Dassault, for the development of a
system which will be able to deliver
a 1,600-pound warhead to a maximum
range of 300 miles.

a. Moscow has promised the
Indians to ship the equipment for
one surface-to-air (SAM) training
site early next month.

b. The Soviets had agreed to
provide eight SAM sites. The rest
will probably not be sent until the
Indians have learned to handle the
equipment about a year from now.

c. As we noted last Sunday,
there are some Indians who have
doubts about the Soviet willingness
to live up to the letter of their
military aid agreements with New
Delhi.
For The President Only - Top Secret (Cont'd)
5. Burma
d. They call into question
especially the contract for the
Soviets to set up in India a facility
to assemble MIG fighters--an enter-
prise which has appeared somewhat
impractical from the beginning.

e. We do note, however, that
Soviet aircraft specialists working
on the project were still in New
Delhi in early November.
(INTERCEPTS)

a. Ne Win has followed up his
action in breaking off talks with
the Burmese Communists by arresting
over 700 of their number.

b. Ne Win had been trying to
lure the faction-ridden Communists
into a "national front." However,
he found the demands of the Commu-
nist negotiators, some of whom had
only just returned from long exile
in Peiping, to be impossible.

c. This will probably lead to
renewed fighting between the army
and Communist guerrillas in the hills.

d. More trouble can also be
expected from the rebellious ethnic
minorities like the Karens and the

For The President Only - Top Secret (Cont'd)
:

CHINA
BURMA
LAOS
THAI.
IETNAM
CAMB
PHILIP
MALAYA
INDONESIAS
THAILAND
TONLE
NORTH
VIETNAM
Quang Tri
Hue
LAOS
South Vietnam
Da Nang
Quang Nam
Quang Ngai
Kontum
Pleiku.
An Khe
Qui Nhon
Cheo Reo
CAMBODIA
Song Cau
Tuy Hoa
Ban Me Thuot
Nha Trang
Da Lat
Loc Ninh
ΡΗΝΟΜ ΡΕΝΗ
Tay
Ninh
Chau Phu
Phuoc Vinh
SALGON
Phan Thiet
Cho Lon
My Tho
Vung Tau
Isle de
Phú Quốc
Can Tho
Rach Gia
GULF OF
SIAM
Quán Long
(Ca Mau)
Bac Lieu
Phan Rang
SOUTH
CHINA SEA
STATUTE MILES
150
34235

6. Cambodia
Kachins, whose demands for greater
autonomy have been rejected in Ran-
goon.

e. US officials on the spot
doubt that the army, hobbled by poor
leadership and its many political
responsibilities, will be any more
effective in dealing with the prob-
lem this time than in past anti-
insurgency campaigns.

a. Sihanouk has signed an ac-
cord setting up regular air service
between Cambodia and Communist China.
A similar agreement with Hanoi is
in the works.

b. These lines are significant
largely as gestures by Peiping and
Hanoi to bolster Sihanouk's sense
of importance. Neither would be a
paying proposition commercially and
both could flounder before the first
paying passenger enplanes unless
rights to overfly Laos can be obtained.
(Includes INTERCEPTS)

7. Greece
a. It looks more and more as
if Papandreou, who squeaked through
to a narrow upset victory over ex-
premier Karamanlis in the 3 November
elections, will not be able to form
a government.

For The President Only - Top Secret (Cont'd)
8. Brazil
b. His party does not have a
parliamentary majority, so he needs
support from either Karamanlis'
party on the right or from the Com-
munists. The military has apparently
been pressing Karamanlis to withhold
that support. He does not need much
urging.

c. The military has also let
it be known that it would consider
Papandreou's acceptance of Communist
support as sufficient reason for a
coup d'etat.

d. In addition to this military
string-pulling, the royal family is
also meddling--not for the first
time. Should Papandreou fail to
form a government, the palace intends
to pass the mandate to Karamanlis,
believing that he too would fail.

e. This would then open the
way, the palace calculates, for a
compromise premier more amenable to
palace influence.

a. President Goulart and his
opponents are keeping political ten-
sions in Brazil high.

For The President Only - Top Secret (Cont'd)
b. Comments by Goulart, that
"social disaster" is sure if his
program is not passed soon, have drawn
sharp rejoinders from moderate and
conservative figures and have fed
rightist coup plotting.

c. Strains are also growing in
the military following the arrest
of a young officer who refused last
month to execute an order to arrest
Governor Lacerda, a leading conserva-
tive spokesman and likely presidential
candidate.
:
For The President Only - Top Secret
1.
NOTES
A. USSR Simultaneous activity this morning on the
Tyuratam missile test range, satellite tracking nets
and Soviet space support ships in the Atlantic prob-
ably represented an attempt to launch an unmanned
earth satellite. The launch apparently failed on
the pad or was cancelled at the last moment. It
may be tried again soon. (INTERCEPTS)

B. Rumania-US Rumanian officials are about to award
a US firm, Ferguson and Company of Cleveland, Ohio,
a $32 million contract to help build the huge Galati
steel plant. The Rumanians are pressing ahead with
this project in the face of Soviet efforts to dis-
courage it in various ways, most importantly by re-
fusing to underwrite the scheme to any substantial
degree.

C. Turkey The New Turkey Party has followed the
Peasant Party in withdrawing from the present three-
party coalition government. This means that the
coalition has to all intents and purposes collapsed,
even though no formal action will be taken until
Prime Minister Inonu returns from Washington this
weekend.

D. Thailand The Thai doctors attending Sarit now ad-
mit for the first time that the Prime Minister is in
critical condition. Our doctor agrees with this
prognosis. US officials in Bangkok believe that the
most likely successor would be Thanom Kittikachorn,
now deputy prime minister and minister of defense.
Thanom is not likely to last long, however, since he
is neither a strong personality nor a figure of great
weight in the military hierarchy.

For The President Only - Top Secret (Cont'd)

SPAR
MELITTA
TUNISIA
MOROCCO
MAURITANIA
SENEGAL
GAMBIA
PORT. GUINEA
MALI
ALGERIA
LIBYA
UAR
(EGYPT):
NIGER
CHAD
SUDAN
UPPER VOLTA
OUINEA
45
DAHOMEY
TOOO
NIGERIA
SIERRA
IVORY
LEONE
COAST GHANA
LIBERIA
ETHIOPIA
SOMAL.
CENTRAL AFRICAN
REPUBLIC
CAMEROON
SOMALI
REPUBLIC
UGANDA RUDO
KENYA
CONGO
GABON
REPUBLIC
RWANDA
RWANDA BURUNDI
CABINDA
OF THE CONGD
ANGOLA
SOUTH-WEST
AFRICA
LTANGA
FED... OF RHODESIA
AND NYASALAND
BECHUANALAND
REPUBLIC
OF
SOUTH AFRICA
LNYASA
ZANZIBAR
MOZAMBIQUE
MALAGASY
REPUBLIC
SWAZILAND
BASUTOLAND..
1
E. Indonesia-Philippines
A Philippine foreign office
man states that everything was set, as we noted yes-
terday, for Sukarno to visit Manila today. This
official says, however, that the visit was postponed
as a result of Macapagal's decision to attend Presi-
dent Kennedy's funeral.

F. Indonesia Djakarta is giving every indication that
it will hold up final action on the long-pending oil
contracts with US companies in an attempt to smoke
us out on the question of US aid policy toward Indo-
nesia.

G. Rwanda-Burundi Tribal refugees from Rwanda, now in
Burundi, seem bent on making trouble between the two
countries. Some 3,000 of their number were reported
yesterday to be moving toward the frontier. They
have little military capability, but blood could
flow and require UN intervention.

H. USSR-Congo As a further token of the withdrawal
of Soviet diplomats we have noted that the Soviet
diplomatic communications link between Moscow and
Leopoldville was shut down last Saturday. (INTER-
CEPTS)
For The President Only - Top Secret
177-10002-10102 Date: 3/6/2018
2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
JFK Assassination System
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AGENCY FILE NUMBER:

Document Information
ORIGINATOR: CIA
FROM:
TO:
TITLE: THE PRESIDENT'S INTELLIGENCE CHECKLIST
DATE: 11/30/1963
PAGES: 11
SUBJECTS: INTELLIGENCE REPORT
DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT.
CLASSIFICATION: Unclassified
RESTRICTIONS: IB; Mandatory Review Material
CURRENT STATUS: Redact
DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 12/12/1997
OPENING CRITERIA :
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3
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THE PRESIDENT'S
INTELLIGENCE CHECKLIST
8
let's fun &
Mrs. Roberto
12/10/63

ISSUED BY THE
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

30 NOVEMBER 1963
TOP SECRET

1. Venezuela
2. Sino-Soviet
dispute

a. Election campaigning ended
at midnight, but boosters for the
several candidates continued to mill
about streets of Caracas in defiance
of terrorist threats to shoot anyone
who ventured out for the next three
days.

b. The terrorists, it seems,
were all but drowned out by the car-
nival air.

c. The FALN, meanwhile, is
trying to bargain off Colonel Chenault
for as high a price as it can, de-
manding variously release of all its
comrades, of all women detained by
the government, and of the six hi-
jackers who have been returned from
Trinidad to custody in Venezuela.

a. The Chinese Communists
will have nothing to do with the
idea of bilateral talks with the
Soviets under present circumstances.

b. Chinese party Secretary
General Teng Hsiao-ping, one of the
select few in Peiping's ruling cir-
cle, recently told a group of visit-
ing Latin Americans that such a meet-
ing could accomplish nothing.

(Cont'd)
For The President Only - Top Secret

c. Teng put the issue of
another meeting of world Communist
parties even deeper into limbo by
saying that Peiping would be in favor
only when assured of the support of
a majority of the world parties.

d. Moscow, for its part, has
apparently stopped thinking about
another gathering of world Communist
party representatives.

e. The feelers it put out
after the conclusion of the test-
ban treaty were received coldly by
some of the fraternal parties. They
felt such a meeting could only make
matters worse with the Chinese.

f. Indeed, Peiping saw this
to be Moscow's purpose, and when
the idea failed to take hold, the
Chinese took it to be a setback for
Khrushchev personally.

g. Their reaction to Khrush-
chev's subsequent call for a cessa-
tion of open argument was to press
the offensive, and this they have
been doing in roundly abusive terms
since.
(Cont'd)
For The President Only - Top Secret

Area of Main Map
USSR
Komsomolsk
CHINA
Vladivostok
Sof
SEA OF
OKHOTSK

KAMCHATKA
Ballistic Missile Submarines: Petropavlovsk
in the Petropavlovsk area
6G Class
3Z Conversions,
Impact Poid
PENINSULA

TOP SECRET DINAR
6 SEPTEMBER 1963
33881
Klyuchi
Impact
Area
BERING
KOMANDORSKIYE
285
Approximate Launch Positions
160
Submarine Ballistic Missile Launches in the Soviet Far East
"G"-Class Submarine

3. USSR
4.
-
Kenya
Communist Bloc
\

h. The forthcoming Afro-Asian
visits by Chou En-lai and Chen Yi
have awakened suspicions that the
Chinese are in hot pursuit of a
second Bandung-type conference--a
more rewarding enterprise from their
point of view.

a. Yesterday and on Thursday,
we detected what we believe to have
been operational training launches
of standard 350 nautical mile sub-
marine-based ballistic missiles.

b. Two and possibly four mis-
siles were fired from submarines
based in the Petropavlovsk area to
the impact area at Klyuchi.

c. Seven similar instances
have been detected previously this
year, and there may have been others.
(INTERCEPTS)

a. The Soviet Bloc will soon
gain an important propaganda outlet
in Nairobi, communications hub for
East Africa.

b. Plans are for a state-
controlled news agency to be set up
by the Kenyan government when it
(Cont'd)
For The President Only - Top Secret

5. Czechoslovakia-
USSR

achieves independence on 12 Decem-
ber. This will fall under the juris-
diction of communications minister
Oneko, who has well developed con-
tacts within the Soviet Bloc.

c. TASS has already agreed to
equip the new agency, and Kenyan re-
quests for further financial and
techincal help are being discussed
in Prague and Moscow.

d. Kenyan journalists have
been training in Prague and, on re-
turn, will find ready employment in
the new agency.

a. Czech President Novotny
returned from Moscow on Thursday
after signing a renewal (for another
20 years) of the treaty of friend-
ship and mutual assistance.

b. He apparently got little
else out of Khrushchev. The final
communique was conspicuously cool.

c. There were no Soviet con-
cessions, nor were there the usual
references to Czech "progress" or
to public support for Novotny's
leadership.
For The President Only - Top Secret

6.
South Vietnam

a. The first suicide by burn-
ing to occur under the new regime
was witnessed today by bystanders
at a crowded intersection in Saigon
where a young girl went up in flames.

b. A note she left behind said
she was protesting the war of Viet-
namese against Vietnamese. At the
intersection are three villas which
house the ICC delegations.

c. There were no Buddhist
overtones,

d. Some think the Viet Cong
encouraged her, but if they did,
they did not write her script. They
would have said it is the Americans
who are fighting the Vietnamese.
For The President Only - Top Secret

BURMA
South Vietnam
ARMY CORPS BOUNDARIES
NORTH
VIETNAM
CHINA
Quang Tri

LAOS
THAI.
IETNAM.
Hue
CAMB
PHILIPPINES
18
INDONESIA
27
LAOS
THAILAND
TONLE
Da Nang
Quang Nam
I Corps
Quảng Ngài.
II Corps
Kontum
Pleiku.
An Khê
Qui Nhon
Cheo Reo
CAMBODIA
*Song Cau
Tuy Hoa..
Ban Me Thuot
Nha Trang
III Corps Da Lat
Loc Ninh
PHNOM PENH
Tay
Ninh
Phan Rang
Phuoc Vĩnh
SOUTH
Châu Phú
SAIGON
Phan Thiet
CHINA
SEA
Cho Lon
Capital Military District
IV Corps
My Tho
Vung Tau
Isle de
Phu Quoc
Can Tho
Rach Gia
GULF OF.
SIAM
Quan Long
(Ca Mau)
Bac Lieu
SECRET
STATUTE MILES
33752
150:

NOTES
A. South Vietnam
Plans are now afoot to shuffle
South Vietnam's Corps commanders so that General
Khanh, considered by General Harkins to be the best
of the lot, will take over in the crucial delta (IV
Corps) area. General Dinh, the ambitious Minister
of Security, is still resisting pressure to relin-
quish command of the III Corps area, and is not in-
volved in the current shuffle.

