MEMO: BACKGROUND ON MEXICO STATION SUPPORT ASSETS (COVERAGE OF SOVIET AND CUBAN EMBASSIES).
Originator: CIA
From: GOODPASTURE, A.
To: LEADER, JOHN, IG STAFF
Document date: 02/10/1977
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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

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ISECRET.

10 Feb 77

Source:

Subject:

Notes made by A. Goodpasture

for John Leader, IG Staff

Background on Mexico Station Support Assets

(Coverage of Soviet and Cuban Enbassies)

Unilaterall coverage. From the time the Mexico Station was opened in

April 1947) (by Bill Doyle) until arrival of Win Scott as COS in 1956, Charles

Anderson III (still in LA/HQ) had developed a support apparatus to rae

exoloit leads from the Soviet Embassy. This umbrella type project (LIFEAT).

consisted of multi line phone taps, three photo sites, a mobile surveillance

team and a mail intercept operation.

a. Phone

taps were placed

by an employee of the telephone

company

who was handled by David WILSTED

(pseudo).

The number of lines

tapped was limited Wa

by availability of

(since the taps were not made

Spanish (Soviet,

these

post nearby

central) and English/

ach, etc) transcribers. Generally,

Mexican or Mexican American) were related

(which

station at that time felt was good security in that

if they talked about shop, they would talk to each other.)

b. Three photo sites were handled by Anderson with the help

of Harry Mahoney (retired, living in Chicago) and TDY TSD

people checking

the best type of camera, film, and concealment

devices.

These had

sub-cripts under LIFEAT (LIMITED, LILYRIC,

and LICALLA). LIMITED was a fixed site bang opposite across

the street from the front gate of

the Soviet Eribassy which had

both

a vehicle and foot entrance. The Soviet gate was on the

Northlest corner. of their compound and LIMITED was diagonally

across a double barrelled street on the Southeast cochan

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that block. LI IIDD was the first base and it operated

strictly on an

ei erimental basis in the early stages. I trink the lexi Station bought

one storey

this property (a/Sranish Colonial stone house) through LINOUSINE (check to

be sure). Later this house began to fall apart.

This base was closed when

the Station got word that the photo of "uniden man" was being released to the

puolic by the Warren Commission. The photo operators were moved to another apt

nearby. The property was sold (under an operational agreement

with LIMOUSINE

for a long term lease on the top floor of a new apartment biding to be built

on this site).

LILYRIC was planned as an alternate photo base to LIMITED.

It was in an upper storey (3rd floor-check) on the same side of the street

as LIMITED but in the middle of the block South. It had a slanted view of

the front gate of the Soviet Enbassy. The agents in LiT

SYRIC (both

foxican failies) as far as lie knew, vere not a si

each other.

photo site, was located

in one of a row of four hous

Matta aide of the souls librasy empora

which the Mexico Station

ased in about 1958 (check date), also using

IL:OUSINT as the purchaser (check). This site overlooked the back garden of

the Soviet Embassy compound. The purpose of this operation was to get good

identification photographs of the Soviet

personnel (uno at thet time were largely

unidentified in lexico Station records). The three photo sites were handled by

Liamon Alvarez flexican citizen of U.S. mother who taught elecentary level at

the American School)! (Ramon collected the film estaude

IT frOM LIMITED

and LILYRIC three times a week. Fis sister's husband, (Carlos (Mexican doctor)

developed and printed the film into 8x10 contact print strips. The master plan

vas for LICALLA film to ie, processed inside, ISD man from 1957 to 1959 (Harper

Holt- resigned) could not handle the volume and as the unprocessed film began

to accumulate, the inside Co (i'ahoney) became disgusted and took the film out

for (Banon's brother-in-law to process (orobably early 1959). Thus Ramon became

the handler for all three photo bases.

