157-10014-10106 AGENCY : RECORD NUMBER : RECORD SERIES : AGENCY FILE NUMBER : ORIGINATOR : FROM: TO: TITLE : DATE: PAGES: SUBJECTS : DOCUMENT TYPE: CLASSIFICATION : RESTRICTIONS : CURRENT STATUS : DATE OF LAST REVIEW : OPENING CRITERIA : COMMENTS : v9.1 HW 50955 DBocld: 3274239494 JFK Assassination System Identification Form Agency Information SSCIA 157-10014-10106 MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS OF THE CHURCH COMMITTTEE 07-M-12 Document Information «. SSCIA’ 06/09/1975 7 O'DONNELL, JUSTIN BISSELL, RICHARD REPORT Declassified 1B; 1C¢ Redact 03/21/2000 CCBOX 418 Page i Date: TT/2015
Date : 08/06/95 Page JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION FORM AGENCY INFORMATION AGENCY : SSCIA RECORD NUMBER : 157-10014-10106 RECORDS SERIES : MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS OF THE CHURCH COMMITTTEE AGENCY FILE NUMBER : 07~-M<-12 ‘ ORIGINATOR : SSCIA FROM : TO : TITLE : DATE : 06/09/75 PAGES : 7 SUBJECTS : BISSELL, RICHARD ‘O'DONNELL, JUSTIN DOCUMENT TYPE: REPORT CLASSIFICATION : TOP SECRET RESTRICTIONS : REFERRED CURRENT STATUS : POSTPONED IN FULL DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 01/05/99 OPENING CRITERIA : COMMENTS : CCBOX 418 [R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED HW 50955 DBDocld:327423494 Page ?
AGENDA . - SEVENTEENTH MEETING OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES JUNE 9, 1975, 2:00 P.M. IN S-407 IN THE CAPITOL Testimony bY Mr. Richard Bissell Bhuve Former Deputy Director, Plans, © JNVENTaRIED: _ Central IntelligenceAgency ON MAR 15 1977 FAY, erences we eee WW 50955 Doctd: 324293494 Page 4
HW 50955 Docld: 32423494 Page Amo RaQisd Bra | | tame b= oF HE MONDAY, JUNE 9, 1975 SELECT * COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA - AFTERNOON SUMMARY OF EXPECTED TESTOMONY OF MVENTORUEDR . Be _ JUSTIN O'DONNELL wy es dh At 2:00 p.m., before hearing Mr. Bissell, the Committee will hear briefly the testimony of Mr. Justin O'Donnell regarding Lumumba. O'Donnell was in OSS and CIA for almost 30 years and Station Chief for CIA in| When he came back to headquarters in early 1960 he became Deputy Chief of Staff D of the Directorate of Plans. The Chief was William Harvey. In the Fall of 1960, Patrice Lumumba had been dismissed as Premier of the newly independent and troubled Congo. He was under house deten- tion, but was being guarded -- and protected -- by U.N. forces, and thus was beyond the immediate reach of President Kasavubu and emerging ' strong man Col. Mobutu.. At_this time (Fall of 1960) Mr. Bissell was DDP. (As Station Chief in[_|in the late 1950's O'Donnell had come to know Mr. Bissell.) Bissell called O'Donnell in and asked him to assassinate Lumumba -- Bissell sent him to a scientist in the Technical Services Division who, in effect, described various chemical and: bilogical techniques and said "pick your poison." O'Donnell went back to Bissell and refused to do it because he was opposed to assassination. O'Donnell then went immediately next door to Helms' office (Helms was then Bissell's deputy) and told him what had transpired. Helms agreed O'Donnell had been right to refuse. These events all occurred on the same evening within an hour. O'Donnell did agree to go to the Congo to run a. political operation to neutralize Lumumba. His plan was to entice, or snatch, Lumumba out © of is protective U.N. detention and turn him over to Mobutu for trial under Congolese law for crimes he had allegely committed. O'Donnell -was in the Congo for 3 months. In the Congo, O'Donnell was told by the Station Chief Lawrence Devlin that there was a virus in the Station Chief's safe. O'Donnell’ clearly understood this to mean a lethal one for use against Lumumba. He heard no more about it. He does not know if we had anything to. do with Lumumba" s actual death, but does not think we did. Subsequently, while in the Congo he spoke about assassination, in the context of the Congo, with Devlin and with Bronson Tweedy, the Africa Division Chief.
