Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties

by Tom O'Neill

I gave him my song and dance—well rehearsed, by then—and, while he found it unlikely that Manson had ever informed for his office, he said it was possible for a federal agency to call and ask for one of its informants to be released from LASO custody. In such cases, they’d call the investigator; the captain would be uninvolved. “It’s possible that a phone call was made, yes. [But] what benefit would be gained by keeping it a secret forever? The theory that somebody asked them to do something different than the norm is not implausible,” he admitted, “though I don’t know why they wouldn’t tell you. I can’t imagine why they would want to keep it a secret. I don’t see anything to be gained—if, in fact, there was some other agency involved in 1969 or 2005—to keep that quiet.” Unless, I thought, it resulted in the murders of innocent people. I sensed this was the closest thing to a concession I’d ever get from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Office. I thanked Osborne for his time and went on my way.