BACKGROUNG ON MEXICO STATION SUPPORT ASSETS (COVERAGE OF SOVIET AND CUBAN EMBASSIES)
Originator: CIA
From: GOODPASTURE, A
To: LEADER, JOHN, IG STAFF
Document date: 02/10/1997
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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1104-10054-10061

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

SECRET

IET

10 Feb 77

Suurce:

lotes made by A. Goodpesture

for John Leader, IG Staff

Subject:

Background on lexico Station Support Assets

(Coverage of Soviet and Cuban Embassies)

1. {Unilateral coverege. From the time the lexico Station was opened in

April 1947 (by Bill Doyle) until arrival of Win Scott as COS in 1955, Charles

Anderson III (still in LA/HQ) had developed a support apparatus to'

exoloit leads from the Soviet Enbassy. This umbrella type project (LIFEAT)

consisted of multi line phone taps, three photo sites, a mobile surveillance

team and a mail intercept operation.

a. Fhone taps were placed byan employee of the telephone company

rateract in i4t46e;

who was handled by David WILSTED (pseudo). The number of lines

tapped was Linted by availablty of a stening

post nearby

(since the taps were not made in the

main

Jend English/

Spanish (Soviet, Polish, Czech,

these agents (nost]

(which

scribers. Generally

• Mexican American, were related

if they

that time felt was good security in that

arred about shop, they would talk to each other.)

b. Three photo sites were handled by Anderson with the help

of Harry Kahoney (retired, living in Chicago) and IDY ISD

people checking the best type of carera, film, and concealment

devices. These had sub-cripts under LIFEAT (LIMITED, LILYRIC,

and LICALLA) • LIMITED was a fixed site bang opposite across

the street fron the front gate of the Soviet Enoassy which had

both a vehicle and foot entrance. The Soviet gate was an the

Northliest corner. of their compound and LINITED was diagonally

across & double barrelled street

on

Si Bulgar page 1e.

(BERTET

the Southed won on ice rev

LÜ0Ü164

02078.

'JFK-OSG

Copy 20f7

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1035

that block. LINITID was the first bese and it oneraied strictly on an

or crimental basis in the early stages. I trink the lexi Station bought

one storey

this property (a/Spanish Colonial stone house) through LINOUSIE (check to

be sure). Later this house began to fall apart. This base was closed when

the Station got word that the photo of "uniden nan" was being releasea to the

puolic by the Warren Connission. The photo operators

were moved to another apt

nearby. The property was sold (under an operational agreenent with LIMOUSINE

for a long term lease on the top floor of a new apartment biding to be built

on this site). LILYRIC was planned es an alternate photo base to LIMITED.

It was in an upper storey (3rd floor -check) on the sare side of the street

as LIITED but in the middle of the block South.. It had a slanted view of

the front gate of the Soviet Einbassy. The agents in LINITED and LILYRIC (both

Mexican fanilies) as far as we knew, were not acquainted with each other.

LILYRIC was a rented apartnent. LICALLA, the third photo

was located

In one of a row of four houses on the South are

•Soviet Erbassy compound

which the Mexico Station purchased

LIMOUSINE as the purchase

JICT

OuR 1953 (check date), also using

This site overlooked the back garden of

the Soviet Embassy compound.

The purpose of this operation was to get good

identification photographs of the Soviet personnel (uno at thet time were largely

unidentified in Mexico Station records). The three photo sites were handled by

Ramon Alvarez: (Mexican citizen of U.S. mother who taught elerentary level at

the America School). Ramon collected the filn eatennist

stem from LINITED

and LILYRIC three tines a week. His sister's husband, Carlos (Mexican doctor)

developed and printed the film into guld eontact print strtps. The master plaa

tuit

vas for LICALIA film to ie, processed inside,ISD man from 1957 to 1959 (Harper

(Holt resigned) could not handle the volume and

as the unprocessed film began

to accumulate, the inside Co (l'ahoney) became disgusted and took the filn out

for Ramon's, brother-in-law to process (probably early 1959). Thus Ramon becane

the handler for all three photo bases.

