10410428-10017] PHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEILLANCE OF THE CUBAN AND SOVIET DIPLOMATIC INSTALLATIONS During the period when OSWALD was in Mexico City - 27 September to 2 October 1963 - there were three bases set up to photograph visitors entering and leaving the Cuban and Sovéet diplomatic installations. Two bases - LIMITED and LILYRIC - were targetted against the main entrance into the Soviet compound; one base - LIONION - was targetted against the entrance to the Cuban Embassy. A second base to cover the street entrance to the Cuban Consulate was being established on 27 September. Until the 27th the entrance to the Cuban Consulate had never been covéred; in fact, the door had been closed from November 1962 until 7 August 1963 as a result of an incident in 1962 directed against the Cuban Embassy. Although records exist on the three above operations, the records are incomplete and are opty consistent only in their inconsistency. It is, for example, impossible to re- concile operational reporting with operational activity as shown ind the logs covering photographic surveillance of the Cuban and Soviet installations. SOVIET EMBASSY AND CONSULATE In 1963, the Soviet Embassy and Consulate were located (and still are) located at Calle Calzada Tabcucaya 204, Mexico City. A twenty-four guard protected the entrance to the compound. According to Agency records, the Embassy and Consulate were not open to the public; offices in the Soviet compound sould be visited by appointment only. Visitors rang the bell at the main entrance at all hours. Russian-speaking visitors were permitted to enter at any time; others were ‘usually turned away by the guard after normal working houss. Normal working hours during September 1963, when Lee Harvey OSWALD visited the Soviet Consulate, were from 0900 to 1800. Later, the hours for Mondays and Fridays were changed to 0900 to 1400 hours.
13-00000 | * 8 2 = (Memorandum for J. Lee RANKIN, 17 September 1964; subject: Hours of Work at Cuban and Soviet Consulates; Procedures and Regulations for Issuance of Cuban Visas; Mexican Con- trol of U. S. Citizens' Travel to and from Cuba. FOIA No. 846-362. Memorandum for J. Lee RANKIN, 19 May 1964; subject: same as above. See also MEXI-9332 (IN 77522), 6 May 1964. FOIA No. 683-291.) 4 PHOTOGRAPHIC COVERAGE @wc\abeok ) Oe Two ,camerashases, known as LILYRIC and LIMITED, were tar- getted against the main entrance to the Soviet compound. A . lotse(wanlote at) 2 Gathen third camera, LICALLA, Was targetted against the area behind the Embassy. According to HMMA- 1979 dated 18 November 1960 the LEEMPRY objectives of thet operation were to collect opera- tional information pertaining to LIMERICK personnel and phy-- sical facilities through the use of photographic base houses [surveillance]. Together with their extensive photo- graphic coverage of the LIMERICK target, the photographic bases also contributed other types of operational information: a a. LIMITED - This base compiled daily logs indicating all arrivals, departures, and, where possible, identities of every person visiting or working at the LIMERICK target. This information-.was particularly useful in keeping track of LIMERICK personnel and assis- ting with the identification of visitors to the installa- tion. Also, LIMITED maintained a summary attendance list of LIMERICK employees on a daily basis; this enabled the Station to ascertain quickly the presence or absence of an employee on any given day. Finally, one other sig- nificant service is nerformed bv this base, the radio - dispatching of the LIEMBRACE surveillance.team on LIM- ERICK personnel and targets of opportunity. LIMITED's photographic coverage was concentrated on visitors, as opposed to employees, to the LIMERICK installation. nod b. LILYRIC - This base's output of high-quality Clandestine photopraphs was in about the same quantity as the vear before. In addition, the base operator