A sensitive staff D monitoring operation

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was run out of another one of these houses (crypt for the lour houses las

LIUST, 1, cte). This was ha:dled by Glen WIDDEN (outside ISD officer) ana

Wahoney using HQ TDI teams

for/monitoring. This operation vas also separate

from LICALLA. The two houses

in between vere

rented to unsuspecting tenants.

c. lobile surveillance was developed by Anderson and later placed

under Mahoney and Joseph Sancho. This team consisted of a half

dozen or so agents who used three to four late model cars and a

panel truck (which could be used on stake_outs for photo covera e).

The plan vas to activate this group by radio (from LIMITID BASE)

Soviet

when someone of interest left the/Embassy gate ard

stay with them

until they made their meetings.: These agents

the LEITED

SASE celause they had LINITED photos

ation purposer.

This worked fairly well until

dale of 1958 (check date)

when one of the surrent

I wistents got too close to his target and

vas arrested by

sexican transit police and turned over to the

Mexican Secret Service. By the time the Station could arrange through

a cleared

attorney to bail him out (Juäd Austin of the Goodrich,

Little and Riquelme firm), the agent: had identified Sancho (uno was

evacuated across the border at Nogales by Bob Shaw) and the inside ----

phone number of Mahoney (who las subsequently replaced by Louis

Puckett). As a result of this flap, the LIF AT project was broken

up into several others. The agents were not changed but were given

Frank

new crypts. /Estancona and (Peggy Haggard)replaced Anderson in handling

the unilateral) phone taps. Puckett replaced Mahoney and handled the

surveillance team (LIENTRAF) and the photo bases through Ramon.

d. LIBIGHT was the crypt used for a unilateral (originally) mail

intercept handled by Charlie Anderson III,

The agent (Mexican) had

a semi official status and arranged to obtain selected letters from

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a sub-agent in the vostal system (I think at tine airport).

&12onso Spera,

were later/Puckett, Rouert Feldmann, and Alan White.

lis case officers

2. LIaison coverage, was unreliable and

insecure as characterized by the nature

of the Wexican services at that time.

Ire Mexican DES (Direction of Federal

(Security) with which we dealt was a hip pocket sroup fun out of the ilinistry

Of Gov rnment.

This Ministry spent a major part of its time on control of

foreigners and political investizations. Their agents vere vicious, venal,

corrupt extortionists. Robert Melberg established contact with one of them

Levine De Leon (later LIFIRE group) in about 1950 or 51. He gave them some

training la group of about five surveillance types) in

travel control working

the airport as well as file searches of names from DES Hatrs!

where the files

were poorly organized and often inaccurate. Mow and then

sore useiul

information was developed but it could not be depen

replaced by Phil roettinger. (resigned

Mexico)

Felberg

jwas

Mahoney, Thomas

Hazlitt, and Robert Feldmann.

During 1958,5

met socially some of the chronies of the?

Mexican President elect,

Adolfo Lopez Mateos: During this period, the U.s.

Ambassador Robert C. Hill (reflecting the policy of then Sec State J.F. Dulles)

was energetic in organizing groups to "fight communism". One of these seeds

grew into a proposal Miguel Alenan (jr. son of former líexi President),

acting

(for Lopez l'ateos, made to Win Scott for a joint telephone tap operation.

This

project (LIENVOY) went through about four distressing years of a shakedown.

The lexican in control, (LIELEGANT) was inexperienced, old, and

greedy.

His

(LIENVOY-2) was a masterpiece of deceit and corruption. LIFLEGAIT also

manipulated control over the rrincipal agent of LIBIGHI mail intercept!

first case officer was Alfonso Spera inside with (Turner Smith) (retired)

outside

and John

(TSD training officer for surveillance

and head of the listening

post where thirty telechone lines would connect

as well

transcristion

room

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staîfed ij

f. ican arny officers.)

Initially the station tried to net every

demand

made by the Moxicans,

Both Smith and John had larguage difficulties and

personal problens associated with being oitside the station so that the Mexicans

were virtually uncontrollable, spendi & money as they pleased, squirrelling away

equipment at enornous costs, and neglecting their part ui the bargain in the

production of transcripts or placing taps which we wanted. Spera was replaced

by Jack Brady who found himself in the same pincer novenent of having Scott

approve a request by LIELEGANI that Brady had turned doin by the son, LIENvOY-?

