Author who uncovered John Kerry surveillance files reports some stolen

AP ^ | March 26th, 2004 | Ron Harris

[Sabertooth]

The man who uncovered evidence the FBI tailed presidential candidate John Kerry for months in 1971 said some of those files were stolen this week.

Author Gerald Nicosia reported to police Friday that three of the 14 boxes of once-secret FBI files he obtained under the Freedom of Information Act were taken from his Corte Madera home.

[Starve The Beast]

Good question, and I'm not really trying to say anything. But things like this are staged once in a while, for various reasons, and everybody who got excited at the time comes off looking like a hothead.

The phrase 'Urban Legend' was ill-chosen. And I'm not chiding anyone here. It's just that it's so tempting to jump to the conclusion that Kerry people are up to something that I'd kind of like to wait and see what develops.

[evolved_rage]

Methinks the author's literary agent perloined the historic photocopies.

[beckett]

A very convenient heist...too convenient. Just when these papers become a hot topic of discussion Nicosia can say when asked about any particular document, "That one was among the stolen batch. Dang!"

When they catch the burglar I'll admit I'm wrong. Until then Nicosia himself is suspect number one.

[Fedora]

Thanks; interesting. Makes me wonder, why steal copies unless you're also ensured of destroying the originals?--or if you're not ensured of destroying the originals, then what is the motive? Hmmm--something doesn't compute for me here--a piece of the puzzle is missing. My favorite detective is Columbo, and if I was Columbo, this is one of those little loose ends that would have me saying, "Well, that explains it, glad I can tell my boss we can wrap this up--oh, sorry to interrupt you again, but I almost forgot: just one more thing. . ." :)

[rwfromkansas]

File your own request and you will get the same docs.

[rwfromkansas]

I am just amazed he actually is in his blasted office. I have been calling several times a day for the past week and haven't ever reached him in his office.

[rwfromkansas]

It will take 20 years for the bureacuracy to provide him the new copies.

[rwfromkansas]

He gave some of them to CNS News and other conservative news organizations; I am rather surprised that these orgs have not bothered to put these online as PDF's. We need to harrass CNS News etc. until they do.

[staytrue]

but, he should be able to resubmit his FOIA request and obtain them again

FOIA requests are notoriously slow. I doubt he gets them until after November.

[nopardons]

IIRC,Kerry's brother did a WATERGATE style break-in, on an opponent in Mass., when Kerry ran for Senator, early on.

[windchime]

If something that is possibly damaging to Kerry is 'stolen' from his supporter....the friendly media can be relied upon to blame it on the 'right wingers'.

The 'victim' doesn't identify exactly what is missing so ANY derrogatory information that is revealed about Kerry's activities during that period will be construed as material taken in the burglary.

[Mo1]

Author Gerald Nicosia reported to police Friday that three of the 14 boxes of once-secret FBI files he obtained under the Freedom of Information Act were taken from his Corte Madera home.

Gee .. didn't Kerry's brother get caught in a watergate style break in??

[dpwiener]

When they catch the burglar I'll admit I'm wrong. Until then Nicosia himself is suspect number one.

That was my reaction as well. I was especially struck by his comment that the supposedly-stolen items included "files containing documents about Kerry that hadn't been reviewed yet by others".

So let's recapitulate: An author requests and receives a bunch of documents under the Freedom of Information Act, then makes some sensational charges against a Presidential candidate and garners a bunch of publicity. Nobody else has seen the documents and he has no other copies. When it comes time to back those charges up, the papers in question are conveniently stolen. So not only is he off the hook in providing the proof, but he gets another burst of free publicity. And if he can't get new copies later on, he simply charges that the government destroyed the evidence, and that generates still more publicity.

Frankly, the idea that someone stole those Kerry-related documents makes very little sense, especially if the purpose of such a theft was to deny the information to Nicosia. How could the thief possibly know that this was Nicosia's only copy? If it was really valuable information, one would expect Nicosia to have made several copies immediately and stashed them in safe locations.

I know a lot of people on this forum would like to believe the worst -- that Kerry is guilty of some politically-damaging actions, and the Democrats resorted to criminal tactics to cover-up the evidence. But in this case I think Nicosia is much more likely than Kerry to be guilty of a cover-up.

[Lancey Howard]

This kind of stuff always smells fishy to me.
Stolen, huh? Right.

Is this guy Gerald Nicosia fresh out of college or something? Nobody is stupid enough to let files like these get "stolen". And what would be the point of stealing these files anyway? Anybody else could get copies through the Freedom of Information Act the same way Nicosia did.

[Diver Dave]

Let's see now... What shady character who has experience obtaining FBI files and has no idea who hired him?

[archy]

These missing files are probably in the same storage locker as the FBI files Hillary! obtained as well as the Rose Law Firm records.

I think it's a safe bet that John Kerry's FBI file is one of those Kerry obtained. It's very likely that the FBI surveillance of Kerry was undertaken on the direct order of Director Hoover personally, having tangled with JFK/RFK circle northeasterners before and finding them not to his liking.

[archy]

File your own request and you will get the same docs.

File a request into the FBI investigation of the Fife/Lawless defrauding of the Farmer's Home Administration and the subsequent funnelling of much of the stolen taxpayer monies into St Louis-area political campaign warchests, and see if you get anything. Why, it's as if Attorney General Ashcroft was personally involved....

[Political Junkie Too]

If Hillary! doesn't know where they are, then they should try looking behind the photocopier at the Los Alamos Nuclear Lab.

-PJ

[CyberAnt]

What's your take on this ..?? So the FBI was watching Kerry. Why would anyone want to steal those files. Is there more than the "senator assinations" type of meetings Kerry might be worried about. And if not .. then how would anyone know which boxes to take ..?? Seems weird to me.

[Yaelle]

Well, what if Nicosia was "told" to report a break in? That he was pressured to have certain files go "missing"?