13-00000 7 3 « prepared weekly reports on LIMERICK employees and their wives. LILYRIC also performed the assignment of noting and reporting the license plate numbers of al all cars bringing visitors to the LIMERICK installa- tion. LILYRIC photographs also were concentrated on visitors to the target, as opposed to employees. It should be noted that LILYRIC overated during the hours from daylight to 1400 hours each day of the week except Sunday. The LIMITED base maintained photographic coverage from 1400 hours to darkness each dav except Sunday. [Comment: An earlier statement in February 1957 indicated that the two bases operated at stageered hours without the knowledge of the other. - HMMA-6074, 6 February 1957.] Cc. LICALLA - The LICALLA base contributed to the collection of operational information through photo- graphic coverage of LIMERICK employees and their families. Also, the base operator supplied extremely worthwhile information pertaining to the apparent positions and jobs of the target employees. He accom- plished this objective by careful observation and analysis. LICALLA also maintained a daily attendance roster of all LIMERICK employees. LICALLA coverage of the target, both photographic and physical observations, enabled the Station to keep abreast of LIMERICK per- sonnel changes, a vital contribution to the Station's counterespionage effort. 7 _[HMMA-15979, 18 November 1960 - 50-06-74/1] The objectives of the three bases described above re- mained valid until at least 1964. Later project renewals usually referred to the 1960 dispatch in which the functions of the three bases were described in detail. [See HMMA-20052, 18 October 1962; HMMA-22387, 25 October 1963; HMMA-24650, 29 October 1964. - 50-06-74/1] |
13-00000 | ‘ «@ | « According to operational reporting, LIMITED operated from 1200 to 1800 or dary (as the daily situation dictated) on weekdays and 0900 to 1400 Saturdays. (These hours were subject to change to fit Station requirements.) Special coverage was arranged on a need basis; however, past ex- perience had shown regular coverage of Saturday afternoons and Sundays was not rewarding. (HMMA- 23343, 30 April 1964 - 50-06-74/3) The LILYRIC basehouse generally operated from 0900 to 1400 or 1500 on weekdays. This statement, however, does not coincide the record. LILYRIC records for the period in question do not exist. The logs for the LIMITED opera- tion indicate that LIMITED operated during the morning hours. On 27 September 1963, the log shows that the camera was operative from 1018 to 1146. On 30 September 1963 the camera was not operative, no reason given. And on 1 October a 1963, the camera took only one photograph at 1251. On 24 September 1964, the Station received information from Headquarters that an LIEMPTY project photograph, one of several supplied to the Warren Commission in November 1963, was to be published in the Warren Commission's final report. Since LIMERICK officials would undoubtedly be able to re- cognize the individual in the photographs. as a visitor to their installation and with a view towards the attendant possible security problems, the LICALLA, LILYRIC, and- LIMITED operations were suspended on 26 and 27 September and all photographic and other compromising equipment was removed from these basehouses. All. basehouse personnel were briefed in general on the situation and specifically on how to cope with any possible inquiries from government officials or LIMERICK inspired or prompted newsmen. Upon receipt by the Station of a copy of the photograph, it was determined that the LIMITED $4sehouse had provided the photograph in question. This consideration, linked with further analysis of the limi- tations upon any counteractions available to LIMERICK offi- cials, allowed the gation to re-activate the LICALLA and LILYRIC bases on a phased basis in early October 1964. (HMMA-24650, 29 October 1964; encl. p. 4 - §0-06-74/17)3
13-09000 Siw --5 - CUBAN EMBASSY AND CONSULATE In 1963, the Cuban Embassy and Consulate were located in their own compound at Calle Francisco Marquez 160. These installations had their own separate entrances. Visitors were able to enter the Cuban Consulate from 1000 to 1400, Monday through Friday. Embassy office hours were 0900 to 1700 on the same days. Visttors to the Embassy, however, usually appeared before 1400. Consulate hours are confirmed by a plaque beside the Consulate's street entrance, [See photograph of Consulate entrance.] and by Silvia DURAN [see her interrogation in Commission Exhibit 2121, p. 38, and Commission Exhibit 2123, p. 671, volume XXIV]; she added that also worked from 1600 to 1800. & PHOTOGRAPHIC COVERAGE =H | (vilakee The Photographic surveillance operation (known as LI- ONION) was