Bryan Bender of Politico digs deeper into the story of the 3,600 still-secret JFK files held by the National Archives, reporting that the withheld material includes records from the FBI and the National Security Agency. And he see indications that some federal agencies will continue to seek postponement of the records’ release past their scheduled release date of October 2017.
“We have sent letters to agencies letting them know we have records here that were withheld, 2017 is coming,” [National Archives official Martha] Murphy said in a recent interview at the primary government records repository in the D.C. suburbs. She said while no agency has formally requested a waiver yet, some “have gotten back to ask for clarification” and are seeking “more information.”
Bender’s reporting confirms something that I had heard second hand from a well-informed source: that the CIA and possibly other agencies plan to ask the president to keep at least some of these records secret past October 2017.
The comment from a CIA spokesman was characteristically ominous in a bland sort of way.
“We are aware of the process and will work judiciously within that process,” said spokesman Dean Boyd.
All of which underscores the imperative of getting 2016 presidential candidates to answer a simple question. HIllary Clinton has already answered the question, albeit in 2008.
Who’s next?
Source: Why the last of the JFK files could embarrass the CIA – Bryan Bender – POLITICO
I feel that the CIA, the intelligence community in general, have already embarrassed themselves. I would further say that they “shot themselves in the foot” so to speak very early on. And the WC certainly didn’t help matters any. They actually blocked, botched up evidence that would have helped their cause, ignored witnesses who would have contributed to the conclusions they came came to, etc. It’s almost as if they were trying to disprove their own case at times and nurture doubts concerning their lone gunman theory. I don’t think there is any way they could help their own cause, no matter what is left in those files. They were not careful in the beginning with the evidence nor with witnesses. It was as if they were more concerned with covering their own backs for some reason. But in doing so, they ruined their own case. They even managed to mess up the Tippit murder which should have been very “cut and dry”. They blew a good opportunity to make the case clear and acceptable. There was enough good evidence. Obviously something else was more important.
I think the time is now to start a petition to Congress to pass a new law demanding that ALL known, and should have been known, JFK assassination related files from ALL government and military agencies be publicly released un-redacted in their entirety under penalty of prison sentences for the acting head of any of these agencies, by 10-01-2017,if not sooner. It’s been 50 years of lies and deception. Enough is enough! The taxpayers have a right to know! It is OUR Government, bought and paid for by us!!!!!!!
That is right, these unaccountable intelligence agencies aided by spineless governments, and bankrolled by the taxpayer, need to end the dodging and weaving. A petition to congress is a good idea. Frankly, the form of these organisations that pretend to represent American citizens is one of constant evasion of the truth of over 50 years ago. There has never been any honest undertaking to release files, nor does the date of 10.01.2017 instil any confidence that circumstances will change.
Government needs to be called to account for the degree to which releases will be brought about by the deadline.
Wait not for the deadline. Assurances must satisfy the desire for truth, without further loopholes.
That’s an excellent idea. If not a petition, we can write our member of Congress and 2 Senators with this message. But petitions work, too.
Starriddin:
The original wait was 75 years.
Then it was moved forward, to 25 years.
And now you propose moving forward the 25-year wait, by 25 days (from 10/26/2017 to 10/1/2017) earlier than anticipated?
BTW: Those documents will NOT be released by the heads of the agencies, because they were already released to NARA in 1992.
Therefore, if anybody is going to jail at all -doubtful- is our esteemed Martha Murphy.
How confident can we be that those agencies released everything to NARA?
The CIA is reluctant to solve even the minor incidents.
Since Dr. Latell´s story on “Castro knew it” has Cuban defector Florentino Aspillaga as main character, a FOIA request was submitted to the CIA to find out what his 1987 debriefing includes “regarding the issue of JFK assassination.” On June 28, 2013, the Executive Secretary of the Agency Release Panel (ARP) gave the response that “the CIA can neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistent of [such] records.”
Thus, we have a Cuban defector telling stories about the JFK assassination and a former CIA analyst publishing them, but the CIA refuses to give a quantum of proof in order to confirm or deny the stories, while its former analyst claims the JFK assassination “should be added to the agenda for official Cuban-American negotiations.”
[Prof. Arnaldo:]
“The CIA is reluctant to solve even the minor incidents.”
===================================
What I really, badly, would like to read is answers to questions of this nature:
– “Who is Antonio Veciana?”
– “What relationship has he had with the CIA along the years?”
– “Which agents were his handlers?”
– “Are you aware that he -Alpha 66- made many attempts and actual acts in Cuba and elsewhere? Those were very well financed operations, he seemed to have a rather deep purse (not to mention access to specialized weapons, bombs, etc).”
– and so on, and so forth.