B. Cuba-USSR There are about 8,000 Soviets in Cuba,
5,000 of these military, according to a bloc offi-
cial in close touch with Soviets in Havana. The
figures are close to our own estimate of 4,000 to
7,000.
Some withdrawals continue.

C. Cambodia-Vietnam
D.

Sihanouk seems to feel that cut-
ting off his nose to spite his face was not enough.
Now he says he will formally recognize North Vietnam
if the US does not silence the Khmer Serei radio.
South Vietnam will cut Cambodia's primary access to
international markets via the Mekong river if he
does. (INTERCEPT)

Indonesia-Cambodia
Sukarno apparently plans to go
to Cambodia on an official visit following his trip
to Manila. The Cambodian ambassador in Djakarta has
advised Phnom Penh that Sukarno plans to leave for
Manila on 6 December and directly from there for
Phnom Penh on the 10th. He will stay three days.
(INTERCEPT)
(Cont'd)
For The President Only - Top Secret

E. Coal and Steel Community Coal and Steel community
members at their next meeting on Monday will prob-
ably vote to raise community steel tariffs by an
average of nine percent. This would bring the tar-
iffs of each member into line with Italy's, the
highest in the community. Only the Dutch oppose the
idea.

F. British Guiana
-
Cuba
GIMPEX, trading arm and
source of funds for Jagan's party, has worked out a
deal to supply the country's major electric utility
next year with fuel oil from Cuba. Texaco and Esso
have been the traditional suppliers.

G. Brazil-US A press report from Rio cites "well in-
formed sources" to the affect that Goulart plans
soon to invite Mrs. Kennedy to visit Brazil so that
Brazil can pay her the honors which it had planned
to render the late President.
)

H.
Cuba-Morocco A three-man Cuban delegation is on
its way to Morocco to try to patch up relations
broken by Morocco because of Cuba's assistance to
the Algerians in their border war. (INTERCEPTS)
For The President Only - Top Secret

DOCUMENT OF INTEREST
The effect in France of the President's death.
For The President Only - Top Secret
177-10002-10103 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
JFK Assassination System Date: 3/6/2018
Identification Form

Agency Information

AGENCY: LBJ
RECORD NUMBER: 177-10002-10103
RECORD SERIES : NSF, INTELLIGENCE BRIEFINGS, 11/23/63-12/5/63, BOX 1
AGENCY FILE NUMBER:

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: CIA
FROM:
TO:
TITLE: THE PRESIDENT'S INTELLIGENCE CHECKLIST
DATE: 11/23/1963
PAGES: 15
SUBJECTS:
DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT
CLASSIFICATION: Unclassified
RESTRICTIONS: IB; Mandatory Review Material
CURRENT STATUS: Redact
DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 12/12/1997
OPENING CRITERIA :
COMMENTS: DOC. #1

v9.1 1

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3
4
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1
THE PRESIDENT'S
INTELLIGENCE CHECKLIST

ISSUED BY THE
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

23 NOVEMBER 1963
TOP SECRET

1. South Vietnam
a. Vietnamese Communist ef-
forts to discredit the new Saigon
regime stayed in high gear this
week.

b. The number of armed attacks
was off from the high of the previous
week but still some 50% above the
year's weekly average.

c. These attacks have been,
for the most part, small-scale efforts
directed against the government's
paramilitary forces in the villages.
They have been designed more for
their psychological impact than for
immediate military gain.

d. A high volume of messages
on Viet Cong military and political
communications nets indicates a prob-
able continuation of this effort.

e. The new government is re-
sponding by stepping up its own
military operations. It is also
setting about the hard job of re-
vamping the Diem government apparatus
and harnessing broader popular sup-
port for the war effort.

f. The generals have been
dealing fairly effectively with

For The President Only - Top Secret (Cont'd)

OLOMBIA
72
70
CURAÇAO
Amuay
COLFO DE El Cardón
Coro
VENEZ
(Neth.) BONAIRE
Maracaibo
Cabimas
10
8
Cucuta
6
LAGO DE
MARACAIBO San Lorenzo
Barquisimeto
San
Fallbe
Vale
San Carlos.
Guanare
Encontrados
Mérida
Barinas
68
66
64
62
60
CARIBBEAN SEA
GRENADA
(U.K.)
CARACAS:
Ma
Los leques
San Juan
de los Morros
El Calvario
Fernando
Puerto Ayacucho
COLOMBIA
VENEZUELA
+++ Selected railroad
50 100 200 Miles
50 100 200 Kilometers
BRAZIL
72
70
TOBAGO
La Asunción
Carupano
Barcelona
Comana
Port
of
Spain
TRINIDAD
Caripito
Maturin
Tucupite
El Tigre
Puerto
Ordáz
ປ
BRAZI
BRITISH
GULANA
6307 30
68
66
64
62
60

i
i
BRI, GULANA
2
¥2
10
8

2. Venezuela
their new responsibilities. There
are, however, a few signs of dissen-
sion within this group and between
it and civilian politicians.

g. One of the more ambitious
and troublesome figures is the able
but opportunistic General Ton That
Dinh, the new Minister of Security.
He has been travelling about the
country spreading the idea that the
coup was largely his doing and seems
bent on developing his own independ-
ent base of power. He is a man to
watch.

h. The new regime has also
embarked on a purge of high military
officers who sided with Diem during
the Buddhist crisis and failed to
get on the right side soon enough.
(INTERCEPTS)

a. The death toll from the
terrorist outburst in Caracas last
Tuesday and Wednesday now stands at
about 30.

b. This is the high water mark
thus far in the campaign of the
Castro-supported Communist extremists
to disrupt the national elections a
week from tomorrow.

For The President Only - Top Secret (Cont'd)

c. The Betancourt government
has struck back hard. Its new uni-
fied command over the security forces,
set up at US urging, passed this
initial test with flying colors.

d. At least 500 extremists
were arrested and the round-up is
still going on. Their removal will
hamper the Communist drive against
elections in major cities like Caracas.

e. We now expect the elections
to be held on schedule, a consider-
able achievement under the circum-
stances. The elections will be fol-
lowed, however, by a Communist ef-
fort to prevent the March inaugura-
tion of the victor.

f. The rub here is that none
of the presidential candidates com-
mands President Betancourt's con-
siderable assets for dealing success-
fully with the harsh realities of
Venezuelan politics. The constitu-
tion prevents Betancourt from suc-
ceeding himself.

g. In the background, as
always, looms the military, which
could intervene if the president-
elect shows signs of being soft on
communism.

For The President Only - Top Secret

CUBA
Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) Sites

Mariel
Artemisa
HAVANA HAVANA EAST
Santiago de las Vegas
Remedios

SAN JULIAN
(Training site);
Isle of Pines

New site
Unchanged site
Estimated range

50
100
NAUTICAL, MILES

L
Holguin
Santiago de Cuba
US Naval Base
34095
11 OCTOBER 1963
SECRET
L

3. USSR-Cuba
a. In the past week we inter-
cepted Cuban military messages which
show that Cuban interpreters are now
posted at several surface-to-air mis-
sile (SAM) sites on the island.

b. We think this means that
on-site training of Cubans has begun
on schedule. Field training is to
last six months, after which the
SAM system may be turned over to
Castro.

c. In the past month some
1,500 Soviets arrived in Cuba. Most
of these were probably SAM experts,
sent to monitor the training.

d. Prior to their coming, we
had detected no more than a few
hundred Soviet military personnel
entering Cuba since the October
crisis last year.

e. We estimate that at least
15,000, and probably closer to
18,000, have been withdrawn in the
intervening 13 months, leaving, very
roughly, 4,000 to 7,000. Those re-
maining are for the most part ad-
visors whose main functions are to
train and supervise Cubans in the
use of weapons turned over to them.

For The President Only - Top Secret (Cont'd)

{
Π
Bremen
COMMUNICATION ROUTES BETWEEN
WEST WEST GERMANY AND BERLIN
Kiel
Stralsund
Hamburg Busche
Mittelland
Lauenburg
Hanover Canal
Schwanheide
Horst
Ր
•
Neuruppin
Wittenberge
Prenzlau
SOVIET
Liebenwalde
Havely
Stendal Rathenow
Vorstelde nebisfelde.
Helmstedt
Wriezen
WASTEAST
BER
ZONE
BERLIN
D
-0
POLAND
Limit of
Polish Administration
Jueterbog
Cottbus
Elbe'
Magdeburg
Dessau
FEDERAL
Walkenried
Halle
Ellrich
Kassel
REPUBLIC
Herdeshausen
Wartha.
Hoenebach Gerstungen
OF GERMANY
Probstzella
uchhoen
Ludwigstadt
Gutenfuerst-
Frankfur
Toepen Haf
Main
UNCLASSIFIED
Boundaries are not necessarily thince
!
32168
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
Railroad Canal Autobahn Road
Air Corridor
▲ Allied
Control Points for Allied Traffic:
Soviet
Interzonal Border Crossing Points:
West
IILES/
KILOMETERS
100
East
STA

4. Berlin
f. All Soviet weapons intro-
duced into Cuba last year have been
withdrawn or turned over to the
Cubans. The only significant excep-
tion is the SAM system.
(Includes INTERCEPTS)

a. We have had an indication
that Soviet harassment of Allied ac-
cess routes to West Berlin will shift
this weekend to the air corridors.

b. The Soviet man at the Ber-
lin air traffic control center told
the Allied representatives yesterday
that Soviet transports would be using
the air corridors for brief flights
during the next five weekends.

c. Moscow has tried on a num-
ber of past occasions to assert its
right to restrict Allied use of the
air corridors. In early 1962, the
Soviets attempted to reserve "blocks"
of air space for their own use.
have since demanded that Western
flights stay between stipulated al-
titudes, that we file flight plans
in advance and provide prior notice
of border-crossing times.
They

For The President Only - Top Secret (Cont'd)

5.
}
Iraq-Syria-
UAR
d. This sort of harassment
stopped in the spring of 1962 when
Soviet leaders became convinced
that the US was interested in a
serious discussion of a Berlin settle-
ment. Moscow may hope that the
threat of more of this sort of har-
assment will jog the US into talks
on Berlin.

a. It now appears that Presi-
dent Arif's role in last Monday's
coup in Baghdad may have been vir-
tually that of a bystander.

b. According to our latest in-
formation, Arif was wakened early
that morning and given five minutes
to join up. Tahir Yahya, now prime
minister, was reportedly the orga-
nizer.

c. Whatever Arif's role may
have been, the coup was primarily
an effort by the Iraqi Army to cur-
tail the activities of the extreme
wing of the Baath Party. The Baath
is an Arab nationalist political or-
ganization, active throughout the
Arab world, which has been ruling
Iraq and Syria.

