INTERVIEW OF WILLIAM MURRAY
Originator: SSCIA
Document date: 08/04/1975
Document type: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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157-10008-10226

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

7126108

Date: 10/07/93

Page: 1

JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION FORM

AGENCY INFORMATION

AGENCY : SSCIA

RECORD NUMBER : 157-10008-10226

RECORDS SERIES :

CIA HAS NO OBJECTION TO

DECLASSIFICATION AND/OR

RELEASE OF CIA INFORMATION

IN THIS DOCUMENT AS SANITIZED

41.2198

AGENCY FILE NUMBER : R665

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

ORIGINATOR : SSCIA

FROM

TO :

TITLE :

INTERVIEW SHEET

PAGES : 08/04/75

SUBJECTS :

INTERVIEW AND MEETING SUMMARY SHEET.

INTERVIEW W/

MURRAY, WILLIAM

DOCUMENT TYPE : PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

CLASSIFICATION : U

RESTRICTIONS : REFERRED

CURRENT STATUS

DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 10/07/93

OPENING CRITERIA :

COMMENTS :

BOX 437-3

[R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED

HH 50955

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CIA HAS NO OBJECTION TO

DECLASSIFICATION AND/OR

RELEASE OF THIS DOCUMENT INTERVIEW AND MEETING SUMMARY

AS SANITIZED

437-3

R665

10226

615/10194

INTERVIEW WITH:

W1111am J. Murray, Chief Latin America Division/Narcotics

8813 Postoak Road, Potomac, Maryland 20854, Agency phone: 351-4438,

Cuba/Assassinations

REGARDING:

DATE-TIME-LOCATION:

Carroll Arms Room 610, August 4, 1975 at 2:00 p.m.

PRESENT:

DiGenova, Joseph E.

HAS OR SHOULD BE DIGESTED:

FOLLOW UP REQUIRED:

MATERIALS SUBMITTED BY INTERVIEWEE (s) :-

EXECUTIVE SESSION:

_YES

_NO

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INTERVIEW AND MEETING SUMMARY

Mr. Murray is currently operating under cover and no one other

than his wife and two sons are aware of his agency relationship.

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FILE:

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Biographical Information:

Mr. Murray joined the agency on August 28, 1950 as a DDO officer

He was assigned to the Far East Division.

to the Near East Division where he remained

on back bu reat red arti

In December of 1950 he went

as a Case Officer until

February of 1954. He went back overseas in April 1956 as a Western

Hemisphere Division Case Officer On

January 9, 1957 he went to San

Pedro Sula, Honduras Be Gates of Bangle/ On approximately January 9,

1960 he went to Havana as a Case Officer. On January 6, 1961, after

Trujillo was assassinated, he spent six months as acting deputy chief

of station in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Vovember of 1961. In January 1962 he went to Monterey, Mexico as

Chief Of Base where he remained until July 5, 1964. He was then sent

go honeca, columbia as pepusy calet of Senelon. He returned-to the

states in 1966 and 15 currently Chiet of Latin American Division for

Narcotics.

H1s January 17, 1975 Memorandum to Colby

His memorandum was written pursuant to a request from DCI

Colby for any Information that related to current allegations con-

cerning questionable CIA activities. He had never told anyone other than

Noel and the Cuban pilot about the matter until then.

According to Murray, the atmosphere in Havana was bombastic.

"We were alert to the Cubans' attitude towards us. We knew that the

Cuban

Security Service was interested in identifying CIA agents in

Cuba."

Among the people, he said, were those both very friendly and

very hostile to the U.S.

The opposition to Castro was, at that

time, very disorganized.

The Pilot

The pilot was introduced to Murray by the pilot's cousin.

General assistance to the CIA by the pilot was offered. The Cuban

was

aware he had been identified as pro-Castro and anti-U.S, by

Castro forces in Havana and he wanted to let the U.S. know that that

was an inaccurate characterization. So he requested the rendezvous.

He volunteered to help the agency in any way possible and agreed to

accept stringent reporting requirements.

On July 18, 1960, after the contact had been established, the

Cuban pilot contacted Murray and told Murray that he was to pilot a

chartered plane to Prague to pick up Raul Castro Ruz and his official

party. He sought instructions from the agency as to what intelli

gence task he could perform.

Murray Irmediately cabled Headquarters

for instructions -= "I sought assistance from headquarters re

additional requirements." The Cuban Branch (WH 4) would have

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INTERVIEW AND MEETING SUMMARY

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recieved his request. He asked for instructions re use of the pilot.

Neither the pilot nor Murray suggested of intimated the possibility

of assassinating Raul Castro.

They were thinking in terms of simple

hard intelligence re

flight information concerning a denied country.

He noted that Shamwas aware of Murray's relationship with the pilot

and that all cables were cleared by as on July 20, 1960 head-

he reces responded teth a meble that ure Murray aya he hast" when

he received it.

That cable said that headquarters was seriously considering the "remov=

al" of Cuba's top three leaders.

(A blow-up of that July 21, 1960

cable (98941) shows that all authorizing signatures on the cable are

chose of E. H. Hinkle.)

Murray had never heard such proposals or plans or plots dis-

cussed at the Havana station or elsewhere..y Indeed, he had not

spoken to woolor persons above or below Notebout such things.

"Not only was I surprised, but I considered the possibility of chis

Individual (the pilot) executing this;type of mission was negligible."

But he didn't question the order when @oat band-delivered him the

cable. Cactishe said, was equally surprised by the statement in

the cable. This cable represented "quite a departure from the con-

ventional activities we'd been asked to handle."

When the cable was

received there was a minimum of time (approximately fifteen minutes)

to tell the pilot of the request for action by Headquarters.

He met

the pilot at a pre-determined

spot and spoke to him.

He wanted to

avoid the use of words like

"kil1" and 'assassinate" and so he

"talked

in terms of an accident to neutralize this leader's influence."

But

the pilot understood the meaning "loud and clear."

The Cuban was

serious, thoughtful and then became imaginative in terms of

possibilities.

They spoke for 30 to 35 minutes while the pilot

drove to the airport.

When he returned to the station, Murray discovered a cable

from Headquarters, signed by Tracy Barnes which

said to "DROP MATTER."•

03

It was, of course, too late to "drop the matter" so all he and

Noalsould do was hope that the pilot would not be successful in

"accidentally" crashing the plane and killing Raul Castro et al.

The combined reaction of Murray and Nualito this abrupt turn about or

£1ip-

flop on the part of Headquarters on such a sensitive matter was one

of incredulity.

"What's going on in headquarters was our reaction."

"It showed inadequate coordination at headquarters prior to release

of the first cable."

Moreover, such a turn-about was unprecedented

In his, Murray's, experience.

In his opinion, Hinkle would be the best!

person

to explain the activities surrounding the "removal" cable.

Murray also noted that he had ng personal contact with J.C. King on

this matter and said thati@loniwould have, done any briefing of King on

Cuban matters.

He did not know whether boltad ever raised the issue,

of the reversal of position in the two cables with king or any other

higher official of the agency.

FILE:

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