INDICTED EX-C. I. A. EMPLOYEE LABELED BY PROSECUTORS AS A MAJOR WORLD ARMS DEALER REMAINS AN ENIGMA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP04-00312R001001810087-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 21, 2008
• Sequence Number: 87
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2008/08/21: CIA-RDP04-00312RO01001810087-8
' ed Ex-C~ A Employee, Labe! by Prosecutors
Indict
?
rti k n ~-__ ~_~ Af. .1,a A,.mc flprrler_ Remains an Enigma
By ROBERT PEAR
SpinaleonwN"Yo tHenna
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 - From the
outside, the four-story town house at 2020
Connecticut Ave. N.W. looks like other
Icelan-
buildings next neighborhood. the Maltese
dic Embassy
Chancery across the street, for example.
But the town house was the American
American intelligence officer recently in-
dicted on weapons-possession and described by prosecutors as a major
. base for Frank Edward Terpil, a former
international arms merchant. The build-
ing is still owned by a' company that ap-
pears to have close ties to Mr. Terpil.
Mr. Terpil's business and real estate
activities provide a glimpse of his inter-
ests lin the last three years, but they
hardly clear up the mystery surrounding
The president of Oceanic International,
Michael L. Infante, said that the allega-
tions about Mr. Terpil's gun-running ex-
ploits were "far-fetched and totally unbe-
lievable." He, said that "Terpil has an
egotistical way of telling wild stories, and
his boasting got him into trouble." -
Those who worked with Mr. Terpil, who
is 40 years old, remember him as a stocky
man with a mustache who was always
tinkering with radios and was given to
seemingly exaggerated accounts of his
adventures in Africa. "He would be away
for four or five weeks, then all of a sudden
would show up at the office and disappear
again," a coworker recalled
Goods for Uganda
Mr. Randol said be' left the business
last August because be was mystifiedby
Mr. Terpil's overseas activities and did
not share in the profits that Mr. Terpil
seemed to be reaping.
Laurel Ripley, who used to be vice
president of oceanic, said she "saw a lot
of money floating around" the office but
left "disillusioned" in October 1978when
of-
the cash flow suddenly stopped. The
fice's. financial problems were appar-
ently related to the fact that Congress, In
October 1978, imposed an embargo on ex-
ports to Uganda after finding "gross
violations of human rights" under the
Amin regime.
Tile to C.I.A. Reported
Miss Ripley said that she was "under
the impression" that Mr. Terpil was re-
to the Central Intelligence
Agency porting when in Uganda. Prosecutors in
New York have said that Mr. Terpil was
dismissed, or "terminated unfavorably,"
by the agency in 1971, after about six
years as an employee.
Mr. Infante described Mr. Terpil as a
consultant and representative" who
would send back business when, 1.q his
travels overseas, he learned that some
foreign company, government or army
needed boats, generators, fire engines or
other products made In the United States.
Mr. Infante said that Oceanic had pro-
vided uniforms and musical instruments,
but not weapons, to Uganda.
? W. Don Randol, who used to be the
treasurer of Oceanic, said that Mr. Ter-
pil's role in the business was "pretty dog-
gone vague," although he apparently put
up some of the money. "Oceanic was al-
ways a legitimate business," Mr. Randol
said. "If Terpil did anything Improper, he
did it without the company's knowledge."
the man.,
At his arraignment last month in New
York, prosecutors said that Mr. Terpil
a had supplied arms to Libya' and the
Palestine Liberation Organization,
trained terrorists in Libya, advised Idi
Ainin, the deposed Ugandan dictator, and
sold at least $3.2 million worth of weapons
to the Amin government.
' Arrested In New York
St
d
nt.
ME%
N!
C ` tionaries. Investigators in New York,
Washington and Britain portrayed the Court Ruling Is Expected
?, men as operatives in an international A
gun-running organization that solo at To Cause Abortion Rise
least $10 million worth of arms a year. -
The two men were arraigned in State
1 cK Supreme Court today in New York City on ST. LOUIS, Jan. 10 (UPI) - A Federal
' ?; a superseding indictment charging them appeals court's decision providing wel-
with conspiracy, criminal possession of fare funds for women seeking "medically
weapons and other charges carrying a necessary" abortions will lead to an in-
n maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. crease in abortions, supporters and oppo-
Mr.Korkala is free on $100,000 bail. Mr. nents of abortion agreed today.
