1104-10146-10340) ECRET é tes co a i + Ff ¢ ; I C ° emny OLC 78-1544 26 April 1978 MEMORANDUN FOR THE RECORD SUBJECT: House Select Committee on Assassinations ~ A Projection 1. (S) With less than eight months remaining until its final report to Congress is due, the HSCA investigations have narrowed to a few key areas which involve the Agency. Though the Committee mandate covers both the King and Kennedy Assassinations, the majority of our contact has been with the Kennedy investigators. 2- (S) The Kennedy Subcommittee is addressing four questions: - A. Who shot the President 2 . ° B. Was it a lone assassin or a conspiracy? C. How did the agencies perform: (1) prior to the assassination; (2) protecting the President; (3) during the subsequent ‘investigations? D. Is any new legislation necessary? 3- (S) Initially, the Kennedy Subcommittee had organized into four functional groups: oO, A. Cuban-Connection Task Force led by Bill Triplett B. Oswald Task Force led by Ken Klein C. Organized Crime Task Force led by John Hornbeck D. CIA Involvement in the Assassination and Performance During Subsequent Inquiries Task Force led by Mickey Goldsmith. Most recent contact between OJ.C and HSCA staff has involved the Oswald and CIA Involvement~Performance Task Forces. All groups have had access to CIA files, principally from Personnel, Security and DDO. (21394
14-00000 Saet’ ie ] ad we wig & 4. (S) Following are what now appear to be the possible topics for public hearings which involve the Agency and issues which may arise with HSCA. _CUBAN CONNECTION TASK FORCE This grouphas reviewed post Bay of Pigs material including the Cuban Counterrevolutionary Handbook, 1964, which details personalities and operations of Miami-based groups. G. Robert Blakey, Chief Counsel . and Staff Director, has been to Havana. qd) (8S) Possible Topics for Public Hearings (a) Results of the Havana visit which may include ¢ a Castro sponsored interview with AM/LASH. This may require a CLA spokesman to define the CIA ~ AM/LASH connection. (b) Operations of anti-Castro Cubans, Miami-based, for which CIA documents (Cuban Counterrevolutionary Handbook ~ 1964) may be necessary. (ec) Former DCI Colby discussions. with Claire Booth Luce’ regarding the Bayo-Pawley affair . ee (d) The scope and nature of CIA files regarding Marita Lorenz Castro-Sturgis. This may require CIA spokesman. . (2)° (S) Issues: No major issues at tlic’moment. OSWALD TASK FORCE This group has reviewed most of the Oswald file as well as many other "201s' referenced therein. Though the Epstein book may drive the majority of the public hearings toward the Nosenko issue, the group is exploring other issues which ma: be sired. a a) (S) Possible Topics for Public Hearings (a) Nosenko's knowledge of Oswald and his own credibility. - Nosenko can be expected to be called, possibly Golitsyn, too- Not Deryabin ‘(too dated). This may require a CIA spokesmanto . attest to the present CIA position on credibility. Cthers may be called: Helms, Colby, Angleton, Bagley, Miler, Hart, + Epstein _ and possibly Len McCoy and Bruce Solie.
14-00000 ; ___(d) James Wilcott, former CIA finance officer in ae pee] re we i ee DE De 2 (b) Rameriz Ortiz's knowledge of Oswald's file in Cuban DGI. Rameriz Ortiz, presently in Leavenworth Prison, wrote of a file on Oswald in Cuba. LA Division has reviewed the Rameriz Ortiz book and provided follow-up items to the Committee. As this is new material, it is likely to be aired and may require a CIA spokesman. Rameriz Ortiz has given executive session testimony already. (c) Priscilla Johnson McMillan may be called to discuss her contacts with Oswald in Moscow at which time her CIA “witting source" affiliation may be exposed. She gave executive session testimony last week, and staff indicated that they had follow-up issues as a result but would not share their issues. If the CIA relationship is presented, Gary Coit (retired, DCD) may be subpoenaed. . testified in executive session that Oswald had a relationship with the CLA, The press picked it up, arfd the HSCA has been forced to pursue the issue. HSCA staff have interviewed former; fficers and are about to interview former Agency employeés stationed at the Atsugi U72 base. Oswald served at Atsugi in 1958, although at an entirely separate location from our activity. Though Wilcott may be recalled for > public hearings, the course of the staff interest is not firm enough to predict. At the maximum we may be called to define our activities at Atsugi, 1957-60. A CIA spokesman may be. required. — : B ne oy (e) Serendipity may get Garbler/Kovich before the Committee. Garbler/Kovich may be called to exemplify the fallout from vy the Nosenko/Golitsyn issue. The most recent tip-off of this ; possibility is that the Committee has asked to interview former ny COS and DCOS of Moscow during the Garbler era. The Committee — aes may provide the forum that both may revel inand, since the HSCA is chartered to recommend legislation as a result of its efforts, it may be a possible source of private-bills for them. Messrs. Colby and Bush may also be called. (2) (S) Issues: | (a) HSCA has requested Nosenko's 1964, 1967 polygraph charts. After reviewing these, they may/may not request to polygraph | Nosenko himself. What is our position? (b) If documentary material is requested for Nosenko hearings, should it be provided? (Transcripts of OS interviews, etc.) |;
