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JFK Files: James Angleton, Israeli Intelligence, Gary Underhill, prominent in latest released docs about the former president's assassination
March 19, 2025
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The Trump administration has released a new batch of JFK assassination files, fulfilling a promise to declassify and make public over 85,000 pages of documents related to the November 22, 1963 assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

The release includes details about prominent figures like CIA's chief of counterintelligence department from 1954 to 1975, James Jesus Angleton, who had extensive and disturbing working relationship with the Israeli intelligence, all marked for redaction by the CIA, spanning from March 9, 1954, to January 13, 1967; and the mysterious death of John Garrett 'Gary' Underhill.

JFK wanted to strip the CIA of its autonomy, force AIPAC (a pro-Israel lobby formerly known as AZC) to register as a foreign agent, block Israel’s nuclear ambitions, and challenge the Jewish-dominated Federal Reserve’s grip on U.S. currency. JFK signed Executive Order 11110 to strip power from the Federal Reserve five months befopre he was shot to death. The order was never enforced.

Some documents in the release feature disturbing mentions of Jewish donors, requests for redactions of information related to Israeli intelligence, and Israel's nuclear weapon ambitions. “We now have plenty of money - our new backers are Jews - as soon as 'we' (they) take care of Kennedy...." a line in one of the documents reads.

Multiple pages of the JFK files found with the CIA requesting any mention of "Israel" to be redacted. The agency suppressed Angleton's connection to Israeli intelligence. The documents also show Lee Harvey Oswald's connections to the Soviet Union and CIA operations.

According to the released documents, Angleton's established an unusual intelligence sharing arrangement—a covert pipeline, bypassing standard channels to shield Israel’s role in U.S. operations. He acted as the sole gatekeeper, scrubbing reports and controlling intelligence flow to the FBI, ensuring Israeli intelligence remained hidden in plain sight.

The newly released files highlight Angleton's reliance on Israeli intelligence sources, with some documents noting that this information was often unvetted. One memo from 1954 suggests that Angleton’s dependence on Israeli contacts raised concerns within the CIA, leading to recommendations that he be assigned a temporary informant symbol to regulate the flow of such data.

Israel’s nuclear program, centered at Dimona, was a point of contention during Kennedy’s presidency, as he pressed Israeli leaders like David Ben-Gurion for inspections to prevent proliferation—a stance that reportedly strained relations.

Angleton’s role has long fueled speculation in intelligence circles about foreign involvement in JFK's assassination. He had subverted JFK's policy of preventing Israel from acquiring nuclear weapons and was praised by Mossad head (from 1963 to 1968) Meir Amit as a staunch supporter of Israel, "the biggest Zionist of the lot." The two maintained a close professional relationship.

The former CIA chief was also found to have hidden documents from the Warren Commission on the assassination of President Kennedy. Shortly before he died, Angleton said "The better you lied and the more you betrayed, the more likely you would be promoted... outside of their duplicity, the only thing they had in common was a desire for absolute power." This particular account was previously "released" in 2017, 2018 and 2022 in redacted form.

When JFK’s mistress, Mary Pinchot Meyer, was murdered in 1964, Angleton broke into her home and stole her diary. The journal, which chronicled their affair and Mary’s effort to aid JFK’s detente with Soviet Union, was ultimately destroyed.

Angleton was honored with a secret state funeral in Israel upon his death.

The released JFK files also tell a story about how Gary Underhill, a former CIA operative with a background in military intelligence, was found dead after he revealed to friends that the CIA was responsible for JFK’s assassination.

According to a memo in the released files, Underhill fled Washington, D.C., for New Jersey the day after Kennedy’s assassination, confiding to friends that a “small clique within the CIA” was responsible. He claimed Kennedy had uncovered a plot involving gun-running, narcotics, and political intrigue, and was killed before he could expose it.

Underhill, described as agitated but sober, feared for his life. Less than six months later, on May 8, 1964, he was found dead in his Washington apartment with a gunshot wound to the head, ruled a suicide by the coroner.

