The Anderson Tapes (17 page)

QUESTION: And for this you requested five thousand dollars?

MANN: Yes.

QUESTION: What was Anderson’s reaction?

MANN: He said he could not pay that much, that his operating budget would not allow it. But he said, if the campaign was finalized, he was sure that he and I could get together in a mutually profitable agreement.

QUESTION: You used the term “if the campaign was finalized.” Let me get this straight. Your impression is that on this date, the twenty-sixth of July, it had not yet been decided whether or not this job was actually on?

MANN: Yes, that was and is my impression.

QUESTION: Thank you. I think that’s enough for today, Mr. Mann. I appreciate your cooperation.

MANN: I appreciate your kindness, sir.

QUESTION: We have much more to discuss about this affair. I’ll be seeing you again, Mr. Mann.

MANN: I am at your service, sir.

QUESTION: Fine. Guard!

Xerox copy of a letter dated 29 July, 1968, from the Public Information Officer, Department of Research & Development, National Office of Space Studies, Washington, D.C. 20036, addressed to Mr. Gerald Bingham, Jr., Apartment 5A, 535 East Seventy-third Street, New York, New York.

DEAR SIR:

Re your letter of 16, May 1968, I have been instructed by the Director of the Department of Research & Development, National Office of Space Studies, to thank you for your interest in our activities, and for your suggestion of the use of solidified carbon dioxide (“dry ice”) as an ablative material on the nose cones of rockets, space probes, and manned space vehicles during reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

As you doubtlessly know, Mr. Bingham, a great deal of expensive research has been conducted in this area, and a wide variety of materials has been tested, ranging from metals and metal alloys to ceramics and ceramic-metal alloys. The material currently in use has been tested successfully in our Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs.

I have been instructed to inform you that “dry ice” could not withstand the extremely high temperatures encountered during the reentry of heavy rockets and manned space vehicles.

However, your letter revealed a very high level of sophisticated scientific expertise, and the fact that you are, as you say, fifteen years old, is of great interest to us. As you probably know, the National Office of Space Studies has a number of college and university scholarship awards at its disposal.

Within the next six months, a representative of our Scholarship Award Department will call upon you personally to determine your interest in this area.

Meanwhile, we wish to thank you again for your interest in our activities and your country’s space program.

Cordially,

[signed] CYRUS ABERNATHY,

PIO, R&D

The following tape recording was made on 13 August, 1968, beginning at 8:42 P.M. The participants, Patrick Angelo and John Anderson, have been identified by voice prints. The meeting was held in the upstairs study of Angelo’s home at 10543 Foxberry Lane, a few miles north of Teaneck, New Jersey.

These premises were under electronic surveillance by the Federal Trade Commission, and had been for several months, in a continuing investigation of the interlocking business holdings of Patrick Angelo.

The investigation concerned possible violations of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

There were several time gaps during the course of this recording, which technicians were unable to explain. The tape recording mechanism checked out; the experts were inclined to believe the fault lay with the SC-7, Mk. II M-T, a relatively new device that may possibly have been affected by atmospheric conditions. It had rained heavily prior to the meeting recorded below, and during the meeting the skies were overcast and humidity was very high.

This is recording FTC-KLL-13AUG68-1701.

ANGELO: … like cognac?

ANDERSON: Yes. That’s all I drink—brandy.

ANGELO: Then you’re going to like this. It’s a small importer, maybe a thousand cases a year. I must buy two hundred of them. I drink a lot of the stuff and I give it for gifts. A guy in Teaneck orders it for me. Close to twenty a bottle. There you are. Want a wash?

ANDERSON: No. This is fine.

[Lapse of four seconds.]

ANDERSON: Jesus, that’s good. I don’t know whether to drink it or breathe it. That’s really good.

ANGELO: Glad you like it. And no head in the morning. I keep Papa supplied. He drinks maybe a bottle a month. A thimbleful before he goes to sleep.

ANDERSON: Better than pills.

ANGELO: That’s for sure. You met Parelli?

ANDERSON: Yes.

ANGELO: What do you think of him?

ANDERSON: I hardly talked to him. I hardly
saw
him. We were in the steam room of that health club the Doc’s got on West Forty-eighty Street.

ANGELO: I know, I know. What do you think of him?

ANDERSON: Heavy muscle. A mutt.

ANGELO: A mutt? Yeah, he’s that all right. Not too much brains.

