Secrets of the CIA

SECRET MEMORANDUM FOR: The Director THROUGH: The Executive Director-Comptroller SUBJECT: CIA's Domestic Activities REFERENCE: MAG Memorandum, "CIA's Domestic Activities," March 1971 1. MAG is seriously concerned about possible repercussions which may arise as the result of CIA's covert domestic activities. Public revelation that CIA has become involved in collecting information on U.S. citizens would likely redound to the Agency's discredit and jeopardize overall Agency programs. 2. MAG first expressed its concern about CIA's covert domestic activities in a memo for the DCI, transmitted through the Executive Director-Comptroller in the Spring of 1971 (Attachment A). MAG's concern has increased recently because of such articles as Vic Marchetti's UPI interview (Attachment B) and the 10 October New York Times article concerning rupture of FBI-CIA relations (Attachment C). Both hint at extremely sensitive Agency involvement in domestic activities. Ad...

8 May 1973 MEMORANDUM FOR: Executive Secretary, CIA Management Committee The Office of the Inspector General has records on the following sensitive subjects that either have been or might in the future be the source of embarrassment to the Agency. The report of the Board of Inquiry in the case of Hans Tofte. The Tofte affair was fully exposed in public, of course, but the report itself is closely held within the Agency. This office was designated as the custodian of the report, and we have the only surviving copy. An annex to the Inspector General's report of survey of the Technical Services Division done in 1963. The annex deals with experiments in influencing human behavior through the administration of mind or personality altering drugs to unwitting subjects. An Inspector General report of investigation of allegations that the Agency was instrumental in bringing about the assassination of President Diem. The allegations were determined to be without foundation. An Inspector Gene...

MEMORANDUM TO: Executive Secretary, CIA Management Committee 1. The attached summary from ORD describes research into a behavioral drug. Conversations with Carl Duckett indicate that the reported drug was part of a larger program in which the Agency had relations with commercial drug manufacturers, whereby they passed on drugs rejected because of unfavorable side effects. The drugs were screened with the use of ADP equipment, and those selected for experimentation were tested at [...] using monkeys and mice. Materials having further interest, as demonstrated by this testing, were then tested at Edgewood, using volunteer members of the Armed Forces. 2. The program was terminated last fall. The computer program remains in the machine, its final disposition not yet having been decided. 3. Carl Duckett emphasizes that the program was considered as defensive, in the sense that we would be able to recognize certain behavior if similar materials were used against Americans. WVB

SECRET 23 May 1973 MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD On this date Mr. William E. Colby and the writer held a meeting with Congressman Lucien N. Nedzi. The reason for the meeting was to review with the Congressman material sent us by the Directorates describing the Agency activities that had flap potential. At the outset, Mr. Colby advised that the Director had issued instructions to each directorate to come forward with descriptions of activities (especially involved in the domestic scene) that had flap potential. In addition, in a memorandum to all employees of the CIA, the Director had instructed all employees to report to him any activities the Agency was conducting that they construed as outside the Agency charter. Congressman Nedzi requested a copy of this Agency notice be furnished to him. The full report, including the sensitive section, was discussed with the Congressman item-by-item and in most cases he actually read the text. This took two hours and the Congressman followed the mater...

25 May 1973 MEMORANDUM FOR: Mr. Broe 1. ORD, in reporting association of employees with Egil Krogh in connection with the government narcotics program, referred to an Agency funding action on 30 June 1972 whereby $37,500 was transferred to OST (the Office of Science and Technology under the Executive) from ORD's budget. The money was to fund a study proposed by IDA (I am told this is the Institute for Defense Analysis), and was approved by the DDI, ADD/S&T, [...] acting for the DDS, and Mr. Colby as Executive Director-Comptroller. 2. I judge this to be a proper and normal expenditure within the government in connection with a high priority government program on narcotics. I recommend that this not be reported as an action subject to external criticism. S.D. Breckinridge

26 May 1973 MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD 1. In material provided by the DDI on contacts with certain persons on the White House Staff, there is a 9 September 1972 memorandum from Mr. Helms to Dr. Kissinger relating the identification of a leak to the press as having been in the BNDD. The memorandum states in part: "After noting that Jack Anderson had a continuing source for classified documents on narcotics, we arranged a trap so that recipient organizations of CIA Intelligence Memoranda (IM) on narcotics could be identified." 2. [...] 3. This course of action was at the initiative of the Directorate of Intelligence, without consultation with persons elsewhere in the government, except in reporting the results to Dr. Kissinger. It represents a well-conceived attempt to target on a possible source of leaks. We doubt that it would be susceptible to misunderstanding if exposed to public view, but the fact is that it was something of an attempt to trap someone, and it was a part of ...

