MEMO: ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT JOHN FITZGERAL KENNEDY NOVERMBER 22, 1963, DALLAS, TEXAS
Originator: CIA
From: ROSEN, A
To: DELOACH
Document date: 03/22/1967
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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TO

FROM

SUBJECT

MILINI

Memorandum

Mr. DeLoäch

A. Rosen

ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT

JOHN FITZGEPALD KENNEDY

NOVEMBER 22, 1963

DALLAS,

TEXAS

DATE:

REC

March 22

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Mr.

DeLoach

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Mr. Rosen

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The attached sets forth the results

of

an' intervier

with Edward P. Norgan (former Bureau Inspector) on 3/20/57 •

By way of background, during February, 1967, James J.

no am i st

Rowley, U. s. Secret service, advised that Drew Pearson, Con-

tacted Chief Justice Warren concerning information in possession

of Edward P. Morgan. The Chief Justice refused to see Morgan; W.

however, it was determined Morgan alleged that former attorney

General

Robert F. Kennedy organized a group to go to Cuba to

kill Castro.

All of this group were killed or imprisoned:

except one person who escaped, and subsequently, after Castro

learning of the plot, decided

to utilize the same procedure to

kill President Kennedy and that he hired Oswald to do the job.

This information allegedly came from a client of Morgan's.

Secret Service made

an appointment to talk to Morgan; however;

he never showed up.

On 3/17/67, Mr. Watson at the White House advised that:

President Johnson desired the fBI to interview Morgan concern-

ing any knowledge he might have had concerning the assassination

kof President Kennedy

Morgan was interviewed on 3/20/67 by Washington Field:

Office Agents®

Due to attorney-client relationship, Morgan

would not identify the persons who furnished him information

concerning the assassination. He stated his clients, while not

directly involved in the assassination, had knowledge of the

plot.

Morgan alleges his clients were used by a Government

¡Agency (obviously Central Intelligénce Agency, CIA) to plot

the assassination of fidel Castro, and that Castro learned of

the plot,

and thereafter, dispatched teams of assassins to the

U. So for the purpose of assassinating President Kennedy.

He

said his clients were aware of the identity of some of these

individuals, and he understood that two such individuals were

Iin the State of New Jersey.

iricaned

EX 113

CORRENUE RST OVER

PERS. REC. UNIT

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Memorandum Rosen to DeLoach

RE: ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT JFK

Morgan also stated that one of the clients he repre-

sented was a high type individual of the Catholic faith. When

he queried this individual as to why he became involved in

such a project as the assassination of Castro, his client

indicated the project was

so highly patriotically motivated

that this overrode personal ethical or moral considerations.

During 1961, we conducted an investigation of a

violation of Unauthorized Publication or Use of Communication

Statute on the part of Arthur James Balletti, arrested in

Las Vegas, Nevada, by local authorities on a wire tapping

Our investigation determined this involved Robert A.

private detective, that coverage was instituted in

behalf of CIA's efforts

• to obtain cuban intelligence data

through hoodlum element.

We checked. with CIA and learned CIA.was.utilizing

Maheu as an intermediary with Sam Glancana, relative to CIA's

"dirty business" anti-Castro activities.

On. 5/22/61 we fur-

nished the then Attorney General Kennedy a memorandum containing

the rundown of CIA's involvement of this which involved Maheu.

On 5/9/62 Kennedy

advised he had issued orders that CIA should never undertake

such steps again without first checking with the Department of

Justice.

This information is briefly set forth in the enclosure

as it appears to relate to information in Morgan's possession.

Since CIA furnished information on a strictly highly confidential

"need-to-know! basis and requested that it be handled on a most

restrictive basis, this is being set forth in the communications

attached.

ACTION:

Attached

for approval is à letter to Mrs. Stegall at

the White House, the Attorney General, and Janes J. Rowley,

U. So secret service, enclosing a memorandum setting forth the

Information furnished by Morgan, and information received from

CIA.

The enclosures to these communications are

classified

Top Secret.

*former Special Agent

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March 21, 196%

ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT

JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY

NOVEMBER 22, 1963, DALLAS, TEXAS

On the evening of March 20, 1967, Attorney Edward P. Morgan,

300. Farragut Building, Washington, D.C., furnished the following

information relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

He advised that while this covered a wide range or field, it

probably arose as the result of comments he made during conversations

in which he suggested Lee Harvey Oswald was not the only person

involved in the crime.

He stated that he did have information pertaining

to the assassination which he considered pertinent and relevant. He :

said it was necessary for him, in his capacity of attorney, to invoke the

attorney-client privilege, since the information in his possession was

derived as a result of that relationship. He added that it was still

possible for his clients to be prosecuted. He pointed out that he was not

stating or implying his clients were either directly or indirectly involved

in the death of President Kennedy or could be prosecuted in this regard.

However, they definitely face possible prosecution for a crime not

related to the assassination of Kennedy. Due to their participation in

this crime, his clients learned of information pertaining to the President's

assassination.

Mr. Morgan said he represented these clients on this

specific matter. He did not elaborate on when they sought his legal counsel

and he indicated he could not fulfill his responsibility and identify them.

He said he gave considerable thought to finding some way to make this

information available to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but as yet

had not come up with a solution. He considered a possible waiver from

his clients but decided against this because the type of protection they

needed was for some competent authority to grant them complete immunity,

not only from prosecution but from the publicity that would surely follow.

