[5]104-10102-10227
[7]| 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
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[12]o : ) 8 as, yy
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[15]14 February 1977
[16]MEMORANDUM
[18]O|
[19]SUBJECT: Tadeusz (Tad) Witold SZULC (AMEAPE-i) (201-50539)
[21]1. SZULC was born on 25 July 1926 in Warsaw, Poland.
[22]He arrived in Brazil from Lisbon on 3 August 1940, and came
[23]to the U.S. in October 1947 under sponsorship of U.S. Ambassador
[24]_ John C, WILEY, the husband of his mother's sister. He became
[25]a correspondent for the New York Times (NYT) in 1953, and
[26]became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1954 by a special
[27]Congressional bill. .
[28]2. SZULC has been under suspicion as a hostile foreign
[29]agent since 1948 when the FBI reported (apparently from a
[30]\\ British] source) that he was a Communist. He brought ‘himself
[31]to the attention of CIA in August 1959 in Santiago, Chile by
[32]claiming (falsely) to be "cleared" and requesting contact with
[33]an Agency representative. This was the first of many such
[34]incidents in Latin America, and resulted in a warning to all
[35]Latin American Stations to beware of SZULC and his efforts to
[36]interview Agency personnel. It also resulted in continuing
[37]watch of his movements and activities because they represented
[38]a threat to the cover of Agency personnel. By 1960 his reputa-
[39]tion was so widespread that several different CIA officers
[40]called for an investigation that would clear up "once and for
[41]all" his suspected connections with a hostile intelligence
[42]service. He was in frequent contact with Communist Party
[43]leaders and functionaries throughout Latin America, constantly
[45]sought out and elicited information from U.S. Embassy officers,
[48]frequently mentioning the name of other CIA officers with
[49]whom he was acquainted. |
[51]3. Although the suspicions have increased, and SZULC's
[52]4 anti- Agency activities have become much more serious and
[53]blatant in the 1970's, it has not been possible to clear up
[55]any of the suspicions about his motives or his possible
[57]ante nnon Bie
[59]connections with a foreign intelligence service. There have
[61]been numerous reviews of his files and the interest in his
[63]activities has extended from the case officer. level to the DCI.
[64]In fact, it is not possible to come to any clear conclusion
[65]about this man, and the notes below are simply illustrative
[66]_ ’ of the kinds of things that keep the suspicions alive. It
[67]is important to note that SZULC's activities can be explained
[68]by the combination of his personality, ambition, and the
[69]demands on an investigative reporter for the NYT. He is an
[70]aggressive, insensitive, and persistent journalist with the
[71]family connections (Ambassador Wiley) and ability to develop
[72]the kinds of contacts appropriate to a successful correspondent
[73]for a paper like the NYT.
[75]4. Nevertheless, there are elements throughout his
[76]entire career het are almost designed to. arouse suspicion.
[77]For example, a Britisil source in Rio de Janeiro (see Attachment A)
[78]reported that SZULC was "directed" by the Polish regime in
[79]Warsaw to seek employment in U.S. journalistic circles. This
[80]report runs like a thread throughout his file and is repeated
[82]and garbled in several versions over the years. The report
[84]lisa
[87]fa
[89]Q7%
[93]cad
[95]fe | ;
[97]See :
[98]s
[100]. H
[101] .has never been adequately explained and was apparently never
[103]5-\ | a
[104]reported in full to,[Londoa) by the [British] representative in
[105]{ ° Rio. This report and other questions that arose early in his
[107]career (his contacts with a cousin who was a Press Attache in
[109]ete ade a tear
[111]the Polish Embassy in Rio) were, however, just the earliest
[112]elements that aroused suspicion. |
[114]5. Because he became so well-known to sd many Agency
[116]' officers, his name and reputation have become subject of
[117]discussion on many occasions. One senior operations officer
[118]stated in 1975 that a Soviet agent could not be more beneficial
[119]to the Soviets and the Communist cause than SZULC has been.
[120]Although he presented a generally anti-Communist view prior
[122]to quitting the NYT in 1972, it is noteworthy that he arranged
[123]extensive, favorable TV coverage of the Communist-dominated
[124]Ligas Campesinas in Northeast Brazil and that one of the most
[125]important anti-Castro operations, AMTRUNK, in which he was
[126]involved fromthe beginning, was disastrous for all participants.
[127]More indicative of his true beliefs, however, are the articles
[128]he has written since Watergate. They have become increasingly
[129]critical of the CIA and of the USG generally and have damaged
[130]U.S. image and prestige. .
