[1]AY ARNAAN
[2]Itod-10330-10044! | 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 |
[3]ae ye SECRET
[5]OCC-95-149
[6]07 DEC 1995
[8]MEMORANDUM FOR: JFK Assassination Records Review Board
[9]VIA: Associate Deputy Director for Operations
[11]Associate Deputy Director for Operations/Human
[12]Resources and Programs
[14]FROM: {Eric L. Qualkenbush)y
[15]Chief, Office of Central Cover
[17]SUBJECT: Proposed CIA Name Release
[22]1. The Agency strongly objects to the release of names of
[23]individuals presently under cover, whether active employees or
[24]separated employees. As described below, this action would.
[25]breach Agency commitments to these individuals who agreed to work
[26]under cover in addition to breaching our obligations to the cover
[27]providers.
[29]2. Employees sign a secrecy agreement (Attachment A) upon
[30]entering on duty with the Agency. This agreement pledges the
[31]employee’s secrecy to information which is classified and has not
[32]been publicly acknowledged by the Agency and requires the
[33]employee to protect such information from unauthorized .
[34]disclosure. This secrecy agreement, as long as it. remains. in-
[35]force by mutual agreement, obliges CIA to protect the identities
[36]of Agency employees, our cover providers and covert activities.
[38]3. Because this
[39]as legal bond between
[40]policy to protect the n
[41]separated under cover - >
[42]agree to remove the cover. Identifying as CIA ores meeae
[43]who are mandated by ‘the , Agency tot to use a cover story;
[44]‘Department of State)or jt jthe “ABC” 3c” Corporation,/’ fo
[45]Agency career as well’ as: into’ ‘their years after sepa
[46]- the Agency, jeopardizes: ” 2
[48]secrecy agreement creates. a moral..as ‘well.
[50]e the personal safety of former employees;
[52]WARNING NOTICE oo CL (6489932-'- :
[53]INTELLIGENCE SOURCES - CL REASON: 1.5 (c)
[54]OR METHODS INVOLVED DECL ON: X1
[56]DRV FROM:. COV 2-87
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[65]SUBJECT: Memo to JFK Assassination Records Review Board
[67].the second careers of former employees;
[69]the cover and identity of other employees who worked
[70]with the covert employee whose name is released as
[71]CIA; and,
[73]the protection of sources and methods (what
[74]individual would agree to a clandestine relationship
[75]with American intelligence knowing the secret
[76]association would become public knowledge?).
[78]4, Examples of. how identifying covert employees as CIA will
[79]affect individuals follows:
[81]_
[83]PFE
[85]-
[87]Mr. (Walter McCabe: retired under’ Department of State.
[88]cover and is currently working{ in Russia and several
[92]. converts “wartime” factories into peacetime use.
[94]“Revealing his name would damage his relationship
[95]with his current employer, his position with the
[96]firm and would be awkward at best regarding the host
[97]countries. Attachment B is Mr. McCabe's
[98]acknowledgement that he was aware he would be denied
[99]as a CIA employee and Attachment C is his signed
[100]secrecy agreement.
[102]Attachment D is a signed ackowledgement from Mr.
[103]John Whitten who retired under cover in 1970 which
[104]shows that he was aware that he would be denied as
[105]an employee of the Central Intelligence Agency from
[106]the date he entered on duty through the date of his
[107]departure. Attachment E is a personal letter
[108]received from Mr. Whitten after he was notified that
[109]his name might be released in connection with
[110]declassification of CIA documents. Attachment F is
[111]Mr. Whitten’s signed secrecy agreement. It should
[113]be noted that Mr. Whitten resides; in AUSEE 2a.
[115]Attachment G is_ a Summary of Agency Employment (SAE)
[116]written by Mr. ‘Morton M. Palmer; and approved by the
[118]Agency. Attachment H is a certification by Mr.
[119]Palmer /that he will abide by what is contained in
[121]“his SAE and understands disclosure of other
[123]information would be in violation of his secrecy
[125]2
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[134]‘ SUBJECT: Memo to JFK Assassination Records Review Board
[136]agreement. Attachment I is Mr. (Palmer’s~signed
[137]secrecy agreement. It _st should be noted that Mr.
[138]Palmer resides in in Mexico:
[140]5S. Our relationship with cover providers would be
[141]jeopardized if it became publicly known that they were providing
[142]cover to CIA employees.’ ' The Department of Statescould very well
[143]raise objections to our future use of ‘State jcover.. Of increasing
[144]importance to the Agency at this time is the critical use of —
[145][Private sector (nonofficial) cover providers. The private sector /
[146]would no doubt drop contact and avoid future dealings with us if
[148]we reveal a covert relationship. Identifying covert
[149]relationships with cover providers would paralyze Agency
[150]operations which in turn could severely damage national security.
[151]In addition, in the past it has exposed CIA to legal liabilities
[152]and substantial monetary damages.
[154]6. Headquarters Regulation (HR) 240-1 is the Agency’s
[155]regulation on cover. It states that “cover is required for all
[156]Agency operations, activities and installations abroad, including
[157]personnel in PCS or TDY status.” HR 240-2, the Agency’s
[158]regulation on cover after separation, states that “the - 3
[159]determination that an employee will retain all or a part of his
[160]or her cover after separation from the Agency will be based upon
[161]the judgment that separation in an overt status could result in.
[162]damage to the national security by compromising intelligence *
[163]sources, methods, activities, and/or information, or cause harm
[164]to foreign relations. This determination will be made on a case-
[165]by-case basis.” {Please note that all | Agency employees _ who retire ~?
[167]at
[169](abroad must retire under cover.
[170]i! if
[172]names of former Agency. émployees adds no value to. the
[173]in addition to risking physical harm to these individua f ;
[174]our public detractors. We propose and emphatically encourage *
[175]that pseudonyms, aliases or generic job descriptions such as desk
[176]officer be used in place of true names which would not diminish
[177]the impact of the documents. - . .
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[187]‘ SUBJECT: . Memo to JFK Assassination Records Review Board
[189]| A
[190]8. After your review and consideration of the above’
[191]information, we would appreciate notification of your final
[193]decision prior to taking any action. ;
[194]ty 7)
[195]} |
[196]he
[198]‘Eric L. Qualkenbush /
[200]Attachments:
[201]As stated above
[203]CONCUR:
[205]8 Dee 57
[207]Date
[208]Operations/Human Resoyrces
[209]and Programs
[210]; if G 4 GC ks aa
[211]' Associate Deputy Director for . Date
[213]Operations
[215]SECRET
[218]0000000 © SECRET
[220]*- SUBJECT: Memo to JFK Assassination Records Review Board
[222]DC/OCC/OSG/EMathias: lae/37076 (6 Dec 95)
[224]Distribution:
[225]Orig & 1 ~- JFK Assassination Records Review Board
[227]1 = IMS/HRS
[228]1 - ADDO
[229]1 - ADDO/HRP
[230]2 - DDO Secretariat
[231]1 - DO/IRO =
[232]1 - OGC/LD ~ Ginda Cipriani
[233]1 - OCC Chron 7 7
[234]1 - ocC/OSG Chron
[235]1 - OCC/OSG File 785-120-034 ‘
[237]SECRET