SUBJECT: GARRISON INVESTIGATION OF KENNEDY ASSASSINATION: ALLEGATIONS OF INVOLVEMENT, CIA AND CUBAN.
Originator: CIA
To: MEMORANDUM
Document date: 02/28/1968
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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

28 February 1969

MEMORANDUM

SUBJECT:

Garrison Investigallon of Kennedy Assassination:

Allegations of Involvement, CLA and Cuban

l. Mí. Calvin Thomas of the SB Division wrote a memorandum

entilled "Possible: DRE: Animus Toward President Kennedy" and dated.

& March 1967. At that time Mr. Thomas had recently returned froin a

cour of duty in Yugoslavia.

While there he had read about the Warren

Commieston's Investigation and had noted the pre-assassination encounter

in New Orleans between Carlos Bringuler of the Student Revolutionary

Urectorate (DRE) and Lee Harvey Oswald. He jecalled his own dealings

In Mlarn! with the DRE, a CIA subeldized group. He considered the

DRE inenbers whorn ho knew to be unpredictable and untrustworthy.. Ho.

speculated ao to whether DRE elemente could have been Involved in the

Kennedy debassination. He recomnended that CIA investigate dils

possibility if it had not already done so. Thomas was assigned to Miami

from July 1962 80 August 1963. Neither CI/R&A nor SB has a retention

copy of the inemorandum, but Mr. Thomas ls si1ll at Headquartera.

2. Mr. Arthur Dooley of CI/R&A diecussed this matter with the

following inembers of li tI/COG:

à.

Miao Margaret Forsythe. She stated that ClA's

interest in the DRF. had been made known to the office of the

Attorney General by letters ol 9 January and l8 April 1903

addresard to J. Walter Yeagley. The carlier lotter said, in

pari, "The DRE le of interest to this Agency wlitch sponsors

and supporte its propaganda and intelligence collection activity

in the Western Hemniaphere... as the DiE lo not a group

under cordulete Agency control, the above does not insure that

they will not undertake leolated paramilitary operations withour

prlor notiilcation."

b.

Mesars. Howard Brubaker then recently resurned

Ironi à tour of the Miamt Station, and Carl Trettla, DC of the

Cl Branch; WH/COG, who knew Bringuier and was stationed

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In New Orleans at the time of the Oswald-Bringuler

: confrontation's in August 1963. It was concluded that

Onwald was never a'member of the DRE, which in fact

sojected hin, and that the DRE was not Involved in the

assassination.

3. In April 1967 the undersigned showed a copy of the Thomas

memorandum to Mr. Tom flores, then C/WH/COG, who considered

that it reflected inadequate information and bias. It was agreed.

nevertheless, that the charges which District Altorney Janes Garrison

was then beginalag to level against anti-Castro Cubans and this Agency

necessitated careful checking.

1.. The firat report in the Cl/R&A series on Garrison, 26 April

1967. listed seven Cuban refugees then linked to the case (Sergio

ARCACHA Smith, Carlos BRINGUIER, Jullo BUZNEDO, Manuel GARCIA

Gonzalez, Pascial GONGORA, Miguel Silva TORRES, and Carlos

QUIROGA.) It requested any additional WH/COG information about them

and about the following groups: the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary

Front, the DRE, the Information Council of the Americas, and any othar

anti-Casiro groups active la the New Orleans area. The request added,

"Information about ClA relationships with the above-named groups should

not be.restricted.to.New Orleans but should also Include Miami and other.

areas to which Garrison's investigations nay lead. " Information was

also requested on EdwardS. BUTLER, Alberto FOWLER. Emilio

SANTANA, and a parainilitary tralring site at Lake Pontchartraln.

By

a memorandum forwarded on 3 May 1967 she then AC/WH/COG. Mr. Earl:

I. Willlamsony provided the requested information and added, "WH/COG

will continue to review all material that may contain information pertinent

to this subject and will forward such information to CI/R&A on a prlority

basis. "

5. Slace that date CI/R&A bas prepared a series of reporta on

the Garrison case. All of these have been forwarded to WH/COG. In

turn. WH/COG has provided additional inforination from ite own flles

and thoee oi the Mail Station, to which it has addressed several inquirles.

Cl/R&A is currently compiling a separate list of all Cubans

(as well as other Latin Americans) whose names have been linked to the

Garrison Investigation. This liat will be forwarded to WH/ COG with a

request for checks ll it contains any Identities not previously traced

against sheir files (including those of JMWAVE).

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7. The problem arling froin Garrison's charges of Agency

Involvement in the assasslnation is compounded by the nature of

somo of our former Cuban operations, which resulted in a form of

indirect assoclation. For example. Carrison has sought vichout.

auccese to extradite Serglo ARCACHA Smith from Dallas. FBI reporting

of 28 March 1967 atated that according to Layton Patrick Martens,

Garrison will try to prove that Arcacha was the "second trigger man"

In the assassination. The checks rup by WH/COG and CI/R&A have not

shown any link between Arcacha and CLA. However, WH/COG kas

reported that Arcacha was the delegate of the fronte Revolucionario

Democratico (FRD) in New Orleans before the Bay of Pigs, that be

maintained regular postal contact with FRD headquarters in Miami..

that the FRD and the Cuban Revolutionary Council were supported by

CIA, and that funde were supplied to the head of these groups, Dr. Jose

MIRO Cardona. Consequently Arcacha may have belleved that his :

activitles in New Orleans were ClA-supported. This phenomenon of

Indirect association appears in other cases as well and may well underlie

somo of Garrison's accusatione. '

8. It la suggested that C/WH or his representative might

prolitably guery Mr. Thomas about the allegations summarized in

paragraph 1, above. Although the date for the trial of Clay Shaw has

not been set, it is plainly drawing closer.. Once it starts, the newspapers

will carry a flood of accusations, old and new; and it would be judicious

to ba prepared in advance.

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