104-10332-10004 4 aan ’ . JUINT SUIT DUD Woe ce ance . : SUS we VOL reese » Assassination Records Review Board 600 E Street NW - 2nd Floor + Washington, 0C.20530 (202) 724-0088 - Fax: (202) 724-0457 CIA HAS NO OBJECTION 10 7 . DECLASSIFICATION AND/OR April 8, 1996 RELEASE OF CIAINFORMATION _ IN THIS DOCUMENT : HAND DELIVERED | jane | Mr. Kevin O'Brien Chief, FOI/PA Section Federal Bureau of Investigation 10th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20535 Re: Additional Information Request No. FBI-12 (Mark Lane) - Dear Kevin: The ARRB staff requests access to review references to Mark Lane or the Citizens Committee of Inquiry in the files of FBI Headquarters and the New York field office for the time from November 1963 to date. This request includes, but is not limited to, any communications involving Mr. Lane intercepted via electronic surveillance. In the event that records responsive to this request have already been transmitted to the JFK . Collection, or have already been identified for processing under the JFK Act, please so so advise. _ Thank you for your continuing cooperation. Smee 5 yours, | ( VW David G. Marwell . Executive Director Boaro Memeens: John fi. Tunheim, Chair + Henry F. Graff + Kermit t. Hall + William L. Joyce * Anns K. Nelson Execurive Qiaectoa: David G. Marwell
13-00000 J LLECTIONS | x LIN FULL . 21 June 1996 MEMORANDUM FOR: Fred Wickham DO Focal Point for JFK Board Requests FROM: ' Barry Harrelson Historical Review Group SUBJECT: ‘JFK Board request to FBI re Mark Lane REFERENCE: - Additional Information Request No. “wet ;12 .dtd. 8 April 1996 (attached) 1... The staff of the Assassination Record Review Board a (JFK Board) has requested access to FBI files on Mark Lane (see reference). The attached “ODYSSEY” document was found in the FBI's Mark Lane file; the FBI has denied access to the document pending a response from the CIA. 2. This is a request for access only. According to the FBI, no documents in the Mark Lane files have not been designated “Assassination Records” to date. Please advise “on the sensitivity of the “Odyssey” project and what restriction, if any, would be placed on access to the attached document. 3. We would appreciate your response by S July as to granting access to the document. If you have questions you _ ' can contact me at.extension 30292. CL BY; Attachments: As stated CL REASON: ~i.5c DECL On: Xl DRV FROM: etfCR ET
13-00000 CIA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS RELEASE IN FULL 5-07-98 2000 | Jeremy, - Attached is a copy of the Mark Lane item. The source statement was added at the request of the Foreign | _ government. The rest of this item is a copy of the text of. the relevant portions of the document. I have alerted | Linda that you will be calling. Barry
13-00000 “4 way 04 *ga *12:52PM SECRET oe The source of the following information a Foreign, Government which specifically requested not be identified. ACTIVE MEASURES The KGB exerted a positive influence on the US in order to overcome the financial crisis facing the UN. In January 1965 an operations officer laid out the Soviet point of view in a conversation with a First Secretary at the US Embassy: in Moscew, and the New York Residency expressed these same . views to American newspaper correspondents and to UN | - representatives of a number of countries. On 04 February an , agent in Moscow succeeded in getting prepared information to - the American Ambassador. These actions brought about’ a a change in the UN's position regarding this financial problem and pushed the American delegation to reach a compromise. . Mark LANE is well known as a person with close ties to Democratic Party circles in the US. He.holds liberal. views on a number of-current American political problems, .and has undertaken to conduct his own private investigation of the circumstances surrounding the-murder of J. KENNEDY. This coincided with the interests of the KGB, and the New York Residency, through a trusted contact, passed LANE 1500 ~ dollars for. his work on a book, and 500 dollars for a trip ' to Europe in connection with the investigation he was conducting. This trusted contact. of the Residency was a close friend of LANE's. LANE was not told who was financing ~ his work, but he might have been able to quese; the US: . apecial services might also have known about this, Lf LANE was under observation at thia time. While in Europe in’ 1964, he wanted to visit Moscow and acquaint the authorities there with the revealing materials. he had regarding the KENNEDY murder. The authorities took into consideration the sensitive nature of LANE's investigative activities and did not wish to enter into difficulties with the US; LANE!s trip was therefore tactfully postponed indefinitely. Trusted contacts from among Soviet journalists“met with LANE, and beginning in 1969 Borovik maintained regular contact with him. LANE once again expressed ta Borovik hia desire to | visit Moscow and show the authorities there the film that he had put together, which discredited the official version of the President's murder. Once again he was delicately told that the time wags not right fer such a trip, since the American government might begin a slander campaign against him in connection with his involvement in the anti-war movement. American Communists who were-in Moscow in 1971 expressed the opinion that, although LANE was engaged in
