ROLE AS CIA SOURCE DENIED BY MEXICAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000404520010-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 30, 2010
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: April 22, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/30: CIA-RDP90-00552R000404520010-7
STAT
?
t - `
- u
van o an o
er apt All 1.1113
ByJERRY BZ- LCH- R, _ t 1 Tn Its March 26 story,,the Union - country.; ' '
'TimesSrajj Winter said Kennedy's attempts to prose Vassar Ilaro identified the?fired!
: cute NnssarHato for his role in an FDFS agent as Ricardo Rodriguez.
}
Miguel Nassar qa.-a,ormer chief_ $3.4 million autd theft ring were lIe said he. fired the man in April,
of Mexico's national security agen- ? -'!thwarted by top U.S.Officials' be- 1981 , for getting into a drunken al-
cy, . surfaced in Los Angeles on Cause the I1lexican ;lawman was'"a ter
cation at a sports stadium.
Wednesday to heatedly deny that most important source in Mexico. ..t He also said another man named
he was a CIA spy or an international : and Central America ' ;`s
t . t? 1 !.,Cipriano Rodriguez; whom he had.
car thiPf
- ppuJI lvi t/ClJVlla1 ll'rViv11S, 1v11CCnel-1 IICUj V clZ rAVCU db d JVU1Ct: Jur Cne
.~ CIA son said dater that his client had re- ;. story.
signed because his principal backer "That's
not true," Ii2itchelson said
in the :Mexican government had
\Vednes la}:-"There was oil
n
y o
::
e
o
failed in. his bid for the presidential member of the DFS ever. ihvolved
-- u Ce Dente nomination. In any case, Mitchelson in this (and) Vassar had fired him
said the; resignation had nothing to ? I don't know where Mr Kenne-.'
Y_ do with''the.car. theft ring, allega- . dy.got his information but (it)
Mexican tions of CIA connections or Ameri ' is very, very incomplete., And Mr.
cart'new?stories. -. r:; i :I`Tassar:wasn't bein rotecied by'
'
`
e
th
Vassar Haro s appearance in the' I `-' impiicatea in News Report' . ~:' ?.'_.: `, "? ` c 7 "" ""i uu?11 w,IL11 lit
-applied to join the DFS, had offered
-Century City office of attorney_ '-The ring smuggled staler; cars to self hint a yellow van . But, said
Marvin 14itcirelson came shortly af- from Orange and San Diego coon= Vassar I-laro, he told Rodriguez to.l
ter the lawyer filed an S11-million tics for Salo tit Mexico:
take the matter up: with the DFS
libel suit-in Superior Court agair~t %?, The newspaper said theta federal purchasing agent. ;
Time lMagazire: Grand Jury in. San. Diego.returnedr The. Union: story said-arid ''the
In the suit, Mitchelson said the sealed indictments against 28 per-: ` Time story essentially repeated
-i
magazine called Nassar Haro "a sons involved in the ring last year. that an FriI it:erman! ieported see-
conspirator" in a car theft ring, and Last July, the story said, ? 14 sus ins, Nas..? "receive a stolen
that he could ~nbt be prosecuted in pects, including three Mexican DFS yellow van _ e . ^e of his agents."
this country because he was a key agents, were arrested. Mitchelson sat' :tat neither. the
source for the CIA on Mexican and l..1t ' `
wo of these suspects implicated newspaper nor the magazine tried
Central Amariran affaire ? ? .. ..- ~ .... .. ..
LOS ANGELES TIMES
22 APRIL 1982
on their stories.."He'vias contacta-
ble,"the attorney said. "and no one:
contacted him."
Nassar.Haro said, he . has peen
working as a business consultant in,!
Mexico City.
"Th.e story is obvious," Mitchel-
son :said: "What's happened is .that.
. Mr.'.Kenmedy came into office:last;{
November, ,picked up the remnant.
of an investigation..; . One.of ihe;i
,thieves.(in the auto theft ring).said
'that, they "delivered,:...-., a. yellow
van' to' lir. Nassar.;'M
r -.I{ettnedy. j
may :: have.: choseh."; to believe
said Nassar Haro "probably is j
anvindispensible source because he
has devoted his (professional). life:`
to' catching certain terrorists
Dut.1 Can't tell you why President
Reagan or anyone else put pressure ;
.on Kennedy to resign:".y;::>'; t -
t Nassar Haro said, that as head of
.the DFS he has only "exchanged in-
formation" of international interest-.]
'
ith-the FBI:: t' ,i,? ' :r`'',t
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/30: CIA-RDP90-00552R000404520010-7
attorney in.San Diego earlier this
.month by the. Reagan Adrnirstra-
-tion,.reportedly lost his job because
he publicly identified Nassar Haro:J
as "an in:lispensible'' CIA source.:
The't{enticdy statement was print-,
ed irkhe March 26 edition of the Santa
Diego Union
- '
Mitchelson said he has demanded'
that the newspaper print a retrac-
tion within, 20 days or face- a libel'
suit similar to ~ that 'filed :against
'i
Time..
Spokesmen for both the magazine and he newspaper said they -will
stidls;by their stories. .. '3
Michelson said .Time's -April 12:
story, was based largely on, the -
Union's reporting of the month be-
forg.
The, 52-year-old. Nassar'. Haro,
specking through an' interpreter.
Wednesday, emphatically and at
times angrily said that he was in no
way involved in the car theft ring.
and never worked for the CIA.
"No, absolutely no," he said.
Mitchelson said Nassar Haro had
served in the'Directorate of Federal
Security (DFS)-Mexico's. equi:'
valeclt of the FBI-for 20 years, and
headed the agency from 1977 until
last Jamiary
.
Nassar Haro said he resigned his