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ARRB- Testimony of Hal Verb MR. MARWELL:
Mr. Hal Verb. CHAIRMAN
TUNHEIM: Mr. Verb, we didn't have you on the list ahead of time. Could you spell
your name for the record? MR.
VERB: Yes, my name is Hal, H-a-l, and the last name is Verb, that is like
pronoun, subject, V-e-r-b. CHAIRMAN
TUNHEIM: Go ahead, sir. Thank you. MR.
VERB: I am from I
am here as a private citizen who is deeply concerned to know the full truth
about the assassination of President Kennedy. Today I wish to call attention to
a serious question that has long lingered about the event, and that is precisely
the accused assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, and his alleged association, connection
or involvement with the U.S. Government as a possible agent for an agency or
agencies that represented the U.S. Government. Regardless
of whether one believes or asserts that there was no conspiracy or there was a
conspiracy, the unresolved question of Oswald's ties to the U.S. Government
looms large and, indeed, hangs over us like the proverbial Damocles sword, and
that is over all of us, including the U.S. Government, whether the U.S.
Government is in any way connected or not. Now
I realize fully well that virtually no government reveals its agents or its
methods of operations, but in the matter of the President Kennedy's death this
question can no longer be ignored, and the longer it is avoided the greater the
harm that will befall us all. To
focus the attention of the Review Board more closely in this regard, I
specifically call your attention to a radio program that I appeared on in
December 1966 which was several hours long and concerned the Kennedy murder. I
was in the radio station studio, this was in At
the end of the program, the program moderator received a call from an individual
who did not wish to be heard on the radio, and who stated he wished to speak
only to Mr. Weisberg confidentially. Now I was able to hear the contents of this
discussion, the entire discussion between Mr. Weisberg and the caller, and the
phone call from the individual who insisted that he not be identified and who
wanted to remain anonymous. In fact, Weisberg asked the individual if you desire
to come forward, you always know how to reach me, but this individual never did
step forward. I
am going to go into what the nature of this call was. The gist of the phone call
was this. The caller had been a barracks roommate of Lee Harvey Oswald who was
stationed at El Toro Marine Corps Base in Now
I raise this matter because if, indeed, the CID was involved in such an event --
I am not here to state flatly that they did engage in this, I don't know, I want
the evidence to be presented -- it would necessarily follow that the ONI,
which is the Office of Naval Intelligence, must certainly have been aware of
this. It just boggles my mind. I
at one time served in an intelligence section during the Korean War, and it is
impossible for me to believe that the CID could not have had in some way
connection or approval by the ONI. Now
I mention ONI because there is a lot of speculation in the literature, some of
which you may have read, you may not have, and none of this speculation has
proven to be final, and this speculation is pointing to Oswald being connected
in some capacity with the ONI. Other writers will suggest FBI, CIA, my concern
here is with the ONI. Recently
Professor John Newman, who has appeared I believe at the last hearing, he has
been looking into this matter, and has stated that as significant portion of the
ONI files relative to JFK have been destroyed. There are still remaining,
however, at least two boxes of ONI files that still have to be gone through. I
have not, myself, seen these so I do not know what the nature of those files
consist of. I believe it is incumbent upon this Board to reach a fairly
definitive determination as why, when and how these ONI files were destroyed and
whose responsibility it was for the destruction. Since
ONI files necessarily involve the Navy Department, it appears evident that those
individuals from the Secretary of the Navy on downward, and those immediately
below charged with their necessary responsibilities be asked precisely about the
issues and points raised in my statement today. If
this is not done, history will not be served, and the American people will once
again, as in prior investigations, be the ultimate losers. Respectfully, that is
my -- I will be willing to send you this entire statement in a letter which
I will forward to the Board, and I will answer any questions that you have about
this. CHAIRMAN
TUNHEIM: Thank you, Mr. Verb. Any
questions? DR.
GRAFF: What do you mean, Mr. Verb, by crypto security clearance? MR.
VERB: Well, a crypto secret clearance has to do, as the caller explained --
I didn't get into it further. Actually crypto secret clearance is mentioned in
the Crypto
secret clearance is a very specialized high security clearance that very, very
few people would obtain in any capacity, and it is interesting to note that at
this time while Oswald was in the Marine Corps he was receiving "Communist
literature," so you have a pro-Communist, Marxist having crypto secret
clearance. I
talked to a General who was an aide to President Kennedy, who accompanied
President Kennedy, I asked him about crypto secret clearance. He knew about it.
He said, I have not confirmed this, that the only way that you could obtain
crypto secret clearance is that you had first top secret clearance. Crypto
secret clearance had to do with black box stuff, which is the information
provided on atomic warhead missiles in case of atomic attack. I understand the
Strategic Air Command has the capacity for this kind of information. I don't
know precisely the nature of it, I haven't looked into it further. But
I have spoken to people who have had crypto secret clearance, many people, in
fact, that I have spoken to who have pretty much asserted that what I have
learned through this broadcast and other means turns out to be fairly accurate,
and I only go by what I can document. I am not interested in speculation. I do
not go by hearsay to the extent that I simply believe every single theory. I
want documentation to prove what can be clearly set in the record and determined
to be the truth. DR.
HALL: Have you made requests of the United States Government? MR.
VERB: No, I have not. I have not. In fact, I have never issued a single FOIA
request in the years that I have been doing this, although I have relied on
other FOIA requests from other -- not necessarily connected with this
particular issue, but I have interviewed people who would have been in a
position to know precisely what this kind of clearance was, and the nature of
ONI and related matters. DR.
HALL: Well, the issue that you raise, of course, is one that goes to the
availability or the destruction of materials held by the MR.
VERB: Exactly. DR.
HALL: May I ask why you decided or have foregone the opportunity to use the
Freedom of Information Act? MR.
VERB: To be quite honest, I am primarily involved in so many other areas. My
area that I have been looking into is the photographic evidence, and that takes
an enormous amount of time. I write letters and receive letters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In
fact, I should mention one important thing that may go to the heart of the
matter. I recently received a call from a person who took Oswald's place in the
Marine Corps in his very position after he left and went to Soviet ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ So
my answer would be, I simply have not had the time to do this. If you have been
involved in this case, it is very time consuming. I have a full-time job during
the day. I am not a member of any particular group or organization, nobody is
sponsoring me. All the money I have put into this basically simply because I
desire the truth, and I think justice will be served if the truth is known. DR.
HALL: I do think it is the case that part of what the Board is interested in is
the efficacy and efficiency of the Freedom of Information Act as it relates to
this matter, so my questions are directed to that issue and not directed
necessarily to your personal capacity. MR.
VERB: I understand that. Right. CHAIRMAN
TUNHEIM: Other questions? [No
response.] MR.
VERB: Thank you for the opportunity. CHAIRMAN
TUNHEIM: Thank you, Mr. Verb. We appreciate your being here today Page Visited
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