ARRB-CIA ISSUES: MARK LANE
Originator: CIA
Document date: 04/08/1996
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

## Page 1

104-10332-1000

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

14Y-24-193013.408

1M.3

INE

Assassination Records Review Board

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

(202) 724-0088- Fax: (202),724-0457

April 8, 1996

HAND DELIVERED

CIA HAS NO OBJECTION TO

DECLASSIFICATION AND/OR

RELEASE OF CIA INFORMATION

IN THIS DOCUMENT

Mr. Kevin O Brien

Chief, FOI/PA Section

Federal Bureau of Investigation

10th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20535

Re:

Additional Information Request No. FBI-12 (Mark Lane)

Dear Kevin:

The ARRB staff requests access to review references to Mark Lane or the Citizens

Committee of Inquiry in the files of FBI Headquarters and the New York field office for

the time from November 1963 to date. This request includes, but is not limited to, any

communications involving Mr. Lane intercepted via electronic surveillance. In the

event that records responsive to this request have already been transmitted to the JFK

Collection, or have already been identified for processing under the JFK Act, please so

advise.

Thank you for your continuing cooperation.

Sincerely yours,

David G. Marwell

Executive Director

BOARO MEMBERs: JOhn.R. Tunheim, Chair • Henry F. Graff • Kermir L. Hall • William L. Joyce • Anng K. Nelson

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: David G. Marwall

---

## Page 2

13-00000

tile

RELEA

SECRET

OLLECTIONS

IN FULL

2000

MEMORANDUM FOR:

21 June 1996

Fred Wickham

DO Focal Point for

JFK Board Requests

FROM:

SUBJECT:

REFERENCE:

Barry Harrelson

Historical Review Group

JFK Board request to FBI re Mark Lane

Additional Information Request No. PBI-12

dtd. 8 April 1996 (attached)

1..

The staff of the Assassination Record Review Board

(JFK Board) has requested access to FBI files on Mark Lane

(see reference) .

The attached "ODYSSEY" document was found

in the FBI's Mark Lane file; the FBI has denied access to

the document pending a response from the CIA.

This is a request for access only. According to

the FBI, no documents in the Mark Lane files have not been

designated "Assassination Records" to date. Please advise

on the sensitivity of the "Odyssey" project and what

restriction, if any, would be placed on access to the

attached document.

We would appreciate your response by 5 July as to

granting access to the document. If you have questions you

can contact me at extension 30292.

Attachments: As stated

CL BY ;

CL REASON:

DECL On:

DRV FROM:

611637

1.5c

X1

---

## Page 3

13-00000

CIA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

RELEASE IN FULL

2000

5-07-98

Jeremy,

Attached is a copy of the Mark Lane item.

. The source

statement was added at the request of the Foreign

government.

The rest of this item is a copy of the text of

the relevant portions of the document.

I have alerted

Linda that you will be calling.

Barry

---

## Page 4

13-00000

MAY B4 '98"12:52PM

P.2

SECRET SENSITIVE

The source of the following information a Foreign

Government which specifically requested not be identified.

ACTIVE MEASURES

The KGB exerted a positive influence on the Us in order

to overcome the financial crisis facing the UN.

In January

1965 an operations officer laid out the soviet point of view

in a conversation with a First Secretary at the US Embassy

10 Mosdow, and the New York Residency expressed these same .

Views to American newspaper correspondents and to UN

representatives of a number of countries.

On 04 February an

agent in Moscow succeeded in getting prepared information to

the American Ambassador.

These actiona brought about a

change in the un'& position regarding this financial problem

and pushed the American delegation to reach a compromise.

Mark LANE is well known as a person with close ties to

Democratic Party circles in the Us:

. He holds liberal views

on a number of current American political problems, and has

undertaken to conduct his own private investigation of the

circumstances surrounding the murder of J. KENNEDY. Thig

coincided with the interests of the KGB, and the New York

Residency, through a trusted contact, passed LANE 1500

dollars for his work on a book, and 500 dollare Ior a trip

to europe in connection with the investigation ne was

conducting.

This trusted contact of the Residency was a

close friend of LaNa's.

LANE was not told who was financing

his work, but he might have been able to guess, the US

special services might also have known about this, if LaNE

was under observation at this time. While in Europe in

1964, he wanted to visit Moscow and acquaint the authorities

there with the revealing materials. he had regarding the

KENNEDY murder.

