180-10113-10119
2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
JFK Assassination System
Date:
10/1/201
AGENCY: HSCA
RECORD NUMBER:
180-10113-10119
RECORD SERIES : NUMBERED FILES
AGENCY FILE NUMBER:
003362
ORIGINATOR:
FROM:
TO:
TITLE:
HSCA
ORR, PATRICIA
DATE:
PAGES:
08/05/1977
7
SUBJECTS:
CIA
DOCUMENT TYPE:
CLASSIFICATION:
RESTRICTIONS:
CURRENT STATUS:
DATE OF LAST REVIEW:
OPENING CRITERIA:
MEXICO CITY
HUNT, E. HOWARD
MEMORANDUM
Unclassified
1A; 1B
Redact
01/01/2003
COMMENTS:
CIA 77-4. Box 77.
v9.1
NW 50955 DocId: 32264993 Page 1
Identification Form
Agency Information
Document Information
i
SENSITIVE
MEMORANDUM
TO: JH, KK
FROM: PMO
8/5/77
RE: CIA Station in Mexico City
003362
Attached find a list of individuals known to have been
connected with the CIA station in Mexico City during
Lee Harvey Oswald's visit.
ex-CIA
This information has been gleaned mainly from the
executive session testimony of David Phillips,
agent who had been in charge of Cuban Affairs for the
CIA in Mexico City. Other information comes from staff
interviews with a witness, Boris Tarasoff, formerly
with the intercept unit of the CIA station.
It has been suggested that E. Howard Hunt may have been
involved in CIA activities in Mexico City and specifically
with the visit of Lee Harvey Oswald. Many critics
cite the fact that the CIA Station Chief has never been
identified publicly. as a basis for speculation that Hunt
possibly held that position. This, however, would,
conflict with information from Phillips that the Station
Chief was named Winston Scott, now deceased.
This does not preclude the possibility that Hunt held
th, stacio
уже м
NW 50955 DocId: 32264993 Page 2
ΜΕΜΟ 8/5/77
pg. 2
SENSITIVE
another position at the station, but Tarasoff
was shown photographs of E. Howard Hunt which he could
not identify nor did he recognize the name from CIA-Mexico City.
I will also be forwarding an organizational chart of
the CIA station as best I can make it out with the
information known presently.
NW 50955 DocId: 32264993 Page 3
-1-
MEXICO CITY
wwwww wwww
CIA
SENSITIVE
A review of notes taken from interviews with David
Phillips indicates that there are a several areas
which our witness may be questioned about.
Organization & Personnel
Personnel in Mexico City Station:
David Phillips:
In 1963 Phillips was in charge of Cuban affairs
for the CIA in Mexico City. As such, he was
responsible for the monitoring of the Cuban
Embassy.
He was in Mexico City from September 1961
to early 1965, succeeding Tom Hazlett.
He originally comes from Ft. Worth and joined the
CIA in 1950.
He recalls the Oswald tape as an intercept between
the Soviet and Cuban embassies. Herbert Manel, head
of Russian affairs at Mexico City Station would
have been primarily responsible for information
derived from this intercept.
Phillips was never in the intercept unit, which
was staffed mainly by Mexican nationals.
His immediate superior was Warren Dean, but he
answered to Winston Scott.
Winston Scott:
Station Chief for the Mexico City CIA Station in 1963.
Supervisor for Phillips in practice, although the
deputy Chief of Station would normally have been
the person to whom Phillips was to report.
Scott was known for his almost photographic memory
and a strong personality. He did not like to delegate 2
authority.
Scott was the person who made final determination
as to whether information coming in over an
intercept was to be forwarded to Washington or not.
Scott is now deceased. He died of a heart attack
around 1972. His name was not previously known publicly.
Warren Dean:
Deputy Station Chief under Scott in Mexico City.
Phillips was not sure whether it was Dean or Allen
White who held this office at the time of Oswald's
visit, but he feels fairly positive that it was
Dean.
