The following is the investigation into "The Octopus." The Octopus is the name ascribed to a chilling secret triad of industrialists, intelligence groups and organized crime groups. It is a tale of blood, espionage, wealth and plausible deniability. The Octopus has claimed the life of an uncomfortably disproportionate percentage of journalists who had the courage to spotlight this chilling triad. So now its, down the rabbit hole, with "The Octopus."

THE OCTOPUS

Danny Casolaro was jubilant. He had just cracked the biggest story of his life. A freelance journalist, Casolaro had, for a year, been investigating a shadowy group he called "The Octopus." Regularly fed sensitive information by sources within the CIA and Mafia, Casolaro believed he had uncovered a secret network of prominent individuals who orchestrated a series of criminal conspiracies. Better still, he had the evidence to prove it.

Another Dead Journalist

Paul Wilcher was investigating possible government involvement in the October Surprise and the Inslaw PROMIS story. By May 1993 he told friends that his information had gone "beyond" Casolaro, and acknowledged fear for his life On 23 June 1993, he was found dead in the bathroom of his apartment. Wilcher's investigation records are missing. Unusually, FBI and CIA personnel were quickly on the scene. As with Casolaro, Wilcher's bathroom was thoroughly cleaned the next day. His body was cremated before identification was independently confirmed, and without complete forensic examination. Cause of death has not been established.

Membership of the "Octopus," included highly placed figures in the Reagan and Bush administrations and powerful individuals in the US intelligence community. More disquieting, Casolaro, had evidence that linked both these to senior figures in organised crime. All three operated together, he believed, in perpetrating massive swindles and engaging in widespread political fixits. It was an explosive story. One final meeting with a new "source" would wrap the story up. Despite recent death threats, he journeyed to a motel in Martinsburg, West Virginia, in high mood to meet his informant.

The next day, Saturday, 10 August 1991, Casolaro was found dead in the bathtub of his motel room. Naked, his wrists had been slashed open a dozen times. Local police officers were quick to arrive and with a cursory examination concluded suicide. His briefcase containing sheaf's of documents relating to his story - which never left his side - was missing. Without notifying his family, Casolaro's body was illegally embalmed, impeding subsequent autopsy. Prior to his death, Casolaro had warned his brother Tony, "If anything happens to me, don't believe it was accidental." Casolaro also gave the same message to special FBI agent Thomas Gates, who was investigating volatile Mafia figure and CIA insider, Robert Booth Nichols. Nichols was a source for Casolaro's investigation of the "Octopus."