“The day after the assassination, Gary Underhill left Washington in a hurry. Late in the evening he showed up at the home of friends in New Jersey. He was very agitated," the document reads. “A small clique within the CIA was responsible for the assassination, he confided, and he was afraid for his life and probably would have to leave the country."

“Less than six months later Underhill was found shot to death in his Washington apartment. The coroner ruled it suicide.”

The documents note that Underhill’s right-handedness and the bullet’s entry on the left side of his head raised suspicions among his acquaintances, though no official reinvestigation followed. His allegations, while unproven, align with persistent conspiracy theories about CIA involvement.

The released JFK files just also reveals Arthur Schlesinger’s full 15-page memo calling for JFK to break up the CIA in 1961. He called the CIA a rogue “state within a state.”

“No one knows how many potential problems … are being created by CIA clandestine operations,” the memo reads in part.

“The contemporary CIA possesses many of the characteristics of a state within a state.”

“There is no doctrine governing our conduct of clandestine operations.”

Schlesinger slammed the idea that the CIA should “fight fire with fire” to defeat communism.

“If fighting fire with fire means contracting the freedoms traditionally enjoyed by Americans in order to give more freedom to the CIA, no one seriously wishes to do that.”

“CIA operations have not been held effectively subordinate to US foreign policy.”

“In short, no one knows how many potential problems for US foreign policy — and how much potential friction with friendly states — are being created at this moment by CIA clandestine intelligence operations.”

In practice, Schlesinger told JFK, the State Department had become a “rubber stamp” for CIA clandestine operations.

“The concept of ‘contingency planning’ has legitimized the concrete preparation of operations still presumably in a hypothetical stage.”

“If a group is assembled and revved up on a contingency basis, then the failure to carry the project through (it is argued) will invite the disappointment and alienation of the group.”

“CIA has effectively ‘made’ policy in many parts of the world.”

“A number of governments still in power know that they have been targets of CIA attempts at overthrow — not a state of mind calculated to stimulate friendly feelings toward” the US."

He recalled Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs Thomas C. Mann’s reaction to the botched Bay of Pigs invasion: “I would never have favored initiating this operation, but, since it has gone as far as it has, I do not think we can risk calling it off.” 

Schlesinger proposed that JFK de-couple the CIA’s clandestine operations from its research and analysis work.

“If intelligence is too closely connected with operations, then those committed to a particular operation will tend to select out the intelligence which validates the operation.” 

He proposed “a drastic overhaul of the State Department” to rein in CIA clandestine operations.

“The State Department would be granted general clearance authority over all clandestine activity.”

Schlesinger also proposed splitting the CIA into two agencies, one for clandestine and paramilitary activities and another for information collection and analysis. 

One month after JFK’s assassination, former President Harry Truman echoed Schlesinger’s fears outlined in this 1961 memo.

“There is something about the way the CIA has been functioning that is casting a shadow over our historic position.”

Truman wrote that he set up the CIA to streamline information-gathering.

“At times, the intelligence reports tended to be slanted to conform to established positions of a given department.”

But between his presidency and JFK’s, Truman witnessed a change in the CIA.

“For some time I have been disturbed by the way CIA has been diverted from its original assignment.”

“It has become an operational and at times a policy-making arm of the Government.”

“I never had any thought that when I set up the CIA that it would be injected into peacetime cloak and dagger operations.”

Truman called for the termination of the CIA’s “operational duties” and the restoration of the agency to its “original assignment as the intelligence arm of the President.”

The released files also reveal that Lee Harvey Oswald was watched "closely and constantly" by the KGB after defecting to the Soviet Union in 1959. Despite determining Oswald was not a member of the KGB, one agent noted that he was a "poor shot."