A sensitive staff D monitoring operation

BETTE

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_.....

was run out of another one of these houses (crypt for the four houses las

LIUST,I, ete). This was ha:dled by Glen WIDDEN (outside ISD officer) ana

l'ahoney using HQ TDY teams for monitoring. This opsration vas also separate

from LICALLA. The two houses in between were rented to unsuscecting

tenants.

c. tobile surveillance

ves developed by Anderson and later placed

under liahoney and Joseph Sancho. This team consisted of a helf

dozen or so agents who used three to for late model cars and a

panel truck (which could be used on stake_outs for photo covera e).

The plan was to activate this group by radio (from LIMITID BASE)

Soviet

when someone of interest left the Embassy gate and stay with then

until they made their meetings.. These agents knew about the LNITED

SASE because they had LLITED photos for identification purposes.

This worked fairly well until about the niddle of 1958

(check date)

§ target and

when one of the surveillance egents got too

arrested by the Mexican transit

про

warned over to the

Mexican Secret Service.

Sthe Station could arrange through

a cleared attorney to

bad out (Juad Austin of the Goodrich,

Little and Riguese

"firm), the agent: had identified Sancho (who was

evacuated across the border at Nogales by Bob Shaw) and the inside

phone number of Mahoney (who vas subsequently replaced by Louis

Puckett). As a result of this flap, the LIFEAT project was broken

up into several others. The agents were not changed but were giren

Frank

new crypts. /Estancona and Peggy laggard replaced Andersón in handling

the unilateral phone taps. Puckett replaced lahoney and handled the

surveillance team (LIENTRAP) and the photo bases throighi Renon.

d. LIBIGHT was the crypt used for a unilateral (originally) mail

intercept handled by Charlie inderson III, The agent (Mexican) had

¿ a semi official status and arranged to obtain selected letters from

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a sub-agent in the vostal system (I think at the äirport). lis case officers

altonso Spera,

vere later/Puckett, Rovert Foldann, and Alan White.

2. Llaison coverage was un eliable aid insecure as characterised by the nature

of the Mexican services at that tire. The Mexican DES (Direction of Federaly

Security) with which ve dealt was a hip pocket group run out of the Ministry

Of Gov:rnment.

This linistry spent a major-part of its. time"on control of

(foreigners and colitical investigations. Their ajents vere vicious, venal,

corrupt extortionists, Robert Melberg established contact with one of them

Levine De Leon (later LIFIRE group) in about 1950 or 51. He geve them some

training la group of about five surveillance types) in travel control working

the airport as well as file searches of names from DES Hatrs where' the files

were poorly organized and often inaccurate.

Now and

some useful

infornation was developed but it could not be

del

upon.

Nelberg was

replaced by Phil Poettinger. (resigns

alined

In Nexico), Mahoney, Thomas

Hazlitt, ard Rooert Feldms

Ether)

During 1958,

Scott met socially sone of the chronies of the

Mexican President elect, Adolfo Lopez listeos. During this period, the U.s.

Ambassador Robert C. Hill (reflecting the policy of then Sec State J.F. Dulles)

was energetic in organizing groups to "fight cormunisn". One of these seeds

grew into a proposal Miguel Aleman (jr. son of former lexi President), acting

for Logez lateos, made to Win Scott for a joint telephone tap operation.

This

project (LIMWOY) went through about four distressing years of a shakedown.

