14,000 Speaker 3: records is one piece of evidence that details the whole plot? 305 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:14,560 Speaker 7: Well? 306 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:16,280 Speaker 6: I don't, I really I don't. 307 00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:20,440 Speaker 5: The CIA most likely destroyed anything. It would be obviously 308 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:22,160 Speaker 5: groundbreaking decades ago. 309 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:25,720 Speaker 3: So then what you're both saying is that in all 310 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:28,840 Speaker 3: the remaining records, there's no smoking gun. 311 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:31,760 Speaker 1: I don't think there's anything left that would be considered 312 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:34,320 Speaker 1: a smoking gun the way we think of it. The 313 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 1: closest thing we have to a smoking gun is a 314 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 1: document that the Pentagon kept secret for almost forty years. 315 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:46,080 Speaker 1: This document outlined a plan called Operation Northwoods. 316 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:49,879 Speaker 3: The Joint chiefs of Staff drafted Operation Northwoods in nineteen 317 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:53,920 Speaker 3: sixty two. It remained a secret until decades later, when 318 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:58,720 Speaker 3: it was quietly declassified in compliance with the JFK Records Act. 319 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:02,639 Speaker 3: But even after the document was declassified, the plan didn't 320 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:06,159 Speaker 3: reach the public until two thousand and one, when the 321 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:10,639 Speaker 3: investigative reporter James Bamford revealed the full details in his 322 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:15,520 Speaker 3: book Body of Secrets. He calls Operation Northwoods quote what 323 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:18,960 Speaker 3: may be the most corrupt plan ever created by the 324 00:18:19,119 --> 00:18:21,840 Speaker 3: US government. Here's Jefferson Morley. 325 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 7: Operation Northwoods is one of the most significant revelations about 326 00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:31,000 Speaker 7: the JFK assassination to come out in the last twenty 327 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:31,719 Speaker 7: five years. 328 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:36,800 Speaker 1: Operation Northwoods pose this question, what if something were to 329 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:40,840 Speaker 1: happen that would convince the American public that the US 330 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:45,119 Speaker 1: had to invade Cuba, something that would force America's hand. 331 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:49,840 Speaker 7: Well, stage a violent incident on a prominent target in 332 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:52,679 Speaker 7: the United States, and we'll all arrange for it to 333 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:56,439 Speaker 7: look like Castro did it. North Woods was what people 334 00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:59,600 Speaker 7: in the intelligence business call a pretext operation, where you 335 00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:03,679 Speaker 7: create a pretext for an action, or sometimes called a 336 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:05,119 Speaker 7: false flag operation. 337 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:10,159 Speaker 1: When you hear the terms false flag or conspiracy theory, 338 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 1: you think of people wearing tinfoil hats. But the US 339 00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:18,600 Speaker 1: government has had a history of false flag operations. In 340 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:21,680 Speaker 1: eighteen ninety eight, the sinking of the USS Maine got 341 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:23,560 Speaker 1: us into the Spanish American War. 342 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 3: The USS Maine was a US battleship that mysteriously exploded 343 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:33,440 Speaker 3: in Havana, Cuba in eighteen ninety eight. Remember the main 344 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:37,400 Speaker 3: was the famous rallying cry after the press claim that 345 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:40,480 Speaker 3: Spain was to blame for the explosion which killed two 346 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:44,200 Speaker 3: hundred and sixty eight sailors. When the government declared war 347 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:48,080 Speaker 3: on Spain, they had the overwhelming support from the American public, 348 00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:51,560 Speaker 3: and that's how the Spanish American War started. 349 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 1: There was also the firing on US ships in the 350 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:57,919 Speaker 1: Gulf of Tonkin in August of nineteen sixty four, which 351 00:19:58,119 --> 00:20:01,240 Speaker 1: got US into the Vietnam War, and in two thousand 352 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:04,080 Speaker 1: and three, the assertion that Iraq had weapons of mass 353 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:08,520 Speaker 1: destruction was used to justify the invasion of Iraq. False 354 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 1: Flags and disinformation can be very effective tools to rally 355 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:16,920 Speaker 1: public support. This is in the actual Operation Northwoods document. 356 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:20,800 Speaker 3: Here's what it says. The Joint Chiefs of Staff have 357 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:25,040 Speaker 3: considered the attached memorandum for the pretexts which would provide 358 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:29,320 Speaker 3: justification for US military intervention in Cuba. 359 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:32,800 Speaker 7: The north Woods plans were very detailed. Will fake the 360 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:36,400 Speaker 7: hijacking of a plane, and we'll take the plane somewhere 361 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:39,359 Speaker 7: and we'll say that Castro did it understand? 362 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:43,320 Speaker 1: People who would die on that plane would be American citizens. 363 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:46,760 Speaker 5: This phrase is actually written into the north Woods plan. 364 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:51,879 Speaker 5: Quote casualty lists in the US newspapers would cause a 365 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:54,920 Speaker 5: helpful wave of national indignation. 366 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:57,840 Speaker 3: Basically killing American citizens. That's astounding. 