E Howard Hunt Talks Larry Hancock NID 2007

E. Howard Hunt Talks Larry Hancock NID 2007

E. Howard Hunt “Talks” Sanity Testing CIA “Roots” CIA Operations CIA Contacts Expertise Activities in 1963 Potential conspiracy role

CIA “Roots” OSS / SE Asia operations Burma/China Theatre / OSS commander Paul Helliwell Burma/China service * Ted Shackley – future head of JM/WAVE station post Bay of Pigs * Lucian Conein – famed SE Asia/Vietnam operative / Corsican brotherhood medal * Mitch Werbell – notorious fixer and supplier for anti-Communist dictatorships Conein leverages his OSS roots for years but CIA itself rejected him as a self promoter and cowboy

Hunt in CIA operations PB/Success – Guatemala project Hunt third in command (project/political officer) reporting up to project chief Tracy Barnes mentored by and a personal favorite of Allen Dulles • Barnes a “supergrade” GS 18 at time of PB/Success • Barnes reported up to Wisner who was underneath Bissell (future Cuba Project chief) Barnes and Hunt in small group personally honored for Guatemala project by Dulles and Eisenhower • Group also included David Phillips (propaganda officer), David Morales (operations and paramilitary officer) and Henry Hecksher

Hunt in CIA Operations Cuba Project largely staffed with successful Guatemala officer cadre including Phillips and Morales Hunt again served under Barnes who again reported to Bissell Hunt proposed Castro assassination project to Barnes • Bissell and Dulles aware of Castro assassination projects / Plan Raphael etc. - Hunt served as political officer on Cuba project - Coordinated and conducted agency contacts with exile groups - Approved money distributed to groups and individuals - Became personally close to Manuel Artime - Resigned role due to his personal antipathy towards “leftist” exile leaders - Much of Hunt’s role assumed by Phillips immediately prior to Bay of Pigs

Hunt in CIA Operations Hunt after the Bay of Pigs Temporary assignment to assist Dulles book project after Dulles relieved by JFK Recruited by Tracy Barnes for new Domestic Operations group circa 1962 - Barnes had became an uncompromising critic of JFK, blaming Cuba project failure on him - Domestic Operations appears to have inherited projects such as QK/ENCHANT Apparent support role for new AM/WORLD project in 1963 - Key element being Hunt’s personal relationship with Artime, the designated AM/WORLD exile leader - AM/WORLD project to support offshore based military operations against Cuba - Goal to provide independent exile leader to participate in coup against Castro

Hunt in CIA Operations Roles and Expertise Project Officer / political and propaganda/media activities • • Guatemala and Cuba projects Insurgent group contacts - Leadership contacts Financial support and coordination Benard Barker key aide to Hunt in Cuba project circa 60/61 Not Operations / Not Intelligence / Not “spying” • • Hunt’s “tradecraft” notoriously poor Martinez on Ellsburglery - “he had no plan, he Just talked” Matinez describes him as a “politician” rather than a “fighter” Watergate gives proof to Hunt’s lack of basic operational skills

CIA Contacts Working relationships Tracy Barnes / Guatemala, Cuba Project, Domestic Operations David Phillips / Guatemala, Cuba Project Bernard Barker / Cuba Project Manuel Artime / Cuba Project and AM/WORLD Alan Dulles / book ghostwriting Not David Morales / Not Frank Fiorini/Sturgis Not William Harvey / Not Cord Meyer

Hunt and Sturgis invited Hunt to join the Presidential assassination plot sometime in 1963? • Sturgis has been a Cuba Project “cut out” for propaganda activities during circa 60/62 – leaflet drops, media visibility – Sturgis initially recruited by San Jenis / Not a CIA employee or cleared asset – Hunt certainly would have been aware of Sturgis from his Miami media appearances; may have channeled money for Sturgis/Diaz Lantz leaflet drops – Sturgis activities more in Phillips realm • Sturgis activated as an active CIA informant sometime 62/63 • Barker and Sturgis both placed on security watch list as potential Castro agents late in 63 • Barker recruited Sturgis for Ellesworth project and later Watergate as he did Eugenio Martinez

Hunt and Morales served in operations and counter-intelligence - Morales training and operating exile intelligence network in Miami and Cuba - Castro assassination projects - apparently run by Morales friend Tony Sforza / Carl Jenkins - Hunt no in look on actual Castro assassination activities CIA operational Roselli project - Morales on record of having very low opinion of Bernard Barker - Hunt involved in series of security violations during Cuba project one hotel incident reported to FBI

Hunt observations on JFK Plot • Approached by Sturgis / Miami meeting with Morales • Meyer and Harvey running plot – Harvey physically located in Rome as of July 1963 – Meyer and Hunt located in D. C. • Corsican shooter to be used – Harvey had no personal relationships with Corsicans as of 1963, his Italian crime network connections eventually involved Sicilians not Corsicans – His recruiting trips for ZR/RIFLE used old Agency contacts and were relatively low level, not targeting organizations but individual free lancers • Hunt offered opportunity to join but rejected it due to Harvey’s reputation for drinking - Hunt had his own reputation for partying and related security issues

Issues with Hunt remarks • No personal relationship with Morales or Sturgis in 1963 – But says he was given details of participants, timing and some tactics such as using a French shooter • No obvious skills/assets to bring into conspiracy – Unless Domestic Operations was monitoring or working Lee Harvey Oswald • History of security and tradecraft issues likely well known to Morales • Walked out on offer to participate with no “sanctions” – sat on “sidelines”

E. Howard Hunt Talks Larry Hancock NID 2007