gsh Pnone (Area 202) 544-6000 WARD & PAUL HY 410 Fiest Street, $.£., Washington, 0.C. 20003 0955 10 il l2 13 14 15 16 1? 18 - 19 20 21 22 29 24 25 TOP SECRET Mr. Elder. Walter Elder, § Po Mr. Schwarz. Are you today employed by the CIA? Mr. Elder. I am. Mr. Schwarz. When were you first employed? Mr. Elder. 10 September, 1951. Mr. Schwarz. Could you recount what your duties were at the Agency between 1959 and 1965 in just summary form? Mr. Elder. In 1959 I was a senior intelligence duty officer in the Office of Current Intelligence. On 8 February, 1960 I became Assistant to the Director with the specific assignment as Executive Assistant to the Deputy Director who was then General Kebble. OMbL I continued in this capacity until General Kebbie retired at the end of January, 1962. Mr. McCone became Director on 29 November, 1961. On 1 December I was assigned an added responsibility as his briefing officer. Mr. Schwarz. 1961? Mr. Elder. Yes, sir. This job grew in responsibility and on 3 May, 1962 I became his Executive Assistant and served with him until he left, 28 April, 1965. Have you kept in contact with Mr. McCone since then? Mr. Elder. I have. Mr. Schwarz. In both a personal and professional sense? TOP SECRET Docld:323781886 Page 2?
Q un = 2 Oo Phone {Area 202) 544-6000 10 il 12 (13 WARD & PAUL 15 16 17 18 19 20 el ae 23 24 410 First Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003 29 14 | TOP SECRET ° part of his time? Mr. Elder. That is correct. He made one extensive trip in the accompaniment of Mr. Dulles to visit not only Chiefs of Station in Europe but also to visit with the heads of friendly liaison services. He made a trip to the Far East. The principal point of it was a meeting of the Chiefs of Station from the Far East area i Seon, where, of course, he was briefed extensively. He also received extensive briefings at headquarters between . the period, I think he became a consultant technically on the 13th of October. Mr. Kirbow. Did you accompany him on these trips? Mr. Elder. No, I did not. Mr. Kirbow. But Mr. Dulles did accompany him, at least on the European trip? Mr. Elder. The European trip, Mr. Helms and Mr. Bissell accompanied him, among others. Mr. Kirbow. Would you give us some idea of about how much time you would estimate he spent alone with Mr. McCone on this trip to the Far East, and then tell us about how much time he spent collectively with the briefings by the various Chiefs of Station? Mr. Elder. I am sorry, who spent time? Mr. Dulles did not go on the Par East trip. Mr. Kirbow. Mr. McCone and Mr. Dulles, the time they TOP SECRET : HW 50955 DBDocld: 322613386 Page 3
~ | TOP SECRET me f ‘ ¢ : 1 spent together on the European trip and Mr. McCone with Mr. : 2 Bissell and Mr. Helms on the Far East trip? | 3 5] Mr. Elder. I believe the Far Eastern trip lasted about | i 4 10 days. The trip to Europe was about two weeks. They | 5 travelled together. They were not necessarily quartered together. 6 But they were together for the full working day ana there ? | were usually evening business sessions. 8 | Mr. Kirbow. Do you of your own knowledge know if they visite 9 | both the _ wstations during that | 10 trip? : il Mr. Elder. No, I do not know that orecisely. . | le Mr. Kirbow. Do you have any reason to think that they 13 would have avoided those two stations? WARD & PAUL 14 Mr. Elder. I can think of no reason to avoid those 15 two stations except that they are not major stations. 16 Mr. Kirbow. Were there any records in Mr. McCone's 1? files of the details of the briefings or of other meetings 18 of importance on either of these trips? 19 Mr.‘ Elder. There are records but they are skimpy because 20 he felt that he had no official capacity and no official 21 need for those records. 22 Mr. Kirbow. Would you give us some idea about how deep 23 within the structure at headquarters agency he contacted i 24 people for any material briefings? | 410 First Street, S.E., Washington, 0.C. 20003 25 Mr. Elder. He contacted all the deputy directors and HW 50955 Docld: 32261336 Page 4
Q 1) os Phone (Area 202} 544-6000 WARD & PAUL 410 First Street, S.£., Washington, O.C. 20003 HW 50955 50 10 11 le 13 14 15 16 1? ‘1g 19 20 el 22 235 24 z25 TOP SECRET 0 Mr. Schwarz. Did you send it and did you do anything about it? Mr. Elder. Yes, I did. It's addressed to Colonel J.C. King. Mr. Schwarz. How do you know that? Mr. Elder. I remember it very well. I had the weekend duty with Mr. Dulles. We shared it. He would say I want this done, I want this done. I related to Colonel J.C. King. I also remember right here that he relayed to Mr. | '] Chief of Cuban Branch. . Mr. Shwarz. Your memory, Mr. Elder, is unbelievable. It is fantastic, is a better way of putting it. Mr. Elder. Is it a curse or a bléssing? Mr. Schwarz. Have you always had ‘that amazing memory? Mr. Elder. Yes, I have. It's just a gift. Mr. Schwarz. What were the circumstances? Mr, Elder. He had reviewed a paper. Mr. Schwzrz. He, Dulles? Mr. Elder. Mr. Dulles had reviewed a paper on the weekend. He would line them up like this (indicating). We would go through, take notes and relay them, his assistants, his views on these things. You will note the date on this, 10 April, 1961. All right, the next weekend, he knew then was the action against TOP SECRET : Docld: 32281886 Page 5
gsh 83 WARD & PAUL 410 First Street, S-E., Washington, D.C. 20003 HW 50955 Phone {Area 202) 544-6000 12 13 14 15 16 1? 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 TOP SECRET 83 said and the record of the cable is before the Committee and it says, do not get the Agency involved in this kind of recommendation in so many words in that last sentence. It does not say that the actions that were being proposed by the coup group out there that were made well aware to overthrow him or to take the brother and the ruler out of action, so to speak, at that time in no way contemplated assassination except forwhat the remark had been to the Ambassador, do not overlook this as a possibility. pid it? | Mr. Elder. My recollection is, Mr. Kirbow, the acting Chief of Station,| | pointed out that among the plans of all the myriads of reports that we were getting, that there was a proposal that assassination of Diem and Nu would remove the problem. (Discussion off the record.) Mr. Elder. This waS a proposal: Mr. Kirbow. Excuse me. I think in all fairness here we have digressed to the point where Mr. Elder may wish to refresh his recollection from the dccuments that we have offered everybody else because I believe that you and I are in agreement this may not be exactly what the document is. I think we have put you in the position of going from one end of the world to the other, and that may be unfair at TOP SECRET Doctd: 322613866 Page 6