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A 104-10102-10227

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

0157

14 February 1977

MEMORANDUM

SUBJECT: Tadeusz (Tad) Witold SZULC (AMCAPE-]

(201-50539)

1. SZULC was born on 25 July 1926 in Warsaw, Poland.

He arrived in Brazil from Lisbon on 3 August 1940, and came

to the U.S. in October 1947 under sponsorship of U.S. Ambassador

John C. WILEY, the husband of his mother's sister.

He became

a correspondent for the New York Times (NYT) in 1953, and

became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1954 by a special

Congressional bill.

2. SZULC has been under suspicion as a hostile foreign

agent since 1948 when the FBI reported (apparently from a

I! British) source) that he was a Communist. He brought himself

to the attention of CIA in August 1959 in Santiago, Chile by

claiming (falsely) to be "cleared" and requesting contact with

an Agency representative. This was the first of many such

incidents in Latin America; and resulted in a warning to all

Latin American Stations to beware of SZULC and his efforts to

interview Agency personnel. It also resulted in continuing

watch of his movements and activities because they represented

a threat to the cover of Agency personnel. By 1960 his reputa-

tion was so widespread that several different CIA officers

called for an investigation that would clear up "once and for

all" his suspected connections with a hostile intelligence

service. He was in frequent contact with Communist Party

leaders and functionaries throughout Latin America, constantly

sought out and elicited information from U.S. Embassy officers,

VETUAN TO CIA

Background Use Onty

Do Not Reprodude

ZIER

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frequently mentioning the

name of other CIA officers with

whom he was acquainted.

3. Although the suspicions have increased, and SZULC's

anti-Agency activities have become much more serious and

blatant in the 1970's, it has not been possible to clear up

any of the suspicions about his motives or his possible

connections with a foreign intelligence service. There have

been numerous reviews of his files and the interest in his

activities

has extended from the case officer. level to the DCI.

In fact, it is not possible to come to any clear conclusion

about this man, and the notes below are simply illustrative

' of the kinds of things that keep the suspicions alive. It

is important to note that SZULC's activities can be explained

by the combination of his personality, ambition, and the

demands on an investigative reporter for the NYT. He is an

aggressive, insensitive, and persistent journalist with the

family connections (Ambassador Wiley) and ability to develop

the kinds of contacts appropriate to a successful correspondent

for a paper like the NYT.

4. Nevertheless, there are elements throughout his

entire career that are almost designed to arouse suspicion.

For example, a British source in Rio de Janeiro (see Attachment A)

reported that SZULC was "directed" by the Polish regime in

Warsaw to seek employment in U.S. journalistic circles. This

report runs like a thread throughout his file and is repeated

and garbled in several versions over the years. The report

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has never been adequately explained and was

apparently never

reported in full to. London by the British representative in

Rio. This report and other questions that arose early in his

career (his contacts with a cousin who was a Press Attache in

the Polish Embassy in Rio) were, however, just the earliest

elements that aroused suspicion.

5. Because he became so well-known to so many Agency

officers, his name and reputation have become subject of

discussion on many occasions. One senior operations officer

stated in 1975 that a Soviet agent could not be more beneficial

to the Soviets and the Communist cause than SZULC has been.

Although he presented a generally anti-Communist view prior

to quitting the NYT in 1972, it is noteworthy that he arranged

extensive, favorable TV coverage of the Communist-dominated

Ligas Campesinas in Northeast Brazil and that one of the most

important anti-Castro operations, AMTRUNK, in which he was

involved from the beginning, was disastrous for all participants.

More indicative of his true beliefs, however, are the articles

he has written since Watergate. They have become increasingly

critical of the CIA and of the USG generally and have damaged

U.S. image and prestige.

6. The notes below are somewhat random examples of

elements in SZULC's file that bring him under suspicion. As

mentioned above, they in no way point to a firm conclusion.

For further information on SZULC during the period 1963 - 1964,

see the CI review prepared at Miami Station on Jorge VOLSKY

in 1964.

ZI5R

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a. The 1948 FBI report that SZULC was involved in

supplying the Polish Legation in Rio with information

from his personal contacts and from Ambassador John C.

Wiley has been repeated in various versions throughout

SZULC's file. The FBI has found similar allegations

made by other sources who knew SZULC at that time. In

addition, 'several sources have mentioned SZULC's relations

with his cousin, Ignacy SACHS, who was the Press Attache

in the Polish Embassy in 1947 and 1948, although there

is no indication that SACHS had intelligence connections.

• b. SZULC's marriage to the daughter of the American

manager of the English language newspaper in Rio de Janeiro,

the Herald, lasted only until SZULC had permanent residence

in the U.S. and appears to have been carried through for

that purpose.

c. By 1949 (52U1,- 28 only 23) he had come to the

attention of the Rio Station because of his dealings

with the Polish Legation and because investigation revealed

his father had some (apparently innocent) business dealings

with Russians visiting Brazil from Mexico.

d. In 1954, about a year after he was hired by the

NYT, SZULC obtained a sensational story, by telephone,

from a Communist leader in Guatemala. This launched his

career with the NYT.

e. In 1956 SZULC was investigating Brazilian nuclear

policy for the NYT. Although a legitimate topic, it was

somewhat unusual for him and the timing seems unusual

for NYT interest.

FLORET

VER

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£. In 1959, on a trip to Santiago, Chile, SZULC

claimed to be "cleared" and requested an interview

with an Agency representative. This was the first of

numerous such requests. In addition, it was in about

1959 that he also began making a point of telling Agency

personnel

the names of other Agency officers he had

identified.

