MITCHELL LIVINGSTON WERBELL-INFORMATION ON SUBJECT'S ADULT LIFE WITH NEWPAPER CLIPPINGS ATTACHED.
Originator: CIA
Document date: 05/27/1970
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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104-10256-10077

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

27 May

1990

SUBJECT: Mitchell Livingston Wer Bell

1. Subject is a 52-year-old, native-born American who served

on military assignment with the Office of Strategic Services from

approximately July to December of 1945 with primary service in the

China-Burma-India theatre. Following his military/OSS service,

Subject entered into a variety of short-term business activities, most

of which were characterized by his unorthodox business practices.

There is no indication that he has ever been employed by the Agency.

2. There is considerable evidence in Subject's file that he was

looked upon with strong suspicion by several Government agencies,

including the Bureau of Customs and the Federal Bureau of Investigation

for alleged arms smuggling in a number of South American countries,

as well as his apparent involvement with several revolutionary groups

and Castro assassination schemes. Office of Security records disclose

that Subject is generally categorized as a con man, unscrupulous, a

wheeler-dealer and a promoter of grandiose schemes.

3. In July 1959 Subject apparently volunteered his services to

the Western Hemisphere Division and was seriously considered for..

use as an informant on revolutionary activities in Cuba and the

Dominican Republic. During the period that Subject's Operational

Approval was being processed, he volunteered several pieces of

information, all of which were judged to have little value. In

October 1959, WH Division decided to drop all operational interest

in the Subject since they became convinced that his real aim in working

for CIA was to use Agency funds to promote his personal interests.

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4. In February 1967 the Domestic Contact Service advised that

Subject frequently volunteered information to their Miami Office and

was going to be asked to respond to certain OSI requirements pertaining

to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and other selected areas. However,

it is not known that Subject was approached in this regard, and the DCS

was provided with information relating to his dubious character.

5. In August 1967 Subject came to Agency attention when he

attempted to interest a group of military officers in a weapon silencer

he had supposedly developed for the M-16 rifle. One of these officers

was actually a representative of ISD servicing under cover who

reported that Subject had no reservations about imposing himself on

anyone in order to achieve his aims.

6. Subject was mentioned extensively in an article on independent

arms dealers appearing in the January 1968 issue of True magazine,

and he reportedly made statements that the CIA and the DIA would

protect him in case he got into difficulty. Based on Subject's statements,

the Munitions Control Board asked the Agency whether we had any

interest in him. The case was summarized for the benefit of the

Deputy Director for Support on l1 January 1968, and the reply to the

Munitions Control Board was provided by the Office of Logistics.

7. Office of Security records reflect that a Department of

Defense representative reviewed Subject's security file in March 1968,

at which time we continued to receive reports that Subject was

representing himself as a CIA employee. "In May 1969 information

was received from an Air Force OSI representative in Miami, Florida,

that Subject was undergoing a security clearance check as a result of

his being employed by a company with a Government contract. At

about the same time Saigon Station requested a Headquarters "bona

fides" check on Subject, who was then employed by Sionics, Inc.;

and he advised OSI that he was affiliated with CIA. The Station was

informed of Subject's background as an unscrupulous con-man.

13-5

8. On 26 May 1969 (Bangkok Station generated a cable with

extensive distribution in the Far East outlining Subject's activities

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in hig alleged capacity as Chief of ClA in Thailand. It was mentioned

that the Station had been plagued for some weeks by Subject, Vice

President and Director Research and Development for Sionics, Atlanta,

Georgia.

Subject reportedly describes himself as a counter-insurgency

expert, has a variety of weapons to display and claims to be a retired

Colonel. He normally implies United States Government connections

and he presents a demonstration of a variety of exotic weapons that

never fails to impress.

Reportedly Subject had visited Vietnam in

order to provide General Abrams with such a demonstration of weapons,

and it was stated that he planned on setting up a sniper training program.

article on s Washi

9. The Washington Post of 3 December 1969 contains an extensive

article on Subject, who was under Federal investigation for receiving

guns shipped from Vietnam through Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

The article mentions that two years previously Subject was indicted

on charges of violating a Federal law forbidding the preparation of a

military expedition against a friendly nation from American territory.

10. The Washington Post of 22 February 1970 contains an article

which indicated that Lt. Colonel Paul A. Mariott of Eglin Air Force

Base was cleared of any illegal actions in connection with the shipment

of captured weapons from Vietnam. The Subject is quoted as having

said that his firm, Sionics, Inc., had arranged for the shipment to

the United States through Eglin Air Force Base, supposed for Air

Force _use in mus.eums..

11. The Washington Evening Star of 26 February 1970 contains a

story dealing with the charges that the Columbia Broadcasting System

had contributed $80, 000 to a 1966 plot to invade Haiti. Subject was

identified as one of the "leading figures" in the deal, and he was

described as a munitions dealer linked to clandestine operations in

Latin America. He reportedly was hired by CBS as a consultant for

the invasion story, receiving $1, 500. 00 as a down payment.

12. True magazine of April 1970 contains an article by Andrew

St. George entitled, "The Mafia vs the CIA", which alleges to be

the story of the struggle of two invisible governments for the control

of Haiti. Subject is mentioned in the article as a "munitions merchant"

who cooperated with the investigation being conducted by the magazine.

