CIA Denver Cable on Robert Plumlee Write-In to NVTAG (JFK Records)
This three-page cable, classified SECRET and marked RYBAT/WNINTEL, was sent from the CIA's Denver station to the Director on 22 February 1996. It reports that the Denver FBI (referred to by cover terms NVTAG for FBI and NWBOLTON for CIA) received an unsolicited two-page fax from Robert William Plumlee, also known as William H. Pearson, and passed it to the CIA for background. The document reproduces the full text of both fax pages. In them, Plumlee (writing to 'Robert Vernon' / 'Bob,' dated January 28, 1996) claims he had sabotaged a 1980 Denver Magazine article, 'Fear and Loathing on the Assassination Trail,' by altering names and dates after being questioned by authorities about incriminating statements. He references turning over boxes of government documents to the magazine's editor and writers, alleges his house in Grant, Colorado was firebombed and that he was beaten in Evergreen, Colorado in August 1981, and describes closed-door Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House testimony in 1990 and 1992 relating to the Contra affair and the Kennedy matter. He mentions meetings with filmmaker Oliver Stone. The CIA notes it found no record of Plumlee or Pearson in its current card files and that the FBI planned no follow-up. The file was released by the National Archives on 18 March 2025.
Description
A SECRET CIA staff cable dated 22 February 1996 (DENVER 20829) forwarding an unsolicited two-page fax sent to the Denver FBI office by Robert William Plumlee (aka William H. Pearson), who claimed prior association with the FBI and CIA's Cuban Desk/JM/WAVE and referenced the Kennedy assassination and Iran-Contra testimony. Released by NARA in 2025 under the JFK Assassination Records Act.
Claims
Plumlee claims he had a former association with the CIA's Cuban Desk and JM/WAVE Miami station.
40%Plumlee claims he deliberately sabotaged the 1980 Denver Magazine article by altering names and dates after being questioned by authorities.
50%Plumlee claims his house in Grant, Colorado was firebombed and he was assaulted in Evergreen, Colorado in August 1981.
40%Plumlee claims he gave closed-door testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House in 1990 and 1992 relating to the Contra affair and the Kennedy matter.
45%The CIA found no record of Plumlee or Pearson in its current card files.
85%The FBI (NVTAG) planned no follow-up unless the CIA expressed interest.
85%
Events
Feb 1, 1996
Denver FBI receives unsolicited fax from Plumlee
The Denver NVTAG (FBI) office received a two-page fax from Plumlee and forwarded it to CIA for background.
Feb 21, 1996
CIA Denver cable to Director
Denver station transmits cable 20829 reporting the fax and reproducing its text.
Jan 27, 1996
Plumlee's fax letter to 'Bob'
Letter (page two of the fax) recounting claims about the 1980 article and past activities.
Oct 31, 1980
Alleged sabotage of Denver Magazine article
Plumlee claims he altered names and dates in the article 'Fear and Loathing on the Assassination Trail.'
Jul 31, 1981
Alleged firebombing and assault in Colorado
Plumlee claims his Grant, Colorado house was firebombed and he was beaten outside a restaurant in Evergreen, Colorado.
Mar 17, 2025
NARA 2025 release
Document released by the National Archives under the JFK Assassination Records Act.
Dates mentioned
Keywords
Entities
People
Organizations
Programs
Events
Extracted text (OCR)
‘to4-100%4-10066 [2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 4 SECRET MHFNO: 96-3068322 SENSIND: RYBAT PAGE: 1 / f/f SECRET FRP: , » + @ pa? STAFF ACTION: NR/LGL (550) INFO: C/ORMS, LIMITO, MDSX, NR/PGO, NR/SEC, NRDORECORD, ODPD, OGC/LD, PCS/CL, FILE (0/W) 96 3068322 +#£ASR PAGE 001 IN 3068322 TOR: 022143Z FEB 96 DENV 20829 S EC RET 0221302 FEB 96 STAFF CITE DENVER 20829 TO: DIRECTOR. FOR: LIMIT NR/LGL INFO NR/SEC, PCS/CL/L, NR/PGO, OGC/LIT SLUGS: WNINTEL SUBJECT : WRITE-IN TO NVTAG BY INDIVIDUAL CLAIMING FORMER ASSOCIATION WITH NwWBOLTON REF: NONE TEXT: 1. ACTION REQUIRED: IF YOU WANT US TO FAX THE BELOW MESSAGES TO HEADQUARTERS PLS ADVISE. 2. THE FOLLOWING FAX WAS SENT TO THE DENVER NVTAG OFFICE AND THEY (DEPUTY OF THE FCI SQUAD) IN TURN SENT IT OVER TO US ON 2 FEBRUARY 1996 FOR OUR BACKGROUND. NVTAG PLANS NO FOLLOW-UP UNLESS THERE IS SOME INTEREST BY NWBOLTON. 