REDEX CORPORATION: REDEX-PACIFIC, DIVISION OF REDEX CORPORATION: REDEX VIETNAM, INC.

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06832615
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: March 9, 2023
• Document Release Date: July 30, 2020
• Case Number: F-2020-00229
• Publication Date: March 3, 1967

TO:
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20505
D, actor
Fe ral Bureau of Investigation
Atte tion:
FROM: Deputy �irector for Plans
SUBJECT:
Redex Cor
Redex Corp
Armaments,
above companx
William W. Tur
and Ram arts Ma
in Redex
�
oration; Redex -Pacific, 'ivision of
Tnn_t ennsolidated
ratipn Rtntime Vi n am
C. of
s, 1404 New Yo4/Avenue NW.
or,,, representative of both Redex
azino.
Vietnam, nc.
1. One William W. Turner
identical with William W. Turn
FBI "bugging" practices for
Ramparts Magazine, called on
Foundation, San Francisco o
described as a tall, clea
early 30's and said he w
California. He said he
Corporation and produ
his name, Redex-Paci
said he was calling
a telephon call f
identified
regularly
Mr. old
foundations
on The Asia
directly t
other que
IRS? w'
the fo
know
for
ho is believed to be
who wrote an article on
vember 1966 issue of
the h adquarters of The Asia
26 Jan ary 1967. He was
cut, sand -haired young man in his
a free-lan writer from Sausalita�
was also emplo d by the Redex
d a business card which listed simply
c, Division of Rode Corp. Turner
pen The Asia Foundati as the result of
om Mr. in New rk City. Turner
s a "free-lance writer who ontributos
ew York Times Sunday Magazin . He said
im he was doing an article on rican
d wanted current, complete backgro d information
oundation for his article. Turner th n proceeded
the question of TAF's source of funds. iong
tions, he asked: is your income reported the
re can I examine these records? were you one of
dations looked at by the Patman Committee? di ou
at some American foundations have been used as a onduit
IA funds?
ry.tcr,r1::�
dc...:crr,Agn � �.r.d
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SEMI
2. Turner was described as pleasant, deferent and
therwiso a picture in studied innocence throughout the
coiversation. At tho same time, he asked exactly tha "righ
quo tions. Turner nevor revealed a connection with Rampar
maga no, and thr% mffir'in1 with whom he talked was not aw
of Tu er's4 or connection with Rampartse
. a
y regarding Redex Corp. an
raise interesting guenti
to a possib e connection betwoon Ramparts and Redo
of articles on the San Francisco Examiner of 8 F
from the Wash gton Daily News of 28 February 19
the Washington ost of 3 March 1967, are attach
convenience. Th indicate that Redex is eng
variety of activi es including the sale of
governments and in viduals, spy equipment,
devices, telephone ,r ramblers, and at pros
"t1c go-go � " for a niaht club t
by and one
its
ns as
Copies
%bruary 1967,
, and from
d for your
ed in a wide
3 to foreign
anti-bugging
nt are recruiting
be opened in Saigon
4. Name checks of Ag ncy files o subject individuals
and organizations are bein run and he Bureau will be (W(1)
informed of any pertinent i ormat on. ODA
Attachments - 3
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2
SECila
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- .WASIIINGTON' � Au enterirrisine, � electronics ex- play
� .!ecutive, with an ear to Washington's' w.rreilip.jitters bits.
,, debugging kit belongs in every .Capitol Full officesuggested to every congressman that a $1405 do-it-yourself days
�'.. i beside i
' . the water cooler. �
�� � � - The sales pitch also offers a scrambler for $349, so.
congressmen can talk unmonitored, � .
: But the manufa(turer, _flirlyrd,j...,111.ezi, .presideit_of
� liszts_corp , has found his potential cur.tomers are less
concerned about electronic snooping than he thought.
So far one senator and one congressman :�-�� I3ast will
, ot reveal even their parties�have made inquiries. I
., ho �,r; trade will pick up when more congressmen re
: tod � after yesterday's buzzard.