The authoritiea took into consideration the

sensitive nature of LANE's investigative activities and did

not wiah to enter into difficulties with the US; LaNe's trip

was therefore tactfully postponed indefinitely.

Trusted

contacts from among Soviet journalists met with LanE, and

beginning in 1969 Borovik maintained regular contact with

LANE once again expressed to Borovik his desire to

visit Moscow and show the authorities there the film that he

which discredited the official version of

the President's murder. Once again he was delicately told

that the time was not right for such a trip, since the

American government might begin a slander campaign against

him in connection with his involvement in the anti-war

movement.

American Communists who were.in Moscow in 1971

expressed the opinion that, although LANE was engaged in

---

## Page 5

13-00000

P.3

MAY

84 ' 98

12:53PM

SEAREY

activity that was advantageous to the Communists, he was

doing this not without profit to himself, and sought to

achieve personal popularity and become a national figure.

Other investigators and KENNEDY assassination buffe

were suppliad by the KGB not only with money; but also with

circumstantial evidence that made the affair appear to be a

well-concealed political conspiracy.

On 18 August 1975 photocopies of a note from Lee Harvey

OSWALD, prepared at Center, were sent from Mexico to three

American citizens who were independent investigatong of the

circumatances of President KENNEDY' a murder:

the note was as follows:

The content. of

"8 November 1963.

Dear Mi. HUNT, I would like to receive information about my

position.

I only want information.

I propose that we meet

and discuss this matter thoroughly before any steps are

OSWALD. Y me or by someone else. Thank you, lee Harvey

The conception of this active measure, codenamed

"Arlington," was based on the use of an agsassination theory

that was widespread in the Us, according to which theory

Howard HUNT, a former CIA employee who was convicted in 1974

in connection with the Watergate affair, participated in

1963 in organizing a plot, the victim of which was President

KENNEDY.

The note given above was composed using individual

phrases and expressions taken. from letters written by OSWALD

ORALS A

during his stay in the USSR, the note was written in

OSWALD's handwriting on a scrap of the writing paper that

note

OSWALD used in Texas.

This note was on two occasions

subjected to graphological and chronological examination

"for authenticity" by the Third Section of the KGB'e OTU

(Operational-Technical Directoratel.

OSWALD's note was accompanied by a another note:

"Sir: At one time Mr. KELLY from the FBI received from

me a document which, in my opinion, will help shed light on

the circumstances surrounding the murder of President

KENNEDY.

Since KELLY has to date not done anything with

this document, I, fearing the worst, and forced to disappear

for a time.

Knowing that you are engaged in an independent

investigation of the President's murder, I am sending you a

copy of the document. With best wishes, Yours, P.s."

2

---

## Page 6

13-00000

MAY

34

P. 4

$12:54PM

SECRET SENSITIVE

It was intended that the perdon who received the

photocopy of the OSWALD note would request that FBI Director

KELLy produce the original note.

KELLy, naturally, would

deny that he had received such a note, and this would

encourage the investigator even more to obtain the desired

document.

The note was sent to: Harold WEISBERG, the author of

several books about the KENNEDY assassination that rejected

the official version put out by the Warren Commission,

argued for the existence of a political conspiracy, and

Investigatea Oswald's ties to the special services:. Dan

JoNas, the editor of the Midlothian Mirror newspaper, who

had investigated the assassination from the point of view of

a conspiracy; an howara HOrMan possidLy horrmaN, and

historian from Philadelphia who had investigated the KENNEDY

assassination and cast doubt upon the conclusions of the

Warren Commission.

The documentary operation "Arlington" was carried out

in such a way as to fuel (the flames of suspicion] with

fresh news and to expose the participation of the American

special services In the liquidation of KENNEDY.

At the beginning of March 1977 the first reference to

the "previously unknown note from Lee Harvey OSWALD"

appeared in the American press.

The Minister of Justice

(sic--1.e., Attorney Generall

announced that it was

"impossible to determine through laboratory testing whether

the letter was authentic or fabricated. "

However, at the

beginning of April there appeared in the New York Times an

official report by three handwriting experts, who concluded

that "the note dated 08 November 1963 was written by bee

Harvey OSWALD." The authenticity of the OSWALD note was

also reinforced by a reference to the testimony of Lee

Harvey's widow, Marina.

