ARRB REQUEST: CIA-IR-06: QKENCHANT
Originator: ARRB
From: ELLIE
To: BARRY
Document date: 05/14/1996
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

## Page 1

104-10336-1000:

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

SECKÉ'I

14 May 1996

Barry -

Ref the ARRB staff request for information pertaining to

Project QKENCHANT. (U)

In the attached "Enclosure 21," the cryptonym is mentioned

in paragraph 11, as it pertains

to one J. Monroe Sullivan in

relation to Clay Shaw.

For the staff's background use only,

OKENCHANT was an indicator used by Central Cover Staff and the

Office of security with a program for clearing attorneys and ?

("Cover for Action" providers (businesses, etc.) with access to

classified material. (S)

The size of the project file is approximately three to 4,000

(classified documents, 6 cubic feet,

with dates ranging Dec 74 -

(Nov 91. (C)

Ellie

CL BY: 611637>

C1 Reason: 1.5 (c)

DECL ON: X1

DRV FM: AHB 70-9 MULTIPLE

SECRET

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## Page 2

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Reel: 17 Filler F

•'

'Enclosuro, 21"

SUDJECTI

CLay. Lo STAY (202-213193)

soulsinna®

Subject las boin oa 27 torch 2213 1n iow Orlcansi

20

standard inchgiound trifoination un suujaci

(anconta, marital stasus,

recordo di caucacion end

ciolojane, otc.) In laciing because Sillil vas a contact

•of tha

Dorastic Contact Servico..

Trams oi subject dovo been us in RID/Main

the froes of cho offica de security and tho

Central Covor Staff. Mo first shosic¿ only a 1951 iBI

Intarvieu with clial about a fours enaloyoo of tho you

Orloans Internationnl prado int.

second silound

tant M/contacts division Mad iguantos a nary tracs

aboni 2949 ana that dio cuei of tal cuccido ther con-

ductod vas nagativa. Contral Cover findE ied no LucoLo.

soul of tno 00-s raporio danca on chari's

Ieporting nie

on hand.

may are tho folloiing.

so noted that the counco doscripsion Identiçlas tha

sourco by job

titlo.)

?::15:387

00-8 61952,.

26. loren 1952, concains

letter writion to tie milie lalations

director of the interarcional Crado

Mart ly mic DE: Justo SeriEari, a traca

condultant in tie coin Govuint.

7.70

lottos lo a follou-up of diccussions nola

in tair Orleang during iccaris: 1951.

Tho

lotter cold tir soviet picauccion

copori trado tait baing...

advostised and

...!

THIS COPY IS NOT

FOR RELEASE

APPROVED FOR MELENSE 1.S94

CIA HESTORICAL REVSEW PASCRAM

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## Page 3

13-00000

Me tres.

cran Silil Carlally,

Orisans rectaviontr,

enchunter ina quiê brínio suris caulierero in 1065.

callad cl

mà paron iodo roatin publiched en arcicio

sha of tho

Cir daiclines Pors,

1067, trition by V. YarilliO%..

me aciclo cagaron tras.

Intor. sea. In Italy.

Tn Pravas pisco rotos drai alia DA

In dan Daloana 1! sccusiad

Sit.il"

abRasaination conspirace.

It bago Sish amont

"rend yoaks"

In Fom in

a Hold dian Contor

Ie claii: trat

the conter vas a coror fox dinancing ansi-comuntos accivily.

CIa gavn dlrecilvos to sili!.

me corld trado contei ias.

a brancia of "pritidei (sie),

"lea tho acirspapais in

mitizorland denly eccusor os criminal opo-ailong®

(combate

appani Cat c11 of ts ciae

chaigos aid

unarvo,

ricapt that thelo Mas a CIn-Sum calationshin.

SO

rolaidou

calo dita tho torla diado Contra fos ciandostiro puiposar

and, in lact, no haù noi beon ir. icaly.)

29.

1267 cubjock:

Th the Calla Cou da 5 turch 106y bas so arciclo

atenut silli,

ana tho llorid trado Contor.

containo no rolovarà inforracion..

Sor fild; l0 Máich- 1967;

Sin hic:

Barorandun Cron C/Ar/E to C/CERSi;

1967,

subject.

"Eince rocults en prisons Coirociad with

Concio ionalala Contorcinlo" (surld iraia Cenior), filia

CI/Re A Soldor, Clos SiNt - voiting pogcio..