&debugger weighs 28 pounds and has rabbi
- ,
� radar- c loop and a space-age panel of knob
: ". ters, but ast insists even a child can operate'
The ' ortable scrambler" looks like a mond phone
, and fits ovei the regular receiver. It cony, ts English into 0
�,:. : what sounds �e Cninese and can be tin rambled only by,
; , a matched gad,, i on the other end of 4 ,e line. ,. .- . '�
�. -' Each set of phones is doded ifferently to prevent._
,
, . eavesdropping by maverick scr �bler,owner.�. ,,� �-� �.., 7, .
,- �,
�
� � � ,;$�, : , '. ::
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ears, a
and me-
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do,
Bath
But
the
fore,
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and
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EXCI U u ea �
Mt C.N TVA' &Malik in-AZ/. TUESDA:4_ r AIWA= �3
D. kt,'� rJ/14 sas GO-CO ;IT
Igalar)
. Cy JULLIN rortrasoN
I
By late kind or early May GIs
r� i based in Saigon will be enjoying
' � � 10 topless American go-go danc-
,:. �.,'i crs imeerted ter the eiLfs new-
ent night club by an eaterprising
.,.. 4, Washington businessman and
' _... his Vietnamese partaer.
,; For an admission fee of t'S
.; and a minimum of $10 (beer
will be $1 a can, whisky $2 an
� �'� ounce) American troops can
'observe" and talk to the
nears at . The Saigon
. Di otheque A-Go-Go, the
i brain � of ItYr'terd L. Best'd
'
� Washin �n and Nguyen Ba
- i ,.
,.1 lung of .gon.
� The two m who operate Cie
' ? ' ,.=it �-Vietnem, Ise.,
1 dth heedemarte s at 1-ag1ew
...,� york-av inv, I. cult catty
. e r u-nniag no spaper
advertisements in shizgton,
Baltimore and SP1 It �lam
seeking topless recruits.
LIE DETECTION
:-1
To qualify, Mr. Bast ays,
girl must be-het:7;0n and 23
years old, single, to sign
a six-month contra and take a
lie detector test.
"We don't vent any hard-
.,
�� bitten stripm rs or prostitutes,"
Mr.. Ba said yesterday.
"That's le trouble with the
� � joints a GI's frequent over
ther now � they get taken
; La re they know it." �
The Saigon Discotheque A-Go-
Go, he said;� will, be a ty-pleal
i American go-go nightclub.
.; "For .715 the GI will have rock
,� '.' 'a � roll music (by two
1 Vietnamese bands) to listen to,
i American girls to observe and
-..
f ;ual.arican girls to talk to.
i LIPPEAL
'.� "Of course they'll be topless
1
..; � (cnly on stage) which I'm sure
will appeal to the (ii," he said.
� I DO said the girls will wear
. i "pasties" while dancing and
; I vial don a blouse or other
,
covering when sitting at a
customer's table or dancing
with him.
4 "They will drink only ginger
' ell ale, provided by the
management," he said, noting
-,
1^ " the widespread criticism of
i,;�.� �
; Saigon B-girls in present night
� �:�..i.�:,, . ' clubs there.
'ETT/S01/3'
IR
n72 �\ (777(7
tUil
1.11.1
club, but said it will seat 7.1
persons initially with room to
expand to accommodate 11C3 if
necessary.
ASSOCIATE
These arrangements ale being
taken care of by his associate
Mr. Hung who, he said, has
"interest" in the Saigoa P st,
formerly published by the outh
Viet Nam Ambassador o the
United States, Bue Die:
Mr. Bast said he strict
screening of pros active go-go
dancers is =ices Ty because of
the high ca' he wants and
because R ex-Vietnam will
invest ap oximately $1'40 in
each g in transportation
alone.
To hat end, the lie detector
tes to be given each successful
pli c a lit includes suck
questions as "Do you believe
the. United States should Le
fejliting in Via Nun?", 'nail "Is
there anything in yetr,
background that would subject
you to blackmail?"
�
SECURITY
. Bast said one of the
sec � ity problems the U.S. Les
trice tered in connection with
existin,, Saigon night clubs is
that rn � of their B girls r.ro
Viet Cong eats.
"Our girls, if course, will be
anything but," said.
also Le
The girls w
forbidden by their ontracts ta
marry, and may aye the
contracts renewed onl on the
company's option. "Aft all,
they have to be an asset us.
We're in business to make 'a
pzofit," Mr. Last said.