NW 50955 DocId: 32264993 Page 4
-2-
--
CIA
SENSITIVE
MEXICO CITY
Dean
(cont'd):
Phillips reported to Scott even though Dean was
next man up the hierarchy.
Phillips believes he is retired and lives in the
Washington area.
Allen White:
Succeeded Dean as Deputy Stattion Chief; Phillips
worked under him for a time.
Phillips believes he is retired and resides in
the Washington area.
Joe Picolo:
CIA officer under Phillips.
Robert Shaw:
CIA officer under Philips.
Eventually Shaw and Phillips had the "whole assignment"
in Mexico City.
Two CIA operatives working inside the Cuban Embassy
reported to Shaw. One worked for the administrative
area; one worked in the diplomatic area.
Phillips believed Shaw is living in the Washington
area and is still with the CIA.
George Monroe:
Phillips named him as the senior man in charge
of the interception of telephone conversations
of the Cuban Embassy's offices.
He would have been responsible for "dozen" or so
involved in the intercept unit outside CIA head-
quarters.
Monroe came to the CIA from the FBI and had been with
the CIA for 3 or 4 years at the time of the Oswald
visit.
Phillips believes Monroe is still in Mexico today.
Ann Goodpasture:
Phillips mentions her as the person responsible
for transporting the tapes from the intercept
unit to CIA offices and back again.
It is unclear whether she brought back tapes or
transcripts of the conversations from the Russian
Embassy. It appears that she brought back transcripts
NW 50955 DocId: 32264993 Page 5
-3-
MEXICO CITY
CIA
Goodpasture (cont'd):
SENSITIVE
in Spanish, ie. translations were done at the intercept
unit when the language was Spanish. The tapes
that were in Russian were brought back to CIA head-
quarters in all likelihood. (From Phillips' testimony,
it appears that the Russian translator for the CIA
was based in the Embassy where CIA headquarters were.)
Goodpasture transported the tapes and transcripts in
suitcases. She was notified if tape was interesting or not.
Phillips believes that Goodpasture is retired and
residing in Dallas, Texas.
Raymond Swider:
Also assigned to Phillips, replacing Joe Picolo.
Phillips believed Swider presently works in the
Washington headquarters of the CIA.
George Misco: (phonetic)
Although Phillips was somewhat shakey about facts
with respect to Misco, he was able to tell us that
Misco was the Russian translator for the CIA. and
that his office was most likely in CIA headquarters
rather than the Soviet intercept unit outside.
Phillips claims that Misco was not in Mexico City
at the time of Oswald's visit.
Herbert Manel:
CIA officer in charge of the assignment for Russian
affairs, and as such was Phillips' counterpart at
CIA station.
Manel worked with his wife, Babara, on this assignment.
Manel and his wife later worked with Phillips when
they were all assigned to Caracas, Venezuela.
Phillips maintained that it would have been Manel's
responsibility to decide where the inforation
contained in the Oswald intercept was to go and whether
the intercept should be kept for any reason.
Scott, though, would have ultimate responsibility.
Win
NW 50955
Phillips did no know of the Manel's whereabouts
today.
Clark Anderson:
Local FBI agent in Mexico City, who would routinely
receive petinent information from the CIA.
His title was Legal Attache at the American Embassy.
He is identified in the Church report only as "Legat"
Since he was the highest ranking BI official in Mexico,
DocId: 32264 FBI investigation there was under his direction.
Page
MEXICO CITY
-4-
CIA
Anderson (cont'd):
SENSITIVE
Anderson worked with Phillips in the Dominican
Republic in 1965.
He is presently retired and residing in San Antonio,
Texas.
Desmond Fitzgerald:
Chief of CIA operations in Washington CIA headquarters,
who originally recommended Phillips to the Mexico City job.
(Fitzgerald is mentioned in the Church report as
one of the CIA agents involved with plots against
Catro's life. The Church report names him as "the
senior CIA officer charged with responsibility for
Cuban affairs." He had a meeting with AMLASH on
October 29, 1963 for a policy discussion, informing
AMLASH that the U.S. was prepared to provide support
for a Cuban uprising only after a real coup had..
been effected.)