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## Page 4

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se IR-06

191

Assassination Records Review Board

600 E Street NW • 2nd Floor • Washington, DC 20530

(202) 724-0088 • Fax: (202) 724-0457

December 18, 1997

CIA MAR DO COUSCTION TO

Mr. John Pereira

Chief

Historical Review Group

Center for the Study of Intelligence

Central Intelligence Agency

Washington, D.C. 02505

N THE DOCUMENT W33°

Re:

Status of CIA Responses to Assassination Records Review Board's Requests for

Additiona. Information and Records

Dear John:

I am writing to follow-up on our telephone call earlier today and to convey my serious

concern about the status of CIA's responses to the Review Board's requests for

additional information and records. Although CIA has completed its responses to

several requests, and many others have been answered in part, a significant number of

requests have not been answered - including some that were made more than two

years ago. On many occasions we have been assured that responses would be

forthcoming, only to have promised dates come and go without answers. It is now

extremely important that these requests be answered promptly so that we may conduct

a proper follow-up if necessary. The issues that we can now identify as being of the

highest priority are identified in the text below by double asterisks (**)' and we request

that they be answered within the next month. We request that the remaining requests

be answered by April 1, 1998.

The remainder of this letter is divided into two parts: first, a listing of the formal

requests for information and records, and second, a listing of the informal requests for

information and records. Please let me know if your understanding of any of the

following points differs from ours so that we can resolve any potential discrepancies.

'As identified more fully below, the issues are: CIA-1 Organizational Material,

CIA-6 Cables and Dispatches, CLA-13 Backchannel Communications, CLA-IR-03

HTLINGUAL Documents, CIA-IR-04 Disposition of Angleton Files, CIA-IR-07 Claude

Barnes Capehart, CIA-IR-15 Electronic "take" from Mexico City, CIA-IR-21 DRE

Monthly Operational Reports, CLA-IR-22 "A" Files on Clay Shaw and Jim Garrison.

BOARD MEMBeRs: John R. Tunheim, Chair • Henry F. Graff • Kermis 1. Hall • William L. Joyce • Anna K. Nelson

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Mr. John Pereira

December 18, 1997

Page 7

Documents file: documents Nos. 496, 498, 499, 500, and 510. The Review Board

is awaiting confirmation that these documents are at HRG for processing.

CIA-IR-05 Possible Foreign Source for Records on Oswald.

CIA was informally requested to use its contacts to pursue certain records

related to Oswald that were orally described to CLA. The Review Board

understands that the CIA has taken steps to pursue these records.

CLA-IR-06 QKENCHANT.

The Review Board seeks information regarding the purpose of QKENCHANT

and its connection with Clay Shaw, Howard Hunt, and Monroe Sullivan.

The Review Board was initially provided some information in regard to this

request that now appears to be incorrect. CLA is now seeking additional

information to correct or to clarify its previous answers. The Review Board seeks

an immediate, full, and accurate formal response to this request. Once the formal

statement is provided, this request will be complete.

**CIA-IR-07 Claude Barnes Capehart.

The ARRB staff has reviewed all records that CLA has been able to locate to date.

During the course of this review, additional questions were raised that CIA

agreed to pursue. CIA also agreed to conduct additional searches to determine

whether there may be additional retrievable records on Mr. Capehart. The

Review Board seeks a full and accurate formal response to this request. Once the

formal statement is provided, this request will be complete.

CLA-IR-08 Unredacted Copy of the "Family Jewels" Memoranda.

ARRB has reviewed a redacted version of the "Family Jewels." Additional

questions have been raised. At meeting between HRG, ARRB and the DCI/IRO

on December 11, 1997, specific redacted pages were identified for ARRB staff

review. These pages should be made available as soon as possible.

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• ADMINISTRATIVE, INTERNAL USE ONLY

2 February 1998

MEMORANDUM FOR:

Fredrick C. Wickham @ DO

Lee S. Strickland @ DA

(Mary Lou Cummings)

John F. Pereira

FROM:

J. year ton

OFFICE:

SUBJECT:

REFERENCE:

OIM/HRP

ARRB Requests - Priorities

ARRB letter did 18 Dec 1997, Status of ARRB Request for Additional

Information

I have been advised by the ARRB staff that an updated "Status of Requests" letter will be sent to

the Agency early next week The following requests will be listed as priorities to be completed in

February:

CIA-14

Mexico City Station Annual Reports (DO)

CIA-IR-06 QKENCHANT

CIA-IR-08 "Family Jewels"

CIA-IR-09 George Bush

CIA-IR-11 Warren Commission Critics

(DO)

(DCI/IRO and DO)

(DO, DA, DCI/IRO)

(DA, DO)

CIA-IR-27 Security Files for Five Individuals

CIA-IR-32 AMWORLD

(DA)

(DO).

