4179-40001 -10298 en , Date:08/12/93 ; Page:1 JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION FORM AGENCY INFORMATION AGENCY : WC RECORD NUMBER : 179-40001-10298 RECORDS SERIES : 08: NUMBERED COMMISSION DOCUMENTS AGENCY FILE NUMBER DOCUMENT INFORMATION ORIGINATOR : CIA FROM : HELMS, RICHARD TO : RANKIN, J. LEE TITLE DATE : 05/22/64 PAGES : 2 SUBJECTS : ASSASSINATION, KENNEDY, JOHN, TELEPHONE CALLS TO US EMBASSY DOCUMENT TYPE : PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION : S RESTRICTIONS : REFERRED CURRENT STATUS : P DATE OF LAST REVIEW : / f OPENING CRITERIA COMMENTS . COVER MEMORANDUM. BOX CO1 HW 50955 Docld: 32209939 ..Bage. 1 os... 0.04 Oe
HY 0955 ‘Docld:32209939 Page ? SECRET WARNING NOTICE | SENSITIVE SOURCES AND [METHODS INVOLVED b. The CIA Station in Canberra, on 27 November , furnished all available information on the 1962 telephone call. It appears that source on that occasion. statéd that 'Tron Curtain Countries" planned to pay a hundred thousand dollars for the assassination of President Kennedy. DC ue c. On 27 November, the CIA Canberra Station also: furnished complete detail on the anonymous telephone call of 23 November 1963. d. On 29 November, CIA disseminated this information, as supplied by its Canberra Station, to the White House, Department of State, and Federal Bureau of Investigation, with a copy to the Secret. Service. A copy of this dissemination in.its exact text ‘is attached to: this memorandum. 4. The CIA Station in. Canberra arranged for discussion of the calls with the Australian security service. In the opinion of the Australian authorities, the caller was a crank.. In any event, they were not able to identify any Polish. employee of the Soviet Embassy, the. automobile described by the caller as the one he drove, or the license plate number given: by him. No further information: on this call has been received. Available evidence would terid to. show that the caller was sore type ‘of crank. This conclusion, however, cannot be confirmed. . 5, Please note that the nature: of the. information in this memorandum. and its.attachment requires the use of a sensitivity indicator. Richard Helms Deputy Director for Plans o. Attachment fF WARNING NOTICE | SENSITIVE SOURCE’ AND METHODS INY "0 GROUP 4 . | Exeluded from automatic downgrading and dectassifigatinn ieieteatie’ |
. CREE | WARNING NOTICE SENSITIVE SOURCES AND , METHODS [vot yrn CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WASHINGTON 25, D.C, ee ee ey ee re eon isle Commission No. GT MEMORANDUM FOR: Mr. J. Lee Rankin SUBJECT: _ Anonymous Telephone Calls to United States _ Embassy in Canberra, Australia, Relative to . Planned Assassination of President Kennedy l. I refer again to paragraph two of your memorandum, | dated 12 February 1964, relative to disseminations to the Secret Service made by CIA. 2. On 24 November 1963, CIA received from the Department of the Navy a copy of a cable from the Naval Attache in Canberra, Australia (IN 67327, Top Secret, later downgraded to Secret), ‘reporting a telephone conver sation the previous day with an anonymous individual who had described himself as a Polish chauffeur for the Soviet Embassy in that city. This individual, while discussing several matters of intelligence interest, touched on the possibility that the Soviet Government had financed the assassination of President Kennedy. Reference was made in this’ ‘cable to the receipt of a similar anonymous telephone call on ~ 15 October 1962. 3. Upon receipt of this cable from Navy CIA took the . following action: a. Cabled to Canberra asking full details of the telephone conversation of 23 November and the call made on 15 October 1962. It should be noted that CIA had not previously known of the 1962 telephone call. GROUP 4 Excluded tron automatic tcwneracing and SECRET teclassitigation “stem utemneemaoree-eermumerrtamarnasi WARNING NOTICE SENSITIVE SOURCES AND METHODS INVOLVED
WARNING NOTICE | be SENSITIVE SOURCES AND- | : METHODS INVOLVED ema tee OFF net Ae ORT FRI DOTTY, : e635 ae i 1 i ' ' b. The CIA Station in Canberra, on 27 November, furnished all available information on the 1962 telephone call. It appears that source on that occasion stated that "Iron Curtain Countries" planned to pay a hundred thousand dollars for the assassination of President Kennedy. c. On 27 November, the CIA Canberra Station also furnished complete detail on the anonymous telephone call of 23 November 1963. d. On 29 November, CIA disseminated this information, as supplied by its Canberra Station, to the White House, Department of State, and Federal Bureau of Inve stigation, with a copy to the Secret Service. A-copy of this dissemination in its exact text is attached to this memorandum. 4, The CIA Station in Canberra arranged for discussion of the: | ‘calls with the Australian security service. In the opinion of the Australian authorities, the caller was a crank. In any event, they were not able to identify any Polish employee of the Soviet Embassy, the automobile described by the caller as the one he drove, or the _license plate number given by him. No further information on this call has been received. Available evidence would tend to show that the caller was some type of crank. This conclusion, however, cannot be confirmed. 5. Please note that the nature of the information in this. memorandum and its attachment requires the use of a sensitivity indicator. Richard Helms Deputy Director for Plans Attachment WARNING NOTICE SENSITIVE SQUREE” AND 2 . GROUP 1 ~an~ Excluded fram automatic iz and CkpRET fee
