13-00000 October 7, 1977 MEMORANDUM FOR: Anthony A. Lapham FROM .  ¢ A. R. Cinquegrana Office of General Counsel SUBJECT : BLUEBIRD/ARTICHOKE Soft File Review - "Kelly" - Dimitrov, D.A. 1. Ihave been reviewing summary sheets prepared by the Office of Security concerning several hundred soft files on individuals associated, or considered for association, in some way with the Agency's BLUEBIRD/ ARTICHOKE activities. In the course of that review I came upon the follow- ing case which I discussed with Dick Lansdale and which we agreed should be brought to your attention for your information and whatever action you may deem appropriate. 2. Asis indicated in the attached copy of the soft file summary and the 27 January 1952 memorandum upon which it is based, D. A. Dimitrov, designated "Kelly," is a Bulgarian expatriate who appears to have been imprisoned in Greece some time in 1950 and 1951 on false pretenses because the Agency feared he would accept an offer from French Intelligence. After six months in custody, he was flown to Panama where he was misrepresented as a psychopath and confined ina U.S. Military Hospital for several months. The official security file shows he was then removed from the hospital and . held by the Agency at Fort Clayton in Panama for three years. He was then returned to Greece and ultimately allowed to enter the U.S. as a refugee. It appears from the attached copy of a 7 February 1952 memorandum that. . the "Artichoke approach," i.e., the use of drugs to reverse his hostility toward the U.S. and U.S. intelligence agencies, was never consummated. 3. This man has had several contacts with the Agency since coming . ' to the U.S. In 1961 an Assistant to the DCI was contacted by a representative of Parade magazine who had been informed by Dimitrov of his confinement by the Agency. The Office of Security responded to the effect that this man was disreputable, unreliable, and full of wild stories about CIA. As you will note from the attached transcript of an 8 September interview on Good Morning America, Mr. Dimitrov (now General Dimitrov and known as General Donald A. Donaldson) apparently is alive and alleging that he knows who - ordered the assassination of President Kennedy. fiw we Ul
13-00000 4. Based solely upon the soft file summary, and prior to reviewing the official security file from which I extracted the additional details, it appeared to me that the nature of the Agency's treatment of Dimitrov might be something which should be brought to the attention of appropriate officials both within and outside the Agency. The fact that he is still active and is making allegations connected with the K ennedy assassination | may add yet another dimension to this story. Attachment
13-00000 a. I. .Soft File Summary 1. Title of File: Kelly 2. Brief Biographic Data: Kelly's true name is DIMITROV, a 29-year-old Bulgarian who was head of a small political party based in Greece and ostensibly working for Bulgarian independence. 3. Nature of Relationship/Interest: It was learned that French Intelligence Service was attempting to bribe KELLY and make him.a double agent and Kelly appeared to be interested in the French offers. Accordingly, a plan was made to have KELLY believe that he was going to be assassinated and for protec- - tion he was placed in custody of the Greek police who then put him in prison. KELLY was held in the prison for six months until the Greek authorities | decided that KELLY was was a nuisance and they told ‘our people to take him back. - He was then flown to . ‘Panama where; through arrangement, he was placed in _.a-U. S. military hospital as a psychopathic patient. According to the 25 January 1952 memorandum, KELLY _had been in the hospital for several months and the’ | ' hospital authorities want him out since he is causing . ' problems. He is not a’psychopathic personality. ee Because of his confinement in a Greek prison and his — stay in a military hospital, KELLY became very hostile toward the United States and our intelligence: opera~ tions in particular. | orc was considering an "ARTICHOKE" approach to KELLY to see if it would be possible to reorient KELLY favorably toward us. However, OPC advised on 2 February 1952 that some opposition had arisen in the top level of OPC to the handling of the KELLY case in the manner that had been proposed. Since this opposition had arisen, nothing would be done to the KELLY case. 4. Period of Relationship: No dates supplied 5. Indications of Drug Experimentation: None found | = . >. Co-optee Interest: Not indicated Dt & we Bem e” | WP & rons Shae mabal § ¥ * oe 2 , te . ve Smet Vata; Cpoessitle) De. Robert Ecke
