GLOBAL PRIVATE EYE DID OR DIDN'T-HELP POLE'S FLIGHT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP74-00297R000500900005-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 7, 2013
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: November 17, 1953
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/05/07: CIA-RDP74-00297R000500900005-6
How Col. Amoss Works
Global Private Eye Did
Or Didn't?Help Pole's Flight
By Edward T. Folliard
Post Reporter
(The Last of a Series)
Col. Ulius L. Amoss, director of operations of a pri-
vate intelligence-gathering organization called Interna-
tional Services of Information Foundation (ISI), first
gained national newspaper notice in connection with the
flight of a Russian MIG-15 to the West.
A Polish lieutenant, Franciszek Jarecki, escaped with
the undamaged jet, said to be the first to fall into Allied
hands. The story published back in March was that-for-
mer Gov. Preston Lane of Maryland and some others,
working with Colonel Amoss, put up something like
$10,000 to bring about the coup. (Colonel Amoss said
that the sum actually was $7500.)
Lieutenant Jarecki, when he visited Washington in
May, was emphatic in denying that he got any American
help in his escape. He said he had first heard rumors of
such help when he was in Copenhagen.
"I got no help from anyone," he said. "Even my dear-
est friends didn't know what I was going to do."
Colonel Amoss said the Polish flier was telling the truth
as he saw it.
Colonel Amoss has sharply revised the, story of his art
ormer overn ne
reluctant to talk for publica-
tion about the matter now,
but he told The Post this:
"We did put up expense
money for the purpose of get-
ting a MIG out. One came
was "the accomplishment" of out. As a matter of fact, an-
his intelligence network, other has come out of the
Some time later, the claims same hole."
were considerably milder. There was some cause for
Now, after the passage of worry about the original
some weeks, Colonel Amoss story, in its possible effect
contents himself with the more on the Danish Government,
modest claim that his ISI and on the efforts of Amen.
created "a psychosis of es- can experts to examine the
cape" among Polish fliers. MIG that was flown to Den-
mark's island of Bornholm.
in Lieutenant Jarecki's escape.
At 'first, in a letter to 1ST sub-
scribers, he stated flatly, as a
"boast"?the word is Amoss'?
that the delivery of the MIG
"Caught Us Off Base"
"Jarecki had never been in
touch with my agents," he
said. "The story broke very
unfortunately and caught us
off base. I could show you a
telegram that arrived one
hour after Lieutenant Jarecki
landed on the island of Born-
holm.
"If Lieutenant Jarecki wants
to say I had nothing to do with
his escape," Colonel Amass
said "I won't challenge him."
Amoss' first "secret" letter,
boasting of the MIG escape,
got into the hands of news-
papermen, naturally, and soon
the story was on the wires.
They learned that former Gov-
ernor Lane and others had
turned over the money to
Amass.
Declassified in
Chances Improved
The chances of Americans
going over the jet plane, it
would seem, would be better
if it appeared that Lieutenant
Jarecki had flown out as he
Insisted that he did ? on his
own and without any outside
aid. Denmark would thus not
be in the position of seeming
to have been part of a plot.
Conversely, Denmark would
be less likely to cooperate
If she felt that she was sub-
ject to a Russian accusation
of aiding and abetting a
scheme engineered by an
American intelligence organ-
ization ? even a private one.
In an interview, Colonel
Amoss was reminded that-
some people are skeptical
about him.
"That's an understatement,"
he said, somewhat wryly.
He showed he was well
aware of what had been said
about him. He referred to a
recent article in a news maga-
zine wherein, he said, an un-
identified official of the De-
fense Department said he was
"a total loss" and an uniden-
tified official of the Central
Intelligence Agency was
quoted as saying he "never
knew Amoss to be right."
Tells Off Detractors
Colonel Amoss, up to this
point, good-humored despite
the fact that he had under-
gone dental surgery the day
before, now girded himself to
tell off his detractors, saying:
, "Any so-called official of
the United States Govern-
ment who, under the cloak of
anonymity, attacks the com-
petence or reputation of an
American citizen is at the
least a coward.
"And what the official in
question might have meant
was not that he had never
known me to be right, bidt
that he had never known me
to be left.
"I forecast the outbreak in
Korea a month before it
came. And my forecast was
right within two days.
"I was right within a week
In saying when the Chinese
would come into the Korean
war. Ana somebody in the
Central Intelligence Agency
was telling MacArthur that
the Chinese were not coming
into the Korean war.
"On January 2, 1953, I stated
In writing that Stalin was
through and that the Red
Army had taken control. The
people of the United States
didn't hear that from the CM.
They had to wait until March
when Moscow itself an-
nounced it and said that
Amoss was right.
"I predicted the Mau Mau
outbreaks in Africa 18 months
before they came.
"There are dozens and dozens
of these things, but I don't
want to burden your article.
