06-09-2012, 01:18 AM
Did SS agent destroy remnants of JFK's brain in food processor? [URL="http://jfkcountercoup2.blogspot.com/2012/09/kennedys-brain-destroyed-in-food.html"]
JFKCountercoup2: Kennedy's Brain Destroyed in Food Processor[/URL]
Assassination Records Review Board
Outside Contact Report
Descripton of the CallDate: 04/01/97
Subject: USSS Records
Summary of the Call:
James Mastrovito called Dave Montague in response toinformation about ARRB that Dave had sent at the beginning of March 1997. Iwanted to speak to James Mastrovito because he was in charge of the JFKassassination file at the Secret Service in 1975. Mastrovito said he startedworking at the Secret Service in 1959 and retired in 1979. From 1960 to 1962,Mastrovito was on the White House Detail. In the summer of 1962, Mastrovito wasin the USSS field office in Charleston, West Virginia. After the assassination, he was called toheadquarters. He became a Deputy in the Intelligence Division (formerlyProtective Research Section PRS) for 10years before becoming the director of the Intelligence Division a few yearsbefore he retired. He worked with Walter Young, who replaced Robert Bouck.According to Mastrovito, Bouck moved out of PRSin the reorganization of the Intelligence Division after 1963.
When Mastrovito took charge of the JFK Assassination file,it consisted of 5 or 6 file cabinets of material. After Mastrovito finished"culling" irrelevant material, the collection was down to one five-draw filecabinet. Mastrovito guessed that his purging of extraneous material took placearound 1970. He said that the extraneous material consisted of records of2000-3000 "mental cases" who called the Secret Service after the Kennedy assassinationto claim responsibility for the shooting. Mastrovito offered that Robert Blakeyquestioned him about this destruction of documents and threatened legal action.Mastrovito pointed out that Chief Rowley's August 1965 memo directed him toremove irrelevant material. Blakey had obtained index cards from the SecretService for what were then called "White House cases" and/or CO2 cases. Thesecares had been sent to the Warren Commission in a card index file. From thesecares, Warren Commission members had requested specific Secret Service reports.Blakey had also sought specific files based on his examination of these indexcards. Apparently, Mastrovito had destroyed some files that Blakey had wantedto see. Mastrovito decided which files to keep and which files to destroy.
Mastrovito said no one had access to the assassination fileexcept people in the Secret Service. Some reports were copied for the FBI andthe Warren Commission. Mastrovito said protective surveys were not in theassassination file but were kept in the operations division.
Mastrovito said that a "CO2" number referred to IntelligenceDivision or PRS numbering. He speculatedthat a "CO-S" would go directly to the Chief's office. CO2 cases did not go tothe Chief's office unless there was a particular or special reason for theChief's attention.
Mastrovito mentioned that Thomas Kelley was an AssistantDirector of the Secret Service when Mastrovito knew him. Kelley interviewedOswald in the DPD jail. Mastrovito used to kid Kelly because he never wrote afinal report on the case.
I asked Mastrovito if he had viewed or obtained anyartifacts while he was in charge of the assassination file. Mastrovito repliedthat he had received a piece of President Kennedy's brain. Mastrovito offeredthat this item was contained in a vial with a label on it identifying itscontents. The vial was the size of a prescription bottle. Mostrovito did notremember if it was glass or plastic. The vial was from the Air Force (sic) Institute of Pathology. (Armed ForcesInstitute of Pathology) Mastrovito said this vial from the AFIP lab came intohis possession "about 3 or 4 years later." i.e. after the assassination.
(Then Mastrovito said it was about "1969 or 1970") The labelsaid the vial had been sent from the autopsy at Bethesda;there was no other explanation with it. Mastrovito said he could not see whatwas special about the portion in the vial. I asked Mastrovito who gave him thevial, and he replied that his supervisor, Walter Young (first Chief of the IntelligenceDivision), gave it to him when he (Young) resigned from the Secret Service.Young had apparently received it from someone at AFIP. Mastrovito offered thatWalter Young died last year. Mastrovito said he destroyed the vial and itscontents in a machine that destroys food.
Mastrovito offered more information about Secret Service records as follows: Hesaid that after the assassination, the Secret Service change its policyregarding its records in presidential libraries. Before November 1963, the Servicehad sent its records to the federal records centers and to presidentiallibraries. That is, Secret Service criminal files were available to the public,for example, in the FDR library and the Truman library. After theassassination, the Secret Service recalled its criminal files from the Trumanlibrary saying that the agency wished to review them in light of theassassination. Instead of returning these files to the Truman library aspromised, as Mastrovito put it, "the Secret Service kept the files, and wedestroyed them." In those days, according to Mastrovito, the feeling at theSecret Service was that people's criminal files should not be available to thepublic. The Secret Service also recalled selected files from the FDR library.
