FROM MOR OF PFIAB MEETING WITH DCI MC CONE, 23 APRIL 1963
Originator: PFIAB
From: KIRKPATRICK, LYMAN
Document date: 04/23/1963
Document type: MEMORANDUM

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178-10002-10480

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

JFK Assassination System

8/27/201

Identification Form

Agency Information

AGENCY: ROCKCOM

RECORD NUMBER:

178-10002-10480

RECORD SERIES: ASSASSINATION FILE

AGENCY FILE NUMBER: ASSASSINATION MATERIALS--MISC. ROCK/CIA (7) .

Document Information

ORIGINATOR:

FROM:

TO :

TITLE:

PFIAB

KIRKPATRICK, LYMAN

FROM MOR OF PFIAB MEETING WITH DCI MC CONE, 23 APRIL 1963

DATE:

PAGES:

SUBJECTS :

04/23/1963

4

CUBA

CLANDESTINE OPERATIONS

CIA

PBIAB

ANTI-CASTRO ACTIVITIES

DOCUMENT TYPE:

MEMORANDUM

CLASSIFICATION:

Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS: Consulted

CURRENT STATUS :

Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 09/01/1995

OPENING CRITERIA:

COMMENTS :

Excerpt from memorandum, plus route slip.

49.1

NH 50955

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178-10002-10480

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Tom WoK of BELAB mieting with BSI

hi Cone, 23 Afril 1963.

he was giving the Special Group this afternoon a study showing the reswis

of 51 days' reconnaissance over Cuba and that this was disturbing when the

four principal targets were analyzed.

There were 59 occasions when

weather precluded any readout of what was going on in these four Soviet

military camps. Some of the camps were not seen for five or six days in

a row and in one instance for as long as 12 successive days. Mi.. McCone

then read from the memorandum on reconnaissance over Cuba dated 23 April

1963 and said he would provide the Board with a copy.

PHOTOCOPY

The DCI then reported that James Donovan during a nighttime drive

to Veradero had passed a convoy of 25 very large trucks, the type generally

carried on railroad flatcars. Mr. McCone stated that an examination of the

photography for that day and the following day provided absolutely no trace

of the convoy. Di. Land stated that the DCI's previous statement may have

provided the answer as to where this convoy might be. The DCI said he

planned to recommend low-level flights in order to provide mose information.

10. At this point MI. FitzGerald was asked to give his presentation on

operations in Cuba. He commenced by displaying the chart which indicated

the number of resident agents, illegal teams, legal teams, shipboard agents

and penetrations of Cuban installations. He noted that the number of illegal

teams had risen to three as a result of a successful operation on Sunday,

and one of these teams had as many as 100 subagents with extensive coverage

in the province of Pinar del Rio. Dr. Langer asked what the subagents were

looking for, and Mr. FitzGerald replied that their coverage was mostly

military.

Mi. Murphy asked if these agents were all strictly collecting

intelligence, and Mr. FitzGerald replied that this was their primary purpose

at the moment, but the illegals could create a resistance net if this was

desired. He pointed out that the policy at the present time precluded attempt-

ling to develop a large scale dangerous activity.

Mr. FitzGerald pointed out that the penetration of Cuban installations

were mainly diplomatic installations and that some 14 Cuban diplomats svere

our agents. MI. Clifford asked how the information was gotten out of Cuba,

and MI. FitzGerald replied that it was mostly by secret writing transmitted

. to Mexico City by mail and then forwarded to Washington. He said there

were four radios in Cuba and that we now had a greatly improved mediurn

speed transmitter that was quite small, the size of about two cigarette cartonsi,

and it could get a message off in just 60 seconds. He said that there was a.

smaller and better transmitter currently in the process of development.

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DI. Land asked if the loss of this transmitter would compromise others.

MI. Fitz Gerald replied that it would not compromise any other agents

except the one apprehended, and the DCI noted that it would simply com-

promise the instrument.

Mr. Murphy asked concerning the quality of substantive reporting,

and Mr. FitzGerald noted that the 1, 040 reports looked impressive, but it

was quite true that this was not a true indication. He said that some of the

reporting was very good, and there were two Cuban ambassadors on the

payroll who provided some first-rate reports and were closest to the bone

in what Castro was thinking. Mr. Murphy asked if we had Castro's

immediate entourage penetrated, and Mr. FitzGerald said his sister worked

for us but that she didn't always have inside information. He pointed out

that the 665 reports from resident agents were primarily on military targets

ana die satelligence cormunisy det ley vers really mostarte do i supple

ment to overhead reconnaissance. General Doolittle asked if an illegal

team was two men and Mr. FitzGerald replied "yes". Mr. Murphy asked

whether these agents provided information on Soviet troop strength and

eguipment, and Mr. FitzGerald replied in the affirmative. Mr. Clifford

' noted that with just two illegal agent teams in Cuba at this time we were

FROM THE

back to where we started from in 1962. MI. FitzGerald commented that the

casualty rates were very high and referred to the charts "Lagal Resident

Agents in Cuba"' and "Illegal Agent Development":

(At this point Mr. McCone left the meeting and Mr. Cottrell came

in.)

Mr. Gray asked if the modest number of agents was a result of

policy or operations. Mr. FitzGerald replied that this was primarily a

result of operations and noted that it was not the result of lack of effort, bu

because of the high attrition rate and the dangers involved. He went over

it was presently planned to carry out approximately five operations a month.

throughout the island. He noted that Castro had broken up the large country-

wide resistance networks last summer. He then produced the chart entitled

"'Mlegal Infiltration -- Exfiltration Operations" and commented on this.

MI. Murphy asked if the groups on the island committed sabotage, and

Mr. Fitz Gerald said the policy presently precluded major sabotage operation:

and limited it to "subtle sabotage". Mr. Murphy asked what constituted

"subtle sabotage", and Mr. FitzGerald described it as tying a rock to a wire

and throwing it across high tension lines.

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TOP CZARET

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11. The Board then turned to Mr. Cottrell and asked him to describe

the work of his group. MI. Cottrell said the President had become con-

cerned there were so many government agencies dealing with so many

Cuban groups, and he had set up the group under Mr. Cottrell to coordinate

all of this activity. He said that his immediate group consisted of a repre-

sentative of Defense and CLA, and there were additional committees of

groups reporting to them. He outlined the general policy guidance under

which they were operating and under questioning from Mi. Murphy stoutly

denied that the policy was basically defensive in nature, and it was

directed toward getting rid of communism and Castro in Cuba. It was

further explained that CIA's activities were coordinated through this group.

12. Dr. Killian then asked Bruce Clarke to give a brief report on the

situation in Cuba, and with the aid of photographs Clarke analyzed the

PHOTOCOPY

present Soviet troop strength on the island and explained how these figures

were arrived at. At 12:00 this session was recessed to permit the presenta

tion by DIA.

FROM

Lyman B. Kirkpatrick

•Executive Director

distribution: 0

THE GERALD R. FORD LIBRARY

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