(The lexican in control) (LIELEGANT) was inexperienced, old, and greedy. His

son (LIE:VOY-2)' vas a masterpiece of deceit and corruption. LIELEGATT alsO

manipulated control over the principal agent of LIBIGHT rail ictercept.

firsi case officer was Alfonso Spera inside with Turner Smith (retired) outside

and John

TSD training officer for surveillance and head of the listening

post where thirty telenhone lines would connect as vell es a transcriction room

deline

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SIGNET.

staffed cile ican arny ofricers.) Initially the station tried to set every

denand/nade by the Mexicans. Both Smith'and John hed language difficulties and

personal problems associated with being oitside the station so thet the Mexicans

(vere virtually uncontrollaile, spendi E money as they pleased, squirrelling away

equipment at enormous costs, and neglecting their part of the bargain in the?

production of transcripts or placing taps which we wanted. Spera was replaced

by Jack Brady who found hinself in the same pincer novement of having Scott

approve a request by LIELEGANT that Brady had turned down by the son, LIENOX-2.

Finally when the cost became exhorbitant and there was little to show for it,

the project was revamped. (Smith and John returned

to the U.S. and were replaced

by a TSD officer, Charles Flick, who has put inside the listening post to naintain

the equipment./ Scott took over the project as case officen

Brady was reassigned to othsr duties rendirE & faster.

with LTELEGANT.

He designated Ann Goodpasture to meet dailing wi

routine supervision

of the listening post, picking up transcribes

apes. Goodpasture hed no

{dealings with the lexicans except a

Cott was 11l or out of town. Generally,

all decisions were made by

This was about late 1961.

3.. Yy nenory is a little vague about the origins of the Cuban Babassy but I

think the staff first developed fron a pro-Castro group celebrating on New

Years eve 1959. As I recall, it vas a rakeshift arrangement of volunteers

through most of 1960 and El with Ton Hazlitt producing voluminous reports on

their acti-ities and recruitirg agents right and left anong Cuban nationals in

Mexico City.

4. Personnel assignments. Of interest to us now is who was in l'exico during

the period prior to Oswald's visit and the subsequent investigation by the

Warren Comission. To deterine so vas there and what they were doing I

have gro:ped persons torether chronologically with areas of their assignment

as the

covering from 1950 to 1969 so that sorties names pop up, one can tell what

period they were in Mexico and

their assignments

nat the vine.

•SECRET

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- 4

, SECRCT

8/50-6/59

COS

Winston #. Scott (deceased)

DCOS

7/56-7/58

Alfonso Rodriguez (retired)

10/58 - 12/62 Sarren Dean (retired)

6/63 - 9/65

Alan White (retired) -

10/65 - 1969 Stanley Watson (retired in Herico) :

COVERI ACTION

(Prior to 1954)

Howard Funt (retired)

(12/54>- 7/53

Williard Hill (resigned)

72/56 - 9/61

Stannard Short (retired)

9/61

- 3/64

Chief

David Phillips C/ (retired) ~

8/62 - 9/64

{Gunner Bec(man) Asst -

2/64 - 6/65

Janes Flannery C/(retired) -

9/64 - 11/66

Harold Dalghren Asst

10/65 - 1967

Stanley Watson C/(retired)

66 - 68

Don Heath?

68 - 7

< Joseph SmithC(retired in Mexico)

CUBA OPERATIONS

56 - 4/62

Thomas Hazlitt Chief

2/60 - 4/62 Jack Stewart (retired Costa Rig

4/63 - 4/65 Bob Shaw Chièt —

9/63 - 7/65 Ray Swider

10/63 - 5/65 Lorna Mackay

8/67 - 6/65 David Phillit

irod)-

9/65 - 10/68 Joseph Picco.

10/65 - 12/67 Pessy Maggard

SOVIET TARGET

6/57 - 10/59 Louise Lyon (nefusd)

9/59- 8/65 Herbert Wanell Chief.-

9/59 - 8/65 (Barbara Panell

5/64 - 7/66 11Tian Bright

4/05 - 11/67 Cyntria Hausnann

6/65 - 7/67 Alice Pittinger

7/65 - 4/69 Paul Dillon Chief

SOVIET TPANSCRIBIPS

6/56 - 8/53

Norris Gordon (resigned)

6/58 - 6/63

George Misko -

6/63 - 70

Boris Terasoif (retired in Mexico) -

6/62 - 1/67 Prentice Marheine (ps)

(retired ?)