74-90000 . : + BF dew ad 2S ee (c) Should Nosenko's executive session hearing, scheduled for 31 May, be video taped such that the tape could become the basis for any future public hearing? _— (d) If Noseriko requests counsel, who provides/pays? (e) Should the Hart report be made available, as it appears the HSCA is backing into its substance anyway? ORGANIZED CRIME TASK FORCE | After an initial surge of interest by the HSCA staff in CIA files last year of Johnny Rosselli, William Mahen, et;al, no investigators have followed-up. The scope and nature of any future hearings are difficult to predict. No issues are pending. - CIA INVOLVEMENT/PERFORMANCE TASK FORCE Officially, this group is an adjunct service element to the other groups. Its activities hop from issue to issye,but some areas appear of specific interest to them. (1) (S) Possible Topics for Public Hearings — (a) Performance of Mexico City Station in reporting on Oswald. Anne Goodparture's testimony in executive session may be reviewed in public session. She may be called to comment upon the personalities of Win Scott and Station personnel. David _ Phillips appeared in executive session, too. (Barbara anid Herbert ¢ MannelDwill be deposed in lieu of a hearing. Any public hearing on Mexico City will ultimately hit upon sources and methods (Soviet/ Cuban Embassy tele-taps and photographic surveillance). One of the issues being investigated is the Agency's management of those operations. A CIA senior spokesman may be needed to testify to _ protect sources and methods. . DO, ° _ (b) David Christ was questioned about his activities on 22 November 1963. He resembled the "unidentified man" of Dallas. Our records on his exact activities are vague. As this is a "flashy" issue, the Committee may press for a public hearing. This would jeopardize Christ and the others and would be tantamount to having the U.S. Government admit publicly to an old CIA operation on Cuban soil at a time when the Administration may be courting Cuba. (c) E. Howard Hunt may be called to discuss a report of the assassination which he purportedly wrote while at the Plumbers Unit. . HSCA has requested access to our files on Hunt/Watergate. We have no known records of any such report. 4 o 7 Cr ey ~e aw Be i pel rc
14-00000 Hee - " (2) (S) Issues: (a) The Agency did not provide any of the previous investigations (Warren-Church) the depth of access to its files as we now are to the HSCA. Nor do we provide the same degree of access to either the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence or the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (i.e. DDO 201 files and other sources and methods material). We must be prepared to comment upon our relationship with this Committee. (b) The Agency released to the public through the Warren . Commission Report a cropped version of the Mexico City “unidentified man" Photograph. As this photograph was from a photographic surveillance operation and as several other photographs from the same operation have been cropped and supplied to the Committee, are we prepared to release all of these other photographs to the public if requested ? 5. (S) The immediate future of the Committee as it involves the é Agencyis: _ ~ > Deryabin interview ~ 27 April . : e ‘Golitsyn interview - 4 May Deposition ~ 19 May Nosenko interview ~ll May Executive Session Hearing - 31 May , ~ 25, 26 May - : . ~ 30 May - Bruce Solie interview - 9 May. ' Deposition ~ 22 May June and July will see a flourish of executive session hearings in preparation for August recess. September will see approximately 20 days of public hearings on King and 20 days on Kennedy. 6. (S) Although the King Subcommittee has not been active with our files, one memorandum of conversation with Office of Security, May 1965, indicated "King might possibly be assassinated", and Security presumes that this information was passed to FBI through normal liaison channels. HSCA has not yet reviewed this file although it is available to them. There do not appear to be any other preassassination items in the King file. 7. (S) At the conclusion of the HSCA's investigation, we may be left with material gathered in response to HSCA requests which has not been completely reviewed by HSCA staff investigators. ‘They are far behind at the moment. The Committee has requested access to files on over 363 individuals. DDO has 245 files ready for review of which 105 have been reviewed. Security has 146 files and two polygraphs ready for review of which 50 files have been
14-00000 - . ee ee oe reviewed. Their options may be: to rapidly scan all remaining material so they can reflect in their final report that they had seen it all; to not finish _ their review and remand the material to 30 years storage under our Memorandun _of Understanding; to pass the material to the custody of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for use in developing any needed future legislation, i-e- an intelligence charter. Regardless, I believe we must prepare all materials for 30 years retention and should be prepared to see the material remanded to a safe storage out of our custody. If the material remains. unreviewed by HSCA staff at the conclusion of their investigation, then the future skeptics may still have a cause celebre. In the final analysis, it works to both the CIA nad HSCA image to complete the job and I have attemptet on repeated occasions to call this to G- Robert Blakey's attention. _ - Rodger S@Gabrielson — Distribution: = a ts 1 - OLC Subject ° 1 - OLC Chron OLC:RSG:jms (26 Apr 78) a : & na 6 oa od woe LOMel