367 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:02,720 Speaker 1: A hijacked plane wasn't the only option. Operation Northwoods lists 368 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:08,400 Speaker 1: eleven other ideas for quote well coordinated incidents that would 369 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:13,640 Speaker 1: look credible, including sinking ships and burning aircrafts. There's one 370 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:15,359 Speaker 1: more part that I'd like you to read. 371 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:19,320 Speaker 3: Okay, Here's what it says. The desired result from the 372 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:22,440 Speaker 3: execution of this plan would be to place the United 373 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:27,240 Speaker 3: States in the apparent position of suffering defensible grievances from 374 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:31,320 Speaker 3: a rash and irresponsible government of Cuba, and to develop 375 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:35,119 Speaker 3: an international image of a Cuban threat to peace in 376 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:36,400 Speaker 3: the Western Hemisphere. 377 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:40,720 Speaker 1: Operation Northwoods was kept hidden from the Warrant Commission and 378 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:44,360 Speaker 1: the House Select Committee. It was only declassified in nineteen 379 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:45,119 Speaker 1: ninety seven. 380 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:48,600 Speaker 3: Did Kennedy know about Operation Northwoods? 381 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:49,840 Speaker 6: Kennedy knew about it. 382 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:51,360 Speaker 3: What was Kennedy's response? 383 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:56,320 Speaker 7: He rejected it in pretty brusque, almost rude terms. 384 00:21:57,359 --> 00:22:01,680 Speaker 1: But on November twenty second, nineteen sixty three, a spectacular 385 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:05,680 Speaker 1: attack on a US target occurred and the immediate response 386 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:10,840 Speaker 1: was to blame Cuba. November twenty second, the day President 387 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:12,000 Speaker 1: Kennedy was murdered. 388 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:17,000 Speaker 3: So you're saying the plan that President Kennedy rejected was 389 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:19,240 Speaker 3: the plan they used to kill him. 390 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:20,040 Speaker 6: Right. 391 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:24,120 Speaker 1: It was a violent act against the prominent American target, 392 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:28,320 Speaker 1: and they had their allegedly pro Castro assassin, Lee Harvey 393 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:30,040 Speaker 1: Oswald to take the blame. 394 00:22:30,359 --> 00:22:33,960 Speaker 7: And so that's what happens. Within hours of Kennedy's assassination, 395 00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:39,000 Speaker 7: Oswald is arrested and CIA propaganda assets go to work 396 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:44,000 Speaker 7: to link him immediately to the Castro government, and those 397 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:47,880 Speaker 7: efforts are quite successful. We have the headlines the next day, 398 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:51,679 Speaker 7: pro Castro marksman kills the President, pro Cuban assassin. 399 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:55,919 Speaker 3: Robert Blakey, former Chief counsel and staff director of the 400 00:22:55,960 --> 00:23:00,000 Speaker 3: House Select Committee on Assassinations, told us something similar. 401 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:03,760 Speaker 8: If what happened is what I think happened, I think 402 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:11,560 Speaker 8: that Lee Harvey Oswell was developed as a false flag assassiny. 403 00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:15,440 Speaker 3: On the next episode of Who Killed JFK. 404 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:20,680 Speaker 5: President Kennedy had alienated much of the US establishments by 405 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:22,480 Speaker 5: the time he was killed in Dallas. 406 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:26,480 Speaker 3: We looked directly at our three main suspects. 407 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:30,639 Speaker 8: That Miami Cia Field Office is more or less the 408 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:32,200 Speaker 8: puppeteers of this whole operation. 409 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:36,600 Speaker 7: I asked my mom where's Papa, and she said he's 410 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:37,720 Speaker 7: in Dallas on business. 411 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:42,480 Speaker 2: I'm telling you there's no way in hell that it 412 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:46,399 Speaker 2: could not have been a conspiracy. 413 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:51,000 Speaker 3: Who killed JFK is hosted by Rob Reiner and me 414 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:55,880 Speaker 3: Solidad O'Brien and Our executive producers are Rob Reiner, Michelle Reiner, 415 00:23:56,040 --> 00:24:01,359 Speaker 3: Matt George, Jason English, David Hoffman, and Met O'Brien. Our 416 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:05,440 Speaker 3: writer is David Hoffman, with research by Dick Russell. Our 417 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:09,679 Speaker 3: story editors are Rob Reiner and Julie Pinero. Our senior 418 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:15,280 Speaker 3: producer is Julie Pinneo. Our producers are Tristan Nash, Dick Russell, 419 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:20,359 Speaker 3: Michelle Goldfein, and Amari Lee. Our editors are Tristan Nash, 420 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:24,600 Speaker 3: Julie Pignero, and Marcus de Lauro. Our project manager is 421 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:30,840 Speaker 3: Carol Klein. Our associate producer is emilse Kiros. Mixing, mastering 422 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:34,640 Speaker 3: and sound design by Ben la Julier. Research and fact 423 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:39,639 Speaker 3: checking by Girl Friday and emilse Kiros. Archival audio in 424 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:44,080 Speaker 3: this episode thanks to the Assassination Archives and Research Center 425 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:48,679 Speaker 3: and Dick Russell. Business Affairs by Henan Nadea and Jonathan Furman. 426 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:53,120 Speaker 3: Our consulting producer is Razanne Galliini. Recorded in part at 427 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:57,679 Speaker 3: CDM Studio and Fourth Street Recording Studio. Show logo by 428 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:01,399 Speaker 3: Lucy Kintanilla. Special thanks to Joe Honig, Rose Arsay and 429 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:04,439 Speaker 3: Dan Storper. If you are enjoying the show, leave us 430 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:08,240 Speaker 3: a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. Who 431 00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:11,919 Speaker 3: Killed JFK as a production of Solidad O'Brien Productions and 432 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:23,760 Speaker 3: iHeart Podcasts