The Angleton connection

I’m in New York on my way to Jerusalem, where I will be reporting from the Fourth Annual Presidential Conference next week. Last night I met for dinner with Edward Jay Epstein, one of my favorite nonfiction authors. I have been a fan of Ed’s since I read Legend: The Secret World of Lee Harvey Oswald when it was published in 1978. Legend derived from Ed’s interest in Lee Harvey Oswald. In the course of his research for the book, Ed developed a relationship with the legendary CIA counterintelligence chief, James Jesus Angleton. Ed’s subsequent book Deception: The Secret War Between the CIA and the FBI also substantially benefited from his relationship with Angleton.

Ed has recently published the ebook Angleton: Was He Right? Last night Ed mentioned that hundreds of Power Line readers purchased the Angleton ebook when I wrote about it here several months ago. Related, and equally of interest, is Ed’s ebook Killing Castro.

Ed is a gifted writer and investigative journalist who has been at it now for nearly 50 years. He is also a generous and endlessly interesting conversationalist. After dinner last night I recorded three short videos with Ed back at the bar of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, where I am staying. Forgive the poor lighting and my hesitant question in the first of these videos (below). Thinking his answer might be of interest to many of our readers, I asked Ed about the origin of his relationship with Angleton.

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