The release also includes details about CIA operations such as "Operation Mongoose," a top-secret campaign authorized by JFK to destabilize and thwart Fidel Castro's government following the failed Bay of Pigs invasion.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard who coordinated Tuesday's release of the batch of JFK files, praised the move. "President Trump is ushering in a new era of maximum transparency," she wrote on Tuesday. "Today, per his direction, previously redacted JFK Assassination Files are being released to the public with no redactions. Promises made, promises kept."

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The SpaceX Ax-4 Crew Dragon "Grace" docked with the International Space Station (ISS) at 1031 UTC on June 26, and the hatches between the spacecraft and the station were opened at 1214 UTC. The station's current crew, including Exp. 73 commander JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, welcomed the Ax-4 astronauts abaord.

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==================

Falcon 9 rocket launched SpaceX's newest Dragon spacecraft, named "Grace," at 0631 UTC on June 25, 2025, from Launch Complex-39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The Ax-4 mission for Houston-based Axiom Space, to the International Space Station (ISS) is carrying former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who is also Axiom's director of human spaceflight. Alongside her are mission pilot Shubhanshu Shukla and specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster (B1094) touched down safely as planned about ~8 minutes after liftoff at SpaceX's Landing Zone 1(LZ 1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

About a minute later, the Falcon 9's second stage completed its orbital insertion and deployed Dragon to begin the final leg of Ax-4's journey to the space station.

The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the dorsal port of the space station's Harmony module at approximately 1100 UTC on June 26.

Grace is the fifth Crew Dragon in SpaceX's fleet, and was named by the Ax-4 crew, with its name symbolizing elegance and harmony in space exploration. Ax-4 is the Dragon's debut mission carrying the crew of four to the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft featured upgraded life-support systems, touchscreen controls, and autonomous docking capabilities.

The crew shared images of their mission's zero-g indicator, a plush baby swan toy named Joy, symbolized cultural values—wisdom (India), resilience (Poland), and grace (Hungary)—and signaled the crew’s arrival in microgravity.

The Ax-4 crew will spend about two weeks aboard the ISS, living and working alongside the seven long-term occupants of ISS Expedition 73. They will conduct more than 60 science experiments and STEM outreach events, the highest number on any Axiom mission to date, representing 31 countries, including the U.S., India, Poland, Hungary, and others.

The experiments focuses on:

  • Human Research: Studies on muscle regeneration and the impact of isolation on mental health.

  • Life and Biological Sciences: Investigations into how sprouts, edible microalgae, and tiny aquatic organisms grow and survive in microgravity.

  • Earth Observation: Research to support environmental monitoring.

  • Material Sciences: Technology demonstrations for future space applications.

The crew trained extensively for ISS operations, with access to the U.S. segment of the station, including the Columbus and Kibō modules. Educational outreach included interactive events with schools and communities in the crew’s home countries.

This mission marks the first time people from India, Poland, and Hungary have flown together to the ISS and represents the return of these countries to human spaceflight for the first time in 40 years  It is also the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS.

Whitson is a former NASA astronaut and Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight. She is the most experienced American astronaut, with 675 days in space prior to this mission. This was her fifth spaceflight and second time commanding an Axiom mission. She holds records for the most spacewalks by a female astronaut (10) and the most cumulative time in space by a U.S. astronaut.

Shukla is a Group Captain in the Indian Air Force and an astronaut with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Shukla became the second Indian to reach space and the first to serve in a critical operational role on an ISS mission. With over 2,000 hours of flight experience, he trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia and is part of India’s Gaganyaan program, set for 2027.

Uznański-Wiśniewski is a European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut from the 2022 Astronaut Reserve Class. Uznański-Wiśniewski was the second Polish astronaut to travel to space and the first since 1978. An engineer with experience at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, he trained extensively in Europe, Japan, and the U.S. for the mission, carrying the Polish flag from the 1978 mission.

Kapu is representing the Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) program. Kapu was the second Hungarian astronaut to reach space and the first to visit the ISS. A mechanical engineer with expertise in space radiation protection, he was selected from 247 applicants and trained at NASA facilities.