For The President Only - Top Secret (Cont'd)

d. The coup group has not
thrown all Baathists out of the
government; there are party members
in the new cabinet.

e. Syrian Baathists have wel-
comed this retention of their Iraqi
brothers. Their attitude springs
from the recognition that the Baath
in Syria cannot stay afloat without
support from Iraq. Even so, we hear
talk of coup plotting in Damascus.

f. The reaction of Nasir's
Egypt, which passionately desires
to see the Baath go under, has been
exactly the opposite. Cairo has been
backing off its all-out support for
the coup ever since the new cabinet
was announced.
(Includes INTERCEPTS)

For The President Only - Top Secret

33741
TYURATAM
MONGOLIA
CHINA
PHILIPPINE
LANDS
SOVIET EXTENDED RANGE IMPACT AREAS
USSR
00
ARCTIC OCEAN.
BERING SEA
SEA OF
NOKHOTSK
VLADIVOSTOK
SEA OF
JAPAN
KOREA
TSUSHIMA
JAPAN
APPROX.
4900
NM
APPROX.
6500
NM
NORTHERN
IMPACT
AREA
Midway Istands
Johnston Island
CANADA
HAWAIIAN
ISLANDS
UNITED
STATES
SOUTHERN
IMPACT
AREA
1 OCEAN
:
PACIFIC
AUSTRALIA
L
L..
160
L
L
TOP SECRET
DINAR
1. L

NOTES
A. USSR New activity involving Soviet range instru-
mentation ships in the Pacific appears to be forth-
coming. Three instrumentation ships left Petropav-
lovsk 12 days ago and are apparently headed for the
more distant Pacific impact area, 6,500 miles from
Tyuratam. We are looking for extended range ICBM
tests but we do not exclude a space event. There
has so far been no announcement closing the area.
(INTERCEPTS)

B. Congo-USSR Soviet embassy personnel have not yet
left Leopoldville, but their departure is expected
momentarily. They were ordered out of the country
after the Congolese turned up good documentary evi-
dence of their complicity in anti-government plots.
One of the items taken off a Soviet diplomat the
other day was a letter from an anti-Adoula leader
now in Brazzaville asking for funds and arms to over-
throw the Leopoldville government.

C. Britain The Labor Party scored again in the Dundee
West by-election Thursday, increasing its 1959
majority of 719 to a thumping 4,955. Heartened by
this, Labor is now pushing for general elections at
once. Prime Minister Home is not likely to accede.

D. Ecuador The military junta which has run Ecuador
since July may be about to come unstuck. We have a
report that one of the less savory members of the
group, air force Colonel Freiles, will try to take
over full control this weekend. We are not sure
of the reliability of this report, but Freiles is
known to have been making motions in this direction.

For The President Only - Top Secret (Cont'd)

Ο
SOVIET EARTH SATELLITE VEHICLES COSMOS SERIES
1962-1963
SECRET
1962
APPROXIMATE ΤΙΜΕ LAUNCH PERIOD
APOGEE
PERIGEE
ORBITAL
OF LAUNCH (GMT)
SITE
(MINUTES)
(Ν.Μ.)
(Ν.Μ.)
INCLINATION
STATUS
Cosmos 1
(Sputnik 13)
12:00:00 (EST.)
Decayed
16 Mar '62
Kapustin Yar 96.35
529
117
490
25 May '62
Cosmos 2
1715:18
Decayed
(Sputnik 14)
6 Apr '62
Kapustin Yar 102.5
842
115
49°
19-20 Aug '63
Cosmos 3
(Sputnik 15)
0400:12
24 Apr '62
Decayed
Kapustin Yar 93.8
389
124
490
17 Oct.162
Cosmos 4
(Sputnik 16)
1002:56
26 Apr '62
Recovered
Tyuratam 90.6
178
161
65°
29 Apr 62
Cosmos 5
0259:49
Decayed
(Sputnik 17)
28 May '62
Kapustin Yar 102.75
865
110
49°
2 May '63
Cosmos 6
(Sputnik 18)
1600:00 (EST.)
30 June '62
Decayed
Kapustin Yar 90.6
194
148
49°
8 Sept '62
*
Cosmos 7
(Sputnik 19)
Cosmos 8
0918:30
28 July '62
0500:00 (EST.)
Recovered
Tyuratam 90.1
199
113
65°
1 Aug 162
(Sputnik 22)
18 Aug '62
Kapustin Yar 92.93
326
138
49°
Decayed
17 Aug 163
Cosmos 9
(Sputnik 26)
0940:00
Recovered
27 Sept '62
Tyuratam 90.9
191
163
65°
1 Oct '62
Cosmos 10
(Spütnik 27)
0900:01 (EST.)
Recovered
17 Oct 162
Tyuratam 90.2
205
113
65°
21 Oct 162
Cosmos 11
0655:00 (EST.)
(Sputnik 28)
Cosmos 12
(Sputnik 32)
Decayed
20 Oct 162
Kapustin Yar 96.1
497
132
49°
6 June '63
0924:40
22-Dec '62
• Tyuratam 90.45
243
114
65°.
Recovered
30 Dec '62
:
1963
Cosmos 13.
(Sputnik 34)
Cosmos 14:
(Sputnik 36)
Cosmos 15
1059:59
13. Apr 163
0830:00
Recovered
21 Mar '63
Tyuratam 89.77
182
'.
111
64°-58"
29 Mar '63
Kapustin Yar 92.1
276
143
48° 57"
Decayed
29 Aug 163
0829:58
Recovered
(Sputnik 37)
22 Apr '63
Tyuratam 89.77
200
93
65°
(Sputnik 38)...
Cosmos 16
Cosmos 17
(Sputnik 39)
Cosmos 18
(Sputnik 40)...
Cosmos 19
(Sputnik 43)
Cosmos-20
1034:07
24 May 163
0600:00 (EST.)
6 Aug 163
Kapustin Yar
0850:00 (EST.)
28 Apr. 163
Tyuratam 90.4
218
112
65° 01"
0300:00 (EST.)
22 May '63
:
Kapustin Yar 94.8
425
140
49°
!
Tyuratam 89.44
163
113
65° 01"
92.2
280
146
490
27 April '63
Recovered
5 May '63
In orbit, silent
since 31 May 63
Recovered
2 June '63
In orbit,
transmitting
(Sputnik 44)
0929:58
18 Oct '63
Tyuratam 89.55
: 168
:
111
65°
Recovered
26 Oct 163
Failure
24 Oct 63
Kapustin Yar
Cosmos 21
(Sputnik 46)
0623:39
11 Nov '63
Tyuratam 88.5
124
105
64° 50"
Decayed
14 Nov '63
Cosmos 22
1034:25
(Sputnik 47)
Tyuratam 90.3
211
Recovered
16 Nov '63
111
64°56"
22 Nov '63
-
T
1

E. Thailand Prime Minister Sarit, who suffers from
an incurable liver disease, is failing. Doctors
attending him, including one of our own, give him
no more than six months more. Sarit has attempted
to arrange for an orderly succession when he does
go. The chances of this are not good; Thai poli-
ticians and military figures are already jostling
one another for position.

F. USSR Cosmos 22, launched a week ago, was recovered
yesterday. It is the eleventh unmanned satellite to
be recovered. All recoverable satellites have been
launched from Tyuratam, the main Soviet missile test
center, and recovered after three to ten days aloft.
A series of non-recoverable satellites has been
fired from Kapustin Yar.
(See Chart)
(INTERCEPTS)

For The President Only - Top Secret
178-10002-10091
2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
JFK Assassination System
Identification Form
Date: 8/31/201

Agency Information
AGENCY: ROCKCOM
RECORD NUMBER: 178-10002-10091
RECORD SERIES: SCHWARZER-MANFREDI FILES
. AGENCY FILE NUMBER: S-M (IV-W)