Ile saki that if the Saigon clah
is a success, Redex-Vieteieni
plans others in Da Nang, Cem
Ranh Bay lir.d in Bak,
Tardland in re,sponse to till
buildup of American forces.
there.
;.;
r �
�� �
� � He said he, personally, does ,
not know the site �
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^J.�;y Diehard Sevro
TV'ashinzton Post Mr& Wiiter
If a wealthy Arab pliace
i�vels he'd like a few dozen
� !,3anir.,h machine gun:, or a
clutch of Italian hand Gre-
nades, Richard Bat says he
can arrange it.
� If an American infantryman
in Vietnam wants to send his
sweetheart an electric blanket,
Richard Bast says he can ar-
ranele it.
If a Hottentot potentate
wants anything from a case of
canned nuts to a planeload of
electronic spy equipment,
Eichard Bast can arrange that,
too.
"I'm a middleman," says
'Bast.
He leaned forward in his
swivel chair, his 6-foot, 1-inch,
WO-pound frame nattily le-
splendont in a silk-lined blnek
mehair stilt ha picked up in
c'D
1. 0 in
'o pairs of
. lie pnas,:d L.10,1i0"
his tiny, c...ti�k, paneled
on the ulata rico,- of "
York ave. nw.
A couple of Ca
matia news wile
plans for Ids
toni,..as go-go
'.ito no-go
a nil;htclu
Hong Kong with .
trouscrs for :,,55 (ii Ls con-
%laced it would cost
ashianten).
"I'm in the cs:port-hni
business," he said. "icople
oat:: coant:y 'want r..N.nehatitlise
fruna oo.zatry. I ;,.,et it
for thent. Yoa name t
1AL:chant:ice mid I Lan Lot �
t in
rae:-0
Saigoi
11;
Sal
rt
mike
�01 New
ai;o Lt
La tevoaled
� export�
yr.J.
GiLlsae 1;oinz,1 to
llaat cad a Victim-
ler plan to open' in
y ate Going to call it the
on 1.4zeotit...znie
Ca;r0 he in opening it
tk
ea.
JI 6.10
because a wants to do acme-
f our boys in Vietnam.
e 4 a profit 1.1UtiVe,
i&O L.eIZ.C.11.3 to einn.Le tne
L'et into Lk; plt.c.!
ad a r..-::�ni.num of cd(), which
they may up by drinking
Li eau
(bast is (...exasive
1.3np;�..te becs)
r witian.y for 2 aL,Itot.
Coy LA e � Lot erin'LL:5,
th3. Inay La chla to oiann!
1,it 'Le a a 40 1.J Go-no Gitls,
viho tola. onstage
Lnt. tt,p�; .1 on the 6.'2,1LO ilGve.
^ N?.:31d fl tin! LekVicc.-
r to
tuciz n/intnu, 1.-1.11.cr by buy-
ing drilt 1.0t
"CI no " EaL,t said.
� not. L Lag to in!
.:y � Ltt � plat...J.
� jut what %.,4, ant to
Lot nv,,ny fronl."
1;44. in taking time ont
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hL ln..y scht....taie-tn � .-
r.nnlicants
ttia Lula
L%.1, "Ulla te:ey ta..2
iin'i that.
old man."
1;n,,t
�nicy
toninpLt..i
cntor, by
n niter. to t�
thJrt.nalth.:,; bAto
Lac:Wily ;
Ti. ! .a; I
� .
nunth
cont,:as.t. ;do
f, "
tennspsi tail; 1
A�I'on:nrnniajoL.
the Daici:-.;ai. tI
no jurisic'..!r-t
clonal ,
Vie main ii L �
over, otn.....e � L
could. ran ; .
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u ea !fa N.. v. 7-�
ively concerned� with such
lest people think of pistols, hand grenades, to;
arily as a night club foreign governments and pri.-
vate individuals overseas. �-�
erchandiser," he ' All companies are headquar-
reputable bug- , tered in Bast's office in Wash-
is not a neo- ington, two rooms which' are '
of interna- ,
ident
suits, oversized gold-colo
cufflinks, a- 1965 , Ca
Fleetwood and a ho
Chesterbrook, Wood
which be estimates
$60,000; "I like n
Bast said.