I have partial responses to some of these requests; call me it you have questions or need the status of

your response.

CC:

Eileen M. Wukitch @ DO

Becky L. Rant @ DA

Kathryn I. Dyer ® DA (bcc: Bonnie K. Hunter-Y-)

Sent on 2 February 1998 at 01:26:47 PM

ADMINISTRATIVE INTERNAL USE ONLY

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SECRET

SUBJECT: DO Response to Informal Request CIA IR 06

work for the

After_Howard Hunt's retirement from the Agency, he went to

Robert R. Mullen Company. The Mullen Company had for years

cooperated with the Agency by providing cover abroad for Agency >

(officials. Hunt was cleared for @KENCHANT by the Agency so that he could

with administrative matters when necessary during Mullen' 5) absences

from his firm in Washington.

J. Monroe Sullivan, Clay Shaw's boss,

was granted a (CSA

in December

1962 so that

he could be used in Proje

QKENCHANT.

Fredrick C. Wickham, JI.

SECRET

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## Page 8

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CIA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

RELEASE IN FULL

2000

•F-CRET

27 February 1998

MEMORANDUM FOR: (U)

Chief, JFK Declassification

Project/HRP/OIM/DA

FROM:

(U)

Fredrick C. Wickham, JI.

Chief, External Support Group/IMS/DO

Central Intelligence Agency

SUBJECT:

(U)

DO Response to Informal Request CIA IR #06

REFERENCE:

(U)

ARRB'S Memorandum dated 18 December

1997,

RE: Status of CIA Responses to

Assassination Records Review Board's

Requests for Additional Information and

Records

(U) This memorandum is submitted in response to informal

request number 06 (CIA IR #06) from the Assassination Records

Review Board (ARRB).

**CIA-IR-06 QKENCHANT

a.

(U) Per the Review Board's request regarding the

purpose of QKENCHANT and its connection with Clay Shaw, Howard

Hunt, and Monroe Sullivan, the following information is

provided.

b. (S) QKENCHANT was a project for obtaining clearances,

that is, Provisional Covert Security Approvals (PCSA) and Covert

(CCA) In connection with the acquisition of CCA, Directorate of

Operations guidelines require that a (PCSA/CSA be obtained in

most instances before a corporate entity can be used as a Cover)

for Action (CFA) sponsor.

C.

(U) With regard to Clay Shaw and his association with

the QKENCHANT project:

A review of Shaw's security file

indicates that he received a "five Agency" clearance on 23 March

Our records indicate the OKENCHANT project did not begin

until sometime in 1952, therefore, Shaw in all probability was

not cleared by the QKENCHANT program.

8L BY 0563956}

CL REASON 1.5

(c)

DECL ON: X1

DRV FROM: MIS 5-82

SECRET

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"':

DEERET

Subject:

DO Response to Informal Request CIA IR

#06

C/IMS/ESG Fredrick

c. Wickham×44448?mjk (3March1998)

Distribution:

Original - C/JFK Declassification Project/HRP/OIM/DA

1 - C/IMS/ESG

1 - C/IMS/ESG/HCS

1 - IMS/ESG Chrono

SECRET

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## Page 10

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file any

CIA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

RELEASE IN FULL

2000

18 September 1998

MEMORANDUM FOR: Laura Denk

Executive Director, ARRB

FROM:

J. Barry Harrelson

JFK Project Officer, HRP/OIM

SUBJECT:

CIA-IR-06, QKENCHANT

1. QKENCHANT was the name of an Agency project used to

provide security approvals on non-Agency personnel and

facilities. Such approvals were required so that Agency

personnel could meet individuals to discuss proposed

projects, activities, and possible relationships.

2. Clay Shaw received an initial "five agency"

:learance on 23 March 1949 and Agency records indicate th

KENCHANT project did

not begin until sometime in 1952

Thus, in all probability he was not cleared by that program,

at least initially.

3. Monroe Sullivan, Clay Shaw's boss, was granted a

security approval in December 1962.

4. With respect to Howard Hunt, following his

retirement from the Agency, he went to work with a company

which had previously cooperated with the Agency. Hunt was

granted a clearance so he could deal with administrative

matters in the absence of others within that company.

5. The Agency believes it has fully answered the

questions asked within this request and considers it

completed.

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