Deanne ele anenaeet ete nee re el im penaat WARNING NOY NCE SENSITIVE SOURCES AND | Sn RTC PONTE USN RD a am Commission No. _ OUT Teletype No. 85691, dated 29 November 1963, filed at 1117 hours; pees to the White House, Department of State and Federal Bureau of Investigation, with a copy to the Secret Service » l. Your attention is called to a series of anonymous telephone calls made to the office of the U.S. Naval Attache in Canberra, ‘Australia, by a man claiming to have had knowledge about a Soviet plot to assassinate the late President Kennedy. Our first record of this matter is a Naval Attache cable from Canberra sent on . 24 November 1963. 2. It appears that the caller, who professes to be the Polish chauffeur of a Soviet Embassy car in Canberra, first phoned in over a year ago, on 15 October 1962 repeat 1962. At that time he - a told a story about five Soviet submarines carrying 400 to 500 Soviet soldiers on their way to Cuba. One purpose of this troop movement, he said, was to support the Governor of Mississippi. He added that there was a plot to pay one hundred thousand dollars to kill President Kennedy. Behind the plot, he said, were the "Iron Curtain Countries," and 'Communist men in England, Hong Kong, and probably some other countries." . 3. On 23 November 1963 repeat 1963, the day after the assassination of President Kennedy and over a year after the first telephone call, a man believed to be the same person phoned the Embassy again and spoke to the assistant Naval Attache. The caller ‘referred to his call a year back and stated he had said that the USSR had put up 100,000 dollars for the assassination of President Kennedy. 4, Giving what he claimed were further details about the assassination, the caller said that about two weeks before (which would have been in early November 1963) he was present when an Australian man, 35 to 40 years old, andtall, was dispatched by the Soviets to the United States carrying a case about 35 to 40 centimeters long, 50 centimeters high, and 8.5 centimeters wide. The name Vasyl Two was used in some connection with this man. He was put on a plane in Sydney and while the caller drove the two Soviet escorts back to Canberra, their shortwave radio in the car was going constantly. A shortwave radio was going in the Embassy Se a] Nar 28 wore oo OLRTTN HT WARKING Bh OvTICE SENSITIVE SOURCES AND METHODS INVOLVED " ¥ Excluded tram automatic SERDET downgrading and ait nomen CUASSTGOG
map rattan Oy ere TRE aR ¢ also when they arrived there. Over these radios, one of these Soviets transmitted numbers and "points." They remained in the Embassy, and that morning (apparently 23 November 1963), a message came through and toasts were drunk in Russian Vodka and the Russians present said, "we have achieved what we want." 5. The caller then gave "information" about the Soviet role in sinking a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine and on Soviet subversion in yo Indonesia. He would not identify himself, and when he described the a car he drives (as a navy blue 1952 Buick, license plate New South Wales CCC 0122) he added they often change plates, have. fifty sets in reserve, and can change them in five seconds. 6. The caller added some vague information about a-woman © employee of the American Embassy he things works for the Soviets. The conversation concluded with the caller promising to write a letter to the Naval Attache at the American Embassy. 7. The caller spoke good English and his accent and voice did not change throughout the conversation, so it was assumed that he was not disguising his voice. 8. Australian authorities working « on this case consider the caller to be a crank. They state that Soviet offices in Australia do not use anything but Soviet chauffeurs; they have no record of their using a Polish chauffeur, They are continuing their investigation. Fates 25 es abt) + my | ame egeemag, me ee WARNING NC : SENSITIVE SOURCES AND METHODS INVOLVED Lea oy re ere ery) GAGUP 4 GE Hey Excluded from automatic . vewneradiag and ~Z- : toctassificativa rasnenconaitesqmmenntirecs Rasy te
