CHRONOLOGY OF THE MATAHAMBRE SABOTAGE OPERATION
Originator: CIA
From: HARVEY, WILLIAM K.
To: DCI
Document date: 11/21/1962
Document type: PAPER-TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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178-10002-10482

JFK Assassinatior System

Identification I orm

Agency Information

Date:

8/27/201

AGENCY: ROCKCOM

RECORD NUMBER: 178-10002-10482

RECORD SERIES:

ASSASSINATION FILE

AGENCY FILE NUMBER:

ASSASSINATION MATERIALS-/ISC. ROCK/CIA (7)

Document Infor nation

ORIGINATOR: CIA

FROM:

HARVEY, WILLIAM K.

TO: DCI

TITLE:

CHRONOLOGY OF THE MATAH IMBRE SABOTAGE OPERATION

DATE:

PAGES:

SUBJECTS:

11/21/1962

5

DOCUMENT TYPE:

CLASSIFICATION:

RESTRICTIONS:

CURRENT STATUS:

DATE OF LAST REVIEW:

OPENING CRITERIA:

• COMMENTS:

OPERATION MONGOOSE

DOD

CIA

ANTI-CASTRO ACTIVITIES

MEMORANDUM

Unclassified

Consulted

Redact

09/01/1995

Includes routing slip.

NO JOINT STAFF OBUEC-TION

TO DECLASSIFICATION

REQUIRES CONCURRENCE ON

DATE:

MAR 2116

19.1

_NH

47881

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ROUTING AID RECORD SHEET

BJECT: (Optionall

FROM:

NO.

DATE

B-9

Chief, Task Force W

TO: (Officer designation, room number, and

building)

1.

DATE

OFFICER'S

INITIALS

RECEIVED

FORWAI DED

21 November 1962

COMMENTS. (Number

eoch commens lo show from whor

to whom.

Drow a line across column after soch sommeni..

DDCI

7D 6011

2.

3.

'6. 4090

974839

PROPERTY. OF

THE WAITE HOUSE OFFICE

But

PHOTOCOPY

FROM

THE GERALD R. FORD LIBPARY

11.

12.

178-10002-10482

13

" PREVIOUS

JIliONS

17 SECEFT.

17 COUFIDFNTIAI

M INTERNAL

17 HNGASSIEDEN

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SEMIES

MEN'SITIVE

21 'November 1962

FORU

MEZIORANDUS FOR: Director of Central Intelligence

TEHOUGH:

SUBJECT:

Deputy Director (Plans).

Chronology of the Matahambre Sabotage

Operation

REFERENCES:

A.

Monorandun to the Special Group

(Augmented) from Brigadier General

Lansdale dated 14 November 1962

74439

B.

hy hemorindum to you dated 14 Novenber

1962

1.

Action: This memorandus 1s for your Infornation and

pursuant to your request.

2.

Pursuant. to your regest reloyed through tr. Halter

• Elder, set out belor are addi:ional comments referring to the

chronology in referenced memo:andun, These comments are keyed

to the paragraphs concerning wich you raised specific questions:

(9) Lly operational flary reilects that Lñnsdale

TAS

advised of our plans for re-run of the witananbre

operation on this date.

In addition, the memoranoun

dated 19 Septenber 1962 to tho Acting Director of

Centrel Intelligence reierred to in paragraph 10 of

referenced menorandun specifically states that the

Information contrined in that menorandum was passed

Intornally to Lansdalo on 13 Soptember 1962.

(10) Attached 1s tre original of the 19 September

1962 momorendum to the icting DCI with bie notation

concerning briofing the Special Group

You will note that this nenorandun reflects thet the

Information theroin was possed to Lensdale on 13

Septein-

ber 1902 and that the minornawn reflects that a copy

theroof was sent to lancarlo.

Tho Special

• GrOup (AUg

mented) was, as you wil: recall, advised of our plans

гном

dAL GERALD

FORD

LABPARY

PARTNE

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SENSITIVE

The Miria

mund viller

to re-run this operatlou at lts meeting on 1 October

1982.

(11) Attached 1a a copy of General Lansdale's

menorandum deted 20 Septenber 1962 which was in I0-

sponse to the monorandun referred to in the above

paragraph. My operational notes roilect that this

menornadur, after receipt, ras discussed with Lansdale

and the major question vas unethor or not the tean

could not have periorned an altornate mission at the

time it was inside.

ic was advised orally that in

view of operational. corditions it could not have.

