Ed Butler and the Information Council of the Americas (INCA)
Author: jpshinley
Email: jpshinley@my-dejanews.com
Date: 1998/07/16
Social Origins of Anticommunism
The first item of interest concerning INCA is an article by Arthur E. Carpenter, "Social Origins of Anticommunism: The Information Council of the Americas" (Louisiana History, Spring, 1989, Vol. XXX No. 2; hereafter cited as "Carpenter"). This article provides a reasonable summary of the history of INCA and includes references to a number of primary sources such as the papers of Dr. Alton Ochsner in the Historic New Orleans Collection.
The Forgotten Army
Ed Butler issued a call to arms to his fellow public relations professionals in an article entitled "The Forgotten Army" in the Public Relations Journal for June 1960. His plans for an Information Council of America are not specifically targeted at Latin America as INCA would be, but Butler has already developed some of the specialized vocabulary which would distinguish his later pronouncements. For example, the term "Brainwar", which he uses to describe the propaganda interplay between the East and the West. Butler proposed that his non-profit Council "would serve as a consultant to the State Department, USIA, CIA, free institutions abroad, and the various legislative committees dealing with trade, information, foreign aid and the like (p12).
Butler is described as having earned commendations from the Secretary of the Army for his work with the U.S. Army Management School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia (p12). He had owned a public relations firm in Alexandria, Virginia, before becoming an account executive with Brown, Friedman & Co. in New Orleans (ibid).
The Free Voice of Latin America
Ed Butler's first move on the "Brainwar" front was with an abortive enterprise known as the Free Voice of Latin America. An article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune (NOTP, hereafter) announced the naming of Calixto Garcia Iniquez, "grandson of a hero in Cuba's revolt against Spain", as president (NOTP; January 5, 1961; Section 1, p2). The Free Voice operated out of the International Trade Mart Building (ibid). Among those named as members of the executive advisory committee are Richard G. Drown, an area director for Radio Free Europe; Dean Antonio B. Papale of Loyola Law School; city council president and future mayor, Victor H. Schiro; Joseph D'Antoni, president of the Standard Fruit Company; and Peter C. White, co-chairman of the New Orleans Cold War Seminar, which will be discussed later in another context (ibid). Ed Butler served as executive director (NOTP; June 1, 1961; Section 4, p 7). During the Garrison probe, William Wayne Dalzell would describe himself as having "founded ... [the] Free Voice of Latin America and a group known as Friends of Democratic Cuba" (NOTP; November 3, 1967; Section 1, p1).
The Free Voice would prove to be a short-lived project. Butler resigned in February, 1961 (Carpenter; p 121). Later, Butler would explain the Free Voice had failed "because of differences of opinion among various groups within the organization" (NOTP; June 1, 1961).
Betty Parrot
During 1967, Andrew J. Sciambra of Jim Garrison's staff would file two memorandums based on information obtained from Betty Parrot, who "had an extremely close relationship with BILL DALZELL" (Memoranda dated April 1, and December 18, 1967). Parrott revealed that Ed Butler and William Dalzell were on opposite sides of the Free Voice faction fights, with Butler being "responsible for the dismissal of DALZELL" (Dec 18). Butler is described as being "always with GUY BANISTER and JACK MARTIN." Martin is said to have been trying to sell some of Banister's files at some point (ibid).
Parrot also indicated that a "Logan, who was ... a member of the CIA" and Regis Kennedy of the FBI were members of the Friends of Democratic Cuba (April 1). Logan may be indentical to a person Jack Martin referred to as "Lloyd Ray". Page 220 of Harold Weisberg's "Oswald in New Orleans" states that Regis Kennedy contacted a "Betty Parent" in his search for Clay Bertrand immediately after the assassination.