iL CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY .WASHINGTON 25, D.C, 92 Me net 4954 Ci bit i WARNING NOTICE ¥ SENSITIVE SOURCES AND 1 Ree oe ert ne at QO ae ENN ASE LS OE AME rae M ny Coss ten pete Comission “Ho, . MEMORANDUM FOR: Mr. J. Lee Rankin SUBJECT: — _ Anonymous Telephone Calls to United States Embassy in Canberra, Australia, Relative to _ Planned Assassination of President Kennedy 1, I refer again to paragraph two of your memorandum, dated 12. February 1964, relative to disseminations to the Secret Service made by CIA. 2. On 24 November 1963, CIA received from the Department of the Navy a copy of a cable from the Naval Attache in Canberra, . Australia (IN 67327, Top Secret, later downgraded to Secret), — ' reporting a telephone conversation the previous day with an anonymous individual who had described himself as a Polish chauffeur for the Soviet Embassy in that city. This individual, while discussing several matters of intelligence interest, touched on the possibility that the Soviet Governm ent had financed the assassination of President Kennedy. Reference was made in this’ cable to the receipt of a similar anonymous telephone call on 15 October 1962. 3. Upon receipt of this cable from Navy CIA took the - following action: a. Cabled to Canberra asking full details of the telephone conversation of 23 November and the call made on 15 October 1962. It should be noted that CIA had not previously known of the 1962 telephone call. GROUP 1 Excluted trom automatic + Wowngrading and SECRET Certagsitication ceemmseinnrenarna-ovmunteaammpesne . WARNING NOTICE SENSITIVE SOURCES AND METHODS INVOLVED
“WARNING HOTICE SENSITIVE SOURCES AND METHODS INVOLVED. tS re 9 SR a 6 ERD AN ENR Hd b. The CIA Station in Canberra, on 27 November, furnished ‘all available information on the 1962 telephone call. .It appears that source on that occasion stated that "Iron Curtain Countries" planned to pay a hundred thousand dollars for the assassination ' of President Kennedy. — . c. On 27 November, the CIA Canberra Station also furnished 7 complete detail on the anonymous telephone call of 23 November 1963. d. On 29 November, CIA disseminated this information, as supplied by its Canberra Station, to the White House, Department of State, and Federal Bureau of Investigation, with a copy to the Secret Service. A copy of this dissemination in its exact text ‘is attached to this memorandum. 4. The CIA. Station in Canberra arranged for discussion of the | calls with the Australian security service. In the ‘opinion of the Australian authorities, the caller was a. crank. In any event, they ‘were not able to identify any Polish employee of the Soviet Embassy, the automobile described by the caller as the one he drove, or the license plate number given by him. No further information on this call has been received. Available evidence would tend to show that - - the caller was some type of crank, This conclusion, however, cannot 7 be confirmed. 0 . 5. Please note that the nature of the information in this memorandum and its attachment requires the use of a sensitivity indicator. , Se Richard Helms Deputy Director for Plans Attachment 3 aaa] WARNING NOTICE Ags | Feeuted trom aitonaticl | SENSITIVE SOURCE” AND. rere owngraciag aad Heslassitiesting a eetatet HW 50955 Docld:32209939 Page 9
On Tpke gernermevenn sereetee sare Tee me 1 on ra WARNING ROTICE SENSITIVE SOURC crs AND “Commission No. 7 Tee OUT Teletype No. 85691, dated 29 November 1963, filed at 1117 hours, to the White House, Department of State and Federal Bureau of Investigation, with a copy to the Secret Service ; ‘Ll. Your attention is called to a series of anonymous telephone calls made to the office of the U.S. Naval Attache in Canberra, Australia, by ’a man claiming to have had knowledge about a Soviet .plot to assassinate the late President Kennedy. Our first record © . _ of this matter is a Naval Attache cable from Canberra sent on . 2. 24 November 1963. 2. It appears ‘that the caller, who professes to be the Polish chauffeur of a Soviet Embassy car in Canberra, first phoned in. ‘over a year ago, on 15 October 1962 repeat 1962. At that time he ‘told a story about five Soviet submarines carrying 400 to 500 Soviet soldiers on their way to Cuba. One purpose of this troop movement, he said, was to support the Governor of Mississippi. He added that there was a plot.to pay one hundred thousand dollars to kill President Kennedy. Behind the plot, he said, were the "Tron Curtain Countries," and “Communist men in England, Hong Kong and probably some other mY countries. . 3, On 23 November 1963 repeat 1963, the day after the - _ assassination of President Kennedy and over a year after the first a com telephone call, a man believed to be the same person phoned the ere Embassy again and spoke to the assistant Naval Attache. The caller ee referred to his call a year back and stated he had said that the USSR had put up 100,000 dollars for the assassination of President Kennedy. 