(13) Attached 15 & copy of the ll October 1962

menorandum to Lansdale.

(26)

My operation:] diary reflects that Lansdele

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

the Metahambre Operation within the ensuing few days.

Kr, Helns, who was present it this noting, also

recalls this.

(17) Tha advice to the Attorney General on

18 October 1962 in the presence of Lansdalo is v'e-

079439

flocted by my operational diary notes. ir. Helms

who vas also presant rocalls this.

(19) My opsrational diary reflects & long d15-

cussion on 20 October 1962 with Lonsdale, In which he

was specifically told that we were re-running the

Matabambre Operation and that the hatchambre Operation

along with the Galeire Bridge Operation, which vo

then were still consirering, were

the only tro sabotage

operationg wilch ve felt we could undertake at that

time in vior of the changed conditions.

821), (22), (23), (24) This chronology vis not

fully inown to hansdale at the time, nor ras it

fully known to lask Force " until the return of the

operational tean to tie Miand uxea on 24 October.

(27)

The 24 October 1962 Reekly Report which

contrined the general comment on this operation

did so to insunlo's office and other approprieto

wenbers of the Speclal Group (Augmented).

THUNULUTE

*KUM

L'HE

GERALD

FORD

LIBPARY

SECRET

Fronten!

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SECRET

SHASTIVE

QUES OFFICE

(28)

I have cerefully questioned fir. Ialpers,

Executive Officer/TFM, on this briefing and ho

distloctly recalls advising Lausdale orally on the

morning of 26 October 1132 that the Matahambre

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

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

and must presume the tein to be oltber.lost or in

hiding.

(23) The mention oj the Natahambre Operation,

10:39

as best I can rocall, al: the meeting of the Special

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

rom General laylor, var asked In effect, "Whatever

appened to that sabotage operation", and mes advised

orally that it had been re-run; that

the caching pert

of the operation had been successiul, but that the

sabotage torn bad not ben beard fion the must ba

presumed lost.

Unfortunately, my operational diary

notes on this point reflect only that the datahunbre

Operation was mentioned casually at the Spectal Group

(hugmented) nceting.

3.

All of the comments contained in the chronology 1n

reference nemorandum aro substautiated either by menornnds,

operational notes, or operational diary records.

As you are aware, my memorandum to you dated 11. Noven-

bor 1962 was prepared prior to the rocelpt o1 Lensdale's

nemorandum and wus not desigued as an answer to it. Set out

bolow for your further Inforsation ere pertinent comments

concerning the specific points nade in Lengdale's monorendum.

With regard to paregraph 2 of Lanscale's

nonorrndun as reflectec by reference chronology,

the staterent that Operntion Mongoose had had no

information on this operation since early Octcher

Execific referenco is ade to

the penultinato paragraph in Lansdalo's menorandur

concorning a roport iren CIA which ha used as a

basis for & nemorandum dated 31 October 1962 to

Ar. Roswell Gilpatric.

Ints refers to the telo

phonic conversation on the evening of 30 Octobor

1962 botween Lensdule ind wireBrucelCheever, Doputy

Chief/TIN, which is rolerred to specifically in

FROM I'HE

GERALD R.

FORD LIBPARY

STASITIVE

Exclida: 359 2:

Gange on:

• Gangitani

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SECRET

SENSITNE

PROPERTY OF

THE WHITE HOUSE OFFICE

"'÷.

paragraph 2 on pages " and 8 of my roference memo

randun.

I have discussed this matter in detall. with

Urs Cheever and he cloarly recollects that his.con

versation with Lansdae on that date took place es

reflected in my reference memorandum. During this

conversation there mai no discussion of previous

operations except a biief discussion of the COBRA

and

AUTORRED. teams and Lalsdale did not, according to

Mr Choovers recolloction, ask any specific questions

concerning assets inside or prior operationg nich

would logically have lead to any further discussions

at that time of the sitabambre Operation.

Attachaents

CC:

DD/P

DDCI

07v839

HILLIAN K.

HARVEY

Chior, Task Force W

FRUULUTE TRUM THE GERALD R. FORD LIBPARY

SEGRET

SENSITIVE

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