\ ‘ Doc PD: 6598218 7 . Dare: 01/13/98 i PAGE: . JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM oO IDENTIFICATION FORM eee AGENCY INFORMATION. ;~ ,-  SsstC=CST RECORD NUMBER : 124-10001-10127 % RECORDS SERIES : AGENCY FILE NUMBER : N0078 ees EE GH ORIGINATOR : NSA \ FROM : LOWMA “TO: PDASOFD DONT EL) TITLE SSCSGO QUERIES . DATE : 01/26/76 PAGES : SUBJECTS ; INVESTIGATION, WARREN COMMISSION DOCUMENT TYPE : MEMORANDUM, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT’ CLASSIFICATION : : RESTRICTIONS : NS : 1B nw CURRENT STATUS.-: P oan DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 1 1/12/97 . oo OPENING CRITERIA : Li» ORIGINATING AGENCY'S DETERMINATION REQUIRED _ COMMENTS : “ Released on 11-02-2017 under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2017 Note) ~[R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED
re Doc ID: 6598218 fenatv RB 2109 os NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY CENTRAL SECURITY SERVICE FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, MARYLAND 20755 , ol Serial:. NO0O78 26 January 1976 “POP—SEeRES MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRINCIPAL DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY | OF DEFENSE (INTELLIGENCE) - ) | SUBJECT: Senate Select Committee Queries to NSA Concerning the Warren Commission Reference your letter dated 14 January 1976 transmitting a request from Mr. Alton 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. , Released on 11-02-2017 under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2017 Note) APPENDED » DOCUMENTS” CONAN CODEWORD MATERIAL |
Doc ID: 6598218 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 this subject . at all. However, pursuant to the subject raised during the 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: 6598218 ; Serial: N0O078 Para. 6. - No hard copy ise of any kind was provided to the Commission (see Para. OS. parlor Us. D.- LOWMA Special Assistant to the Director for Congressional Reviews 4 Incls: a/s
Doc ID: 6598218 ; cc: M/R: Serial: NO0O78 DIR (Less Incls) D/DIR U ESS 2 ESS/R ESS, Mr. G, Mr. Peksa NCRDEF OO A, Miss Caracristi (Less Incls) L221 4s : ; M44USC2107(5)(g)(2)(D) (iii) Inclosures 2 through: 4 are. prodict reports ‘numbered 2/0/{_ R66~63, 2/O0/A___R196-63 and 2/0/7——R58-63 PY 44USC2107(5)(g)(2)(D)  Ib(v
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. FRANK CHURCH, IDAHO, CHAIRMAN a . . JOHN G. TOWER, TEXAS, VICE CHAIRMAN ; Dea.dd:6598248 Vowano i panehe JR. ®& WALTER F. MONDALE, MIAN, BARRY GOLDWATER, ART ae ae WALTER ©. HUDOLESTON, KY. CHARLES MCC. MATHIAS, JR., uM avanreas eee Wniteda Dtates Senate —~ WILLIAM G. MILLER, STAFF DIRECTOR FREDERICK A. O. SCHWARZ, JR., CHIEF COUNSEL SELECT COMM ITTEE TO CURTIS R. SMOTHERS, MINORITY COUNSEL, p STUDY GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS WITH RESPECT TO INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES a (PURSUANT TO S. RES, 21, BATH CONGRESS) . WASHINGTON, D.C. 20510 January 13, 1976 Mr. Thomas K. Latimer : Special Assistant to the Secretary U. S. Department of Defense 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. 1. By letter of July 10, 1964, (a copy of which is attached) Mr. Rankin provided General Blake a co of certain document reauested by Dr. Tordella for NSA's files. Since NSA's analysis of the documents was apparentl 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 made of these documents and what results relevant to the assassina- _ tion were obtained from such use. Zs In a Commission staff internal memorandum, discussing the ot documents provided NSA, it is reported that NSA is "primarily , i interested in names," and NSA claims it has "information on names which the CIA does not have." Assuming these statements are ac-~ curate, we wish to know what ‘significance such names would have eres) ete erg : an Yet nme ener rem n creme ens ORXUMET FROM FORPRAL DESL ASMEICA TAN P SCHAUER OF EO Lindt be Ge OUP Gave - § Sele eke adh at Chie feds one ae core} AULOMATICALLY GECLESSIESED ON F :ED GON . (unices rmpossiole, sasert date or event)
