LETTER TO MR.-LT. GEN. VERNON WALTERS FROM GREG ROBERTS

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Records Related to the Assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02188001
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: June 6, 2025
• Document Release Date: June 12, 2025
• Publication Date: August 27, 1975

APPROVED FOR RELEASE 2025 UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER 14176 Greg Roberts P.O. Box 8491 North Hollywood Ca. 91608 27 August 1975 Mr.-Lt. Gen. Vernon Walters Deputy Director Central Intelligencg Agency Washington D.C. cc - Mr. Angus Thermer Press Officer CIA - Same Address Dear Mr. gaiters: On 20 August 1975, you spoke before the national VFW at the L.A. Convention Center. I was credentialized to cover the speech, but my car broke down en route to the Convention Center, But I did hear it on KPFK later that day. Could you please send me a copy of the speech, and a photograph of yourself? I guess if I were "paranoid" about the CIA, I would assume that the breaking down of my 1955 Buick was a CIA plot. Needless to say, one item that you ignored in your speech, which I thought was one of the best about the CIA by any CIA official in recent years, was the Kennedy assassinations. Whether CIA agents like it or not, there is the question that the CIA or any subdivision thereof participated in the JFK Murder. Also, in the RFK assassination, two LAPD officers who investigated the assassination were CIA training agents: one was named LATD Lt. Manuel Pena, and another named LAP) Lt. Enrique Hernandez, a polygraph operator. (Pena did some investigation in 1964 on the JFK assassination And Sirhan Sirhan's passport applications are classified. Do they show he had a CIA connection? �Your speech assumes that the CIA represents the United States, and that the KGB soley represents the USSR. Thus, those attacking the CIA in the U.S. are, in your opinion, pro-communists or communist dupes. But what about the thesis which states that the chiefs of groups like the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) are really running both the CIA Rand the KGB, or at least key (but not all) elements of various government agencies in both the USSR and the US including parts of intelligence services? Your press officer, Mr. Thermer, never responds to these questions. more GENERAL WALTERS 272-2 For example, while you speak of the New Cold War conflict, key U.S. leaders who are members of the CFR, like Burns, Butz, and the rest of them are selling wheat to the USSR in record amounts, thus driving prices up at home, or cooperating with the Rockefellers in bilking the population,out of its money by outrageous gasoline costs. As for the JFK assassination, I don't claim to know the whole story. But from what I can tell, Lee Oswald worked for the CIA in the USSR. His wife, Marina Oswald, in turn worked for the KGB in the U.S., mainly as a semi-overt Soviet contact for Russian nationals living in Ft. Worth-Dallas who wanted to contact relatives. That part of the country is off limits to official Sbviet representatives. The Russians seem to have known that Oswald was a CIA-DIA-MI man, but instead of shooting him, tacked Marina on to him and sent him back home. Oswald then returned to the US, where he resumed his relationship with David Ferrie. Anti-Castro elements were prohibited from killing Castro by Kennedy on July 31, 1963, when FBI agents raided a CIA facility at Lake Ponchartrain, La., and the Coast Guard. The original anti-Castro plotters switched directions, and their efforts were reorganized by members of the Mafia in Los Angeles, New Orleans, Chicago and Detroit. Oswald infiltrated the plot for the U.S. Secret Service, and reported to special agent Rice of the New Orleans division at meetings held at the Crescent City Garage. At some point, either members of the Pentagon and/or Secret Service White House Detail, and elements of the New Orleans and Dallas offices, switched directions too, cooperating with the conspiracy. Your agency had parttime operatives and some supervisors in it. The same group (the Mafia, using Arabs instead of Cubans, in a netowharkad which may have been cemented by the CIA) hit RFK. The techniques were used by the Plumbers to shoot Wallace. Well, in essence, that's a summary of the JFK-rFK assassination. Don't worry about it - I am not a powerful person so you can sluff this off as another letter. ' Anyway, for other reasons dealing