104-10054-10287 10 Feb 77 Source: Hotes made by A. Goodpesture for John Leader, IG Staff Subject: Background on Mexico Station Support Assets (Coverage of Soviet and Cuban Enbassies) 1. (Unilateral | coverage. From the time the Mexico St ation was opened in April 1947 \(by Bill Doyle) until arrival of Win Seott as COS in 1958, Charles Anderson III (still in LA/HQ) had developed a support apparatus to ae exploit leads from the Soviet Embassy. This umbrella type project (LIFEAT ) sd surveillance team and a mail intercept operation. . : 7 . oe Be -Fhone taps were placge¢s® es ee of the F ths telsphons soasan Rotana of we FEA | Sino Was) handled, fsr=p (pseudo). The number of lines - tapped ae consisted of maltd Line Phone taps, three photo site By availability of a listening post nearby (since the taps were not made in the main central) and English/ Spanish (Soviet, Polish, Czech, ete) transcribers. Generally | these agents (mostly Mexican or Mexican American) were related (which the station at that time felt was good security i in that 4f they telked: about’ shop,’ they would talk to each other.) - be Three photo sites were handled by Anderson with the help ‘of Harry Mahoney (retired, living in Chicago) end TDY TSD people checking the best type of camera, film, and concealment devices, These had sub-cripts under LIFEAT (LIMITED, LILYRIC, and LICALLA). L IMITED was a fixed site bang opposite across the street from the front gate of the Soviet Embassy which had both a vehicle and foot entrance. The Soviet gate was on the NorthWest corner.of their compound and LIMITED was diagonally across a double barrelled street on the Souths ‘ So ja WS wor eats ic. i J | pPKeose
14-00000 , Bs: prem) that block. LIMITED was the first bese ard it operated strictly on an ex-erimentel besis in the early stages, I think the Mexi Station bought one storey this property (a/Sranish Colonial stone house) through LIMOUSINE (check to be sure). Later this house began to fall apart. This base was closed when the Station got word thet the photo of "uniden man" was being released to the public by the Warren Commission. The photo operators were moved to another apt nearby. The property vas sold (under an operational agreement with LIMOUSINE for a long term lease on the top floor of a new apartment bidding to be built .to LIMITED. on this site). - LILYRIC was planned @s an alternate AN It was in an upper storey (3ra floor -check) on th Kewate of the street as LIMITED but. in the ‘middle of the block ae NS had a slantéd view of the front gate of the Soviet Enbas AOA pknts in LIMITED and LILYRIC (both Mexican fanilies) as fer 2S all 2 not acquainted with each other, LILYRIC was a | rented rR RB LICALLA, ‘the third photo site, was Located in one of a row of four houses on the South side of the Soviet Embassy compound | which the Mexico Station purchased in about 1958 (check date), also using LIMOUSINE as the purchaser (check). This site overlooked the back garden of the Soviet Enbassy compound. The purpose of this operation wes to get good identification photographs of the Soviet personnel (who at thet time were largely unidentified in Mexico Station records), The three photo sites were handled by (Remon Alvarez) (Mexican citizen of U.S. mother who taught elerentary level at } 2 a (the American School School). _ Ranon'gollected the film gekckesiemucbem tn from LIMITED and LILYRIC three times a week. His sister's husband, (Carlos | (Hex ican doctor) developed and printed the film into 8x10 contact print strips. The master plan was for LICALLA film to ve processed, “inside, SD man from 1957 to 1959 \(Harper } | Holt)— resigned) could not handle the volume and as the unprocessed film began to accumulate, the ‘inside CO (Hehoney) became disgusted and took the filn out for (Ramon 's} brother-in-law to process (probably early 1959). Thus Razion | became the handler for all three photo hases. A sensitive staff D monitoring operation oF GE004 65 4 — *