‘GENERAL NOTES ON RICHARD BISSELL A. Background: Academic. Supposedly brilliant. Economics Professor B. General re Career at CIA (1952-1962) 1. 1952-59: Personal Assistant to Dulles a. Guatamala Operation b. Credited with moving Agency toward technological intelligence gathering, recognizing classical espionage of little value vs. USSR. (1) U-2 ene (41) Satellite beginnings 2, 1959-1962: Deputy Director for Plans * a. Intimately involved in Bay of Pigs b. Removed (allegedly because of Bay of Pigs) spring 1962 + _* = Allegations have been made of his involvement in Castro, Trujillo, Lumumba specifically and "Executive Action" generally. + Note Bay of Pigs occurred in 4/61. According to the 1967 CIA study, Bissell reinstated the Mafia operation in 11/6l. If. true: what was his relationship to higher. authority at that time? . HW 50955 DBoeld: 32423494 Page 6
'GENERAL NOTES ON RICHARD BISSELL A. Background: Academic. Supposedly brilliant. Economics Professor B. General re Career at CIA (1952-1962) - 1. 1952-59: Personal Assistant to Dulles _ ae Guatamala Operation . Credited with moving Agency toward technological intelligence gathering, recognizing classical espionage of little value vs. USSR. (1) UL2 (44) Satellite beginnings 2, 1959-1962: Deputy Director for Plans * -a. Intimately involved in Bay of Pigs D. Removed (allegedly because of Bay of Pigs) spring 1962 + * Allegations have been made of his involvement in Castro, Trujillo, Lumumba specifically and "Executive Action" generally. + Note Bay of Pigs occurred in 4/61. According to the 1967 CIA © _ study, Bissell reinstated the Mafia operation in 11/61. If true:. time? what was his relationship to higher authority at that HW 50955 Docld:324293494 Page 7
BISSELL CASTRO™ I. Statements re Bissell (B) in CIA's 1967 Stua A. 8/60 Mafie Connection 1. Basks Edwards (E) to get far, syndicate (14) 2. Says by late Sept., E. O'C & B ‘only to know . Late Sept. or Oct. 1960 Alleged Dulles Briefing Apparently based on E. Note vagueness (18) has record being ‘approached by Harvey in 2/61 in connection with sensitive project for B. (27) Bp ames termination 6 months before Bay of Pigs (33) . Executive action (37) 1. Harvey("H") briefed by B 2/61. .@, H says early in JFK administration B called in re Exec Action i.e. "a general standby capability to carry out assassinations when required” * “The "Executive Action" story is mentioned (somewhat ‘confusingly in the CIA study in the midst of the ‘Castro story (see D below). B claims J.C. King originated. (At least shows - B involved). Also note that in 1961 E. told the FBI Dulles didn't know ef wie ws Mar In fact it continued. Page 8 Docld: 324273494 HW 450955
=p = a. Harvey's notes quote B as saying "the White House has twice urged me to ereate such a capability.” b. "B recalls discussing the question of developing a general capability with Harvey.” e. ZRRIFLE. QJWIN F. H's notes say on 11/15/61 he discussed with B application of ZRRIFLE to Cuba. And B instructed him to take over E's contact with the criminal syndicate and run against Castro. (39) II. Justice Department A. 20/61 FBI report re 5/3/61 meeting with E 1. Said only B and 2 others were aware of Giancane/Maheu. "Dulles was completely unaware" 2. Said B told AG during recent briefings to RFK and Taylor that “some of CIA activity .- involved use of G and underworld." Does this mean he didn't recall the WH part? N.B. at this time E was telling the FBI only that the G/M operation was in connection with gathering intelligence. Docld:32423494 Page 9 HH 50955