"It has been more than 40 years since the first person from India, Poland and Hungary has been to space, and through this commercial space opportunity we are accelerating the national space programs in each of these three countries and creating new pathways for technological advancements," Whitson said at the crew's January press conferece. "I'm sure this crew is going to be inspiring a whole new generation of young people."

This is the second Axiom astronaut mission to the ISS that has been sponsored in part by another national government or the European Space Agency (ESA). Of the 60 experiments to be carried out by the Ax-4 crew, 17 are being supported by ESA and Poland, and 25 through Hungary's orbital astronaut program HUNOR.

"Each country who comes brings something different than what we have in the normal suite of what we see for our research," said NASA's ISS program manager Dana Weigel during a May 20 Ax-4 press call. "It really expands the breadth of what we can do with research and the number of countries, institutions, academic organizations, etc., who participate."

Thursday's launch was initially scheduled for June 11 but was delayed due to high altitude winds and a leak aboard the ISS.

The space station's aftmost module, Zvezda, has experienced an ongoing leak for more than five years now, but has remained stable during that time. Last week, a change in the pressure data that monitors the leak prompted NASA to delay Ax-4 while they monitored the issue.

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The SpaceX Ax-4 Crew Dragon "Grace" docked with the International Space Station (ISS) at 1031 UTC on June 26, and the hatches between the spacecraft and the station were opened at 1214 UTC. The station's current crew, including Exp. 73 commander JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, welcomed the Ax-4 astronauts abaord.

The spacecraft had launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket at 0631 UTC on June 25 for Houston-based Axiom Space, completing a 28-hour orbital journey to the space station.

Welcoming the Ax-4 crew mission commander Peggy Whitson, mission pilot Shubhanshu Shukla (India), mission specialists Sławosz Uznański (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), Onishi noted the presence of 11 astronauts from six countries on the ISS. He welcomed the crew, stating, “With your arrival right now, there are 11 astronauts from six countries, and all of us are here in order to advance human space exploration and scientific research, symbolizing international cooperation.”

The Ax-4 crew received their astronaut wings during the ceremony, with Whitson expressing appreciation for the support provided by the ISS crew and Kapu describing the Expedition 73 team as “the best crew” to join.

The Ax-4 crew will work alongside the Expedition 73 members, including NASA astronauts Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, and Jonny Kim, JAXA’s Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov, Kirill Peskov, and Alexey Zubritsky.

"We're looking forward to getting a lot of work done with you guys, and I really appreciate all the support you provided for to us in advance of actually even getting here," Whitson said in response to Onishi.

"I'm very, very confident that the next 14 days are going to be amazing, advancing science and research and working together," said Shukla, mentioning that the view so far had surpassed his expectations.

"This is an ultimate scientific laboratory where we come to do science, to test the technologies of our countries, to do technology demonstrations and science outreach that I can't wait to do for the for the next two weeks, and we will all try to do our best representing our countries," Uznański said as he was handed the microphone.

Finally, as his wings were clipped to his jumpsuit, "I really feel that this is the best crew that you could join. It really feels great to be part of Expedition 73," said Kapu. "I'm 100% sure that this is going to be awesome."

The Ax-4 mission, a private astronaut mission, will last approximately 14 days, during which the crew will conduct over 60 scientific experiments, including seven proposed by India, such as studying water bears (tardigrades) in microgravity and investigations in bio-manufacturing and bio-astronautics.

==================

Falcon 9 rocket launched SpaceX's newest Dragon spacecraft, named "Grace," at 0631 UTC on June 25, 2025, from Launch Complex-39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The Ax-4 mission for Houston-based Axiom Space, to the International Space Station (ISS) is carrying former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who is also Axiom's director of human spaceflight. Alongside her are mission pilot Shubhanshu Shukla and specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster (B1094) touched down safely as planned about ~8 minutes after liftoff at SpaceX's Landing Zone 1(LZ 1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

About a minute later, the Falcon 9's second stage completed its orbital insertion and deployed Dragon to begin the final leg of Ax-4's journey to the space station.