13-00000 . yo: il. Office of Security File Summary - DIMITROV, Dimitre Adamov (lyle 0. Kelly) (QKSTAIR) (SHAM/BGCONVOY) #46165 1. Short Summary of Agency Interest/Use: The file was opened in October 1950, when DIMITROV was of operational interest to the Agency while employed for Radio Athens in Greece. Previously, DIMITROV had fled from Bulgaria in July 1947. As of October 1951, DIMITROV was in a hospital in South America, ‘apparently under Agency auspices. In 1956 DIMITROV was brought to the United States, “apparently after returning to Athens from South . America, and the Agency made no further operational _.use o£ DIMITROV. In June 1960 DIMITROV [under case -#33259--Dimiter DIMITROFF ("Diko")].had contact with the Contact Division outlining his background, Claiming financial difficulties, and requesting the Agency back his plans for covert activity against - Bulgaria. The Agency apparently took no action in ‘this regard. During this contact DIMITROV claimed that circa 1951 he was held: in a hospital/cell in Panama City. 2. Background Investigations: /None’> 3. Confirmation of ARTICHOKE BLUEBIRD/MXULTRA Interest: No 4; Project Associates: ” None
13-00000 ’ @ es . : wenger ent nae “Offic Memorandum ° UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT ‘sO +: File. a, oo ‘pare: 25 Jammary 1952 i i t a df H : i ~4 . PROM : Morse Allen SUBJECT: Kelly Case On Friday, 25 January 1952 > the writer was called to tha office | of Mr. Bannerman for the purposa of a conference with one if; EB/OPC, Concerning the instant 8986 Lo . 7 Fe a | explained in substance the Kelly case as follows: . Kelly, (whose real name is Dimitrov)» is a 29-year-old Bulgarian and -. was tha head of a small political party based in Greece and 4 aly ' working for Bulgarian incapendance. Kelly was described by patents _.’ as being young, ambitious, bright (elementary collegs education), a . +. gort of a "man-on-a-horss" type but a typical Balkan politician. Ac- | | - cording to Prichett, our people discovered that French Intelligences : Sarvics Rose. attempting to bribe Kelly and make him a dovble agent and ~ .. Kelly was looking with favor upon the French offers. ccordiogly, 2 .-. plot was rigged in which Kelly was told ‘he was going to be sesduukebed . amd as a "protaction”, he was placed in custody of-the Greek Police Te eam -. who threw Kelly into a Greek prison. Kelly was held in tha Greek prime | “| gon for six months until the Gresk authorities decided that Kelly was. . @ nuisance and they told our people to take hin back. Since onr : people were unabla to dispose of Kelly in Greace, they flew hin to Panana where, through arrangement, he was placed in a U.S. Milit tary - -- Hospital as a psychopathic patient. Kelly now has been in ths U.S.. = military hospital for several months and the hospital authorities now .. want to gat him out since he is causing considerable trovole, bothering — me other patients, Bbc. Belly is not a a psychopathic personality. . [explained that they can dispose of Kelly by. the simple process of sending him to a friend of his in Caracas, Venszuela, and as far ag they are concerned, that type of disposal is perfectly o.k. Sen ' Howaver, because of his confinemant in a Greek prison and his stay in - a anilitary hospital, Kelly has become very hostile toward ths United States and our intelligence operations in particular. Hence, OPC is _ -considering an "Artichoke" approach to Kelly to see if it would be possible to re-orient Kelly favorably toward us. This operation, which will necessarily involve the use of drags is being considered by OPC - poe with a possibility that Dr. Ecke and Mike Gladych will carry ont the _ operation presumably at the military hospital in Panamas.Also in- — volved in this would be a Bulgarian interpreter who is a consultant  demete tet to this Agency since neither Reke nor Gladych speale Bulgarian. oo we, _ Mr. Bannarman pointed ont tol] that this _type of ope: ation - could only be carried out with the authorization of Security and that, ‘under no circumstances whatsesvsr, could amyons but an authorized M.D. administer drugs to any subject of this Agency of any types. Bannerman pointed out that there was a strong possibility that the military