Document Information
ORIGINATOR: ROCKEFELLER COMMISSION
FROM:
ΤΟ:
TITLE: DEPOSITION OF WILLIAM C. STURBITTS
DATE: 04/16/1975
PAGES: 113
SUBJECTS: ANTI-CASTRO ACTIVITIES
ASSASSINATIONS, FOREIGN LEADERS
CIA
CLANDESTINE OPERATIONS
CUBAN EXILES
FERRIE, DAVID
STURGIS, FRANK
HUNT, E. HOWARD
MIAMI
NEW ORLEANS
SHAW, CLAY
STURBITTS, WILLIAM C.
GARRISON, JIM
DOCUMENT TYPE: DEPOSITION
CLASSIFICATION: Secret
RESTRICTIONS: 1A; IB; IC
CURRENT STATUS: Redact
DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 02/13/2001
OPENING CRITERIA :
COMMENTS: Unknown whether name is releasable.
9.1
NW 50955 DocId: 32204971
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Page 1
410 First Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003
WARD & PAUL
1
Phone (Area 202) 544-6000
SECRET
1
CONTENTS
2
Deposition of
Examination by Counsel
For the Commission
William C. Sturbitts
4
2
5
(AFTERNOON SESSION Page 58)
6
William C. Sturbitts (Resumed)
7
58
8
9
178-10002-10091
10
11
12
178-10002-10215
13
14
15
178-10002-10279
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Photocopy from
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25
SECRET
NW 50955 DocId: 32204971 Page 2
A
WARD & PAUL
1 חפר
Phone (Area 202) 544-6000
6
5
4
2
1-4
SECRET
PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION
ON CIA ACTIVITIES
Langley, Virginia
Wednesday, April 16, 1975
Deposition of WILLIAM C. STURBITTS, called for
7
පි
9
10
examination by Counsel for the Commission on CIA Activities,
the witness being duly sworn by Thomas C. Hogan, a Notary
Public in and for the State of Virginia, in the offices of the
Central Intelligence Agency, Langley, Virginia, at 9:50
12
o'clock a.m., on Wednesday, April 16, 1975, the proceedings
12
being taken down in stenotype by Ruth G. McClenning, and
13
>
transcribed under her direction.
14
APPEARANCES:
15
16
17
On behalf of the Commission:
GEORGE MANFREDI, ESQ.,
ROBERT B. OLSEN, ESQ.
18
19
20
410 First Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003
21
22
23
24
25
NW 50955 DocId:32204971 Page 3
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1
SECRET
2
Phone (Area 202) 544-6000
1
2
Thereupon,
PROCEEDINGS
כיו
4
5
6
7
8
WILLIAM C. STURBITTS,
called as a witness by Counsel for the Commission on CIA
Activities, and having been first duly sworn by the Notary
Public, was examined and testified as follows:
EXAMINATION BY COUNSEL FOR THE COMMISSION
BY MR. MANFREDI:
9
Q
Mr. Sturbitts, will you state your full name for the
10
record?
11
A
William C. Sturbitts.
12.
WARD & PAUL
Q
Mr. Sturbitts, do you recall when we spoke some
13
:
weeks ago you signed a document entitled, "Advice and
14
Waiver"?
15
Right.
16
Q
You understand that document is still in effect?
17
A
Sure.
18
Q
19
410 First Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003
A
Mr. Sturbitts, by whom are you currently employed?
You mean the Agency or
20
Q
That is right.
21
A
Central Intelligence Agency.
가
:'
22
Q
And what is your current position with the Agency?
23
A
I am a Special Assistant, Latin America, for
24
Economic Intelligence Collection and Operations.
25
Q
NW 50955 DocId:32204971
Page 4
And would you briefly review for me the history of
SECRET
Gerald Ford Library
Photocopy from
ت
WARD & PAUL
Phane (Area 202) 544-6000
SECRET
3
1
your employment with the Agency?
2
A
When I first came in I was in the Intelligence
3
Directorate for approximately ten years and I was put on special
4
detail, special indefinite detail, in the Deputy Director, Plans,
5
which is now the Directorate of Operations.
6
Q
What year were you put on that detail?
7
A
I guess it was 1964, January, I believe.
8
Ω
And what did that detail involve?
9
A
Cuban operations, economic warfare.
10
Q
And how long were you on that detail?
11
A
I was in the Cuban operations for nine years.
12
Q
Between 1964 and. 1973?
WARD & PAUL
13
A
(Nods in affirmative.)
14
Q
And in 1973 did you assume your current position?
15
A
Yes, January.
16
Q
Now, while you were on special detail to the DOD?
17
A
Yes.
18
2
Were you stationed in Washington?
19
A
Yes.
20
Q
And did you commute with some frequency to Miami?
21
A
Yes.
22
Q
Were your activities in Miami in any way connected
23
with the operations of the Miami Station?
24
A
In some way. My responsibilities were worldwide.
25
I took temporary duty predominantly in Europe, and then Miami.
410 1st Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003
NW 50955 DocId: 32204971 Page 5
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SECRET
4
Phone (Area 202) 544-6000
1
Most of my operations were run out of Europe.
2
Q
Run out of
10
A
Europe. Some were run out of Miami but the big ones
4
were run out of Europe.
5
Q
Well, in the course of your activities with respect
6
7
to Cuba did you have occasion to become familiar with the
operations of the Miami base?
8
A
Yes.
9
Q
And the situation in the Cuban community in Miami?
10
A
Yes, sir.
11
Q
During the nine years you were with DDO's Cuban
12
WARD & PAUL
operations, who was who were the chiefs of the Miami
13
Station?
14
A
I think in 1963 Ted Shackley was the Chief and he
15
16
was followed by I can't think of his name. I should know
it. Well, I will come back to that.
17:
18
Q
Then, the next Chief of Station was Paul Henze.
What years was he Chief?
19
A
410 first Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003
I think Paul was there about a year and a half.
He
20
left in 1968 when we reduced the size of the Station.
Let's
21
say Henze was there from 1966 to 1968.
And then Jake Esterline.
22
He was Chief of Station from 1968 to 1973.
23
Q
Now, what was the formal title of the group to which
24
you were assigned for the 9-year period?
25
A
Well, when I first came in it was known as the
۱
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NW 50955 DocId:32204971 Page 6
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WARD & PAUL
Phone (Area 202) 544-6000
SECRET
5
מיו
1
2
Special Activities Staff. It was headed by Desmond Fitzgerald.
And then, I believe after that it became the Cuban Operations
Group.
4
Q
Now, was this a special group within the DDO or was
5
it attached to one of the area divisions?
6
A
No. Following the Bay of Pigs, they created a thing
7
called Task Force W which was headed by Bill Harvey.
And
8
that
when Harvey left, he went to Chief of Station, Rome,.
9
10
11
and Fitzgerald took over, it became Special Activities Staff.
It wasn't attached to anything except it reported to the
Deputy Director, Plans.
12
Q
And that was Mr. Karamessines?
13
A
Yes.
Well, it was Helms at that time back when it
14
was first created. Helms was DDP at that time.
15
2 And Task Force W was created immediately after the
16
Bay of Pigs?.
17
A
Well, not immediately.
I think sometime around
1.8
19
in the Bay of Pigs was in April. I think this was created in
September, something like that, 1961.
20
Q
And that subsequently became the Special Activities
21
Staff?
22
A
Special Activities Staff and consequently became the
23
24
Cuban Operations Group. As the Cuban Operations Group it went
back into the Western Hemisphere Division.
25
And what was the date of that reorganization?
410 Fast Straat, S.E., Washington, DC. 2000.3
NW 50955 DocId: 32204971 Page 7
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Phone (Area 202) 544-6000
1
2
SECRET
A
Well, let's see. I would say that was probably around
1965 because Fitzgerald then became Chief, W.H., and then
3
later DDP.
4
Q
Now, Mr.Harvey
do you recall what position Mr.
5
Harvey held after he left Task Force W?
6
A
Yes. He was Chief of Station, Rome.
7
Q
And is he still with the Agency?
8
A
Oh, no. He retired a long time ago.
9
2
Do you know where he lives at the present time?
10
A
Frankly, I don't. I have an idea where he lives.
1.1
He went to work for a
friend of mine who had a law firm.
12
Harvey is a lawyer.
13
2
Indianapolis area?
A
14
Yes, some place around there. It is in the midwest,
Indiana.
1.5
What was the role that was assigned to Task Force
16
W?
17
A
It was the overall Cuban operations.
18
Q
Did the Miami
when was the Miami Station estab-
19
lished?
20
A
Well, I think they had a forward operatio-s base down
21
there about 1960 which was small, in Coral Gables.
22
Q
This was, then, prior to the Bay of Pigs?
23
A
Oh, yes.
24
2
Now, in addition to Task Force W, was the Miami
25
SECRET
:
Photocopy from
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t
410 1st Street, S.C., Washington, D.C. 20003
NW 50955 DocId:32204971 Page 8
6
Phone (Area 202) 544-6000
SECRET
1
Station running any operations against Cuba?
2
A
You mean prior to the Bay of Pigs?
C1
Q
Yes.
4
A
5
it was a
I really don't know. It was a small
forward base and it was more or less as I recall, a support type
6
thing.
:
7
Q Well, after the Bay of Pigs when Task Force W was
8
established, did it have sole responsibility for Cuban
.:
9
operations?
10
A
Yes.
!
11
Q
Or was that shared with the Miami base, Miami
12
WARD & PAUL
Station?
13
A
No. The Miami Station was under Task Force W.
14
Q All right. Would that also be true of the Special
15. Activities Staff, the Cuban Operations Group?
16
A
Right, except that at the present time the Station
-:
17
has no Cuban operations.
18
Q
I understand that. When were Cuban operations termi-
19:
nated?
410 Fust Street, S.E., Wastington, DC. 20003
20
A
21
At the Station? Let's see.
there in 1972. It was during fiscal year '72. I think it was
Sternfield went down
22
in early 1973. It was a gradual reduction.
23
Q
And have those operations been terminated entirely
:
24
or are they now run out of the Washington area?
25
A
All Cuban operations are run out of Washington.
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SECRET
Phone (Area 202) 544-6000
7
There are no more paramilitary operations, that type of thing.
2
Q
But there are some Cuban operations being run out of
כין
the Washington area?
4
A
Right.
::
5
Q
Is that correct?
6
A
Right.
Worldwide.
:
7
Ω
Mr.Sturbitts, in the last couple of weeks you may
8
have seen some allegations in the press about possible assassina-
9
tion attempts that have been mounted or alleged assassination
10
attempts that have been mounted
11
A
Right.
12
Q
WARD & PAUL
against Fidel Castro. In the course of your
13
activities with respect to Cuba, did you ever learn of any such
14
attempts?
15
A
16
17
Well, let me answer it this way. I wouldn't say
attempts. I know there was discussion. "Attempts" is too
strong a word.
18
Q
19:
Well, can you place in time your first knowledge of
any such discussions?
410 First Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003
20
A
Well, the first knowledge I had of any discussions,
21
22
23
And I knew that he was going to meet
I was on TDY and this was October, November, 1963, with Fitzgerald
let me put
in Paris.
it another way. I had overheard that discussions were going on
24
with a member of Castro's military but that he wanted, as
25
I recall, he wanted some British
I mean Belgian rifles and
SECRET
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NW 50955 DocId: 32204971 Page 10
410 1024 Street, S.F., Washington, D.C. 20003
WARD IN PAUL
Phone (Area 202) 544-6000
9
1
a telescopic sight.
2
Q
Who wanted them?
こ
יו
A
This military guy that was in Fidel's
소
I think
at one time he was a commandante. Now, I knew that was going
5
6
on. I didn't participate in it because I was there for another
reason. And I know that subsequent to that time that Fitzgerald
7
8
met with him again and as I recall, as the personal representa-
tive of the Attorney General, Bobby Kennedy.
9
10
11
I provided all those files. There are 19 volumes that
we gave to your people. But I don't know who was reviewing
them. I think Belin was going to do it himself.
:
12
Q
Yes. He is. He is doing it himself.
13:
You said there were 19 volumes of documents with
14
respect to this.
15
A
19 files, manila.
16
Q
All having to do with possible assassination?
:
17
A
All having to do with this whole time period and
18
19
can we go off the record for a minute?
(Discussion off the record.)
20
21
BY MR. MANFREDI:
Q
The first knowledge of such conversations that you
!
22
had, I take it you obtained on a trip to Europe with Mr.
23 Fitzgerald?
24
A
I simply overheard it, that is right.
25
Ω
And who were the parties to the conversation you over-
NW 50955 DocId:32204971 Page 11
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WARD & PAUL
Phone (Arca 202) 544-6000
10
1
heard?
2
A
A fellow named Nestor Sanchez.
3
Q
And Mr. Fitzgerald?
4
A
Yes, and I really can't recall some of the other
5
people. We were we had just moved the Station at that time,
6
i:
in Paris, out of the Embassy into the old Rothschild Palace
7
and we felt that it was probably bugged, so all conversations
8
9
took place we walked around the garden and tyat type of
thing, and, you know, I was walking with somebody, somebody
10
was in front of me, and you just overhear conversations.
1.1
Q
This was in Paris?
12
A
Yes.
13
Q
I see.
14
Mr. Sanchez was he a member of the military?
15
A
No. Mr Sanchez was in the Special Activities Staff.
16
He was stationed in Washington.
And he was in contact with
17
Cuban military-type.
18
Q
Was it your understanding that the Agency had received
19
instructions with respect to this activity from another
20
component of the Government?
21
A
:
22
Well, let me put it this way. I don't know whether
they received instructions.
I have to assume, and I am pretty
23
positive, that this was a result of a Special Group decision.
24
And at this time you have to remember that Bobby Kennedy was
25
overseeing this deal, presumably for his brother, and he was
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יו
ניו
1
-
2
SECKEI
11
part of that Special Group. He called the meetings, he presided
he did a number of things.
Q Were there any other occasions that you can recall
in which the possibility or the subject of assassination of
10
5
Fidel Castro was discussed?
6
A
7
Q
No, not really.
You referred to this as the first occasion.
8.
A
This is the first
9
Q
Was there a second?
10
A
the first time I knew about it or even heard it
二
discussed.
12
Q
Well, prior to the investigation that is currently
13
underway
I am referring now to our Commission's investigation
14
were there any other occasions in which this subject came
to your attention after this discussion in the garden in
16
Paris?
A
18
The only other thing that came to my attention was
that the decision was made not to provide him with this sight
that he wanted.
Whether that is right or wrong, I don't know,
20
but that is what I was told.
21
2
When did you learn that?
22
A
Oh, I would assume in
must have been early 1964,
23
around February, something like that.
24
Q
Off the record.
25
(Discussion off the record.)
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178-10002-10215
2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
JFK Assassination System
Identification Form
Date: 8/31/2017

Agency Information
AGENCY: ROCKCOM
RECORD NUMBER: 178-10002-10215
RECORD SERIES: ASSASSINATION FILES
AGENCY FILE NUMBER: DEPOSITION OF (A CIA EMPLOYEE)

Document Information
ORIGINATOR: ROCKEFELLER COMMISSION
FROM:
TO:
TITLE:

DATE: 04/16/1975
PAGES: 8
SUBJECTS:
ANTI-CASTRO ACTIVITIES
CIA
CLANDESTINE OPERATIONS
CUBAN EXILES
FITZGERALD, DESMOND
STURGIS, FRANK
HUNT, E. HOWARD
KENNEDY, ROBERT F.
ORGANIZED CRIME
ROSELLI, JOHNNY
STURBITTS, WILLIAM
GIANCANA, SAM
DOCUMENT TYPE: DEPOSITION
CLASSIFICATION: Secret
RESTRICTIONS: 1A; IB; IC
CURRENT STATUS: Redact
DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 02/13/2001
OPENING CRITERIA :
COMMENTS: Selected pages from deposition. Full document is number 1781000210091.

v9.1
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CONTENTS
2
Deposition of
Examination by Counsel
For the Commission
3
William C. Sturbitts
2
4
5
(AFTERNOON SESSION Page 58)
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William C. Sturbitts (Resumed)
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178-10002-10091
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2
PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION
ON CIA ACTIVITIES

Langley, Virginia
Wednesday, April 16, 1975
Deposition of WILLIAM C. STURBITTS, called for
examination by Counsel for the Commission on CIA Activities,
the witness being duly sworn by Thomas C. Hogan, a Notary
Public in and for the State of Virginia, in the offices of the
Central Intelligence Agency, Langley, Virginia, at 9:50
o'clock a.m., on Wednesday, April 16, 1975, the proceedings
being taken down in stenotype by Ruth G. McClenning, and
transcribed under her direction.

APPEARANCES:
On behalf of the Commission:
GEORGE MANFREDI, ESQ.,
ROBERT B. OLSEN, ESQ.

