Francesco/who-killed-jfk huggingface dataset:
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SECKETor overt publications. We subscribed -- well, the proprietarysubscribed to a number, a great many newspapers, periodicals,Spanish language type things.Q. Well, they were doing clandestine collections as well,weren't they?A. I don't know if you could call it clandestine. Whatdid you have in mind?Q. Well, would they run agents in the community?A. Well, yes, there were penetrations of the Cubancommunity, yes.Q. And that is clandestine collection, isn't it?A. Well, I call that human resources.Q. All right. Where are these files now?A. They are in the Headquarters here. A great many ofthem were really destroyed. It got to be rather comic. Wewent down there several years ago just looking through the filesto see what kind of shape they were in and they had such greatinformation for intelligence value in there as a picture of agal who might be the daughter of a Cuban refugee who just wona swimming meet. It got rather ridiculous. So we purged thosefiles and took out that material, you know, which just didn'thave any pertinancy at all.Q How are the files organized? You indicated before thatthere is a card, index card for each Cuban refugee?A. Right.Q Are there soft cover files as well?SECRETPhotocopy fromGerald Ford Library
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SECRET1 A. Yes.2 Q. For each Cuban refugee?3 A. No. Not for each Cuban refugee. I think, as Irecall, those card files were up in the milli-ns and I forget,we had I guess the manilla files, probably went into the tensof thousands, I would think.7 Q. Now, is there any way to determine from those fileswhich of those exiles have become United States citizens?9 A. No way.10 Q. Has there been any effort to make such a determina-tion?12 A. We made an effort at one time but this -- you canbecome nationalized out in California and your record ofnationalization wouldn't be reflected here in Washington fortwo years. That is how far they are behind.16 Q. So I take it --17 A. So there is no central index you can go to. I mean,there is a central index you can go to but it is not current.19 Q. I take it, then, that there is a possibility that theCIA has some files in Miami or here in Langley on Cubans whoare now American citizens?22 A. Absolutely true.23 Q. Now, are any of those files likely to containderogatory information about the individuals involved?25 A. Well, no. One of the things these people do, ofSECRET> [Figure: Photocopy from Gerald Ford Library]
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SECRET                                                                                         67course, we had targets for recruitment. It could range fromanything from a first mate, a captain or chief engineer of aCuban maritime vessel to Fidel. When we targeted these peopleas possible recruitments, for possible recruitment, we would askthat all the information on that individual be assembled so thatwe could do a complete target study -- habits, you know,everything right down the line. In case of some of the moreimportant ones, of course, we had psychological studies preparedwhere we had enough information. But this is one of the thingsthese people did. If we said we want everything you have on thefirst mate of the -- one of the Cuban ships, then they wouldstart looking through the papers or anything else to come upwith anything they could on what the guy's current activitiesare, his background, his life habits, this type of thing.Q. Well, the AMOTS were going to be the intelligenceservice of Cuba?A. Right.Q And they obviously were going to perform some functionin addition to recruitment of agents?A. Right.Q I take it they were trained in counterintelligence,gathering of positive intelligence, recruitment and all of thetraditional skills, is that correct?A. That is about right.Q So I trust that they had files that were amassed forSECRETPhotocopy fromGerald Ford Library
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SECREI1 purposes other than recruitment?2 A. Well --3 Q. For example, let me ask you this. Were any of these4 files on Cubans who were suspected or thought to be a possible5 internal security problem?6 A. No. No. They didn't keep those types of files. We7 would simply task them with through your sources what do you8 have on so and so. They would not be told the reason why we9 wanted the information on anybody.10 Q. Well, I guess with several million fiels or several11 million cards and tens of thousands of files it is difficult to12 make generalizations about the kind of information that is in13 those files?14 A. Well, that is right.15 Q So I guess I won't ask you to do so, but I want to ask16 you this. I trust that there is the possibility that some of17 these files do contain what you in the trade refer to as deroga-18 tory information?19 A. I would assume so.20 Q. And that so much of them may -- some of the subjects21 of those files may now be American citizens?22 A Right.23 Q. And finally I take it that no effort has been made to24 study that particular situation?25 A. WEll, we did make an effort to do it at one time.
