104-10396-10034] 3 e+ Assassination Records Review Board 600 E Street NW « 2nd Floor « Washington, DC 20530 (202) 724-0088 + Fax: (202) 724-0457 December 18, 1997 Mr. John Pereira Chief Historical Review Group Center for the Study of Intelligence Central Intelligence Agency - Washington, D.C..02505 Re: Status of CIA Responses to Assassination Records Review Board's Requests for Additional Information and Records Dear John: I am writing to follow-up on our telephone call earlier today and to convey my serious concern about the status of CIA’s responses to the Review Board’s requests for additional information and records. Although CIA has completed its responses to: several requests, and many others have been answered in part, a significant number of requests have not been answered — including some that were made more than two years ago. On many occasions we have been assured that responses would be forthcoming, only to have promised dates come and po without answers. It is now extremely important that these requests be answered promptly so that we may conduct a proper follow-up if necessary. The issues that we can now identify as being of the highest priority are identified in the text below by double asterisks (**)' and we request that they be answered within the next month. We request that the remaining requests. be answered by April 1, 1998. The remainder of this letter is divided into two parts: first, a listing of the formal requests for information and records, and second, a listing of the informal requests for information and records. Please let me know if your understanding of any of the following points differs from ours so that we can resolve any potential discrepancies. ‘As identified more fully below, the issues are: CLA-1 Organizational Material, CIA-6 Cables and Dispatches, CIA-13 Backchannel Communications, CIA-IR-03 HTLINGUAL Documents, CIA-IR-04 Disposition of Angleton Files, CLA-IR-07 Claude Barnes Capehart, CLIA-IR-15 Electronic “take” from Mexico City, CIA-IR-21 DRE Monthly Operational Reports, CLA-IR-22 “A” Files on Clay Shaw and Jim Garrison. Boaro Memsears: John A. Tunheim, Chair « Henry F. Graff « Kermit £. Hall « William Ll. Joyce + Anna K. Nefson
13-00000 Mr. John Pereira December 18, 1997 Page 14 CIA-IR-32. AMWORLD. The Review Board seeks information regarding the purpose of AMWORLD and its connection with the Cuban exile groups. The Review Board has been provided some information in regard to this request that appears to be incomplete. The CIA is now seeking additional information to. correct or to clarify its previous answers. The Review Board seeks an immediate, full, and accurate formal response to this request. Once the formal statement is provided, this request will be complete ae Conclusion Please let me know if you have any supplements or corrections to the lists above. We would very much like to ensure that these matters are handled expeditiously. As always, we appreciate your cooperation and assistance. cc: Assassination Records Review Board J. Barry Harrelson Linda Cipriani, Esq. Ye.
13-00000 ADMINISTRATIVE - INTERNAL USE ONLY a a 2 February 1998 MEMORANDUM FOR: Fredrick C. Wickham @ DO lee S Strickland @ MD John F. Pereira FROM: — J. Barry Harrelson JFK Project Officer OFFICE: OIM/HRP SUBJECT: ARRB Requests - Priorities REFERENCE: ARRB letter dtd 18 Dec 1997, Status of ARRB Request for Additional Information i have been advised by the ARRB staff that an updated “Status of Requests" letter will be sent to the Agency early next week The following requests will be listed as priorities to be completed in February: - CIA-14 Mexico City Station Annual Reports (DO) CIA-IR-06 QKENCHANT ; (DO) CIA-IR-08 "Family Jewels" (DCIARO and DO) CIA-IR-09 George Bush (DO, DA, DCI/IRO) CIA-IR-11 Warren Commission Critics (DA, DO) CIA-IR-27 Security Files for Five Individuals | (DA) CIA-IR-32 AMWORLD (DO). | have partial responses to some of these requests; call me if you have questions or need the status of your response. cc: [ |@ DO Becky L. Rant @ DA Kathryn |. Dyer @ DA (bee: Bonnie K. Hunter-Y-) Sent on 2 February 1998 at 01:26:47 PM ADMINISTRATIVE - INTERNAL USE ONLY
13-00000 ow MEMORANDUM FOR: .FROM: OFFICE: SUBJECT: REFERENCE: SECRET - ad * CL BY: (0232058, CL REASON: Section 1.5¢ DECL ON: X1 DAV FRM: HUM 2-82 6 August 1998 Gary M. Breneman-Y- Je DO AIRO/DO (C) CIA IR 32 - AMWORLD Description of AMWORLD as requested. Original Text Original Text CL BY:[013872 CL REASON: Section 1.5C DECL ON: X1 pay FAM: HUM 2-82 From the Desk off Y NOTE FOR: FROM: Y- OFFICE: Toy voOTNorrnD DATE: 08/05/98 02:06:16 PM SECRET
13-00000 - SECRET > . . « SUBJECT: (C) CIA IR 32 - AMWORLD (C) In response to the AMWOLD follow-up questions posed by the AARB: "Was part of ihe program to put in place a government in exile? “Was there ever a government in exile? ! would offer the following as some suggested language. (C) "Based on file reviews and recollections from officers involved in the Cuban program, there was never a Cuban Government in Exile. During the planning for the Bay of Pigs operation it was envisaged that after the invasion site had been secured, Miro Cardona and the Cuban Revolutionary Council would be flown to the area to establish a new Cuban Government. The invasion site was never secured. {C) "The AMWORLD Project, begun well after the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion and after the release of Manuel Artime Buesa and other Bay of Pigs veterans from Cuban prisons, was designed to support and unite several Cuban exile groups under the control of Artime in an effort to enhance the cohesion of the exiles and augment Artime's capability to launch propaganda and paramilitary attacks against the Cuban mainland. The overall mission of AMWORLD was to foment a popular unrising in.Cuba which could lead to the ultimate overthrow of Fidel Castro. There is no evidence that AMWORLD’'s mission even remotely came close to fruition and no evidence that a projected government in exile was ever considered as a viable option." Cc: Sent on 5 August 1998 at 02:06:16 Pi cc: Sent on 6 August 1998 at 10,47,47 SECRET
13-00000 . rt | ; aed a eet _° y, ro gee A ’ bt BL %. 18 September 1998 MEMORANDUM FOR: Laura Denk Executive Director, ARRB FROM: J. Barry Harrelson JFK Project Officer, HRP/OIM SUBJECT: ARRB Request CIA-IR-32, AMWORLD 1. The following is responsive to referent request. 2. AMWORLD was a project designed to support and unite several Cuban exile groups under the control of Manuel Artime Buesa. Its purpose was to try to enhance the _ cohesion of the various exile groups and provide Artime more capability to launch propaganda and paramilitary attacks against the Cuban mainland, the ultimate goal being to cause a popular uprising in Cuba which would overthrow Fidel Castro’s: communist oriented dictatorship. 3. AMWORLD did not start until after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and after the release of Artime and other invasion veterans from Cuban prisons. The goals and mission of AMWORLD, of course, were never fully recognized and the idea of Cuban government in exile not realized. 4. This completes our work on this request. If you have any questions, please advise. ;