American newspapers, however..

did

not tie OSWALD to the HUNT who had formerly worked for the

CIA, but rather to his namesake, HUNT, who was a deceased

Texas oil millionaire.

The FCD'g disinformation service believed that OSWALD'g

connection with HUNT the millionaire, rather than with HUNT,

the CIA officer, was purposely played up in the American

press in order to divert public attention from OSWALD's

contacts with the special aervices.

In February Howard HUNT

was unexpectedly released from prison on 10,000 dollars

bail, which had been posted for him by "unknown persong."

Newspapers emphasized the fact that "KELLY, the current FBI

Director, who had received the original document, had

concealed it from the public and had not circulated it."

3

---

## Page 7

13-00000

P.5

-MAY B4

#12:55PM

VE

After the report about the "OSWAlD note had appeared

- in the press, the report of a special House of

Representatives Commission investigating the assassinationa

TE KENNEDY and Martin buther Kid was phalahed in the

This. report spoke of "new evidence" that the Commission

had obtained regarding the KENNEDY assassination.

Congress

decided to extend the functioning of this House of

Representatives Commission for another two years.

In April 1977 the KCB Informed the Central Committee of

the CPSU that it would take additional measures to promote

theories regarding the participation of the American special

services in a political conspirady directed against

President KENNEDY.

on evere plainformation service made a point of commenting

significant world event and interpreting it through

its own prism.

The following operations continued: the

"Arlington" operation, dealing with CIA participation in

organizing President KENNEDY's assassination.

---

## Page 8

13-00000

•

SECRET

CL BY: 0611637

CL REASOM: Section 1.5 C

DECL ON: X1

DRY FRM: HUM 4-82

15 May 1998

MEMORANDUM FOR:

Lee S. Strickland @ DA

Fredrick C. Wickham @ DO

William H. McNair @ DO

Becky L. Rant @ DA

Teresa Wilcox @ DST

MaryLou Cummings

Barbara T. Blufer

FROM:

J. Barry Harrelson

JFK Project Officer

OIM/HRP

OFFICE:

SUBJECT:

ARRB Meeting 13 May 1998 -- Results

REFERENCE:

Lotus note dated 8 May - ARRB Meeting 12-13 May 1998

The JFK Board addressed six Agency issues at the 13 May meeting. The Agency's proposals prevailed in four of the six issues

snore and one issue was tabled for further discussion. The Board made the following determinations:

1) Alias Documentation and Accommodation Addresses:

accepted our proposal to postpone release of specific information until 2017 and use generic substitute language.

2Y LITAMIL-9)CIA penetration of Cuban Embassy in Mexico City/considered a "key player" in the Oswald-Mexico

City story):

agreed to continue to protect the full crypt and delay the release of additional documents (201 file) until his death.

They set an annual review date on the documents; the Agency will need to advise NARA annually on his status.

3) Richard Gibson (member of Fair Play for Cuba Committee during early 60's/considered a "key player in

Oswald's story/Agency asset beginning in 1965):

agreed protect Gibson's relationship with the Agency and designated Agency and FBI files and documents

outside the JFK collection window, 1960-64, as NBRs (not believed relevant).

4) AMTRUNK Assets [AMTRUNK was an early 1960's anti-Cuban operation; most of the details of the operation

including crypts have been previously released]:

SECRET

---

## Page 9

13-00000

SECRET

agreed to protect true name and 201 file numbers of assets not previously released.

5) Mark|Lane Item (extract from foreign document):

postponed until 4 June meeting; board would like have a member or its staff confirm the existence of the

document and ensure that it contains no other JFK assassination related information.

6) Carlos Tepedino ICIA asset/ key figure in AMLASH-Cubela plot to kill Castro/true name and role in story has

been publicly known for years):

voted to release his name in the 1967 IG Report on Plots Against Castro and other JFK collection documents

The Stone/Golityn issue was pulled from the agened and will be addressed at the next meeting (4 June).

This was a very successful meeting from the Agency's perspective. The loss on Tepedino was not unexpected. Given what is

in the public domain, the Agency has not been able to make a persuasive argument to protect his name in the three years Tepedino has

been at issue. Thanks to all who assisted in preparing for the meeting, and especially to Steve White and Dick Kinsman) who prepared the

issue and talking point papers that carried the day.

CC:

SECRET

---