LETTER TO MR. HARRY J. MCLAUGHLIN FROM LAWRENCE R. HOUSTON

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP72-00310R000200270006-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 1, 2004
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: October 6, 1970
• Content Type: LETTER

Approved For Release-2004/12/15 : CIA-RDP72-0031OR00020027,Q006-1
Nar
6 October 1970
Mr. Harry J. McLaughlin
Sunday Patriot News
P. O. Box 481
York. Pennsylvania 17405
Dear Mr. MclAughlin:
Your story on the death of Reino Hayhanen was very
interesting. Unfortunately, my interest in and connection
with Hayhanen ceased after the trial, and I had no knowledge
of his whereabouts or activities. When the rumor cited by
Miss Bernikow concerning his death in a crash on a turnpike
came up, I asked someone about it as it sounded odd and was
told that it was: untrue as he had died of cirrhosis of the liver.
As you know, Miss Bernikow quotes me on this also. There-
fore. I cannot be of any assistance to you as to the accuracy
or inaccuracy of your story.
Sincerely,
s/
Lawrence R. Houston
General Counsel
cc: Asst to the DCI
OGC chrono
i/subject PUBLICATIONS
OGC : LRH: j eb
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0.r Patriot
xrr Eurniu Nrrn
OUOay P aria#-Netus HARRY J. McLAUGHLIN
a. Sunday Patriot - News
P. 0. Box 481
York, Pa. 17405
September 20, 1970
Mr. Lawrence Houston
General Counsel
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington,D.C.
Enclosed is an article which may be of some interest
to you.
I would appreciate confirmation of all, or any parts,
of my story.
to me.
Also, if there are inaccuracies, please point them out
Also, if you can add anything to it, I would appreciate
that too.
Thanks much.
Sincerely,
Approved For Release 2004/12/15 : CIA-RDP72-0031OR000200270006-1
au-
 Approved For Release 2004/12/15 : CIA-RDP72-0031OR000200270006-1
.ports onn Abel's et i r
f"lutt]tig 41alrtr I-i~'Pul , narnsuurg, ra., aepr. cu, i~iu A
ie r ~ L
By HARRY McLAUGHLIN records showed that Hayhannen at the spy .trial that he -was a Donovan defended ?Abel, but Northeast city of cirrhosis of the
Of Our Yorke Bureau adopted an alias, of which the bigamist. Hayhannen's public confession liver." York Hospital records
YORK - A new. book, "Abel", initials,were "J.E.L.," after tes- The York ?lawyers, who settled that he and Abel were both show that "J.E.L. died of a liv-
says the betrayer and colleague tifying against Abel. "J.E.L: s" estate, asked that working as spies for the Soviet er ailment.
of Russian spy Col. Rudolf Iva- The book, "Abel", said Hay- their names be withheld from Union was believed by the jury. Sn. November, 1961, an NBC-
novich Abel died ?in the late sum- hannen and his wife disappeared publication, but they acknowl After Abel's conviction, he was t e t e v i s ion documentary on
l"
l
d i
t "Ab
t
d
d
i
e
n-
e
presen
e
aye
sonmen
a
of 1961 in Keene, N.H.. after the 1957 trial and moved to eddged estate details were ar- sentenced fo .life impr
ut that's incorrect. He died Keene, N.H., where it was origi- ranged . with a "lawyer from but later was.exchanged for,U-2 terview with Hayhannen, who,
In York. nallyy`.believed that he died. Ac-Keene, N.H." 'Pilot.Francis Gary Powers in a appeared on the screen with a
Reino Hayhannen, Abel's spy.,tually, he had secretly moved to Hayhannen's death in this Soviet UnionaUnited States pris- mask over his face. The tele-
partner, died in York Hospital York. , area has been kept secret for al- oner exchange. vision spokesmen, Chet Huntley
on Aug. 24, 1961, it can be Hayhannen used the name of most nine years, and at ,least As. for the Donovan report` of and David Brinkley, then report-
strongly substantiated, and lat-'Eugene Maki when the,' Soviet two persons involved with funer-. Hayhannen's death, he .was right ed that the interview was made
er, . he . was buried in Green- Union transferred him : from al arrangements were sworn to .as far as the date was concerned in ,duly; 1961, but that Hay-
m o u n t Cemetery. The . only Eastern Europe. to . the Uni'ed secrecy by the CIA. ' but. wrong on how and where be hannen had died a short time
mourners at 'the services were States in the middle 1950's to as- In another book about Abet died. :' , later. His residence and place of
his Finnish wife and agents of sist Abel and his illegal espion- and his activities and eventual In Washington, D.C., yester- death were not revealed.
the Central Intelligence Agency age apparatus. His wife's alias trial, entitled "Strangers on a day, Lawrence. Houston, general Mrs. Annabelle Decker, a
(CIA). was Hannah Maki Technically Bridge", by the late Col. James counsel for the CIA??since its in- York funeral director, said she
The bizarre account came to she. was one of two women to B. Donovan, it wasrePorted that'ception, said'Donovan's account~was sworn. to secrecy by the CIA
light for the first time on Thurs-.whom he was married. His other Hayhannen died in 1961 in an au- was incorrect. f o avoid any discussion about
Haus>
okesman
T
h
.
,
a sp
hroug
day, wife, and a son, remained in the tomobile accident on the Penn-
See SPY BURIED-Page A-I3
en died in a
han
"H
id
,
ay
n
,
Hospital and Court' House Soviet Union, and he conceded sylvaniasTurnpike. ton sa
i~,urned to York dnr a wit + +w_ _ - lII po 1Ce ?,,,,,,,__ _------ roug ont
Mrs. Dec
ports that CIA agents attended a
laf funera4 and graveside ser-
es.
The service clergyman, the
'Rev. Robert E, Nale, pastor of
Shiloh Lutheran Church; said!
yesterday he was convinced that
Hayhannen and "J.E.L." were
one and the same about two
years later.
"Arrangements for the funeral
were made by a lawyer from
Keene, N.H., whose name ap-
pears in the new book, 'Abel';
and who bad worked i,n, the spy
trial," the Rev. Mr. Male regort-
e d .
"Hayhannen, or `J.E.L.f, .take
?_~ uuw:ume a .rounded ley two lawyers who hadlAoej _as- 'the Soviet Union's top
real alcoholic tm Qha o,_ _:- .. -
u==fly 111 iici- currversa- - muetert that he was sent here to
tion, she o6ten refe
d
f to
rre
to her- be the No. 2 man..
self as I o
h, the alias Mrs. Baby Girl Sure Bet Evan said +that. Abel never
Hayhannen used In applying for With. Grandmother trusted Hayhannen, and showed
a pass
ort t
hi
"
p
o t
s country.
concern because of
TOCOMA, Wash. (AP -Des- pard
i
Heuhannan 4- + a__=_ 7,: a ,_e__
r
nki
M
ears
-y
,
rs. verse Crockett =, he S o-
"it wasn't until I saw a .pub- was so sure the next ch;iri w,mld pair disappeared from the So-
,;..,...,.
-- r=~~~v vi aiayiittirnen, with
a mask over his face, that con-
vinced me he was also J.E.L.,"
the clergyman said. He added
that he then talked to a Iocal
FBI agent about his puzzlement.
"Stranger .:things than that
have happened, the FBI agent
be a girl that she sewed 25 femi-tv;et union mound airplane after
.n VV11