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SECRETYou know, we have a traveler program where when Cubans travel, whether they are on an island or perhaps other places, their names turn up on manifests and this type of thing. Well, these are put into a machine system. What we did when these cards were all transferred back here in Miami, we did go through them at random and pick out cards and then try to match it up with what the machine system had to see if there was updated information in the machine system that would show that this guy had become a naturalized citizen, and it didn't work out. So --Q. Excuse me, off the record.(Off the record discussion)MR. MANFREDI: Back on the record.BY MR. MANFREDI:Q. I want to straighten out confusion in my own mind where these files presently reside. The cards I take it are presently here in Washington?A. The cards and what is left of the files.Q. That is the soft cover files?A. Yes.Q. And --A. I assume they are either here or down at the Records Center.Q. And where is the computer system?A. You mean our machine system? We have --Q. The machine here that you tried to match up with theSECRETPhotocopy from Gerald Ford Library
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SECREI1 information on the cards?2 A. Right down on the third floor.3 Q. That is not the hydro system?4 A. Oh, no, no.5 Q This is a separate --6 A. This is a complete -- only the Latin American Division7 uses this particular system.8 Q. What kind of records -- strike that.9 The AMOTS are still in existence, aren't they?10 A. No.11 Q. I thought they were going out in June.12 A. Well, okay. They are on the books until June.13 Q. I see.14 A. But they have all been let go. They were let go --15 they were all given six months termination bonuses and told to16 go find a job.17 Q. Do they have any facilities, physical facilities, in Miami at this time?18 A. no.19 Q So there are no records in Miami?20 A. No. No. We brought all those records back here.21 Q. Did the AMOTS have law enforcement responsibilities in the Miami community?23 A. No. No.24 Q Any affiliation with law enforcement groups?SECRET
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SECREI1 A. Not to my knowledge.2 Q What else did they do, this larger group of AMOTS that was not doing debriefings?3 A. Well, when they were trained in trade craft we would4 send them to other countries, in Europe and within the Hemisphere5 to train some of the local services in those countries. They6 served as safe housekeepers in other countries. They served in7 listening posts where we had audio --8 Q Foreign listening posts?9 A. Oh, yes, foreign.10 Q Any domestic listening posts?11 A. No, no.12 Q Any domestic surveillances conducted by these people?13 A. I would assume -- this I cannot answer because I reall14 don't know. I know that they did a great number of things but15 to my knowledge there wasn't any domestic surveillance conducted by them.16 Now, if it was conducted, and if it is a matter of record,17 I don't know where it could be.18 Q What intelligence gathering activities did they conduct in the Cuban community in Miami?19 A. One of the big problems we had was within that Cuban20 community, as I said earlier, were some of the militant anti-21 Castro groups and this just drove the FBI and the Coast Guard22 and Customs and in general the law enforcement US. GovernmentSECRET
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SECRETagencies in Miami plus the State government enforcement agencies up the wall and, of course, I guess it was around -- the Government allowed a lot of this to go on for awhile but I guess about 1965 or 1964 they got a little tired of it and they started to tighten up.I am sure the AMOTS were in part responsible for proposing alerting us and in turn we alerted the enforcement agencies when there was going to be a raid against Cuba by one of these militant groups. A number of times raids were aborted, picked up by the Coast Guard or Florida Coastal Patrol or the Bureau, this type of thing.Q. These people were arrested?A. Oh, yes.Q. Prosecuted?A. Not really.Q. Any of them American citizens?A. Not to my knowledge.Q. This would be Alpha 66 type groups?A. I don't know whether this guy -- well, you know, they are still after this Masferrer and this guy Donestevez. I don't know if they ever did get him in jail but they had him up on so many charges and he was a Cuban exile that made it big here. He was a boat manufacturer, small boats, but whether he ever served any time or not I don't know. I know he was convicted but he was always walking around Miami when I was there. SoSECRETPhotocopy from Gerald Ford Library
