Thwarted Sabotage in Zambia
On
November 2, 1966, the Federal Bureau of Investigation
learned that a plot to destroy a railroad bridge
in the Republic of Zambia had been uncovered. The
bridge was to be destroyed by November 18, 1966.
An American citizen, Franklin Boyd Thurman, was
involved and had offered $50,000 as payment for
the job.
FBI Agents located Thurman in a Miami, Florida, motel. During an interview on
November 3, 1966, he denied any knowledge of or complicity in the alleged plot
to destroy the bridge. He explained his travel to Israel, England, and Zambia
as business travel performed for his employer, a New York affiliate of a German
metals firm. Thurman stated that his immediate superior was Samuel Frederick
Winston (fictitious name), a vice-president of the firm. Thurman had worked for
Winston for approximately six months.
Although Thurman claimed to be in Miami for pleasure, investigation revealed
he had been in touch with Winston and two local men repeatedly.
Winston, a naturalized United States citizen of German parentage, was interviewed
on November 4, 1966, by FBI Agents. He gave a similar explanation of Thurman's
connection with the firm and stated Thurman was in Florida on business. He denied
any knowledge of the alleged plan to sabotage the railroad bridge in Zambia.
Winston explained his and Thurman's travel to that country in August and September
1966, as being related to establishing representation for the corporation with
industry and government officials. Winston explained that the chief business
of the firm was trading in copper, and Zambia was one of the world's foremost
producers of copper.
On November 4, 1966, Thurman returned to New York from Florida, and while under
surveillance by FBI Agents, he went to Winston's home.
The two men Thurman had been in contact with repeatedly while in Florida admitted
to FBI Agents that they had been hired by Thurman and Winston to destroy a railroad
bridge located eight miles southwest of Mazabuka, Zambia. They produced a map
given to them by Thurman which indicated the precise location of the bridge.
They stated that they understood the purpose of the plot was to interrupt the
flow of copper via railroad from Zambia, a landlocked country, to the ports from
which it was exported. The consequent disruption of the world's copper market
was expected to enhance the financial position of Winston and the firm. The two
men detailed discussions with Thurman and Winston regarding the mechanics of
blowing up the bridge during the period October 19-25, 1966. They stated they
had been offered $25,000 plus expenses to carry out the demolition.
The two Florida men retained the option to abort the entire project if it appeared
that there was a possibility of loss of life. They planned to use a 24-hour non-electrical
timing device. This would provide a reliable method which would allow them sufficient
time to either leave the country or establish an alibi elsewhere in Zambia. They
planned to obtain visas to enter Zambia under the guise of being free lance photographers
and to visit several other places before and after Zambia to firmly establish
their alibi.
They decided to ship the dynamite to Zambia in the cabinet of an air conditioner.
They planned to purchase two identical air conditioners of sufficient size.
One would be sent without modification as a "dry run." Thurman
would be in Zambia to receive it and observe its handling by customs officials.
If it
passed without close examination, the two Florida men were to go to Zambia,
and the other air conditioner, with the dynamite packed inside, would be
shipped.
Jesse Wayne Wilkerson (fictitious name), an employee of Winston's, had been aware
of the plot, although, upon Winston's instructions, he had not discussed it with
Thurman. On a morning during the period October 25-28, 1966, Wilkerson accompanied
Thurman and Winston to a hardware store where he showed them a timer and asked
if it would do. Thurman explained that it was not suitable since it was not a
24-hour non-electrical device. He then asked the shop owner if he had anything
along those lines. The shop owner knew Wilkerson as a customer and tried unsuccessfully
to find the required item.
Before returning to Miami, Thurman located two old, wind-up clocks which could
be modified to act as timers.
On October 29, 1966, the two Florida men purchased two large air conditioners.
One unit was shipped to Thurman in New York. The other unit was to be delivered
by car to New York by one of the men after the dynamite had been packed inside
the cabinet. On November 2, 1966, the two Florida men flew to New York and met
Winston in the lobby of the building housing the Zambian Mission to the United
Nations. Winston gave them two round-trip tickets to Zambia and a quantity of
expense money to be given to Thurman. The two men then went into the Zambian
Mission, initiated their visa applications, and left their United States passports.
They returned to Miami, and on November 3, 1966, they called the Zambian Mission
regarding the status of their visa applications and were told that visas would
not be issued to them.
On November 3, 1966, one of the Florida men was contacted by FBI Agents. During
an interview on November 4, 1966, he stated that he and his accomplice assumed
their activities had become known and they decided to cooperate. They returned
the tickets to Zambia and expense money given them by Winston to Thurman and
advised him that the bargain was off, that they intended to cooperate with the
FBI.
Thurman and Winston were arrested by FBI Agents on November 5, 1966. Both were
charged with violation of Section 956, Title 18, U.S. Code, which prohibits conspiracy
within the United States to injure or destroy the property of a foreign government
with which the United States is at peace or to destroy certain specified types
of property (railroad bridges included) so situated.
Shortly after the news of the arrests became known an individual contacted the
Zambian authorities and stated that Winston had contacted him in September and
arranged an information service whereby he would report conditions affecting
copper production. Winston was especially interested in interruptions in transportation.
Winston left some items stored in this individual's home. One item was an attache
case containing six sticks of dynamite and some detonator caps. Also left were
a German-made short wave radio and a pair of shoes.
Both the radio and shoes were later traced to Winston by purchase records. Personnel
at the airline identified Winston as the individual who bought the tickets to
Zambia and memorandum copies of the tickets were secured. Zambian Mission personnel
turned over to the FBI the visa applications and passports of the two Florida
men.
On April 19, 1967, Winston pleaded guilty as charged and provided the complete
story of the plot from the time of its formulation until the arrests. Winston
detailed to the United States Attorney's Office the motive behind the plan. It
appeared that due to heavy commitments made by Winston during a falling market
in copper in the summer of 1966, the corporation stood to lose over a million
dollars unless the market turned up again. Winston decided to try to achieve
this by interrupting the supply of copper from Zambia, thus provoking an upswing
on the London Metals Exchange where the corporation traded through an English
firm.
An FBI Agent, Winston and another individual testified before a Grand Jury. After
Wilkerson appeared under subpoena on two occasions and gave conflicting statements
on key points, a new indictment was voted naming Wilkerson and the corporation
as additional defendants. On June 8, 1967, FBI Agents arrested Wilkerson.
On May 28, 1968, Winston died in an automobile accident. On June 17, 1968, Thurman
pleaded guilty as charged and signified that he would be willing to testify for
the government.
Trial of Wilkerson and the corporation commenced on November 12, 1968. The government
presented extensive documentary evidence subpoenaed from the corporation files
to show the extent of the potential loss facing the corporation. A witness from
the London firm appeared to verify the validity of contracts presented and to
explain the system of trading on the London Metals Exchange. An exhibit prepared
by the FBI, a map of Africa with the country Zambia shown thereon, dramatized
the physical inaccessibility of copper except by rail going to the coast through
Rhodesia. Thurman testified for the government and outlined the plot and Wilkerson's
participation in it. On November 19, 1968, the trial terminated, and the jury
returned a verdict of guilty against Wilkerson. The corporation was acquitted
since the charge made it necessary that the corporation, in hiring Wilkerson
and Winston, would have had to be able to foresee that they would engage in conduct
such as they did.
On January 22, 1969, Wilkerson was fined $3,500, and Thurman was given a suspended
sentence of one year in jail and placed on probation for three years. Both men
filed notices of appeal but failed to pursue these appeals. On May 19, 1969,
the appeals were dismissed.
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