404-10103-10874 ‘ ‘ Wad Osh ds 3 é ] \ We at Ww y, 20 December 1973 MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD SUBJECT: E. Howard Hunt _ l. I spoke with Fig Coleman about Hunt's assignment to Spain, I had spoken with him back in August when we were inquiring into reported activities involving Mrs. Hunt. 2. Coleman said that he got out of the War College in May 1964 (by which he fixed the time), and took over the Iberian desk. Bill Ryan was C/EUR (or was it WE Division at the time). In early autumn Ryan said that he had just been inf rmed by the DDP (Karamessines) © that Hunt was to be assigned te lias DCOS, as a directed assign- - ment by Helms. A memo was prepared and sent to the COS, [| (now retired). There was nothing further for about a month when Ryan called Coleman in and showed him a RYBAT letter fro ‘stating that Ambassador Stanley J. Woodward would not have Hunt in the Embassy. 3. Woodward had been the Ambassador to Uruguay when Hunt was COS Montevideo. He had a low opinion of Hunt and was counting the days until Hunt left. The President of Uruguay visited President Eisenhower in the States, at which time he requested a personal favor-~- that Hunt be reassigned to Montevideo. -So Hunt took another tour. Woodward was outraged, and_had his revenge in 11964 when Hunt was to be sent as DCOS to, 4, After a couple of months--early 1965--Ryan called Coleman in and, observing that there was more than one way to skin a cat, told him that Hunt was going to Spain under nonofficial cover. This didn't require anything special, Ryan saying that he didn't know much about it. It came to him from Karamessines on Helms! order. Hunt was to have the telephone number of the COS, but he would do nothing for the station. Hunt was to submit administrative vouchers for reimbursement of his expenses and they were to be paid. Coleman said he never saw Hunt before he went out. He knows that there was _ .no operational reporting, to indicate that Hunt was doing anything. a, ree me cm ye . meus “ed a oach karound : J Aa i oe ee Do Not Reps OL uS tL | re \ “> No \
14-00000 1 te The vouchers were not large, although the documentation was poor. Coleman raised the question with Ryan about his signing off, and Ryan said he could talk to Karamessines if he wished. Because Coleman had a close personal association with Karamessines he did just that. He was told by Karamessines that he didn't know much about it either--''Helms said send him out.'' He was instructed to go ahead. 5. In early July 1966 (4 July) Coleman went to Madrid. He had a ten day turnover wit | Hunt had already gone and he did not see him. said he didn't know what Hunt did, but that Coleman need not worry because he was gone. 6. Several months ag was at a seminar at which Ambassador Woodward was also present. At the time he asked about Hunt. Woodward said it might still be dragged into the press, Tad Szulc had been after Woodward about the Hunt assignment to Spain. Coleman observed that Szulc did have a long article on Hunt in the New York Times, and the Spain assignment was mentioned, but without any conclusions as to its sigificance. 7. Coleman said the RYBAT file of C/EUR may have something on the event, but not much. A letter out and the reply, but not much more. S. D. Breckinridge ~ 2 = . or rr weet! tad ip Wese sista C# a : Ko?