OGC 73-0930 25 May 1973 MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD 1. On 24 May 1973 I telephoned Mr. James Robinson, General Crime Section, Department of Justice and asked if he had any information as to criminal prosecution of persons involved in a break in at the Chilean Embassy in Washington, D.C. on 15 May 1972. Mr. Robinson stated he had no knowledge of this but suggested that it would be better to check with Mr. G. Marvin Gentile, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Security, Department of State, and the Secret Service since they had responsibilities for the Executive Protective Service (EPS). I telephoned Mr. Gentile and he identified two State Department cables relative to the incident; one from the embassy in Santiago to the Department, No. 2450, dated 15 May 1972, Subject: Unauthorized Entry Outlining the Protest of the Chilean Government presented to the American Embassy, and the State Department reply to Santiago, No. 084655, dated 15 May 1972. Mr. Gentile also identified the EPS report of inve...

1100: [...] called WVB, to bring to his attention the fact that Kissinger has asked for some papers he'd received in summer of 1970; now wants to see them again. One, Restless Youth (June 1970). OCI wrote a whole set of country chapters; and [...] of the CS (since left CIA) wrote a more sensitive piece drawing on US and other counties for examples to make its point. OCI balked--didn't want to do anything on the US side. The whole project eventually was turned over to CA. [...] worked under [...] supervision [...] also left--in Boston). Thereafter, in August 1970, because we had done so much work we published a separate paper "Student Unrest Abroad"---compilation of the country studies. WVB: There was a 3rd---on the Caribbean--black aspects. WVB is familiar with the 3---but didn't know about the [...] aspects. Per [...] Kissinger had told Latimer "You guys sent me a paper; I sent it back with some nice words on it--would like to see again" (not a direct q...

21 August 1972 Houston noted a telephone call from Howard Hunt who explained that his attorney was with him and had a question about a friend's past affiliation with the Agency. [...] DD/Sec has reviewed the employment, and Houston reported that he replied directly to Hunt's friend, Mr. [...] that this old affiliation should create no problems in connection with his appearance before a grand jury. 18 October 1972 Maury noted his response to a request from CSC General Counsel Anthony Mondello, who was reacting to a request for the personnel files of those former Agency officers involved in the Watergate incident from Senator Kennedy's Subcommittee on Administrative Practices and Procedures. He added that we are exempted from related CSC regulations, and the Director endorsed his plan to provide only the dates of their departure from the Agency in the event the Senator's office calls us on this matter. 3 November 1972 Houston recalled that last August he reported on a cal...

19 June 1972 The Director noted the 17 June arrest of James W. McCord and four others who were apprehended at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate. With the Director of Security present to provide biographic details, the Director made it perfectly clear that responses to any inquiry with respect to McCord or Howard Hunt, who may be implicated, are to be limited to a statement that they are former employees who retired in August and April 1970 respectively. The Director asked that this guidance be disseminated via staff meetings. The Director asked that any inquiry from other elements of the government be referred to the Director of Security who is to be the focal point. Inquiries from the press are to be referred to Mr. Unumb who may say that McCord worked in the Office of Security. The Director noted that we have no responsibility with respect to an investigation except to be responsive to the FBI's request for name traces. It was noted that Howard Hunt ...

18 January 1972 DDI called attention to the article in today's New York Times, "Nixon Acts to End Security Leaks." (Excerpt from the article: "Last July, two members of the White House staff, David R. Young of the National Security Council and Egil Krogh, Jr., of the Domestic Council, were asked to investigate earlier leaks and prevent recurrences.") 8 February 1972 DDI noted the article by Michael Getler in today's Washington Post, "New Spy Satellites Planned for Clearer, Instant Pictures." Later in the meeting the Director asked the DDS to advise the Director of Security to undertake an investigation of this leak of EOI-related information and to convene the USIB Security Committee. 11 February 1972 The Director reminded Executive Committee members of Dr. Kissinger's request that any inquiries from elements of the White House staff be referred to his staff for conveyance to the Agency. 16 February 1972 Lehman noted plans to continue briefing ...