13-00000 patch ~ Commant: - writer by Mr. Walter Driscoll approximately thirty days ago on an in- © ° formal basis but no significant details wera. given at this ‘tines we . wa authorities would hot | parmit their hospital xo be used for/typa of work and also that x re-conditioninz operation of | this type might taka as. long as 30-602 Bannsrmman further pointed’ cat that somh if such an oparation were carried on, Security would hava to be cognisant of it, would have to be co-ordinated into the organazebson and would possibly — | take over.and ron the operation themselves since this type of works, is one 24 which Security handles ee Cpt + 5 Ib was agreed betseen(—} Bannerman y- and the writer that a conference would be laid on Monday afternoon when OPC representatives. .and the Bulgarian interpreter return from Boston and their taltc with Mike Gladyco. At which time, the angles would be “éxplored and a dis- stsz would be forwarded to ovr peoples in Panama directing. chen to _ find ont whether the Army would permit such an operation ard whether ~- _. the Arary would allow tha Agency to have tha use of the netessary Tocm3.y i ' medical facilities > etd. as would be required for this type of operation. At this tims, it was alse to be determined whether the disposal of Kelly & Venesnela could in fact be laid on. oo “This particular operation was mentioned in genéral terms to the “© a a | Waile ‘the technique that Ecke and Gladych ars ‘considering for use~ ‘in this cass is not known to the writer, the writer beliaves the aporeach 7 ' will be made through tha standard narco-hypnosis techniqua. ‘Re-conditioning | and re~orienting an individual in such a matter, in tha opinion of-tho . writer, cannot be accomplishsd easily and will require & great deal of - ' time and the % fact that an interpreter, is necessary in the case com- a. oS 7 plicates it considerably more. It is also believed that with onr present %& ' knowledge, we would have no absolute guarantee that the subject in this case would maintain a positive friendly atbitnde toward us even though — . there is apparently_a successful response to the treatmant. The writer did not suggest. to dtnat perhaps a total amnesia could be created. by a series of electro shocks, but merely indicated that annesiad WNdar 9 erksey drags treatments were not certain. MORSE ALLEN
13-00000 ‘ : y . “6 fice Memoran dite UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT "OCF alle . _ pare: 7 February 1952 FROM : Morse Allen | 7 SUBJECT: Kelly Case 1. On Wednasday, 30 January 1952, at 9:30 AM, the writer called Mr. [| re2. ative the Kelly case. stated that the OPC official and interpreter had mads a trip to Boston and had seen Gl adych.. - {| stated that Gladych and the interpreter had reached completa accord on the handling of the Kelly situation.[_s|fs then stated ' that he was trying to arrange that the Kelly case could be linad up : completely before he set up conferences with I & SQ relativa ths trip to ‘Panama:- | pronised to call the writer at the end of the oe Week. Cs te De On/Peoruary 1952, AM L] called the writer he \ yelative the Kelly case stated that in OPC at the top level, - gone opposition had arigen to the handling of the Kelly case in the an manner that had baen proposed. [ _—|stated that since this ‘opposition’ of the higher-ups had arisan, nothing would be done relative the Kelly cass. | stated that he would call immediately upon any mew =  .- . - developments along these lines. The writer informed L_____] that - 0 SEMEN “I & SO would be glad to consider the matter and would wait untilit = = was brought + up again and 4 would avait his call relative any * new 7 de~ . oe velopment os RSE ALLEN
