-~ 19 B - not pitched because the Station (Mexico City Station) could not identify any of her weaknesses." (HSCA inter- view of David Phillips, 8/3/78, p- 8, 9) Mr. Phillips ‘was then told about LITAMIL 9's statement that all that would have to be done to recruit Duran was to get a blonde, blue-eyed American in bed with the little pita. (Pita is a Spanish term for whore.) ( ) At that point, Mr. Phillips admitted that it sounded Like Duran had been targeted, that the Station's ‘interest had been substantial and that the weaknesses and means had been identified. (Ibid., p- 9) Mr. Phil- ea lips pointed out, however, that because Duran had been targetted did not necessarily mean that she had been pitched. (Ibid., p. 9.) In addition, he had not heard that Duran had been pitched. (Ibid., p. 9.) Another CIA employee, : worked on an "Oswald Task Force" in late September or. early October of 1975 dealing with 2 or 3 FOIA suits 1. brought against the agency concerning the files on Lee Harvey Oswald) stated that he believed that Duran had been an agency source. His decision was based on a re- view of Oswald's 201 file, possibly because of the agency's attempts after the assassination to protect Duran. (HSCA Interview of Dan Neiscuir, 8/29/78, p.-l.) + gee
- 19 C - Despite Mr. Phillips and Mr. state- ments, the Committee cannot definitely resolve whether Duran was a Central Intelligence Agency agent. ii. Was Silvia Duran a Cuban Intelligence Agent? An an effort to resolve this question, the HSCA reviewed the United States investigative agencies' files on Silvia Deran. The Committee found no evidence in | the files that linked Ms. Duran with Cuban intelligence. In addition, the House Select Committee on Assas~ sinations interviewed most of the Mexico City Station's employees about the allegation. Only Barney Hidelgo, a CIA operative who worked in Mexico City in 1963, con- sidered the allegation a possibility. Mr. Hidalgo, not professing to remember all the details, stated that he thought that Duran was a Cuban intelligence agent. (HSCA testimony of Barney Hidelgo, 8/10/78, p- 16.) Hidelgo said: - “Wat the time when this contact told me of Silvia Duran I tied the two together, yes, sir. I don't know, how at that time it was obvious to me as an intelligence agent that there was some connection there put it was of no interest whatsoever to me, . I do remember that when I next saw this
- 19 D- contact of mine I mentioned the fact to him and let him proceed to do whatever he wanted to." (Ibid., p. 16.) Mr. Hidelgo further stated that he never resolved the issue. (Ibid., p. 6.) With no corroborating evidence for Mr. Hidelgo's memory, the Committee must conclude that Silvia Duran was probably never employed by Cuban intelligence.
The Americans remained together the entire evening and did not dance. When Elena tried to speak with the Americans, she was “shifted" to another room by one of her cousins. (Ibid.) The memo does not state whether Elena had mentioned which cousin had not allowed her to speak to the Americans.) One of Elena's cousins told her at the time that (he or she) did not know who the Americans were except that Silvia Duran (an employee of the Cuban Embassy and the wife of Horatio Duran), had brought them to the party. The day after the party, Elena and Deba saw the three Americans on the Insurgentes, a main avenue in Mexico City. (Ibid.) The Garros claimed that they had recognized Oswald's photograph when it was published after the assassination. (Ibid.) Silvia Duran's ar- rest “underlined the Garros' certainty" that the man had been Lee Harvey Oswald. (iIbid.) The source of the memo was a witting Central In- telligence Agency asset known by the cryptonym ‘ I whom the Committee identified as June Cobb Sharp while receiving file. According to Elena, Ms. Cobb was sent to her house shortly after the assassina- tion for a few days, by a mutual friend, a Costa Rican writer named Eunice Odio. (CIA No.'2 580-583, Wx-7241,
‘Entry #427, p. 92, CIA #719.) Ms. Garro asserted that while at her house, Ms. Cobb expressed interest in the Kennedy assassination. (Ibid.) One night Elena's sister Deba, who was visiting, got drunk and told the whole story. (Ibid.) Claiming to be a CIA agent, Cobb - suggested that Elena and Deba go to Texas to tell their story. (Ibid.) Elena stated that when Cobb's suggestion was rejected, Cobb stated that she would arrange a meet- ing with the CIA Station Chief. (Winston Scott was the Mexico City Station Chief in 1964.) The meeting did not occur because Ms. Cobb was asked to leave the Garro house evidently because she kicked Elena's cat. (CIA Nots 580-583; Wx7241, Entry #427, p. 42, CIA #719.) #A notation on the memo says that never regained contact with Elena Garro de Paz. (Wx7241, p. 94, ‘Entry #430, CIA #721; Blind Memo dated 10/5/64, CIA #576.) The| _——_—s|memo was not inserted in either the Elena Garro or Lee Harvey Oswald "pb" (personality) files but in a local leftist and Cuban project file. The Com- mittee learned about the memo from Wx-7241, a chronolo-_ gical history of the Oswald case prepared by Anne Good- pasture for the CIA in 1976.) The memo was found in De- cember, 1965. (See Wx 7241, p. 94, CIA #721.) Stanley Watson found the memo. A marginal notation on Wx7241] | on ne
~ 2? - says, "Why was this not sent to Headquarters?" (p. 37,- CIA #714.) The Committee has been able to determine that the memo was forwarded to headquarters shortly thereafter. October 12, 1964 CIA Memo for the Record On October 12, 1964 the Chief of Covert Action, wrote a memo for the record reporting that Elena Garro de Paz had told the story to euniee Odio. (The Committee has not been able to determine if Elena Garro told Ms. Odio the story personally or. if Ms. Cobb related to Ms. Odio what Elena had told her) who relayed it to "Tichborn" (Tichborn was Henry P. Lopez's cryptonym. Mr. Lopez was 4 witting asset who wrote propaganda pieces for the CIA. After care- ful review of his CIA file, the HSCA has not been able to establish a link from Mr. Lopez to either Ms. Odio or Ms. Garro) on 10/9/64.-. (10/12/64 memo, CIA #596, Wx7241, p. 87, CIA #714.) The story is not as detailed as the 10/5/64 ver- sion. There is no mention of Deba Garro Guerrero Gal- van. The story, perhaps because it is third hand, dif- fers from the previous story in two areas: the party was at. the Cuban Embassy, not at Ruben Duran's; Elena talked to a Cuban Embassy official, not one of her