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

UNCLASSIFIED

USE

**AL

CONFUS

EES TAL

SECRET

ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET

SUBJECT & (Optional)

Mitchell Livingston WER BELL III

FroM Nestor D. Sanchez

La

TO: LOn

buildin

cting Chief

in America Division

ber, and

EXTENSION

NO.

1884

DATE

13.

MAR 1976

DATE

RECEIVED

OFFICER'S

INITIALS

FORWARDED

Co ME brown ben each tomon to chocto

after eache

ADDO

7E26

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ĐDO

MAR 1976

14..

SAssociate General

Counsel

OGC

7D01

9.

10.

11.:

12.

| 13.

14.

15.

5082

610 USE PRONOUS

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CONFIDENTIAL

INTERNAL

USE ONLY

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00186-12611

OGC 76-1072

315/76

3 MAR 1976

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MEMORANDUM FOR: Associate General Counsel, OGC

VIA

Deputy Director for operations D 113

SUBJECT

: Mitchell Livingston WER BELL III

REFERENCE

: Your memorandum of 24 February 1976,

Subject as above

Per reference request, we are forwarding

information in our files concerning contacts that have

taken place between this Agency and WER BELL.

2.

The following is a summary of all DDO contact

directly with WER BELL which took place in 1959:

A 6 July 1959 Memorandum to C/WH Division

signed by Thomas J. Flores stated that General

called Flores to report that WER BELL had

called him. OWER BELL discussed with General Cabell

a trip WER BELL had taken to the Dominican Republic

and offered to come to Washington at his own expense

VE BEELS he eral cabe commitments were made to

Republic, Fidel Castro, Fulgencio Batista and

General Pedraza.

A 8 July 1959 Memorandum of Conversation

signed by(T. J. Flores, stated that on 8 July 195.

03 (Flores calted WER BELI

to set up

an appointment.

the meeting,

WER BELL was told that the

Jnited States would not support any revolutionary

activities by General Pedraza.

He was also told

that the U.s. will observe its international

obligations concerning Cuba and Pedraza, and that

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the U.S. would not overlook any violations by

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Pedraza or his followers of the neutrality laws 500N0s bapioducE

03( Flores said that the Agency had

some interest in

the possibility of his (WER BELL's) working

for us as an intelligence gatherer under terms

• be negotiated after.we obtained a securit)

clearance on him..3 Flores

pointed out that the

Agency was not attempting to limit his actions

in connection with the Dominican Republic, not of

was it assuming any responsibility for those

matters he carried out in his own

dictated a Secrecy Agreement to him and had hires)

sign it.

A 9 July°1959 Memorandum for the Record

signed by T. J. Flores 59 Orom New York.

that Subject

called him on 9 July

WER BELL

gave lores turther intormation on Loos, fnu,

the representative of a Colonel Frei, fnu, of the

Swiss army who had 1,000 men available for duty

soldiers.

03

A 20 July 1959 Memorandum for the Record

signed by I. J. Flores reported that WER BELL

called, Elores from Miami on 20 July to ask about

the Agency picking up the tab for his forthcoming

his clearance which had not come through.

f.

A 3 August 1959 Memorandum for the

Record signed by Martha R. Tharpe reported tha

Flore July 1959 WER BELL called for Mr. (Thomas J.

03

Since Flores was on leave,

the call.

WER BELL gave Tharpe further infor-

mation

ave, for book.

concerning Pedraza and Batista. Tharpe

called WER BELL back that evening to tell him

that if he obtained further information to

report it to Mr. Justin Gleichauf, 90 Contacts

representative in Miami, until Mr. Flores returnec

to Washington.

03

A 50August 1959 Memorandum for the Record

signed by(T. J. Flores)stated that WER BELL phoned

him on

5 August 1959 to ask if there was any news

on his clearance.

WER BELL said he wanted to go

to the Dominican

Republic soon, and would like CIA

to pick up his expenses. He was told there was no

"Ips

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03

news.

(Flores) and WER BELL discussed

the Dominican

Republic and Cuba.

On 3 August flores) phoned

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any given time.

WER BELL said that the Pedraza

group was air lifting and dropping material into

Cuba.

h. A 9 September 1959 Memorandum for the

Record signed by T. J. Flores reported that

WER BELL called, Flores on 9 September 1959 to

provide intormation on Cuba.

He was told by

Flores) that his clearance had not yet beer

processed.

According to a 23 September 1959

Memorandum for the Record signed by T. J. Flores,

WER BELL called (Flores)on 9 September 1959 to

he wanted

ask if his clearance had come through since

io tinance his trip t

the Dominican Republic.

›He was told it hao

not.

WER BELL told Flores )about some people

who had been discussing the counterteiting

discussing the

ot U. S. dollars and Cuban pesos for use in

connection witho Cuban revolutionary activities.

He was told

to say that

the FBI had referred him to the

Secret Service on the counterfeiting aspect,

and that no one

seemed particularly interested

in the gun running.