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SECRETI truthfully don't know whether any of these people ever went to jaul or not.Q. Other than identifying operations by militant anti-Castro groups, what other intelligence gathering did the AMOTS engage in?A. Well, of course, there was a counterintelligence -- I wouldn't call it a project but a counterintelligence. interest at that time because we knew that they were infiltrating agents.Q. Cubans were?A. The Cuban Government. They couldn't do it very well on the airlift because, as I said before, the aged, infirm, and young, but they did infiltrate them by small boat. And I don't -- well, we had knowledge that this was on and we did try to identify those people whom we thought would be suspect.Q. Was that done in cooperation with the Bureau?A. With the Bureau, yes.Q. Because of their manpower limitations you folks were in a better position to do it?A. Yes, and language-wise, too. That is always a big factor.Q. And this was conducted through the AMOTS?A. Yes.Q. How substantial was the counterintelligence operation in the community?A. Well, it wasn't that big. They identified not what ISECRETPhotocopy from Gerald Ford Library
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SECRETwould call a great number of suspect infiltrees, but they didcome up with a few promising ones and ones it turned over to theBureau, of course, we have no idea what the hell ever happensto it because, you know, you just -- unless you personally knowthe guy in the Bureau that is handling the case, you might aswell forget it. You have got too many other things to do.Q. What other positive intelligence gathering activitieswere they engaging in?A. Well, as I told you, one part of them were engaged inelectronic intercept.Q. Where was that done?A. Down in Florda, down in Homestead.Q. This is Southeast of Homestead?A. Yes.Q. What ere they intercepting?A. Well, originally they were set up to assist with thecommo. for the infiltration.As we phased down the maritime activities, they were madeavailable to intercept Cuban communications. NSA tasks them withthe frequencies they wanted covered and the Cuban Communicationsnets they wanted covered, such as the border guards. Anotherimportant one was the sugar network. We had the border guards,sugar, transportation, maritime. I think there was an interiornetwork they covered too. But all electronic intercept coverageis dictated by NSA.SECRETPhotocopy fromGerald Ford Library
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SECRETNow, since they belong to us we could levy ceratin requirements on them if we wanted to, which we did very infrequently because the common interests, -- we have a common interest in what NSA has an interest in and unless there were one particular operation going that they wanted to cover exactly what the Cubans were doing, then we would task our people with that.For instance, we knew a Cuban vessel was taking arms into Africa and our operators saw the thing leave Havana and then there was absolute silence. So nobody knew where the thing was. But we knew arms were being loaded and we finally located the boat in an African port, I mean the intercept operators did, when it came back on the air. And this is the type of thing. As a matter of fact, they were unloading arms in Algiers. And 200 Cuban troops.MR. MANFREDI: Off the record.(Off the record discussion)MR. MANFREDI: Let's go back on the record.BY MR. MANFREDI:Q. Were the communications they were intercepting exclusively foreign communications?A. Exclusively foreign communications.Q. Were they intercepting any communications, one terminus of which was the United States?A. No.Q. These were basically Cuban Government communications?SECRET
