. | Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.)- Mr. Helms: I_did not, as far as I recall. (HSCA Exec. Sess. Test. of Richard . Helms,, 8/9/78, pp. 30-31.9, emphasis Mr. McCone testifed that he first became aware of the CIA's anti-Castro assassination plots involving CIA-Mafia ties during August 1963. He stated that upon learning of these plots he directed that the. Agency cease all such activities. (HSCA Class. Depe. of John McCone, 8/17/78, p. 13) When asked whether the CIA desired to withold informa- tion from the. Warren Commission about the Agency anti- Castro assassination plots to avoid embarrassing the Agency or causing an international crises he gave the following response: "I cannot answer that: since they (CIA employees knowledgeable of the continuance of such plots) withheld the information from me. I cannot answer that question. I have never. been satisfied as to why they with- held the information from me. (Ibid., p-. 16) ¢ Pa Regarding the relevancy of such plots to (Be ° Warren Commission's work, Warren Commission counsels” Ragkin, Slawson and Spector were in agreement that such information should have been reported to the Classification: Classified by decid an G 3 8 NG, NG, NR, NO, NGL, “SHR. h
AEF he LEP LEY yall Classification: _ (This form iH pease pepual Pepsin ,3/ a/R, from ClA—<ontr cSréents.) Warren Commission. (shes. sess. Test. of W. ERB. David Slawson, 11/15/77, .p. 27; Exec. Sess. Test. of Arlen Spector 11/8/77, pp. 45-46; CF, Exec. Sess. Test. of Wesley Liebeler, 11/15/77, pv. 71 So where he states that possible witholding of information by CIA about Agency attempts to assassinate Castro did not Significantly affect Warren Commission-investigation) ¥rom-the-Cia's—perspeetive, Mr. Rocca testified that had he known of. the anti-Castro assassination plots his efforts to explore the WU. WER A, - possibility of a retaliatory assassination against _ President Kennedy by Castro would have been intensi- | NESS. fied. He stated that: " a completely different - procedural approach probably “would and should have ES, been taken.“ (HSCA Class. Depo. of Raymond Rocca 7/17/78, p. 45) John Scelso, the above-cited CIA desk officer NR. & ¢ # who ran the CIA's initial inves tigation of President : [ Kennedy's assassination until that responsibility EE was given to the CIA's counterintelligence staff, offered a highly critical appraisal of Helms' “REAR, non-disclosure to the Warren Commission: = ry &. vr : ao - Classification: << aL § D063 9 Classified by derivation: h
* a ‘ Mr. ‘Mr. Scelso: No, I think that was a morally — — aa IT. oO. Classification: (This form is to be used for. material. extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) Goldsmith: Do you think Mr. Helms was acting properly when he failed to tell the Warren Commission about the assassination plots? highly reprehensible act, which “ he cannot possibly justify under / his oath of office, or any ~ .  ¢ other. standard of professional public service. (HSCA Class. ‘Depo. of John Scelso, 5/16/78) . Kezrnt Responsiai tity “~~. Agency Gerneern for the Sanctity ; vo of Sensitive Sources and Methods - Factors Affecting CIA Resporise to Warren Commission Requests The length of time required by the CIA to respond to the Warren Commission's requests for~ information was dependent upon 1) the availability Of information; | a 2) the complexity of the issues presented by the request and 3) the extent to which the relevant information touched upon sensitive CIA sources and methods. On the first two points, Mr®® e Helms testified that when CIA had been able to satisfy a Commission request, the CIA would then send a reply back: "and some of these inquiries obviously took longer than others. , For example, some might involve re a a ad pene ry Classification: Classified by derivation: 0566 40 “YRS, NU, UH, “UR. Wares, vith. h.
Classification: “SEC Re (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) checking a file which was in Washington. Other inquiries might involve trying to . See if we could locate somebody in some overseas country.: Obviously, one takes longer to per- form than the other. (Exec. Sess. Test. of Richard Helms, 8/9/78, p. 25) es the-CTA!s conéern for protééting its re a ces and_aiéthods. caused the Warvén n to expérience greater adiffietlty i getting relévant information than“when € protec- tion such soureés and methods w not at issue. —_ J. Lee Rankin expressed the opinion that the Agency's effort to protect its sensitive sources—and-ym methods par estaclg with resark to CsA surkiflance Spee 7 Ga MAKI Co © iv. @€fectedthe quality of the information to which the Warren Commission and its staff were given Rates we “GEE, access. (HSCA Class. Pepe. of J. Lee Rankin 8/1 CO its Stag et 335 Loe peatectlnn ea Mer pRaAds | 22) As a result of eke CRA Ss concern, in some ‘tatances “SD. the Agency ocr Brae’ . an o CIASmaterials(by the Commission. , (HSCA ass. Depo. of John Scelso, can ' cP. 153) . ge The Committee has identified two ‘areas of concern in which the Agency's desire to protect its ¢ on€lictd with sensitive sources and methods impeded. the Warren Commission's investigation. These are: HALA. gon oo 78 s a) é 000044 } Classified by derivation: Classification:
wv | x en 2 (telephone: ‘Intercept Classification: ee Ne (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) 1) Witholding information from the Warren © Ne [> cp Commission ~ | pertainfing’to the-phote- operations of the CIA's Mexico City Station 2) As a related consideration, the Agency's now referred to as that of the "Mexico cit stery Man". devele Yeas Meraciy photo - Surveill ‘eet te Pea Fy ANE OCErat fons , a PARTS EZ natiak Concera far Reveals ney DENGatiVe Sour cer TRAM AAA tS The CIA's concern for revealing the existence of sensitive technical operations, as outlined above, was evident from the inception of the Warren Commission. Mr. Scelso commented that “we were not authorized at first to reveal all our technical operations." (Ibid., p. 158) But Scelso did testify that: “We were going to give them intelligence reports which derived from all our sources nd the information gotten from the interrogation of Silvia Duran, for example, which corresponded almost exactly with the information from (* the telephone. intercepts. -] Mr. Scelsco's characterization is Supported by examination of the background to the first major CIA report furnished the Warren Commission regarding surveitiance {era “telephoni¢e’strvetttanc e a . vo reticence to reveal the origin of the photograph f ; uf including technical frat ene’ including thet on Ac of eahed Pte, _— —S 00 o0064 42 ; Classified by derivation: