MEMORANDUM: WATCHLIST OF AMERICAN DEFECTORS AND POTENTIAL DEFECTORS
Originator: CIA
From: ANGLETON, JAMES FOR THE DD/P
To: MULTIPLE ADDRESSEES
Document date: 06/26/1968
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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2022 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

S 001l-212

SECRET

gotk

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26 June 1968

TO

: Director

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Director

United States Secret Service

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Security

Department of State

Director, Bureau of Intelligence and Research

Department of State

Chief, Counterintelligence and Security Office (DIACI)

Defense Intelligence Agency

Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence

Department of the Army

Director, Naval Investigative Service

Department of the Navy

Chief, Counterintelligence Division

Directorate of Special Investigations

The Inspector General, USAF

The Commissioner

Immigration and Naturalization Service

Director

National Security Agency

SUBJECT :

Watchlist of American Defectors and Potential

Defectors

REFERENCE: CSCI-316/00042-68, 3 January 1968

SECRET

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1. Background. The "Watchlist of American Defectors and

Potential Defectors" was formerly referred to as the "Listing of U.S.

Defectors. " The title has been changed, however, to better describe

the listing, which was first undertaken in November 1964, following the

assassination of the President. At that time no other component of the

U.S. Government maintained comprehensive listings of persons such

as Oswald, nor did any other component have a computer capability to

handle this sort of program. Moreover, this Agency, charged with

providing foreign counterintelligence in support of Presidential protec-

tion, itself required some means of rapid retrieval of names by coun-

try and area. Further authority for establishment of the listing

existed in NSCID No. 5, which charged this Agency with maintenance

of the central index of foreign counterintelligence.

2. Criteria. These listings are intended to serve as a central

special index for the counterintelligence and security elements of the

USG. They are an operational tool, and judgments as to whether a

name should be included have been made on the basis of possible

threat to the security of the United States and its senior officials.

Precise definitions have deliberately not been developed for defector

or U.S. citizen. In general, U.S. citizens and others owing some

measure of allegiance to the U.S. Government, who have evidenced

disloyalty or disaffection by defecting or deserting, or attempting or

threatening to defect or desert to a Sino-Soviet bloc country, have

been included in these listings. Any formal determination as to the

status of any of these persons can only be made by reference to the

basic files, which in most cases are held by other USG components.

Thus the information in the Watchlist has not been evaluated, and no

executive action should be taken without reference to the agency with

which the information originated. In fact, action of any sort should

be most circumspect, not only because of the unevaluated nature of

the data, but also to protect sources which in many instances are

sensitive.

3. Accountability. In view of the fact that these listings are

based on information from a variety of sources, many of them sensi-

tive, the security classification of SECRET must be observed. Access

to these listings must be on a strict need-to-know basis. The listings

have therefore been accountable documents, subject to recall. Many

recipients have already returned superseded editions. The other users

are requested to do so now, at least for the first through fourth editions.

If it is necessary to retain both the current edition and the most recently

superseded edition, this is of course acceptable.

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4. Current listings.

(a) The sixth edition of the Watchlist of American Defectors

and Potential Defectors was prepared on 14 June 1968, and super-

sedes the listings furnished under cover of referenced letter.

(b) The listings have been produced in three forms: (A)

overall, with alphabetic index; (B) persons in the United States,

with alphabetic index; and (C) persons outside the United States,

with alphabetic index. Most components have been furnished

"A" listings, but I&NS, State, FBI, and Secret Service have also

been furnished copies of "B" and "C". In response to a request

from one of the users to flag any information which was added

since the previous dissemination, an asterisk (*) now appears

before the Arbitrary Number in the alphabetic index to indicate

either a new name or a name against which information has been

added.

The T following a name in the index indicates that this

particular name is carried in the

listing as the individual's true

name.

(c) These listings should assist various components of this

Government in keeping track of U.S. citizens and others owing,

or who owed, some measure of allegiance to the United States,

who have evidenced disloyalty or disaffection by defecting of

deserting, or attempting or threatening to defect or desert to a

Sino-Soviet bloc country. It is again emphasized that these

listings are not based on precise evaluation of all available

information and comparison with detailed criteria. They reflect

an operational judgment that an individual might have endangered

or might some day endanger the security of the United States.

Certainly, no action should be taken against an individual solely

on the basis of this listing, but inclusion of a name in the listing

should alert users to the fact that derogatory information may

have been reported on the individual.

(d) Information contained in the attached listings has been

provided by a number of other U.S. Government components, as

well as by this Agency. Thus the listings must be handled

strictly in accordance with the security classification of SECRET,

with access based on a clear-cut need-to-know. This is particu-

larly important in cases where there has as yet been no overt act

of defection (for the most part, persons appearing in the "B" list).

3

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(e) On certain of the subjects, there is further information

relating to their involvement in espionage for a Sino-Soviet bloc

service. In general, such information has deliberately been

omitted, having already been disseminated through normal

channels to the appropriate components. Only in instances in

which the information has become public, usually in court, has

reference to espionage activity been included.

5. Special listings. It is not feasible for this Agency to provide

detailed information on all persons listed, in part because much of

the information has been provided by other U.S. Government agencies,

and in part because most of it has already been disseminated as appro-

priate.

However, if any of the recipients has a requirement for a

special listing based on one of the elements of information included in

the attached listings, an effort will be made to satisfy the request.

FOR THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR PLANS:

1. How

JAMES ANGLETON

CSCI-316/02507-68

Distribution:

Addressees

Attachments:

FBI - A, 2B, 2C

Secret Service: - A, B, C

State/SY - A, B, C

State/INR - A, B, C

DIA - 2A

Army - A

Navy - A

Air Force - A

I&NS. - A, B, C

NSA - 2A

4

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14

UNCLASSIFIED

SUBJECT: (Optional)

FROM:

CI/MRO

TO: (Officer designation, room number, and

building)

1.

DDP

2.

INTERNAL

USE ONLY

ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET

CONFIDENTIAL

SECRET

ACC-5

EXTENSION

2 C 29

RECEIVED

DATE

OFFICER'S

INITIALS

NO.

DATE

2 July 1968

COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom

to whom.

Draw a line across column after each comment.)

FORWARDED

4.

6.

7.

8.

From a modest. begunny

the US Defecton watchhit

has gun into a medium -

sized progue which is

wildly need in the

community. As for as 1

know, it is the mily

mechanism where by

amnte intelligence .

provided by varion,

USa agencies In

compilation and.

dissemination to all

participants.

God"

03

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

FORM

3-62

610 USE PRONOUS

EDITIONS

SECRET

CONFIDENTIAL

INTERNAL

USE ONLY

UNCLASSIFIED

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