[132]6. The notes below are somewhat random examples of
[133]elements in SZULC's file that bring him under suspicion. As
[134]mentioned above, they in no way point to a firm conclusion.
[136]For further information on SZULC during the period 1963 - 1964,
[137]see the CI review prepared at Miami Station on Jorge VOLSKY
[139]in 1964.
[141]21KK
[144]- Le ne rel atin
[146]oF SECRET a)
[148]a. The 1948 FBI report that SZULC was involved in
[150]“supplying the Polish Legation in Rio with information
[152]from his personal contacts and from Ambassador John C.
[153]Wiley has been repeated in various versions throughout
[154]SZULC's file. The FBI has found similar allegations
[156]made by other sources who knew SZULC at that time. In
[157]addition, ‘several sources have mentioned SZULC's relations
[158]with his cousin, Ignacy SACHS, who was the Press Attache
[159]in the Polish Embassy in 1947 and 1948, although there
[161]is no indication that SACHS had intelligence connections.
[163]- b. SZULC's marriage to the daughter of the American
[164]manager of the English language newspaper in Rio de Janeiro,
[165]the Herald, lasted only until SZULC had permanent residence
[166]in the U.S. and appears to have been carried through for
[167]that purpose.
[169]c. By 1949 (SZULC was only 23) he had come to the
[170]attention of the [Rio Section because of his dealings
[171]with the Polish Legation and because investigation revealed
[172]his father had some (apparently innocent) business dealings
[173]with Russians visiting Brazil from Mexico.
[175]d. In 1954, about a year after he was hired by the —
[176]NYT, SZULC obtained a sensational story, by telephone,
[177]from a Communist leader in Guatemala. This launched his
[178]career with the NYT.
[180]e. In 1956 SZULC was ‘investigating Brazilian nuclear
[181]policy for the NYT. Although a legitimate topic, it was
[182]somewhat unusual for him and the timing seems unusual
[184]for NYT interest.
[186]VaR
[189]oD. SECRET =
[191]f. In 1959, on a trip to Santiago, Chile, SZULC
[192]claimed to be "cleared" and requested an interview
[193]with an Agency representative. This was the first of
[194]numerous such requests. In addition, it was in about
[195]1959 that he. also began making a point of telling Agency
[196]personnel the names of other Agency officers he had
[197]identified,
[199]g- An article SZULC wrote on Cuba for the NYT in
[200]December 1959 was hailed as an antidote to the excessively
[201]favorable reports of his colleague, Herbert MATTHEWS, but
[202]in fact his article was largely favorable to Fidel CASTRO
[203]and to CASTRO's plans for Cuba. It is only in comparison
[204]with MATTHEWS blatantly pro-CASTRO articles 7 SZULC's
[205]piece/can ~ be considered balanced.
[207]h. By September 1960, SZULC was in the forefront of
[208]those advocating action against CASTRO. (it was he who
[209]finally brought the Leonardo Plan to Washington in 1963.
[211]. See AMTRUNK Operational paper).
[213]i. In April 1961, shortly after John F. KENNEDY was
[214]innaugurated, SZULC_was transferred to Washington by the
[215]NYT. Although a reasonable transfer, it is noteworthy
[216]that in a very short time SZULC claimed that he had a
[217]standing invitation to go directly to the President, the
[218]Vice President, the Attorney General, McGeorge BUNDY
[219]and Robert HURWITCH on Cuban matters.
[222]rope
[223]- - 4 om
[224]my BODAET 3
[226]j. SZULC persistently sought a continuing contact
[228]with an Agency representative in Washington shortly after
[229]he arrived until it was granted in December 1962. The
[230]first contact was with Albert C. DAVIES (Lt. Col. on
[231]military detail to CIA - Cuba), and was arranged at the
[232]behest of Colonel GROGAN, the Assistant to the Director,
[233]on SZULC's request.
[235]|
[238]“4
[239]|
[240]1
[241]i
[243]|
[245]k. In early 1963, at President KENNEDY's urging, 7
[247]| contact with SZULC was made into a formal relationship and
[248]was continued until October 1964. The meetings were used
[249]by SZULC to cross check his information from other sources,
[250]including various Cuban exiles and the Department of
[251]State. He became, by virtue of his contacts with the
[252]exile community and throughout Washington, one of the most
[253]knowledgeable people in the area of Cuban affairs, anti-
[254]CASTRO activities, and U.S. Government policy. (See cI
[255]study on Jorge VOLSKY for more information on this period.)
