## Page 1

AAA

1104-10326-100

2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

SECRET

"MH-ANO

98- 0480597

SENSIND

-PAGE :

,2,,,,

SECRET

FRP:

STAFF

ACTION: IMS/ESG (021) INFO: CIC/CEG, CIC/CEGEUR, CIC/LA, CIC/OG, CIC/PRC,

DC/EUR, DO/IRO, EUR/DCCI, EUR/SG, EUR/SGF, IMDORECORD, LA/FIG, LA/FIGSC,

LA/LGL, LIMITED, MDSX, ODPD, ORMS/EUR, FILE, C/EUR, C/LA, CE/R, CE/R/XO,

CIC/EUR (7/W)

98 0480597

ASO

TOR :

PAGE 001

0917127 FEB 98

IN 0480597

PARI 17502

SECRET 0917172 FEB 98 STAFF

CITE PARIS 17502

TO: IMMEDIATE DIRECTOR.

FOR: LIMITED DISSEM IMS/ESG INFO DO/IRO, CHIEF /EUR, DC/EUR,

CHIEF/LA, LA/FIG, LA/FIGSC, CIC/LA, EUR/SG, CIC/EUR,

EUR/SGE,

C/CE/R/XO

SLUGS : WNINTEL

*SUBJECT: <JFK ASSASSINATION»RECORDS REVIEW BOARD (ARRB) : CONTINUED

PROTECTION OF COVER

RER :

DIRECTOR 674771

98

0430861

TEXT:

COMBINE: COMPLETE

1. ACTION REQUIRED: PLEASE ADVISE

WE CAN BE OF FURTHER

ASSISTANCE.

2. THE FOLLOWING ARE

STATTON RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS POSED REF :

CLOSER

WERE THE ARRB RELEASES TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC AND

CONCRETE USE BY (PARIS STATION OF STATE COVER)

THIS MIGHT CALL FOR

FURTHER RESTRICTIONS ON OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES BY OUR LUNILAIERAIS

UNDECLARED OFFICERS UNDER STATE COVER BECAUSE OF THE FOLLOWING

=5 FRENCH INTELLIGENCE SERVICES ARE AWARE OF THE FACT

THAT WE HAVE USED OFFICIAL COVER HERE AND WILL ACT WHENEVER THEY

BELIEVE THAT WE ARE USING OFFICERS UNDER THAT COVER IN A MANNER

HARMFUL TO FRENCH INTERESTS.

WE TAKE PAINS TO ENSURE THAT THE FRENCHO

DO NOT SEE US AS A THREAT TO THEM LOCALLY.

HOWEVER, OFFIGIA

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THIS COVER COULD WELL PROVIDE TO POLITICIANS OR-

JOURNALISTS THE AMMUNITION WITH WHICH TO COMPELL AN INVESTIGATION OF 2

ZOUR ACTIVITIES HERE. ADDEES WILI-RECALI, THAI THE 1295 PARIS 'FLARS

SECRET

---

## Page 2

13-00000

SECRET

MHENO 4_98-0480597

SENSIND:

PAGE:

==t

--=-

=-=====-=

IN WHICH SIX STATION OFFICERS WERE REMOVED FROM PARIS, WAS DRIVEN

I IN

LARGE MEASURE BY AN UNSCRUPULOUS POLITICIAN LOOKING FOR HEADLINES

INTEGRATED STATE COVER OF OUR SMALL GROUP OF

UNILATERAL OFFICERS IS AMONG THE STATION'S MOST EFFECTIVE MEANS OF

ACCESS TO NON-FRENCH TARGETS. OFFICIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF OUR USE

OFFICIAL COVER IN PARIS COULD PROMPT THEM, OR THEIR RESPECTIVE

OF

SECURITY OFFICERS, TO-REVIEW THEIR AMERICAN TARGETS.

OTHERWISE IS THE CIA UNDER PRESSURE FROM THE HOST GOVERNMENT

IO REDUCE PRESENCE, OR MORE FULLY DECLARE

PRESENCE, OR UNDERTAKE NO

UNDECLARED ACTIVITIES?

DESCRIBE PRESENCE.