v “Doc ID: 6598218 . : Mr. Thomas K. Latimer January 13, 1976 Page Two VSA_an at information on names NSA had that CIA did not. If names had significance, 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 Did it analyze them? What - were the re- assassination inquiry? Did it anal _sults of its analysis? ° 4, We are interested in learning the extent of NSA's role in assisting in the investigation of the assassination. In that connection, please inform the Committee the extent of NSA files relating to _the assassination. Please provide the staff of the Committee access to those files. Please provide the staff with -a 1 summary of all information NSA developed from Cuban or Soviet on eeenanemcen A tl wet te 9 et rt eS ne transmissions relating to the assassination. 5. We 7 have vern. in formed that akber the assassination the Cuban covernmant instructed its embassies and consulates to re- turn all files on Oswald to Cuba... What information does NSA. have on whether such instructions ¥ were e issued? - 6. In connection with the answers to questions 4 el 5, please _ indicat -@_ whether such material was provided the Warren Commission and provide copies of all _ documents. evidencing. that Fact. ' We would appreciate receiving a response to these. questtens » as soon es possible and to expedite this inquiry we are ending a copy of this letter to Mr. Foster of NSA. Sincerely, Alton 1 H. Quanbeck CLiStHFINS SC. yeteeg. dct. can Seon DH ML SESE ASSHEWATIGN | 1 * ? | meet Be Gh US) Aare ton CAG Ye I ' i LY. fe V' veortle ane or mare) AW ual DECLASSIFIED ON Sapoaiite Aw Butigrecne a) ec: Frank Foster Pwr stipe 0h ou est cate or Q¥entt ee anes
Sw f . ; ; ae Doc 1D: 6599218 OC e | oo G® Ms ir \ or: RM/bjec t/ i164 oo, . . _ ” , eo Oe , JUL 1 0 1954 — f oh. a Lieutenant, General Gordon A, Blake, U. pe A. P. wae . ,. Diveetor, flational Security Aseney weit heal™ an eae re > Fort deorbeU, Teade, Havyland Se : sO * : -‘Deae General Blake: OS ae oe i. In regard to Dr. Tordello's cequest, the Hational 8 curity Agency 18 authorized to keep for 4ts file the following pnotegraphic copies of item3a which have been used by the pte Comusie sion in its Anvestigations - an ; Le, — oe a : — (a) . Conmisaton Exhibit 31 . (2) | Commission Exhibit 15 WY . (3) Comaisaion Exhibit 104 i (4) Commission Exhibit i6 Oe nts cS - a (5) " Gypeuritten version of Commission Exhibit 24 ve yee (6) F..B. I, items A-2, A-6— | (7). F. Be I. items 137, 152 Thank you for the cooperation and asslatance sou / have renccred the Connission. wo Sincerely, SIGNED or oe . J. Lee Rankin s General Cuunsel Oba, No ce: Mr. Renkin 7 : ft va ‘Mr. Willens Mr. Mosk
Doc ID: 6598218 a ee : Mpakion waa® : Thess ‘gources vy
Caat 2pLPBL 2498-63), aud thac the restriction was to ws = aS : a ' oe vot aanen 2> November b all those BUBe Oe eS Pn ee en o ae Woete bee Re z ot 4 . a Doc ID: 6598218 oe @ 7 - eo. aed oN 8 T4USCZIOTONG bi (5)(9)(2)(D) (2-2 for 2R5 8-63" cou. 26. Now’ 63° 20182. pists! OWA, RIENTE PROVITEE BELIEVED. TO_B TRRMINATED - lieved to be teruinated,.. The alert,’ apparently ‘prompted by: oe » President KENNZDY ‘s death on 22: November » was possibly pre- é scheduled to terainate ‘on: 25) Noverbers There Have “béen “two 0 which suggest “chat the alert. was” destined: to be concluded’ on “5 November; they. are: Png i ‘ at Punta’ cog Shas DY access: to the coastal ‘observation Post Maisi (20-15N.. 74-05W). was “restricted until 25 November: because ' _ oe 2) “ gubordinates’ of Benes » Readdquarters ‘pastern’ Naval ve wo, District, were ‘co receive furrter orders on the 25th, presimably . - concerning their alert’ status (270{___]R196-63) 5 no ‘such orders’ : have ‘been noted in commmteations further “references ‘in ‘intercepted communi 02222 on 23 Noyenber (2/95 f__R667-63) .  yhece have beén no cations: to the alert since "Iris possible thac the, restricted Access to the Observation . ’ Post at’ Punta Malsi extends to other Observation Tosts in- Oriente: Province such as. reported on 23 Novenber when First Aray Coastal”: * Observation Posts were placed in an alert status a be Lifted on 3 , “Further indication thatthe alert has terminated is the fact _ that the Cuban Bavy was engaged In'an Lsland-wide communications — exercise on 25 Novenber. It is considered unlikely that such an - > exercise wala be cunducted under’ alert conditions. . ; alert status of che (P percent santiago de Cua) units which was first ob- 7 served on 23 November (2731. f___}p05-63 _ AL CRAF and Sovtet ‘Forces Cuba communiccrLons appear to be normal during this yertad, 22-26 November 1963. Phere tava been no fret ex ceferences to the 2 12 hist: O/WA PLUS CG 201 BA