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

SECRET

JFK Working Paper - Internal Use Only

3-23-98

Notes from meeting with ARRB staff, 20 March 1998.

re Board Issues (attendees Gunn, Skwirot, Combs)

I. NEW ISSUE: Covert Actions -- Document 178-10002-10415

[Rockfeller Commission document ]

This document went before the Board in November as part

of a group. of documents from the Ford Presidential Library.

It refers to Agency (covert financial support in Peruvian,

Italian and Brazilian elections and support

to labor union in France and Italy. The ARRB staff viewed

the highlighted material (all references to covert action)

as not germane to the assassination and had not anticipated

The Board instead questioned the deletions and

asked for more evidence before agreeing to protect. The

sense of the staff is that the Board is leaning toward

release. The DO team prepared a response for the staff in

February, however, it is not strong enough to take to the

Board.

Given that the next Board meeting is only 3 weeks away,

we discussed a two step process:

1. At the 13 April meeting, have a senior official (Ed?)

appear before the Board to a) underscore the importance of

this issue to Agency and Intelligence. Community; b) ask why

these covert actions are important to the JFK assassination?

They obviously have interest to historians but seem beyond

the charter.

[Key points to make: this is not just Agency decision, NSC

and/or WH will have to be consulted; the protection /

classification has been has up-held by ...... (ISCAP?). If

Ed went down, it would also serve as an opportunity to meet

the other Board members.

We could also make available to

ARRB any material previously prepared defending protection

of covert actions

if appropriate.]

2.

If the Board remains inclined to release, prepare full

evidence package, etc.

for May 12 meeting.

According to Gunn, there is no way to avoid sending

this document to the Board.

Once the Board has expressed

an interest in an issue, they expect to see it again..

ACTION: We need to advise Gunn next week if we are going

to have someone address the issue at the April meeting.

If

not, the document will be scheduled for action at the May

meeting and our "evidence package" should be available for

the ARRB staff no later than the week of May 4.

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II. Alias documentation and accommodation addresses

[Multiple documents -- I briefed you earlier on this issuel.

ARRB staff proposed compromise:

Documentation (driver permits, SSN, membership cards, etc.) -

a. If documentation can be obtained by anyone (pocket

litter: National Rife Association card, club memberships

cards, etc.), the presumption will be to release.

b. If documentation would be expected to require

agreement of another government entity (Federal, State or

Local or private company or organization, the presumption

will be to protect.

c. Items that are considered by the ARRB staff to be

important to the story, or that do not fall clearly into one....

of the above categories, will be considered on a case-by-

case base.

The Agency may be required to provide additional

evidence to protect in these cases.

Accommodation Addresses:

Release as much of the address as possible without

identifying a specific location or otherwise providing

information that could lead to identification of an

individual cooperating with the Agency. For example delete

house number, release street.

Aliases

[when true name is releasedl

If outside of the JFK timeframes (generally 1960-1964).

the presumption is protect.

If within a JFK timeframe, presumption is to release;

additional evidence will be required to protect.

Action: The HRP and DO JFK teams will re-review the

documents applying the proposed compromise guidelines.

If

we conclude that the Agency's equities can be protected

under this compromise, the ARRB staff will present the

guidelines to the Board at the April meeting with the

recommendation that the be adopted. The staff will describe

the new guidelines as much preferable to the case-be-case

approach which requires extensive research by the Agency

consume an inordinate amount of staff time.

SECRET - Internal Use Only

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