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SUBJECT

•ORM

7.62 1954

MEI

"Aide at Weapons Lab

Cleared in AF Probe a

KosH: 86572-22-70

Air Force officials said yes-'the guns stayed at the Alr

terday that they have cleared Force base.

a lleutenant colonel at Eglin

Reports of the air force in-

Air Force Base In Florida.of

vestigation surfaced last No:

"any illegal or unauthorized

vember

along with charges

actions" in connection with

that the weapons were intend.

shipments to the base of weap-led for distribution to militant

ons captured in Vietnam.

right wing groups. In his state

The announcement was made

ment vesterday. Col. Martin

in a terse statement by Col. said that

"no evidence had

Abner B. Martin, commanderibeen developed at that point

of the

secret armament lab

¡(in November) to substantiate

oratory at Eglin.

the published allegations." He

He made no mention of the did not say what the evidence

reported role of an Atlanta developed since then sug

firm, Sionics Inc., whoe offi-

cials said they arranged the gested.

shipments.

The firm's vice

president,

Mitchell L. WerBell III,

said

in December that he had the

guns "shipped back

to this

country, to present to the: Air:

Force for use in museums. as:

a presentation from Sionlcs.".

WerBell said he made the

arrangements while working

with the Air Force in evaluat-

ing Sionics' new gun silencing

equipment in South Vietnam.

Air Force spokesmen in Wash-

ington, however, said the Air

Force

had no interest in si-

lencers, and Defense Depart-

ment officials said Sionics has

never had any contract. with

the Air Force.

In his announcement; Col.

Martin dwelt only on. the. in:

volvement of It. Col. Baul A

Mariott, the armament labora-

tory's chief assistant for sys

ems support, and this without

spelling out Mariott's connec

Mon.

'Col. Martin said simply that,

he ordered an investigation

last July when the arms, in-

cluding Russian-designed AK.

13 submachine guns,

"arrived

at Eglin without apparent evi

dence that applicable import

rules

and

regulationg had

been complied with."

After: a check by the Air

Force Office of Special Inves

tigations which "centered" on

Mariott,

the lieutenant: colo

nel's "activitles in the incident

were found clear of any illegal

or unauthorized actions on his

part,

and no disciplinary.or

administrative actions have

OFFICE AND !

been or will be taken."

SIGNATURE

Martin said "the weapons at

Elgin" would be used for

"evaluation, experiment and

display purposes in the arma-

ment laborator).". He made no

GROUP 1

;mention of any that "Sionics

toay have gotten. Werell has

indicatets that only some of

(10)

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7373o0

Rial

WASH. Post

3 Dec 1969

Gun Shipment Figures

Played Dramatic Roles

By Bruce Galphin

the attorney general" (Ramsey an official for an American de

Washington Post Stall Writer

Clark). The federal attorney, velopment corporation

ATLANTA, Dec. 2 The two

William A. Meadows Jr., said

At one point during the

he could not make any further fighting, he said a few days

top officials of an Atlanta firm

comment on why the charge afterward, he and some 200

under investigation for receiv-

was being dropped.

other Americans were "lined

Ing guns shipped from Viet-

WerBell commented wryly

up against a wall" by armed

nam through Eglin Air Force

that he was unhappy because

revolutionaries at a Santo

Base in Florida are no strang. "I've lost my one claim to no- Domingo hotel.

ers to controversy or dramatic

toriety."

He said the rebels were

At the time of the indict. looking for Cuban nationalists,

situations.

ment, WerBell was quoted by and that he managed to slip

• One was actively involved in

¡the Atlanta Constitution as ad-

inside the hotel, where Ameri

plans to set up an anti-Castro!

mitting an "extremely combat-

can embassy officials negoti-

base in Haiti, and both were

ant role". in the anti-Castro

ated safe 'conduct 'He was

in the Dominican Republic

base plans.

evacuated by helicopter.to a

The federal indictment had

during the 1965 American ia-

U.S. warship.

alleged a conspiracy to ship

tervention to put down a rev-

"The Communist movement

olution.

guns and munitions from At-

has actually defeated itself"

lanta and New York to Miami.

by forcing the United States

Mitchell Livingston WerBell

But WerBell told a reporter

"to adopt such a firm policy,"

Ill, vice president of Sionics,

at the time of the indictment

he commented at the time.

an Atlanta weapons research

that he had withdrawn his

support from the Haitian base

Both the Dominican fighting

and manufacturing firm, was

plan when it appeared to be

and

the - Marathon-raid-oc;

curred before

WerBell and

indicted 272

years ago on

headed toward direct military

Brown founded Sionics.

charges of violating a federal action.

An Air Force officer at

law forbidding preparation of

"It I'm called upon again to

a military expedition agalnst a

fight Communists in the west-

Eglin Is under Investigation

for his role in three shipments

ern hemisphere, I'll do it," he

friendly nation from American

territory.

said. "Anything I've done has

of small arms from Vietnam.

WerBell denied reports that

served the best interest of the

The indictment against Wer- United States."

the weapons were intended

Bell and six others was made

"I've been involved in anti-

for right-wing

anti-Negro

after customs agents raided an

¡communist activities a long

groups and said he himself,

time," he said. "I've helped

while in Vietnam, had had the

island camp

near Marathon,

the

Dominican government captured weapons cont;to At.

Fla, where they seized a small fight the Communists."

lanta wie Eglin, Zor Laboratory

research.

arsenal of weapons and found Aided Newsman

75 battle-clad exiles and amer

icans.

'In the Dominican action two

years

before,

Not on Island

credited

was

with pulling: a

wounded American newsman

WerBell himself was not oa

out of a bullet-riddled car in

the island at the time of the

Santo Domingo. The newsman,

raid.

Miami Herald photographe

Only

four

reeks • after! Doug Kennedy, had been acci

WerBell was accused, the US. dentally wounded by U.S. Ma.!

atte

exprestdent of l

the

in the Do

mi:

the time, as

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