'JIM B' JAMES BOND FANATIC

Two James Bond Fanatics, so-to-speak, were on the flight to Manila in 1963,but 'JIM B' as I shall call him, was absorbed in the latest paperbacks that Ian Fleming had written for most of the flight or else discussing such. He continued to be the supreme fan of JAMES BOND when I saw him last after he had ended his 'assignment' in the Philippines. That was when he and the other 'fan' were on their way to BANGKOK, 'notorious city of sin' while I was on my way to CAMBODIA, to seek 'ANCIENT WISDOM' in the jungles. Despite restrictions and strenuous objections by certain State Dept/Embassy persons, the two were going to go to the USSR(Russia) and one has to remember that the 'COLD WAR' was still on and there were many travel restrictions imposed,etc.,etc. I would not follow in their footsteps to see Russia for several reasons that I will not mention,except that at one time I was sort of labeled by a few persons as being 'possibly a "crypto-communist"' which requires another explanation,should I care to give it, at another time,if I have time. The movie versions of the books, which I declined to read but eventually did, were coming out and I saw DR. NO & much later, YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, the latter which was my favorite BOND MOVIE although I liked ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE because it seemed to me to be the most faithful to the books. At any rate, 'Jim B' seemed determined to act his fantasies by doing or rather using some of the mentioned products in these 'canonical' works of Fleming. "Jim B' had studied,I think, to be a priest or had considered such, and had, if I recall, attended or studied at a Catholic school(s) and/or college,etc. I have to mention that some others I knew had also studied to be priests but most changed their minds, as did, apparently, 'JIM B' when they all succumbed to the 'fleshpots' of Manila and other Asian cities. However, 'Jim B' soon became notorious and gained a 'reputation' for performances in some of the more clandestine and erotic nightclubs and bars,so much so, that it drew the attention of some of his immediate 'supervisors' as well as colleagues, some of whom in the latter often accompanied him on such forays in the areas that might be described as 'RED LIGHT.' To my knowledge, I never did so but knew of his activities, which one 'supervisor'/friend of mine/colleague termed "INSANE". At any rate, I shall stop my description of him for the moment as I do not know where in the world he is now, but he was an open, handsome fellow, that was intelligent in many areas and well-grounded in 'philosophy'.

GILBEY PART II

When I was taking Tae Kwon Do at Jhoon Rhee's in Washington,DC, around 1968-69 or so, I often talked with other 'students' and the topic of 'GILBEY' came up and also his actual identity. One fellow assured me, since he claimed to know 'Gilbey'(taken some TaiChi from him) and also to be in the CIA, that 'GILBEY' was CIA. Of course, I have no actual evidence the guy knew what he was talking about or that such a conversation ever took place. I can't remember the guy except I think he was shorter than I and perhaps a bit younger.

'PRECIOUS'

"PRECIOUS' is the name I am assigning to this person and what little I mention here will be minimal, hard to follow, and so forth, for obvious reasons. One of the reasons is that 'PRECIOUS' by his own admission, is doing some special 'research' that is vital to the security and welfare of the nation,so-to-speak. A 'genius', who read most, if not all, of the books of NERO WOLFE by Rex Stout, his memory is fantastic to most, especially when he quotes some Latin Phrases from his high school days, that most students who took Latin have probably long forgotten. He does sort of resemble Nero Wolfe in physique but not in actual weight, as far as I know,for I have not seen him a few years. He did some important work for the CIA sometime, if correct, during the Viet Nam Era. This is all I can state at the moment without compromising his efforts and endeavors or revealing his identity.

'GILBEY' PART ONE

There is often a fine line,rather than an exact distinction,between an 'analyst', an 'operative', and a 'writer' especially when it comes to such groups as the CIA or activities like 'diplomacy' or 'foreign aid',etc. Descriptive terms like 'independently wealthy', 'world traveler', 'journalist', 'scholar' and the like can often serve as cover for all types of intrigue even if the professions or occupations are genuine. PEOPLE WHO TRAVEL A LOT ARE ALWLAYS SUBJECTS OF GREAT INTEREST TO GOVERNMENTS EVERYWHERE UNLESS THEY ARE EMPLOYEES!

THE OSS- PART 1

The Office of Strategic Services was the forerunner of the CIA and was headed up by "WILD BILL" Donovan during WWII. There is a tendency by moderns to downgrade somewhat the significance of the OSS and its now seemingly 'outdated' and 'bizarre' methods, at least when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, shooting, and killing,despite a revival of interest in some quarters. More on all of this another time.

REFUGEE RELIEF OFFICER

While living and working in Washington,D.C.I got the curious notion that I might like to be a REFUGEE RELIEF OFFICER after seeing an advertisment in a newspaper,the name of which I can't recall. I answered the ad and had an interview at the usual place,which I may mention another time. I was interviewed by a lady and,of course, told the duties which were to be in Viet Nam, provided I learned the language to the extent necessary( I will discuss this another time) and so forth. She had me ask questions which I did, although I am not sure hhow intelligent or foolish I appeared to her but she put me to one test, which is this: she took out a cigarette and held it, long enough for me, if I had had one, to flick out a lighter and light her butt(cigarette) which I did not do, as noted for the reason why. I don't smoke and I realized that if I were a 'good old boy' I should have done so in all probablity. Anyway, I left the place armed with numbers to call for further inquiry and an application, I think, that I filled out and sent in or else filled out there and gave them,etc. Needless to say, Of course, it all came out later in newspaper and magazine articles or books on Viet Nam that such officers were more likely to be CIA Agents than otherwise.

