(tow-t02se-10077],. ae e ; ~ . . ‘ ' a a 7 4 27 Tos S976 SUBJECT: Mitchell Livingston WerBell 1. Subject is a 52-year-old, native-born American who served on military assignment with the Office of Strategic Services from approximately July to December of 1945 with primary service in the China-Burma-India theatre, Following his military /OSS service, Subject entered into a variety of short-term business activities, most of which were characterized by his unorthodox business practices. There is no indication that he has ever been employed by the Agency. 2. There is considerable evidence in Subject's file that he was looked upon with strong suspicion by several Government agencies, including the Bureau of Customs and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for alleged arms smuggling in a number of South American countries, as well as his apparent involvement with several revolutionary groups and Castro assassination schemes. Office of Security records disclose that Subject is generally categorized as a con man, unscrupulous, a wheeler-dealer and-a prometer-of grandiose schemes 3. In July 1959 Subject apparently volunteered his services to the Western Hemisphere Division and was seriously considered for _ use as an informant on revolutionary activities in Cuba and the Dominican Republic. During the period that Subject's Operational Approval was being processed, he volunteered several pieces of information, all of which were judged to have little value. In October 1959, WH Division decided to drop all operational interest 7 in the Subject since they became convinced that his real aim in working for CIA was to use Agency funds to promote his personal interests.
14-0000, rad 4. In February 1967 the Domestic Contact Service advised that Subject frequently volunteered information to their Miami Office and was going to be asked to respond to certain OSI requirements pertaining to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and other selected areas. However, it is not known that Subject was approached in this regard, and the DCS was provided with information relating to his dubious character, 5. In August 1967 Subject came to Agency attention when he attempted to interest a group of military officers in a weapon silencer he had supposedly developed for the M-16 rifle. One of these officers was actually a representative of TSD servicing under cover who reported that Subject had no reservations about imposing himself on anyone in order to achieve his aims. 6. Subject was mentioned extensively in an article on independent arms dealers appearing in the January 1968 issue of True magazine, and he reportedly made statements that the CIA: and the DIA would protect him in case he got into difficulty. Based on Subject's statements, the Munitions Control Board asked the Agency whether we had any interest inhim. The case was summarized for the benefit of the Deputy Director for Support on 11 January 1968, and the reply to the Munitions Control Board was provided by the Office of Logistics. 7, Office of Security records reflect that a Department of Defense representative reviewed Subject's security file in March 1968, at which time we continued to receive reports that Subject was representing himself as a CIA employee. ~In May 1969 information: - was received from an Air Force OSI representative in Miami, Florida, that Subject was undergoing a security clearance check as a result of his being employed by a company with a Government contract, At about the same time Saigon Station requested a Headquarters "bona fides" check on Subject, who was then employed by Sionics, Inc.; - and he advised OSI that he was affiliated with CIA. The Station was informed of Subject's background as an unscrupulous con-man, 8. On 26 May 1969| |senerated a cable with extensive distribution in fhe Far East outlining Subject's activities
14-000 that had been plagued for some weeks by Subject, Vice President and Director Research and Development for Sionics, Atlanta, Georgia. Subject reportedly describes himself as a counter-insur gency expert, has a variety of weapons to display and claims to be a retired Colonel, He normally implies United States Government connections and he presents a demonstration of a variety of exotic weapons that never fails to impress, Reportedly Subject had visited Vietnam in order to provide General Abrams with such -a demonstration of weapons, and it was stated that he planned on setting up a sniper training program. in Coa Vea be as Chief of CIA in Thailand, It was mentioned 9. The Washington Post of 3 December 1969 contains. an extensive article on Subject, who was under Federal investigation for receiving guns shipped from Vietnam through Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, The article mentions that two years previously Subject was indicted on charges of violating a Federal law forbidding the preparation of a military expedition against a friendly nation from American territory, 10. The Washington Post of 22 February 1970 contains an article which indicated that Lt. Colonel Paul A, Mariott of Eglin Air Force Base was cleared of any illegal actions in connection with the shipment of captured weapons from Vietnam, The Subject is quoted as having said that his firm, Sionics, Inc., had arranged for the shipment to the United States through Eglin Air Force Base, supposed for Air Force_use. in museums, - ll. The Washington Evening Star of 26 February 1970 contains a story dealing with the charges that the Columbia. Broadcasting System had contributed $80, 000 to a 1966 plot to invade-Haiti, . Subject was identified as one of the "leading figures" in the deal, and he was described as a munitions dealer linked to clandestine operations in Latin America, He reportedly was hired by CBS as a consultant for the invasion story, receiving $1,500.00 as a down payment, ' 12, True magazine of April 1970 contains an article by Andrew. St. George entitled, ''The Mafia vs the CIA", which alleges to be the story of the struggle of two invisible governments for the control of Haiti. Subject is mentioned in the article as a "munitions merchant" who cooperated with the investigation being conducted by the magazine.