4, Giving what he claimed were further details about the assassination, the caller said that about two weeks before (which _would have been in early November 1963) he was present when an. Australian man, 35 to 40 years old, and tall, was dispatched by ‘the Soviets to the United States carrying a case about 35 to 40 . centimeters long, 50 centimeters high, and 8.5 centimeters wide. The name Vasyl Two was used in some connection with this man. He was put on a plane in Sydney and while the caller drove the two Soviet escorts back to Canberra, their shortwave radio in the car was going constantly. A shortwave radio was going in the Embassy cine mien prepare ir WARNING RHO TICE SENSITIVE SOURCES AND METHODS It IYVOUVED “ye Cave? f Excluded iver autamatic
2 AND 1 eam rne remenaet " a ‘also when they arrived there. Over these radios, one of these Soviets . transmitted numbers and "points.'' They remained in the Embassy, and °. ee i that morning (apparently 23 November 1963), a message came through © és. : and toasts were drunk in Russian Vodka and the Russians present said, eb "'we have achieved what we want." "5. The caller then gave "information" about the Soviet role | “in sinking a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine and on Soviet subversion in Indonesia. He would not identify himself, and when he described the car he drives (as a navy blue 1952 Buick, license plate New South Wales CCC 0122) he added they often change plates, have fifty sets in reserve, and can change them in five: seconds . -6. The caller added some vague information about a woman employee of the American Embas sy he things works for the Soviets. The conversation concluded with the caller promising to write a letter to the Naval Attache at the American Embassy. ; — 7. The caller spoke good English and his accent and voice did © not change throughout the conversation, so it was assumed that he = was not disguising his voice. -_ oe 8. Australian authorities working on this case consider the caller to be a crank. They state that Soviet offices in Australia . do not use anything but Soviet chauffeurs; they have no record of ra ' their using a Polish chauffeur. They are continuing their investigation. Bena Ee oar mn Lear GAGUP 4 NRONEB SEDRET Excluded trem automatic _WARNI NG non Moe ~ dewmarailing aad SENSITIVE SOURCES AND ie aL METHODS INVOLVED AI AON at AREA ORS I ae A OR NY HW 50955 DBocld: 322709939 Page 12
, GL BOEY WARNING NOTICE f. a. “ee ‘ "| SENSITIVE SOURCES AND | , . METHOOS INYO! YED ICE Pt AEA x CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY ~ ‘ WASHINGTON 25, D.C. Commission No. MEMORANDUM FOR: Mr. J. Lee Rankin SUBJECT: - Anonymous Telephone: Calls to United States _ Embassy in Canberra, Australia, Relative to. Planned Assassination of President Kennedy l. I vefer again to paragraph two of your memorandum, dated 12 February 1964, relative to disseminations to the Secret Service made by CIA. 2. On 24 November 1963, CIA received from the Department — of the Navy a copy of a cable from the Naval Attache in Canberra, Australia (IN 67327, Top Secret, later downgraded to Secret), reporting ‘a telephone conversation the previous day with an _amonymous individual who had described himself as a Polish " chauffeur for the Soviet Embassy in that city. This individual, . ; while discussing several matters of intelligence interest, touched on the possibility that the Soviet Government had financed the assassination of President Kennedy. Reference was made in this cable to.the receipt of a similar anonymous telephone call on 15 October 1962. 3. Upon receipt of this cable from Navy CIA took the following action: a. Cabled to Canberra asking full details of the telephone conversation of 23 November and the call made on 15 October 1962. It should be noted that CIA had not previously known of the 1962 telephone call. : rar | WARNING NOTICE , xen outer spare | timeruing and | | SENSITIVE SOURCES AND | Crone! 7 | ceciassitication lt METH® DS INVOLVED j . ‘HW 50955 Decld: 32209939 Page 13 an ; SS
OST SS I | WARNING NOTICE a : SENSITIVE SOURCES AND 5 | | | : METHODS INVOLVED b. The CIA Station in Canberra, on 27 November’, furnished all available information on the 1962 telephone call. It appears’ that source on that occasion stated that 'Iron Curtain Countries" planned to pay a hundred thousand dollars for the assassination of President Kennedy. c.. On 27 November, the CIA Canberra Station also furnished complete detail on the anonymous telephone call of 23 November 1963. d. On 29 November, CIA disseminated this information, as supplied by its Canberra Station, to the White House, Department of State, and Federal. Bureau of Investigation, with a copy to the Secret Service. A copy of this dissemination in its exact text is attached to this memorandum. 