Outside CO

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•7

-

SUPPORT ASSETS

Unilateral phono taps

2949}- 1961

Charles Anderson III Chief

1/55 - 4/60 (Pegey Paygord) Asst

4/56 - 1/62

Frank Estancona Chief

2/60 - 10/64 Thomas Keenan

9/64 - 12/67 lichael Farner

{49-71? Outside CO

Davia WILSTED (ps)

retired in Mexico

(Unilateral photo Cubans

6/59 - 4/64

Robert Zambernardi (resigned Mexico)

7/59 - 6/62

Richard Spathar ISD (retired)y

Yeave in

Unflateral photo Soviets

(3/542-4/59

Harry T. Mahoney

(retired Chicago)

5/57 - 8/64 A. Goodpasture (alternate. C0 -

and internal routing)

6/58 - 6/63 Louis D. Puckett (retired)

6/63 - 10/67, Thomas Keenan - Robert

65 - 66

William Bright

56 - 68

Out

Ramon, avercy

GAUN PROMI

cubana. opl resting:

Tribal.

Cansent

Signed In Mexico

Kiaison phone taps

1959 - 1969

Winston Scott (deceased)

1959 - 1960

Alfonso Spera

(retired)

1959 - 1960 (Türner Smith (outside, now retired)

1959 - 1960

John

(Training rept resigned)

1960- 1961

John Brady (retired)

1962 - 2968 A. Goodpasture

1961 - 1971 Charlos Flick (outside TSD Staff Agent - retired) -

Agaison

~ surveillance

Erior 1954< Robert lelberg (retired)

3/54 - 4/59

Harry schoney (retired)

1/59 - 1901

Thomas Hazlitt

12/62 - 9/67 Robert Feldmann

ISD Outside unit

1/55 - 12/63 Glen Widden (retired) -

1159-4/54

Joseph. i:, Resigno (os) Unit blown and closed down

rollard,

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Abjut nid 1962 (check date) LIFtVOY outside lexi rept asked

{for the telephone nunders of the Soviet, Cuban, and Satellite Eibassies.

Wath tris forewarning, LIFEAT (unilateral coyerage) vas (disconnected. However,

as I recall, the Mexicans connected 5 Cuban lines, 5 Soviet lines, 3 Czech,

2 Polish, and I Tugoslav Ilne. The basekouse listenirg post had a live

monitor wio made short summaries of interesting conversations for a daily

resume which was received each day around 8 a.I. (passed by Flick to Goodcasture

to get to Scott before 9.8.1.) Later (when the reel was completely recorded)

full transcripts were typed and passed to the

stetion in the same way, however,

there was usually a time lag of a day or so.: Those transcripts which had

Russian or another languege besides Spanish or English went out of the listening

post the day after the transcript (of other conversations

reel )was

typed.

These reels were taken to another locati

were translated

and typed. In the case of the Russian

Boris Tarasoff usually ran

about a week behind the date

ersation because of the volume of

Russian conversations a

members of the Soviet Exbassy. During this

-period: (fall of 1963) the reels were probably being brought into the station

and carried to Boris by one of the people from the Soviet Section

or they may

have been carried to him by Flick but I think I brought the reel in and gave

it to Herbert Manell§to take to Boris. Herbert Maneli and his Wife Barbera

handled all of the processi:g of Soviet transcripts. My job involved screening

the photographs as soon as we learned that the man calling hinself Oswald was

probably an Avierican. However, here again there was a backlag because the

photos were cicked up

three times a week but the ones picked up were usually

for dates a few days previously because the doctor procesed the film on a

night time basis. Photographs were made usually until one roll was used but

later we got it changed to one day coverage on each roll - in other words the

operators, cleared the canera each day whether there was angriliarays a full

roll of filn exposed. Instructions were to cover office hours, photograch each

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new Soviet and family, all foreigners and foreign licenee plates. Funan

error did occur but generally the agents

were conscientious.