DESCRIBE THOSE ACTIVITIES

TO RESTRICT THE CIA (E.G. SERVICE TO SERVICE; LEGISLATIVE

INITIATIVES, OPPOSITION POLITICAL INITIATIVES, AND MEDIA

ACTIVITIES.)

TO DATE, THE FRENCH HAVE NOT DEMANDED THE IDENTITIES

OF ALL STATION PERSONNEL; HOWEVER, WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS

POSSIBILITY DUE TO OUR EXPECTATION THAT THE FRENCH MAY DECIDE TO

MIRROR ACTIONS OF OTHER EUROPEAN SERVICES WISHING TO RESTRICT CIA

PRESENCE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES.

ARRB DISCLOSURES WOULD SERVE

AS A POSSIBLE CATALYST FOR FORCING THIS ISSUE BETWEEN US AND THE

C.

IMPERILED?

DESCRIBE SOME PARTICULAR ACTIVITIES WHICH COULD BE

UNILATERAL ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE STATION'S

UNDECLARED OFFICERS,

OUT-OF-COUNTRY CASE OFFICERS AND NOC'S ARE

COMPARIMENTED AND CANNOT BE DISCUSSED IN THIS CHANNEL. WE DEFER TO

EUR/SG RE PROVISION OF SPECIFIC OPERATIONAL DETAILS.

D. ARE THERE NEW INITIATIVES WITH THE HOST GOVERNMENT AND

SERVICE WHICH COULD BE IMPERILED? DESCRIBE.

FORWARD MOVEMENT ON OUR JOINT WORK WITH THE FRENCH

SERVICES, MOST IMPORTANTLY IN COUNTERTERRORISM, WAS SLOWED IN THE

YEAR FOLLOWING THE 1995 DEMARCHE. OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, WE HAVE

SEEN SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN THE WILLINGNESS OF THE FRENCH SERVICES

TO RESUME ACTIVE AND PRODUCTIVE LIAISON.

OF PARTICULAR NOTE ARE OUR

CURRENT JOINT COUNTERTERRORISM INITIATIVES,

(E.G., SUPPORT FROM THE

FRENCH INTERNAL POLICE/ INTELLIGENCE SERVICES, THE DST AND RG, OF

CC'S 17 NOVEMBER TASK FORCE THROUGH TECHNICAL AND PHYSICAL

SURVEILLANCE OF 17N TARGETS LOCATED IN PARIS), AND AN IMPORTANT NEW

INITIATIVE WITH THE FRENCH EXTERNAL SERVICE, THE DGSE, TO WORK

JOINTLY AGAINST RUSSIAN SVR INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS IN LOCATIONS WHERE

OUR COMBINED RESOURCES WOULD BE MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL.

QUESTIONS

RAISED IN THE PRESS OR WITHIN THESE SERVICES REGARDING THE

POSSIBILITY OF UNDECLARED UNILATERAL ACTIVITIES IN FRANCE WOULD PLACE

AT RISK THE CURRENT MOMENTUM WE HAVE WITH THE FRENCH SERVICES IN

THESE AREAS.

E.

IS CIA PRESENCE INHERENTLY SENSITIVE BECAUSE OF HOSTILE

POPULATION ELEMENTS OR POLITICAL ACTIVITIES?

SECRET

2

---

## Page 3

13-00000

SECRET

BUMHENO?

98-0480597

SENS IND

-PAGE

- ------====-

THE FRENCH

PRESS IS GENERALLY NEGATIVE REGARDING ANY

ASPECT OF CIA PRESENCE IN FRANCE. FOR THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT AND

SERVICES, THE DISTINCTION THEY HAVE DRAWN IS BETWEEN UNILATERAL

OPERATIONS THAT TOUCH ON FRENCH AREAS OF INTEREST AND SOVEREIGNTY, IN

OTHER WORDS, THE ACTIVITIES OF OFFICERS UNDER STATE COVER AND/OR

NOC'S, AND THOSE JOINT AREAS OF OPERATIONAL ENGAGEMENT WHICH THE

FRENCH BELIEVE SERVE MUTUAL INTERESTS.

AS WE HAVE SEEN HISTORICALLY,

WHEN THE FRENCH DISCOVER THE FORMER, THEY TAKE QUICK INVESTIGATIVE

AND DIPLOMATIC ACTION TO CLOSE THESE OPERATIONS DOWN.

