A MEMO ON BACKGROUND BIO INFORMATION
Agency: CIA
Originator: CIA
From: CHIEF, WHD
To: CHIEF OF STATION, HABANA
Document date: 01/30/1958
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION FORM

AGENCY INFORMATION

AGENCY : CIA

RECORD NUMBER

: 104-10112-10145

RECORD

SERIES

: JFK

AGENCY FILE

NUMBER

80T01357A

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

AGENCY ORIGINATOR : CIA

FROM : CHIEF OF STATION, HABANA

TO : CHIEF, WHD

TITLE

: A MEMO ON BACKGROUND BIO INFORMATION

DATE

: 01/30/1958

PAGES

SUBJECTS

Released

under the

John

F. Kennedy

Assassination Records

Collection Aet of 1992

144 USC 2107 Notel.

Case#:NW 53294 Date:

06-14-2017

: WITHHELD

JFK ASSASSINATION

BIO INFORMATION

DOCUMENT TYPE : PAPER

CLASSTRICATONS : SECRET

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:

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JFK41 : F4

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104-10112-10145

HH 53294

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(WHEN FILLED IN)

+63.

ROUTING: AND RECORD SHEET

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This Routing and Record sheet should NOT be removed from the attached RECORD document.

FROM:

VERIVAN

DOCUMENT NUMBER

HKHA -04193

DOCUMENT:DATE

TO

WHIREG

C

GROOM

#NO.

BARTON

"DATE

RECEIVED

FORWARDED

OFFICER'S

INITIALS

•FEB

3.195°

.2.

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tached document, note the location of the copy and/or attach-

ment hereon. 'If this, RECORD. "COPY is to be retained in

manent loan.

COPY DETACHED

Carik/c

Caul /FI

OS/105/r

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3605 І.

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ECU

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FILE TITLE

Vaivado, Arthur G.

FILE NUMBER

201

Carit / Se

RI/F.1

1400L

FORM NO. :610a

1 SEP. 56

USE PREVIOUS 16

EDITIONS

168881

ENCLOSURE

ABSTRACT

DATE PROCESSED

0601

30 pan 5P

INDEX

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AIR

(SPECIFY AIR OR SEA POUCH)

DISPATCH NO.

HKH-A-4193

Field File No. 23-88/2-153

SECRET

CLASSIFICATION

TO

: Chief, WHD

SPR

FROM : Chief of Station, Habana

SUBJECT: GENERAL- Operational

DATE: 30 January 1958

INFO: Chief of Station,

San Jose

Chief of Station,

Panama

SPECIFIC

Arthur G. VAIVADA

References:

(a)

HKH-W-2380, 16 October 1957

(b)

HRS-W-1326, 19 August 1957

In a conversation with the writer on 23 January 1958 Mr.. and Mrs.

Arthur G. VAIVADA volunteered information that may be of interest to Head-

quarters in regard to paragraph 3 of reference (a).

2. When VAIVADA said that he hoped his wife's immigration visa

application could be successfully processed at the time of his transfer

from Cuba, Mrs. VAIVADA remarked that one reason for delays she experienced

when she applied for that visa in San Jose, Costa Rica, on 4 April 1957

(see HRS-A-2938, 3 September 1957) could be

a security clearance problen

she had had in 1943 while employed at a U.S. Government Post Exchange in

the Panama Canal Zone.

When the writer inquired to what she referred, Mrs.

VAIVADA said that her supervisor, the officer in charge of the Post Exchange,

had accused her of being a Nazi sympathizer.

When World War II terminated,

and she prepared to quit her employment in the Post Exchange, she asked for

evidence that she had been a satisfactory employee. It was at this point

that she had difficulty in obtaining a statement to that effect from her

supervisor, owing to his belief that she was pro-Nazi.

When the writer showed his surprise, Mrs. VAIVADA continued the

explanation by saying that a color line existed in Panama at that time.

mentioned a ferry-boat connecting the Republic of Panama with the Canal Zone

which she and one of her two sisters (who also worked in the Post Exchange)

had used daily to go to and from work... White persons used the upper deck,

"colored"

persons the lower deck. She further mentioned that the Post

Exchange maintained two payrolls, a "Silver Roll" for "colored" employees

and a "Gold Roll" for "whites". Since she is dark skinned, her supervisor

placed her on the "Silver Roll" and she had also to use the lower deck on

the ferry-boat. Her sister, being blond-haired and white skinned, was placed

on the "Gold Roll". That is, her two sisters having white skin, blond hair

and blue eyes, were classed as whites while she was classed as "colored"

owing to her dark coloring. Despite explanations of her fanily. background

made to her supervisor by her sister and herself, the supervisor refused to

re-classify her.