13-00000 oS Ss ee RADIO TV REP ORT S, INC. 28S ee 4435 WISCONSIN AVENUE, N.W., WASHINGTON, 0.¢. 20016 ae GSt oe. wee 8 “FOR... PUBLIC AFFAIRS .STAFF _ PROGAAH 660d Mornings Amor lca - ee “STATION MILA ty. "BNE. September 8, 1977 Ts 00 sat or wbtagto be. ate eae i Attmans 02> _ ABC Netvork CSV sanby HfLLs @Earfler this morning, -we talked with Viffam 2) ‘Altmans. He Js-a Dutch journalist. And we talked ta him. _ oe /- about ‘the assassination’ of President Kennedy. . And Hr. RU pm ANS oot _ ithas tolfd-.us that. ‘earller this week, he turned over to the U. S.° . 2 government’ the: ‘name of the source who he claims can tell the full, ‘the. true ‘story of a conspiracy In the assassInation. Well, this 13.. “morning, Mr... Altmans: ds going” to ‘tell us the name that he Fold ots the goverment. Ff wo. Pos of “WILLE Willan: “Altmans Is a Dutch journalist “who has. “spent “i more than .ten_ years fooking Into the assassination of - President Kennedy. © He has been on this. program twice before, first :-to tell us about.hls source George deMorenschIi!d (2), - who elther’ committed sulcide or was killed just before testifying oo on the. assassination. . Mr. Altmans says he now has a new potential: : witness, and he feels this witness can expose the existence and +he details of the conspiracy. to KILI ‘President Kennedy. ch letter. to Mr. Altmans -- It was dated July 8th of this a year. and signed by the deputy chief counsel of the House coffe 8 “of Assassinations, Robert Tenenbaum -- says, In part, "lf you ere Interested In seekIng the truth, and | belleve you are, then © It seems “to me that you have no option but ‘to supply. the comm tree with the Identity of your new witness.” ; . Well, this week Mr. Altmans did give the name to the committee and to the Justice Departmant. This morning he Its here ‘wIth me and with ABC correspondent Bob Clark, who covered the ' Warren Commission Investigation. <o, Solaeeremmene ae epee
. Truman also made use oF General Demetroff's service. "tne latter ‘that he sent In’ ‘September of "75 to the commlittes —2— fr. “Altmans, whay name did you turn over to the comalttea? "Who Is your .source? | VILLAM ALTMANS: My new source Is General Donated A. Donaldsa whose name~| handed to the Justice Department, as welt as To Tne . Setect Committee on Assassinations two days ago. He {ts originally a Bulgarian, called Deko Demetroff (7), who came to this country at the end of the Second World’ War and was named by President - Roosevelt, by presidential decree, a general of the United States -Of Amertlca. He was given an American name and he was made @ cItTi~ - zen of the United States of. America at that time. 7 ‘Shortly afterwards, President: “Roosevelt used General SE Demetroff for.secret misslons Into the Balkan area. And President — PHILLE What: ‘does, he know? . -LALTMANS: General Dematroff. clalms,° among other. things: ae of Senator’. Frank Church,. that-he knows the name of the man sha Organ ee the. assassination (of John F. Kennedy. — es oo ee WILLE How ‘does he know this? “ALTHANS: “That ‘Ts what 4 think pha ‘authorities In | Sjjeen wighah ‘should. ‘find out. For that purpose, ! have given, as ae full as possible, all ‘Information to both the Justice Department, -.-: the representative ‘of ‘Mr. Griffin Bell, Robert Keech, and to the J “Select Committese.on Assass!Inations of Congress. t& have given allt ... - the Information }! could gather over the past years ~ And f think ~-. ‘the proper: way now ‘Is*to, leave It to the author tr tes ta determine . further detalls. rts not my job. . : an ae as on BoB. CLARK: And you have talked at engin with General v Donaldson... | | . | _ . S “ALT MANS = On, yes - CLARK: ‘Has he revealed the name of the man he regards as the assassin, the | man. who directed the assassInation, TO you? ‘ALTMANS: | understand your’ question, Bob . t would Ifke not to answer that, because | don't want to endanger myself any further than | am already. As a matter of fact,“}! called the press conference. -~ a press conference a week ago, and | am galng - through this procedure In order to pull myself our of this natter - and leave it to the Amertcan authoritfes.- 7 4 did the same thing with the former witness, Gearge DetorenschI!d. t pulled out at a certain moment when } was satIs- fled with the Information | handed {+ ta the Sefect Committee and
