178-10004-10148
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AGENCY: DAVIS
178-10004-10148
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GENERAL SUBJECT FILE
AGENCY FILE NUMBER:
INTEL. INVESTIGATIONS--MISC. B, OCT. 1975 (3)
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FROM:
WH
TO:
TITLE:
RATLIFF, ROB ROY
SCOWCROFT, BRENT
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REQUEST FOR MAIL INFORMATION
DATE:
PAGES:
10/14/1975
3
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OPERATION MONGOOSE
MEMORANDUM
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178-10004-10148
MEMORANDUM
ULUKLI
EYES ONER
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
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14 October 1975
MEMORANDUM FOR: GENERAL SCOWCROFT
FROM:
SUBJECT:
ROB ROY RATLIFF
a
OUTSIDE SYSTEM
INFORMATION
Justice Department Request for Mail Information
Jeanne Davis transmitted to me a request from the Department of Justice to
survey 40 Committee and predecessor group files to determine any information
of a list of subjects focused on operations involving mail. She asked that I
transmit my findings directly to you.
I assume that Justice is interested in illegal use of the mails. As I understand
CIA's admitted activity in this field, it was an intelligence collection operation
and therefore would not be subject to review by the 40 Committee or its
predecessors. We find no record that mail intercept operations were discussed
by the 40 Committee or predecessors; however, there are references to mail
operations in Committee records.
Jeanne Davis said Justice wanted material on "any use of mail techniques.
These are representative items:
TAB A--Reports which indicate general mailings of propaganda and
related material. There is nothing sinister in this--you put a book
or pamphlet in an envelope, address it, put on postage and drop it in
the mail.
TR
TAB B--Letters were test mailed inside a denied area to see if they
come out, or individuals mailed spontaneous letters to CIA-supported
enterprises. Again, there is nothing unusual about this--regular use
of the mail system.
TAB C-- Special covert operations which make use of the mails, including:
C-1--A forged letter mailed in Prague to a Czech leader.
C-2--Mailing of black letters, primarily from third countries.
However (see page 5 of 9 May 1972 item), some of these letters
may have been inserted into the mail system ostensibly as having
originated in the denied area.
Signer
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C-3--Some covert operations using the mail may have been designed
to represent that the item was originally mailed in a denied area.
In other words, you want the recipient to believe that his letter came
from the Chinese Communists so you make it appear as if it had
been mailed from China. Note that the last item in this group (17 and
10 January 1972) refers to "letter-insert mechanisms." I can find
no elaboration of what this means, but it might represent intercept
of the mail, surreptitious opening of a letter and the insert of some
additional material.
C-4 National Intelligence Estimates and other reports of intelligence
may refer to information, some part of which was gleaned from mail
intercepts. On the basis of protecting sources and methods these.
would not normally be identified in a document. However if the
question were asked at a meeting, the source might be orally identified
as a mail intercept (or SIGINT or whatever).
C-5--This category represents probable entry into the international
mail system to support a covert operation. The first item shows DOD
sending letters ostensibly from groups in North Vietnam to other
countries. The second shows CIA fabricating and mailing 700 letters
"ostensibly from Peking. The third shows CIA fabricating Demo-
cratic Republic of Vietnam greeting cards and mailing them.
In each of the C-5 cases, operational information was probably gleaned
from a mail intercept operation which would enable one to fabricate
the paper, envelopes, writing and addressing styles, even counterfeit
postage stamps and cachets, all with the aim of giving the appearance
that the letter originated from a denied area. The material might then
be inserted into the international mail system (e.g., you know that
mail from Communist China transits Panama for onward distribution
to Latin America; through liaison or independent contacts you insert
your bundles in the sack from Peking and then it is given routine onward
distribution through the regular mail system).
C-6 Here are two cases where the Committee was informed that mail
intercepts were the source of information used in support of covert
operations.
With regard to MONGOOSE files--which Mrs. Davis said Justice also wanted us
to check--I find only the references at TAB D which suggest the possibility that
mail intercept operations were a part of the response to intense pressures for
more "hard" information on what was going on in Cuba.
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-3-
Mrs. Davis also said that Justice made reference to Walt Rostow's recollection
of a general survey of all "intelligence programs country by country" made by
the 303 Committee. I assume he means the general beginning-of-a-new-
President's-term roundup (similar to the ones given Mr. Nixon and Mr. Ford).
We find references to covert action reviews, but these appear to have been oral
and we find nothing in writing, and no references to mail operations.
In summary, we have made a review of our files, with special reference to the
general index of minutes and the country files deemed most likely to include
references to "any use of mail techniques." Representative findings are cited
above. We find no record of "illegal" mail operations being a subject of dis-
cussion or consideration within the 40 Committee and predecessor organizations
(December 1958 to the present). However, there is evidence that the Committee
was informed that mail intercept operations were conducted (TAB C-6).
Please advise if any additional material or presentation is desired.
Attachments
TABS A-D
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