with the parts of the CIA that are not CFR controlled or Kennedy assassination prohe - I thought that your speech was worth writing for a copy of, and quoting from later. I always try to give the CIA's side of a story, and no matter what I think about it, I am fair and objective when writing a news story. I onlyw wish that the CIA could bring back a jeep or something from Vietnam. I could use it. Gfre& Roberts Qct,"24/N/6/V41- Governor George Wallace And Deputy CIA Director Vernon Walters Highlight VFW National Convention by Greg Roberts The 76th Annual National Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States was one place where a variety of guest speakers, including former California Governor Ronald Reagan, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General_ George S. Brown and Deputy CIA Director Lt. General Vernon A. Walters, were all able to receive an en- thusiastic reception. In this day and age of mounting and ever increasing criticism of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, the most lively speech delivered at the Los Angeles Convention Center during the week of August 15th-22nd appears to have been delivered by veteran Army Gen. Vernon Walters. "I am not a veteran CIA man, as I have only been with the Agency in my capac- ity as Deputy Director for the last three years, but I want you to know that just as we find throughout the armed forces, one can readily marvel at the great pat- riotism and dedication to this country that I myself have found amongst the men and women who comprise the ranks of the employees of the Central Intelligence Agency," Gen. Walters said on Wednesday, August 20th. "And like those fine Americans in the CIA, lam equally tired of seeing all of the news media publicity going to those who despise the Agency and keep trying to tear it down by rummaging through the garbage pails of the 1950's," Gen. Walters added. "Neither the CIA, nor any other U.S. intelligence service for that matter, should have to be judged by present-day standards, specifically with regard to what it may or may not have done in the past,- Gen. Walters went on to explain in his speech, which was later broadcast on Pacifica's KPFK- FM lis- tener sponsored radio in Southern California. "We have laws on the books against indecent exposure of the human body, and yet this country goes naked and increasingly helpless as our intelligence services, especially the CIA, are being exposed daily in public," Gen. Walters noted. Support for the general content of the Deputy CIA Director's speech has come from both the Federal Bureau of Inves- tigation and the Los Angeles Police De- partment. "When it comes right down to it, what's wrong with the CIA, what's wrong with the FBI and what's wrong with the LAPD?" asked Los Angeles Police spokesman Lt. Dan Cooke when asked about allegations that some LAPD offic- ers, during a previous LAPD Chiefs administration, had maintained a close, working relationship with the CIA. Lt. Cooke also said, however, that such mutual relationships between the LAPD and the CIA had been discon- tinued under Police Chief Edward Davis. "The CIA, the FBI and the LAPD each have a responsibility to protect and serve the population," said an FBI spokesman. Otherwise, the most emotion packed speech of thw VFW National Conven- tion undoubtedly came on Monday night, August 18th, when Alabama Gov- ernor George Wallace addressed a banquet dinner. Regardless of what your personal opinion of George Wallace's populist Dixie politics are, one cannot help but cringe somewhat when you see Gover- nor Wallace being wheeichaired into an \ event such as this; or even being able to stand on crutches when speaking as a result of a broken leg, which occurred only recently amidst paralysis below the waist. "He is*a real fighter, and if he wasn't, after having been so cruelly gunned down in May of 1972 in Maryland, he certainly would not be here with us to- night," said National VFW Commander John Stang, who introdirced the Gover- nor. Although George Wallace is watched constantly by ever present security men, like bodyguard Lloyd Jameison of Alabama. VFW delegates and any news media personnel who wanted to were free to go up to the front platform table and talk or shake hands with Wallace. "I am thinking abotit it," Governor Wallace told this reporter when asked if he would run tor President in 1976. During his brief visit, Wallace had stayed at the