The Secret Service asked

him'to go to Miami

at his own expense to obtain

Urther intormation on the matter and WER BELI

asked (Flores) advice. Flores said that he coul

notsinfluence. him one way or

the other since he

was not in a position to direct his activities,

out felt he might be better off to take no action.

He was told that Flores)would be in touch with

him as soon as he hadbany further information

concerning our possible use of him.

A 13 October 1959 Memorandum for the

Record signed by Thomas J. Flores)states that

WER BELL phoned him on 25 September 1959 to report

on Cuba.

On 2 October 1959,3Flores) talked with

WER BELL by phone and terminated the relationship.

3.

The following undated memorandums are also contained in

WER BELL's file:

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a .

A Memorandum for the Record signed byo

T. Flores reports that WER BELL called (Flores o1

13 August

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1959 to discuss Cuban activities in Miami Background Use Only

This memorandum also records that WER BELL phoned

03 Flores )again on 26 August 1959 at which time activitie? Notheproduce

in the Dominican Republic and Cuban activities in

Miami were discussed. WER BELL also asked about the

status of his clearance, and was told it had not yet

come through.

b.

0}

A letter signed "W" addressed to ("'Tom")

gave "W's" location and some information concerning

Batista and Castro. (This letter is probably in

the 1959 time frame.)

The status of WER BELL'S

clearance was discussed and Flores told him it

nad not yet come through. u WER BELL

gave Flores) 03

some information concerning Batista.

(This

memorandum probably is in the 1959 time frame.)

d. An unsigned report, apparently from

WER BELL, gave

summary of his contacts and

activities during a trip to the Dominican Republic.

(This report is probably in the 1959 time frame.)

4. A 17 December 1963 dispatch from Station Santo Domingo

reported that Station NOC Officer Joseph Luna recently met

WER BELL. in Santo Domingo. 24,0 further details of the meeting

were reported.

5. According to the CS file on WER BELL, three former

Agency employees were contacted in 1974 by WER BELL and other

representatives of a group called "Friends of Abaco (FOA),

a group allegedly advocating the secession of the island of

Abaco from the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

The three former

employees contacted are:

a. John Patrick Muldoon, retired from

CIA on 20

March 1972.

b. Iheodore John Roussos, retired from CIA

09 on 31 July 1970. He was rehired on

contract in February 1971.

His contract

was terminated in September 1973.

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c.

Walter Joseph Mackem,

separated from

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CIA on 31 October 1973.

: Do Not Reproduce

6.

Mr. Muldoon contacted Agency employee E. James 03

Mclighe on 22 May 1974.

Mr. Muldoon told Mr. McTighe

that he was nominal Vice President of a Washinoton-based

firm called "Security Consultants

International."

He presented

Mr. McTighe with a report containing the essential data he

possessed concerning WER BELL and other members of FOA whon

ne had met on 17 and 20 May 1974 in Washington,

D.C.

According

to Mr. Muldoon, WER BELL had hopes of establishing gaming

casinos, hotel

and other tourist facilities in Abaco catering

to the U. S. tourist crowd. As a consequence of some run-in

with Prime Minister Pindling of the Bahamas, however, WER BELL

is apparently persona non grata in the Bahamas; hence his

ambitions appeared to be contingent on Abacan independence.

Mr. Muldoon reported that at least on two occasions WER BELL

made a concerted effort to involve persons formerly affiliated

with the Agency in the activities of the FOA in support of

its independence.

On several occasions, WER BELL introduced

Mr. Muldoon and Mr°3(Roussos) as active Agency officials, implying

that either the Agency or the United States Government

supported

the

WER BELL also proposed to Messrs. Muldoon

and economic terms.

study was to include interviews with citizens of Abaco prior

to an alleged "plebiscite" on independence to take place in

Abaco on 28 June 197403 In default of the collaboration of

elther Muldoon or Roussos, WER BELL hired Mr. Walter Josep!

Mackem, a former Agency

According to WER BELL's file, Mackem later in 1974 contacted

the Agency in an attempt to get an official policy on the

activities of the FOA.

Mackem was informed that the case

comes under FBl Jurisdiction, that this Agency has no official

involvement, and

that

all informatior

we had

on the matter had

been made available to the FBI. He was advised at that time

to report his contacts and any information he had to the FBI.

• On 24 March 1975, Mr. (Joseph P. Hayes) assigned to

SE/PCH, reported that during the week of 9. March 1975, he

talked with Mr. Wesley Dyckman.

Mr. Dyckman is a former Agency

employee employed by the Drug Enforcement Agency. According

to Dyckman, former Agency employee Walter Mackem was employed

in the Washington area as a private investigator.

He is alsc

involved with

a paramilitary activity funded by some unnamed

British source.

The activity, which Dyckman referred to as

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"the new land project" sought to establish a tax shelter on

one of the out-islands of the Caribbean by forcefully taking

over the island and establishing a government there.

Mackem

is supposedly involved in the paramilitary training of forces

who would participate in this

adventure.

According to Dyckman,

the paramilitary training supposedly was to take place in

Georgia, where WER BELL is based.

