[1]178-10004-10416)
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[36]MW 50955 Docla:32105602
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[39]Identification Form
[41]Agency Information
[43]ROCKCOM
[44]178-10004-10416
[46]TESTIMONY SERIES
[48]COLBY STATEMENT--APPENDICES
[50]Date:
[52]i
[54]Document Information
[56]C i A
[58]THE MIAMI STATION
[60]01/13/1975
[61]7
[63]BAY OF PIGS
[64]ANTI-CASTRO ACTIVITIES
[65]CIA
[67]PERIODICAL, RAMPARTS
[68]MIAMI, FL
[70]CUBAN EXILES
[72]REPORT
[73]Unclassified
[74]Consulted
[75]Redact
[76]11/06/1995
[78]Appendix J to Statement of William Colby to Rockefeller Commission, 13 January 1975.
[82]Page 1
[84]Secret
[85]. + 178-10004-10416
[87]Appendix J
[89]' THE MIAMI STATION
[91]In March 1960, President Eisenhower approved the project later to become
[92]known as the Bay of Pigs. In April 1960 a Western Hemisphere Division Forward
[93]Operations Base (FOB) was established in South Miami, Florida,. for the purpose
[94]of coordinating all support, training, and preparatory activities for operations against
[95]Cuba. The FOB simultaneously supported our busy Havana Station which was
[96]operating under difficult circumstances, including inhibiting surveillance of our
[97]officers by Castro security services. After the Station was closed in Havana when
[98]US diplomatic relations were broken with Castro's government in January 1961,
[99]it was envisioned that selected personnel assigned to the Miami Base would, upon
[100]the overthrow of the Castro government, become a nucleus to reopen the Havana
[101]Station. During the Bay of Pigs landing, the FOB provided support for the
[102]operation. :
[104]In September 1961, the Miami Station was established at.a new location,
[105]replacing the FOB. About 300. persons were assigned to the Station at one time;
[106]Headquarters responsibility was in an autonomous group until 1965, when the
[107]Western Hemisphere Division resumed charge.
[109]Utilizing former Cuban assets in Havana who had fled to the United States,
[110]indigenous Cuban organizations were formed to continue the overt struggle against
[111]the Castro government. In addition, a Cuban Intelligence Organization in exile was
[112]formed to collect information on the activities of militant autonomous Cuban exile
[113]groups in the United States who were not affiliated with the US Government effort
[114]against the Cuban regime. The Cuban intelligence organization in exile participated
[115]in a number of activities including the issuance of anti-Castro publications,
[116]maintaining relations with anti-Castro governments and groups in the Caribbean
[117]and Latin American countries, and debriefing Cuban exiles arriving in the United
[118]States for positive foreign intelligence and counterintelligence to identify Cuban
[119]agents being infiltrated into the United States via the Cuban Freedom Flights and
[120]small boats. Allied with this effort was an electronic intercept capability directed
[121]at Cuban government communications which was manned by indigenous Cuban
[122]exiles. Close working relations were maintained with US Government agencies in
[123]the Miami area such as the FBI, INS, Coast Guard, Customs, Navy, Air Force,
[124]etc., to coordinate activities. A small support base was established in Key West.
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[132]During the period 1962-66 the Miami Station engaged in classical intelligence
[133]operations directed against the Cuban regime. Radio Americas was established and
[134]broadcast daily from Swan Island in the Caribbean. Psychological, economic, and
[135]political activities were: undertaken in an effort to undermine confidence in the
[136]Castro government and underscore the Soviet presence and total Cuban dependence
[137]on the USSR. Maritime operations were also undertaken. Among other missions,
[138]Cubans who desired to escape from the Cuban mainiand were assisted.
[140]In late 1966 a substantial cutback in the pace of operations began and a
[141]reorganization of the Station was undertaken as a result of a review by higher
[142]authority (303 Committee). Many cover entities were terminated and personnel —
[143]reassigned. Increased emphasis on the collection of intelligence and
[144]counterintelligence through operations in other foreign areas, limitation on maritime
[145]activities, and consolidation of written and radio output achieved considerable
[146]savings in money and manpower.