The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the dorsal port of the space station's Harmony module at approximately 1100 UTC on June 26.

Grace is the fifth Crew Dragon in SpaceX's fleet, and was named by the Ax-4 crew, with its name symbolizing elegance and harmony in space exploration. Ax-4 is the Dragon's debut mission carrying the crew of four to the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft featured upgraded life-support systems, touchscreen controls, and autonomous docking capabilities.

The crew shared images of their mission's zero-g indicator, a plush baby swan toy named Joy, symbolized cultural values—wisdom (India), resilience (Poland), and grace (Hungary)—and signaled the crew’s arrival in microgravity.

The Ax-4 crew will spend about two weeks aboard the ISS, living and working alongside the seven long-term occupants of ISS Expedition 73. They will conduct more than 60 science experiments and STEM outreach events, the highest number on any Axiom mission to date, representing 31 countries, including the U.S., India, Poland, Hungary, and others.

The experiments focuses on:

  • Human Research: Studies on muscle regeneration and the impact of isolation on mental health.

  • Life and Biological Sciences: Investigations into how sprouts, edible microalgae, and tiny aquatic organisms grow and survive in microgravity.

  • Earth Observation: Research to support environmental monitoring.

  • Material Sciences: Technology demonstrations for future space applications.

The crew trained extensively for ISS operations, with access to the U.S. segment of the station, including the Columbus and Kibō modules. Educational outreach included interactive events with schools and communities in the crew’s home countries.

This mission marks the first time people from India, Poland, and Hungary have flown together to the ISS and represents the return of these countries to human spaceflight for the first time in 40 years  It is also the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS.

Whitson is a former NASA astronaut and Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight. She is the most experienced American astronaut, with 675 days in space prior to this mission. This was her fifth spaceflight and second time commanding an Axiom mission. She holds records for the most spacewalks by a female astronaut (10) and the most cumulative time in space by a U.S. astronaut.

Shukla is a Group Captain in the Indian Air Force and an astronaut with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Shukla became the second Indian to reach space and the first to serve in a critical operational role on an ISS mission. With over 2,000 hours of flight experience, he trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia and is part of India’s Gaganyaan program, set for 2027.

Uznański-Wiśniewski is a European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut from the 2022 Astronaut Reserve Class. Uznański-Wiśniewski was the second Polish astronaut to travel to space and the first since 1978. An engineer with experience at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, he trained extensively in Europe, Japan, and the U.S. for the mission, carrying the Polish flag from the 1978 mission.

Kapu is representing the Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) program. Kapu was the second Hungarian astronaut to reach space and the first to visit the ISS. A mechanical engineer with expertise in space radiation protection, he was selected from 247 applicants and trained at NASA facilities.

"It has been more than 40 years since the first person from India, Poland and Hungary has been to space, and through this commercial space opportunity we are accelerating the national space programs in each of these three countries and creating new pathways for technological advancements," Whitson said at the crew's January press conferece. "I'm sure this crew is going to be inspiring a whole new generation of young people."

This is the second Axiom astronaut mission to the ISS that has been sponsored in part by another national government or the European Space Agency (ESA). Of the 60 experiments to be carried out by the Ax-4 crew, 17 are being supported by ESA and Poland, and 25 through Hungary's orbital astronaut program HUNOR.

"Each country who comes brings something different than what we have in the normal suite of what we see for our research," said NASA's ISS program manager Dana Weigel during a May 20 Ax-4 press call. "It really expands the breadth of what we can do with research and the number of countries, institutions, academic organizations, etc., who participate."

Thursday's launch was initially scheduled for June 11 but was delayed due to high altitude winds and a leak aboard the ISS.

The space station's aftmost module, Zvezda, has experienced an ongoing leak for more than five years now, but has remained stable during that time. Last week, a change in the pressure data that monitors the leak prompted NASA to delay Ax-4 while they monitored the issue.

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