Originator: SSCIA
Document date: 06/09/1975
Document type: REPORT

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157-10014-10106

2022 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1991

FK Assassination Systen

Identification Form

7/7/2015

Agency Information

AGENCY:

SSCIA

RECORD NUMBER :

157-10014-10106

RECORD SERIES :

AGENCY FILE NUMBER :

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS OF THE CHURCH COMMITTEE

07-M-12

Document Information i

ORIGINATOR:

FROM:

TO :

TITLE:

SSCIA

DATE: 06/09/1975

PAGES:

SUBJECTS :

O'DONNELL, JUSTIN

BISSELL, RICHARD

DOCUMENT TYPE: REPORT

CLASSIFICATION: Declassified

RESTRICTIONS: 1B; IC

CURRENT STATUS : Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 03/21/2000

OPENING CRITERIA :

COMMENTS: CCBOX 418

v9.1

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Date:

Page

08/06/95

1

JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION FORM

AGENCY INFORMATION

AGENCY

RECORD

• NUMBER

RECORDS SERIES

AGENCY FILE NUMBER

SSCIA

157-10014-10106

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS OF THE CHURCH COMMITTTEE

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

ORIGINATOR:

SSCIA

FROM

TO

TITLE

DATE

: 06/09/75

PAGES

7

SUBJECTS : BISSELL, RICHARD

O'DONNELL, JUSTIN

DOCUMENT TYPE : REPORT

CLASSIFICATION

TOP SECRET

RESTRICTIONS: REFERRED

CURRENT STATUS

POSTPONED IN FULL

DATE OF LAST REVIEW

01/05/99

OPENING CRITERIA

COMMENTS : CCBOX 418

[R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED

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MEETING PUNE 75

Box 418

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AGENDA

SEVENTEENTH MEETING OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES

JUNE 9, 1975,

2:00 P.M. IN S-407 IN THE CAPITOL

Testimony by Mr. Richard Bissell

Former Deputy Director, Plans,

Central IntelligenceAgency

INVENTORIED:

Ther

MAR 15 1972

MY-

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R215

TOP SECKEY

MONDAY, JUNE 9, 1975 - SELECT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA - AFTERNOON

SUMMARY OF EXPECTED TESTOMONY OF INVENTONE

51079

JUSTIN O'DONNELL

EY.

At 2:00 p.m., before hearing Mr. Bissell, the Committee will hear

briefly the testimony. of Mr. Justin O'Donnell regarding Lumumba.

O'Donnell was in OSS and CIA for almost 30 years and Station Chief

for CIA in Bolivia, Thailand, Turkey and Holland.

When he came back

to headquarters in

early 1960 he became Deputy Chief of Staff D of

the Directorate of Plans.

The Chief was William Harvey.

In the Fall of 1960, Patrice Lumumba had been dismissed as Premier

of the newly independent and

troubled congo.

He was under house deten-

tion, but was being guarded -- and protected -- by U.N. forces, and

thus

was beyond the

immediate reach of President Kasavubu and emerging

strong man Col. Mobutu.

At this time (Fall of 1960) Mr. Bissell was DDP. (As Station Chief

in Turkey in the late 1950's O'Donnell had come

to know Mr. Bissell.)

Bissell called O'Donnell in and asked him to assassinate Lumumba --

Bissell sent him to a scientist in the Technical Services Division

who, in effect, described various chemical and bilogical

techniques

and

said "pick

your poison."

O'Donnell went back to Bissell and refused to do it because he

was opposed to assassination.

O'Donnell then went immediately next

door to Helms' office (Helms

was then Bissell's deputy) and told him

what had transpired. Helms agreed O'Donnell had been right to refuse.

These

events all occurred on the same evening within an hour.

O'Donnell did agree to go to the Congo to run a political operation

to neutralize Lumumba.

His plan was to entice, or snatch, Lumumba out

of his protective U.N. detention and turn him over to Mobutu for trial

under Congolese law for crimes he had allegely committed. O'Donnell

was in the Congo for 3 months.

