t oe joy Heed” . oY Cone: C/EA*B INFO: FILE, ¥ Vs DDO. “greasy evcesy” cyeieay Clepavecs:. 1 CLIB/DMS, C/PCS/INTs. C/SIA/FLs DDO/DO» ODPD=Ds OGE=2, OLCy. SAAB Ore — po 2BsP) | Te oa72i94 eg ae wae oor ae ae ar wo TOTE 2803057 MAR 78 ‘DIRECTOR: 195505 SECRE T STAFF 2603057 Director 195505 GQ). NOT REPRODUCE s ' JOs . PRIORITY WNINTEL RYBAT TAPPER RETURN TO CA A THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE WRITTEN BY NICHOLAS M, HORROCK APPEARED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES ‘ON 27 MARCH 1978, (FYI © THE NAMES GIVEN T BY WILCOTT INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING GEORGE BREEN ____| WILLIAM Vv, BROE, JIM DELANEY, JERRY FOX, I, CHESTER ITO, ELWOOD D. (PETE) MARTIN, | [|] FREDERICK RANDALL, JACK RANDALL, KAN TAKAI, DORIS . - WATANABE, LARRY WATANABE, THESE—wl, LOUISE WOODS, PETE WHEELER, AND SHIZUO YAMADA, PLEASE NOTE THESE NAMES WERE NOT GIVEN IN THE ARTICLE, AND AS FAR AS WE ARE AWARE, ARE NOT AVAILABLE . TO THE PUBLIC.) QUOTE = OSWALD LINK TO C.I.A, SUGGESTED AT INQUIRY EX@-EMPLOYEE OF AGENCY TELLS PANEL THAT HE HEARD OSWALD WAS AN OPERATIVE IN JAPAN IN THE '50'S BY NICHOLAS M. HORROCK SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK TIMES WASHINGTON, MARCH 26«eA FORMER FINANCE OFFICER FOR THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY HAS TESTIFIED BEFORE THE HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON ASSASSINATIONS THAT HIS COLLEAGUES HAD TOLD HIM..THAT LEE HARVEY GSWALD WAS A SECRET OPERATIVE FOR THE AGENCY IN JAPAN IN THE LATE 1950'S. ; THE WITNESS, JAMES B, WILCOTT, WHO SAID THAT HE HAD SERVED IN LOWeLEVEL JOBS WITH THE C.1,A, FROM 1957 THROUGH APRIL 1966, CONTENDED IN AN INTERVIEW THAT CONVERSATIONS WITH COLLEAGUES IN THE AGENCY'S TOKYO STATION AFTER PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S ASSASSINATION ON NOV. 22, 1963 CONVINCED HIM THAT OSWALD, ,WHO HAD BEEN RECRUITED BY THE AGENCY TO INFILTRATE THE SOVIET UNION AND SERVED AS A MARINE IN THE FAR EAST. MR, WILCOTT, WHO ACKNOWLEDGED THAT urs MEMORY OF EVENTS 15 - SECRET 00449 |
SECRET STAFF 78 0472194 PAGE 002 . CS . ae TOT: 280305Z MAR 78 | DIRECTOR. 195505 _ . “YEARS. AGO WAS” OFTEN SKETCHY, SAID THAT HE TESTIFIED UNDER OATH AT A CLOSED SESSION OF THE HOUSE COMM]TTEE ON WEDNESDAY, SUPPLYING THE NAMES OF SEVERAL OFFICIALS OF THE C,1.A,. WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO GIVE FURTHER DETAILS ON THE MATTER, ROBERT. BLAKEY, THE CHIEF COUNSEL AND STAFF DIRECTOR OF THE COMMITTEE, DECLINED TO COMMENT ON THE TESTIMONY, HOWEVER, AN INTERIM REPORT ISSUED BY THE COMMITTEE INDICATED THAT, ALTHOUGH THE STAFF HAD CONDUCTED SOME 1,400 FIELD INTERVIEWS, THE COMMITTEE CHOSE TO FLY “RELATIVELY FORMAL, SWORN TESTIMONY LIKE THAT SUPPLIED BY MR, WILCOTT, «PROJECTS CALLED “CRYPTOS" ACCORDING TO SEVERAL SOURCES, THE COMMITTEE WAS INVESTIGATING an MR, WILCOTT'S TESTIMONY, "MR, WILCOTT SAID THAT HE JOINED THE C.IeA, AS A LOW@RANKING FINANCE OFFICER IN 1957 AND WAS SENT TO TOKYO IN 1960, AT THE TOKYO STATION, WHICH WAS IN A BUILDING THAT OSTENSIBLY HOUSED UNITED STATES AIR FORCE PERSONNEL, MR, WILCOTT SAID, -HIS RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDED MAKING CASH DISBURSEMENTS FOR PROJECTS IDENTIFIED ONLY BY CODE NAMES CALLED "CrYPTOS," HE SAID THAT HIS WIFE WAS A CLERICAL EMPLOYEE OF THE AGENCY AT THAT TIME AND THAT HE STOOD "WATCH SHIFTS" TO EARN EXTRA MONEY, MR, WILCOTT SAID THAT ALTHOUGH THE TRADITIONS AND THE ‘REGULATIONS. OF THE AGENCY SEPARATED MEMBERS OF THE SUPPORT STAFF THE. SOVIET, UNION, AS.A ‘SPY. CONVERSATION, WHICH OCCURRED SHORTLY AFTER JACK RUBY. SHOT OSHALD | oe SIN DALLAS .<.IN AN. ACCOUNT OF THE CONVERSATION THAT HE PREPARED FOR - CAN'T RECALL. WHO FOR SURE, AND I EXPRESSED DISBELIEF ABOUT OSWALD EVEN BEING A.C,1.A.- PROJECT, SUCH AS HIMSELF FROM INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS AND OTHER OFFICIALS, HE FRATERNIZED WITH OPERATIONAL .PERSONNEL WHILE HE WAS ON NIGHTe WATCH DUTY, IN OCCASIONAL OFF=DUTY CONVERSATIONS AND AT THE TELLER'S CAGE. WHERE HE MADE HIS DISBURSEMENTS, ‘HE SAID THAT IN THE MONTHS AFTER KENNEDY'S DEATH HE HAD: SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS WITH PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN COVERT OPERATIONS. JHOSE TALKS, HE SAID, CONVINCED HIM THAT OSWALD, WHO HAD BEEN STATIONED AT ATSUGI AIR BASE, JAPAN, HAD.BEEN RECRUITED TO INFILTRATE . ONLY. ONE. CONVERSATION oe MR. WILCOTT. SAID THAT HE COULD RECALL ONLY ONE SPECIFIC wee mae ae sms ete PUBLICATION, ‘MR. WILCOTT NOTED, ‘IT WAS TALKING WITH SOMEONE,. I SWELL a WAS: TOLD SOMETHING LIKE, PPA emery min ome