aS 6598267 , ; | | yp DaTE: 12/09/97 PaGE:1 JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION FORM AGENCY INFORMATION AGENCY : NSA RECORD NUMBER : 144-10001-10195 RECORDS SERIES : AGENCY FILE NUMBER : | | DOCUMENT INFORMATION ORIGINATOR : NSA FROM : LOWMAN 0 : DASD (INTELL) ; TITLE : QUERIES TO NSA CONCERNING THE WARREN COMMISSION DATE : 01/26/76 ES : 7 TARY FORCES okie CNBAN/SOVIET COMMS COMMENTS ; [R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED Released on 11-01-2017 under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2017 Note) \
a a 7 @arionar SECURITY AGENCY... > CENTRAL SECURITY SERVICE FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, MARYLAND 29755 — Serial: N0078 26 January 1976 MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRINCIPAL DEPury ASSISTANT SECRETARY : OF DEFENSE (INTELLIGENCE) . SUBJECT: Senate Select Committee Queries ee ‘NSA Concerning the Warren Commission woe, Reference your letter dated 14 January 1976 transmitting a Yegquest from Mr. Aiton Quanbeck of the Senate Select Committee Staff. The following information is provided in response to Mr. Quanbeck's letter, keyed by paragraph to his letter (inclosed - see underlined portions). Most of . the information was made available to the SSC Staff, -Mr. Jim Johnson, during an interview with Dr. Louis Tordella- on 20 January 1976. Para. 1. - NSA requested permission to retain photocopies of those reports on which we had worked merely as record copies of our efforts on behalf of the Commission. It was felt that if a question should arise at that time concerning what analytic efforts had been involved and the - number of manhours expended, a record copy would prove useful. No operational use was made of these documents except to hold them on file for a period of time which. cannot now be determined. To the best of our present knowledge, the photo- copies have now been destroyed. Absolutely no results relevant to the assassination were obtained through NSA's analytic look at the exhibits. The Commission, in the person of Mr. Allan Dulles, had asked Dr. Tordella, informally, to review the exhibits for any secret writing or codes which might have ‘been contained: in the documents. Dr. Tordella, after causing a careful review of the documents by NSA crypt- analysts, reported verbally to Mr. Dulles and other Commission members that nothing whatsoever had been achieved by the , -analytic effort. No written reply was submitted. . Come Classified by BINT sa/e MENTS (MEG/CSEM RBBB Exompt 3 from €28, wns
Doc ID: 6598267 Serial: NO078 Para. 2. - NSA is uncertain as to what is precisely meant by these comments, but we assume that the comments on names refer to our biographic files which are maintained on foreign personalities of potential intelligence significance. As the Committee knows, these biographic files are maintained (now at CIA incidentally) as analytic support. It is also possible that the Commission was referring to the fact that names are frequently seen in traffic collected for foreign -intelligence purposes and therefore NSA might have access to foreign names not otherwise available to the Intelligence Community. Para. 3. - It may well be that CIA did obtain such transmissions and pass them to NSA for analysis, but no one presently working that analytic area recalls such a request. Discussions with Dr. Tordella also failed to shed any light on this subject. There are no files or records which we have been able to locate from that time frame which would sub- stantiate such a claim. In fact, the only file the responsible analytic group has been able to locate concerning a request from the Warren Commission deals with a file compiled from open sources citing major dates in the last months of Oswald's life. Presumably the date file was to be compared with NSA product on/about the key dates-in the hope that something could be deduced. The file does not contain any "hits." The analysts .who performed this effort have since retired. Para. 4. - The informal request from Mr. Dulles is the known total extent of NSA's role in assisting in the investigation. The file discussed in Paragraph 3 is the only file thus far recovered. There is no information which can now be identified which was developed from Cuban or Soviet. . ‘transmissions relating to the assassination. Para. 5. - We have no information on einiis Subject | at all. However, pursuant to the subject raised during th Tordella interview, we have* Searched our files manually, and as Mr. Lowman agreed during ‘the Tordella interview, we have recovered three product reports (Inclosures 2 through 4) which show that Cuban military forces did go on alert immediately after the assassination. There is no SIGINT evidence, however, that the Cuban forces were alerted prior to the assassination, thereby suggesting that they had prior knowledge of the event.