8. On 31 August 1974, Mr. (RousSos) met with Mr. K. Michael

Absher, who at that time was AC/E/GC, and told him that

WER BELL was leaving

for Athens on 31 August to sell

arms to

the Greek Government. WER BELL wanted Roussos, to be his

advisor in this venture and to go to Athens 3 (Roussos) told

MI. Absher strongly advised against

•3 (Roussos getting involved in this deal (Roussos, told Mi. Absher

that he understood and agreed not to get involved. (Roussos);

said that WER BELL would probably call him from Athens and he

would give WER BELL a final negative reply.

9. On 22 July 1974, the FBI reported that WER BELL may

be in possession of a one-line note from former CIA Director,

William Colby stemming from a chance meeting with the Director

at an Oss alumni dinner, reading something like "Good to see

you again."

This note was apparently used by WER BELL to

suggest that he and Mr. Colby were good friends. This infor-

mation was passed on to Mr. Colby on 9 August 1974.

10.

According to reporting from several Stations, WER BELL

and

Arthur L. Smith (a cohort of WER BELL'S)

several

Central American countries during August and early September

1962.

Their principal activity appeared to be contacting

officials of the governments of Guatemala, Nicaragua, and

El Salvador for the purpose of obtaining recognition of a

de facto Cuban Government in exile called the "United

Organization for the Liberation of Cuba."

In discussions with

Nicaraguan Government representatives,

WER BELL claimed the

proposed Cuban Government in exile had

the support of 90

separate Cuban exile organizations and 186,000 Cuban exiles.

WER BELL offered

a representative of the Nicaraguan Government

$100,000 to obtain that government's recognition of the Cuban

Government in exile. The group claimed to have its headquarters

at 1025 Connecticut Avenue

NW, in Washington, D.C.

While in

suatemala, smith claimed that the group had a

man in the

Department of State in Washington, D.C., whom they pay $6,000

per year "to keep them advised."

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11. In December 1965 WER BELL contacted a Miami DCD

asset and told him that he and six Cuban exiles in the U.S.

had organized a group, including approximately 20 Cubans

inside Cuba, to perform a commando operation in Cuba during

early January 1966., Their primary mission was the assassination

of Fidel Castro, with the secondary mission of blowing up the

generators that

supply electricity to Havana, Cuba.

WER BELL,

at the time, stated that he was trying to get a "green light"

from CIA to proceed with the mission, and inferred that the

mission would be called off if such approval was not obtained.

12. On 7 February 1966 the Miami office of the FBI

reported that WER BELL had been in contact with various news

agencies concerning an alleged plan to assassinate Fidel Castro,

and reportedly also had discussed the plan with Mr. Richard

Phillips, Public Affairs Officer, Department of State, Washington,

D.C. WER BELL claimed to have a

group of some 500 men infiltrated

into Cuba and said that they were ready for action to overthrow

the regime immediately following the assassination of Castro.

According to the FBI, WeR BEll gave the impression that he is

acquainted with many

high government officials, both in the U.S.

and other countries, and implied that his assassination plan

had been approved by CIA.

13. According to a memorandum in WER BELL's file, on 7

February 1968, one Bruce Arman Baker telephoned an employee

of this Agency and said he had been in contact with WER BELL.

Mr. Baker said that WER BELL was in the weapons manufacturing

business and delivered them by air throughout the world.

Mr. Baker said that he understood that WER BELL does this for

CIA.

Mr. Baker said that he understood from WER BELL that he

would have to get a CIA security clearance to fly for WER BELL.

Baker said that he was afraid that his past smuggling record

might keep him from getting a CIA clearance.

13-5

14: WER BEll came to the attention of the Bangkok Station,

in early 1969 when he went to Thailand representing himself

as Vice President of Sionics, Atlanta, Georgia.

He described

himself as a counterinsurgency expert,

had a variety of weapons

to display, claimed to be a retired colonel, and introduced

himself at

a local nightclub as Chief of CIA

in Thailand.

WER BELL attempted

to sell arms to the Thais and

also to a

variety of U.

S. military elements?" (Station

Bangkok passed

the gist of his reputation to key personalities in the U. S.

mission and the Thai Government stressing that he was not

sponsored in any way by the

U. S. Government.

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15. WER BELL was also the subject of two memorandum

signed by Lawrence R. Houston.

Mr. Houston, answering a

request from Joseph J. Liebling, Deputy Assistant Secretary

of Defense, on 23 February 1971, denied WER BELL's alleged

affiliation with the CIA.

On 28 October 1971, Mr. Houston

wrote Mr. David H. Henretta, Jr., of the Industrial security

Clearance Review Division, to return notarized Interrogatories

previously sent by Mr. Henretta.

16. We have no information on Colonel Bayard except news

articles reporting his death which were forwarded by the FBI.

17.

Per your request, we have sent instructions to the

LA/Miami Station that there should be no contact with WER BELL.

hot body

Acting Chief

• America Division

E2 IMPDET

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BY 012913

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