Terpil is expected to post his own $100,000 The ruling by. the United States Court of
ot tomorrow. The next court appearance for Appeals for the Eighth Circuit said that
cn both men was scheduled for Jan. 31. Federal funds for abortions could be pro-
W -There is also a Federal grand jury in vided to poor women when a physician
*cm Washington investigating possible viola- determined that the pregnancy might be
tions of the Foreign Agents Registration detrimental to her physical or mental
I
Act and the Munitions Control Act. health.
? --- Sales Termed Legal Federal funds for abortions have been
Attorneys for Mr. Terpil and Mr. 1Cor- restricted to victims of rape and incest
use saving the mother's life or
and for
kale have raid that the arms-selling ac-
tivities were perfectly legal. The lawyers preventing severe physical damage to
the mother.
contend that some of the arms sales were . ,
presumption that physical health
The
SC carried out in Britain, where laws are detriments are deserving of attention but
less restrictive that mental health detriments uniformly
The manufacture, sale and export are not is, in one court's opinion, 'nothing
F rms. are closely regulated by less than absurd,. " the appeals court
Federal Government. It is Illegal for a said yesterday.
+
"
* person to be in the business of selling
=
1 a_. guns without having a Government li? Frank Susman, appeals court,
argued the case before the I" cease. The Munitions Control Act ro-old t the ruling would make
abortions
i? quires a permit for the export of arms. available to 2,000 Missouri women a year
and customs laws require that the co". under the Medicaid program. Ann O'Don-
' tents of any weapons cargo be accurately Well. a SL Louis antiabortion leader,
described agreed that there would be an increase in
ww People who engage in gun ,turnilicenses ng nor-
many do not obtain the abortionss.
' and permits because they do not Want I
,714 their transactioostobetraced. South Pole Worker Killed
f - -The Washington town house that WASHINGTON. Jan. 10 (UPI) - A
Pel" served as Mr. Terpil's base was the head-, worker at America's South Pole Station
W quarters for oceanic International Cor-' in Antarctica was killed Tuesday by an
Ten poratlon. an export-import marketing' apparent snow cave-in, the National Sd-
and sales concern, and for the Tech- ..end Foundation said today. The founda-
s nology Transfer Group Inc., another i tion identified him as Casey A. Jones, son
IiC small company. The charges against Mr. of George A. Jones of Old Saybrook,
s.. Terpil surprised his former colleagues' Conn. He was digging near an air vent
"40
U.. here to varying degrees. whp the accldpnt c-a'uurred.
kala were arrested Dec. 22 in New York
City after they allegedly tried to sell
10,000 machine guns to undercover detect
tives posing as Latin-American revolu-
i
Mr. Terpil's wife, Marillyn, was a hair-
dresser who told friends that she had
been a make-up artist for the intelligence
agency.
r..erpil did advance the cause of law
enforcement in one way. Through Tech-
nology Transfer, be helped provide local
governments, schools and hospitals with
"French boots" or "Denver boots," the
devices used to immobilize illegally
parked cars.
Technology Transfer, like Oceanic,
was incorporated in 1977. Though there is
no legal connection between the compa-
nies, there are a few persons who have re-
-
sponsibilities with both..
At least one employee of Oceanic testi-
fied here last summer before the Federal
grand jury investigating the activities of
Mr. Terpil and Mr. Korkala, who has
been identified as the owner of Amstech
Corporation, a security equipment com-
pany. Investigators who raided the of-
fices of Amstech in Nutley. N.J., last
month recovered bombs, booby traps and
firearms, but Mr. Korkala's lawyers in-
sisted that he had done legitimate wort
for Federal agencies.
Purchases by SecretServlce
A spokesman for the Secret Servi
tects the President, had purchased
stech. He added that the Secret Servi
had not bought guns from the company.
Land records here show that Mr. T
bought the house at 2020 Connecticut A
the property had been "erroneously
Ltd., a Liberian corporation not
identified.
log in a new,_ Japanese-style W-0!
fo
t $280
b
...
,wv
paw a
ou
$20,000 for a swimming pool in the b
-
prop-- -
The relationship, if any, between
two similarly named companies could
corporation or parternship record W
they might be expected to appear.
Approved For Release 2008/08/21 : CIA-RDP04-00312RO01001810087-8