set up in 1962 2f (1) “furnish photographic coverage during daylight hours of the entrances of the target installa- tion, (2)*aispatch physical survedtiance teams against per- sons associated with the target, and (3)° keep in readiness a listening post for the monitoring and recording of eventual ~ technical penetration operations of the target. Until Sep- tember 1963, the operation used one camera covering the main entrance to the Cuban Embassy compound. The operation pro- duved photographs of persons associated withnthe Cuban Embassy, both staff and visitors. Within hours"bf the arrival of a new embassy staff member, his photograph was in the hands of the Station. In addition to the identification of staff personnel and visitors, the photographs (accompanied by a log maintained by the LIONION agents) revealed patterns of action (arrivals and departures) and details of personal associations which were of great value to the Station in mounting operations against the target. LIONION covered the Cuban Embassy entrance from 0912 to 1355 on 27 September (24 photographs - first one at 0930; the last one at 1330); from 0915 to 1350 on 30 September (18
13-00000 | --6 - photographs - first taken at 0920; the last one at 1130); from 0905 to 1400 on 1 October (27 photographs - the first taken at 0945; the last one taken at. 1355). Although Agency records indicate that photographic cove- rage of the Cuban Embassy did not include the Cuban Consulate until October [MEXI-7098 (IN 69127), 27 November 1963 - FOIA No. 164-69], the Station had made the decision on 23 September 1963 to cover the Cuban Consulate street entrance (which had been closed from November 1962 to August 1963 as a result of an incident directed against the Embassy in 1962.) {See LIONION logs for 19 November 1962 and 7 August 1963.] [HMMA-22307, 18 October 1963 - 50-6-18] During the morning of 27 September, a Station officer installed a VLS2 Trigger Device at the LIERODE [sic - LIONION] basehouse and used the 500mm lens issued with this system, one 400mm Telyt, one reflex housing to be used with the Telyt adap- ted to fit the Robot Star camera, one Robot Star camera, one solenoid release for mounting and triggering the Robot Star camera, one Kodak K-100 adapted for single or burst type ex- posure, one solenoid release to be used with the K-100 (when this item was tested, the arm of the solenoid which attaches to the K-100 exposure lever did not fit properly and would stick when triggered by the solenoid... This. was corrected by remachining the screw position of the lever of the solenoid), one 152mm £/4 Cine Ektar lens, and two additional tripods. The base agent was requested to test the Robot Star camera for four days and the K-100 for another four days. [HMMA-22307, 18 October - $0-06-18] foot | In November 1963, the Station reported that during the first two weeks of operation, the VLS-2 would trigger traffic entering and @eaving the target entrance. Concerned with the consumption of film and the necessity of reloading the camera twice daily, the base agent devised a system whereby the VLS-2 would only photograph people leaving but not entering the tar- get building. His svstem worked about 80 percent of the time, cutting film consumption considerably. The base agent used the K-100 with a 152mm lens for one
13-09000 |. ; % oe . ~ be v] - day, turning in 10 feet of l6mm film. The Robot Star and the Telyt 400mm lens were being used with the VLS-2. The Robot Star camera given to the base agent broke down after four days of photographing. This camera was replaced by another Robot Star which also broke down five days later. (HMMA- 22433, 7 November 1963 - S0-06-32/6 & 50-06-18] The Station later decided to install a different type 6f camera. During the morning of 17 December 1963, a 35mm pulse camera and the VLS-2 trigger device. Although the had been . Cuban Consulate door ¥Ag¢ closed to the public for a period of six days for unknown reasons, tests were made using the pulse camera photographing people walking past the Consulate entrance. On the morning of 18 December 1963, the base agent reported that the Consulate door had been opened that day to the public and was receiving visitors as of 1010. The camera worked well and was photographing people entering and leaving the target. {HMMA-22726, 16 January 1964 - 50-06-18)