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2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

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MEMORANDUM FOR: Chief, Support Branch

FROM

: Mr. Ramon R. Hart

SUBJECT

:

Manuel F. ARTIME Buesa

#210 838

DATE: 1 July 1963

DES/TOE

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29SC/523

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1.

On 24 Juae 1963, Mr. Charles Matt, SAS/MOB/PM, extension

6488, was referred to me by the SAS Security Officer, Mr. George

Ladner, and visited me la Room 4 E 21 to request some operational

support beginning 1 July 1963. Mr. Matt advised that two leaders

of the Cuban Exile Group were coming to Washington, D. C., on that

latter date to confer with CIA and other Government officials,

including probably Robert F. Kennedy, the Attorney General, concern-

ing the "new program" for the exiles.

Q2. Mr. Matt explained that & covert site (#302 922) located

at 9218 Aldershot Drive, Bethesda, Maryland, had recently been

procured to billet these exiles and to serve as the meeting place

for these sensitive discussions to take place. Mr. Matt said that

SAs is vitally interested in what these two exiles say to each other

when the U. S. Government officials have departed after a day's

discussions.

He, therefore, requested that microphones be concealed

in the house to monitor their comments.

Mr. Matt said that the two men would arrive on 1 July and

would be in Washington at the house for about a week or ten days.

The audio coverage was requested for this entire time. Mr. Matt

also said that the house would be retained for several more months

and that the two exiles would return to Washington several more

times in that period and that an audio surveillance would probably

be requested for these latter visits also.

But 4. Mr. George ladner supplied the true name of the leader of

the two men, the captioned Subject. Having been Informed by Mr.

Matt that the covert site was a private dwelling place in an

expensive neighborhood, I assumed that there would be only two

methods of making an audio penetration of the premises:

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(a.) Concealing a tape recorder in the attic, base-

ment, or garage,

and using & voice-operated

relay to actuate the recorder.

(bo)

With the use of directories, search the

environs of the safehouse for the purpose

of locating a potential listening post where

radio transmissions could be monitored.

5. After checking with Mr. Joseph Langan, Acting Chief,

operational support Division, I assigned the case to the District

Field Office and directed some agents to case the house and the

neighborhood to determine which method of penetration should be

used.

Mr. Jobn Cryer was designated responsible agent at the

District Field Office, and after a quick survey, he reported that

the concealment and servicing of a tape recorder on the premises

would be impossible and that the only method would be the use of

& transmitter and a nearby listening post.

6.

Using the directories In SRS, I ran the names of all the

residents of the houses within a quarter-mile of

Of through SRD Indices and Pound ons Ered C. Toned, JeS eT sabe

of 9127 McDonald Drive, Bethesda, Marylana, to be & staii employee.

through telephone Information, I located Mr. Thomas at the Langley

"bug" and that he was the only Staff employee who llved within range

of our covert transmtters. I asked him If it would be too much of

an imposition du him for us to set up & listening post in his house.

Mr. Thomas explained that he was scheduled to depart for Karachi, 1 U

would be glad to make his home available as & listening post.

penetration of the Comunist Chinese Embassy and so he woule Look ta a4

forward to the next week's operations in his home as valuable

The next step I took was to set up a meeting among

George Ladner, Charles Matt, Sam Halpert, Executive Officer of SAS,

and myself in Mr. Halpern's Office. I advised Mr. Halpern that the

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#210 838

audio surveillance appeared to be technically feasible since I

to conduct the surveillance, ISD controls the necessary expensive

-quipment; Mr. Halpern mist arrange for TSD to transfer this

the procurement of the necessary equipment should pose no problem

after he would make a lew telephone calls. I then returned to

my office and made out a list of the equipment which I felt

would be necessary, and awaited advice from him as to whom to

03

7. After checking with Mr.g. I. Bentlof the Audio Opera-

tions Branch of TSD as to appropriate equipment and after check-

ing through the specifications in the "Audio Manual" of ISD,

I selected the following:

Two voice-operated relays, QSC-2,

$2,200.00

$1,100 eacia

Two Trang, tor to 80275 130 - 240

550.00

Two Battery Packs, 130 hrs. ops.,

50.00

UWB-T, $25 each

Two Battery "A", 1.5 volts, Burgess 2 F

1.08

$ . 54 each

One Battery "B", 45 volts, Burgess A-30

$1.87 each

1.87

TOTAL

$2,802.95

8. About Noon on 25 June

I received a telephone call from

Mr. John W. McBee, extension 2481, of TSD, who told me that every-

thing had been laid on by SAS for

me to obtain from ISD any

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#210 838

equipment necessary for this operation. Mr. McBee directed that

I fill out & Form #88 and have the technicians hand carry it to

the Franconia Depot in order to obtain the equipment.