If in the future it becomes possible to overcome all legal obstacles, he will

immediately make this information available to the Government and, more

particularly, the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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GROUP 1

Excluded from automatio

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ASS ASSINATION OF PRESIENT JOHN

FITZGERALD KENNEDY

He related that when he fir t heard the story from his clients

he did not believe it, but conducted enough inquiry to satisfy himself

that his clients had some basis in fact for their position and he felt they

were telling the truth. He pointed out he represented substantial citizens,

people who loved their country and had a high regard for the then President.

If their story came out now, they would be damaged by the resultant

publicity, and some prosecutor of the same type as District Attorney

Garrison of New Orleans could conceivably attempt to initiate prosecution

against them. At this point he noted that the charge against them might

well be conspiracy to kill, which is a crime, and in the case of his clients

the Statute of Limitations has not run.

In explaining this remark he pointed out that if he were a

Government investigator assigned to unravel all facets of the assassination

of President Kennedy, he would first concern himself with reading the

newspaper articles dealing with the topic of a Castro plot. He said he would

examine the Castro plot to determine precisely what bearing it had on the

assassination of the President.

He indicated the newspaper articles had

considerable merit and were on the right track in regard to the theory of

the assassination.

Prostit

Without making any factual representations, and continuing

to theorize, he went on to relate that his clients, whom he again characterized

as respectable citizens, were called upon by a Governmental agency to

assist in a project which was said to have the highest Governmental V

approval.

The project had as its purpose the assassination of Fidel Castro;

Premier of Cuba. Elaborate plans involving many people were made.

These plans included the infiltration of the Cuban Government and the

placing of informants in key posts within Cuba. The project almost reached

fruition when Castro became aware of it and arrested a number of suspects.

By pressuring captured suspects he was able to learn the full details

of the plot against him and decided "if that was the way President Kennedy

wanted it, he too could engage in the same tactics." Castro thereafter

employed teams of individuals who were dispatched to the United States for

the purpose of assassinating President Kennedy. Mr. Morgan further

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ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT

JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY

explained that his clients (here noting that he, Morgan, was employed

by more than one of those involved) obtained information concerning

Castro's dispatch of these assassins from "feed back" furnished by

sources close to Castro. Continuing, he said his clients were aware of

the identity of some of the individuals who came to the United States for

this purpose and he understood that two such individuals were now in

the State of New Jersey.

Mr. Morgan further noted that one of the clients he represented

was a high type individual of the Catholic faith. Morgan said he queried

him as to why a person with his high ethical standard had ever become

involved in such a project as the assassination of Fidel Castro. The

client indicated that his conscience bothered him; however, the project

was so highly patriotically motivated that this, in his mind, over-

rode personal ethical or moral considerations. He further described

how one client, when hearing the statement that Lee Harvey Oswald was

the sole assassin of President Kennedy, "laughs with tears in his eyes

and shakes his head in apparent disagreement. "

Mr. Morgan said if he were free of the attorney-client privilege

to furnish full details, the information that he would be able to supply

would not directly identify the alleged conspirators to kill President

this country, who could very well be considered suspects in such a

conspiracy. Morgan pointed out that from the information available to

him from his clients he could not declare or conclude that Lee Harvey

Oswald could not have committed this assassination alone.

Mr. Morgan pointed out that it was inconceivable to him that

an agency of the Government which engages in the type of operations

which he has described has not come forth to make this most important

data available to the Warren Commission. He declined to identify the

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ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT

JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY

name of the agency but indirectly described it as the investigative agency

which conducts intelligence-type investigations cutside the United States.

In conclusion, Mr. Morgan reiterated that he would immediately

contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation if he discovered ahy way to

reveal the full details of this matter.

In connection with the above it may be of interest to note that

during 1961, an investigation was conducted concerning a violation of

the Unauthorized Publication or Use of Communications Statute on the part

of Arthur James Balletti, who had been arrested by local authorities in

Las Vegas, Nevada, on a wire tapping charge. During the course of the

Balletti investigation it was ascertained' that Robert A. Maheu, a private

detective, was involved. Maheu claimed he placed wire taps in behalf

of CIA's efforts to obtain intelligence information in Cuba through the

hoodlum element, including Sam Giancana. Maheu said he was placed in

contact with Giancana in connection with these intelligence activities

through John Roselli, a Los Angeles hoodlum.

A representative of the CIA stated he personally contacted Maheu

during the Fall of 1960 for the purpose of using Maheu as a "cutout" in

contacts with Sam Giancana in connection with CIA's clandestine efforts

against Castro.

Rebect F.

On May 9, 1962, former Attorney General Kennedy advised that

a few days prior thereto he had been advised by CIA that Robert A. Maheu

had been hired by CIA to approach Sam Giancana with a proposition of paying

$150, 000 to hire some gunmen to go into Cuba and kill Castro. He further

stated CIA admitted having assisted Maheu in making the "bugging" installa-

tion in Las Vegas (referred to above) which uncovered this clandestine

operation and for this reason CIA could not afford to have any action taken

against Giancana or Maheu. Mr. Kennedy stated that upon learning CIA had

not cleared its action in hiring Maheu and Giancana with the Department of

Justice he issued orders that CIA should never again take such steps without

first checking with the Department of Justice.

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