The Cuban

embassy coverage had more sophisticated

equipment (a rulse caera) but it

frequently develoced nechanical difficulties.

Bob Zarbarnerdi and. Spathar

(I think) handled this film - pick up and delivery. Lorne lackay screened

the film inside the station.

I am certain that the Oswald call came to our attention fron the

Soviet line.. It was picked u; and taken to Boris for a translation because

the caller was trying to speak Russian. Any delay was caused by waiting to

compare the photographs with the typed transcript. There were no copies of

transcriots every made in languages other than Spanish or

glish because Win

Scott could read only those two languages ara ke

reened the

transcripts for operational leads he wante

REPRODUCTION®

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...

REPRODUCTION

HONED

(4) Sor End gate

(- LIMITED

2. LILYRIC

3.LICALLA

Plato Bases.

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TUSSDAX Ith OCTOBER 1963

Coyerage: 900 to 1900

L0g Film 144

20 Eaxp

lizathor 1/100

Camera Setting 3.5-2.5°

1 1251 2URY platican con KAZ en el jardin

2° 11 89 88 89 898 0088 80 88 88 88 88 88 80 D0 18 18 18

#8X862486898688868948688%8788389868686885886889888686885868686s8342

WEDNESDAX 2 OCTOBER 1963

Coverage: 900 to 1900

: 3 11139 ANOV

out UMN a Norte por Tacubaya-Daspide DEN-en Chev

375

4 88 10 19

' 1 1 !9 ! ! 89 89 89 D 80 80 80 80 00 80 19 80 00 80

88.08

5 1150 U MM

out a Norto por Tacubaya en Ford37 verdo (entr51141)

18 89 88

71033 DF

. 6 1205 IEON

'in' 2URY de Oriento por Chicontepec de Falcon

8.00 89 99 09 D0 80 D8 ID D8 I0 D9 D0 D0 D0 88 88 88 D9 09 88 D0 88

' 1 " " e 9)

8 1216 UMM

inde Sur por Tacubaya de

aaroas XIn.

sta. Chev (sallÖ1218).

372

52137 DF

9

1216 U'AM

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08

6i nesuti

1.0ch67

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12

out a Norte

por Tacubaya

• " 89 ns 88 s0 ii

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13808910.1919

14 1248 VAZQUEZ

out a Norte-por Tacubaya

15 ° 1 10 88 89 89 19 89 80 89 10 18

888 88 88 18 88 го 80 1

16 1259 ТІРО

out à Norte por Tacubaya de Chey (entró 1218)

D

167

883s 8%8%868%8s8%25018a8868%8%&18js%sss/21s1ss8%8%s6&%86B%&6868%s%8%868082868.2%

THURSDAY 3 Ocbober 1963

Doverage: 900 to 1900

171200 UMW

in de Norte por Tacubaya

19 1204 UMW

out a Norte por Tacubaya en Taxi

8882 DF

19 "0 * % 89

88898888+8888888888 8 8 88 89 89 88 D P0 10 8888

89 88 08 18 88

20 1213 U MM

in

de Sur por lacubaya

21 1222 UMM

out a sur por Tacubaya

TEAHOS6

Lir/ 20fZ

A4

SIGALT

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27 September 1963, Soviet Embassy Chancery 15-61-55

Item 295, page 3

At 1626 hours, A Soviet calls from the Soviet Embassy Chancery

the Cuban Consulate and asks for Sylvia DURAN. He asks

DURAN if the american has been there.

DURAN: Yes, he is still here.

SOVIET: According to the letters that he showed them from the (Soviet)

Consulate in Washington, he wants' to go to the USSR to stay

a long time with his wife who is Russian, but also the

answer had not been received (by him) regarding his problem.