Parrot told Sciambra that Regis Kennedy had "confirmed to her" that Clay Shaw was a former CIA agent who had done work in Italy over a period of five years (April 1). Another allegation is that Regis Kennedy and Eugene C. Davis were involved in blackmailing homosexuals using information obtained by Kennedy and "some New York agents" (Dec 18). Also of interest is Parrott's recollections of a Joseph Moore conected withe the Friends (ibid; p 1). Moore is a name connected the the well publicized Bolton Ford incident of January, 1961.
Rancier Blaise Ehlinger
Another person who connects Butler with the Friends of Democratic Cuba is Rancier Blaise Ehlinger. Ehlinger was interviewed on March 30, 1967 by Louis Ivon, Jim Alcock, and Bill Gurvich (Transcript; March 30, 1967). Ehlinger was an associate of Gordon Novel and was interviewed because of his involvement as a participant in the Schlumberger bunker 'burglary'. Ehlinger indentifies Butler as "my cousin". He states that Butler was present when Gordon Novel was introduced to Sergio Arcacha Smith. Novel was to have been involved in a fund raising telethon. Ehlinger reports that Novel also spoke of Regis Kennedy.
William Dalzell Listed as CIA Domestic Contact Service Contact
A CIA document, dated Oct 19, 1967, and entitled "Alphabetic Key to Chart of Garrison Case", lists 100 persons connected in some fashion to the Garrison investigation. The following is from the entry for DALZELL, William Wayne: "One of the incorporators of Friends of Democratic Cuba. Had three contacts with DCS New Orleans, November 1960 and January-February 1961" (p 5). In other words, Dalzell was in contact with the CIA during the period the Free Voice was in operation
Ed Butler and INCA: Part II
Author: jpshinley
Email: jpshinley@my-dejanews.com
Date: 1998/07/16
The Founding of INCA
The opening of the INCA offices in the Delta Building was announced on May 31, 1961, by Ed Butler (NOTP; June 1, 1961; Section 4, p 7). INCA was described as "a privately-financed, non-profit corporation that will 'fight the broad spectrum of efforts of communism in Latin America.'" Butler mentioned the failure of the Free Voice and indicated that "many" of the advisory council had moved to the new organization. Butler already had a well articulated plan to produce and distribute Spanish language recordings featuring Cuban refugees and "prominent personalities." In a month, Dr. Alton Ochsner would be named president of INCA (NOTP; July 13, 1961; Section 5, p 10). Others associated with INCA in the summer of 1961 include Dean Papale; Herbert A. Kenny, mass communications chairman; Msgr. Henry C. Bezou, religious rights chairman and superintendent of New Orleans' parochial schools; and Wallace Davis, treasurer (NOTP; August 17, 1961; Section 1, p 16).
By December, INCA would demonstrate the first of its recordings, now know as Truth Tapes. Dr. Ochsner explainined INCA's role in the following terms: "Limited government alone cannot do the whole job against both total Communist government and Communist Cells within the free world, but conflict corporations [a Butlerism] like INCA can fill the enormous gap in political warfare between the Sino-Soviet empire and the free world." INCA is described as having a budget of $60,000 (NOTP; Dec 24, 1961; Section 1, p 7).
In February of 1962, Ochsner announced that INCA would sponsor a conference on the Unity of the Americas in Chicago during July (NOTP; Febrary 18, 1962; Section 5, p 22).
The summer of 1962 saw plans for a $120,000 fund drive. Mayor Schiro obliged by declaring June and July to be "Truth Tape Months". INCA's first annual meeting was addressed by journalist (and future Oswald interviewer), William Stuckey. Stuckey offered reviews of two "anti-American books enjoying popularity in Latin America," "The Shark and the Sardines" and "Listen, Yankee." Stuckey concluded that both books "mixed historical fact with delberate lies" and represented "a challenge to such organizations as INCA" (NOTP; June 1, 1962; Section 3, p 23). It may be interesting to note here that Stuckey's employer at WDSU, Edgar Bloom Stern, jr. was a member of INCA (Carpenter; p 129). WDSU was Oswald's media outlet of choice for his Fair Play for Cuba Committee activities. Ed Butler is best known for his WDSU- broadcast debate with Oswald.