14-00000 was run out of another ohne of these houses (eryot for the four houses ves LIZUST, 1, etc). This was hasdled by Glen WIDDEN (outside TSD officer) and Mahoney usi a7 HQ TDL teams for monitoring. ‘This operation vas also separate from Lic CALLA. The two houses in between were rented to unsusvecting tenants. a Ce -Hobile surveillance was developed oy Anderson and later placed under Mahoney and Joseph Sancho. This bean consisted of a half . dozen or so agents who used three to four late model cars end a panel truck (which could be used on stake outs for photo coverae). The plan + was to activate this group by radio ‘(from LIMITED BASE) Soviet when someone of interest left the/Embassy gate a & with then untdl they made their meetings. | nak | BASE beéause they had -~: ) about the niddle of 1958 (cheek date) This’ vorked, feqt ae when one of Aaa agents got too close to his target and was arrested by the Mexican transit police and turned over to the Mexican Secret Service. By the time the Station could arrange through a cleared attorney to bail hin out (Fudd Austin of the Goodrich, ) _ {Little “and snd Riqueine Fira), the agent. had identified Sancho (who was es ate, evacuated across the border at Nogales by Bob Shaw) and the inside—— ° | phone number of Mahoney (who was subsequently replaced by Louis oo Puckett). As a result of this flap, the LIFFAT project was broken up into several others. The acents were not changed but vere given ; Frank oe new crypts. /Estancona and (Peggy Mi Haggard) replaced Andersan in handling the (unilateral) phone taps. Puckett replaced Mahoney and handled the surveillance team (LIENTRAF) and the photo bases through Remon. a. LIBIGHT was the erypt used for al unilateral (originally); mail intercept handled a by ¢ Charlie Anderson HII, — agent (Hexdean) had nn eee a semi official fiicias § 1 : fe ete gy aertn eee se  Rare pte ere OUASFESHRONEDT SNIS '
14-00000 , the. airport. 2 as well as file: ‘searches of names 8 De ( The Mexican in control }(LIELEGANT) was inexperienced, old, and greedy. His a fa sub-agent in the postal s systen (I think at the airport)} His case officers fonso Spera; — were Lster/Puckett, Rovert . Peldnann, and Alan White. 2. ‘Ladson coverage was un> eliable and. insecure as characterized by the nature or f ithe Mex! ‘exi dan services lat that time. (The Nexiean_ Mexican DRS (Direction of Federal ) (Security)? with which we dealt was a ; hip pocket group | run out of 4 the 1¢ Ministry | TY (or Gove manent _ This Wnistry spent a major part of its ti time. on control of} arg a foreigners and political A nvestigations, Their azents were ‘vicioas, venal,\ Seared i (corrupt “extortionists Robert ‘Melbérg) establ ished contact with one of them eae . — (later LIFIRE group) in about 1950 or 51. He gave them some training (a group of about five surveillance types) fin travels we rol working } gNite, the files sen, however, some useful pended upon. was ol, @ and Fenained | in Mexico), Mahoney, Thomas were poorly organized and often inaccurat ayn* infornation was developed but it replaced by Paid Boettinggs a Hazlitt, and Rosert Fetal : During 1958, Win Scott met socially some of the {chronies of the} eee Ee Dare _ Mexican President elect, “Adolfo Lopes } Mateos} During this period, the U.S. Ambassador Robert C. Hill (reflecting the policy of then Sec State J.F. Dulles) was energetic in organizing groups to "fight communism". One of these seeds a grew into a proposal Miguel “Aleman (jr. son of former Mexi President), acting/ 0 pee a for Lovez Mateos, made to Win ‘Scott fo for a joint telephone tap operation) This HOPES EMEOS 9 a project (LIENVOY) went through about four distressing years of a shakedown. son m Grnee®) was a nasterpiece of deceit and corruption. ‘LIE LEGANT also anipulated cor: trol over the principal agent of LIBIGHT {mail intercept ‘The first case officer was~-Alfonso Spera inside with ;Turner: Smith (retired) outside and John (TSD training officer for surveillance an 4 head of the listening . post where thirty telephone lines would connect as well és a transcription room le ee ce a a A OT 2 AOR == ye ae ee meng Ree so genre ne meena +