13-00000 activity that was advantageous to the Communists, he was doing this not without profit to himself, and sought to achieve personal popularity and become a national figure. Other investigators and KENNEDY assassination buffs. were supplied by the KGB not only with money, but also with circumstantial evidence that made the affair appear to be a well-concealed political conspiracy. . On 18 August 1975 photocopies of a note from Lee Harvey OSWALD, prepared at Center, were sent from Mexico.to three -_ American citizens who were independent investigators of the circumatances of President KENNEDY's murder. The dontent, of the note was as follows: . an é ” "8 November 1963. | fC — Dear Mr. HUNT, I would like to receive information about my position. I only want information. I propose that we meet , and discuss this matter thoroughly. before any steps are taken by me or by someone else. Thank you, Lee Harvey The conception of this active measure, codenamed "Arlington," was based on the use of an assassination theory that was widespread in the US, according to which theory Howard HUNT, a former CIA employee who was convicted in 1974 din connection with the Watergate affair, participated in ~~ 1963 in organizing a plot, the victim of which was President KENNEDY . The note given above was composed using individual phrases and expressions taken. from letters written by OSWALD during his stay in the USSR; the note was written in OSWALD's handwriting on a scrap of the writing paper that OSWALD used in Texas. This note was on two occasions. - subjected to graphological and chronological examination "for authenticity" by the Third Section of the KGB's OTU (Operational-Technical Directorate]. aan 4 OSWALD's note was accompanied by a another note: | "Sir: At one time Mr. KELLY from the FBI received from me a document which, in my opinion, will help shed light on the circumstances surrounding the murder of President KENNEDY. Since KELLY has. to date not done anything with this document, I, fearing the worst, and forced to disappear for a time. Knowing that you are engaged in an independent investigation of the President's murder, I am sending you a copy of the document. With best wishea, Yours, P.S.*
13-00000 *s " away @4 °98 542354PM —SEstEE caer tv It was intended that the peraon who received the , photocopy of the OSWALD note would request that FBI Ditector KELLY ‘produce the original note. KELLY, naturally, would deny that he had received such a note, and this would * encourage the investigator even more to obtain the desired document. The note was gent to: Harold \WEIEBERG, the author of several books about the KENNEDY assassination that rejected the official version put out by the Warren Commission, argued for the existence of a political conspiracy, and investigated OSWALD's ties to the special services; Dan JONES, the editor of the Midlothian Mirror newspaper, ‘who had inveatigated. the assassination from the.point of viéw: of a conspiracy; ‘and Howard HOFMAN {possibly HOFFMAN], and historian from Philadelphia who had investigated the KENNEDY -assaseination and cast doubt upon the conclisions of the Warren Commission. The documentary operation varlington" was carried out in such a way as to fuel [the flames of suspicion] with. fresh news and to expose the participation of the American special services in the liquidation of KENNEDY. At the beginning of March 1977 the first reference ko the "previously unknown note from Lee. Harvey OSWALD" appeared in the American preas. The Minister of Justice (sic--1.e., Attorney General] announced that it was “impossible to determine through Laboratory testing whether | the letter waa authentic or fabricated." However, at the | beginning of April there appeared in the New York Times an official report by three handwriting experts, who concluded that "the note dated 08 November 1963 was written by Lee Harvey OSWALD." The authenticity of the OSWALD note was also reinforced by a reference to the testimony of Lee Harvey's widow, Marina. American newspapers, however, did - not tie OSWALD to the HUNT who had formerly worked for the CIA, but rather to his namesake, HUNT who was a deceased Texas o11 millionaire. . The FCD's disinformation service believed that OSWALD 's connection with HUNT the millionaire, rather than with’ HUNT, the CIA officer, was purposely played up in the American press in order to divert public attention from OSWALD's contacts with the special services, In February Howard HUNT was unexpectedly released from prison on 10,000 dollars bail, which had been posted for him by “unknown persons." Newspapers emphasized the fact that "KELLY, the current FBI Director, who had received the original document, had concealed it from the public and had not circulated it."