Fitzgerald is now deceased.
Barabara Manel:
Wife of Herbert Manel; worked with him at Soviet
Affairs desk, assisting him in the work. She would
prepare the reports to headquarters, etc. and he
would sign them.
She had previously resigned from another staff
employee position at the CIA, but was hired again
on apart-time basis for her knowledge or Russian
and her experience in Soviet matters.
Benjamin Pepper:
Worked under Herbert Manel.
Concerned with other matters related to Soviet
affairs, such as Eastern European affairs.
NW 50955 DocId: 32264993 Page 7
-5-
MEXICO CITY
wwwwwwwwww.
CIA
Personnel:
SENSITIVE
From other sources, namely, through information garnered
by our own investigation, we are also aware of others
involved with CIA Mexico City Station in 1963.
Mr. and Mrs. Boris Tarasoff:
As one of the CIA's husband-and-wife teams, the
Tarasoff's, had the job of translating and transcribing
conversations in the Russian language going in
and out of the Soviet Embassy by telephone.
They were experts in voice identification using such
aids as newspaper clippings and other miscellaneous
informations about different individuals to help
determine geographic origins, etc. about persons
whose conversations were being tapped.
The Tarasoffs were directly involed in the translation
and transcription of the Oswald conversation, although
the specifics have become dim in Mr. Tarasoff's
memory.
Tarasoff succeeded George Misko.
Tarasoff was never questioned by any investigative
agency about the Oswald conversations.
Boris Tarasoff thought the conversation was most
likely between Kanstaninov and Oswald and did not
involve Kostikov or Yatskov. Tarasoff knew no one
by the name of Kostin.
Tarasoff presently resides in Guadalajara, Mexico.
William Bright:
Identified by Tarasoff as CIA "contact" between
the station and the translators. It is not clear
whether Tarasoff was in the station or in a separate
intercepting unit, but it appears that he was
probably outside the station.
Bright seemed especially interested when the second
call between Oswald and the Soviet Embassy was
intercepted and Oswald identified.
Robert Zambernardi:
Identified by Tarasoff as the photographic expert
at the Mexico City station at least from September
1963 to November 1963.
Charles Flick:
NW 50955
DocId: 32264993 Page 8
NW 50955
DocId: 32264993
Page 9
MEXICO CITY
CIA
ORGANIZATION
1
The CIA Station was housed at the U.S. Embassy. We have been
able to identify several CIA positions from various
descriptions. May I suggest the following skeletal
framework as a possible picture of the CIA's organizational
chart for September-October 1963.
WASHINGTON/
CHIEF OF OPERATIONS
SPECIAL AFFAIRS
☐ Desmond Fitzgerald)
STATION CHIEF
(Winston Scott)
Overall responsibility
for CIA activities in
Mexico.
DEPUTY
STATION CHIEF
(Warren Dean,
later Allen White)
MEXICO
Joe Picolo- assisted
Phillips; replaced
by Ray Swider
Robert Shaw - oversaw
Cuban operatives
CUBAN EMBASSY
2 CIA operatives: one
in the diplomatic section,
one in the administrative
section.
CUBAN AFFAIRS
(David Phillips)
REPORTS OFFICER
RUSSIAN AFFAIRS
&
ASSISTANT
(Herbert Manel)
CONTACT
Ann Goodpasture
INTERCEPT UNIT
(George Monroe)
CONTACT
Bill Bright
Robert Zambernardi.
(photo expert)
Boris Tarasoff
Mrs. Tarasoff
ORR 8/5/77
AMERICAN EMBASSY
- AMBASSADOR
-LEGAL ATTACHE
(Clark Anderson) FBI
"Legat"
!.
Barabara Manel Soviet
affairs; assists H. Manel
Eastern
Benjamin Pepper
European affairs
ww
wwwww
George Misko (before 10/63)
(Russian translations, transcriptions)