the Form #88 disturbed me in this matter because I had assumed

irom Mr. Halpern that he would arrange it so that ISD would turr

over the equipment to us without charge to anyone. The use of

the Form #88 implies that a division is allocating funds for the

purchase of equipment. However, I filled out the Form #88,

listing the above eguipment, and walked 1t down to SAS, where 1

gave it to Charles Matt to have signed. The form, bearing the

SAS Cost Center #3132-5455-3400, was completed and returned to

me within an hour, whereupon I gave 1t to DFO Agent Stan Lach,

who drove with 1t Immediately to the Franconia Depot. I called

ahead to Bob Woods and Charlle Beall of the T & I Shop at Franconia

and requested that they give a little briefing concerning the

operation of this equipment to Mr. Lach and Mr. Cryer, who was to

meet Mr. Lach there.

Neither Cryer nor Lach had ever had any

experience with any of the pieces of equipment on the list. Mr.

Woods and Mr. Beall were quite cooperative in this request.

Several problems kept appearing and disappearing while

the DFO technicians were transporting, installing, and testing

the equipment. One problem was the payment of the equipment.

I;

received a telephone call from Mr. Dayton S. ("Doc") Barrows of

TSD, informing me that SAS had reneged on paying the $2,802.95 for

equipment, but that 1f I would tell him what equipment we

wanted, he might be able to arrange to lend it to us.

I told Mr.

Barrows that as far as I knew, we had indeed obtained the equipment

with the Form #88, but that 1f we needed anything else, I would

contact him. Another problem which appeared was the rumor that

It was not two Cuban exiles who would be residing in the safehouse,

but only the captioned Subject and & Spanish speaking Staff employee.

If the rumor were actually true, it would seem that an audio

surveillance of the safehouse would not be necessary.

I called

Charles Matt for an explanation, and he informed me that Senor

Artime was going to be the only person living in the house after

each day's discussions were completed - no Staff employee would

be living with him. I asked Mr. Matt to whom Senor Artime would be

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holding the conversations which we were to record. He replied

that be was interested in any visitors walch the subject miested

receive and any telephone calls which he might make.

phone installation to cover the whole house if possible.

10. In addition to the equipment obtained from ISD, the DFO

agents took their own SRR-4 tuneable receiver and the SRR-4 charged

to the WrO. These receivers would be used in the listening post to

pick up the radiations from the two SRT-OH transmitters.

It was

suggested to the DrO agents to borrow the two WFO transceivers to

be used to communicate during the installation between the listening

post and the safehouse; however, the agents chose not to use them

and relied solely on telephonic commnications.

The "A" and "B"

batteries picked up at Franconia were to be used in the SRR-4

receiver so that checks could be made from an automobile to see

just how far the radiations extended around the transmitters. A

report on the ares covered by the transmitters was requested of

the DrO agents.

11.

The first test of the SRI-6H from the safehouse to the

listening post was a fallure.

Its 50 milliwatt output, ordinarily

good for a quarter mile, wasn't sufficient to reach the receiver,

2/10th's of a mile away.

Its failure was blamed partly on the

distance, partly on the brick construction of the listening post,

and partly on the hilly contours of the housing development, which

deflected the 135 megacycle, line-of-sight radiations.

• 12.

When this disheartening news arrived, I Immediately

telephored Mr. Barrows of ISD and requested & pair of the more

powerful 150 milliwatt SRT-T transmitters.

I telephoned Mr.

Barrows rather than filling out another Form #88 to avoid a

Mr. Barrows consented to loan two of

these transmitters with their proper receivers on a hand receipt

to us, and Stan Lach was dispatched to Franconia to pick them up.

that afternoon.

But the equipment was installed and tested the

next day, Saturday, 29 June, and appeared to work satisfactorily.

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13. At 1330 hours on 1 July 1963, Mr. Cryer telephoned Head-

quarters ato announce that one SRT-T transmitter had been installed

n the cetting over the bar and telephone, In the basement of the

arehouse and that the SiR recelyer was picking up the trans

im-d

The osce? voice

Isfactor try actuating the Ampex taper

recorder Vhen, conversations pegan to take place inithe safehouse,

The Ac-powered FM transmitter 1s crystal controlled to operate

at a frequency of 157.4 megacycles In the VHF Band. Its operating

range is supposed to be approximately one mile.

14. "The DFO agents also fitted the transmitter with a hidden."

often they are eat, the ce of her to turn the tree itter

cussions and to turn It on when they leave.

15. Mr Paong land his wise have consented to do most of the

operating of the tape recorder themselves in their own basement.

with the use of the yoice-operated relay, the monitoring will be

almost 100% automatic anyway. No more than one visit a day by al

field orfice agent should be necessary to pick up the dayle take

nd to make minor adjustments, repairs, or

receiver, actuator, and recorder are The te tell-tron to hats

i de boln to teet partie on are 1 Thou

Ramon R. Hart

cca. #5T: 328

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