13-09600 at withdrew. . Now he was killed. | do my best to see “thet this man “doesn't get killed or. kills himself before. he- can corroborate my Beat emom ts ea ween maveneaeten 7 uy . CLARK: “hre you | concerned that by, revealing ATS” name To~ "day you may. be Jendanger Ing: his tife? . ve “ALTMANS: | ay could Imagine that that ‘Is the case.- “But ' here you have to. make a cholce. Where.Is the obligation of a : journal ist? ~, Where fs the obligation of a journalist, if he Is satisfied that. this Information Is ser lous enough to be revealed . .to the, proper authorities In the middle of an Investigat ion of - “2. who kIiled John: F.' Kennedy? || have to make a cholce. ar put the = | actiaacie . Chofce sup to. the General last Saturday, even this past Saturday . --* < In the- Heathrow Alrport, ‘London, Holiday Inn. .! put the choles. * .* stIll before:.this General ‘Donaldson and sald please come forth o> | son Dutch. -televI ston ‘and tell the story yourself; | don?t want to ~Stebl tts. ‘you: ‘have’to tefl It. And he refused. .He threatened .. ~ “to shoot me “if. 1. “‘went* ‘any further In my revelations. . § passed oe, 5 On. all this: Anformatton on tape toa the Justice: ‘Department. eee coe “GCARK: cone | “thing that | find ‘confusing. The Geeral - falks. Te his letter: ‘to ‘the Church Committee about knowing. who = gave the . atrectlonto. assassinate President Kenmedye oo oe. CALTRANS vino gave the order,” he says. ae ee Fr CLARK: oF 1962 when shes, “Gave” the ‘order: ‘ts he ‘talking about “the. period et with Kennedy? : . ~ALTMANS: “Exactly. Exactly. oe, ti SS CLARK E ‘So he- 1s not ‘saying that he. ‘knows the. man’ “wha | . gave. the order | Tn, 1963" to! commit the assassination. Po: ot --ALTHANS ‘That, according to ‘the: ‘General, ‘Is the - same eo the. same. person.’ “t's the sama group. . There is no. difference . between '62. and '63. As a matter of fact, he maintains that Pre- © - sIdent Kennedy was first warned of an assassInatlon plot agafnst - him by Soviet Intelligence, and he claims that he was called In by - ‘John. F. Kennedy to the White House because they knew each other, _ Ike he also. had known PresIdent Truman and-President Roosevelt, _. ex=-Presldent Roosevelt. He was called In by John F. Kennedy to - . ~ the White House and he was told by President Kennedy that he knew -- . that an assassInation plot was dIscovered against the life of Pre- ~ _ sident Kennedy. And President Kennedy asked General Demetroff . to assIst- In the Investigation to unravel this, to take counter- measures against this plot. And of course they faltled. CHILL: Mr. Alttmans, we would “obviously like to continue this discus ston with you further.... ALTMANS: Yes, matam.
13-00000 -4- THILLSs But right now we're going to stop for a (coupte ‘of commerctal™ “messages. “JOHN: LINDSAY: Well, there'|! be more of Sandy and Bob Clark's talk with Mr. Altmans In our next half-hour. Befora we went on the alr, ABC: News contacted Senator Frank Church. .And- he sald that he did not recall receiving General Donaldson's ' fetter and he does not, in fact, even know General Donaldson. >And wetlh be ‘back tight after these messages and sane ROWS HILL: tn our last. halt hour, we were batktag with Vitlen a Altmans -- he'fs a Dutch journalist ~~ about the Kennedy assassina~ tlon. And he says that he now has'a new witness who parentiakly | can ansver. a ‘lot ‘of. questions about the Kennedy assassination, give spect fic. detalts, about” dt. a ; ae “You ‘say, wre ‘Altmans, that thts man ts a Generat ‘Donatas san, that he sent a -tetter to Senator Frank Church In September. of - 1975. Now: ‘what _ Nappened with that letter? And what alk dtd eo ental? OE . Tt oe vo Ft _ AU TMANS 3” ‘Wells ‘as you knoyw, he offered to. test ey far- the Church Committea on his: knowl edga- of who ordered the assassina~ _ tion of John F.. Kennedy. ‘And of course, It Is quite surpris Ing . - -. that accarding to General Donaldson, he was recelved by President. Ford: In the White House in February, {976 and discussed ar feogth © the assassination with former President Ford. And this {s Important. He Is so ‘emphatic about.-I¢+. that } think I+ Is ‘Important enough Infor=— mat ton, to be Jnvest i gated by the Select Committee on Assasstnations~ HILL But what ‘Wappened at that - time’ when he sent the oe letter? ALTMANS : “ie ania ~~ he says “phat President § Ford, Senator - Church’ ‘ond he cama ta.an agreement not to bring up this EInformatton- that -he had. at that time. | guess that he ~- and he put so many ‘conditions to the release of this Information that President Ford and Mr. Church found It unacceptable. HILL: | Mr. ‘Altmans, this morning, Bab. arid t had an opportunity to see this fetter as well. AALTMANS: The letter was on the screen, yes. HILL: But we read through It. {tt seemed rambiIng.... ALTMANS: [t's absolutely true. Absolutely. [ End tho same thing as you do. ; HILL: Don't you belleve that that was substantive reason
