AGENCY : RECORD NUMBER : RECORDS SERIES : TRANSCRIPT AGENCY FILE NUMBER : Date: 10/05/93 . _ Page:1 JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION FORM AGENCY INFORMATION SSCIA Released under the John 157-10002-10153 : Kennedy tSsassination Records Ollection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Nate). ases#: NW 53244 Date: R-506 6-13-2017 ORIGINATOR : -~ FROM : TO: TITLE TESTIMONY OF THOMAS. PARROTT DATE : 07/10/75 PAGES : 89 SUBJECTS : PARROTT, THOMAS OPERATION MONGOOSE 5412 COMMITTEE MAFIA CASTRO ASSASSINATION LUMUMBA LANSDALE HARVEY DOCUMENT TYPE : CLASSIFICATION : RESTRICTIONS : PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT T REFERRED CURRENT STATUS : P DATE OF LAST REVIEW : OPENING CRITERIA : COMMENTS : Box 256 Folder 5 09/30/93 HW 532744 Bocld: 322731993 [R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED Page 1 fat ae
gsh 3 Phone (Area 202) 544-6000 WARD & PAUL 410 First Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003 HW 535244 LO il le 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Ne eee Washington, {jjassociated with the CIA? 20 el 22 235 24 z£9 Docld:32781993 Page 2 TESTIMONY.OF THOMAS A. PARROTT Mr. Schwarz. Would you state your name and address for the record,: please? Mr. Parrott. Thomas A. Parrott 4 3512..p. Street, N.W.,. Mr. Schwarz. Now Mr. Parrott, when did you first become Mr. Parrott. In 1949, September of 1949. Mr. Schwarz. And briefly, what was your career at the Agency until you assumed a position in connection with the so-called Special Group? Mr. Parrott. Well, I started out in the Office of Policy Coordination, which was a euphemism for, I guess, the Dirty tricks Department. My first job was as a Deputy to Colonel Thomas Betts, who was in charge of planning. I did that for about a year or so and then I became the Chief of the Operations Staff of OPC. I moved from that to Deputy Director of the Soviet Division at a time when as soon as they had merged with OPC and the action arm at OSO, the secret intelligence arm, they put these together in 1952 and I was the Deputy Chief of J the Soviet Division at that time. I did that for two and a half years. I moved to Frankfurt as the Chief of Prankfurt base. I came back from there in 1957 and was assigned as the so-called Board Assistant to Allen Dulles for the Operations Coordinating Board.
gsh 76 Phone (Area 202) 544-6000 WARD & PAUL 410 First Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003 HW 5352744 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 i” 18 19 7 20 el 22 23 24 20 DoclId: 3277681993 Page 3 76 discussed or attempted, as a matter of principle no official records were kept of planning, of approvals or of implementation The few written records that do exist are either largely tangential to the main events or were put on paper from memory years after. ‘William Harvey has retained skeletal notes of his activities during the years in question ‘and they are our best source of dates, “2: Dr. Edward Gunn of the Office of Medical Services has a record of whom he met and when, and cryptic Jer oner of TSD is KB references to the subject: discussed. Bay: has a record of two or three dates that are:pertinent; and so forth." Mr. Parrott. This all has to do with assassination. Senator Baker. Yes, Mr. Parrott. And your question is -- Senator Baker. Do you have any information that would confirm or dispute that appraisal, that the efforts, the planning and the implementation of efforts to assassinate Castro were not committed to paper, and because of the extreme sensitivity of operations, and it was a matter of principle that no official records were kept? Mr. Parrott. I have no direct knowledge. I assume that probably is true. All I can say again is the records that I was responsible for did not include this but not because they were too sensitive but because it wasn't said.
A 4, Supply Drops - Cuba _° Gen, Cabell explained that the Pinar de Rio supply mission had not taken place because of the absence of Specified communication from the DZ, and the Escambray operation had been canceled because of weather. He said that these missions are still planned, and assumed _— - that the Group had no objections. The members so Signified, V5, U-2, Cuba Gen. Cabell said that the photographic coverage on the first flight had been only about 50%, because of cloud cover. He continued that we are analyzing the exact results ona priority basis and that some time after the middle of next week we should be in a position to make recommendations for the missions required to extend the coverage, Mr. Gray commented somewhat wryly that this was all right with him since he "would certainly not be available to discuss anything of this kind before the middle of next week." The other members appeared to Have the same reaction. V6, Policy Consideration Re Cuban Exiles Mr. Gray said that Assistant Attorney General Yeagley had spoken to him after his meeting with Col. King and Messrs. I'sterline and wHolman.,]He had said that the information given to him by the CLA representatives, and the arrangements for future coordination if yee necessary, were entirely satisfactory to him. He had Stated, however, : that a problem remains with respect to action the FBI should take; —_— that is, the FBI needs guidance in its handling of Cuban exile groups other than those under the direction of CLA, The Group agreed that the best way.to attack this problem would be to have Mr. Yeagley attend next weck's Special Group mecting and discuss the matter at first hand. Mr. Parrott was asked to make arrangements for this, ' 7. Value of Cuba to the USSR as a Base Vis-a-vis . Cape Canaveral eee Mr. Parrott pave Mr. Merchant the gist of the OSI memorandum 4 an re - TRE WHITE GUGoe uiiSk ab HW 532744 DBocld:322781993 Page 4