FILES SHOW CIA HELPED PORTUGAL GET B-26'S AGAINST AFRICA REBELS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000100610001-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 14, 1998
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: October 16, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

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B-2G U.S. Air Force bombers
BUFFALO N. Y. -- Com licit of the highest U.S. government agencies in -the se'A
cret sale of seven B-Z6 bo
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eral Court. The 'admission was made at the trial of John R. Hawke, ~' British pilot no,4:
.`living in Florida and , Count-
Henri Marie Francois de Marini F, . This was a direct contradiction + He charged that at one time
de Montma?rin, a French airplane .!of the . Government's previous, Hawke, trying to land one of the.
.broker, charged with violation of ?! contention that the transaction bombers in Washington, had'.
was a private and illegal one. flown directly over . the White'
the Munitions Control Act, which ?
forbids export of military planes Despite the fact that sales of House. Though this Is strictly
to a foreign country without a military material are in violation. forbidden, he went on, "no. vie='
I
State Department license. ? ..of the Federal Munitions Con-' lation was ever filed against,
Edwin Marger, Hawke's at- trol Act, Caiden said, he had him." He said that he found this'
torney, has contended throughout beeen assured in conversations'. "incredible . . based on my'
the trial that the sale and -flight with Gregory H. Board, owner experience as a pilot."
of the bombers was a secret op of a plane-leasing service and, One of '.the documents, dated,
i eration, of the Central Intcili- the man responsible for carrying'; May 25, 1965,? indicated that the
gence Agency. _ r out then transaction, that the ~ CIA had been aware of the Pend-
counsel of the CIA, opened the ? operation with the CIA. The de It contained data, apparently'
spection. These documents show- Jo Portugal were not secret, and' Portuguese. -government had;
ed that the CIA was involved that flight plans and customs purchased "about- 20 B-26' airy';
in the conspiracy to sell the clearances had been obtained for 'craft front a private Arm. .` ,.~
.
bombers to Portugal and that ;all seven of the bombers. which arcs flown from a base in.,,
to the U.S.-Defense Department, had discussed CIA participation . modifled for extra fuel tanks,;
1~~ the. Air Force, the in the project with several in- to fly the Atlantic via. an un- e
t 4~Joint Chiefs of Staff, telligence officers of the U.S. Air known refueling base."
The planes were .reportedly to Charles_C.allahan of, Patrick Air lished that Hawke flew the first i
?
have been used by Portugal to Force Base in Florida, as saying,bomber from Tucsgn to Rochester
crush upriFings in her colonial that "another government agency, on May 29, and from there flewV
,
,
territories of Angola and Mozam- is Involved In the case." on to Portugal,) ' y
bique. Following the arrest of I-Iatvkei Under. f, u r t h e r questioning
Houston's statement was made and de Maria, Caiden stated, he, Houston admitted that the In..
following'the testimony of Mar was told by another Ai
formation contained in the dec I
o..
F
r
orce;
tin Caiden, aviation writer and colonel to "lay off the case" and' ment had been sent to the vary
former consultant to several Fed- ? to "stop putting on pressure." loos government agencies men,
eral agencies, who charged that !'You Just' don't fly militgryi, tioned above,
the CIA had been. directly In- aircraft out of the U.S. without; Late last week, in response
'vplverl_ in. the sale some form of cooperation," Ca- ; to ? renewed charges `by a Iiun?? .4
? dcn,~told
the;jury. rgarC~n;de8i