CABLE TRANSMITTING A PRESS ARTICLE 'OSWALD LINK TO CIA SUGGESTED AT INQUIRY
Originator: CIA
Document date: 03/28/1978
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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2023 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

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INFO: FILED VRA DDO, C/CA- 3, C/CCS, C/CI-4, C/EPS/EGR

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PRIORITY (TOKYO.) 133

WNINTEL RYBAT TAPPER

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@ fih

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE WRITTEN BY NICHOLAS M. HORROCK APPEARED

IN THE NEW YORK TIMES ON 27 MARCH 1978.

(FYI • THE

NAMES GIVEN TO THE COMMITTEE BY WILCOTT INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING

GEORGE BREEN® (ELEANOR BREEN WILLIAM V. BROE, JIM DELANEY, JERRY

FOX, ROBERT S.

HASHIMAO3 CHESTER ITO, ELWOOD D. (PETE) MARTIN,

O3(BOB OJIRI FREDERICK RANDALL, JACK RANDALL, KAN TAKAL, DORIS

- WATANABE, LARRY WATANABE, JIM WOODS, 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

OSMALD 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. MORROCK

SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

WASHINGTON, MARCH 26--A 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 OSWALD WAS A SECRET OPERATIVE FOR THE AGENCY IN JAPAN

IN THE LATE 1950'S.

THE WITNESS, JAMES B. WILCOTT, WHO SAID THAT ME HAD SERVED

IN LOW-LEVEL JOBS WITH THE C.I.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 HIS MEMORY OF EVENTS 15

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SKETCHY, SAID THAT HE TESTIFIED UNDER OATH

AT A CLOSED SESSION OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON WEDNESDAY,

SUPPLYING

THE NAMES OF SEVERAL OFFICIALS OF THE C.I.A. WHO MIGHT BE ABLE

TO GIVE FURTHER DETAILS ON THE MATTER.

'ROBERT BLAKEY, THE CHIEF COUNSEL AND STAFF DIRECTOR OF THE

•OMMITTEE, DECLINED TO COMMENT ON THE TESTIMONY.

HOWEVER, AN

NTERIM REPORT ISSUED BY THE COMMITTEE INDICATED THAT, ALTHOUG

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

•MR. WILCOTT'S TESTIMONY.

MR. WILCOTT SAID THAT HE JOINED THE C.I.A. 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. WILCOTI SAID THAT ALTHOUGH THE TRADITIONS AND THE

REGULATIONS OF THE AGENCY SEPARATED MEMBERS OF THE SUPPORT STAFF

SUCH AS HIMSELF FROM INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS AND OTHER OFFICIALS,

HE FRATERNIZED WITH OPERATIONAL PERSONNEL WHILE HE WAS ON NIGHT-

MATCH 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.

THOSE TALKS, HE SAID, CONVINCED HIM THAT OSWALD, WHO HAD BEEN

STATIONED AT ATSUGI AIR BASE, JAPAN, HAD BEEN RECRUITED TO INFILTRATE

THE SOVIET UNION AS A SPY.

ONLY ONE CONVERSATION

MR. WILCOTT SAID THAT HE COULD RECALL ONLY ONE SPECIFIC

CONVERSATION, WHICH OCCURRED SHORTLY AFTER JACK RUBY SHOT OSWALD

• IN DALLAS. IN AN ACCOUNT OF THE CONVERSATION THAT HE PREPARED FOR

PUBLICATION, MR. WILCOTT NOTED, 'I WAS TALKING WITH SOMEONE, I

CAN'T RECALL WHO FOR SURE, AND I EXPRESSED DISBELIEF ABOUT

OSWALD

EVEN BEING A COI.A, PROJECT. I WAS TOLD SOMETHING LIKE, "WELL,

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MR. WILCOTT'S STORY FROM PHILIP AGEF, A FORMER AGENT OF THE C.I.A.

WHO PUBLISHED SEVERAL YEARS AGO A BOOK ATTACKING THE AGENCY'S

OPERATIONS IN LATIN AMERICA.

MR. WILCOTT WAS REPRESENTED AT THE COMMITTEE HEARING

BY WILLIAM M. SCHAAP, ONE OF MR. AGEE'S LAWYERS.

NO FILE.

ORIG ENOUS EGATELY X1G68 27 MAR 785 COORD CEA/STE IDOREY,

DEA (BUELL) SA/DO/O (GREGG)

REL: CEA/S (GATELY). CL BY 019522.

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