8 July 1971 DDCI reported that John Ehrlichan had telephoned to advise us that the White House is appointing former CIA employee Howard Hunt as a security consultant. Another account of the Morning Meeting of this date reads: It was also announced that Howard Hunt has been named security consultant to the White House. General Cushman told Ehrlichman that Mr. Hunt would have full cooperation from CIA. 16 July 1971 Carver said that [...] was most appreciative of the time which Houston spent with him yesterday. 22 July 1971 (the day Howard Hunt came to see General Cushman) Carver highlighted his session yesterday with NSC staffer David Young, who is assisting John Ehrlichman in reviewing the secret Pentagon papers. 18 August 1971 A-DDP noted that he has reported to White House staffer David Young on the results of the Deputy Director of Security's survey of those who saw the classified assessment upon which Tad Szulc based his 13 August article. 11 November 1971 In response to the Di...

31 MAY 1973 MEMORANDUM FOR: Mr. Colby Per your request relayed through Ben Evans, we have read the minutes of the Director's morning meetings covering the period from 1 July 1970 through 31 March 1973 looking for any items appearing to relate in any way to Watergate, the "plumbers," Agency involvement in the nominating conventions, or any other sensitive matters surfaced in the course of our present inquiries. We sifted rather finely and ended up with some 25-30 pages of material that we have in rough typescript. I doubt that it is worth while typing them in final, since you would be little enlightened by wading through them. We gave Ben Evans a copy at his request. The following are highlights: There are about 25 entries during July and August 1971 relating to the Pentagon papers. 3 September 1970 The Director noted a 1 September memorandum from John Bross on Daniel Ellsberg. He asked the DDS to lift his clearances and to make this fact known in security channels. 23 Dec...

February 7, 1972 MEMORANDUM FOR BILL COLBY The Cabinet Committee on International Narcotics Control was created September 7, 1971, by the President to centralize his attack on the international drug traffic. The Committee does not have a separate budget. Salary and administrative support for its small, full-time staff has been provided by the Executive Office of the President. Other expenses are being charged to the constituent agencies and departments. The Bureau of Customs, BNDD, and AID/Office of Public Safety have provided support to date. The CIA should be prepared to defray not more than fifteen thousand dollars in overseas travel expenses for Cabinet Committee staff during the remainder of FY 1972. Walter C. Minnick, the Committee's Staff Coordinator, can be contacted for further details. Thank you for your assistance. Egil Krogh, Jr. Executive Director Cabinet Committee on International Narcotics Control CC: John Ehrlichman Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs Ma...

23 May 1973 MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Director for Management and Services 1. This memorandum responds to the Director's request for a report of any involvement in any capacity since 1 January 1969 with Messrs. Hunt, McCord, Liddy, Young, or Krogh. 2. I have had none with Hunt, Liddy or Young. 3. My McCord contact with indirect and occurred sometime during the late 1960s when I was Director, Office of Computer Services. I opposed plans for Technical Division, Office of Security (under Mr. McCord) to acquire a separate computer for its In-Place Monitoring System. [...] of DD/S&T (then ORD) was the computer individual working with TD and, I think, would have details. 4. The Krogh contact also was indirect and involved his request, first through OMB, that CIA fund foreign travel on behalf of the Cabinet Committee on International Narcotics Control. Individual phone discussions are noted in the attached. The Agency focal points were [...] and [...]. I understand [...] has forwarded re...

TSD has had a close working relationship with the FBI over the past few years. The FBI is the only organization that has been fully briefed on TSD audio techniques and equipment. The following are situations where TSD equipment and guidance were involved in operations: [...] (G) TSD has furnished equipment items which constitute an on-the-shelf capability to engage in photo and audio surveillance operations which might not be known to the Agency. In one case it is known that a relatively unsophisticated device was used against a domestic target.

In September 1972 [...] Commo to conduct hearability tests of certain HF long-distance commercial telephone circuits between the US and South America. The circuits carried drug-related traffic. [...] The tests were successful. The activity was terminated on 30 Jan 73 following OGC determination that they were illegal. We conduct an intercept operation in [...] targeted on radio telephone conversations [...] These intercepts contain a large number of unrelated conversations often involving US citizens. Testing in the US of ORD-developed electronic collection systems occasionally result in the collection of domestic telephone conversations. When the tests are complete, the intercepted material is destroyed. CIA [...] technicians conducted tests in the Miami area in August 1971 of DF gear intended for use against a Soviet agent in South Vietnam. While wholly innocuous, the tests preceded the holding of the conventions there and could be construed as being somehow related to them. In Febru...