eax otter? 20 January 1998 CIA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS RELEASE IN FULL MEMORANDUM FOR: (U) Chief, JFK Declassification Project/HRP/OIM/DA 2000 FROM: (U) Fredrick C. Wickham, Jr. Chief, External Support Group/IMS/DO Central Intelligence Agency SUBJECT: (U) DO Response to Formal Request CIA #13 REFERENCE: (U) ARRB’s Memorandum dated 18 December 1997, RE: Status of CIA Responses to . , Assassination Records Review Board’s Requests for Additional Information and Records (U) This memorandum is submitted in response to formal request number 13 (CIA #13) from the Assassination Records Review Board. **CIA-13 Mexico City Backchannel Communications a. (C) In the question-and-answer segment of the Directorate of Operations Records briefing follow-on of 1 April 1997, the backchannel/privacy topic was covered. First, a distinction needs to be made between backchannel and privacy channel. b. (S) In 1959-1964 the term “backchannel” applied to non-Agency communications through Agency communications facilities; that is, as utilized by senior officials, including the President, of other U. S. Government agencies. c. (S) Senior Agency officials conceivably could communicate -- through “privacy channels” -- without coordinating the cable with Western Hemisphere/Latin America Division, but it would still be in cable format, addressed “Eyes Only COS,” and would be sent and received through regular Office of Communications facilities. Agency officers frequently -- but erroneously —- interchanged the terms “back channel” and “privacy channel.” CL BY 2103140 CL REASON: 1.5(c) DECL ON: Xl DRV: MIS 5-82 53217 DoclId:32404567 Page 7
SUBJECT: DO Response to Formal Request CIA #13 d. (S) Unfortunately, there is no way of retrieving these cables through a reasonable search using any generic or specific term. Cables were not captured by any organized filing process and were not placed in official files. Therefore, there are no indices or other indicators that could be used to search for them. Because copies that may have been retained were unofficial files, there were no retention policies. SECRET HW 53217 DBocld: 32404567 Page @
‘AW 53217 M10/28/97 TUE 16:37 FAX 202 724 0457 ARRB Zjoo1 FAX TRANSMISSION 202-724-0068 Fax: 202-724-0457 To: - Barry Harrelson — Date: October 28, 1997 Fax #: 703-613-3063 | Pages: 3, including this cover sheet. From: Michelle Combs | | Subject: Backchannel Communications DECLASSI ES tM TO COMMENTS: a INTHE Boe Cia INFORMATION Barry, As we discussed, please note the description of a “privacy” or “back” channel in Dewey _Clarridge’s A Spy For All Seasons. Admittedly, Clarridge is discussing the mid-1980's but this channel was not mentioned during our agency briefings. Did such a channel exist in 1959-64?. -How was it used? How did it work? Are any cables sent via this channel recoverable today? As you know, we are particularly interested in any communications to and from Moscow, Mexico City, and JMWAVE. ; Information « on.“back” channels is the subject of our Request for Additional Information and Records N ‘No. CIA-13 of November 1, 1996.<If you wish, an additional formal request focusing on “back” channels as a broader issue can be sent. Thanks for your help. Michelle DoclId: 327404567 Page 9
202 724 0457 ARRB —_ a ___ 002 _ Duane R. Clarridge | with Digby Diehl A LISan Drew Book SCRIBNER a 53217 -— DocId: 32404567 Page 10
Kioo3 10/28/97 TUE 16:38 FAX 202 724 0457 ARRB ra oes "A SPY FOR ALL SEASONS . North set himself up in my outer office. He needed access to our secure communications with Lisbon to work on the landing rights prob- ‘lem. I sent the cables via my “privacy” or “back” channel to Lisbon. A privacy channel is the way a division chief communicates with his chiefs on matters that are particularly sensitive—usually personnel matters. Cables in this channel] are supposed to be destroyed on both ends after nincty days. Knowing this, | asked my secretary to set up a special file for these cables, separate from the regular files, to have a record of events. [ ' did this because I still clearly recalled Ted Shackley’s admonition to me. In 1977, Shackley was the associate deputy director -for operations (ADDO). He gave me advice, saying, “When you support another agency, keep a detailed record, because when it all goes south, guess who’s holding the sack,” oe . This was a Friday morning, and Casey, McMahon, and Clair George were all away from Washington. Ed Juchniewicz, the ADDO, was run- ning the Directorale of Operations. A copy of all incoming and outgoing divisional back-channel cable traffic is sent to the office of the deputy director of operations; thus Juchniewicz and his staff had full access to our communications between Washington and Lisbon. The DDO and ADDO read the divisional back-channel traffic first every day, unless