Angered at this distinction, Mrs. VAIVADA, who said she was

something of a leader among the female employees at the Post Exchange, began

a campaign among them to get their organized support of her cause.

She did

FORM NO.

NAR. 1949 51-28 A

SEEREF

CLASSIFICATION

3 COPY

20116888)

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SECRET

HKH-A-4193

30 January 1958

mention details nor the success of this campaign, but said that it

resulted in bringing down upon her head the wrath of her supervisor, who

made an official investigation of her and had her reported as a 'dangerous

labor agitator having pro-Nazi sympathies".

4o At this point VAIVADA related that he was then courting Mrs.

VAIVADA and had had difficulty with his commanding officer as a result.

He said that one day, in an effort to clear Mrs. VAIVADA with her

supervisor, he telephoned to the latter.

As soon as he mentioned Mrs.

VAIVADA's name the officer became agitated, warned VAIVADA to be wary of

lirs. VAIVADA, and repeated to him the story of her pro-Nazi sympathies

and agitation activities.

VAIVADA said he, hung up and did not press

the matter.

He said that he had known his future wife long enough by

then to be personally satisfied that the allegations against her were

false.

5. Finally, in the conversation Mrs. VAIVADA said that her father

and his parents were of German ethnic origin, and she demonstrated a

knowledge of the German language.

6.

The writer met and began working with VAIVADA in August 1955,

and during this entire time the latter has never mentioned a former marriage

of his wife.

Having frequently seen and conversed as well with Mrs. VAIVADA

since that date, it is difficult for the writer to picture her as having

been

a ballet dancer.

She is under five feet in stature, is very plump,

with thick lips and distinctly yellow-brown skin. Mrs. VAIVADA impresses

the writer as having considerable shrewdness and, in his view, could conceal

facts if she believed they would damage

her husband, to whom she is completely

loyal.

It was evident from the above conversation that Mrs. VAIVADA beljeves

her 7943 Post Exchange difficulties have adversely affected her immigration

visa application.

That she volunteered the information appears to be a

point in her favor, however.

7. The matter of Mrs. VAIVADA's visa application deserves mention

now inasmuch as it is clearly the VAIVADA's intention to re-open the

application in June 1958, or at such time as VAIVADA's transfer from Cuba

becomes effective.

The writer cannot judge whether the events of 1943

investigate to determine this.

information, the visa application was initially made by VAIVADA himself in

Habana in February 1957. At that time VAIVADA named himself as his wife's

sponsor, but the consular officer handling the case turned the application

down owing to insufficient financial means on VAIVADA's part because.

VAIVADA was, for security reasons, unable to show his regular KUBARK

employment and the more than adequate financial status he derives from it.

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•SECRET.

HKH-A-4193

30 January 1958

VAIVADA then asked an intimate service friend& sufficient means, who

resides in PBPRIME, to act as his wife's sponsor.

The friend did so,

sending the required affidavits to the Habana Consulate.

to consular queries sent to Panama and Costa Rica had not been

received, and the switch in sponsors made by VAIVADA appears to have

caused the consular officer some concern about the case, no action was

taken on the application by the time VAIVADA was IDY'd to PBPRIME for

training and had sent his wife and children to San Jose.

This consular

officer had a reputation for creating difficulties when none existed,

and it is to that extent unfortunate that VAIVADA's case was assigned .

to him; he has since, however, retired and would have no part in this

case in the future.

Mrs. VAIVADA then re-applied for the visa in San

Jose on 4 April 1957, as outlined above..

Since VAIVADA is again planning

to send his family to San Jose while he is carrying out his mission in

Oriente Province beginning in March 1958, it is probable that Mrs.

VAIVADA will re-open her application in San Jose.

Jam RePlayer

Distribution:

3 - Washington

1 - San Jose

1 - Panama

2 - Files

JRP/mtm

28 January 1958

SEGRET.

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