LETELIER ASSASSINATION - ROSSELLI TRACES
Originator: CIA
From: SOVERN, MAURICE A., O/SA/DO/O
To: WELLS, WILLIAM W., DDO
Document date: 1977-06-10 00:00:00
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

# DOCID-32357595

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JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION

FORM

AGENCY INFORMATION

AGENCY : CIA

RECORD NUMBER

: 104-10106-10017

RECORD

SERIES

:

JFK

AGENCY FILE

NUMBER

80T01357A

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

AGENCY ORIGINATOR : CIA

FROM :

TO

TITLE

DATE

PAGES

SOVERN, MAURICE A., O/SA/DO/O

: WELLS,

WILLIAM W.,

DDO

LETELIER ASSASSINATION - ROSSELLI TRACES

06/10/1977

:

3

SUBJECTS : DADE COUNTY

DOCUMENT TYPE : PAPER

CLASSIFICATION

: SECRET

RESTRICTIONS : 1A

CURRENT STATUS: RELEASED IN PART PUBLIC - RELEASED WITH DELETIONS

DATE

OF LAST REVIEW

: 05/08/97

COMMENTS

:JFK38: F8: 1997.05.08.14:25:40:436092

Released under the John F. Kennedy

Assassination Records Collection Act of

1992 (44 USC 2107 Note). Case#:NW

65924 Diate: 10-26-2021

[R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED

104-10106-10017

NW 65924 Docld:32357595 Page 1

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UNCLASSIFIED

SUB'ECT: (Optional)

FROM:

Maurice A.

0/SA/ DO/0

2D0109

-TO: (Oñcer designation, room number, and

building)

Ralph J: Katrosh

SSA/ DO/O

INTERNAL

USE INLY

CONFIDENTIAL

SECRET

ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET

Letelier Assassination

Rosselli' Traces

Sovern

EXTENSION

NO.

1542

DATE 10 June 1977

DATE:

• RECEIVED

OFFICER'S

INITIALS

FORWARDED

COMMENTS (Number each comment to show. from whom

to whom.

::Dron a line across column. after each comment.)

627056o

3. Mr. Anthony Lapham

OGC

7D01 Has

610-97

5. Mr. William W. Wells

DDO

1526 Hqs

6.

8.

10

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

FORM

3-52

610 USE ENOUS

EDITIONS

NW 65924 Docld:32357595 Page 2

pion to My letel

15 Jмe 26 ма

objection, re LoTu

ale.

Defective Zatsepoleh

to De Colsi Reno

gol

SECRET

CONFIDENTIAL

INTERNAL

USE ONLY

UNCLASSIFIED -

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SECRET

06677-3727

6-10-77

10 June 1977

MEMORANDUM FOR:

VIA

FROM

SUBJECT

Mr. William W. Wells

Deputy Director for Operations

Mr. Anthony A. Lapham

General Counsel

Maurice A. Sovern

Office of the Special Assistant to the

DDO for External Oversight

:. Letelier Assassination - Rosselli Traces

1., In August of 1976, the Senate Select Committee

arranged a joint meeting between representatives of the

Committee staff, the FBI

and CIA and representatives. of

Florida Police Department who

investisatiun the murder of Mr. John Rosselli.

were then

It will

be recalled that shortly before Rosselli met his sudden

demise, he testified before the SSCI who were looking into

the Letelier assassination.

2. At the meeting, the Dade County detectives posed

a series of questions which they believed would assist them

in their investigation of Rosselli's murder.

3. Within the limitations of the protection of

sources and methods, we prepared replies to some of their

queries, but asked the Attorney General in October 1976

for guidance on the propriety of our assisting the local

law enforcement officials in light of the constraints in

E.0. 11905.

We suggested to the Attorney General that we

believed the FBI was the appropriate vehicle for further

dealing with the Dade County authorities and forwarded

our answers to the DOJ for further dissemination via that

channel.

4. We recently received a reply from the Attorney

General that we can make this material available to the

Dade County police, if we choose.

While the DOJ response

to our letter was in process, a new Director was appointed;

WARNING NOTICE

SENSITIVE INTELLIGENCE SOURCES

AND METHODS INVOLVED

E2 IMPDET CL BY 018630

SECRET

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SECRET

who in the course of his confirmation hearings was asked by

John Marks (of Marchetti fame) whether the new DCI would

continue to permit CIA obstruct Justice in the Letelier

investigation by refusing to make this material available

to the

Dade County investigators.

5: LA Division has again prepared the same answers to

the original questions, now for direct transmittal to the

Dade County authorities.

However, the circumstances of the

investigation are substantially changed.. At our request,

attorney telephoned one of the investigators who

told him that they were pursuaded that it was a gang-style

slaying for reasons unconnected to the Letelier assassination

or the Rosselli testimony before the SSCI. The investigator

also gave the impression that they really weren't looking

for the material but that it would be nice to have to complete

their files

on the case.

The investigator was more interested

on what material CIA had on organized crime.

6.

The pressure to make our trace material available

to Dade County authorities is internal. The Director indi-

cated to the General Counsel in response to the latter's

briefing on the Marks question that we should give this

material to the Dade County police.

It is clear that when

the Director gave his order, he was assuming that the

material was important to the investigation and that it

was needed, neither of which presently is the case.

7. We can be done with this matter by your concurring

in the attached memorandum; however, we are taking the

unusual

step of routing it through the General Counsel

before it reaches you to ask for their guidance on whether

release is still necessary.

8. We would also like to bring to the General Counsel's

notice a tactical suggestion from LA Division who notes

Office of Security Miami office's long relationship with the

Dade County police authorities and whether further negotia-

tion and any future transmittal of material should be

accomplished through them.

Maurice A. Sovern

0/SA/DO/0:MASovern:kaw (1542)

Distribution

Original & 1 - DDO

2

- OGC

2 - SA/ DO/0

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