13-00000 AAMAY G4 "98 12:55PM . . TRS | | After the report about the "OSWALD notes. chad appeared _ — in the press, the report of a special House of | Representatives Commission investigating the assasainations of J. KENNEDY and Martin Luther KING‘was published in the ‘US. | This. xeport spoke of “new evidence" that the Commission had obtained regarding the KENNEDY assassination. Coligress: decided to extend the functioning of this House of — . Representatives Commission for another two years. ‘Tn April 1977 the KGB informed the Central Committee of. the CPSU that it would take additional measures to promote theories regarding the participation of the American special ‘services in a political conspiracy directed against President KENNEDY . “aa . ‘The| Disinformation Service made a point of commenting on every significant world event and interpreting it through its ‘own prism. The following operations continued: the "Arlington" operation, dealing with CIA participation in . organizing President KENNEDY ' s assassination,
13-00000 Es . . SECRET ch BY:(0611637 ; L REASOR: Section 1.5 ¢ pect on: X1 onv Fam: HUM 4-82 15 May 1998 MEMORANDUM FOR: Lee §. Strickland @ DA Fredrick €. Wickham @ DO William H. McNair @ DG Becky L. Rant @ DA |@ DST FROM: J. Barry Harrelson JFK Project Officer OFFICE: OIM/HRP SUBJECT: ARRB Meeting 13 May 1998 -- Results REFERENCE: Lotus note dated 8 May - ARRB Meeting 12-13 May 1998 wo The JFK Board addressed six Agency issues at the 13 May meeting. The Agency's proposals prevailed in four of the six issues “@prene-and one issue was tabled for further discussion. The Board made the following determinations: 1) Alias Documentation and Accommodation Addresses: accepted our proposal to postpone release of specific information until 2017 and use generic substitute language. 2)’ LITAMIL-9 [CIA penetration or Cuban Embassy in Mexico City/considered a “key player” in the Oswald-Mexico City story: - : : nd agreed to continue to protect the full crypt and delay the release of additional documents (201 file) until his death. They set an annual review date on the documents; the Agency will need to advise NARA annually on his status. 3) Richard Gibson | member of Fair Play for Cuba Committee during early 60's/considered a "key player in Oswald's story! 4) AMTRUNK Assets [AMTRUNK was an early 1960's anti-Cuban operation; most of the details of the operation including crypts have been previously released]: SECRET
13-00000 SECRET agreed to protect true name and 207 file numbers of assets not previously released. 5} Mark'Lane item [extract from foreign document): { postponed until 4 June meeting; board would like have a member or its staff confirm the existence of the document and ensure that it contains no other JFK assassination related information. 6) Carlos Tepedino [CIA asset! key figure in AMLASH-Cubela plot to kill Castro/true name and role in story has been publicly known for years): \ . voted to release his name in the 1967 IG Report on Plots Against Castro and other JFK collection documents The\ Stone/Golitsyn issue was pulled from the agencd and will be addressed at the next meeting (4 June). This was a very successful meeting from the Agency's perspective. The loss on Tepedino was not unexpected. Given what is in the public domain, the Agency has not been able te make a persuasive argument to protect his name in the three years Tepedino has been at issue. Thanks to all who assisted in preparing for the meeting, and especially t and who prepared the issue and talking point papers that carried the day. ~ | CE: SECRET