[CASE 61401 - CIA OPERATIVE IN EL SALVADOR.
Originator: CIA
From: WITHHELD
To: MFR
Document date: 01/18/1974
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

## Page 1

1104-10074-10174

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

SECRET/SENSITIVE

OSS-142-74

18 January

1974

MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD

SUBJECT: Case 61401 - CIA Operative in El

Salvador

REFS

.A.)

MIM-006-74, 4 January

1974

B.)

TWX DCD/Washington 96860,

c.)03 Ryan/MacVane

telecon

16

16 January

1974

January

1974

• X3 Ryan/ MacVane

telecon 17 January

E.)

1974

yan/Mainwaring telecon 17 January 197

F.)

G.)

TWX

DCD/Miami

12475,

17 January

1974

TWX DCD/Miami 12476, 17 January 1974

1.

"One of our sources in Miami, Joseph Merola, revealed

the name and position

of an individual reported

to

be an

Agency

official in El Salvador to Matt MacVane during

the. course of an

interview on 21 December 1973.

This was reported in MIM-006-74

4-January 1974.

This report was forwarded to

the El Salvador

Desk on 8 January 1974,

16 January 1974 the Desk requested

that DCD obtain

the name of the individual mentioned in

this

memorandum who said he knew a CIA officer

negest was passed by telen and ow to Maclane by assas

16 January 1974.

The El Salvador Desk also questioned the

reliability of our

source, Joseph Merola,

at

this time and

requested we query Miami as to his reliability.

o?

visited the El Salvador Desk to ascertain

On 17 January 1974 at the request of

MacVane,

(Ryan

their

objections

to

our source,

known to us as a convicted felon.

stenned from a 1964 report which

Desk

objections

indicated that Merola had

informed persons that he was a "CIA agent".

Further conversa-

tion elicited the fact that Merola had

again made

this

state-

ment in 1973 at an Embassy function.

We advised the Desk that

DCD was well aware of Merola's criminal background but

that he

had provided DCD with reliable reports in the past unrelated

to his own

"pursuits".

3:

The El Salvador desk confirmed the fact that' the

individual, mentioned by Merola's informant as

being a CIA

officer was in fact such.

Ryan advised. MacVane of.

telecon on 17 January

1974.

they,were sending two cables relating to this

case?? The first

would proyide the name of the person who reportedly knew-the

CIA official. The second provided the names of two women

employed In the Embassy who were reportedly involved

in

E. 2 IMPDET CL BY 010650

SECKET/SENSITIVE

7/1/

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SECRET / SENSITIVE

situations with both Americans, and local nationals.

tter cable was requested after the El Salvador desk

offloer advised

pur

that all avenues and possible leads were to be

determine who leaked the information relating to the

CTAVOTT

These two names (phonetically' spelled) were

providedsin the

second cable by, Miami.

All of the information

received In these cables was passed via secure phone to the

salvador desk by yan upon receipt.

Macvane advised (nyan) via telecon that he anticipated

meetings

With Joseph Merola at 1400 on 17 January, to address

further matters

concerned with this case.

tha ti he

would forward such information as soon as possible

CC:

Mlam1 Field Office

CCS.

WH/2/GS

cHis Sensitive Control Officer

SEGRET/SENSITIVE

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