8. An article SZULC wrote on Cuba for the NYT in

December 1959 was hailed as an antidote to the excessively

favorable reports of his colleague, Herbert MATTHEWS, but

in fact his article was largely favorable to Fidel CASTRO

and to CASTRO's plans for Cuba. It is only

in comparison

that

with MATTHEWS blatantly pro-CASTRO articles T

SZULC's

piece/can

be considered balanced.

h. By September 1960, SZULC was in the forefront of

those advocating action against CASTRO. (It was he who

finally brought the Leonardo Plan to Washington in 1963.

See AMTRUNK Operational paper).

i. In April 1961, shortly after John F. KENNEDY was

innaugurated, SZULC was transferred to Washington by the

NYT. Although a reasonable transfer, it is noteworthy

that in a very short time SZULC claimed that he had a

standing invitation to go directly to the President, the

Vice President, the Attorney General, MeGeorge BUNDY

and Robert HURWITCH on Cuban matters.

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j. SZULC persistently sought a continuing contact

with an Agency representative in Washington shortly after

he arrived until it was granted in December 1962. The

first contact was with Albert C. DAVIES (Lt. Col. on

military detail to CIA - Cuba), and was arranged at the

behest of Colonel GROGAN, the Assistant to the Director,

on SZULC's request.

k. In early 1963, at President

E KENNEDY's urging,

?

contact with SZULC was made into a formal relationship and

was continued until October 1964. The meetings were used

by SZULC to cross check his information from other sources,

including various Cuban exiles and the Department of

State. He became, by virtue

of his contacts with the

exile community and throughout Washington, one of the most

knowledgeable people in the area of Cuban affairs, anti-

CASTRO activities, and U.S. Government policy. (See CI

study on Jorge VOLSKY for more information on this period.)

1. The Agency officer, Alfonso RODRIGUEZ, who main-

tained official contact with SZULC in 1963 and 1964 said

in July 1964:

"The special friendship and mutual admiration

society that has existed between Tad SZULC, Jorge

VOLSKY, and Manuel RAY and the JURE is not something

that is transparent or easily explained. This

alliance may be something unholy and Machiavellian;

I just do not know, but I can find no evidence to

prove it."

so thet

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m. Another officer, Seymour Young, wrote in 1965:

"After reading and re-reading this man's various

files, I began to feel that this man in his position

would be an ideal 'agent of influence'. It was

noted that he is always in a crisis area and usually

in advance of the crisis and writes articles which

are more concerned with the Communist successes."

s. In about August 1965, SZULC was sent to Madrid

as the NYT representative for Spain and Portugal. He

stayed overseas until December 1968. He was present in

Prague during the Soviet invasion of August 1968 and in

December he was expelled, apparently, for being too

inquisitive. However, the West German Service has remained

suspicious of the circumstances of SZULC's expulsion and

the details have never been clarified. (It is interesting

that SZULC wrote articles reflecting the official CZECH

line concerning the defection of General Jan SEJNA who

was in the Czech Intelligence service.)

0. SZULC was reported by an FBI source to have gone

horseback riding with Boris V. YAROCHEVSKIY, a suspect

KGB officer, in Washington in June or July 1971. SZULC's

file reflects no regular contact with Bloc diplomats.

p. In 1972 and 1973 SZULC covered Watergate extensively

and demonstrated an extreme bias against the CIA. By

July 1972, SZULO's inquiries of the Department of State

and his articles had taken on a distinctly anti-US Govern-

ment tone. His coverage of guerrilla and terrorist groups

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was less sure than in earlier days and was frequently

sensationalist and full of inaccuracies. (See, especially,

article in NYT for 14 July 1972 on a terrorist Headquarters

in Zurich and other wild statements.)

9. Since 1974 SZULC's articles have been highly

critical of the Agency and he has used the background

information he gathered in the 1960's to attack the Agency

and to criticize its operations.

I. In May 1975 SZULC accused the Agency of rifling

the files of U.S. Senators. This was only one of many

irresponsible and false articles he wrote trying to dis-

credit the Agency. One of the more spectacular efforts

was a series in Esquire magazine, in which, among other

things, he charged that the U.S. intelligence community

had

a hidden budget of $25 billion dollars and a network

of 200,000 spies.

s. In, Inside the Company: A CIA Diary, Philip AGEE

credits SZULC's daughter, Nicole, for having "obtained

vital research materials in New York and Washington, D.C."

There is reason to believe, particularly in view of the

extreme views Tad SZULC has manifested in the past two

years, that he may have aided his daughter in her "research."

SUMMATION

The case against Tad SZULC as a foreign agent is weak.

However, his most recent activities are entirely consonant with

the view that he has

already served the Soviets well and can

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end his career as an overt propagandist taking advantage of

the current furor over the CIA to do the greatest possible

danage. The current paralysts of all anti-communist action by ll?

the Agency attests to the effectiveness of AGEE, SZULC, the

Soviets, et al.

NOTE: (See attachment/ from a highly sensitive source.

Any use of the SECRET/SENSITIVE attachment requires C/CI

approval.) The source reported that Nicole, while working

with the DGI in Cuba to éxpose the Agency, said that except for

her father, her whole family were "fascists."

She said that

her father quit the NYT because of the restrictive editorial

policy and he wished to write according to his beliefs.

03

LAD/JFK Tas Force 1977/Marty Miller] rp

2 Attachments, a/s

Copy filed:

201-50539

SECRET

1/BR

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