The next week saw the dedication of INCA's new offices on Gravier street and the introduction of the Tapettes, "pretty young women who will staff the spacious INCA headquarters, some on a volunteer basis." Prominently on hand was Volkswagen dealer Willard E. Robertson, who donated a microbus (NOTP; June 8, 1962; Section 3, p 11). Interestingly, it was Robertson who recommended Gordon Novel to Jim Garrison as an electronics security expert (Epstein; Counterplot; p 44). Robertson had known Novel since 1961 (Weisber; p 370). Carpenter (pp 136-8) documents Ochsner and Butler's crusade against Garrison, prompted in part by reports that Garrison had planned to arrest Ochsner.
Ed Butler and INCA: Part III
Author: jpshinley
Email: jpshinley@my-dejanews.com
Date: 1998/07/16
INCA, Wlliam Kintner, the New Orleans Cold War Seminar and the Institute for American Strategy
A testimonial dinner was scheduled, as part of the "Truth Tapes Months" drive, for July 20, 1962. One of the organizational sponsors of the dinner was the Consejo Revolucionario de Cuba (Cuban Revolutionary Council), represented by Luis Rabel Nunes, who had replaced Arcacha Smith, and Ernesto Bascuas. R. Kirk Moyer is identified as an INCA chairman. (NOTP; July 11, 1962; section 2, p 5). In 1956, Moyer was elected to the board of the Citizen's Council of New Orleans, along which Leander Perez (NOTP; March 4, 1956; p 28). Film star John Gavin was announced as a guest at the dinner (NOTP; July 18, 1962; section 1, p 19). Gavin would later be appointed ambassador to Mexico during the Reagan administration.
The most provocative dinner guest was Colonel William Roscoe Kintner. Kintner served on the staff of President Eisenhower's special assistant for Cold War Strategy and later became a fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute of the University of Pennslvania. He also served with the CIA. The following are items related to Kintner:
1. Contemporary Authors, Vols 5-8, p646.
2. "The Insidious Campaign to Silence Anti-Communism";
William Kintner; Reader's Digest; May 1962.
3. The Fulbright Memorandum; Congressional Record; August 2,
1961; pp 14433-9. (I owe this reference to Russ Bellant's
_Old Nazis, the New Right and the Republican party_)
The Fulbright Memorandum documents the Senator's concern with a series of Cold War Strategy Seminars conducted jointly by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the National War College, the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and the Institute of American Policy. Kintner was prominently involved in these activities. Another person involved was Frank R. Barnett, research director of the Richardson (now, Smith Richardson) Foundation and the Institute of American Strategy. The theme of these seminars was a push for cold war victory and a repudiation of doctrines of co-existence. Psychological warfare played a large part in the work of Kintner and Barnett.
Recall the Peter C. White involved with the Free Voice of Latin America, who also was identified as co-chairman of the New Orleans Cold War Seminar. Barnett and Kintner's road show hit New Orleans in the spring of 1960. (NOTP; May 21, 1960; section 1, p 6; May 22, 1960; section 1, p 11). In his speech, Barnett deplored the fact that the "Communists are spending as much on psychological warfare in Latin America as the United States is spending on beating back this propaganda worldwide." William Kintner argued that the "blowup of the [Eisenhower-Khuschchev Paris] summit showed the peace and coexistence strategy in all its nakedness, but it will accomplish some good if the American people will remember this the next time the Communists give the siren call for peace and coexistence." Another interesting participant was William Sullivan of the FBI.
A logical course for future research would be to determine if the Richardson Foundation contributed any funds to INCA. Barnett certainly sounded as though he would be receptive to such an organization in his 1960 speech. Ed Butler did appear at a Cold War Education Conference co-sponsored by the IAS in Tampa, Florida in 1963 (NOTP; June 15, 1963; section 3, p 22).
