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104-10250-10199
2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
2/1
TO
: Deruty Chief, SSD
22 June 1951:
FROH
:
Chief, Special Referral Branch
SUBJECT:
HIDALGO, Balmes, Jr.
#65077
The Subject is a covert employee of this Agency now in the
United States for four weeks training and being considered for
ve by Staff C/ICB in a highly sensitive assignment. Immigration
authorities may submit questions through this Agency which will
be answered by the Subject, but requests to have the Subject tes-
tify in open court hearings must be refused.
DETAILS
1. Reference is made to the letter received by the Alien
Affairs Staff from the Immigration and Naturalization Service
and reference to your request of 15 June 1954 to ascertain the
details of the Subject's status with this Agency and prepare a
reply to I&NS.
2. On 17 June 1954 Special Agent Chester R. HOADS of this
office interviewed Mr. Robert DAHLGREN, Acting Chief, WH/FI, Room
1128 "T" Building, and John BONNET) Chief, WH/Panama, Room
2204 Quarters "I", x4456, regarding the Immigration request. The
following information was obtained during this interview.
2. The Subject is still a covert employee of this Agency,
is now in the United States (New York City) on home leave, and
is scheduled to report to Washington, D.C., to commence four
weeks of covert trainingon 6 July 1954.
b. The Subject is presently under consideration by Staff
C/JCB for an assignment with a highly sensitive project under
the supervision of Staff C/ICB. Under this proposed assign-
ment any publicity or notoriety that the Subject would receive
from testifying publicly on questions of Communist associations
of which he may have knowledge would ultimately preclude his
future use with the Steff C project and would probably jeopar-
dize his future as a covert enployee of this Agency.
C. If the Staff Cassignment, 200 not materialize, the
fubject 
will 
return to Canal one on approxi-
nately 15 August 1954 as a case officer, and this position
would also be jeopardized by undue publicity.
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GINU
Q.
03
3. Mr. DAHI GRET and
indicated that from a WH
standpoirt orly there would be ro objection to a controlled inter-
view the fret if the intervie could be afforded the Sub-
ject while he is still in New York City. This, however, would
have to be coordinated with Staff
for possible objections
that they might raise in view of th proposed use of the Sub-
ject.
requested that he be informed of any action.
taker in this matter and any public testing or oper court tes-
timory would have to depend or the seriousness of the case being
prepared by the Immigratior authorities.
h. Any contact with the Subject during his period of covert
training from 6 July to approximately 15 August 1954 would have to
also be coordinated with . Feter HOEHL) Covert Training Officer,
OTH, whose office is located in Fuilding 3T-31.
•Caul
Jure 1951 Ipecial Agent HOATSON contected Ir.
Staff /ICE, 1613 "I" Building, x668, to discuss the Sub-
ject's future position and also the request received from INS.
The following factors were obtained from Mr. (BIRKL):
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03
a. The Subject's use in the proposed Staff C project is
still in the planning stage, but the assignment that the Sub-
ject is being considered for is a highly sensitive one and
any further publicity which the Subject may receive would
ultimately disqualify him for consideration on this project.
b. Any approval for ILNS contact of the Subject would
have to be determined after carefully considering the impor-
tance of the TNS case for which the Subject's testimony may
be required. ::::/:/ (BURKE Indicated that the Subject could still
be considered as an employee of WH Division regardless of whe-
ther or not the proposed Staff C/TCB assignment materializes
and any action in the request received from INS should be
closely coordinated with both Staff C and H.
6. Mr. PENNINGTON, Alien Affairs Staff, SO, contacted William
A. HOGAN, Special Assistant to the Commissioner of Immigration and
Naturalization on 18 June 1954 requesting further information re-
garding their memorandum of 9 June 1954 on the Subject. Mr. HOGAN
explained that I2NS has a list of possible informants which contains
the Subject's name. The people on this list are being contacted for
use on a continuing besis wher specific cases arise which might
fall in their particular area of knowledge. At the present time,
INNS has no specific case for which they want to contact the Subject,
but they just want to know if he would be available in the future
for use as ar informert regarding various Communist activities of
which the Subject has personal knowledge.
- 2 -
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GIFW
sidere
that
Q
After his conversation with Mr. HOGAN, N. PENNINGTON
thet a refund of the IBS request would not be cor-
out of order, but recormord-d' cooperating to the extent
NF could submit specific questions to this Agency which
could be preserted to the subject and the answer forwarded to
JAIS.
The refusal of their original remest should be based on
the sensitivity of the Subject's positior which could be jeopar-
dired by any urdue publicity and also thx frot that the Sub-
is frequently and it would be difficult to locate him
ant contrct was
15. James SFRCUS, lien Iffcire Staff/SC, stated on 18
June 1921 that Mr. HOGA, Special 'ssistant to the Commissioner
of Immigration and Naturalization, had indicated in a conversation.
SFRQUEL on 8 June 1954 that INNS had been able to locate
the bject's location and affiliation with this Agency through
's father who told the inspector that the Subject was
this Agency in Ealboa, Panama Canal Zone,) which appears
security flap on the part of the subject's father.
03.
John Bo
Chief, WH/Paname, was recontacted on 18
T
FL and informed of the nature of the NS request and also
of the apparent security flap on the part of the Subject's
father on the basis of this further information, it was suggested
to r. (201 ET that the TANS euthorities be requested to submit any
Questions through this 'gency which mould, in turn, be presented to
the Subject and his answers be returned to IS. ir
agreed
to the proposal of having the T&NS people contact the Subject
through this Agency and also indicated that the reported security
breach on the part of the Subject's father would be taken into
consideration and an attempt would be made to determine the extent
of the Subject's relatives or acquaintances know of the Subject's
employment by this Agency. Mr3 Faul FIRKE)) Staff C/ICB, also
agreed to the proposed procedure and requested that any and all
action taken be coordinated with NH and Staff C.
ATTION
It is recommended that the attached memorandum to IANS and to
the Chief, WH Division, with a carbon copy to Staff C/ICE, be for-
werded and that no further action be taken pending a report from Mr.
03 (BETET Regarding the seriousness of the security flap from an oper-
ational standpoint.
Karles
Hane
Attachments
1 Letter to TENS
1 Letter to WH with cc to Staff C/ICE
HOATSON/m2
6/29/51
3