F.

IS THERE POSSIBILITY OF HOSTILE USE (E.G. RUSSIAN OR CUBAN)

TO DISCREDIT US EMBASSY AS A "NEST OF SPIES" OR SIMILAR?

THIS IS A POSSIBILITY, BUT WE WOULD EXPECT THAT ANY HOSTILE

EXPLOITATION WOULD BE SEEN IN PRESS PLACEMENT/ PROPAGANDA RE A "NEST

OF SPIES" VICE A DIPLOMATIC PROTEST.

WE WOULD NOT EXPECT THAT SUCH

PRESS COVERAGE, IF UNSUBSTANTIATED, WOULD HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON

OUR SERVICE-TO-SERVICE OR GOVERNMENT-TO-GOVERNMENT RELATIONS.

SUCH PRESS EXPLOITATION BY HOSTILE SERVICES DREW ON SPECIFIC AND

CONCRETE EXAMPLES OF PARIS STATION'S USE OF STATE COVER, IT COULD

NEGATIVELY IMPACT OUR ABILITY TO SUSTAIN SOME UNILATERAL ACTIVITY DUE

TO A POSSIBLE INCREASE OF FRENCH SCRUTINY OF OUR OFFICERS (SEE

G.

HAVE THERE BEEN PAST IMBROGLIOS OVER CIA PRESENCE OR

ACTIVITIES THAT THIS RELEASE COULD RESURRECT?

AS NOTED ABOVE, IN EARLY 1995 THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT DEMARCHED

THE U.S. AMBASSADOR TO FRANCE OVER INCOMPATIBLE ACTIVITIES OF A

STATION NOC AND SEVERAL UNDECLARED OFFICERS.

THE FRENCH REVEALED

INVESTIGATIVE MATERIAL (INCLUDING THE RESULTS OF PHYSICAL AND

TECHNICAL SURVEILLANCE AND PHOTOGRAPHY OF OUR OFFICERS THAT

RULWARKED THEIR CONTENTION THAT PARIS STATION WAS RUNNING UNILATERAL

OPERATIONS TARGETING FRENCH POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC INTERESTS BY

DEFICERS UNDER EMBASSY COVER AND NOC'S.

THE FRENCH PRESS COVERAGE

WAS EXTENSIVE AND HOSTILE.

BY THE TIME THE FRENCH CONCLUDED THEIR

SERIES OF DEMARCHES, THEY HAD INDICATED THEIR DESIRE FOR THE RECALI

OF SIX STATION OFFICERS.

WE HAVE GONE TO GREAT LENGTHS TO ENSURE THAT ANY/ALL UNILATERAL

ACTIVITY IN FRANCE IS CARRIED OUT UNDER STRINGENT OPERATIONAL

GUIDELINES TO PROTECT SUCH ACTIVITIES AGAINST FRENCH

WHILE WE VIEW THIS AS AN ONGOING

REQUIREMENT, ANY PRESS OR SERVICE APPREHENSION REGARDING OUR

PRESENCE, SUCH AS COULD RESULT FROM ARRB TYPE RELEASES,

IS TO FURTHER RESTRICT OUR UNILATERAL OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS --

'SOMETHING WE WISH IO AVOID.

H. HAVE OFFICIAL USG RELEASES SUCH AS FOIA EVER APPEARED IN THE

LOCAL MEDIA (E.G., JAPAN AND CAMPAIGN FINANCING OR PERU AND FOIA

RELEASED CONCERNING VLADIMIRO MOTESINOS TORRES) .

REFERRED TO BY HOST

GOVERNMENT EITHER ON THE RECORD OR OFF THE RECORD.

'URRENT STATION PERSONNEL HAVE NO RECOLLECTION-OF-SUGH

INCIDENTS IN THE RECENT PAST.

WE DEFER TO HQS FOR ANY ADDITIONALET

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND=

SECRET

3

---

## Page 4

13-00000

SECRET

MHENO

98-0480597

SENSIND

PAGE:

4

-PLEASE_ADVISE-IF WE CAN PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND.

-4. FILE:

NONE. DECE ON: X1; CL REASON 1=546);-Gb-BY: 0707476-

DRV HUM_4=82-

END OF MESSAGE

SECRET

SECRET

---