nearby Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. After we obtained the necessary VFW press credentials from National VFW Public Relations Director John L. Smith on August 18th, and knowing in advance that a key regional George Wallace for President organizing conference had been scheduled at the Hyatt Regency on that same date, your reporter went to see if we could meet George Wallace. Both Wallace California State Coor- dinator Roland Vincent and Wallace Na- tional Public Relations Secretary Billy Jo Camp greeted us somewhat warmly, so we were able to take $ome pictures of George Wallace as he greeted some well dressed western states supporters during a reception. Although Governor Wallace said hello to us as he did everyone else, we were not permitted to stay while Wallace ad- AUG 29�SEP 7, 1975 HOLL1k4:703D PRESS George Wallace dressed his followers. Outside of the Wallace suite, which occupied the entire 23rd floor, members of the LAP D's Organized Crime Intellig- ence and Metropolitan Divisions mixed with "off duty" Alabama State Police and a few other photographers. (The OCID organized a special team which coordinated Wallace's security from the moment he landed at L.A. International Airport on August 16th until his August 19th departure.) As for State Coordinator Roland Vin- cent, he is not only a registered Democ- rat, but, to the dismay anti-Wallace O groups such as -the kt ericans for Democratic Action, he is also Mayor Tom Bradley's Commissioner on the city's Board of Administration, which oversees the city employees retirement system. "The Mayor chooses to pick and maintain Commissioners on the basis of ability and not on their outside involve- ment in political campaigns," says Ro- land Vincent, who is based in North- ridge. Otherwise, on the subject of con- victed assassin Arthur Bremer, press of- ficer Billy. Camp explained that Wallace advised a television station interviewing panel that he definitely believes that more than "just Bremer" was involved. (The interview was broadcast by KNBC-TV in Los Angeles on Saturday, I August 23rd.) ; "But we don't Nita? ..3 point the finger at anyone, at leastithout proof," Camp added when askrie 0 Wallace thought that former Pr siCant Nixon, the Weathermen, the Council on Foreign Relations unit in tr:z Czntral Inteiligei ice Agency or any cOrnbination of these or other groups hadlosert behind Bremer, the 'nasty hit-rn'an. During the television inter,itew, (;').J- emor Wallace had also called for an offi- cial reopening of the John and Robert Kennedv assass,n.-4,v-ts th. krflinn of Dr. Martin Luther King Ji , - ;-'iii,3 -arid the attempt on his on lifc.as well. As for George �illaltace s speech be- fore the veterans, ii seemed, at times, to be more of a Wellece reminiscence on the past and tftz overall history of the cold war, rather than a concise analysis of the present. , Yet, one does rzt doubt that George Wallace, if eve i z:ected President and sworn into �firm!. ri,ould strive for military il. superiority on The part ,of the United 'States over a ,17`, other nation on the globe, and cut clown sharply, if not al- together, on s?-damaging wheat deal giveaway pro'T7ams with the Soviet Union, which :Mace regards as our communist en�y. In contrast 0 Governor WaNace or Deputy CIA D rector It Gen. Walters. California Sen Itor Alan Cranston prob- ably received t .e least enthusiastic re- ception. Cranston sp.ce on Tuesday, August 19th, and discussed the many problems of the Vietnam war era veteran, who is not very well represented in the ranks of the VFW and was generally not present at the VFW Convention at all. Despite that, as- we have learned, if both Senator Cranston and Mayor Brad- ley have their way, we will be seeing George Wallace and all other leading Democrats at the same Convention Center a year from now if the Southland can only swing that Democratic National Convention to Hollywood. And barring the CIA, since it is not supposed to get involved in politics, like Senator Cranston and Mayor Bradley, we hope that we shall be able to wel- come a fighting George Wallace back to Los Angeles for the Democratic Con- vention in 1976. That is the real Democratic spirit! A freelance iwriter, Greg Roberts wel- comes letter at P.O. Box 8491, North Hollywood, C 91608. City Councilman Zev Yaroslaysky Questions Polic) As To G. Roberts #8491 North Hollywood Ca, 91608 T03 Mr, Vernon Walter Deputy Director U.S. CENTRAL INTE Washington D.C. Postmang Special PO Box