He lives in
Weeds with If
son, two da
dog and t
house
which
to, an
fled
sa
of
Inc.,
im-
zu
� � .
s.� ��: - -t
ment, ranging from' teleVisiOn "
sets to spy, devices.
O Redex Corp., which sells
almost, anything to anybody in
foreign countries other�thart
�Vietnam., � ,
O Consolidated Armaments, .
k �
- Avenue' office, -there is a war
house on L Street ne. i�d
. shop In
� � �� �
...jig spy devieps for
'Corp, .
Inc.:, which sells mostly small Bast spenc�is,'
matters. In fact, he is arms � machine guns, rifles, months', 'ef th
Washington
the. time 11
ning
buyers.
. He
Chcsterbrook
wife, Edith; a
hters, a mongrel
co, cals. Also in the
a tiger Skin rug
� picked up in Calcut-
a: mounted fish identi-
as a wahoo, which Bast
he caught off Montego
The customers, 'governmen-
tal and private, that buy arms,
spy devices and other mer-
chandise, according to Bast,
are in French West Africa, Ni-
geria, Uganda, Greece, Saudi
Arabia, France, Kuwait, Jor-
dan, "� Lebgnon, Switzerland,
Thailand and South Vietnam.
Richard Bast is arinan who
..
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� 41. , . .
�o irV3.. � ,i;�EXCIU d ed ::.�,- ',10.)).,..-: 4t,,,,Li: 1 .:,,..�4t34-4,:,
1:f.v.i4iitinty;:.--.i.,T:2,i14.,, ,...:4,.01. ,icat.'0,eatigilittPvithAvimiler Ng-. .,_4fw �
r.,...-4120fatiskv
�
.91.1.iris to Gip Go
South Vietnamese government:
which. Might. refuse to issue
visas if the U.S. Government
,requested such an action.;
'But .'it would be a 'Mistake to
of Richard Bast as ex-
el
ehe
worn
him pr
operator.
� "I am a
.said. "I am
nessman, who
pbyte in the 'w
tional marketing.'
Bast is the p
three companies:
� Redex Viet - Na
which in addition to gir
ports Japanese cars (the I
Bellett with a 1500 cc engin
scotch, bourbon, Japanese an
Philippine 'beer, and a wide
variety a electronic equip-
only slightly sbigger than' a
couple of telephone.. 'booth.. :
His secretary sits in one room;
Bast is in the other. 'In' the:.,�.
room with" Bast are soniekfile
cabinets, two telex machines
for sending and receiving o
. ders for overseas 'business,
desk and a photo copy. a-
chine.
In addition to his hie York
understands the
c ing a good credi
In keeps handy a refe
Va., ter from the First
s worth Bank of Washington
e things," form his counsel,
Margolius.
"My service is a question o
integrity with me," Bast said.
"I feel that when I am dealing
with overseas clients I am in a
Sense representing this coun-
try. I have to be honest"
" Bast is a native of Washing-
ton. After his graduation from
Eastern High School he was
employed briefly as an ap-
prentice pressman at The
Washington Post. Then came
service with the Marines in
Korea. Bast says lie received
the Purple Heart there.
After the Marines he re-
turned to the presses briefly,
but that work did not appeal
to him. He had suffered a
slipped disc and his back hurt.
.jear ,in his
� ice; the rest at
is traveling; syln-
eclined:rd/ .0.1�14stiril;;Phigs
year � gross, smiled and, said;
"J t say we dcf, aiiiee busi-
1 'ss." Nor could she estimate
is profit margin, ''.It:yaries,
depending on the Itierchan-
disc. Somatithe* 4t: only,3..or
4 per cent, other, time it-Is as
high as 50 per tent".
Whatever the 'take,
enough to keePhim In. mohair
See Bast -B4 Col. 6 =�'
�
�
� a.
In 1954, he was employed by.
John aVashingto4
lawyer, as nprivatelnitestiga-
tor'. and Precesd' server. :rie
Started the, Redgx Corp:- in �
1960. Ho is still licented�as a
private detective.:. ' �
"I've come along way from
the pressroom," he said. "Lie
s been good to me. I' ah';i:. a
Ii g examplethat there is an'
oppi tunity for': people with
integi y who .are. willing to
work."
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