Troubles on the Money Trail: Willis Carto Takes the Fifth

Again, as repeatedly stated in SR #17 and later, we know that we should let sleeping dogs lie and not open up old wounds. If I had a chance, I wouldn't publish the following article. But we are in the business of posting the contents of all issues of Smith's Report for historical and archival reasons—all of its contents. So we won't hide this opinion piece either. –Webmaster, Sept. 9, 2015

When journalists, those paragons of virtue and honesty, want to get to the bottom of a complicated story, they often-times say the best course is to “follow the money.”

A story in The Spotlight (23 January) tells us that in February 1994 the Foundation to Defend the First Amendment (FDFA) announced it would provide financial backing for a lawsuit by Liberty Lobby against the ADL. Thousands of Liberty Lobby supporters came to the FDFA's assistance and made donations to help advance the lawsuit…

“However, the combination of the IHR crisis and the inability to obtain a California-based attorney has crippled Liberty Lobby's efforts to follow through with its intended legal action against the ADL.”

There can't possibly be more than about 6 million lawyers in California, so it's perfectly understandable that Liberty Lobby is unable to find one for itself. But what about the contributions of the “thousands” of Liberty Lobby supporters who gave money to FDFA? It's being used [that is, diverted] to fend off a legal action brought by IHR against Carto and various of his companies in the IHR's attempt to recover some portion of the 8-million-plus dollars left to the IHR by the Farrel estate.

Who does The Spotlight say is directing and financing the IHR legal maneuverings? A “wealthy San Francisco-area based attorney named Andrew Allen, who has been named… [“named” by Carto, maximum leader of Liberty Lobby]… as a deep-cover agent-in-place for the ADL… More and more, for obvious reasons, revisionists are asking, “'cui bono?'”

Every once in a while, in a weak moment, I wonder about my friend Andrew Allen. I've gone out on a limb for him. I've written here that if it's shown he's an ADL agent I'll kill myself, or take some other appropriate action. I think about how, if Andrew is as rich as Willis Carto keeps saying he is, Andrew ought to start coming through for me a little. As a matter of fact, he ought to start coming through for me a whole lot. What's he been thinking of anyhow?

As to cui bono?, whoever has the 8-million bucks has cui bono-ed like crazy. Who has had access to it? Carto is alone in that distinction. Who knows where the money is? Mr. Carto. Why is the IHR suing Carto? Because it looks like he has been very naughty and has taken the money which all the relevant papers appear to demonstrate was left to the IHR — and has hidden it or spent it for his own purposes. Who cares? Eight million dollars (of an original 17 million) is neither here nor there for some people, but to others it has proven to be an arresting sum.

Willis himself finds it so arresting that in September [1993], when he was told he was to be deposed by IHR lawyers regarding the money, his own lawyer, Randall Waier, replied that the IHR could go to the expense of setting up the deposition, but “Carto's taking the Fifth.” When the IHR moved to depose Mrs Carto, the IHR received a letter from Waier saying she is taking the Fifth too. The reason you take the Fifth is that you fear if you answer certain questions honestly you will tend to incriminate yourself. I suspect Willis and Elizabeth are right in this instance. If they were to answer questions about The 8-Million Dollar Money Trail their answers would, indeed, incriminate Willis Carto.

The money trail doesn't lead to Andrew Allen, it leads to Willis Carto like the trail of blood that leads from Nicole's front walkway to O.J.'s bedroom. Carto is the one who knows where the money is. The reason he doesn't want to say where it is is that in the back of his mind he may understand that, if it is shown in court that he has finagled with the money in whole or in part, he could find himself editing The Spotlight from inside a prison cell.

I'm a soft-hearted guy, so I don't want to see that happen. At the same lime, if the money was to go to the IHR, I want it to go to the IHR. Why would I want it to go someplace else? I want to know where the $8 million is or who it belongs to — legally. Who's cui bono-ing with the dough right now? But I think it's our old friend Willis Carto. I don't know for certain. He's taken the Fifth.

Meanwhile, let's see if Andrew Allen, the guy who The Spotlight “identifies” as an ADL agent, feels it necessary to hide behind the Fifth Amendment about — anything.

(IHR staff has put together a very informative 54-page special background report on The Troubles dated January 1995. If you'd like to have it ask for “The Documentation Package,” and send $5 + $1 for postage to IHR, PO Box 2739, Newport Beach, CA 92659.)