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| Otto Otepka, Deputy Director of the State Department Office of Security. |
What can result from an innocent inquiry.
Otto Otepka was born in Chicago of Czech-born immigrant parents, had spent most of his life working in security. In 1953 he started working for the State Department and his big break came in 1957, when he was promoted to Deputy Director of the State Department Office of Security. This made him the chief security evaluator at the Department of State and his main task was to review and issue security clearances to various officials coming into government service.
The Otto Otepka story is one of those side stories buried in the minutia of JFK assassination research. But it’s an important one as it shows some of the inner workings of the government—known these days as the Deep State. It’s the story of an otherwise capable and honest public servant who starts taking note of things he was not supposed to and the attention it garnered in the Deep State. When it came across the wire that there was a large group of young men defecting to the Soviet Union in 1960, some 18 of them, that is something take notice of. And one in particular was listed as a tourist—Lee H. Oswald. He was listed as a tourist. What young man went to the Soviet Union as a tourist during the Cold War? Also noted was his good fortune in being able to get a visa and a passport rapidly.
As researcher Joan Mellon said, “CIA was on the distribution list for the file listing the ‘defectors.’ Mr. Otepka’s job was to correlate the existing files of people whose names were on that list of defectors, Lee Oswald, ‘tourist,’ among them.”
Eventually, Otepka learned that Oswald’s file designation was #39-61981. In this case, “39” being an intelligence file number. Otepka took note and began assembling a file on Oswald and making inquires up the chain.
This triggered a series of events that made its way towards two powerful agencies—the DOJ and the CIA.
And that’s when the trouble started. And it came from Robert Kennedy, the president’s brother, the then Attorney General at the Department of Justice. Otepka had his only meeting with Robert Kennedy in December of 1960. Bobby was his usual anal self, not apologizing for showing up late. They had a row over a Kennedy loyalist, W. W. Rostow, that Otepka had not given a security clearance to. Otepka had never felt right about the man and had been denied an earlier clearance, twice, back in the mid 1950s. Bobby left in a huff, without ever getting his man a security clearance. He also knew from this exchange Otepka was a man of principle that was not going to be pushed around.
It’s a long path from being a respected and valued civil servant to being fired and then brought up on charges of espionage. So the high, and low, events are in the following bullet points.
- Otepka’s office phone was bugged and his trash was inspected.
- Otepka was surrounded by Robert’s flacks to watch him.
- His main source of harassment was Walter Sheridan working under the oversight of AG Robert Kennedy.
- Relieved of his security duties and given make-work jobs.
- His office safe was broken into and his file on Lee Oswald stolen.
- He was offered other positions in the State Department but turned them down.
- Eventually fired.
- After being let go, the DOJ toyed with the idea having Otepka indicted on espionage charges, but nothing ever came of it since there was no proof he had done anything wrong.
Apparently, Robert Kennedy had a deep interest in this defector, Lee H. Oswald. It’s a central mystery of the Otepka case. We now know the CIA ran a false defector program into the Soviet Union and other countries such as China. Did Kennedy know this? Counter Intelligence Chief James Angleton was concerned enough to establish a SIG 201 file on Oswald solely for gathering and controlling information related to him.
However, knowledge about Oswald, what his mission was if any, was apparently so intense that it drove one government agency (DOJ) to break in a safe and steal documents from another agency (DOS). There is enough evidence now, some circumstantial and some not, this originated with AG Kennedy.
Bobby’s funk he experienced at the death of his beloved brother takes on a new meaning since it is most likely he may have known the name of the man named to be his brother’s killer long before events unfolded.
As Joan Mellen asks:
“The Otepka case, not least, keeps alive a question that cries out for further investigation. How was Bobby Kennedy using Oswald? Was he Oswald’s ultimate handler? Was Bobby protecting and utilizing Oswald at the same time as the CIA, unbeknownst to him, was laying the groundwork for framing Oswald for the murder of his brother?”
And Mellon finishes with:
“Robert F. Kennedy had enlisted Walter Sheridan, and others, to damage his career in his effort to conceal that he was using Oswald in his anti-Castro activities, Otepka concluded. Otepka was a threat because he could expose who Oswald was. It was at least ‘plausible,’ he says, remaining cautious, that Oswald was a false defector in the Soviet Union. Had they allowed him to uncover Oswald, investigate him as he investigated all those whose names were sent to him in his capacity as Deputy Director, and even as Chief of Evaluations, at the State Department Office of Security, history might have been different.”
If you think we have a two-tier system of justice. Think again. It’s always been this way. Just out in the open now.
Endnotes
Some researchers concentrate on the CIA side of the Otepka controversy and others delve into the DOJ side of it. I have not ran across anybody that combines the two. Probably because of Robert Kennedy’s skullduggery is more readily accessible as opposed to CIA chief James Angleton’s actions which are shrouded in layers of classified National Security cover.
Former CIA officer Philip Agee said regarding the SIG 201 file that the first part contained “true name” documents. The second part contained operation information. Armstrong, p. 307
Walter Sheridan was Robert Kennedy’s fixer. Think of the character Mike in the TV series, Breaking Bad. When RFK needed some dirty work done Sheridan was always up to the task to get the deed done.
Sources
Otto Otepka, Robert F. Kennedy, Walter Sheridan, and Lee Oswald By Joan Mellen.
http://joanmellen.com/wordpress/kennedy-assassination/otto-otepka-robert-kennedy-walter-sheridan-and-lee-oswald/
What Did Otto Otepka Know About Oswald and the CIA? by Lisa Pease, 1997.
https://www.kennedysandking.com/john-f-kennedy-articles/what-did-otto-otepka-know-about-oswald-and-the-cia
Books
Harvey and Lee, John Armstrong, p. 306-308, 390