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## SECRETA. Right.Ω. On the Island?A. Right.Ω. Or between the Island and other locations?A. Yes.Ω. But not between the Island and the United States?A. No. Let's go off the record on that.(Off the record discussion)BY MR. MANFREDI:Ω To your knowledge were the AMOTS engaging in the intercept of any communications, either that facility or elsewhere, in the Miami area or in the southern part of the country?A. No.Ω. Of other communications?A. No.Ω. Is that their only intercept facility?A. (Nods affirmative)Ω. Do you know of your own personal knowledge -- strike that. Do you have any knowledge of any wiretaps, surveillances, breakins or activities of that type other than what we have discussed --A. No sir.-- that were conducted by the AMOTS?A. No sir. I want to go off the record a minute.(Off the record discussion)## SECRETPhotocopy from Gerald Ford Library
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# SECRETBY MR. MANFREDI:Q. I understand that a study of the history of the AMOTS has been prepared by one of your members.A. That is right.Q. What is his name?A. I think it is Joaquin -- I can't remember the last name. The poor guy is dead now anyway. Well, I will just have to get that for you.Q. What is the title of the study?A. The title of the study -- it is part of the historical series of the Miami Station and I think it is just entitled "The AMOT Organization."Q. What is the historical series of the Miami Station?A. It was done when Paul Hennessey was down there. What we try to do as we go along, from year to year, is set aside what is considered to be some of the more siginificant things the station might do or that might occur in the station personnel-wise, this type of thing, and then these things are written.Q. I see.A. At intervening periods of time.Q. When was this particular report prepared, the AMOTS?A. I think it was prelared in 1967 or '68.Q. It is a fairly lengthy document, isn't it?A. Yes.Q. And purports to be a fairly complete history of the# SECRETPhotocopy from Gerald Ford Library![photo of Gerald Ford Library]
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SECRET1 activities of the AMOTS?2 A. It starts back in 1959 when we first started using this gent..4 Q First started using what?5 A. First started using, I forget what his name was.6 Q I see. Is it a chronological study of their activities?8 A. Yes.9 Q And you have a copy of that in your custody?10 A. Yes.11 Q. I would like to see that document. And we will try and obtain it through Hank Knoche's office.12 A. Okay.13 Q Excuse me just for a minute.15 (Off the record. discussion)16 MR. MANFREDI: On the record.17 BY MR. MANFREDI: I wonder if you would -- let me ask you this. There have been some allegations in the press that19 prominent newsmen in the Miami area have in the past been agents of the CIA.21 Mr. Olsen just came into the office and I asked him to join us because some of your involvement in Cuban activities in the23 Agency in the Miami area touch peripherally on some of the things had has been charged with investigating, so I am going to turn the examination over to him for whatever time he needs.SECRETPhotocopy from Gerald Ford Library
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MR. OLSEN: Thank you, George.BY MR. OLSEN:Q. Can you begin, since I have not been in on the begin- ning of the interview here, can you start off, Mr. Sturbitts, by giving me about a one or two minute resume of what your contacts were with the Cuban elements in Florida and elsewhere withing this country on behalf of the Agency?A. Well, I was a member of the Special Activities Staff which was in effect the Cuban task force at Headquarters and the Miami Station functioned under the Special Activities Staff in a variety of intelligence collection and operations.Q. Who was the head of the Special Activities Staff?A. Desmond Fitzgerald.Q. And who was his immediate superior?A. Dick Bissell. Excuse me. No. At that time it was Dick Helms. He was the DEP.Q. Deputy Director for Plans?A. Deptuty Director for Plans.Q. What period of time are we talking about now?A. We are talking in the period of 1963 to 1965.MR. MANFREDI: Off the record.(Off the record discussion)BY MR. OLSEN:Q. So you were not involved in this Special Activities Group during the 1959 to '61 period?A. No.