some other crisis took precedence. What was going on was so unusual it must have been brought to Juchniewicz’s attention immediately. At North's behest 1 contacted our chief in Lisbon, telling him to pull out all the stops to secure landing rights for the El Al aircraft. My efforts were not isolated—the Hight was nearing the turnaround point and North was trying anything he thought would work. Bud McFarlane was yanked from a meeting with Presidents Reagan and Gorbachev in Switzerland to place a call to the Portuguese foreign minister to see if he could get the needed clearance. It was all in vain; the EK] Al plane had to turn around. Once the aircraft returned to Israel, North had to figure out an alternative means to get his shipment to Iran, Even if landing rights had eventually been securcd in Lisbon, the El Al 747 was no longer available to fly the cargo there. The shipment was stuck in Tel Aviv. The problem rattled on through Friday, the twenty-second. North wanted Lisbon to contact his confederate Richard Sccord, who was going by the alias Richard Copp, to see about arranging other transportation. For. me this episode was the first time Secord’s name had surfaced—I'd _never heard of him before. When it became clear to North that Secord could not solve the problem from the Lisbon end, Ollie asked me, “Can you recommend an aircraft charter company that can provide a couple of 707s to get this stuff out of Israel?” Ol a 312 alas WW 53217 Docld:327404567 Page
MEMORANDUM FOR: FROM: ‘SUBJECT: (U) 1. and Records No. CSI-0359/96 8 November 1996 CIA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS Fred Wickham (FoU0) RELEASE IN FULL DO Focal Point for 2000 JFK Board John F. Pereira Chief, Historical Review Group Request No, CIA-13 from JFK Board Attached is “Request for Additional Information CIA-13 (Backchannel Communications)”, which was received from the Assassination Records Review Board on 7 November 1996. The request is for access to material about back channel communications related to Mexico City, JMWAVE, or Headquarters during certain periods in 1963. (U) 2. to this request. Please advise how you would like us to respond We are ‘asked to make the information available by 1 December. Attachment HW 53217 DBocld:32404567 Page 13 _- J frcrceis John F. Pereira POR-OFFLCIAL USE ONDY
wo 7 fan —_ Assassination Records Review Board 600 E Street NW - 2nd Floor « Washington, DC 20530 (202) 724-0088 + Fax: (202) 724-0457 CIA HAS NO OBJECTION TO DECLASSIFICATION AND/OR RELEASE OF CIA INFORMAT - November 1, 1996 IN THIS DOCUMENT Mr. John Pereira Director Historical Review Group Center for the Study of Intelligence Central Intelligence Agency — . Washington, DC 20505 Re: . Request for Additional Information and Records No. CIA-13 (Backchannel Communications) Dear John: We request your assistance in obtaining access to information and records of possible pertinence to the John F. Kennedy assassination. We request that you provide information to answer the following queries: 1. What forms of backchannel communications were there between the Mexico City Station (including the COS), JMWAVE, or Headquarters during 1963? By “backchannel” we mean, inter alia, any administrative, senior staff, or restricted access communications, or any written or electronic communications other than regular cables or dispatches (of the type included in the JFK Collection). 2. Were there, in fact, any backchannel communications between the Mexico City Station (including the COS), JMWAVE, or Headquarters during the time periods 27 Sept - 16 Oct 1963 and 22 Nov - 30 Nov 1963? 3. To the extent that there were any backchannel communications for the time periods 27 Sept - 16 Oct 1963 and 22 Nov - 30 Nov 1963 (other than those currently contained in the JFK Collection), please make such records available for review. These requests should be interpreted in their broadest reasonable sense. To the extent that you question whether a particular record is encompassed by our request, please let us know and we can advise you whether we seek to include it. Board Memsers: John R. Tunheim, Chair + Henry F. Graff - Kermit L. Hall - William L. Joyce « Anna K. Nelson Executive Director: David G. Marwell HW 53217 Docld:32404567 Page 14
Mr. John Pereiera November 1, 1996 Page 2 We request that you make this information available to us by December 1, 1996. If this does not provide you with sufficient time, please let us know, in writing, by what date you believe you will be able to answer the questions fully. In requesting access to these materials, we are not designating them “assassination records” and we are not, at this time, requesting that copies be given to the Review _ Board. , Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely Yours, David G. Marwell ay Executive Director HW 53217 DBoctld:32404567 Page 15