14-00000 Mowis sb) Initielly the station tried to net every denand/nade by the Mexicans: Both (Gnith] ena John hed language difficulties and personal problems associated with being outside the stetion /so thet the Me exicans) a f Lo eee were virtuelly uncontrollasle, spendi ¢ money as they pleased, squirrelling away } ont equipment at enormous costs, and neglecting their part of the bargain{in the | ( Production of transcripts or placing taps which we wanted.] Spera was replaced fre ‘by Jack Brady who found himself in the same pincer novenent of Raving 8 scott a ee ee Finally when’ the cost became exhorbitant and there was Little to show for it, the. project was reva:ped. | (Sait) ana John returned to the U.S.@ynd were replaced e post to naintain a transfer. by a TSD officer, Churles Flick, who was “put ‘inside | wicer meeting with LIELEGANT. ‘Brady was reassigned to other dutig the equipnent. fs Scott took over the project ce Flick for routine supervision ipts and teres. Goodpasture hed no - Gealinge with the a. Mepe when Scott was ill or out of tow. Generally, all decisions were made by Scott. This was about late 1961. - 3. My nenory isa little vague about the origins of the Cuban Enbassy but I think the staff first developed from a pro-Castro group celebrating on New Years eve 1959. As I recall, it was a nakeshift arrangerent of volunteers | through most of 1960 and 61 with Tom Hazlitt producing voluminous reports on their ectivities and recruitirg agents right and left anong Cuban nationals in Mexico City. bye Personnel. assignments. of interest to us now is who was in Mexico during the period prior to Oswald's visit and the subsequent investigation by the Warren Commission. To determine who vas there and what they were doing I heave grouped persons tozether chronologically with areas of their assignment covering from 950) to 1969 so thet Bean nanes pop up, one cen tell what ty period they were in Mexico and their assignments vat t the time. ernie ite tytn Pettitte ct teen stir erent sea e-
14-00000 q ye SURE Ld -_ CN f 8/56-6/69 COS” Winston H. Scott (deceased) - 6 - 7. + Sasa See stie in } 56 = 4/62 Thomas Haz] nS —— 2/60 ~ 4/62 (Back Stews Steva Potired Costa nies) \ | ; we - 10/68 Joseph Piccolo © 20/85, - (22167 Poser} Haggard) SOVIET TARGET - | 5/57. - 1 59 Louise Lyon Gated) fee ~ 1/67 Prentice Marheine’ (es) 1/59- 8/65 (Herbert Manel] Chief — (retired 2) /59 - 8/65 )Parbara Manell i ae - Outside CO /6, - 7/66 Willian Bright ,/65 - 11/67 Cynthia Hausmann - f/65 - 7/57 Alice Pittinger /65 - 4/69” Paul Dillon Chief © SOVIET TP ANSCRIBERS ; 6/56 ~ 8/58. Morris Gordon (resigned) 6/58 ~ 6/63 . George Misko — 6/63 = 70 Boris Tarasoff (retired in Mexico) ~ GOVERT ACTION - 9/63 - 7/65 Ray Swider poos | 38 ~ 7/58 Alfonso Rodriguez (retired) 10/58 - 12/62 (retired) a 63 ~ 9/65 an White (retired)-~ _ 210/85 - ~ 1969 Stanley Watson (retired in Mexico) - Prior to 1954} Hows Howard’ Hu Hunt (retired) 12/54/— 7/58 (Williard Hill) (resigned) 12 56 - 9/61 tannard Short. (retired) — . Chief P 9/éL. -3 él, David Phillips C/(retired) - 5 8/62 ~.9/64. { [Asst ~ i 2/64, - 6/65 James Flannery C/ (retired) — . 9/64 - 11/66 Harold Dalghren Asst S|. ‘i0f 65 - 1967. a C/ tse) 66 - 68) CUBA OPERATIONS we ~ 4/65° ‘Boo Shaw Chier —= 29 (9 . 5/65 Lorna Mackay (atind) _ éfes David Phillips Chief na tane d =~ AE AAI A ote Be A et Of AIRSET Ede R eee HEM, nos dele HL eee ne nen + tee CEO04¢9 oo . ane wroaee am:
