Police will drill outside a suburban Detroit residence Friday in the search for Jimmy Hoffa, the labor strongman whose disappearance is one of the most notorious and mysterious in U.S. history.
A tipster told police that a body was buried at the spot in Roseville, Michigan, at around the same time the Teamsters boss disappeared in 1975.
The tipster did not claim it was Hoffa's body, authorities said.
Police Chief James Berlin told CNN Thursday that while the tipster's information seems credible, he's not convinced the body is Hoffa's because of the timeline. He spoke with the tipster on August 22, and believes the person did see a burial.
The tipster did not come forward sooner out of fear, said Berlin.
Dan Moldea, author of "The Hoffa Wars," told CNN the tipster, a former gambler, contacted him on March 30. The tipster used to do business with a man who had ties to Anthony Giacalone, an organized crime figure who was supposed to meet Hoffa the day he disappeared, Moldea said.
"I am very skeptical," Moldea said of the planned dig. If Hoffa's burial had taken place at the spot, it would have been in full view of the neighborhood, the author argued.
And if Hoffa's body was disposed of, it would have been done in a way that no evidence would be left years later, he said.
At 10 a.m. Friday, crews will begin digging, police chief Berlin said. It shouldn't take long to get a sample, which will be taken to a forensic anthropologist at the University of Michigan for analysis.
The reading will determine whether there are human remains at the site, but will not identify them, Berlin said.
"It took us a while to get the proper equipment to do what we're going to do. If this is a person, they've been down there for 35 years. What's a few more days?" Berlin said.
Results from the soil testing should be available next week, the chief told CNN Wednesday.
FULL STORY
What would happen if she just talked? And I'm asking seriously. Would it be like a prisonable offense?
Anyway, off to la la land. I'm gonna watch a movie and turn in.
gn all. See ya tomorrow. And still missing JIF, esp. early Sun. AMs. What have you gals done with him this time? he he
Leahy-Grassley Seek Release Of IG Reports
[Below is a letter that Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa)
sent on Friday to Attorney General Ashcroft, FBI Director Mueller and DOJ Inspector
General Fine, asking that an unclassified version be publicly released of all or portions
of the Inspector General’s recently completed reports on (1) the FBI translator program,
(2) allegations made by a former FBI contractor regarding problems in the translator
unit and (3) information obtained by the FBI prior to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11,
2001. Leahy and Grassley were notified earlier this week that two of the reports had been
completed but were classified. In 2002, the two senators had made the request to the
Department of Justice Inspector General’s Office that the FBI contractor’s allegations be
investigated. ]
July 9, 2004
The Honorable John Ashcroft
Attorney General
United States Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20530
The Honorable Robert S. Mueller, III
Director
Federal Bureau of Investigation
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20530
The Honorable Glenn A. Fine
Inspector General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Suite 4322
Washington, D.C. 20530
Dear Attorney General Ashcroft, Director Mueller, and Inspector General Fine:
Justice has completed two investigations and is near completion of a third on issues that
we have followed closely. These investigations relate to the following topics:
(1) Specific allegations made by a former contract linguist, Sibel Edmonds, about
problems in the FBI translation program. Sens. Leahy and Grassley requested that the
OIG investigate these allegations in a June 19, 2002, letter.
(2) An audit of the FBI’s overall translation program, initiated by the OIG after its review
of the allegations made by Ms. Edmonds was underway; and
(3) Information obtained by the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies prior to
the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, that was not acted upon, or not acted on in the
most effective and efficient manner. We understand that this report includes a focus on
the FBI’s handling of the so-called “Phoenix memo”; the FBI’s handling of information
about Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person who has been charged in connection with the
9-11 attacks; and the FBI’s investigation of and handling of information about two of the
9-11 hijackers, Nawaf Alhazmi and Khalid Almihdhar, about whom both the FBI and
CIA had information regarding their links to terrorism. Sen. Grassley, in a May 15, 2002,
letter to Inspector General Fine, requested that his office investigate the FBI’s handling of
the Phoenix memo.
The Justice Department and FBI, as the agencies of origin for the information in the
reports, decide what information is classified in such reports. We have been informed that
all three of these reports are classified and that there are no plans at this time for the OIG
to release to the public any unclassified information about these reports. As a result, the
information gathered in these investigations, which is of significant public interest and is
critical to effective Congressional oversight of the FBI and other Federal agencies, will
not be made available to the public.
We understand that the OIG has shared its findings with the 9-11 Commission, an action
we suggested earlier this year, and one that we commend. Nonetheless, we respectfully
request that these reports be released in some form to the public. If the reports must
remain classified for security reasons, we request that one of the following steps be taken,
and we present the following options in the order of preference: release an unclassified
version of each of the reports, release a redacted version of each of the reports, or release
an unclassified summary of each of the reports.
The importance of these investigations to the relevant oversight committees of
Congress—particularly the Senate Judiciary Committee, which held hearings on the
FBI’s handling of pertinent information collected prior to 9-11—cannot be overstated.
Indeed, in recent months questions have been raised by ourselves, by the 9-11
Commission, and by the media about the competency and abilities of the translation
program at the FBI—concerns that should reverberate in the highest levels of the
Department of Justice and the FBI. The FBI itself has provided alarming information
about problems in the translation program during briefings to congressional staff.
