DEFENSE WITNESS DENIES DOING CIA JOBS FOR REWALD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000605490025-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2010
• Sequence Number: 25
• Publication Date: October 5, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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Approved For Release 2010/09/16: CIA-RDP90-00552R000605490025-2
HONOLULU STAR-BULLETIN (HI)
5 October 1985
Defense Witness Denies Doing
for Rewald
oy glories Msmminger
star stiltet t Writer
apt. Edwin "Ned" Avary had
jurors and rpectators alike
chuckling thoughout his testi-
mony yesterday to the Ronald
Rewald trial as he sparred with
a defense attorney, made cracks
to the judge and gave the jury
the "shake' sign from the wit-
ness boa.
The 74?year-old former Air
Force jet pilot, retired airline
pilot and Rewald consultant was
called to the stand as a defense
witness. But Avery's offhand re.
marks, rambling statements and
challenges may prove to be
more trouble for the defense
than It was worth.
The defense hoped to show
the jury that May bad a histo.
ry of workin for the CIA and
that he had helped Rewald set
up a multi-million dollar military.
arms deal to Taiwan.
While Mary admitted that be
had done some "volunteer" wort
for the CIA from 1979 to 1977,
he denied that he ever "know.
ingl " did any CIA work for R,e-
wald or for Bishop, Baldwin, Re-
weld. DIWagham 4 Wong.
HE CALLED the Taiwan
operation "a phony arms deal"
put together by' Rewald and
that pipsqueak' Russell Kim.
another Rewald consultant.
Rewald claims, through his
attorneys, that at the time of its
collapee in I9a3, his company
was in the midst of a CIAspon-
gored arms deal that would have
raised some $10 million for
investors.
Avery went to Paris and met
with an arms dealer and ant
telex messages to Rewald re-
sn pectted tthhet deal as take but
went aniway because his "boss.,.
meaning Aewald, had told him
to.
He said he was told by the
arms dealer in Paris, whom he
described in one telex as "an aw-
some. yet affable Lebenonese
gorilla, that Taiwan would have
dealt directly if it actually want.
ed to buy arms.
After Avery took the Stand. hi-
asked U.S. Judge Harold Fong if
he could make a "alncere and
unbiased" comment before the
questioning began, Fong denied
the request bu Avery managed
to say what he wanted during
as of the first Public Defender
pp"God bas always been my ca
pilot," the whlte?bsked Avery
arid, cawing jurors to smile,
THEN. WHILE attorney, were
huddled at the bench, talking to
the judge. Avery apparently
carried on a conversation with
nearby jurors, smiling and jok-
ing with them. At one point, he
flashed a "shaka" sign at them.
Tarnanalia asked Avary If he
had ever been cleared by the
CIA and handed Avery-a form
apparently submitted to the CIA
on Avery's behalf by Rewald.
"I have never seen it before in
my life and I am speaking under
oath," Avary bellowed. Then
holding the document with two
fingers at arms lea h he told
Tamanaha, "You can have It."
When Fong ruled a defense
question "Irrelevant," Mary con-
firmed the judge,$ ruling vita
- the remaarkk "That% abaotvtely
correct, ,_ .,
And when be was islc"ed '+fout
a conversation between him and
' Rewald, Avary recounted the
conversation and tbertTed to-
ward Rewald and said, "You
remember that, Ron?"
Avery said he had done volun-
teer work for the CIA In the
South Pacific, providing Worms-
Lion on French nuclear tests. His
involvement with the agency
bad been disclosed in CIA docu-
ments introduced into evidence
earlier in the trial.
CIA Jobs
BUT AVARI' said be never
did any CIA work after 1077 and
none, to his knowledge, for Re?
weld.
He conceded he traveled often
for Rewald, setting up Bishop,
Baldwin offices around the
world, He also said he Trent to
West Germany with a list of
questions to monitor government
electioru. But he denied it was a
CIA operation
Avary IIW#d that 1"l.
wan arms deal was 1 lUmste
and that he volunteered to see it
through after the' collapse, Re.
weld's attorneys were unable to
put on evidence that Avery bad
told attorneys Brook Hart and
Peter Wolff, alter the Bishop,
Baldwin collapse, that be would
go to Taiwan and try to com-
olete the deal.
Wolff said outside the court.
room he only remembered
Avary offering to try to go to
some foreign country and see if
he could complete a deal that
would have made a commi;Non.
Also yesterday?Milwaukee res-
taurant owner David Baldwin
testified that he joined Rewild's
company as part of a plan to
open a restaurant in Hawaii. The
Hawaii restaurant would have
been Like Baldwin's Milwaukee
"Safehouse" restaurant, with a
spy mo lfh and a number of gim?
project, however,
never was completed.
Approved For Release 2010/09/16: CIA-RDP90-00552R000605490025-2