The dinner held on July 20 brought out both the current mayor, Schiro, and his predecessor, Chep Morrison, at that time U. S. ambassador to the OAS. A prominent Cuban exile, Manuel Gil, also spoke. The late William Zetzman, past president of the International Trade Mart, was presented with a "Golden Microphone" award (NOTP; July 21, 1962; Section 3, p 2).
Various INCA items through December, 1963
In April, 1963, Dr. Ochsner announce the formation of an International Advisory Committee for INCA. The announcement had been preceded by a meeting with a group of educators and industrialists at Hobe Sound, Florida. The Truth Tapes were reportedly broadcast on 87 radio stations in 14 countries (NOTP; April 16, 1963; Section 3, p 3).
At an INCA organizational meeting, the organization was praised by Robert R. Rainold, "a past president of the National Society of Former Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation." Rainold had also been a president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission during the fifties and was well acquainted with Aaron Kohn. INCA's goal is to have a thousand members (NOTP; April 20, 1963; s 3, p 25).
In September, 1963, Butler testified before a subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The network has grown to 100 radio startions (NOTP; September 13, 1963; s1, p4).
Oswald contact Carlos J. Bringuier was the main speaker at a November, 1963 Truth Forum. A section of the speech detailed how the Communists in Argentina staged phony debates on street corners, with one of the Communists pretending to argue an anti- Communist position, only to concede at the end. The parallels in this scenario to what some suspect about his confrontation with Oswald are obvious. Another speaker was attorney Ben C. Toledano (NOTP; November 20, 1963; s1, p17). In 1959, Tolendano had been named executive secretary of the Louisiana States Rights Party (NOTP; January 8, 1959; p 65).
Finally, in December, INCA held an awards dinner. Willard Robertson and Cecil Shilstone, both backers of Jim Garrison, were presented awards. Shilstone's name was one of those underlined in the CIA document discussed earlier. Also Eustis Reily, of the Reily Coffee family (NOTP; December 12, 1963; s2, p6).
Ed Butler and INCA: Part IV
Author: jpshinley
Email: jpshinley@my-dejanews.com
Date: 1998/07/16
INCA Addendum
On January 16, 1967, in a speech before the Press Club of New Orleans, Ed Butler of INCA charged that Fidel Castro was as guilty as Lee Harvey Oswald for the assassination of President Kennedy. Castro's motive was to prevent Kennedy from liberating Cuba. "Oswald was incited to do what he did by Castro - and he's as guilty as Oswald." (NOTP; January 17, 1967; s1, p1) At this time Garrison's probe was not officially revealed. After it was, Butler told the press that he had been contacted by the DA in December, and that he had offered INCA's aid to Garrison. (NOTP; February 21, 1967; S1, P1).
On April 5, 1967, INCA, represented by Butler and Dr. Alton Ochsner issued a statement branding Garrison ally Mark Lane "a professional propagandist." Lane was taken to task for suggesting that anti-Castro Cubans were involved in a conspiracy. "The anti-Communist Cubans, many of whom cannot properly defend themselves in English, are being made scapegoats for the most twisted kind of illogical accusations and rumor. The temper of the times in New Orleans is getting dangerously close to that of the Crystalnight in Germany when the massacre of the Jews began." No direct criticism of Garrison was made because of court guidelines baring discussion of the Shaw case. In response to a question, Dr. Ochsner said that Jack Ruby had never been a patient at the Ochsner Foundation Hospital. For some reason, the records had been checked for Ruby's name and aliases. (NOTP; April 6, 1967; s1, p8)
Finally, an item from September of 1968, reveals that Willard E. Robertson and Cecil Shilstone were elected to the INCA board. (NOTP; September 10, 1968; s3, p4) Note: The article gives the name as "William E. Robertson." It is interesting that Robertson and Shilstone, both financial backers of the Garrison probe, would still be welcome in INCA. Especially, since Butler had ascribed an almost Nazi-like demagoguery to Garrison.