Author Reports Theft of Some of Kerry's FBI Files (New Info - New Spin)

L.A. Times ^ | March 27th, 2004 | John Gilonna

[Sabertooth]

Nicosia said he suspected that the thieves were specifically in pursuit of the files because a camera and other expensive items in the home were left untouched. He added that he did not know exactly what material was taken because it was not cataloged or marked. Three of 14 boxes of files that had been stacked in his kitchen are missing. He said he was moving the remaining documents to a secure location Friday afternoon. Nicosia has not yet looked at all the files. Last week he allowed The Times to photocopy 50 pages concerning the FBI's monitoring of Kerry in the fall of 1971. The author also supplied the same 50 photocopied pages to Kerry. The Times published a story about the files Monday.

< -snip- >

Nicosia said he left home Thursday and returned to find several doors inside his house ajar. He said he did not realize until Friday morning that there had been a theft. "The police told me that burglars very easily could have come in through a sliding door without signs of a forced entry," he said. He added that he had no idea why the thieves didn't take all 14 of the boxes. "My guess is that they were surprised during the act and didn't have time to take everything — maybe the dog next door barked," Nicosia said. He said that while the boxes had been tightly packed when released by the FBI, he saw signs that ones not previously opened had been riffled. Lovenguth said police were investigating the case as a burglary. "Our investigating is ongoing," he said. "We're waiting for the victim to tell us exactly what was missing so we know what we're looking for." "Whoever did this wanted to know something about John Kerry," Nicosia said. The author said that he promised at one point to deliver the files to Kerry so the senator could more fully review the information gathered about him. "But in the meantime, somebody got there first," Nicosia said.

[kanawha]

Something to think about.

Subu Kota was a Communist spy.

KOTA, SUBA M
10/19/1994 $5,000.00
NORTHBORO, MA 01532
BOSTON GROUP -[Contribution]
DEMOCRATIC SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
KOTA, SUBU
9/4/1996 $250.00
NORTHBOROUGH, MA 01532
BOSTON GROUP -[Contribution]
KERRY/DNC VICTORY FUND

[pepsionice]

To have papers of such value...to not have scanned these...to have left them in open view...it all smells of a bogus story. The best part is that its all freedom of information material. He can easily reaquire all of the items. Nicosia needs to find a day job or else become a true-blue investigator. I could have scanned 500 pages of material in one day and posted it on the internet for nothing. Everyone would have been free to browse the material.

[ntnychik]

Deja vu all over again.
Remember the "Kerry's Watergate" threads?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1065034/posts

J F'n Kerry: Burglary of opponent's office by his brother Cameron was a "pre-emptive strike" http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1071819/posts

Part 4 Boston Globe Series on Kerry 1996 http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061803.shtml (Scroll down for photo of Boston Globe article)

[ntnychik]

Ping to 63.

[windchime]

CNN just reported this 'theft' with film clips. They said he'd collected the material over a period of eleven years. Hmmmm.

[Fedora]

Subu Kota was a Communist spy.

Interesting--hadn't heard about that. How do you see that tying into the "stolen" files?

BTW, I did a Google search on "Subu Kota spy" and didn't find anything, but when I tried "Kota spy" this came up:

Recent Espionage Cases (1975-1999)

1995 - ALURU J. PRASAD and SUBRAHMANYAM KOTA: On 8 October, Indian businessman, Aluru J. Prasad, and ten days later, software engineer Subrahmanyan Kota, were arrested and detained for their involvement in a spy ring that sold highly sensitive defense technology to the KGB between 1985 and 1990. Prasad, a wealthy Indian national who frequently visited the United States, was alleged to have been an agent of the KGB. Kota, a naturalized US citizen, was president of the Boston Group computer consulting firm.

According to an FBI affidavit, the pair met Russian agents in Bermuda, Portugal, Switzerland, and other foreign locations and at these meetings passed classified defense information. At the time of their indictment, it was revealed that Kota and another conspirator, Vemuri Reddy, had been arrested the previous December by FBI agents, who were posing as Russian intelligence agents, to whom they had attempted to sell (for $300,000) micro-organisms used in the production of a high-tech drug. Beginning in 1989, Prasad plotted with Kota of Northborough, Massachusetts, and other unnamed persons to obtain classified technology from a network defense contractor employee. Prasad and Kota specifically sought information about mercury cadmium telluride missile detectors, radar-absorbing coating used on stealth fighters and bombers, and semiconductor components used in infrared missile-tracking systems.