[257]1. The Agency officer, Alfonso RODRIGUEZ, who main-
[259]tained official contact with SZULC in 1963 and 1964 said
[260]in July 1964:
[262]"The special friendship and mutual admiration
[263]society that has existed between Tad SZULC, Jorge
[264]VOLSKY, and Manuel RAY and the JURE is not something
[265]that is transparent or easily explained. This
[266]alliance may be something unholy and Machiavellian;
[268]I just do not know, but I can find no evidence to
[270]prove it."
[273]1
[275]tana
[277]Ot Tr teens tee a
[279]-D0000
[281]oy SECRET. Sg
[283]mM. Another officer, Seymour Young, wrote in 1965:
[284]"After reading and re-reading this man's various
[285]--—~-€iles, I began to feel that this man in his position
[286]would be an ideal ‘agent of influence’. It was
[287]noted that he is always in a crisis area and usually
[288]in advance of the crisis and writes articles which
[289]are more concerned with the Communist successes."
[290]n. In about’ August 1965, SZULC was sent to Madrid
[291]as the NYT representative for Spain and Portugal. He
[292]stayed overseas until December 1968. He was present in
[293]Prague during the Soviet invasion of August 1968 and in
[294]December he was expelled, apparently for being too
[295]inquisitive. However, the [West German Service \has remained
[296]suspicious of the circumstances of SZULC's expulsion and
[297]the details have never been clarified. (It is interesting
[298]that SZULC wrote articles reflecting the official CZECH
[299]line concerning the defection of General Jan SEJNA who
[300]was in the Czech Intelligence service.)
[301]0. SZULC was reported by an FBI source to have gone
[302]horseback riding with Boris Vv. YAROCHEVSKIY, a suspect
[303]KGB officer, in Washington in June or July 1971. SZULC's
[304]file reflects no regular contact with Bloc diplomats.
[305]Pp. In 1972 and 1973 SZULC covered Watergate extensively
[306]and demonstrated an e¢trenp bias against 'the CIA. By ,
[307]July 1972, SZULC's inquiries of the Department of State ‘
[308]and his articles had taken on a distinctly anti-US Govern-
[310]ment tone. His coverage of guerrilla and terrorist groups
[312]° . 1K
[314]! . was less sure than in earlier days and was frequently
[315]sensationalist and full of inaccuracies. (See, especially,
[316]article in NYT for 14 July 1972 on a terrorist Headquarters
[318]“| in Zurich and other wild statements.)
[320]q. Since 1974 SZULC's articles have been highly
[321]critical of the Agency and he has used the background
[322]information he gathered in the 1960's to attack the Agency
[323]fod and to criticize its operations.
[325]. r. In May 1975 SZULC accused the Agency of rifling
[326]the files of U.S. Senators. This was only one of many
[327]irresponsible and false articles he wrote trying to dis-
[328]credit: the Agency. One of the more spectacular efforts
[329]was a series in Esquire magazine, in which, among other
[330]things, he charged that the U.S. intelligence community
[331]had a hidden budget of $25 billion dollars and a network
[332]-of 200,000 spies. .
[334]s. In, Inside the Company: A CIA Diary, Philip AGEE
[335]‘credits SZULC's daughter, Nicole, for having "obtained
[336]vital research materials in New York and Washington, D.C."
[337]There is reason to believe, particularly in view of the
[338]extreme views Tad SZULC has manifested in the past two
[339]years, that he may have aided his daughter in her "research."
[340]SUMMATION
[341]The case against Tad SZULC as a foreign agent is weak.
[342]However, his most recent activities are entirely consonant with
[343]the view that he has already served the Soviets well and can
[345]8
[347]seuntl
[349]Sop reesiyedees +
[351]1g-00000
[353]oF ay SECRET )
[355]end his career as an overt propagandist taking advantage of
[357]the current furor over the CIA to do the greatest possible
[359]ens
[361]damage. The current paralysis of all anti-Communist action by lf -
[362]‘the Agency attests to the effectiveness of AGEE, SZULC, the
[363]Soviets, et al.
[365]NOTE: (See attachment/ fron a highly sensitive source.
[366]Any use of the SECRET/SENSITIVE attachment requires c/CI
[367]approval.) The source reported that Nicole, while working
[368]With the DGI in Cuba to. éxpose the Agency, said that except for
[369]her father, her whole family were "fascists." She said that
[370]her father quit the NYT because of the restrictive editorial
[372]policy and he wished to write according to his beliefs.
[374]03
[375]LAD/JFK Tas Force 1977/Marty Millerkrp
[376]2 Attachments, a/s
[377]Copy filed: 201-~50539
[381]| Sethe
[383][/Ge-