ROLE AS CIA SOURCE DENIED BY MEXICAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00845R000201050002-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 10, 2010
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: April 22, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

CTAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/11: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201050002-8
LOS ANGELES TIMES
22 APR IL 1982
son said-later that his client had re- story.
signed because his principal backer "'That's not true," Mitchelson said
In . the Mexican government had ;.. Wednesday: "There was otily,ane
,failed in. his bid for the presidential member of the DFS ever, involved
nomination. In any case, Mitchelson in this (and) Nassar had fired him
said, the resignation had nothing tot=`;: ? I don't know where Mr. Keane-:;
do with-'the car, theft ring, allega- dy.got his informatbut (it)
lions of. CIA connections or Ameri- ^. is very, very incomplete., And Mr.
1 1,
earl"news stories. . , ' . " ?t proected by , :::.-.Nassar.w,1sn t being
.post for personal reasons, Mitchel pcdy was'given as a source for the
h
CI
th
L - t
e
A or [i?)' ti
e agcn~y to uus;
....,, ? ? ,
By JERRY B .C1 R ~= In Its.March 2G story,.the Union country
Times Src ;v;-i_#er said Kennedy's attempts to prose ;'.Nassar Ilaro identified the fired!
cute. Nassar. Hato for his role in an ; -DFS agent as Ricardo Rodriguez. `
Miguel Nassar ?Fa.-r,-former Chief $3.4 million autd theft -ring Were Fie said he. fired the man in April,
of Mexico's national security agen- -'!thwarted by top IJ.S. Officials'' be- ;`:, 1981, for getting into a drunken al-
Cy, surfaced in Los Angeles on cause the Mexican latvtnan was;"a tcrcation at a sports stadium.'
~Vedresday to heatedly deny that most important source in Mexico 1-le also said another man named
he was a CIA spy or an international and Central America' . Cipriano Rodriguez; whom he had_
car thief. >i repeatedly. turned down whcri he
Implicated in News Report
Ha
o
assar
.,
s appearance in the
. ~ --, . , . ; , ';applied to join the DFS, had offered
Century City office of attorneys The ring smuggled stolen. cars to sell him a yellow van. -But,
said
Marvin Mitchelson came shortly af- .' from Orange and .San Diego coon,'' Iiassar 1lat'o, he told Rodriguez to 'J
ter the lawyer filed an S11-million ties for salt- h) Mexico:
libel suir:in Superor Court a airs[ take the matter up with the DFS''
g The newspaper said that a federal ,purchasing agent: -~ -~.~.?;~ Time Magazine-. Magazine. Grand Jury.in San. Diego returned -The. Union: story said-add ,the
In the suit, Mitcheison said the sealed indictments against 28 per- Time story essentially repeated F
magazine called Nassar Haro "a sons involved in the ring last year. that an r'?I irermant reported see-
conspirator" in a car theft ring, and Last July, the story said,, 14 sirs: in Nas..L ,'receive a stolen
that he could'uiot-be prosecuted in . pects, including three Mexican DFS yellow van _x.: _:-,!of his agents."
this country because he was a key agents, were arrested. blitchelson sat tat nether the!
so
f
h
urce
or t
e CIA on Mexican and "Two of these suspects implicated
Central American affairs. - 1 . Nassar" the newspaper paid. Ken-
William H. Kennedy, fired as U.S..-
attorney in.San Diego earlier this
month by the-Reagan Adsairistra-
`'tio'n,.reportedly lost his job because
he publicly identified Nassar Haro;')
As "an indispensible'? CIA source. :4
The:Kenfiicdy statement was print-.14,j
ed mn{he March 26 edition of the Sari:
Diego Union..
Mitchelson said he has demanded.'
that the newspaper print a retrac
tion within*20 days or face- hlibel`:}
suit similar ~ to - that '-filed. 'against
Time...
Spokesmen for both the magazine.,
and the newspaper said they -will
stidlfty their stories.
Mifcheison said Time's -April 12.
story, was based largely on? the
Union's reporting of the month be-,
fo
'hre.:;
e, 52-year-old Nastae Haro,
spehking 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
: Secu ity (DFS)-Mexico's, equi--
vale%ft of the FBI-for 20 years, and
headed the agency from 1977 until
last Jandary.._
Nassar Haro,said he resigned his
newspaper nor the 'magazine tried
to reach Nassar Barb for comment
.on their stories.."He'-was contacts=;
ble,"the attorney said.,''and no one,,
contacted him." ,
Nassar.Iiar'o said, he. has beenl
i
working as a business consultant in,!
Mexico City.
"The story is:obvious," Mitchel-
:son:said: "What's happened is.that_i
Mr..Kennedy came into office':last :
November, ,picked up the remnant
:of an investigation.. .:,-.One of the
thieves. (in the auto theft ring). said'!
that, they ' delivered;:... a.yellow
,van' to' Mr. Nassar.:;Mr..Kennedy';
may -. have ~ choseh, to believe
it. He said Nassar Haro*"probably is
an=indispensible source because he
has devoted his (professional) life.:
to, catching certain terrorists : ?.'.;
But I Can't tell you *by:President Reagan or anyone else put pressure,
.on Kennedy to resign:" .?:;
i t-Nassar Haro said, that as head of.
the DFS he has only 'exchanged in-
formation" of international interest:
With-the FRI-
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/11: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201050002-8