According to their indictment, the two received $100,000 for information about each project. On 29 October 1996, former KGB intelligence officer Vladimir Galkin was arrested as he attempted to enter the United States at Kennedy Airport in New York. Galkin was alleged to have been Kota and Prasad’s contact with the KGB and met with Kota in Cyprus beginning in late 1990. Although Galkin had not committed espionage on American soil, he was charged for his involvement in the conspiracy. In June 1996, under a plea agreement, Kota pleaded guilty to selling stolen biotech material and evasion of income taxes and agreed to testify against Prasad. He admitted that he was paid a total of $95,000 by Prasad and his alleged KGB colleagues. Prasad’s first trial ended in a mistrial; however, in a second trial in December 1996 he was convicted of espionage charges. Under a plea agreement Prasad was sentenced to the 15 months he had served awaiting his trial and agreed to return to India. On 13 November, accused KGB intelligence agent Vladimir Galkin was released.

Boston Globe, 19 Oct 1995, "Northborough Man Charged With Espionage"

Boston Globe, 12 Jun 1996, "A Post-Cold War Spy Story Comes To Life"

Washington Times, 5 Nov 1996, Computer Check of Visa at Airport IDs Spy Suspect"

[Miss Marple]

If CNN is reporting it, then they are thinking they will get a big story out of it. I smell another mole operation, only this time files will be planted in some unlucky Bush person's office.

[dandelion]

Yeah, I agree - it sounds like it was arranged. Extremely troubling. Surely, there must be copies of the files at the FBI... (only half joking here - SURELY the FBI wouldn't send the only known copies of Kerry's files, would they????)

[Fedora]

Miss Marple, I think you are on the right track. As I'm thinking about this, I'm remembering how the Daniel Ellsberg burglary was used to help bring Nixon down. Ellsberg had once worked for McGeorge and William Bundy ("In 1961, Robert McNamara constituted a task force. . .Ellsberg claimed later that he was a member of the task force; in fact, he said, he jointly represented both the National Security Council and the Defense Department on it. McGeorge Bundy, the national security advisor, had requested that he serve on it."; ""I participated in. . .a planning group on which I was a member under the chairmanship of William Bundy": Tom Wells, Wild Man: The Life and Times of Daniel Ellsberg, 150, 201, etc.), uncles of Kerry's Yale roommate Harvey H. Bundy, and he was not many degrees removed from some of the same people Kerry was associated with in his VVAW days. Curiously, Kerry's biographer Brinkley speculates that the Ellsberg break-in was related to Kerry's "Lowell Watergate", and quotes Kerry on the subject:

Just as the Kerry campaign was gaining stride, however, a suspicious incident occurred that may have been attributable to the White House Plumbers. . .Recalling the September 1971 break-in at the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist. . .not to mention the far more momentous June 17, 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. . .a break-in of a different kind took place that September 18 in Lowell. "It was a strange affair," Kerry recalled. "It wasn't Watergate; it was more like a Watergate in reverse."

Douglas Brinkley, Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War, 416

[Miss Marple]

Indeed. As we have seen over the last week, there are career people with a vendetta against George Bush. I would not be surprised to find that those files had been slipped into an embarassing place, like Ashcroft's office, and then "found" by a "courageous whistleblower."

[windchime]

"I smell another mole operation, only this time files will be planted in some unlucky Bush person's office."

I was thinking the same thing when posting the following on the earlier thread. It's a set-up.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1106015/posts?page=71#71

[Miss Marple]

Excellent deduction! I see that we all are highly suspicious of this story. What's interesting is that CNN covered it giving it more importance.

[windchime]

"What's interesting is that CNN covered it giving it more importance."

Maybe the targets of the set-up aren't taking the bait and the added attention CNN is giving the story is intended to prod them.

CNN is NEVER on here, but in order to catch the Clarke adoration on LKL, it was a necessity. Caught the FBI file story in their newsbreak.

Also stayed with it for 'Crossfire' and wondered how in the world Kate O'Beirne tolerates the others. She made great points....all on the side of TRUTH.

[windchime]

Correction:

Just occurred to me that the show was not 'Crossfire'...it was the panel show with Margaret Carlson, Bob Novak, Al Hunt, Kate O'Beirne and the guy whose name I can't remember.

[sarasota]

Good God. I'll pass this along.

[PhilDragoo]

After November,
they won't have Kerry to kick around anymore.

[oceanview]

he's is on CNN live now.

[oceanview]

just asked "how did anyone know these items were in your house?". his answer: "I let CNN in for an interview a few days before hand". LOL!

[potlatch]

Thanks Phil. I'm glad to see it was actually put in the newspaper, wonder how many at the time?!!