[148]In early 1968 it became apparent that as a result of sustained operational
[149]activity in the Miami area over a period of years the cover of the Miami Station
[150]had eroded to a point that the security of our operations was increasingly
[151]jeopardized. This erosion was more significant following the Rampartsexposure of
[152]CIA operations and the possibility that the location of our Station on property
[153]leased from the University of Miami might be especially embarrassing to the
[154]University. At the same time, it became apparent that activities would -have to
[155]be reduced drastically for policy, budgetary, and operational reasons. It was decided
[156]to deactivate the Miami Station and replace it with a smaller Station which would
[157]-be better able to respond to current needs. Security had deteriorated seriously
[158]at the large Station (then 150 persons) which was under commercial cover near
[159]Homestead; the new Station of about 50 persons had good official cover on a
[160]government-controlled area in a run-down part of Miami Beach. It was felt, also,
[161]that the new Station could facilitate adjustments in the objectives and targets of
[162]Miami-based operations and enable the new Station to reduce our dependence on
[163]those Cuban exiles who were no longer in tune with current or future needs.
[165]In August 1968 the new, smaller Miami Station was activated, and during
[166]the ensuing months the maritime activities were terminated; a new and much smaller
[167]media operation was activated, and intelligence collection was expanded to include
[168]the Bahamas and Lesser Antillies. Increased emphasis was given to third-country
[169]Cuban operations {agent recruitment and technical operations against Cuban
[170]Embassies abroad) under the guidance of the new Station. The Cuban emigre
[171]organizations supported by the Station were drastically reduced and activities were
[173]Photocopy
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[180]Secret
[182]phased down. Ine 1974; responsibility for the residue Cuban operations was
[183]transferred to Headquarters and the remaining Cuban emigre organizations were
[185]terminated.
[187]~some 20.’staff “personnel in the..Miami Station are engaged in
[188]ign positive -intelligerice and -countérintelligence in those areas of the
[189]Caribbean, t that: are of strategic Iportance- ‘to US: ‘policymakers and‘in which
[190]unfriendly’ overt or. covert ac ion ould be iftimical to US interests. (For Support
[191]Activities in. the Miami ° ‘aréa, “sees sthe attachment.)
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[199]Secret
[201]Support Activities
[202]in the Miami Area
[204]Communications
[205]Prior to 1968.
[207]From the late 1950s through 1968, CIA communications activities in
[208]the Miami area supported DDO covert action against the Cuban government.
[209]The CIA radio station transmitted and received enciphered messages to and
[210]from agents at sea or in Cuba.
[212]‘ inltércept. facility also monitored Cuban and: other’ selected foreign .
[213]Part . from, Cuban operations, SOME ‘high’ frequency. ‘Morse and
[214]teletype "message Sowere exchanged between: thé’ ‘Miami radio: ‘base. station and
[215]selected CIA’ field stations in Latin America. In 1964' thé: CIA Latin American
[216]area electronic equipment repair facility was relocated from Panama to the
[217]Richmond Naval Air Station.
[219]Miami-based CIA communications personnel were responsible to the DDO
[220]for training staff and agent personnel and for equipping teams and boats with
[221]the means of maintaining communications during operations directed against
[222]Cuba.
[224]Liaison was conducted with the FCC, the FBI, the Department of State,
[225]- and the Department of Defense.
[227]Other non-communications liaison existed between the Miami
[228]communications facilities and various organizations: the Miami Beach Police,
[229]the University of Miami, and the Coast Guard/GSA. ‘
[231]From 1968 to Present.
[232]The focus was on communicating with CIA agents in-place on the island
[234]of Cuba or in Latin America. Communications links were established with
[235]foreign police authorities in several countries during this period.
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[243]Secret
[245]During the 1968 Republican National Convention, secure electronic
[246]circuitry was installed between the Fountainbleu Hotel and CIA Langley
[247]Headquarters. The circuit was patched through the Langley facility to the
[248]CIA communications radio station at the Richmond Naval Air Station.