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Q. Or the period leading up to the Bay of Pigs?A. No.Q. And you were not involved in this program at all during the same time that E. Howard Hunt was involved in it?A. No.Q. Do you know what the position was Mr. Hunt occupied in connection with the Cuban operations of the Agency during the period of 1959 to '61?A. To my recollection, Howard Hunt was on the Covert Action Staff dealing in propaganda.Q. Was this propaganda directed to the Cuban people in this country?A. No. Cuban people abroad.Q. And what was his connection with the planning for the Bay of Pigs?A. I would have to review the record to really answer that. I don't know.Q. Didn't he spend an awful lot of time in the Miami area?A. He commuted quite a bit.Q. Between Washington and --A. Washington and Miami.Q. -- and Miami. During the period of 1960 and early '61?A. Right.Q. Mr. Hunt has stated in his interviews and in his
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published materials that he was the person who was in charge of organizing a political unit among' Cubans in this country which would constitute the Cuban government in exile. Do you recall where that was?A. That could be quite true.Q. Have you reviewed, Mr. Sturbitts, the Agency's entire files relating in any way to the Cuban operations and particularly with reference to whether they reflect any contacts between the Agency and Frank Sturgis?A. Yes.Q. Or Frank Fiorini?A. There is no relationship.Q. Is it your testimony that the records and files of the Agency reveal no official or unofficial contact of any nature with Frank Sturgis?A. To my knowledge that is true.Q. I take it from that that you are emphatic in your testimony that he was never an employee of the Agency?A. Extremely emphatic.Q. And you are also equally emphatic to the effect that he was never a contract agent of the Agency?A. Exactly.Q. Do you know whether he ever served in the capacity of being an informer or informant to the Agency?A. It is possible that he could have been a source.
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Q You mean a source of --A. Source of information of another agent. Another agency agent.Q Do the files of the Agency reflect any matter?A. To my knowledge I don't recall anything like that but it is entirely possible that that could have happened without being a matter of record.Q Do the files of the Agency reveal any instance whatever in which Frank Sturgis was ever asked to undertake any kind of an operation or activity on behalf of the Agency?A. To my knowledge, nothing.Q Do the files of the Agency reveal any evidence whatever that Frank Sturgis was ever paid anything directly or indirectly by the Agency?A. To my knowledge, no.Q Now, when you say "to my knowledge, no", in answer to some of these questions, do I understand that to mean that you are giving us the full benefit of your knowledge on the basis of a full review of the Agency's records and files?A. On Frank Sturgis, yes.Q Okay. During the period of time that you were with the Special Activities Group from 1963 to '66, first of all, can you tell us when that began in 1963?A. When the Special Activities Group --Q No. When your contact with the Special ActivitiesSECRETPhotocopy from Gerald Ford Library
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1 Group began?2 A. It began -- well, it began around June of '63.3 Q. Now, with particular reference to the last half of4 1963, including whatever period in June '63 may not have been5 involved, were there a great many Cubans in the southern United6 States who were active in revolutionary fronts that were being7 sponsored by the Agency?8 A. Wellm you mean Agency sponsored fronts?9 Q. Yes.10 A. The Agency subsidized these fronts in an effort to11 have unity rather than these split factions, split anti-Castro12 factions. Obviously the leaders of the fronts knew that the13 CIA was subsidizing. Supposedly the people that joined these14 fronts did not know they were being subsidized by the Agency15 or the U.S. Government.16 Q. But when you say "supposedly," does the fact appearto be otherwise?17 A. Well, based on my experience with the Cubans and this18 type of thing, and their penchant to talk, I would think that19 it wouldn't take long for knowledge of any subsidy to surface20 itself.21 Q. Was it your opinion and impression at that time, Mr.22 Sturbitts, that a great many Cubans considered themselves to be23 involved in the CIA organizations?24 A. Yes.
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Q. And again with particular reference to the Miami area?A. Yes.Q. Was there also Cuban activity of this sort elsewhere in the United States? I am asking now particularly with reference to New Orleans.A. There was some Cuban presence in New Orleans. I am really not familiar with what happened in New Orleans that was sort of a sideshow to Miami.Q. But the same is -- it is possible that some of the same Cuban organizations which were being sponsored or funded by the Agency also had activities or operations in New Orleans?A I don't know if I can answer that, whether they had the same functions. I know that some funding arrangement for subsidizing the organizations in Miami was carried out through New Orleans.Q. Well, can you be more specific about what you mean by that?A. Well, in other words, to fund these organizations we were subsidizing there had to be some ostensible source of income for them to continue what they were doing. A great number -- well, not a great number, but a number of select people were -- well, they were selected and then they were talked to, to pose as trustees, if you would, or directors or whatever you might have of some of these organizations in order