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PROCEEDINGS
Thereupon,
WILLIAM C. STURBITTS,
called as a witness by Counsel for the Commission on CIA
Activities, and having been first duly sworn by the Notary
Public, was examined and testified as follows:
EXAMINATION BY COUNSEL FOR THE COMMISSION
BY MR. MANFREDI:
Q Mr. Sturbitts, will you state your full name for the
record?
A William C. Sturbitts.
Q Mr. Sturbitts, do you recall when we spoke some
weeks ago you signed a document entitled, "Advice and
Waiver"?
A Right.
Q You understand that document is still in effect?
A Sure.
Q Mr. Sturbitts, by whom are you currently employed?
A You mean the Agency or --
Q That is right.
A Central Intelligence Agency.
Q And what is your current position with the Agency?
A I am a Special Assistant, Latin America, for
Economic Intelligence Collection and Operations.
Q And would you briefly review for me the history of
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your employment with the Agency?
A When I first came in I was in the Intelligence
Directorate for approximately ten years and I was put on special
detail, special indefinite detail, in the Deputy Director, Plans,
which is now the Directorate of Operations.
Q What year were you put on that detail?
A I guess it was 1964, January, I believe.
Q And what did that detail involve?
A Cuban operations, economic warfare.
Q And how long were you on that detail?
A I was in the Cuban operations for nine years.
Q Between 1964 and 1973?
A (Nods in affirmative.)
Q And in 1973 did you assume your current position?
A Yes, January.
Q Now, while you were on special detail -- to the DOD?
A Yes.
Q Were you stationed in Washington?
A Yes.
Q And did you commute with some frequency to Miami?
A Yes.
Q Were your activities in Miami in any way connected
with the operations of the Miami Station?
A In some way. My responsibilities were worldwide.
I took temporary duty predominantly in Europe, and then Miami.
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Most of my operations were run out of Europe.
Q Run out of
A Europe. Some were run out of Miami but the big ones
were run out of Europe.
Q Well, in the course of your activities with respect
to Cuba did you have occasion to become familiar with the
operations of the Miami base?
A Yes.
Q And the situation in the Cuban community in Miami?
A Yes, sir.
Q During the nine years you were with DDO's Cuban
operations, who was who were the chiefs of the Miami
Station?
A I think in 1963 Ted Shackley was the Chief and he
was followed by I can't think of his name. I should know
it. Well, I will come back to that.
Then, the next Chief of Station was Paul Henze.
Q What years was he Chief?
A I think Paul was there about a year and a half. He
left in 1968 when we reduced the size of the Station. Let's
say Henze was there from 1966 to 1968. And then Jake Esterline.
He was Chief of Station from 1968 to 1973.
Q Now, what was the formal title of the group to which
you were assigned for the 9-year period?
A Well, when I first came in it was known as the
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Special Activities Staff. It was headed by Desmond Fitzgerald.
And then, I believe after that it became the Cuban Operations
Group.
Q Now, was this a special group within the DDO or was
it attached to one of the area divisions?
A No. Following the Bay of Pigs, they created a thing
called Task Force W which was headed by Bill Harvey. And
that -- when Harvey left, he went to Chief of Station, Rome,
and Fitzgerald took over, it became Special Activities Staff.
It wasn't attached to anything except -- it reported to the
Deputy Director, Plans.
Q And that was Mr. Karamessines?
A Yes. Well, it was Helms at that time back when it
was first created. Helms was DDP at that time.
Q And Task Force W was created immediately after the
Bay of Pigs?
A Well, not immediately. I think sometime around
in the Bay of Pigs was in April. I think this was created in
September, something like that, 1961.
Q And that subsequently became the Special Activities
Staff?
A Special Activities Staff and consequently became the
Cuban Operations Group. As the Cuban Operations Group it went
back into the Western Hemisphere Division.
Q And what was the date of that reorganization?
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A Well, let's see. I would say that was probably around
1965 because Fitzgerald then became Chief, W.H., and then
later DDP.
Q Now, Mr.Harvey -- do you recall what position Mr.
Harvey held after he left Task Force W?
A Yes. He was Chief of Station, Rome.
Q And is he still with the Agency?
A Oh, no. He retired a long time ago.
Q Do you know where he lives at the present time?
A Frankly, I don't. I have an idea where he lives.
He went to work for a friend of mine who had a law firm.
Harvey is a lawyer.
Q Indianapolis area?
A Yes, some place around there. It is in the midwest,
Indiana.
Q What was the role that was assigned to Task Force
W?
A It was the overall Cuban operations.
Q Did the Miami -- when was the Miami Station estab-
lished?
A Well, I think they had a forward operatio-s base down
there about 1960 which was small, in Coral Gables.
Q This was, then, prior to the Bay of Pigs?
A Oh, yes.
Q Now, in addition to Task Force W, was the Miami
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Station running any operations against Cuba?
A You mean prior to the Bay of Pigs?
Q Yes.
A I really don't know. It was a small -- it was a
forward base and it was more or less as I recall, a support type
thing.
Q Well, after the Bay of Pigs when Task Force W was
established, did it have sole responsibility for Cuban
operations?
A Yes.
Q Or was that shared with the Miami base, Miami
Station?
A No. The Miami Station was under Task Force W.
Q All right. Would that also be true of the Special
Activities Staff, the Cuban Operations Group?
A Right, except that at the present time the Station
has no Cuban operations.
Q I understand that. When were Cuban operations termi-
nated?
A At the Station? Let's see. Sternfield went down
there in 1972. It was during fiscal year '72. I think it was
in early 1973. It was a gradual reduction.
Q And have those operations been terminated entirely
or are they now run out of the Washington area?
A All Cuban operations are run out of Washington.
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There are no more paramilitary operations, that type of thing.
Q But there are some Cuban operations being run out of
the Washington area?
A Right.
Q Is that correct?
A Right. Worldwide.
Q Mr.Sturbitts, in the last couple of weeks you may
have seen some allegations in the press about possible assassina-
tion attempts that have been mounted or alleged assassination
attempts that have been mounted
A Right.
Q against Fidel Castro. In the course of your
activities with respect to Cuba, did you ever learn of any such
attempts?
A Well, let me answer it this way. I wouldn't say
attempts. I know there was discussion. "Attempts" is too
strong a word.
Q Well, can you place in time your first knowledge of
any such discussions?
A Well, the first knowledge I had of any discussions,
I was on TDY and this was October, November, 1963, with Fitzgerald
in Paris. And I knew that he was going to meet -- let me put
it another way. I had overheard that discussions were going on
with a member of Castro's military but that he wanted, as
I recall, he wanted some British -- I mean Belgian rifles and
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a telescopic sight.
Q Who wanted them?
A This military guy that was in Fidel's I think
at one time he was a commandante. Now, I knew that was going
on. I didn't participate in it because I was there for another
reason. And I know that subsequent to that time that Fitzgerald
met with him again and as I recall, as the personal representa-
tive of the Attorney General, Bobby Kennedy.
I provided all those files. There are 19 volumes that
we gave to your people. But I don't know who was reviewing
them. I think Belin was going to do it himself.
Q Yes. He is. He is doing it himself.
You said there were 19 volumes of documents with
respect to this.
A 19 files, manila.
Q All having to do with possible assassination?
A All having to do with this whole time period and
can we go off the record for a minute?
(Discussion off the record.)
BY MR. MANFREDI:
Q The first knowledge of such conversations that you
had, I take it you obtained on a trip to Europe with Mr.
Fitzgerald?
A I simply overheard it, that is right.
Q And who were the parties to the conversation you over-
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heard?
A A fellow named Nestor Sanchez.
Q And Mr. Fitzgerald?
A Yes, and I really can't recall some of the other
people. We were we had just moved the Station at that time,
in Paris, out of the Embassy into the old Rothschild Palace
and we felt that it was probably bugged, so all conversations
took place we walked around the garden and tyat type of
thing, and, you know, I was walking with somebody, somebody
was in front of me, and you just overhear conversations.
Q This was in Paris?
A Yes.
Q I see.
Mr. Sanchez was he a member of the military?
A No. Mr Sanchez was in the Special Activities Staff.
He was stationed in Washington. And he was in contact with
Cuban military-type.
Q Was it your understanding that the Agency had received
instructions with respect to this activity from another
component of the Government?
A Well, let me put it this way. I don't know whether
they received instructions. I have to assume, and I am pretty
positive, that this was a result of a Special Group decision.
And at this time you have to remember that Bobby Kennedy was
overseeing this deal, presumably for his brother, and he was
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part of that Special Group. He called the meetings, he presided
he did a number of things.
Q Were there any other occasions that you can recall
in which the possibility or the subject of assassination of
Fidel Castro was discussed?
A No, not really.
Q You referred to this as the first occasion.
A This is the first --
Q Was there a second?
A the first time I knew about it or even heard it
discussed.
Q Well, prior to the investigation that is currently
underway I am referring now to our Commission's investigation
were there any other occasions in which this subject came
to your attention after this discussion in the garden in
Paris?
A The only other thing that came to my attention was
that the decision was made not to provide him with this sight
that he wanted. Whether that is right or wrong, I don't know,
but that is what I was told.
Q When did you learn that?
A Oh, I would assume in must have been early 1964,
around February, something like that.
Off the record.
(Discussion off the record.)
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MR. MANFREDI: On the record.
BY MR. MANFREDI:
Q Mr. Sturbitts, are you familiar with a gentleman by
the name of Frank Sturgis?
A Indeed.
Q Is your familiarity based on what you have read in
the press?
A No. It is what is contained in the files.
Q Have you caused a search to be made of CIA files,
particularly the files of the Western Hemisphere Division,
in an attempt to determine whether Mr. Sturgis ever had any
connection with the Agency?
A I have.
Q What were the results of that search?
A Absolutely no connection, never has been.
Q When we talk about connection, are we talking about
an employment relationship?
A That is what I am speaking of.
Q Was Mr.Sturgis ever an independent contractor of
the Agency?
A No.
Q Was he ever a contract employee?
A No.
Q Was he ever a regular employee of the Agency?
A No.
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Q Was he ever hired to do any piecework for the
Agency?
A Not to my knowledge.
Q Do you know whether or not Mr. Sturgis ever partici-
pated in any type of paramilitary or other operation against
Cuba?
A On his own behalf he did, not on behalf of this
Agency.
Q How did you learn of those operations?
A Through the newspaper. And through FBI reports.
Q Now, are these recent FBI reports?
A Oh, no. These go back I know at one time, the
thing that comes to mind, I think he made a leaflet drop
over Cuba and this was subsequently reported in the press and
by the Bureau office in Miami.
Q Do you know who financed his activities?
A I have no idea.
Q Is it possible that Mr. Sturgis' activities were
indirectly financed by the Agency through
A I don't see how. Frank Sturgis is a soldier of
fortune has been. He has constantly tried to associate himself
with the Agency. When I went through his file they wanted me
to classify the file and the way I classified it was "don't
destroy it, he is an intelligence nuisance."
Q Off the record.
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(Discussion off the record.)
MR. MANFREDI: On the record.
BY MR. MANFREDI:
Q Have you caused the Agency records with respect to Mrl.
Sturgis to be assembled in any one location?
A Yes. Ihave custody of them.
Q And what is the volume of that material?
A As I recall, there are five volumes. Your Committee |
called for them the other day after the article in the paper,
I guess it was last Saturday. They called for them Monday and
they returned them Monday afternoon.
Q Do you know who examined those files?
A No, I don't.
Q You indicated a moment ago that Mr. Sturgis contacts
the DCD office in Miami with some frequency, is that correct?
A Well, not great frequency but he does with tidbits
of so-called information.
Q Is this information limited to narcotics, alleged
narcotics traffic?
A Recently it has been.
Q Has Mr. Sturgis been encouraged by the DCD office
in Miami?
A Mr. Sturgis has been told by the DCD office in Miami
to take his information to the Drug Enforcement Agency or the
FBI.
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Q Do you know whether or not they consider him an
established contact?
A No manner.
Q Do they have any do they periodically seek to
collect information from Mr. Sturgis?
A I can't speak to that but the records that we have
don't reflect anything like that. Before they would contact
somebody in that context, knowing that there is a 201 file
on Sturgis, they would have to coordinate with the Latin
American Division before they did anything since we do hold
the file.
Q Would you briefly explain what a 201 file is?
A A 201 file is a personnel file. It consists of any
information relating to an individual appearing in the press
as a result of other agency reporting and that type of thing..
Q Personnel or personality file?
A Personality file, I should say. Excuse me.
Q Do you know whether or not there is any connection
or relationship between Eugenio Martinez and Mr. Sturgis?
A Well, I will say this. Obviously, they do know
each other. They have to know each other from their days
in Cuba.
Q Do you know whether or not Mr. Sturgis ever partici-
pated with Martinez in raids against Cuba?
A No. As I recall, we employed Martinez around 1961,
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I guess, and he was in our maritime activities. He was a
boat captain eventually. And he did participate in infiltrations
and exfiltrations and perhaps one or two raids, hit and run,
sabotage-type actions against Cuba. Sturgis never engaged in
any of these things. He never did it for us nor did he ever
do it on any of our boats, planes, or anything that belongs
to the Agency.
Q When Martinez would run such an operation or captain
a boat on such an operation, would he be charged with putting
together his own crew?
A No. He had an assigned crew and every boat had a
Case Officer operating either out of the probably out of
the Miami Station. Sometimes I would assume that we did have
some people in the Key West base. But he, Martinez, would receive
his instructions and briefings from his Case Officer.
Q So it is likely that he could have brought Sturgis
along on any of these operations?
A Absolutely unlikely. Oh, the guy whose name I was
trying to think of, Chief of Station, John Dimmer.
Q And that would be for a period of time between
Shackley and Henze?
A Yes.
Q 1964 to 1966?
A Something like that.
Q Would you describe briefly for me the nature of the
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activities conducted by the Special Activities Staff during
your and subsequently the Cuban Operations Group during
your 9-year tenure with those groups.
A Well, there was it was an across-the-board
intelligence operation consisting of collection of foreign
positive intelligence, counterintelligence, paramilitary
activities, covert action, economic activities. That is about
the breadth of the thing.
2 Now, these were all conducted through the DDO?
A Right.
2 Now, let's speak for a moment about the paramilitary
operations. Were these operations run out of southern
Florida?
A Right.
2 And in particular out of the Miami Station?
A Yes.
2 Were there any other CIA facilities in that area of
the country that participated in these activities?
A Not to my knowledge..
2 Were there any southern harbors other than Miami
that were used in these activities?
A Well, we had activities down in the Keys also. As
I said, we did have a Key West base.
2 Were there any other bases in that area of the
country that were utilized in these operations?
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SECKEI
1
A Well, not that I would call a base. We did have
2
training facilities for the UDT teams.
ان
Ω
What is a UDT team?
4
A
Underwater demolition.
5
Q
Where were those bases located?
6
A
I frankly don't know. They were down along the Keys,
7
along that long peninsula going down there. There were a
8
number of sites. I really can't recall them.
9
Q
Were there any other sites within the United States
10
in which paramilitary training was conducted, for people
11
participating in these activities?
12
A
Not to my knowledge.
13
Ω
Where were these people trained?
14
A
What do you mean?
Ω
Well, Cubans who participated in these activities.
16
A
We trained them at these places we had in the Keys.
17
Now, there also some of them were brought up here and trained
18
at the Domestic Training Station.
19
Q
Where is that located?
20
A
That is down in Virginia.
21
Q
Were any CIA personnel actually involved in these
22
raids?
23
A
Occasionally, I would think that you have got to
41022 רון
24 understand at this time that we had a great many contract
25
employees, independent contractors and this type of thing.
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১
১.
SECXEI
1
Most of the paramilitary operations and the training was
2
conducted by the Special Operations Group which is another
3
entity of the
4
Ω
DDO?
5
A
DDO.
6
Q
Now, the facilities that we have been talking about,
7
training facilities, were manned, then, by the Special
8
Operations Group, or at least supervised by the Special
9
Operations Group, is that correct?
10
A
Well, supervised, yes, and I would think that probably
11
12
some of the training was given by their people. The Domestic
Training Station is under the Office of Training and but I
13
would think that in the paramilitary field that the SOG would
14
probably staff the training facility with their people who have
15
the expertise in paramilitary operations.
16
Now, were the people that were being trained at
17
these facilities basically Cuban refugees?
18
A
Yes.
19
Q
And at the outset I take it not many of those people
20
were American citizens?
21
A
No.
22
Ω
Or had become American citizens.
23
A
I would assume a great many have.
24
Ω
By this time.
25
A
By this time, yes.
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SELKEI
20
At the present time, how large is that Cuban community
2
in Miami?
Do you have any idea?
نیو
A
Well, it is extremely large. I would think it is
4
probably
I was trying to think. I would say up towards a
5
military people.
6
Q
7
8
9
10
11
You spoke about paramilitary operations and covert
action. How do you distinguish between those two categories
of activities?
A
Well, actually one can fall into the other. The
paramilitary could fall into covert action but in those days
we did distinguish somewhat. A lot of the covert action was
media placement. We had a number of operations at legal-
type operations, harassment operations.
For instance, Fidel
12
13
14
15
seized a great many art treasures and in particular he had a
Napoleonic collection which was supposed to be the finest in
16
the world that he sold to dealers in Europe. He had paintings
17
that were immensely valuable that he tried to have auctioned
18
19
in London and the London auctioneer would not accept them
because he obviously didn't have clear title to them. He was
20
they were stolen, in the eyes of the auctioneer.
He was
21
forced to auction them in Toronto, Canada.
22
We ran legal operations, got the owners and had them
23
hire attorneys and bring them to court and this type of thing.
24
He seized these race horses. He tried to peddle them
25
in Europe and up in Canada. We ran opposition against that
SECRET
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178-10002-10279
2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
JFK Assassination System
Identification Form
Date:
8/31/201
Agency Information
AGENCY:
RECORD NUMBER:
ROCKCOM
178-10002-10279
RECORD SERIES :
ASSASSINATION FILES
AGENCY FILE NUMBER:
A-I(J) CORRESPONDENCE--ASSASSINATIONS
Document Information
ORIGINATOR:
ROCKEFELLER COMMISSION
FROM:
TO:
TITLE:
DEPOSITION OF WILLIAM STURBITTS
DATE:
04/16/1975
PAGES:
4
SUBJECTS:
ANTI-CASTRO ACTIVITIES
CIA
STURBITTS, WILLIAM
FITZGERALD, DESMOND
KENNEDY, ROBERT
CUBAN EXILES
DOCUMENT TYPE:
CLASSIFICATION:
RESTRICTIONS:
CURRENT STATUS:
DATE OF LAST REVIEW:
OPENING CRITERIA :
COMMENTS:
DEPOSITION
Secret
1A; IB; IC
Redact
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Selected pages from deposition. Full document is number 1781000210091.
v9.1
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CONTENTS
2
Deposition of
מו
William C. Sturbitts
4
Examination by Counsel
For the Commission