14-00000 * & + ® oe ye =" Jide at Weapons: ame Cleared ya kiee a in AF Probe Air Force officials said yes-'the guns stayed at the Air terday that they have cleared|Force base. —. a Meutenant colonel at Eglin : : Reports of fhe air force in- Air Force Base fn Florida .of vestigation surfaced last No: “any illegal or unauthorized . actions” in connection with arene ene ee oe intend shipments to the base of We8P-ieq for distribution to militant —. Oe ete an ant war made|72htwing groups. In his state e announcement was made ment vesterday. Col Martin in a terse statement by Col.|.5id that “no evidence had Abner B. Martin, commander heen developed at that point of the secret armament lab icin November) to substantiate oratory at Eglin. ; the published allegations.” He : He made no mention of the) did not say what the evidence reported role of an Atlanta/geveloped since then sug— firm, Sionics Inc., whoe offi-| gested. ciats said they arranged th Soo shipments. . . eee nee <= The firm's vice president, _ Mitchell L. WerBell ITI, said - in December that he had the : ‘guns “shipped back to this . . country: to present to the: Air Force for use in museums. as: ~ a presentation from Sionics.” WerBell said he made the ———————————————— arrangements while working with the Air Force in‘evaluat- ing Sionics’ new gun-silencing equipmént in South-Vietnam. “air Foree spokesmen in’ Wash-__ ington, ;however, said the Air Force Bad no interest in 5i- lencers; and Defense Depart- ment officials said Sionics has never had any contract. with the Air Force. ne In hig announcement, Col. Martin :dwelt only on. the. in -~yolvernent-of Lt. Col, Pola — ariott: the armament labora- an ~Mariots ry's ef assistant for. sys-———————_______________-____ — . ; tems support, and this without '  .qpelling out Mariott’s connee Son , ‘Col. Martin sald simply that, . ; he ordered an investigation. 2 last July when the arms, in- cluding Russian-designed AK- ; 13 submachine guns, “arrived —————____________-_-- at Eglin without apparent evi- dence that applicable import rules and regulations had been complied with.” After. a check by the Air. Foree Office of Special Inves- tigations which “centered” on Mariott, the ‘lieutenant: colo.————_______________—_—. nel’s “activities in the incident were found clear of any illegal or unauthorized actions on his part, and no disciplinary. or orice : adminie rah be qattions have AND is been or“wi en.” Martin said “the weapons at Elgin” *would be used for ' _ “evaluation, experiment and :'. display purposes in ‘the arma- FORM 19 7 ment Jaboratory,°-He made no 7.62 1954 i .mention “of -any that ‘Sionics mxcigeas Tape ACTS ° ‘gay have gotten. WerBell has BQERGRADING Ama (40) Best ated that only. some of ‘ ‘ - ARES
yaodbeo ing guns shipped from Viet-|. “werBell commented wryly . . mam through Eglin Air Force} that he was unhappy because - Base in Florida are no strang-| “I've lost my one claim te no- rere #11 “and manufacturing firm, was indicted 2% years ago onlheaded toward direct military|°UTed before WerBell and - after customs agents raided an communist activities a long we tes oe ee ee ie 2 Bag When a, Skee /969 “Gun Shipment Figtres Played Dramatic Roles By Bruce Galphin — {the attorney general” (Ramsey jan official for an American de- Washington Post Staff Writer Clark). The federal attorney,| velopment corporation. ATLANTA, Dec. 2—The two| William A. Meadows Jr., said) At one point during the top officials of an Atlanta firm| Re oo nt me any further fighting, he said a few days under investigation for receiv-| 595 being dropped. . © charge afterward, ea ce ined up against a wall” by armed revolutionaries . at a Santo Domingo hotel.” . Vhs He said the "yehels were looking for Cuban nationalists, and that he managed to slip inside the hotel, where Ameri- ean embassy officials ‘negoti- . ated safe conduct. ‘He was evacuated by helicopter, to a U.S. warship. “The Communist movement has actually defeated itself” by forcing the United States “to adopt such a firm policy,” he commented at the time.- Both the Dominican fighting: and the - Merathen—raid—oc-: ers to controversy or dramatic toriety.” situations. At the time of the indict- ‘Iment, WerBell was quoted by One was actively involved in the Atlanta Constitution as ad- plans to set up an anti-Castro; mitting an “extremely combat- fase in Haiti, and both were ant role” -in the anti-Castro in the Dominican Republic|9@S5€ plans. during the 1965 American ix- aera ator nepree toe had |y ; tervention to pul down a rev- guns and munitions from At- olution. lanta and New York to Miami. Mitchell Livingston WerBell| But WerBell told a reporter ce president of Sionics,|at the time of the indictment research |that - had withdrawn his an Atlanta weapons tna tt from the Haitian base plan when it appeared to be charges of violating a federal|action. - Brown founded Sionics. eye 7 . An Air Force officer at law forbidding preparation of “If P'm called upon again to ee a at Pon rege none Eglin is under investigation i ‘ainst ght-Communists in the west e ship 8 y expedition ag ®!ern hemisphere, Y'll do it,” he| £°F bis role in pments friendly nation from American) 4:9 “anythin of small arms from Vietnam. territory. served the best interest of the WerBell denied reports cist The indictment against Wer-| United States.” the weapons were intende ‘ for right-wing anti-Negro Bell and six others was made ‘T've been involved in anti- groups and said he himself, ” “ while in Vietnam, had had the island camp near Marathon, the” D. be ae son helped captured weapons.sent;to At, Fla., where they seized a small | fight the Communists.” jlanta #la Ea, tes. arsenal of weapons and found Aided Newsman ‘research, - 75 battle-clad exiles and Amer}: “In the Dominican action two! icans. _|gears before, WerBell was Not on Island - credited with pulling «a | wounded American newsman WerBell himself was not 03) 45+ of a bullet-riddled car in the island at the time of the/ santo Domingo. The newsman, raid. Miami Herald photographer Only four weeks - after| Doug Kennedy, had been acci- WerBell_w accused, ‘the’ U's. dentally wounded by U.S. Ma- as aF ‘a(fine gunfire. oe Dae oe ah are ee - oe resident of