ANDERSON: I figured that.

ANGELO: Look, Duke, you’re doing us a favor. So I’ll do you one. The guy’s crazy. Know what I mean? He likes to blast, to hurt people.

He packs one of these big army automatics. What does it weigh—

about ten pounds?

ANDERSON: Not that much. But it’s heavy.

ANGELO: Yes, and big and mean. He loves it. You’ve met guys like that before. It’s their cock.

ANDERSON: Yes.

ANGELO: Well, don’t turn your back on him … you know?

ANDERSON: I know. Thanks.

ANGELO: All right … now what have you got for me?

ANDERSON: I got this report here. Handwritten. Just this one copy.

It’s how we should do it. I’m not saying it’s final, but we got to start someplace. This includes what I learned since I saw you last. I’ve had my guys working. I know there will be changes—you’ll probably want to change things—and we’ll be changing things right up to the last minute … you know, little adjustments like. But I think the main plan is strong.

ANGELO: Did the Doctor get those police schedules to you?

ANDERSON: Yes, he did. Thanks. I had the Brodsky boys checking out the beat fuzz on my own. Everything cleared. It’s all worked into this report. You want to read it now, or you want me to leave it and come back in a day or so?

ANGELO: I’ll read it now. Time’s getting short. We got less than three weeks.

ANDERSON: Yes.

ANGELO: Help yourself to the cognac while I read this thing. You write a nice, clear, plain hand.

ANDERSON: Thanks. Maybe my spelling ain’t so great… .

ANGELO: It’s all right. No problem… .

[Lapse of seven minutes twenty-three seconds, followed by sound of door opening.]

MRS.ANGELO: Pat? Oh, I’m sorry; you’re busy.

ANGELO: That’s all right, Maria … Come in, come in. Darling, this is John Anderson, a business associate. Duke, this is my wife.

MRS. ANGELO: How do you do, Mr. Anderson.

ANDERSON: Pleased to make your acquaintance, ma’am.

MRS. ANGELO: Is my husband taking care of you? I see you have a little drink. Would you like something to eat? Are you hungry? We have some cold chicken. Perhaps a sandwich?

ANDERSON: Oh, no thank you, ma’am. I’m fine.

MRS. ANGELO: Some short cookies. We have some delicious butter cookies.

ANDERSON: Ma’am, thank you kindly, I do appreciate it, but I’ll just stick with this drink.

MRS. ANGELO: Pat, Stella is in bed. You want to say good night?

ANGELO: Of course. Duke, excuse me a moment, please.

ANDERSON: Sure, Mr. Angelo.

ANGELO: And when I come back, I’m bringing some of those butter cookies. My wife makes them herself. You couldn’t buy them.

[Lapse of four minutes thirteen seconds.]

ANGELO: Here … help yourself. They’re delicious. Look at the gut I got, you’ll realize how many I eat.

ANDERSON: Thanks.

ANGELO: Now let’s see … where was I… . Yeah, here we are.

Duke, you got nice manners. I appreciate that. Now let’s see… .

[Lapse of six minutes eighteen seconds.]

ANGELO: Duke, I got to hand it to you. Generally, I think … my God, no more cognac? Well, let’s get rid of this dead soldier. Then we’ll go over your operational plan step by step and… .

[Lapse of eighteen minutes nine seconds.]

ANGELO: … we are. Just take a sniff of that bottle.

ANDERSON: Great.

ANGELO: You’re ready for another? I can see you are. So all we got is a lot of little disagreements and small details that really don’t amount to much. Am I right?

ANDERSON: As long as you okay the main plan.

ANGELO: Sure. It’s strong. Like I said, we can help you out with the truck. That’s no problem. About the diversions—you may be right.

They got these tactical squads of buttons these days—they load them into buses and before you know it,
bam!
Maybe we’d be asking for trouble. Let me talk to Papa about it.

ANDERSON: But otherwise it sounds good?

ANGELO: Yes, it sounds good. I like the idea of half the people being away on that weekend. How many on your staff?

ANDERSON: Five. With me, six. With Parelli, seven.

ANGELO: My God, you’ll have them outnumbered!

ANDERSON: Just about.

ANGELO: Well, go ahead. Contact Fred Simons tomorrow and arrange to get the first half of the emolument for your personnel.

ANDERSON: Emolument?

ANGELO: It means fees or salary.

ANDERSON: Oh … yeah.