5

(AFTERNOON SESSION Page 58)
6
William C. Sturbitts (Resumed)
7
58
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178-10002-10279
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2
SECRET
PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION
ON CIA ACTIVITIES
Langley, Virginia
Wednesday, April 16, 1975
Deposition of WILLIAM C. STURBITTS, called for
7
examination by Counsel for the Commission on CIA Activities,
8
9
the witness being duly sworn by Thomas C. Hogan, a Notary
Public in and for the State of Virginia, in the offices of the
10
Central Intelligence Agency, Langley, Virginia, at 9:50
11
o'clock a.m., on Wednesday, April 16, 1975, the proceedings
12
being taken down in stenotype by Ruth G. McClenning, and
13
>
transcribed under her direction.
14
APPEARANCES:
15
16
151
!
On behalf of the Commission:
GEORGE MANFREDI, ESQ.,
ROBERT B. OLSEN, ESQ.
i
la
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21
22
23
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010
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1
2
Thereupon,
SECRET
PROCEEDINGS
2
3
CH
4
5
6
7
8
WILLIAM C. STURBITTS,
called as a witness by Counsel for the Commission on CIA
Activities, and having been first duly sworn by the Notary
Public, was examined and testified as follows:
EXAMINATION BY COUNSEL FOR THE COMMISSION
BY MR. MANFREDI:
9
Q
Mr. Sturbitts, will you state your full name for the
10
record?
11
A
William C. Sturbitts.
12.
Q
Mr. Sturbitts, do you recall when we spoke some
13
:
weeks ago you signed a document entitled, "Advice and
14
Waiver"?
15
A
Right.
16
Q
You understand that document is still in effect?
17
A
Sure.
18
Q
Mr. Sturbitts, by whom are you currently employed?
19
A
You mean the Agency or
-
20
Q
That is right.
21
A
Central Intelligence Agency.
22
Q
And what is your current position with the Agency?
23
A
I am a Special Assistant, Latin America, for
24
Economic Intelligence Collection and Operations.
25
Q
And would you briefly review for me the history of
NW 50955 DocId:32275454 Page 4

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1
your employment with the Agency?
2
A
When I first came in I was in the Intelligence
3
3 Directorate for approximately ten years and I was put on special
4
detail, special indefinite detail, in the Deputy Director, Plans,
5
which is now the Directorate of Operations.
6
Q
What year were you put on that detail?
7
A
I guess it was 1964, January, I believe.
8
Q
And what did that detail involve?
9
A
Cuban operations, economic warfare.
10
Q
And how long were you on that detail?
11
A
I was in the Cuban operations for nine years.
12
Q
Between 1964 and 1973?
13
A
(Nods in affirmative.)
14 ||
Q
And in 1973 did you assume your current position?
15
A
Yes, January.
16
Q
Now, while you were on special detail
to the DOD?
17
A
Yes.
18
2
Were you stationed in Washington?
:
19
A
Yes.
20
Q
And did you commute with some frequency to Miami?
21
A
Yes.
22
Q
Were your activities in Miami in any way connected
23
with the operations of the Miami Station?
24
A
In some way. My responsibilities were worldwide.
25
I took temporary duty predominantly in Europe, and then Miami.
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Most of my operations were run out of Europe.
2
Q
Run out of
3
A
Europe. Some were run out of Miami but the big ones
4
were run out of Europe.
5
Q
Well, in the course of your activities with respect
6
7
to Cuba did you have occasion to become familiar with the
operations of the Miami base?
8
A
Yes.
9
Q
And the situation in the Cuban community in Miami?
10
A
Yes, sir.
!
11
11
Q
During the nine years you were with DDO's Cuban
12
operations, who was who were the chiefs of the Miami
13
Station?
14:
A
I think in 1963 Ted Shackley was the Chief and he
15
16
was followed by I can't think of his name. I should know
it. Well, I will come back to that.
WARD & PAUL
17 1
:
18
Q
Then, the next Chief of Station was Paul Henze.
What years was he Chief?
19
A
I think Paul was there about a year and a half.
He
20
left in 1968 when we reduced the size of the Station.
Let's
21
say Henze was there from 1966 to 1968.
And then Jake Esterline.
22
He was Chief of Station from 1968 to 1973.
23
Q
Now, what was the formal title of the group to which
24
you were assigned for the 9-year period?
25
A
Well, when I first came in it was known as the
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410 First Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003
WARD & PAUI
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5
:
1
Special Activities Staff. It was headed by Desmond Fitzgerald.
2
And then, I believe after that it became the Cuban Operations
3
ליו
Group.
4
Q
5
Now, was this a special group within the DDO or was
it attached to one of the area divisions?
6
A
No. Following the Bay of Pigs, they created a thing
7
8
called Task Force W which was headed by Bill Harvey.
that when Harvey left, he went to Chief of Station, Rome,.
And
9
10
11
and Fitzgerald took over, it became Special Activities Staff.
It wasn't attached to anything except it reported to the
Deputy Director, Plans.
12
Q
And that was Mr. Karamessines?
13
A
Yes.
Well, it was Helms at that time back when it
14
was first created. Helms was DDP at that time.
15
Q And Task Force W was created immediately after the
16
Bay of Pigs?.
17
A
Well, not immediately.
I think sometime around
18:
in the Bay of Pigs was in April. I think this was created in
19
September, something like that, 1961.
20
Q
And that subsequently became the Special Activities
21
:
Staff?
22
A
Special Activities Staff and consequently became the
23
Cuban Operations Group. As the Cuban Operations Group it went
24
back into the Western Hemisphere Division.
25
Ω
And what was the date of that reorganization?

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1
A
Well, let's see. I would say that was probably around
2
1965 because Fitzgerald then became Chief, W.H., and then
ליו
3
later DDP.
4
Q
Now, Mr.Harvey
do you recall what position Mr.
5
Harvey held after he left Task Force W?
6
A
Yes. He was Chief of Station, Rome.
7
Q
And is he still with the Agency?
8
A
Oh, no. He retired a long time ago.
9
Q
Do you know where he lives at the present time?
10
A
Frankly, I don't. I have an idea where he lives.
11
12
He went to work for a friend of mine who had a law firm.
Harvey is a lawyer.
13
Q
Indianapolis area?
14
A
Yes, some place around there. It is in the midwest,
Indiana.
1.5
Ω
What was the role that was assigned to Task Force
16
W?
17
A
It was the overall Cuban operations.
18
Q
Did the Miami
when was the Miami Station estab-
19
lished?
20
A
Well, I think they had a forward operatio-s base down
21
there about 1960 which was small, in Coral Gables.
22
Ω This was, then, prior to the Bay of Pigs?
23
A
Oh, yes.
24
Q
Now, in addition to Task Force W, was the Miami
25
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NW 50955 DocId:32275454 Page 8
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Station running any operations against Cuba?
2
A
You mean prior to the Bay of Pigs?
ניו
Q
Yes.
4
A
I really don't know. It was a small
it was a
7
forward base and it was more or less as I recall, a support type
6
thing.
7
::
Q
Well, after the Bay of Pigs when Task Force W was
8
established, did it have sole responsibility for Cuban
9
operations?
1C
A
Yes.
11
Q
Or was that shared with the Miami base, Miami
12
Station?
i
13:
A
No. The Miami Station was under Task Force W.
14
Q
All right. Would that also be true of the Special
15
.:
Activities Staff, the Cuban Operations Group?
16
A
Right, except that at the present time the Station
:
17
has no Cuban operations.
18
2
I understand that. When were Cuban operations termi-
19
nated?
20
A
At the Station? Let's see.
Sternfield went down
21
there in 1972. It was during fiscal year '72. I think it was
il
22
in early 1973. It was a gradual reduction.
23
Q And have those operations been terminated entirely
24
or are they now run out of the Washington area?
25
A
All Cuban operations are run out of Washington.