Hide Behind Anonymity
"You hear a lot abut char-
acter assassination, but the
people they attack the most
for this are speaking publicly
under their own names. There
is an awful lot of fuss about
McCarthy. Jenner and McCar-
ran, accusing them of character
assassination. But they speak .
out under their own names.
"Here you have men hiding
behind anonymity and making
an attack upon a patriotic
enterprise.
"I have been shot at, threat-
ened, and this termite is sit-
ting behind the safety of
anonymity in Washington and
sniping at a nrivate citizen
Colonel Amoss said he didn't
know what was aggravating
his critics?whether they were
"just eaten up by jealousy,"
or what.
"I don't presume to be a
genius," he went on. "I
wouldn't even claim to be a
Russian expert. But I've got
Russian experts' working for
me, and they make me look
good."
His attention was called to
his earlier remark about the
ISI being "a patriotic enter-
prise."
Certainly he thought it was,
he said, and went on to add:
"I wouldn't be taking this
financial beating if I didn't.
I've spent my money and my
wife's money in a small effort
to contribute to the safety of
the United States."
Hopes for Salary
He said he received no sal-
ary from the ISI and that the
organization paid only 3 per-
cent of his travel expenses,
At another point, he said:
"I hope one day to get a
salary from the foundation.
I've made myself broke in
this thing."
Reading several of Amoss'
letters and reports to Ts!
members is a pretty exciting
business.
You find out, for example,
that "Pontecorvo's (Dr. Bruno
Pontecorvo, the Italian scien-
tist who went behind the Iron
Curtain) 'Cosmic Ray' does not
work a gain st high-flying
planes." This "Cosmic Ray,"
Amoss explains, "is a combina-
tion of negative and positive
electrical impulses supposed
to reduce a plane to a cinder
at the apex of the joined
beams."
There Is other comforting
Information. As of last June
30, "European intelligence ex-
perts do not believe that Rus-
sia has an effective atom
bomb."
There is evidence of ISI's
effectiveness, too. Amoss re-
ported by cable from London
on July 12 that ISI's "revela-
tion of the rumors concerning
Malenkov's fate in a previous
article was sensationally re-'
ceived overseas and widely
disseminated. The story
forced the Red authorities to
produce or, perhaps, repro-
duce him." But, "liberated or
recreated, Malenkov is not
long for this world."
In March, 1952, ISI reported
that Stalin was being advised
by the Politburo to retire, and
said that the need to protect
his health from overwork
would be used as the "official
pretext." A month later,
Amoss was still warning his
readers against "fake stories
of Stalin's ill health."
Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/05/07: CIA-RDP74-00297R000500900005-6
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/05/07: CIA-RDP74-00297R000500900005-6
that "these are times for cool
heads and accurate appraisal
of Soviet abilities."
? Then, ? on August 11, com-
forting news came from agent
Janisi in Aachen: "Supreme
Soviet secretly decided aban-
don further armed aggression
for the present."
"Preparations Intensified"
. Similarly, on September 14,
Amoss told his subscribers,
"Soviet preparations for a
change-over from military ag-
gression to world revolution
are being intensified and will
be greatly expanded."
But on October 26, theword i
was: "Soviet Russia s flexing
her military muscles."
And two days later, "Soviet
war preparations must be
taken seriously. 1959 is a
possible target date."
ISI subscribers received
sound advice from the colonel
last March 4: "Meanwhile?
don't believe anything you
read about Soviet Russiit as
sure."
? The Post reporter, in inter-
viewing Colonel Amoss .in his
Gibson Island office, hap-
pened to pick up an old spe-
cial letter. He thought for a
moment that he had found
evidence that the ISI chief
was fallible, just like ordinary
folk.
The intelligence item, which
Colonel Amoss sent out in
March, 1952, said that Stalin
was going to retire and be suc-
ceeded by Molotov.
Had he stubbed his toe on
that one? Had one of his
agents overseas, perhaps,
passed on some misinforma-
tion?
"No," -Colonel Amoss said
very seriously. "That really was
the plan, but it went awry."
Insight on Changes
But by January, Amoss re-
vealed that Stalin had suf-
fered a stroke, and has been
boasting of this three-month
beat on the CIA ever since.
Amoss' reports give bne an
Insight on how quickly and
erratically plans change in-
side the Kremlin.
For example, early this
year, on January 21, Amoss
reported from London, "No
war for a long time?except
in various areas."
But only a month later, in
an "Urgent" letter, he dis-
closed: "The next ten months
will be critical ? dangerous.
According to present plan:
Soviet Russia will mobilize
her armed forces on a war
basis within this period. THIS
WILL BE A BLUFF (to fright-
en Western nations into pres-
suring America to deal with
the Reds). But?the bluff may
miscarry." The colonel warns
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/05/07: CIA-RDP74-00297R000500900005-6