[1]“\104-10106-10325 - | 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 | -
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[11](vittiam H. Godson
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[14]: Ea FORWARDED INITIALS to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment.}
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[32]vez G10 “itor (] secret ©] CONFIDENTIAL [J weet )sUNCLASSIFIED
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[41]1 November 1977
[43]_MEMORANDUM FOR: Chief, Counterintelligence Staff
[45]O35
[46]FROM : (William H. Godson)
[47]/RG&A/O
[48]SUBJECT : Herbert Itkin File
[50]1. I have reviewed the material in the Herbert Itkin
[51]file which is divided into two main divisions. The first
[52]concerns the details of Itkin's use as an unpaid witting
[53]informant on matters concerning an attempt by Haitian exiles
[54]in 1963 to unseat then President Duvalier. This involved
[55]a large number of contacts with Haitian exiles in New York,
[56]Washington, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Itkin
[57]became a legal advisor for a Haitian Government-In-Exile and
[58]put up $15,000 of his "own funds" for this Haitian enterprise.
[60]Bernard E. MONCURE (P) a CI Staff staff agent in New York,
[62]rode piggy-back on Itkin's contacts with the Haitians to make
[63]his own operational contacts within the group. He also
[64]provided a small amount of money to them ($4,300) from CIA
[65]funds. It would seem from information in the file that there
[66]was high-level governmental interest in removing Duvalier
[68]from office in 1963. This information is contained in hand-
[69]written notes which are paraphrased and indicate high-level
[70]interest in the activities of the Haitian exile group. (I
[71]suggest that this material be kept in case there are Freedom
[72]of Information Act requests on CIA activities involving Haiti
[73]in 1962-1963.)
[75]: Z. The second and bulkier section of material concerns
[76]Itkin's efforts to involve MONCURE and CIA in his attempts to
[77]secure custody of his wife's children from her second marriage.
[78]Itkin had been heavily involved as a lawyer and confidant with
[79]Mafia syndicates and labor unions, particularly the teamsters.
[81]While doing this he had gained a large amount of information
[83]on the Mafia. In March 1963, MONCURE had recruited Itkin for
[84]the FBI for domestic issues while maintaining for CIA the use
[85]of Itkin for foreign intelligence matters. The FBI and the
[86]federal prosecutors in New York starting in 1968 found I[tkin
[87]to be a very important witness in a series of criminal indict-
[88]ments starting with New York City Water Commissioner Marcus.
[90]E2 IMPDET
[91]CL BY 019816
[93]7
[95]Cet ee
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[100]2}
[102]Itkin and his wife had for a long time been :struggling to
[103]maintain custody over her children from her second marriage.
[104]Claiming that she had violated the custody stipulations of
[105]a New York court by moving them more than 50 miles from New
[106]York without his permission, Frederick Hersh, Mrs. Itkin's
[107]former husband, gained custody of the children by means of
[108]a ruling from the British court in 1966. Mrs. Itkin began
[109]legal procedures in New York to regain the children. As
[110]part of their effort they swore affadavits that Mrs. Itkin:
[111]had taken the children to England at the request of the CIA.
[112]itkin embellished on his CIA record by stating that he had
[113]worked for CIA for many years prior to 1963, and insisted
[114]that his original contact had been set up between Harold
[115]Stassen and Allen Dulles in Philadelphia in the summer of |
[116]1954. Most of these assertions were fabrications. MONCURE's
[117]CIA relationship was exposed in various legal circles in
[118]New York. The Agency wanted to avoid MONCURE's having to.
[119]contradict Mr. and Mrs. Itkins' affadavits in court. The
[120]FBI seemed to have been more interested in protecting Itkin's
[121]reputation as a witness than in protecting MONCURE's reputa-
[122]tion for honesty.
[124]3. MONCURE did not appear in court. The Federal
[125]authorities eventually placed protection around Itkin and
[126]his wife, keeping them on a military reservation, whilé'
[127]he appeared as a star witness in numerous Mafia cases which
[128]led to covictions. : .
[130] @B
[131]4.. One small side issuegis worth noting: (Thomas L,
[132]Roberts,) who was a(law partner of Itkin)until mid-1961, became
[134]a (CIA staff agent under cover in Africa)24The many fraudulent
[135]_activities of Itkin spread a scintilla of suspicion around
[137]oberts The latter was given a polygraph examination in
[138]‘rankfurt. He answered questions on his relationship with
[139]Itkin including financial and his few contacts with Marcus
[140]to the satisfaction of his interrogators.
[142]5. Comments: The thrust of the file is mainly defensive.
[143]CIA was reacting to Itkin's tactics to help his wife gain cus-
[144]tody over her children. Itkin's numerous trips to England
[145]and Europe were made on behalf of the FBI, and they were part
[146]of an FBI attempt to-gain information on the Mafia. Before
[147]the recruitment of Itkin and his utilization by the FBI, CIA
[148]did pass to the Attorney General in 1963 information on a
[149]Department of Labor official's alleged criminal involvement
[150]with the Mafia, which MONCURE had elicited from Itkin. The
[151]file also refers to MONCURE's continued contact with one Mafia
[152]figure Lenzieri, who was a legal client, as a means of self-
[153]protection as Lenzieri represented a channel back to the Mafia
[155]SECRET”
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[162]for MONCURE, who was apprehensive of Mafia retaliation because
[163]of his involvement with Itkin.
[165]6. I have talked to Will Kerbe who is presently the
[166]case officer in contact for MONCURE. He says that MONCURE
[167]is in limited law practice and is drawing a pension from
[168]the Agency as well as a contract for services connected with
[169]Golitsyn. There is probably nothing in the file which could
[170]damage MONCURE's security as much of the information
[171]regarding his association with Itkin has already been exposed.
[172]The most recent information in the file is a January 1975
[173]memorandum for the record from Acting Chief, CI, which
[174]states that John K. Greaney, Assistant General Counsel had
[175]learned that Seymour Hersh had learned details of the Itkin-: -
[176]MONCURE relationship. It would appear that Mr. Greaney is ~
[177]the most knowledgeable person in the agency on the legal
[178]aspects of the Itkin case and probably maintains his own
[179]files.
[181]of
[183]illiam H. Godson