'HEWES' TOOLS

Those of you who know what this topic means and what it concerns will need little or no explanation about this which I do not intend to give here since this blog might well be monitored in various ways. I met two reps of this important company while standing on the airstrip at Marcopper Mining Corporation at Tapian on the island of Marinduque. I can't recall if I was going to Manila on the company plane or had just gotten off a flight but I do vaguely recall the two men with brief cases,etc. asking me questions about things and how to get to the Headquarters,etc. They made the remarks that this Mining Corporation was the 'cadillac' of mines in South East Asia,but, of course, Atlas Mining had the bigger operation and mine somewhere else. I can't recall who clued me in that this company was a cover for the CIA that went about Asia visiting mines and other US interests under the guise of 'salemen',reps,etc. But I have not forgotten also what they told me about the company's history which has had extensive government contracts of various kinds,none of which I could ever prove or find actual records or evidence of such, and I never really tried, allowing rumour and hearsay to prevail as well as caution.

CLOSER ENCOUNTER5

Just as 'close encounters with UFO'S' are hard to prove so are those with the CIA. You know what an UFO looks like and what it is supposed to be, perhaps, and so it is with the CIA. A certain 'taste' remains in your mouth, of course. But your description may prove very unsatisfactory and blurry and hazy,the same as an encounter with UFO'S. Seeing the u-tube video of JHOON RHEE, MUHAMMED ALI AND BRUCE LEE reminds me that CIA types used to frequent The Jhoon Rhee Institute(s) and his close ties to officials in the US Government and the Korean Government and all the various cultural aspects are perhaps significant for those who are interested in such things. Of course, the achievements of JHOON RHEE are many and are significant and he is rightly considered the FATHER OF AMERICAN TAE KWON DO by most martial arts historians and I am glad that I met him, of course, and his flexibility and prowness are an inspiration to many and should continue to be for those who strive for perfection. 'MIGHT FOR RIGHT' was the motto when I took a few lessons in TAE KWON DO years ago.

MARKING TIME

If and when you apply for certain assignments, and are on the phone, the person receiving your call will ask, 'ARE YOU MARKING TIME?" How you answer will determine if you get go further or get the job or the assignment. I know because I was asked this question several times at or on other occasions,the details I shall leave to your imaginations,which can supply all kinds of fantastic reasons and notions.

BEAT BRIGGS

In 1965, when I was flying over the Mekong River with some friends on the way to Cambodia, there was a guy tagging along by the name of 'BRIGGS' whether or not that was his real name, I can't say for sure, but he kept up a lot of chatter and seemed to be around wherever we set foot and so we took up this cry,'BEAT BRIGGS!' He wanted to know a lot of things that really didn't concern him and also he didn't really need to know and he tried to make it all seem 'casual' if you know what I mean. He thought it strange we were not going to Saigon at the time.

'SOLIDARITY'

I have chosen this word to describe a certain bookstore in Manila that was reputed to have been a 'CIA' place,etc. and the owner, a certain, 'MR. JOSE',whom I met several times and from whom I bought several books,magazines, and also visited with friends of mine with similar interests, was thought by some to be sort of 'on their payroll' possibly. THE RAMON MAGASAYSAY BUILDING on ROXAS BOULEVARD was also reputed to be a CIA 'hotspot' or 'front. Of course, I visited that from time to time and several friends of mine, martial artists,assured me that the CIA was there in that building even though I never mentioned or asked about such. They merely 'fed' me the info gratuitously. Mr. Jose was also a publisher and writer and if you had read any of his fiction you might wonder from its 'anti-american' tone,etc. why he was selected to be perhaps an 'informant' or 'contact' or whatever for the CIA,if,indeed, he really was. I never asked him and I never saw anything to demonstrate that he was.

OVER THE YEARS I HAVE MET

It is difficult to know if any of the things I mention here actually involve the CIA but there have been several times when one has to wonder. I have met or known of persons who have been in the OSS which was the forerunner of the CIA. Each 'incident' or 'encounter' I shall attempt to describe and the reader will just have to decide if my 'suspicions' or 'hunches' have been correct.

GOVERNMENT RECORDS

I am not sure if there is a file or a dossier on me among the CIA records or archives and even if there is, probably what it contains, if anything, is not worth knowing about me. But other records and files on me or about me undoubtedly exist in such agencies as: the US Army, the IRS, the FBI, Social Security,MEDICARE, USPS, and so forth.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH THE CIA

Trying to prove that the CIA has been around where you are is sort of like going into a bar filled with bar girls and hostesses and trying to determine if there is a virgin among them.