3. NVTAG DENVER RECEIVED AN UNSOLICITED TWO PAGE FAX FROM A ROBERT ((PLUMLEE)) AKA WILLIAM H. ((PEARSON)). THE FIRST PAGE WAS AN INFORMAL NOTE TO NVTAG AND THE SECOND PAGE WAS AN ACTUAL LETTER. THE TEXT OF BOTH PAGES IS PROVIDED BELOW. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE WRITER REFERS TO A TIME PERIOD OF 1980 AND ALSO CONTACT WITH A PAUL LEE OF THE NWBOLTON DENVER CONTACT DIVISION. THIS IS PROBABLY FORMER DENVER COS PAUL LEADEM. (WE FIND NO RECORD OF PLUMLEE OR PEARSON IN OUR CURRENT CARD FILES.) TEXT OF PAGE ONE: "TO DIRECTOR (NVTAG) AND DENVER (NVTAG) I THINK YOU PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW WHAT IS COMING DOWN THE PIKE, IN CASE THERE IS A BAD PLAY FROM SOME PEOPLE I KNOW IN REFERENCE TO MATTER’S I HAVE DISCUSSED WITH THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE AND THE HOUSE. (CLOSE DOOR TESTIMONY 1990 AND 1992.) I DO NOT WANT TO ESTABLISH ANY FORM OF CONTACT WITH THE (NVTAG) OTHER THAN THIS FAX. HOWEVER, I FELT I SHOULD MAKE SOME FORM OF CONTACT BEFORE THE FACT JUST IN CASE SOMETHING GOE SECRET 13-00000 SECRET MHFNO: 96-3068322 SENSIND: RYBAT ; PAGE: 2 SOUR IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. I STILL LIKE TO CONSIDER MYSELF AS A FRIEND OF THE (NVTAG). BUT SOMETIMES YOU PEOPLE MAKE IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. THE ENCLOSED FAX IS JUST INTELL MATTER THAT SOMEDAY MAY PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLL IN ONE OF YOUR INVESTIGATIONS. " ; TEXT OF PAGE TWO: "TO: ROBERT VERNON FROM WM R PLUMLEE AKA WM H PEARSON , JANUARY 28, 1996 DEAR BOB: IN NOVEMBER 1980, I SABOTAGED THE DENVER MAGAZINE *ARTICLE, “FEAR AND LOATHING ON THE<ASSASSINATION>TRAIL", BECAUSE THE DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION I WAS GIVING TO THE MAGAZINE, TO VERIFY CERTAIN EVENTS I ALLEGED, WAS BEING GIVEN TO THE DENVER (NVTAG) . BOXES OF GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS, PICTURES, NAMES AND DATES, WERE TURNED OVER TO DENVER MAGAZINE -DORIS KELLER (?) EDITOR, PETER BOYLES, WRITER, DOUGH VAUGHN, RESEARCHER. FROM THESE DOCUMENTS, DOUGH VAUGHN, AND OTHERS, USED THE DOCUMENTS, AND MY STATEMENTS, TO VERIFY THE FACT SHEET THAT IS CONTAIN WITHIN THE ARTICLE. THE (NVTAG) CAME TO MY PLACE BEFORE THE ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED AND TALKED TO ME ABOUT "INCRIMINATING" STATEMENTS I HAD MADE TO DENVER MAGAZINE. SHORTLY AFTER THAT I CHANGED NAMES AND DATES IN THE ARTICLE IN AN ATTEMPT TO DISCREDIT THE ARTICLE AND MYSELF. I DID NOT WANT TO BE PART OF ANY GOVERNMENT PROBE INTO MY PAST ACTIVITIES IN BEHALF OF THE (NWBOLTON) AND THE CUBAN DESK....AND MY CUBAN FRIENDS. I NEVER SAW THE ARTICLE BEFORE IT WAS PUBLISHED...., NEVER WANTED TO, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE MEETING WITH THE (NVTAG) AND PAUL LEE OF THE (NWBOLTON) -DENVER CONTACT DIV. I SAID TO *HELL WITH THEM AND ALL ASSOCIATED WITH THE<KENNEDY- (NWBOLTON) > MESS. SHORTLY AFTER THAT MY HOUSE IN GRANT COLORADO WAS "“FIRE-BOMBED" AND I WAS ATTACKED AND BEAT UP OUTSIDE A RESTURANT IN EVERGREEN COLORADO (WITNESSES AND POLICE REPORTS ON FILE AS THE EVENT TOOK PLACE IN AUGUST OF 81) I MADE PEACE WITH MY ENEMIES AND WENT BACK TO WORK AS A PILOT, UNTIL THE CONTRA THING BLEW UP AND I TESTIFIED THREE *TIMES TO THE SENATE AND THE CONGRESS. THE<KENNEDY>MATTER IS CONTAINED WITHIN THAT TESTIMONY, AS WELL AS THE BOYLE ARTICLE. THAT TESTIMONY IS CLASSIFIED TOP SECRET, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE, - TODAY. SOMEDAY IT WILL BE DECLASSIFIED AND THEN I'LL TALK SOME MORE . I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU AND YOUR PENDING PROJECT. HOWEVER, I CAN’T SEE HOW I CAN BE OF ANY HELP TO YOU. I AM NOT SECRET 13-00000 SECRET MHFNO: 96-3068322 SENSIND: RYBAT A CREDITABLE SOURCE- -BY MY ON DOING. THAT'S THE WAY ITS SUPPOSE TO BE. THAT’S THE WAY IT WAS SET UP. JOE AND I TALKED AT LENGTH ABOUT THIS IN CALIFORNIA, AFTER OUR MEETING WITH OLIVER STONE, EVEN TALKED WITH STONE AND HIS PEOPLE ABOUT IT. HANG IN THERE AND I WISH ALL OF YOU THE BEST AS YOU TRY TO UNTANGLE THE MAZE AND MINE FIELDS THAT ARE STILL OUT THERE. | SINCERELY, (SIGNATURE) 1-28-96 ROBERT PLUMLEE RA-18389060 OMC-235, MIAMI STATION, CUBAN DESK, JM/WAVE, AKA WILLIAM H. PEARSON" 4. CL BY 0543646 CL REASON: 1.5 (C) DECL ON: Xl $X NAME: PLUMLEE, WILLIAM ROBERT AKA: PEARSON, WILLIAM H. SOURCE: DENVER NVTAG 2 FEB 96 TEXT: WRITE-IN TO DENVER NVTAG OFFICE; MENTIONS PRIOR CONTACT WITH NWBOLTON $$. DECL OADR DRV HUM 4-82. END OF MESSAGE SECRET 5. FILE: SECRET
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