CHRONOLOGY OF THE MATAHAMBRE SABOTAGE OPERATION
Agency: ROCKCOM
Originator: CIA
From: DCI
To: HARVEY, WILLIAM K.
Document date: 11/21/1962
Document type: MEMORANDUM

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JFK Assassination System

Identification Form

Agency Information

Date:

8/27/201

AGENCY: ROCKCOM

RECORD NUMBER:

178-10002-10490

RECORD SERIES: ASSASSINATION FILE

AGENCY FILE NUMBER: ASSASSINATION MATERIALS--MISC. ROCK/CIA (8)

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: CIA

FROM: HARVEY, WILLIAM K.

TO : DCI

TITLE: CHRONOLOGY OF THE MATAHAMBRE SABOTAGE OPERATION

DATE: 11/21/1962

PAGES:

4

SUBJECTS :

Released under the John F. Kennedy

assassination Records Collection

uct of 1992 144 USC 2107 Notel.

Case#:NW 53244 Date: 06-13-2017

CIA

ANTI-CASTRO ACTIVITIES

DOD

OPERATION MONGOOSE

DOCUMENT TYPE: MEMORANDUM

CLASSIFICATION: Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS: Consulted

CURRENT STATUS: Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 09/09/1905

OPENING CRITERIA :

COMMENTS: Attached to 1781000210489.

NO JOIN STAFF OBJECTION

TO DECLASSIFICATION

REQUIRES CONGURRENCE OF

CIAL

DATE:

MAR

2816

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CARET

SPRAINE

HE WITE HOUSE VETICE

06b0T-2000T-8LT

21 November 1962

MEMORANDUM. FOR:

Director of Central Intelligence

THROUGH:

Deputy Director (Plans) it

07y839

SUBJECT:

Chronology of the Matahambre Sabotage

Operation

REFERENCES:

A.

Memorandum to the Special

Group

(Augmented) from Brigadier General

Lansdale dated 14 November 1962

B. My Memorandum to you dated 14 November

.1962

xi

1. Action: This memorandum is for your information and

pursuant to your request.

2. Pursuant to your request relayed through Mr. Walter

Elder,

set out below are additional comments referring to the

chronology in referenced memorandum. These comments are keyed

to the paragraphs concerning which you raised specific questions?

My operational diary reflects that Lansdale

was advised of our plans for re-run of the Matahambre

operation on this date.

In addition, the memorandum

dated 19 September 1962 to the Acting Director of

Central Intelligence referred to in paragraph 10 of

referenced memorandum specifically states that the

information contained in that memorandum was passed

FROM THE GERALD

FORD LIBPARY

Informally to Lansdale on 18 September 1962.

(10) Attached is the original of the 19 September

• 1962 memorandum

to the Acting DCI with his notation

concerning briefing the Special Group (Augmented).

You will note that this memorandum reflects that the

information therein was passed to Lansdale on 18 Septem-

ber 1962 and that the memorandum reflects that a copy

thereof was sent to Lansdale.

The Special Group (Aug-

mented) was, as

you will recall, advised of our plans

Exclude:

Bileral.

Tun

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Me tarlie

list

to re-run this operation at its meeting on 4 October

1962.

(1]) Attached is a copy of General Lansdale's

memorandum dated 20 September 1962 which was in re-

sponse to the memorandum referred to in the above

paragraph. My operational notes reflect that this

memorandum, after receipt, was discussed with Lansdale

and the major question was whether or not the team

could not have performed an alternate mission at the

time it was inside.

He was advised orally that in

view of operational conditions it could not have.

(13) Attached is a copy of the 11 October 1962

memorandum to Lansdale.

(16) My operational diary reflects that Lansdale

was

briefed on 17 October 1962 on our plans to re-run

the Matahambre Operation within the ensuing few days.

Mr. Helms,

who was present at this meeting, also

recalls this.

(17) The advice to the Attorney General on

18 October 1962 in the presence of Lansdale is re-

flected by my operational diary notes.

Mir. Helns

who was also present recalls this.

(19) My operational diary reflects a long dis-

cussion on 20 October 1962 with Lansdale, in which

was specifically told that we were re-running the

Matahambre Operation and that the Matahambre Operation

along with the Galefre Bridge Operation, which we

then were still considering, were the only two sabotage

operations which we felt we

could undertake at that

time in view of the changed conditions.

fully known

fully known

to Task Force l until the return of the

operational team to the Miami area on 24 October.

(27)

The 24 October 1962 Weekly Report which

contained the general comment on this operation

did go to Lansdale's office and other appropriate

members of the Special Group. (Augmented).

PHOTOCOPY 1

FROM THE

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LIBPARY

-2-

Excluthy

Furts:

03 2nd

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(28) I have carefully questioned Mr. Halpern,

Executive Officer/TFW, on this briefing and he

distinctly recalls advising Lansdale orally on

the

morning of 26 October 1962 that the Matahambre

Operation had been re-run; that we had not heard

from the team; had not been able to recover the team,

and must presume the team to be either lost or in

hiding.

(29) The nention of the Matahambre Operation,

as best I can recall, at the meeting. of the Special

Group (Augmented) came up in an aside, I believe

from General Taylor, who asked in effect, "Whatever

happened to that sabotage operation"

, and was advised

orally that it had been re-run; that the caching part

of the operation had been successful, but that the

sabotage team had not been heard from the must be

presumed lost. Unfortunately, my operational diary

notes on this point reflect only that the Matahambre

Operation was mentioned casually at the Special Group

(Augnented) meeting.

3. All of the comments contained in the chronology in

reference memorandum are substantiated either by memoranda,

operational notes, or operational diary records.

4.

As you are aware, my meinorandum to you dated 14 Novem-

ber 1962 was prepared prior to the receipt of Lansdale's

memorandum and was not designed as an answer to it. Set out

below for your further information are pertinent comments

concerning the specific points made in Lansdale's memorandum.

a. With regard to paragraph 2 of Lansdale's

memorandum as reflected by reference chronology,

the statement that Operation Mongoose had had no

information on this operation since early October

was patently false.

Specific reference is made to

the penultimate paragraph in Lansdale's memorandum

concerning a report from CIA which he used as a

basis for a memorandum dated 31 October 1962 to

Mr.

Roswell Gilpatric.

This refers to the tele-

phonic conversation on the evening of 30 October

1962 between Lansdale and Mr. Bruce Cheever, Deputy

Chief/TFW, which is referred to specifically in

PHOTOCOPY FROM "TR

FO S

GERALD R.

FORD

LIBPARY

-3-

Exclee

Ling and

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paragraph 2 on pages 7 and 8 of my reference memo-

randun.

I have discussed this matter in detail with

Hr. Cheever and he clearly recollects that his con-

versation with Lansdale on that date took place as

reflected in my reference memorandum.

During this

conversation there was no discussion of previous

operations except a brief discussion of the COBRA and

AMTORRID teams and Lansdale did not, according to

Mr. Cheeverts recollection, ask any specific questions

concerning assets inside or prior operations which

would logically have lead to any further discussions

at that time of the Matahambre Operation.

Willian Haras

WILLIAM K. HARVEY

Attachments

DD/P

DDCI

Chief, Task

Force W

CC:

18839

2. 50?0

LIBRARY

CAROM THE GERALD R.

FORD LIBRARY

SECRET

SENSINE

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