14-00000 SUPPORT ASSETS (Uatlateral) phono teps | | 1949\~- 1961 Cherles Anderson III Chief {49-7137 Outside CO 5/55 \- 4/60 (Peggy Maygerd)Asst David WILSTFD (ps) ~ 1/62 Frank EStancona Chief retired in Mexico: ” 2/60 - 10/64 Thomas Keenan ~ Of 64, - 12/67 Hickael Farmer Aomemmretin ar i Og ee (Unilateral) photo Cubans 6/59 - 4/64 Robert Zanbernarai (resigned Mexico) 159 ~ 6/62 Cian Sees Rh retired) (Unilaterel ral \photo Soviets OO CONS . - 4/59 Harry '. Mahoney — x a * 56-68 Outside Agent - A Ca en (retired Chicako) _ 5/57 ~ 8/64 A. Goodpasture ( and internals 6/58 - 6/63 Louis D. , “Pu 6/63 - 10/62 Thomas Keenayw* e 65 - 66 William Bright | gh)e> . %b/6s Jaawkh - Liaison) phone taps (1959 ~ 1969 Winston Scott (deceased) 1959 ~ 1960 Alfonso Spera (retired) 1959 - 1960 {Turner Smith) (outside, now retired) 1959 - 1960 ‘Jo (Training rept resigned) 1960- 1961 John Brady (retired) 1962 - 1968 A. Gcodpasture -- 1961 - 1971 Charles Flick (outside TSD Staff Agent - retired) — (Lyaison| - surveillance (Prio® 195: (Robert MeBberg )(retired) 3/54 - 4/59 “Harry Mahoney (retired) 4/59 -~ 1961 Thomas Hazlitt 12/62 - 9/67 Robert Feldmann TSD Outside unit L/58.- 12/63 Glen Widden (retired) — é/59 -4/64 Joseph =. Resigno (ps) Unit blown and clesed dow = 0200479
14-00000 “About nid 1962 (check de ate) LIVivoy Gutside vex rept pasa} (for thel telephone nunbers of the Soviet, Cuban, and Satellite Exbassies. (uitth this forewarning,) LIFEAT (unilateral coverage) was (disconnected. However") [as I recall, the _Mexicans Jeonnected 5 Cuban lines, 5 Soviet dines, 3 Czech, Se er HE re 2 Polish, ‘ond 1 Yugoslav line. The. basehous e@ listening post had : a live reo: nonitor who made short summaries of interesting conversations for a daily resume which was received each day around 8 aon. (passed by Flick to Goodrasture to get to Scott before 9. a.m.) Later (when the reel was completely recorded) me way, however, full transcripts were typed and passed to the station in Joe there wes usually 2 time leg of a day or so.” ! its which hdd Russien or another language besides ON. 1 went out of the listening ath ap ‘conversations on the reel)was post the day after the transcript , _ typed. These reels were tau her - location where they were translated and typed. In A . translations, Boris Tarasoff usually ran about a week behind the date of the conversation because of the volume of _Russian conversations among the swembers of the Soviet Exbassy. During this "period: (Ga of 1963) the reels were probably being brought into the station and carried to Boris by one of the people from the Soviet Section or they may have been carried to him by Flick but I think I brought the reel in and gave it to Herbert Manell/to take to Boris, | Herbert Manel a and his 3 s wife Berbera} halted oe "handled ell of the processi:.g of Soviet transcripts. ly job “involved screening the photographs as soon as we learned thet the man calling hinself Osvald was probably an American. However, here again there was a backlag because the photos were picked up three times a week but the ones nicked up were usually for dates a few days prefiously because (the doctor) processed the film on a night time basis. Photographs were made usually until one roll vas used but later we got it changed to one day coverage on each roll ~ in other words the operetors’ cisared the camera each day whether there was anynfiiimxnxm a full roll of film exposed. Instructions were to cover office hours, photograph each Ped = 0000474 o emeeeen He mere AE ORE Piette teint Sarai Pn wre a cee gprs mane ag ena mae ese mao
14-00000 o, Soviet Line. Tt. ‘Was “picked up and taken to Boris fangs the caller was trying to speak Russian. Ge .PLvile new Soviet and family, all foreigners and foreign lieenee plates. Hunan error did eecur but generally the azents were conscientious. The Cuban -embassy coverage had more sophisticated equipment (a pulse ca:era) but it frequently develoved nechanical difficulties, Bob Zanbarnerdi and /Spather ) (I think) handled this film - pick up and delivery. Lorna iecKay screened ‘the film inside the station. I an ‘certain that the Oswald call came to our r attention from the compare the photographs with . trenseripts everf made ae Scott could read only ® two janguages end he personally screened the ‘3 other than Spanish or English because Win transcripts for operational leads he wanted pursued. 0000479 . . t lar mnensapenstsensannngernnn tee eet a PEPPER “SHY A :