That accordingly these transactions take 4 or 5 months but

without prior approval from the USSR, they have to request

and even then, they could not issue the visa hener in Mexico

City) without asking Washington.

Yet accordingl

this man

(the American),

showed him a letter in nich he

(the

American) is a member of an organization

"favor of Cuba

and said that the Cubans could not e

her the visa without

the Russian visa and now the Soviet

doesn't know what to do

with him, because he has

Nor

the answer from

Washington..

DURAN:

..with them also, be

he problem with him (the American)

is that he doesn

yone in Cuba and in that case it

is very diffi

give him a visa, because he was

thinking of

essing his visa, because he knew it was

going to take

long time waiting for the Russian visa in

Cuba, and then go on to the USSR.

SOVIET:

..that the thing is that if his (the American) wife were

now in Washington (and) going to receive the visa right now

or the permission from the USSk to return to her country, (if)

she is going to receive her visa in Nashington, then having

this visa, she can communicate to whatever place, this

permission, for example, here or in any other place (he) can

DURAN:

receive it, but right now they do not have them.

..certainly and neither can (the Cubans) give him a letter

because they do not know if the visa will be approved.

SOVIET:

DURAN:

SOVIET:

They can only give the visa according to instructions.

Then that is what she will put on his application.

Neither can I give him any letter of recommendation because

I don't know him and pardon me for bothering you.

DURAN: It was no bother, thank you very much.

0000175

SEGRET

JFK#056

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27 September 1963, Sovict Embassy Consulatc 15-60-55

Item 74, page 2

An unidentified man (speaking Spanish) calls the Soviet Embassy

Consulate at 1037 hours and asks for the Consul.

He is told that

the Consul is not there.

The unidentified man asked what is needed

to get visas to go to Odessa. He is told to call back at 1130 hours.

Item 137, page 2

At 1235 hours a man named ALATRISTE (not a Soviet) from inside the

Soviet Embassy Consulate calls out to number 45-37-72 (Colonial

America, probably a pension or hotel but number not listed in the

telephone directory) and speaks with a man named SAN ROMAN.

ALATRISTE says that he is in the Russian Embassy and they need to

know what day the boat "KALONIA"' will arrive in Odessa, that the

Soviets will also need copies of the passenger manifest.

(One concludes that ALATRISTE and SAN ROMAN are shipping

for the boat "KALONIA"', and needed routine visa informations First

a call was made to the

first listing for the Sovre

bassy in the

Mexican telephone directory (which turned outco

the Military Attache) •

They got the phone number for the Consulate and the address.

making a call to the Consulate and Lean

that it would not be open

until 1130 hours, ALATRISTE went,

address to get the needed

information.)

• Item 395, pages 7 and 8

Just after 1600 hours,

Soviet Consulate received a call from the

Cuban Consulate (Sylvia DURAN) who said she had there a U.S. citizen

who had requested a transit visa to Cuba because he is going to the

USSR. DURAN wants to know with whom he spoke at the Soviet Embassy

because she sent him over to them telling him that if the Soviets

approved the visa then the Cubans would give him one without anything

more, advising the (Department of) Inmigration in Cuba. She wants

to know with whom he

spoke because he says that he doesn't know

either with what person and who told him that certainly there would

be no problem. The Soviet asks DURAN to wait a minute.

After a

short wait DURAN explains the same thing to another Soviet. This

Soviet tells her to leave her telephone (number) and her name and

someone will return the call. DURAN gives her name and telephone

number 11-28-47 then says as a personal thing,

she has moved and

has not advised them of a change of address so will not receive their

Bulletin and can give it to them now.

The Soviet asks her to call

KOUKHARENKO in order to change that address and asks for the name

of the (Cuban) Cultural Attache.

DURAN says it is Teresa PROENZA

whose number is 14-13-26. The Soviet thanks her.

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