Yet twoyears after the allegations made by Ms. Edmonds triggered two investigations, we are no
closer to determining the scope of the problem, the pervasiveness and seriousness of FBI
problems in this area, or what the FBI intends to do to rectify personnel shortages,
security is sues, translation inaccuracies and other problems that have plagued the
translator program for years. The findings of the investigation into pre-9-11 intelligence
are of equal importance as we strive to understand how important clues were overlooked
and how we can protect Americans by preventing such failures from occurring in the
future.
While we recognize that information is designated as classified because government
officials believe its disclosure could harm national security, a serious and open-minded
consideration of declassification, to some degree, is in order. The Justice Department and
FBI have declassified information related to the 9-11 terrorist attacks and other national
security issues numerous times over the past few years. The following are examples of
such declassifications.
During the Senate Judiciary Committee’s review of the FBI’s Moussaoui investigation, in
particular, and the process of obtaining Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)
warrants, in general, the Justice Department and FBI declassified the procedures, known
as the “Woods Procedures,” used by the FBI to process FISA applications.
In 2002, the Justice Department and FBI declassified a letter by FBI Special Agent
Coleen Rowley to FBI Director Mueller. This letter raised concerns about the handling of
the Moussaoui case at FBI headquarters and regarding official FBI statements about the
case.
The Justice Department and FBI also agreed to declassify information in the Joint
Intelligence Inquiry report of its investigation into the 9-11 attacks. This report contains
an extensive discussion of the three issues examined in the OIG review of the FBI’s
handling of information and investigations prior to the 9-11 attacks.
More recently, in April 2004, the Justice Department declassified memos and doc uments
written by then-Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick, regarding “the wall” restricting
communication between agents investigating criminal violations and agents investigating
intelligence and terrorism matters. These doc uments and memos were released in the
course of a 9-11 Commission hearing and posted for a period on the Justice Department’s
Web site.
While the needs of national security must be weighed seriously, we fear that the
designation of information as classified in some cases serves to protect the executive
branch against embarrassing revelations and full accountability. We hope that is not the
case here. Releasing declassified versions of these reports, or at least portions or
summaries, would serve the public’s interest, increase transparency, promote
effectiveness and efficiency at the FBI, and facilitate Congressional oversight. To do
otherwise could damage the public’s confidence not only in the government’s ability to
protect the nation, but also in the government’s ability to police itself.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this serious matter. While we understand that
declassification can require a lengthy review process, we ask that you at least reply by
July 15, 2004, indicating whether you intend to release declassified versions of the
reports, parts of the reports, or to provide classified summaries.
Sincerely,
PATRICK LEAHY
CHARLES GRASSLEY
cc: The Honorable Orrin G. Hatch, Chairman
Chairman Kean and Vice Chairman Hamilton,
Finished
Enjoy
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon The United States
I am dumbfounded...I didn't see "Marlarky" say anything here at all about Sibel Edmonds...
Guess something is lost in translation here...along with Hoffa's body.
Hey, raven.
Let's talk about vapors, shall we?
Or we can speculate about where Hoffa's body is buried...
Nah, I think that Portland Tony was right...just another Hoffa sighting, like the elusive Great Sasquatch sightings...or is it the Abomniable Snowman?
Hey, do you think the Abomniable Snowman sightings are just Sasquatch vacationing in the Himalayas?
Ah, so many theories, so little time...
@banasy, aren't the theories of the OCD boy tedious. One wonders how one became so obsessed. My take is Hoffa is buried in the cement jungles of New Jersey. NY Giants stadium.
No! Talk about Philip some more.
Milarky implied that if Sibel D. Edomonds really knew something, she would speak even if gagged, thus denying Sybel was ever gagged.
And lookit yougo girl! Always crashing strangers funerals and sticking-up for complete strangers. This time your new friend Milarky. (wonder where she went)
And Mary's posts were of Sibel circa 2002. A lot has happened since then. gn
Holy ding dang darn....I'm confused...and I think Sasquatch is really just Elvis dressed up in costume..shhh...its a secret.
Sasquatch as Elvis?
Hmmmm. Good theory.
Maybe HE could lead us to Hoffa's body.
Wonder if the abominable one skis?
Or maybe tubing is more his thing.
"It is our understanding that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of"
I am more tired than I thought.
Please insert the above quote as the FIRST sentence of my 10:33 post
Sorry for the blunder.
Nite
I didn't see any posts by a Marlarky saying anything here except cheap labor, and how one could possible divine a gender from a name is beyond me; we should probably ask the resident expert on name-changing.
I wonder is the Abomniable Snowman really IS Sasquatch.
These hairy creatures have been see all over the world...hmmmm.
Sasquatch is really D. B. Cooper, which is really the Abominable Snowman. See, he disguises himself as a highjacker, and jumps out over the Himalayas. Its tooooo hard to migrate on foot.
If D.B. Cooper hasn't shaved in all these years, I can see that happening...and of *course* he would have to jump out of a plane...good powder to ski in is hard to find...AB's little secret.
Or maybe its Hoffa? He WOULD be pretty hairy by now. And grey..
I wonder what the AS eats?
He almost ate Rudoplph, remember?