In the Congo, O'Donnell was told by the Station Chief Lawrence

Devlin that there was a virus in the Station Chief's safe. O'Donnell

clearly understood this to mean a lethal one for use against Lumumba.

He heard no more about it.

He does not know if we had

anything to. do

with Lumumba's actual death, but does not think we did.

Subsequently, while in the Congo he spoke about assassination, in

the context of the Congo, with Devlin and with Bronson Tweedy, the

Africa Division Chief.

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'GENERAL, NOTES ON RICHARD BISSELI

A. Background: Academic. Supposedly brilliant. Economics Professor

B. General re Career at CIA (1952-1962)

1. 1952-59: Personal Assistant to Dulles

a. Guatamala Operation

b. Credited with moving Agency toward technological

Intelligence gathering, recognizing classical

espionage of little value vs. USSR.

(1) U-2

(11) Satellite beginnings

2. 1959-1962: Deputy Director for Plans *

a. Intimately involved in Bay of Pigs

b. Removed (allegedly because of Bay of Pigs) spring 1962 +

+

Allegations have been made of his involvement in Castro, Irujillo,

Lumumba specifically and "Executive Action" generally.

Note Bay of Pigs occurred in 4/61. According to the 1967 CIA

study, Bissell reinstated the Mafia operation in 11/61. If

true:

what was his relationship to higher authority at that

time?

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'GENERAL NOTES ON RICHARD BISSELL

A. Background: Academic. Supposedly brilliant.

Econondcs Professor

B. General re Career at CIA (1952-1962)

1. 1952-59: Personal Assistant to Dulles

a. Guatanala Operation

b. Credited with moving Agency toward technological

Intelligence gathering, recognizing classical

espionage of little value vs. USSR.

(1) U-2

(11) Satellite beginnings.

2. 1959-1962: Deputy Director for Plans *

a. Intimately Involved in Bay of Pigs

b. Removed (allegedly because of Bay of Pigs) spring 1962 +

* Allegations have been made of his involvement in Castro, Irujillo,

Lumumba specifically and "Executive Action" generally.

Note Bay of Pigs occurred in 4/61. According to the 1967 CIA

study, Bissell reinstated the Mafia operation in 1l/61. If

true: what was his relationship to higher authority at that

time?

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BISSELL

CASTRO*

I .

Statements re Bissell (B) in CIA's 1967 Study

A. 8/60 Mafia Connection

1. B asks Edwards (E) to get for

syndicate (14)

B.

2.

Says by late Sept., E. O'C & B

only to know

Late Sept. or Oct. 1960 Alleged Dulles

Briefing

Apparently based on E. Note vagueness (18)

B claims J.C. King originated.

At least shows

B involved).

Also note that in 1961 E. told the FBI Dulles

didn't know ne me if lotte.

has record being approached by Harvey

in 2/61 in connection with sensitive

project for B. (27)

D. B places termination 6 months before Bay

of Pigs (33)

E. Executive action (37)

1. Harvey ("H") briefed by B 2/61.

2. H says early in JFK administration B

called in re Exec Action i.e. "a general

standby capability to carry out

assassinations when required"

The "Executive Action" story is mentioned (somewhat

confusingly in the CIA study in the midst of the

Castro story (see D below).

In fact it continued.

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-2-

8 .

Harvey's notes quote B as saying

"the

White House has twice urged me to

create such a capability."

b.

"B recalls discussing the question of

developing a general capability with

Harvey.

c. ZRRIFLE. @WIN

F.

H's notes say on 11/15/61 he discussed with

B application of ZRRIFLE to Cuba. And B

instructed him to take over E's contact

with the criminal syndicate and run against

Castro. (39)

II. Justice Department

A. 5/22/61 FBI report re 5/3/61 meeting with E

1. Said only B and 2

others were aware of

Said only B and 2 "oulles was completely

Giancana/Maheu.

unaware"

2. Sad Taylor during recent ordeactes to

involved use of G and underworla."

Does this mean he didn't recall the WH

part?

N.B. at this time E was telling the FBI only

that the G/M operation was in connection with

gathering intelligence.

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