My Visual Essay on the HSCA declassified

[Albert Doyle]

It also defies credibility that Mexico CIA would recycle and destroy by routine the tape recordings of a known defector who was going to the Russian and Cuban embassy's and was openly campaigning in New Orleans for Castro. Hardly a person they would casually look at and then ignore as Newman pointed out. The only plausible reason for a person like this to fall between the cracks would be deliberate suppression by intel.

[Herbert Blenner]

The best way to cover a fire is to create much smoke. This method works especially well in a city which sits near the bottom of a geographic bowl.

[Jim DiEugenio]

That was another lie by Phillips.

See, if and when any American or non Russian embassy employee went to the USSR embassy and that person spoke in their language, then that tape would not be recycled. In fact, it would then be sent to HQ ASAP. That policy was even more stringent when the subject talked to a high embassy official, e.g. Kostikov.

Phillips then lied about that also. He said there was a delay in them getting the cable to HQ about Kostikov because the Tarasoffs were late because he wanted to review the cable first because it dealt with Cuban matters--his bailiwick. This lie was exposed by Dan and Eddie when they found out Phillips did not sign off on the cable and it had nothing to do with Cuban matters.

IMO, Phillips lied about this one because he did not want any timely inquiry into the matter because it would have exposed the fact that the person was not Lee Oswald.

Phillips was so caught up in his own BS, they had to get rid of Sprague.