ANGELO: So now you can have your first real recruiting meeting.

Right? You can bring them all together and get down to business.

Right? This has got to include Parelli. You know how to get in touch with him?

ANDERSON: Through Simons or the Doctor. Not directly.

ANGELO: That’s right. Fred will keep you in touch with him. I would also like to talk to you about once a week, at least, until D-Day.

Out here. Is that a problem?

ANDERSON: I rented a car. I shouldn’t be leaving the state, but I don’t figure the risk is too much.

ANGELO: I agree. All right. You get the money from Simons. At the same time you contact Parelli through him and set up a meet with your other people. I’ll start working on the truck. I’ll talk to Papa about the diversions. You get that map to me—the one the Brodsky boys made. Come on … let’s get rolling on this thing!

ANDERSON: Yes. We’re coming down to the line… .

ANGELO: Jesus Christ, I’m really getting excited! Duke, I think you can pull it off.

ANDERSON: Mr. Angelo, I’ve been living with this thing for four months now, and I just can’t see what could go wrong.

Tape SEC-16AUG68-IM-11:43AM-198C. New York City. This is a telephone interception.

ANDERSON: Hello? Ingrid?

INGRID: Yes. Duke? Is that you?

ANDERSON: Can I talk?

INGRID: Of course.

ANDERSON: I got your card.

INGRID: It was a silly idea. A little-girl idea. You will laugh at me.

ANDERSON: What is it?

INGRID: Tomorrow, Saturday, do you work?

ANDERSON: Yes.

INGRID: You must be there by four o’clock you said?

ANDERSON: About.

INGRID: I would like … what I would like… . You will laugh at me, Duke.

ANDERSON: For Jesus’ sake, will you tell me what it is?

INGRID: I would like us to go on a picnic.

ANDERSON: A
picnic?

INGRID: Yes. Tomorrow. In Central Park. If the weather is nice. The radio states the weather will be nice. I will bring some cold fried chicken, potato salad, tomatoes, peaches, grapes—things like that. You will bring a bottle of wine for me and perhaps a bottle of brandy for yourself, if you so desire. Duke? What do you think?

[Lapse of five seconds.]

INGRID: Duke?

ANDERSON: That’s free. A good idea. Let’s do it. I’ll bring the stuff to drink. When should I pick you up—about eleven?

INGRID: Excellent. Yes, about eleven. Then we can stay in the park and have our lunch until you must leave. You know a good place?

ANDERSON: Yes. There’s a little spit of land that sticks out into the lake at Seventy-second Street. Not too crowded but easy to get to. It’s really a turn-around for cars, but the grass slopes down to the lake. It’s nice.

INGRID: Good. Duke, if you bring a bottle of wine for me, I would like something chilled.

ANDERSON: All right.

INGRID: And please, do not forget the corkscrew.

ANDERSON: And please, do not forget the salt.

INGRID [laughing]: Duke, it will be fun for us. I have not been on a picnic in many years.

ANDERSON: Yes. I’ll see you tomorrow at eleven.

Acting on internal evidence contained in the preceding recording, the SEC requested the cooperation of the New York Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Administration. With the help of this agency, a Borkgunst Telemike Mk. IV (a telescopic microphone) was concealed in wooded high ground overlooking the site of the proposed picnic of John Anderson and Ingrid Macht on 17 Agust, 1968.

The following recording is SEC-17AUG68-#146-37A. It has been heavily edited to eliminate extraneous material and evidence currently under adjudication.

SEGMENT I. 17AUG-11:37AM.

ANDERSON: This was a great idea. Beautiful day. Clear for a change.

Not too hot. Look at that sky! Looks like someone washed it and hung it out to dry.

INGRID: I remember a day like this. I was just a little girl. Eight, perhaps, or nine. An uncle took me on a picnic. My father was dead. My mother was working. So this uncle offered to take me to the country for the day. A Saturday, just like this. Sunshine. Blue sky. Cool breeze. Sweet smells. He gave me some schnapps, and then he pulled my pants down.

ANDERSON: Some uncle.

INGRID: He was all right. A widower. In his late forties. Perhaps fifty.

He had a great Kaiser Wilhelm mustache. I remember it tickled.

ANDERSON: Did you like it?

INGRID: It meant nothing to me. Nothing.

ANDERSON: Did he give you something, a gift, so you wouldn’t talk?

INGRID: Money. He gave me money.