Mastrovito was quite agreeable to the suggestion of futurecontacts from me, and he provided his travel itinerary and telephone numbersfor the next several months.
JFKCountercoup2: Kennedy's Brain Destroyed in Food Processor[/URL]
Assassination Records Review Board
Outside Contact Report
Descripton of the CallDate: 04/01/97
Subject: USSS Records
Summary of the Call:
James Mastrovito called Dave Montague in response toinformation about ARRB that Dave had sent at the beginning of March 1997. Iwanted to speak to James Mastrovito because he was in charge of the JFKassassination file at the Secret Service in 1975. Mastrovito said he startedworking at the Secret Service in 1959 and retired in 1979. From 1960 to 1962,Mastrovito was on the White House Detail. In the summer of 1962, Mastrovito wasin the USSS field office in Charleston, West Virginia. After the assassination, he was called toheadquarters. He became a Deputy in the Intelligence Division (formerlyProtective Research Section PRS) for 10years before becoming the director of the Intelligence Division a few yearsbefore he retired. He worked with Walter Young, who replaced Robert Bouck.According to Mastrovito, Bouck moved out of PRSin the reorganization of the Intelligence Division after 1963.
When Mastrovito took charge of the JFK Assassination file,it consisted of 5 or 6 file cabinets of material. After Mastrovito finished"culling" irrelevant material, the collection was down to one five-draw filecabinet. Mastrovito guessed that his purging of extraneous material took placearound 1970. He said that the extraneous material consisted of records of2000-3000 "mental cases" who called the Secret Service after the Kennedy assassinationto claim responsibility for the shooting. Mastrovito offered that Robert Blakeyquestioned him about this destruction of documents and threatened legal action.Mastrovito pointed out that Chief Rowley's August 1965 memo directed him toremove irrelevant material. Blakey had obtained index cards from the SecretService for what were then called "White House cases" and/or CO2 cases. Thesecares had been sent to the Warren Commission in a card index file. From thesecares, Warren Commission members had requested specific Secret Service reports.Blakey had also sought specific files based on his examination of these indexcards. Apparently, Mastrovito had destroyed some files that Blakey had wantedto see. Mastrovito decided which files to keep and which files to destroy.
Mastrovito said no one had access to the assassination fileexcept people in the Secret Service. Some reports were copied for the FBI andthe Warren Commission. Mastrovito said protective surveys were not in theassassination file but were kept in the operations division.
Mastrovito said that a "CO2" number referred to IntelligenceDivision or PRS numbering. He speculatedthat a "CO-S" would go directly to the Chief's office. CO2 cases did not go tothe Chief's office unless there was a particular or special reason for theChief's attention.
Mastrovito mentioned that Thomas Kelley was an AssistantDirector of the Secret Service when Mastrovito knew him. Kelley interviewedOswald in the DPD jail. Mastrovito used to kid Kelly because he never wrote afinal report on the case.
I asked Mastrovito if he had viewed or obtained anyartifacts while he was in charge of the assassination file. Mastrovito repliedthat he had received a piece of President Kennedy's brain. Mastrovito offeredthat this item was contained in a vial with a label on it identifying itscontents. The vial was the size of a prescription bottle. Mostrovito did notremember if it was glass or plastic. The vial was from the Air Force (sic) Institute of Pathology. (Armed ForcesInstitute of Pathology) Mastrovito said this vial from the AFIP lab came intohis possession "about 3 or 4 years later." i.e. after the assassination.
(Then Mastrovito said it was about "1969 or 1970") The labelsaid the vial had been sent from the autopsy at Bethesda;there was no other explanation with it. Mastrovito said he could not see whatwas special about the portion in the vial. I asked Mastrovito who gave him thevial, and he replied that his supervisor, Walter Young (first Chief of the IntelligenceDivision), gave it to him when he (Young) resigned from the Secret Service.Young had apparently received it from someone at AFIP. Mastrovito offered thatWalter Young died last year. Mastrovito said he destroyed the vial and itscontents in a machine that destroys food.
Mastrovito offered more information about Secret Service records as follows: Hesaid that after the assassination, the Secret Service change its policyregarding its records in presidential libraries. Before November 1963, the Servicehad sent its records to the federal records centers and to presidentiallibraries. That is, Secret Service criminal files were available to the public,for example, in the FDR library and the Truman library. After theassassination, the Secret Service recalled its criminal files from the Trumanlibrary saying that the agency wished to review them in light of theassassination. Instead of returning these files to the Truman library aspromised, as Mastrovito put it, "the Secret Service kept the files, and wedestroyed them." In those days, according to Mastrovito, the feeling at theSecret Service was that people's criminal files should not be available to thepublic. The Secret Service also recalled selected files from the FDR library.
Mastrovito was quite agreeable to the suggestion of futurecontacts from me, and he provided his travel itinerary and telephone numbersfor the next several months.