Finally when the cost became exhorbitant and there was little to show for it,

the project was revarped. Smith and John returned to the U.S.

were replaced

by a TSD officer, Charles Flick, who vas put inside the

post to naintain

rady was reassigned to other dutieg

transfer.

he equioment./ Scott took over the project asacas

er meeting with LIELEGANT.

He designated Ann Goodpasture to meet

wIth Flick for routine supervision

of the listening post, picking

seeryts and tejas. Goodpasture kad no

dealingswith the Mexicans

when Scott was ill or out of town. Generally,

all decisions were made by Scott. This was about late 1961.

3.. My menory is a little vague about the origins of the Cuban Embassy but I

think the staff first developed fron a pro-Castro group celebrating on New

Years eve 1959. As I recall, it was a makeshift arrangement of volunteers

through most of 1960 and E1 with Tom Hazlitt producing voluminous reports on

their actirities and recruiting agents right and left anong Cuban nationals in

Mexico City.

4. Personnel

assignments. Of interest to us now is who was in Mexico during

the period prior

to Oswald's visit

and the subsequent investigation by the

Warren Connission. To determine wro was there and

what they were doing I

have gro.ped persons torether chronologically with areas of their assignment

the

covering from 1950 to 1969 so that straties names pop up, one can tell what

period they were in Mexico and

their assignments at the time.

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8/50-6/69

COS

DCOS

Winston M. Scott (deceased)

7/56 - 7/58 Alfonso Rodriguez (ratired)

10/58 - 12/62 Warren Dean (retired)

: 6/63 -

9/65

Alan lihite (retired)

10/65 - 1969 Stanley Watson (retired.

in Mexico)

COVERT ACTION

(Prior to 1954)

Howard Funt (retired)

12/54 - 7/53 Williard Hills (resigned)

12/55 - 9/61

Stannard Short (retired)

Chief

9/61

- 3/64

Davia Phillips C/(retired) -

8/62-9/64

Gurnar Beckman) Asst a

2/64 - 6/65

Janes Flannery C/ (retired) -

9/64 - 11/66

Harold Dalghren Asst

10/65 - 1967.

Stanley Watson C/ (retired)

Don Heath l

"Joseon SmithC(retired in lexico)

CUBA OPERATIONS

56 - 4/62 Thomas Hazlitt Chief

2/60 - 4/62 (Jack Stewart) (retired Costa Rica)

4/63 - 4/65

Bob Shaw Chief -

9/63 - 7/65 CRay Swider

10/63 - 5/65 Lorna Hackay (naturad

8/62 - 6/65 David Phillips

9/65 - 10/68 Joseph Piccolo

10/65 - 12/67 Peygy Maggard y

REPPODUCIION PROMISHED

SOVIET TARGET

6/57 - 10/59 Louise Lyon (refused!

9/59- 8/65 fierbert lanell) Chief -

9/59 - 8/65 (Barbara Kanell}-

5/64 - 7/66 Hilliam Bright

4/65 - 11/67 Cynthia Hausmann

6/65 - 7/67 Alice Pittinger

7/65 - 4/69 Paul Dillon Chief

SOVIET TRANSCRIBIPS

6/56 - 8/58

Norris Gordon (resigned)

6/58-6/53

George Misko -

6/63 ÷ 70

Boris Tarasoff (retired in Mexico.) =

6/62 - 1/67 Prentice Marheine (ps)

(retired ?)

Outside

Co

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SUPFORT ASSETS

Unilateral) phono taps

(1949 - 1961

Charles Anderson III Chief*

4/55 - 4/60 Percy Maggard)Asst

4/56 - 1/62

Frenk Estancona Chief

2/60 - 10/64 Thomas Keenan

9/64 - 12/67 Michael Farmer

(49-71): Outside CO

David HILSTED

(ps)

retired in Mexico

Unilateral) photo Cubans

6/59 - 4/64

Robert Zambernardi (resigned Mexico)

7/59-6/62

Richard Spathar TSD (retired)

Unilateral photo Soviets

3/54 - 4/59 Harry T. Mahoney

(retired Chicago)

5/57 - 8/64 A. Goodpasture (alternate. C0 -

and internal routing)

6/58 - 6/63 Louis D. Puckett (retired)

65 - 66

Willian Bright

81363-

56 - 68

Outside

(Ramon Alvarez

PROHIBITE

Agent

igned in Mexico)

Tiihial.

