[1]178-10004-10148)
[3]2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 |
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[35]JFK Assassination system
[36]Identification Form
[38]Agency Information
[40]DAVIS
[41]178-10004-10148
[43]GENERAL SUBJECT FILE
[45]INTEL. INVESTIGATIONS--MISC. B, OCT.1975 (3)
[47]Date:
[49]Document Information
[51]WH
[52]RATLIFF, ROB ROY
[53]SCOWCROFT, BRENT
[55]JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REQUEST FOR MAIL INFORMATION
[57]10/14/1975
[58]3
[60]OPERATION MONGOOSE
[62]MEMORANDUM
[63]Secret
[67]Redact
[68]08/09/1993
[70]No attachments.
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[74]Lis . ’
[75]| \
[77]. MEMORANDUM EYES Cr. . \
[78]THE WHITE HOUSE OUTSIDE SYSTEM
[79]i WASHINGTON INFORMATION
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[83]2 {4 October 1975
[84]el
[88]ry
[90]Ss MEMORANDUM FOR: GENERAL SCOWCROFT Q
[91]So
[93]S FROM: ROB ROY RATLIFF
[95]4 . .
[99]s SUBJECT: Justice Department Request for Mail Information
[101]' Jeanne Davis transmitted to me a request from the Department of Justice to
[102]survey 40 Committee and predecessor group files to determine any information
[103]of a list of subjects focused on operations involving mail. She asked that I
[104]transmit my findings directly to you.
[106]I assume that Justice is interested in illegal use of the mails. As I understand
[107]CIA's admitted activity in this field, it was an intelligence collection operation
[108]and therefore would not be subject to review by the 40 Committee or its
[109]predecessors. We find no record that mail intercept operations were discussed
[110]by the 40 Committee or predecessors; however, there are references to mail
[111]operations in Committee records. ,
[113]Jeanne Davis said Justice wanted material on "any use of mail techniques. "'
[114]These are representative items:
[116]TAB A--Reports which indicate general mailings of propaganda and
[117]related material. There is nothing sinister in this--you put a book
[118]or pamphlet in an envelope, address it, put on postage and drop it in
[119]the mail.
[121]TAB B--Letters were test mailed inside a denied area to see if they
[122]come out, or individuals mailed spontaneous letters to CIA-supported
[123]enterprises. Again, there is nothing unusual about this--regular use
[124]of the mail system.
[126]TAB C--Special covert operations which make use of the mails, including:
[127]C-1--A forged letter mailed in Prague to a Czech leader.
[129]C-2--Mailing of black letters, primarily from third countries.
[130]However (see page 5 of 9 May 1972 item), some of these letters
[131]may have been inserted into the mail system ostensibly as having
[132]originated in the denied area. ” CLassiFis: Signer
[134]EXEMOT
[136]aroney
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[157]C-3--Some covert operations using the mail may have been designed
[158]to represent that the item was originally mailed in a denied area.
[160]‘In other words, you want the recipient to believe that his letter came
[161]from the Chinese Communists so you make it appear as if it had
[162]been mailed from China. Note that the last item in this group (17 and
[163]10 January 1972) refers to "letter-insert mechanisms. I can find
[164]no elaboration of what this means, but it might represent intercept
[165]of the mail, surreptitious opening of a letter and the insert of some
[166]additional material. ,
[168]C-4~-~National Intelligence Estimates and other reports of intelligence
[169]may refer to information, some part of which was gleaned from mail
[170]intercepts. On the basis of protecting sources and methods these
[171]would not normally be identified in a document. However if the
[172]question were asked at a meeting, the source might be orally identified
[173]as a mail intercept (or SIGINT or whatever).
[175]C-5--This category represents probable entry into the international
[177]mail system to support a covert operation. The first item shows DOD
[178]sending letters ostensibly from groups in North Vietnam to other
[179]countries. The second shows CIA fabricating and mailing 700 letters
[180]“ostensibly from Peking.'' The third shows CIA fabricating Demo-
[181]cratic Republic of Vietnam greeting cards and mailing them,
[183]In each of the C-5 eases, operational information was probably gleaned
[184]from a mail intercept operation which would enable one to fabricate
[186]the paper, envelopes, writing and addressing styles, even counterfeit
[187]postage stamps and cachets, all with the aim of giving the appearance
[188]that the letter originated from a denied area. The material might then
[189]be inserted into the international mail system (e. g. » you know that
[191]mail from Communist China transits Panama for onward distribution
[193]to Latin America; through liaison or independent contacts you insert
[194]your bundles in the sack from Peking and then it is given routine onward
[195]distribution through the regular mail syste).
[197]C-6--Here are two cases where the Committee was informed that mail
[198]intercepts were the source of information used in support of covert
[199]operations, ,
[201]With regard to MONGOOSE files--which Mrs. Davis said Justice also wanted us
[202]to check--I find only the references at TAB D which suggest the possibility that
[203]mail intercept operations were a part of the response to intense pressures for
[205]more "hard'' information on what was going on in Cuba.
[207]Ayn.
[208]raAnnes lip, oy
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[218]Mrs. Davis also said that Justice made reference to Walt Rostow's recollection
[219]of a general survey of all "intelligence programs country by country" made by
[220]the 303 Committee. I assume he means the general beginning -of-a-new-
[221]President's-term roundup (similar to the ones given Mr. Nixon and Mr. Ford).
[222]We find references to covert action reviews, but these appear to have been oral
[223]and we find nothing in writing, and no references to mail operations.
[225]In summary, we have made a review of our files, with special reference to the
[226]general index of minutes and the country files deemed most likely to include
[227]references to "any use ‘of mail techniques." Representative findings are cited
[228]above. We find no record of "illegal'' mail operations being a subject of dis-
[229]cussion or consideration within the 40 Committee and predecessor organizations
[230](December 1958 to the present). However, there is evidence that the Committee
[231]was informed that mail intercept operations were conducted (TAB C-6),
[233]Please advise if any additional material or presentation is desired.
[235]Attachments
[236]TABs A-D
[238]watt eee
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