\ Doc ID: 6598267 t . Serial: N0078 Para. 6. -— No hara copy material of _ any kind was provided to the TOMES sion (see Para. 1). Special Assistant to the Director for Congressional Reviews 4 Incls: a/s
( Doc ID: 6598267 ; we Serial: NO0078 eet Cc: DIR D/DIR ESS SS/R ESS, Mr. Lowman G, Mr. Peksa NCRDEF , Miss Caracristh ess Incls) | PaCscrTeneen L227 . oe , bi er i rr i M/R: Inclosures 2 through 4 are product ponents nunbaned - 2/0f_____R66-63, 2/0f——R196-63 ana 2/0 58-63. 4USC21076\ 1B) b(v) 4 /. Frank Foster/0/ESS/3161s/26 dan 76/kjb ~~
NSS Nii SE a SE Me HOY RELATE wy LILLIE Eo Mit, LILLE Vy ass Ss. Ss SS SE SS] SR ER Se SR STR EN SRS RR RNS * & Ss 3S * * . cn Doc ID: 6598267 os @ . af CONTROL.NO. _<O@ ‘Access to this document will be restricted to those persons r. REFERRED TO RECEIVED : RELEASED [ SEEN FY OFFICE . SIGNATURE DATE] Tine ia DATE TIME = NAME & OF FICE SYMBOL OATE - " Handle Via Indicated Controls oe COMINT SCORE SOH HBO HOEH ODE EDEOEHDODOD SCOCEH HHH HOHE SEH EHEEH HOH OOO PROPOSE HOOF EHO HEHEHE SHE EHe ao. cleared for the specific projects; | ’ POSHE HEH HPO OEHEEOEOD Seer me eseeeor vaueseee SOMO POP EEE Ber EOD DED Or Pe HH eee PEDO eTerreoe. . SOSH ERED HE HO eRe HHOne eee eereoreerereseoene Drees awe reerereseree Omeesesoocesersoereore WARNING This document contains information offecting the aatigrat: security of the United Stotes within the meaning of the espionage laws U, S$. Code Title 18, Sections 793, 792 ond 798. The low prohibits its transmission or the its contents in ony monner to an unauthorized person,os well os its use in ony manner prejudicial interest of the United Stotes or for the benefit of any foreign government to the detriment ol It is to be seen only by personnel especially indoctrinated and authorized to reccive in- tts security must be maintained in eccordance with regulations revelation of to the safety or the United Stores. formation in the designoted control channels. pertoining to the BYEMAN and Communicotions. Intelligence Controls, No action is to be taken on ony com- municotions intelligence which moy be contoined herein, regardless of the edvontags to be goined, if such action might have the effect of reveoling the existence ond noture of the source, unless such oction is First opproved by the appropriate outhority. cose Dect ben a awe pe teng wd wuss # * a 7 oN ail h . LOoSOSOEDEOECESCSORCGCCEERES SES CECECEC CECE CECCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCC Ce CeCe CC CCC
SATS: EN ERT EO mie Re LS BRILIe AL FIAT. MECH, HOWARD WH, DAXER, JRL, TENN. WALTER FL MONOALE, Arita, BARRY GOLOWATER, any” ” WALTEY ©. HUDDLESTON, KY. CHARLES MCC. MATHIAS is | a eDeelD6598267 RICHARD 5. SCHWEINER, a. ) ae : % a ae cena ee Writes States Wrat an Fa ~ om WILLIAM G, MILLER, STAFF DIRECTOR t ¢ ° a Ce . Tee e FREDERICK 4.0. SCHWARZ, JFt., CHIER COUNSEL co CURTIS R. SMOTHERS, MINORITY COUNSEL SELECT COMMITTEE TO STUDY GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS WITH RESPECT TO INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES (PuRSOANT TO S. RES. 2), 84TH CONGRESS) WASHINGTON, D.C. 20510 January 13, 1976 . Mr. Thomas K. Latimer ae. Special Assistant to the Secretary — U. S.. Department of Defense. a ; Washington, D. C. 20301 . Dear Tom: In connection with the Select Committee's investigation of . the assassination of President Kennedy, we earlier received . answers to certain questions put to NSA. Since then we have examined other material pertaining to NSA's contribution to the Warren Commission's investigation and we desire further in- formation from NSA. By way of background for this request, we note the Warren Commission provided NSA various documents and asked NSA to re- view them for any cryptological significance. NSA found no cryptological significance and its report of this fact was pub- lished by the