Liaison phone taps

1959 - 1969

Winston Scott (deceased)

1959 - 1960 Alfonso Spera

(retired)

1959 - 1960 Turner Smith (outside, now retired)

1959 - 1960 John

(Training rept resigned)

1760-

1961 John Brady (retired)

1962 - 1968 A. Goodpasture

1962 - 1971

Charles Flick (outside ISD Staff Agent - retired) -

Liaison - surveillance

Prior 1954

(Robert Yelherg

(retired)

3/54 - 4/59

Harry Mahoney

(retired)

1/59 - 1961

Thomas Hazlitt

12/62 - 9/67 Robert Feldnann

ISD Outside unit

1/58 - 12/63

3/59-4/54

Glen Widden (rotired) -

Joseph i:. Resigno (ps) Unit blown and closed down

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About nid 1962 (check date) LilVOy outside Moxi root asked

for the telephone nunbers of the Soviet, Cuban,

and Satellite Ebassies.

With this forewarning, LIFEAI (unilateral coverage) was disconnected.

However,

as I recall, the ile icans connected 5 Cuban lines, 5 Soviet lines, 3 Gzech,

2 Polish, and 1 Yugoslav line. The basehouse listening post had a live

monitor who made short summaries of interesting conversations for a daily

resume which was received each day arourd 8 a.m. (passed by Flick to Goodrasture

to get to Scott before 9.a.m.) Later (when the reel was conpletely recorded)

full transcripts were typed and passed to the station in the same way, however,

there was usually a time lag of a day or so.: Those transcripts which had

Russian or another language besides Spanish or English went out of the listening

post the day after

the transcript (of other conversations

el)was

tiped. These reels were taken to another location east

were translated

and taped. In the cose it ite tur

sons, Boris Tarasoff usually rar

about a week behind the date

Ersation because of the volume of

Russian conversations amont

embers of the Soviet Enbassy. During this

period (fall of 1963) the reels were probably being brought into the station

and carried to Boris by one of the people fron the Soviet Section or they may

have been carried to him by Flick but I think I brought the reel in and gave

it to (Ferbert Manell) to take to Boris.

Herbert lianell and his wife Barbara

handled all of the processi:g of Soviet transcripts. My job involved screening

the photographs as soon as we learned that the man calling himself Oswald was

probably an American. However, here again there was

a backlag because the

photos were picked up three times a week but the ones ricked up were

usually

for dates a few days previously because the doctor) proceased the film on a

night time basis. Photographs were made usually until one roll vas used but

later we got it changed to one day coverage on each roll - in other words the

tin

operators, cleared the carera each day whether there was angrizanya a full

roll of film exposed. Instructions vere

to cover

office hours, photograch each

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new Soviet and family, all foreigners and foreign licence plates.

Hunan

error did occur but generally the agents were conscientious.

The Cuban

embassy coverage had nore sophisticated equipient (a rulse cavera) but it

frequently developed nechanical difficulties. Bob Zambarnardi and Scathar?

(I thinks) handled this film - pick up and delivery. Lorna l'aciay screened

the film inside the station.

I am certain that the Oswald call came to our attention from the

Soviet line.. It was picked u; and taken to Boris for a translation because

the caller was trying to speak Russian. Any delay vas caused by waiting to

compare the photographs with the typed transcript. There were no copies

transcripts every made in languages other than Spanish or English because Win

Scott could read only those two languages ard he

sened the

transcripts for operational leads he wanted pur

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(4) Jor Emb gate

1- LIMITED

2: LILYRIE

3.

LICALLA

Phate Basee

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