Ca co . ° Qo ter lene 28 February 1963 : _MEMORANDUM Garrison fuvestigation of Kennedy Assassination: SUBJECT:. Allegations of Involvement, CIA and Cuban i. Mr. Calvin Thomas of the 55 Division wrote a memorandum entitled ‘Possible DRE Animus Toward President Kennedy” and dated | & March 1967. At that time Mr. Thomas had recently returned from a tour of duty in Yugosiavia. While there he had read about the Warren Comrnission's investigation and had noted the pre wgeeassination encounter | in New Orleans between Carlos Bringuler of the Student Revolutionary - Directorate (DRE) and ‘Lee Harvey Oswald. He secalled his own dealings in Miarni with the DRE, a ClA-subsidized group. He considered the DRE inermbers whorn he knew to be unpredictable and untrustworthy. . He ot speculated as to whether DRE elements could have been involved in the - Kennedy assaseination. He recommended that CLA investigate this ibility if it had not already dorie 60. Thomas was assigned to Miami August 1963. Neither CI/R&A nor SB has a retention . Thomas is still at Headquarters. 1 ; pose ; from July 1962 to copy of the rnemorandum, but Mr. 2. Mr. Arthur Dooley of CLI/R&A discussed this matter with the following members of Wwi/ COG: ‘a. Miss Margaret Forsythe. She stated that CLA's interest in the DRE had been made known to the office of the Attorney General by letters of 9 January and 1d April 1993 - addregacd to J. Walter Yeagley. The earlier letter said, in, part, “The DRE Is of interest to this Agency which sponsors and supporte ite propaganda and intelligence collection activity in the Western Hemisphere . . . a8 the DRE is not a group © under complete Agency control, the above docs not insure that they will not undertake isolated paramilitary operations without prior notification. " ; b. Mesers. hen recently returned from a tour of the —_ Station, and beer Trettin, LC of the ct Branch, WH/COG, who knew Bringuier and was stationed Fem em ee. me wees : : tee Aes ee ate mee ne me
iat ake dn New Orleans at the time of the Oswald-Bringuier confrontations in August 1963. It was concluded that ‘Oswald was never a member of the DRE, which in fact rejected him, and that the DRE wae not involved in the :  ageassination. a Se fa April rf z. signed showed a copy of the Thomas - " memorandum: O Mr. | then C/WH/COG, who considered — that it reflected inadequate formation and bias. It was agreed, .. neverthelese,*that the charges which District Attorney James Garrison - was then be ginning to level against anti-Castro Cubans and this Agency | necessitated careful checking. - : oO _4. The first report in the CI/R&A series on Garrison, 26 April 1967, Mated seven Cuban refugees them linked to the case (Sergio | “-ARCACHA Smith, Carlos BRINGUIER, Julio BUZNEDO, Manuel GARGIA | Gonzalez, Pascval GONGORA, Miguel Silva TORRES, and Carlos . AUIROGA,) It requested any additional WH/COG information about them .and about the following groups: the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front, the DRE, the Information Council of the Americas, and any other. antl-Castro groups active in the New Orleans‘area. The request added, “Information about CIA relationships with the above-named groups should _ not be restricted to. New Orleans but should algo include Miami and other — areas to which Garrison's investigations may lead." Information was also requested on Edward S. BUTLER, Alberto FOWLER, Emilio SANTANA, and a parainilltary training site at Lake Pontchartrain. B -memorandum forwarded on 8 May 1967 the then AC/WH/COG, Mr. | [provided the. requested information and added, "WH/COG continue to review all material that may contain information pertinent to this subject and will forward such information to CIU/R&A on a priority bagia," , o . 5S. Since that date CI/R&A bas prepared-a series of reports on the Garrison case. All of these have been forwarded te WH/COG. In turn, WH/COG has provided additional iaformation from its own files and those of the Miami Station, to which it has addressed several inquiries. é. CUR&A is currently compiling a separate liet of all Cubans” (as well as other Latin Americans) whose names have been Linked to the Garrison investigation. This Het will bé forwarded to WH/COG with a request for checks if it contains any identities not previously traced against their files (including those of JMWAVE)..  teleieten y vee af
14-00000 “ae a et reported: that oe 7 “The problem arising from Garrison‘ rs charges: of. Agency involvement in. ‘the assassination is compounded by ‘the ‘nature of. ‘some of:our. former Cuban’ Gperations, which’ resulted. ‘tn a form of st indirect. associa on. For example, Garrison has ‘sought without. success, to ‘ext ite Sergio-ARCACHA ‘Smith:from Dallas. - FBI reporting ‘stated that According ¢ to Layton Patrick : Martens, ; yx: “Hnk-b seuret ‘Areacha. and CIA. However,- WH/COG haa’ Arcacha was the dele gate of the Frente: Revolucionario’ Démocratico: (RD) in New. Orleans before. the: ‘Bay of Pigs, that, he: maintained regular postal contact with FRD headquarters in Miamd,. that the ‘FRD and the Cubaa’: Revolutionary Council were supported by - CIA, and-that funds were supplied to the head of: these groups, Dr. Jose MIRO Cardona. . ‘Consequently Arcacha may have. believed that his - activities In New Orleans were CIA -supported. This phenomenon: of . indirect association appears in other cascs as well and may well underlie ‘some of Garrison! ‘8 accusations. ' . Bi “It is suggested that C/WH or his. representative might. piotitably query’. Mr. Thomas. about. the allegations sunimarized in . paragraph i, above. Although the date for the trial of. Clay’! ‘Shaw has: ' got been set, “he: ia: ‘plainly ‘drawing closer. Once it starts, the newspapers will carry a flood of accusations, old and new; and it would be judicious to be. prepared. da advance. ~ OP ae en cept eee come em