13-00000 . oe - then perhaps’ for them to question and to put [+ back on the back burner, to doubt his credIbTi tty and who he was and whet ha so ~~ betleved? oe aa | one memes er . - ALTMANS © “| comptetely agree with you. But when fi Is true that ‘the letter.was -~ the letter was written In Septem— ber; the meeting. with -Ford was In February. That Is maybe fhe -perfod they. used. to check this man's cred!ibIitity and Identi+ etcetera, etcetera. -But when It Is true that he did meat with _ former President Ford and the fact that I'm revealing thaF now -.upset him last Saturday so tremendously In the Holfiday fnn in . London Heathrow Alrport that he went as far as ta say ff t ‘would violate.the breach of confidence between him personally and Presldent Ford, he would shoot me [ste]. Sa ft have passed - on this: information to the Justice Department tye days aga and -. - sald the man- Is threatening me now because © fn revealing the. eek a informat lon, he. made A a — Coane ee aS 7 2S CLARK!) One point’ 1 think we need to make strongly -— °_ the General Ts. oan sine about things that he ang President "Kennedy. cen “rs “presumably... ee : CLARKS. After ‘the assassInation, Bobby kennedy « ‘cont tinued . as” Attorney General for-a year. Presumably he would have had all. . of this. Information. “.Ha would have had the name too. {f- this: ts: _ true, why Tn, ‘your, view, did Bobby Kennedy never ‘pursue Ere. “-SALTMANS =: ‘Well, that Is the great. question. mar ke. why. _ ‘the Kennedy famity. doesn't say a word. According to General. ° Donaldson, the Kennedy family Is In the possessfon of the top ‘secret. report, on the Kennedy assassination. According to General Donaldson, both Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and ‘Theodore Sorensen are Tn the possession of this document. a CLARK : “But r ‘belleve that document: goes ‘back to ‘1963 or "64. | Presumably... _ eee ; ALTHANS: “Exactly, CLARK: | *.. Bobby Kennedy was aware of that document too. -~ ALTMANS: Maybe. And that 1s why 1 think If a man with ~ this ‘posture, with his career, with this having been sent on - secret misslons by PresIdent Roosevelt and by President Truman, — - etcetera, Is recelved by Kennedy, had this Information, tf think - at this ‘day and age, In this moment. of history, this Select Cam— _ mittee on Assassinations should Investigate this Informaton, should - cali this man to testify In Washington also, afthough t'm extremety scared that when {| told the committee ta Investigate deMorenschi id, he was dead the sama day That they Invited hime. And §'m now ex—-
13-00000 wen tremely worr Jed once more That anything might happen to © Generat Donaldson. ae oo HILL: Mr. Altmans, you hac told us speci ftcatty about some forces that the General talked to you about. .-. ” “ALTMANS= | Yes. — ~ l WTLL: © And that ts, forces who not only ki ETed Kennedy, oe .. but who IJntimIldated Presidents Ford and Carter, apparent ty Vice-. ee - President. Rockefeller as well; that they, In fact, were involved _ In. what you feel Is the killing of George deHorenschitd, - and atso. Fhe son of Aristotte (Onassis. . oe Sane ys 2 “ites: aS sll oe “Now. who are “these forces? ‘ALTMANS: = Madame- -~ Sandra, | am just as alarmed and ‘Ineredulous about afl this as you. All i'm dotng Is reporting Pate “the Information.| got to the Justice Department and te the Seleecr. Committee... And-} hope the authorities In the Unstted States are a ' qualified to estimate Este] this Information, wIEES take over. Heel - Thatts all I'm dotng. ae pee OS MILL. is ‘there any reason for you to belteve. that -_ the CIA Is Io any way ‘related with. these. forces? 2: _ a fot "ALTMANS £ ‘That. Is what General Donaidson Impttee and >. sald straight.”.- Very, very much so. It fs a group within the | CIA. It's In the -fetter to Senator Church, too; that he writes ~~. 0.” ‘this group within: the CIA should be -- should be exposed- He 2 lie belleves so. ae Lo ta ta aria ‘And ‘SO,.- therefore, let the authorittes take over” this marr ne before he gets kitted or kIffs himself Jn an obscure. way 7 HILL: Mr. Altmans, thank you very much.