4, The CIA Station in Canberra arranged for discussion of the calls with the Australian security service. In the opinion of the Australian authorities, the caller was a crank. In any event, they were not able to identify any Polish employee of the Soviet Embassy, the automobile described by the caller as the one he drove, or the license plate number given by him. No further information on this call has been received. Available evidence would tend'to show that the caller was some type of crank.. This conclusion, however, cannot. be confirmed. . 5, Please note that the nature of the information in this memorandum and its attachment requires the use ofa sensitivity indicator. , Richard Helms ‘Deputy Director for Plans Attachment AE ES mee WARNING NOTICE erence stm astcacnn 2 evens i = he = xcitded from aufomatic j ceyejocr: oAN CLARET iewngragiaz and SENSITIVE OURS AND | Sanit | declagsificatisa METHODS IN ) HW 50955 DogId: 32209939 Rage 14-
. ap i WAR NING NOTICE I, _ SENS ITIVE SOURCES AND ° Commission No. 4 Ti aw ~ OUT Teletype No. 85691, dated 29 November 1963, ‘filed at 1117 hours; ~~~ : to the White House, Department of State and Federal Bureau of Investigation, with a copy to the Secret Service . 1. Your attention is called to a series of anonymous telephone calls made to the office of the U.S. Naval Attache in Canberra, Australia, by a man claiming to have had knowledge about a Soviet plot to assassinate the late President Kennedy. Our first record of this matter is a Naval Attache cable from Canberra sent on 24 November 1963. Zz. It appears that the caller, who professes to be the Polish chauffeur of a Soviet Embassy car in Canberra, first phoned in over a year ago, on 15 October 1962 repeat 1962. At that time he told a story about five Soviet submarines carrying 400 to 500 Soviet so.diers on their way to Cuba. One purpose of this troop movement, he said, was to support the Governor of Mississippi. He added that there was a plot.to pay one hundred thousand dollars to kill President Kennedy. Behind the plot, he said, were the "Tron Curtain Countries," and "Communist men in England, Hong Kong and probably some other - countries." 3. On 23 November 1963 repeat 1963, the day after the assassination of President Kennedy and over a year after the first telephone call, a man believed to be the same person phoned the Embassy again and’ spoke to the assistant Naval Attache. The caller referred to his call a year back and stated he had said that the USSR had put up 100,000 dollars for the assassination of President Kennedy. 4. Giving what he claimed were further details about the assassination, the caller said that about two weeks before (which would have been in early November 1963) he was present when an Australian man, 35 to 40 years old, and tall, was dispatched by the Soviets to the United States carrying a case about 35 to 40 centimeters long, 50 centimeters high, and 8.5 centimeters wide. The name Vasyl Two was used in some connection with this man. He was put ona plane in Sydney and while the caller drove the two Soviet escorts back to Canberra, their shortwave radio in the car was going constantly. A shortwave radio was going’ in the Embassy "WARNING NOTICE | SENSITIVE SOURCES- AND METHODS INVOIVED 4 i automatic HW 30955 Docld: 32209939 . Page 15
. hy Rome t wy oo ETE aie A aareranstsne SENATE NEE AOE APM also when they arrived there. Over these radios, one of these Soviets transmitted numbers and "points.'' They remained in the Embassy, and that morning (apparently 23 Novembér 1963), a message came through . _ and toasts were drunk in Russian Vodka and the Russians present said, "we have achieved what wé want." 5. The caller then gave "information" about the Soviet role in sinking a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine and on Soviet subversion in Indonesia. He would not identify himself, and when he described the car he drives (as a navy blue 1952 Buick, license plate New South Wales CCC 0122) he added they often change plates, have fifty sets in reserve, and can change them in five seconds. 6. The caller added some vague information about a woman employee of the American Embassy he things works for the Soviets. The conversation concluded with the caller promising to write a letter to the Naval Attache at the American Embassy. 7 7. The caller spoke good English and his accent and voice did not change throughout the conversation, - so it was assumed that he was not disguising his voice. 8. Australian authorities working on this case consider the caller to be a crank. They state that Soviet offices in Australia - do not use anything but Soviet chauffeurs; they have no record of- their using a Polish chauffeur. They are continuing their investigation. WARNING NOTICE SENSITIVE SOURCES AND METRODS INVOUVED ae tte Bats GROUP 1 pies from automatic downgrading and teclaesiication HW 50955 Docld:32209939 - Page 16