[249]Provisions were made to provide the Secret Service with name trace
[250]information on foreign nationals on a timely basis during the 1968 Republican
[251]National Convention and the 1972 Democratic and Republican National
[252]Conventions. In the latter instance, requests were made by Secret Service
[253]Headquarters to CIA Headquarters and communicated to CIA/DDO, Miami,
[254]for action. ;
[256]In 1969 the CIA Latin American Communications Activity (AMCA)
[257]Headquarters was relocated from Washington, D.C., to Miami. This activity
[258]provides the operational, technical, and management support to the Diplomatic
[259]Telecommunications Service and CIA covert operations throughout Latin
[260]America. AMCA Headquarters also took over all CIA communications facilities
[261]and responsibilities in the Miami area.
[265]All CIA monitoring activities ceased in 1972. The Richmond Naval Air
[266]Station radio base station ceased operation in early 1972. In May 1974 the
[267]special DDO contract facility that monitored Cuban communications, located
[268]in Homestead, Florida, was closed. At the same time, the secure
[269]communications circuitry between the DDO cover office responsible for name
[270]traces was also terminated.
[272]Liaison was conducted with the FCC, the GSA, and the Army for
[273]purposes of cover and with the Armed Forces Courier Service.
[275]Although very little communications support for Cuban operations was
[276]provided after 1968, on one occasion an anti-Castro group was given support
[277]in the form of radio signal plans and technical guidance on how to best install
[278]radios in small boats. ,
[280]The Burns Detective Agency was contracted to provide security service
[281]and operated ClA-owned radios as part of their security posture. Cover. for
[282]the Naval Air: Station communications facility continued to be provided by
[283]the Army for cover.
[285]Contact with the Miami police did occur after 1968 as the result of
[286]using an office in a Miami police station for three months to train a Surinam
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[296]National Police Officer in high frequency communications. No communications
[297]instructions were provided to the Miami police.
[299]Finance
[301]The First National Bank of Miami has been used by the Monetary Division
[302]to provide the Office of Finance with essential services in support of operations.
[303]These included: purchasing foreign currencies; purchasing bank cashier's checks;
[304]establishing bank accounts, both commercial and individual; providing letters of
[305]credit; initiating and receiving bank transfers, and placing of home mortgages in
[306]one or two instances where the individual's cover precluded the normal credit
[307]investigations.
[309]Medical Services
[310]"Bay of Pigs" Project.
[312]The Project Medical Advisor made two TDY trips to Miami prior to the
[313]Bay of Pigs to discuss medical training plans with Cuban medical personnel.
[315]A four-man evaluation team from OMS made at least two TDY trips
[316]to the Miami area to medically evaluate Cubans as cadre personnel for the
[317]invasion brigade.
[319]The Assessment and Evaluation Staff (A&ES) sent teams to Miami during
[320]the same period for psychological evaluations.
[322]A Medical Technician from the OMS was also temporarily assigned to
[323]Miami for first aid and medical training for the project activities in the Miami
[324]area.
[326]Post-Invasion.
[328]A Medical Technician from OMS was assigned PCS to JMWAVE in Miami
[329]from September 1963 to June 1966.
[331]During this same period the A&ES (by then part of the OMS) would,
[332]on request, occasionally send a psychologist to Miami for psychological
[333]evaluation for these continuing WH operational activities. :
[335]Photocopy
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[345]OMS support of the type mentioned above was phased out about 1964.
[346]Since that time, OMS relationship to any Agency activity in Miami has been
[348]rare.
[350]Since 1960, OMS has continuously had an average of three independent
[351]contractors in the Miami area who function as professional consultants to
[353]OMS.
[355]Personnel
[357]The Office of Personnel conducts or has conducted normal personne! activities
[358]including: recruiting, position surveys, and contract preparation. Correspondence
[359]is carried out with personne] in the Miami area relative to: retirement benefits,
[360]insurance, disability and casualty claims, and the shipment of employee household
[362]effects and automobiles.
[364]Security
[366]In July 1968 the Office of Security established a field office in Miami to
[367]run investigations and provide liaison and operational support to the DDO Station,
[368]Miami. Prior to 1968, such support was physically integrated into the DDO activity.
[370]7 Photocopy
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