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WARD & PAUL
Phone (Area 202) 544-6000
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1
There are no more paramilitary operations, that type of thing.
2
Q
But there are some. Cuban operations being run out of
3
the Washington area?
4
A
Right.
::
5
Q
Is that correct?
6
A
Right.
Worldwide.
:
7
Q
Mr.Sturbitts, in the last couple of weeks you may
8
have seen some allegations in the press about possible assassina-
9
tion attempts that have been mounted or alleged assassination
10
attempts that have been mounted
11
A
Right.
12
Ω
against Fidel Castro. In the course of your
13
activities with respect to Cuba, did you ever learn of any such
14
attempts?
15
A
Well, let me answer it this way. I wouldn't say
16:
attempts. I know there was discussion.
"Attempts" is too
17
strong a word.
18
Q
Well, can you place in time your first knowledge of
19
any such discussions?
20
A
Well, the first knowledge I had of any discussions,
21
22
I was on TDY and this was October, November, 1963, with Fitzgerald
in Paris.
And I knew that he was going to meet let me put
23
it another way. I had overheard that discussions were going on
24
with a member of Castro's military but that he wanted, as
25
I recall, he wanted some British
I mean Belgian rifles and
:
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NW 50955 DocId: 32275454 Page 10
WARD & PAUL
Phone (Area 202) 544-6000
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1
a telescopic sight.
2
Q
Who wanted them?
כיז
3
A
This military guy that was in Fidel's
at one time he was a commandante. Now, I knew that was going
9
I think
5
:
6
on. I didn't participate in it because I was there for another
reason. And I know that subsequent to that time that Fitzgerald
7
8
met with him again and as I recall, as the personal representa-
tive of the Attorney General, Bobby Kennedy.
9
I provided all those files. There are 19 volumes that
10
11
we gave to your people. But I don't know who was reviewing
them. I think Belin was going to do it himself.
12
Q
Yes. He is. He is doing it himself.
:
13
You said there were 19 volumes of documents with
14
respect to this.
15
A
19 files, manila.
16
Q
All having to do with possible assassination?
17
A
All having to do with this whole time period and
12
1.9
can we go off the record for a minute?
(Discussion off the record.)
20
BY MR. MANFREDI:
21
Ω
The first knowledge of such conversations that you
!
22
23:
had, I take it you obtained on a trip to Europe with Mr.
Fitzgerald?
24
A
I simply overheard it, that is right.
25
2
And who were the parties to the conversation you over-

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10
1
heard?
2
A
A fellow named Nestor Sanchez.
3
Q
And Mr. Fitzgerald?
4
A
Yes, and I really can't recall some of the other
5
people. We were we had just moved the Station at that time,
6
it
7
--
8
9
10
11
in Paris, out of the Embassy into the old Rothschild Palace
and we felt that it was probably bugged, so all conversations
took place we walked around the garden and tyat type of
thing, and, you know, I was walking with somebody, somebody
was in front of me, and you just overhear conversations.
Q
This was in Paris?
12
A
Yes.
13
Q
I see.
14
Mr. Sanchez
was he a member of the military?
15
A
No. Mr. Sanchez was in the Special Activities Staff.
16
He was stationed in Washington.
And he was in contact with
17
Cuban military-type.
18:
Q
Was it your understanding that the Agency had received
19:
instructions with respect to this activity from another
20
component of the Government?
21
A
:
22
Well, let me put it this way. I don't know whether
they received instructions.
I have to assume, and I am pretty
23
positive, that this was a result of a Special Group decision.
24
And at this time you have to remember that Bobby Kennedy was
25
overseeing this deal, presumably for his brother, and he was

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ام
2
part of that Special Group. He called the meetings, he presided
he did a number of things.
3
Q Were there any other occasions that you can recall
in which the possibility or the subject of assassination of
5
Fidel Castro was discussed?
€
A
7
Q
No, not really.
You referred to this as the first occasion.
8.
:
A
This is the first
9
2
Was there a second?
10
A
the first time I knew about it or even heard it
二
discussed.
12
Q
Well, prior to the investigation that is currently
13
underway
I am referring now to our Commission's investigation
14
15
were there any other occasions in which this subject came
to your attention after this discussion in the garden in
16
Paris?
17
A
18
The only other thing that came to my attention was
that the decision was made not to provide him with this sight
19
that he wanted.
Whether that is right or wrong, I don't know,
20
but that is what I was told.
:
21
When did you learn that?
22
A
Oh, I would assume in must have been early 1964,
23
around February, something like that.
24
Off the record.
25
(Discussion off the record.)
:
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Phone (Area 202) 54-1-0000
::
MR. MANFREDI: On the record.
12
2
BY MR. MANFREDI:
3
ניז
Q
Mr. Sturbitts, are you familiar with a gentleman by
/
the name of Frank Sturgis?
5
A
Indeed.
6
Q
Is your familiarity based on what you have read in
7
the press?
8
A
No. It is what is contained in the files.
9
Q
Have you caused a search to be made of CIA files,
10
particularly the files of the Western Hemisphere Division,
二
in an attempt to determine whether Mr. Sturgis ever had any
12
13
A
connection with the Agency?
I have.
14
Q
What were the results of that search?
5
:
A
Absolutely no connection, never has been.
16
Q
When we talk about connection, are we talking about
17
an employment relationship?
18
A
That is what I am speaking of.
19
Q
Was Mr.Sturgis ever an independent contractor of
20
the Agency?
21
A
No.
i
22
Q
Was he ever a contract employee?
23
A
No.
24:
Was he ever a regular employee of the Agency?
25
A
No.

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Phone (Area 202) 544-6000
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13
::
r
1
:.
Q
Was he ever hired to do any piecework for the
2
Agency?
3
ניו
A
Not to my knowledge.
4
Q
Do you know whether or not Mr. Sturgis ever partici-
5
pated in any type of paramilitary or other operation against
6
Cuba?
7:
A
On his own behalf he did, not on behalf of this
8
:
Agency.
9
Q
How did you learn of those operations?
10:
A
11:
Through the newspaper. And through FBI reports.
Now, are these recent FBI reports?
12
A
Oh, no. These go back I know at one time, the
13
4
thing that comes to mind, I think he made a leaflet drop
over Cuba and this was subsequently reported in the press and
15
by the Bureau office in Miami.
16:
Q
Do you know who financed his activities?
:
7
A
I have no idea.
a
Q
Is it possible that Mr. Sturgis' activities were
19
indirectly financed by the Agency through
7
20
A
21
I don't see how. Frank Sturgis is a soldier of
fortune; has been. He has constantly tried to associate himself
22
with the Agency. When I went through his file they wanted me
23
to classify the file and the way I classified it was "don't
24
:
destroy it, he is an intelligence nuisance."
25
Off the record.
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14
(Discussion off the record.)
2
:
MR. MANFREDI: On the record.
3
BY MR. MANFREDI:
2
Have you caused the Agency records with respect to Mrl.
5
Sturgis to be assembled in any one location?
6
A
Yes. Ihave custody of them.
7
Q
And what is the volume of that material?
8
A
As I recall, there are five volumes.
Your Committee |
9
called for them the other day after the article in the paper,
10
I guess it was last Saturday. They called for them Monday and
12
they returned them Monday afternoon.
12
WARD A PALI
Q
13
A
Do you know who examined those files?
No, I don't.
14
Q
You indicated a moment ago that Mr. Sturgis contacts!
15
the DCD office in Miami with some frequency, is that correct?
16
A
Well, not great frequency but he does with tidbits
17
of so-called information.
18
Is this information limited to narcotics, alleged
19

narcotics traffic?
20.
A
Recently it has been.
21
Q Has Mr. Sturgis been encouraged by the DCD office
;
22
in Miami?
23
A Mr. Sturgis has been told by the DCD office in Miami
24
to take his information to the Drug Enforcement Agency or the
25
FBI.
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S.E.,

WARD & PAUL
Phone (Area 202) 544-6000
5
Ω
Do you know whether
or not they consider him an
2
established contact?
3
כיו
A
No manner.
4
Do they have any Q
do they periodically seek to
5
collect information from Mr. Sturgis?
6
that we have
A
7
3
9
10
11
I can't speak to that but the records
don't reflect anything like that. Before they would contact
somebody in that context, knowing that there is a 20l file
on Sturgis, they would have to coordinate with the Latin
American Division before they did anything since we do hold
the file.
12
Q
Would you briefly explain what a 20l file is?
13
A
14
A 201 file is a personnel file. It consists of any
information relating to an individual appearing in the press
5
as a result of other agency reporting and that type of thing.
.i
26
Q
Personnel or personality file?
171
A
Personality file, I should say.
Excuse me.
18
Ω
Do you know whether or not there is any connection
19
or relationship between Eugenio Martinez and Mr. Sturgis?
20
A
Well, I will say this. Obviously, they do know
21
each other. They have to know each other from their days
22
in Cuba.
23
Ω Do you know whether or not Mr. Sturgis ever partici-
24
pated with Martinez in raids against Cuba?
25
A
No. As I recall, we employed Martinez around 1961,

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16
Phone (Area 202) 544-6000

1
I guess, and he was in our maritime activities. He was a
2
boat captain eventually. And he did participate in infiltrations
ניז
4.
and exfiltrations and perhaps one or two raids, hit and run,
sabotage-type actions against Cuba. Sturgis never engaged in
5
any of these things. He never did it for us nor did he ever
6
7
do it on any of our boats, planes, or anything that belongs
to the Agency.
8
Q
When Martinez would run such an operation or captain
9
10
a boat on such an operation, would he be charged with putting
together his own crew?
:
יו
A
No. He had an assigned crew and every boat had a
12
Case Officer operating either out of the
probably out of
13
the Miami Station. Sometimes I would assume that we did have
14
some people in the Key West base. But he, Martinez, would receive
25
his instructions and briefings from his Case Officer.
16
Q
So it is likely that he could have brought Sturgis
17
along on any of these operations?
1
18
A
Absolutely unlikely. Oh, the guy whose name I was
19
trying to think of, Chief of Station, John Dimmer.
heet, Wash 200
20
Q
And that would be for a period of time between
21.
Shackley and Henze?
22
A
Yes.
23
Ω
1964 to 1966?
24
A
Something like that.
25
Q
Would you describe briefly for me the nature of the

NW 50955 DocId:32275454 Page 18
SECRET
Photocopy from
Gerald Ford Library

WARD & PAUI.
Phone: (Arca 202) 344 6000
7
1
CV
2
10
4
SECKEI
17
activities conducted by the Special Activities Staff during
your and subsequently the Cuban Operations Group during
your 9-year tenure with those groups.
A
5
6
Well, there was it was an across-the-board
intelligence operation consisting of collection of foreign
positive intelligence, counterintelligence, paramilitary
7
8
activities, covert action, economic activities. That is about
the breadth of the thing.
!
9
2
10
A
Now, these were all conducted through the DDO?
Right.
11
Q
12
operations.
Now, let's speak for a moment about the paramilitary
Were these operations run out of southern
13
Florida?
14
A
Right.
Q
And in particular out of the Miami Station?
16
A
Yes.
171
Q
Were there any other CIA facilities in that area of
18
the country that participated in these activities?
19
A
Not to my knowledge..
:
20
Q
Were there any southern harbors other than Miami
:
21
that were used in these activities?
22
A
Well, we had activities down in the Keys also. As
23
I said, we did have a Key West base.
24
25
2 Were there any other bases in that area of the
country that were utilized in these operations?
10001110101
NW 50955 DocId: 32275454 Page 19
SECRET
Photocopy from
Gerald Ford Library

WARD A PAULL
Phone (Area 202) 544-6000
SECKEI
18
::
r
1
:.
Q
Was he ever hired to do any piecework for the
2
Agency?
3
ניו
A
Not to my knowledge.
4
Q
Do you know whether or not Mr. Sturgis ever partici-
5
pated in any type of paramilitary or other operation against
6
Cuba?
7:
A
On his own behalf he did, not on behalf of this
8
:
Agency.
9
Q
How did you learn of those operations?
10:
A
11:
Through the newspaper. And through FBI reports.
Now, are these recent FBI reports?
12
A
Oh, no. These go back I know at one time, the
13
4
thing that comes to mind, I think he made a leaflet drop
over Cuba and this was subsequently reported in the press and
15
by the Bureau office in Miami.
16:
Q
Do you know who financed his activities?
:
7
A
I have no idea.
a
Q
Is it possible that Mr. Sturgis' activities were
19
indirectly financed by the Agency through
7
20
A
21
I don't see how. Frank Sturgis is a soldier of
fortune; has been. He has constantly tried to associate himself
22
with the Agency. When I went through his file they wanted me
23
to classify the file and the way I classified it was "don't
24
:
destroy it, he is an intelligence nuisance."
25
Off the record.
SECRET
Photocopy from
Gerald Ford Library

A10 Fiat Stract, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003
WARD & PAUL

WARD & PAIJI.
Phone (Arca 202) 544-6000
SELKEI
1
2
At the present time, how large is that Cuban community
2
in Miami? Do you have any idea?
כיו
A
Well, it is extremely large.
I would think it is
:
4
probably
I was trying to think. I would say up towards a
5
military people178-10003-10001
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RECORD SERIES : ASSASSINATION FILE
AGENCY FILE NUMBER: ASSASSINATION MATERIALS--MISC. ROCK/CIA (9)

Document Information
ORIGINATOR: CIA
FROM:
TO:
TITLE: MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD, SPECIAL GROUP MEETING 20 SEPTEMBER 1962

DATE: 09/20/1962
PAGES: 1

SUBJECTS:
ANTI-CASTRO ACTIVITIES
CIA
CLANDESTINE OPERATIONS

DOCUMENT TYPE: MEMORANDUM
CLASSIFICATION: Secret
RESTRICTIONS: IC
CURRENT STATUS: Redact
DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 07/15/1993

OPENING CRITERIA :
COMMENTS:

v9.1
84
NW 50955 DocId: 32204614 Page 1

178-10003-10001

MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD OF SPECIAL GROUP MEETING OF
20 SEPTEMBER 1962

There was discussion of FIRE FLY. Its use over Kamchatka was
disapproved. General Carter raised the possibility of using it against
✓ Cuba, and State appeared enthusiastic. (General Carter does not feel
that any operations which DD/R has been considering have been
prejudiced by this discussion.)

