Final_Judgment

[122] Final Judgment 183
Organization (OAS) that was fighting DeGaulle's decision to grant
independence to Algeria.
Although the Church Senate Committee hearings on clandestine CIA
activities later concluded that there had been no CIA involvement with the
OAS, 327 there is very strong evidence to the contrary.
General Maurice Challe, former commander in chief of French forces in
Algeria and leader of the military revolt against DeGaulle in April of 1961,
emerged as one of the key figures in the OAS. Although Challe insisted that
he "'had no contact personally with any foreign countries' and that in fact he
had deliberately avoided all such contacts so as not to incur any possible
charge of having been brought in on foreign bayonets.
"Nevertheless," according to historian Alistair Horne, "some of
[Challe's] subordinates appear to have made informal, and highly tentative,
soundings with representatives of various countries that might be considered
sympathetic, among them Portugal, Spain, Israel and South Africa." 328
"Rumors of clandestine United States involvement ran extremely strong in
France. Undeniably, during his time at NATO headquarters the popular Challe
did make firm friends of a number of high-ranking United States generals
who made no secret of their aversion to what DeGaulle was doing to NATO,
going so far—over a plethora of Scotch—as to express enthusiasm for
anyone who might rid France of her turbulent president, or, at least, force
him to change his tune." 329
"There were also rumors that the CIA had promised Challe United
States recognition if they succeeded—in order to keep the communists out
of North Africa. Any hopes, however, that all this may have engendered in
the bosom of the conspiracy were to be swiftly dashed when [John F.
Kennedy's] Ambassador to Paris, General James M. Gavin, firmly assured
DeGaulle that if any rebels attempted to land on French bases where there
were American troops, these would at once open fire." 330
There is further evidence that the CIA was engaged in intrigue with the
OAS. According to historian Alexander Harrison, "In early December 1961,
a 'Colonel Brown' of the CIA station in France requested a meeting with
[OAS leader General Raoul] Salan. Brown offered Salan enough weaponry to
equip an army of 50,000 men." 331
Although some have speculated that the purported CIA operatives were
not, in fact, really with the CIA, General Salan himself said, "I was sure
they were serious, because they knew all the right people, and their
credentials were perfect." In fact, in the end, some arms were indeed
delivered. 332 So there really is no question, really, that the CIA was indeed
covertly supporting the OAS in its war against DeGaulle.
We do know that during this same time frame, the CIA did have one
liaison, at least, to the OAS. He was E. Howard Hunt, the agency's
political handler for the anti-Castro Cuban exiles.
In Chapter 15 and Chapter 16 we will examine Hunt's OAS
connections further, particularly as they relate to the key players involved in
the JFK assassination conspiracy.