Commission. a | Pe 1. By letter of July 10, 1964, (a copy of which is attached) Mc, Rankin provided General Blake a co of certain documents ° requested by Dr. Tordella for NSA's files. Since NSA's analysis of the documents was apparently completed at the time of Rankin's Jetter , we wish to know why NSA wanted to keep these documents = for its file. Further, we wish to know what use, if any, was | levant to the assassina- made of these. documents and what results re tion were obtained from such use. 2. In a Commission staff intermal memorandum, discussing the documents provided NSA, it is reported that NSA is "primarily interested in names," and NSA claims it has “information on nemes which the CIA does not have." Assuming these statements ar LC curate, we wish to know what significance such names would have STi pe eo. mee Can Ootclf ATE chastise sy ODS Inlelh ace OEXUMET GRAM OONPRST DECLASSEEICATAN PSCHO RULE OP Eg lind’ Essex oEP tangs g Soci 2. 232 ae Cae terre bs ae or cores , AUTO TICALLY ORLE Steed GN Cuntere mpossole, insert date or ercal)
2 Doc DEBS omas K. Latin January 13, 1976 Page Two 4 L£ names had. si ignificance _what names did NSA use in its analysis? 3. We are informed that CIA obtained transmissions from the Soviet Embassy in Mexico City for November or December 1963 and that it may have passed these to NSA for analysis. Did NSA re-. ceive these transmissions or any transmissions relevant to the assassination inquiry? Did it analyze them? What were the re- sults of its analysis? ° | 7 e . 4, Je are interested in learning the extent of NSA's role in. In that assisting in the investigation of the assassination. ‘connection, please inform the Committee the extent of NSA Ela relating to the assassination. Please provide the staff of the Committee access to those files. Please provide the staff with a summary of all information NSA developed from Cuban or Soviet transmissions relating to the assassination. 5. We have been info med that after the assassination the Cuban government instructed'‘its embassies and consulates to re- turn ali files on Oswald to Cuba.. What information does es NSA have on whether such ins instructions _ were issued?. 6. In connection with the answers to questions s and 5, pleése indicate whether such material was provided the Warren Commission _ peony all documents evidencing that fact. _and provide copies o of ¢ . ' We would appreciate receiving a response to these questions - as soon 2s possible and to expedite this inquiry we are sending a copy ci this letter to Mr. Foster of NSA. Sincerely, -” Alton H. Quanbeck leas SSIFERS a8 1° OSC. Syatetl, Ach. i rete 4 PRs WA Ts Mk gery ASSIZUA TION ' e vr ja aC FOES ALREIION LAGS myst i { : i j & 5 of nm the te ke vrorgde one or mare) 4 cc: Frank Foster - | | AUTA or TLE URCLASSIFIED ON Soposuible LeBel mene ~ thts. Haye 6% | at oech Cate ap eeents
5° Doc ID: 6598267 ok JER: RY/dJc Mita a ee SUL 101954 : ft a _ —_ Lieutenant, General Gordon A, Blake, U.S. “s a a - an Do, Dh sector, /fational ecurity Azencey whe. of , oo , 8? pe ma Pe Sate 0 0 Fert OeorteU, heads, Nexylond oo. . : . DN ern . “Dear General Blake: _ ' In regard to ‘Dr. Tordellots request, the Hat tonal i) curity Agency {9 authorized to keep for Ats file the following photographic copies of item3 which have been used by the Vago ~ +. Comstusion in its investigations . ee re ae . . eee (2) ° connie sion Exhibit $1 . (2) Cowsizsion Exhibit 15 WW oF oe (3) Comnission Exhibit 104 8) Commission Eablet i8 vette. os a 2, (5) "arpesputien' versicn of Conalssion san thAt an “y ! (7) P. B. X. items 137, 152 - : . - Thenk you ‘tor the cooperation and assLatance you .* have rendered tho Commission. . - . ay Sincerely, SO - SIGKED J, Lee Rankin \ ‘ General Cuunsel oo al tite Key ; : ee LSC N-' ce: Mr. Revikin i poo ‘Mr. Willens | —— Fn pp Bw : Mr, "Mosk