Thare was some discussion of the balloon operation over Cuba, but
action was deferred until next week. In the meantime, State is most
anxious that it be arranged for the exiles to do this and that they not come
running back to Miami immediately. The question was also raised as to
whether the exiles could still obtain helium.

The next ambassadorial counter-insurgency team will go to Africa.
The chairman will be Carl Hummelsine. We are to drum up a candidate.

In presenting the North Vietnam plan next week, CLA is to include the
requirement for an overflight to gather radar information. In connection
with the whole North Vietnam operation, State seems determined to have
no overflights over Laos and no involvement of Chinese Nationalist
aircraft or personnel except possibly Chinese pilots in sterile aircraft
with South Vietnam credentials. State plans to balance very carefully
the risks versus the potential gains, DD/I is to prepare the same sort
of astesument on the North Vietnam operation as on Tibet.

The Air Libya item was approved as presented.

The support to the Apra Partyi The Apra Party in Peru approved as presented.

Do Tibet, to be acted on next week, Secretary Rusk is absolutely
Dim on getting the Indians cranked in.

SECRET
NW 50955 DocId:32204614 Page 2

General Carter briefed the meeting on the provision of the security
advice to the President of Colombia.

General Carter read the CIA memo on CINCARIB communications
problems. The meeting expressed delighted surprise at our capability.
We are now a full-fledged member of the State-Defense group which is
considering this problem.

On Nicaragua, a memo is to be prepared for the Acting DCI-describing
the degree of Cuban involvement, particularly in the shipment of arms to
Nicaragua by way of Honduras. This memo will also cover Communist
infiltration of student and loor and a discription of CIA activities in these
same fields.

There was a long discussion of the role of USIB in recommending coun-
tries to be placed on the counter-insurgency list. Full account to be gotten
To
::: Parroti.

There was discussion of the Southeast Asia status report, concentrating
on strategi hamlets, the Montagnards, and the bad press situation im Saigon.

General Carter called attention to the memoranda on the North Vietnam
presence in Laos. The question came up as to whether there was an SNIE
in the works on this. This subject is to be keptcurrent, especially in view
of the 6 October deadline.

State and Defense announced that they had now sen the counter anstergency
dortre papers to everyone in the field.

Theme was suggestion that it was time for a progress report te
South Vietnam intelligence capability,

SECRET
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Document Information
ORIGINATOR: CIA
FROM:
TO:
TITLE: DCI PRESENTATION TO THE PFIAB, 7 DECEMBER 1962

DATE: 12/10/1962
PAGES: 3

SUBJECTS: ANTI-CASTRO ACTIVITIES
PFIAB
OPERATION MONGOOSE
MC CONE, JOHN
CLANDESTINE OPERATIONS

DOCUMENT TYPE: MEMORANDUM
CLASSIFICATION: Top Secret
RESTRICTIONS: 1B; IC
CURRENT STATUS: Redact
DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 08/03/1993

OPENING CRITERIA :
COMMENTS:

TOP SECRET

178-10004-10053
10 December 1962

MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD.

SUBJECT: DCI Presentation to the President's Foreign Intelligence
Advisory Board, 7 December 1962

1. After concluding the discussion on Cuba, the Director told the
Board that he wanted to report on the status of OXCART. He noted that we
were on schedule with the aircraft, and that five would be completed by the
end of December. He said that one had reached MACH 2. 16 at 60, 000 feet.
There had been some trouble with the J-58 engines, but all problems were
soluble. He said the progress on the aircraft wa's running ahead of that on
the engines, and noted that we had had 75 hours in the air with 18 hours on
the J-58 engine. He said he had been in direct contact with Mr. Horner to
insure that the project was receiving top priority. Dr. Killian asked if Pratt
and Whitney had their first team in and the DCI said yes, but one of the
problems was that Hamilton Standard didn't have access to everything in
Pratt and Whitney unless Horner paved the way.

2. Dr. Baker asked if there had been a solution to the fuel pump
problem and the DCI commented that he believed a solution was being reached.
Dr. Killian noted that Bendix was working on an alternative fuel pump. The
DCI concluded by saying that while the radar cross section was not as small
as we had hoped for, it was being worked on.

3. Mr. McCone then turned to the budget and noted that some
difficulties had arisen in this connection and in the over all field of coordina-
tion. He reminded the Board that they had wanted him to review the budgets
of the whole intelligence community, and noted that the military intelligence
budget was 90% of the over all effort. He said that he had discussed this with
Secretary McNamara. Dr. Killian reiterated that he thought the DCI should
review the whole intelligence budget. The DCI noted that intelligence in
Defense was going through a transitional period with the development of DIA
and other changes. General Doolittle expressed surprise that CIA was only
10% of the intelligence budget. The DCI pointed out that Defense was spending
$3,844, 000, 000 on intelligence and CIA only $363, 000, 000. This was an
increase from $2,250,000,000 in the past, but Defense had put all reconnais-
sance of the Navy and Air Force into its intelligence budget. He said he did
not believe this was correct, and thought it should be deleted.

4. Turning to the CIA budget, the Director said he had instructed the
Agency to keep at the level of last year--this was about $50,000,000 less than
what had been asked for by the various departments. He said he thought the
Agency had worked hard to keep the budget down, and noted that there had to
be additional funds for operations against Cuba. There was an increase in
NPIC, and as a result the budget was $425, 000, 000 versus $405,000,000.
The Bureau of the Budget had cut this to $381, 000, 000 and taken $20,000,000
for Cuban operations to charge to the Reserve. The DCI said he found this
unacceptable, and thought the contingency should be pure. At this point

Mr. Clifford said he had run across the phrase, MONGOOSE, on several
occasions, and asked what this involved. The DCI then explained briefly the
MONGOOSE project and how it was set up. He said that after his discussion
with the President and Attorney General last fall, it had been decided to
utilize all resources to unseat Castro. He went on to mention some of the
activities of the project. Mr. McCone then said he did not favor continuing
sabotage and guerilla operations. He noted that he was very disturbed about
the future and felt that there might be a confrontation within the next few days,
and that the Russians might light up the SAM's. He said he had no way of
explaining why the SAM sites were being left there. Dr. Langer asked if it
might not be for fear of an invasion; the Director said he did not think so
because our military forces could eliminate the SAM sites without much
trouble.

5. Mr. McCone then said he wanted to discuss the NRO agreement.
He said that it had not worked, and the Director of NRO feels that he must
have fiscal control over CIA projects and review programs progressively
week by week and month by month. The DCI said this was wrong because the
appropriation was to CIA and was approved by a different committee of
Congress to whom we were responsible. He noted that CIA could handle the
project more clandestinely. He had discussed this matter with the Secretary
of Defense but had reached no agreement. Defense is withholding
$140,000,000 and asking CIA to fill out certain forms before they will advance
the money. The Director said that such a decision cannot be made retro-
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Document Information

ORIGINATOR: PFIAB
FROM: KIRKPATRICK, LYMAN
TO: RECORD
Date: 4/17/201

TITLE: MEETING OF THE DCI WITH PBIAB, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28, 0930 A.M.

DATE: 12/28/1962
PAGES: 10

SUBJECTS:
ANTI-CASTRO ACTIVITIES
CLANDESTINE OPERATIONS
PFIAB
MC CONE, JOHN
OPERATION MONGOOSE
CUBAN EXILES

DOCUMENT TYPE: MEMORANDUM
CLASSIFICATION: Top Secret
RESTRICTIONS: IB
CURRENT STATUS: Redact
DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 09/09/2016

OPENING CRITERIA:

COMMENTS:

CONFIDENTIAL

PRESIDENT'S FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE ADVISORY BOARD
AGENDA FOR MEETINGS OF DECEMBER 27 - 28, 1952.

December 27th

The Chairman's Time
Review of Board's Draft Interim Report to the President
Review of Draft Report on Intelligence Community Activities Relating to the Cuban Arms Buildup (Received from DOI on December 26, 1962)
Depart for Launch
Lunch - The Hay-Adams Hotel (Guests of Dr. Langer)
Review of the World Situation
Mr. Ray-Cling, Deputy Director/Intelligence, CIA
Resume: Review of Report on Cuban Arms Buildup
Dinner at Residence of Mr. John McCone (3025 Whitehaven Street, Northwest, D. C.)
End of Day

December 28th

The Chairman's Time
Discussion of Report on the Cuban Arms Build up with the Following Key Intelligence Community Officials:

a. 9:30-10:30 Mr. John McCone
b. 10:30-11:00 Lt. General M. Carter, Deputy Director, CIA
c. 11:00-11:30 Lt. General G. Blake, Director, NSA
d. 11:30-12:00 MS. Thomas Hughes, Deputy Director, Intelligence and Research, Department of State
e. 12:00-1:00 Lt. General Joseph Carroll, Director, DIA

(December 26th - Continued)

Lunch - Room 21, Executive Office Building - John Parrott
Status of Implementation of Prior-Board Recommendations - Mr. Russell Ash
Resume Discussion of Report on the Cuban Arms Buildup and Complete Preparation of Report to the President.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE FILE
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASH NGTON

SUBJECT: Board Meeting of December 27 - 28, 1962

The Board convened at 9:00 a.m. on December 27.* Those present were Dr. Killian, Chairman, Board members Langer, Murphy, Gray, Doolittle, Pace and Clifford and Messrs. Coyne and Ash.

Dr. Killian suggested that Board members read the draft report which had been furnished to the Board on the preceding day by Mr. McCone, the Director of Central Intelligence, setting forth the results of the all-source review which the Board had requested concerning U. S. intelligence community activities with respect to the Soviet military buildup in Cuba during the 6-months preceding October 22, 1962. The Chairman asked that Board members make note of any comments and questions they might wish to raise for discussion during this two-day meeting. Dr. Killian said that he was not sure the DCI's report had the approval of the intelligence community at this point, for he understood that Mr. McCone was at that moment reviewing the draft report in Seattle, and it was possible that some of the conclusions and factual details might not have yet received final approval by the agencies which contributed to the preparation of the report (CIA, DIA, State and NSA). Accordingly, the Chairman noted the importance of the discussions which the Board would have on the following day with heads of the intelligence agencies. The Chairman also thought that the Board should aim for the preparation of a Board report to the President at the close of this 2-day meeting.

Dr. Killian said that he had very recently talked to Mr. McGeorge Bundy who hopes that the Board will take the time it needs to produce a solid report on the handling given by U. S. intelligence agencies to the Soviet military buildup in Cuba. Mr. Bundy assured that the President will understand that the Board is going into the subject deeply and objectively. About 10 days ago, the Chairman related, he had received a telephone call from Mr. Bundy who said that he had seen an early draft of the DCI's report (from a confidential source) and was concerned because the report did not get to the basic issues, and Mr. Bundy expressed an intention to talk to Mr. McCone about this. Dr. Killian stated that he had an appointment to see Mr. Bundy later in the morning at which time he would ask Mr. Bundy to meet with the Board during the course of this meeting.

* Board members Baker and Land were unable to attend.

21
24-day stay in Cuba, and our Government is equally in the dark about Soviet and Cuban plans for further activities involving other countries in this Hemisphere. Also we are lacking-intelligence on Cuba/Communist China discussions. Mr. Murphy reiterated his concern that our lack of information on such matters as these indicates the absence of an adequate intelligence capability to keep our Government informed about developments in Cuba at the present time and in the future.

Dr. Killian at this point reported to the Board on the conversation which he had just had with Mr. Bundy. According to Mr. Bundy, the President is fully aware that the Board is conducting its review of the Cuba situation. The President wants an objective report from a group of citizens who have no axe to grind, and he is placing great store on this effort of the Board. The Chairman said that Mr. Bundy was obviously concerned about the prospect that the Congress will make inquiries into the Cube matter. However, Mr. Bundy feels there is a bare possibility that Congressional investigators will be more hesitant to raise hypothetical questions if they learn of the existence of a study having been made by a group such as the Board. It is Mr. Bundy's hope that the Board will carefully consider the preparation of a sanitized version of the report, but if the Board and the President feel that this cannot be done then the Board should try to prepare a report which could be used in executive session of a Committee of the Congress.

Dr. Killian went on to report other matters which had been covered in his discussion with Mr. Bundy. He said that Mr. Bundy had expressed concern over the failure of the DCI to accept the suggestion that there be submitted a more adequate report than the one which the DCI forwarded to the Board on December 26. Mr. Bundy noted in this connection that the DCI's report assigns to policy makers prime responsibility for any failures with respect to intelligence handling.

On the question of availability of Special Group records for purposes of the Board's study, Mr. Bundy informed the Chairman that certainly the Board should examine such records and that they could be obtained from Mr. Parrott (Mr. Bundy commented that the Board is the only group which can have this kind of access).

As to the Board's study, Mr. Bundy told Dr. Killian that the Board should include in its review discussions with the Secretaries of State and Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mr. Bundy indicating that the Secretary of Defense has particular reservations about the DCI's report.
