</s>5/11 8/4/18 4/3/3) Date: 09/14/94 Page:1 JFK ASSASSASSINATION SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION FORM AGENCY INFORMATION FORM AGENCY NUMBER : HPSCI AGENCY INFORMATION RECORD NUMBER: 135-10001-10253 RECORDS SERIES : CIA HAS NO OBJECTION TO DECLASSIFICATION AND/OR RECORPS SERIES: RELEASE OF CIA INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT AS SANITIZED GENCY FILE NUMBER # Kp 12/apr.99 DOCUMENT INFORMATION ORIGINATOR : ROCK FROM : TO : TITLE : DATE : 04/03/75 PAGES : 22 SUBJECTS : TRANSCRIPT OF DEPOSITION OF FRANK STURGIS BY ROBERT B. OLSEN AND JAMES N. ROETHE (PAGES 73 THROUGH 152 ONLY). DOCUMent TYPE : PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENTS CLASSIFICATION : T: CLASSIFICATIONS : OPEN IN FULL RESTRICTIONS : CURRENT STATUS : OPEN IN FULL Postponed ATE OF LAST REVIEW : 09/04/94 OPENING CRITERIA : COMMENTS : (R) (R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED NW 78141 Dodcid:32201138 Page 1

Summary  
The document is a deposition transcript from April 3, 1975, involving Frank Sturgis, detailing his involvement in planning assassination attempts against Fidel Castro and other Cuban military officials during the early 1960s. Sturgis describes organizing covert operations while serving as a Cuban Air Force officer and Chief of Security, including training military police and conducting exercises to target Castro. He mentions interactions with Colonel Nichols, an American military attaché, who allegedly discouraged direct action. Sturgis claims he prepared for multiple assassination attempts but never received authorization to proceed. The transcript also includes discussions about recruiting informants for the U.S. Embassy, breaking into Cuban military headquarters to steal documents, and potential CIA involvement in these activities. A second transcript details an interview with Sturgis regarding his interactions with a CIA agent associated with Bay of Pigs invasion planning. He describes the agent’s request for assistance in an unspecified assassination plot, references case officers such as Edwardo and Jim Knowles, and notes reluctance to proceed without explicit authorization. The conversation also touches on Watergate connections but does not directly link to JFK or the assassination.  

Key People  
- Frank Sturgis: Former Cuban Air Force officer and Chief of Security involved in planning assassination attempts against Castro.  
- Colonel Nichols: American military attaché who allegedly advised against direct action against Castro.  
- Fidel Castro: Cuban revolutionary leader targeted in alleged assassination plots.  
- Raúl Castro: Military commander associated with Fidel Castro’s regime.  
- Che Guevara: Revolutionary figure linked to Castro’s government.  
- Edwardo: Former case officer associated with the agent involved in Bay of Pigs planning.  
- Jim Knowles: Implied to have taken over as case officer after Edwardo.  
- Sam: Sturgis’ contact within the agency, though not explicitly identified.  

Key Locations  
- Cuba: Site of Sturgis’s military activities and planned operations.  
- Miami, Florida: Where Sturgis resided after leaving Cuba and where some discussions about CIA involvement occurred.  
- Alexandria, Virginia: Location mentioned for purchasing weapons.  
- Washington: Referenced as a possible location for Edwardo’s operations.  

Key Events  
- Planning and execution of assassination exercises against Castro and Cuban military officials (1959–1961).  
- Recruitment of informants for the U.S. Embassy.  
- Break-ins at Cuban military headquarters to steal documents.  
- Discussions about CIA involvement in covert operations.  
- Sturgis’s interactions with Colonel Nichols regarding authorization for actions against Castro.  
- Bay of Pigs Invasion: Sturgis notes the agent’s involvement in planning this event.  
- Potential assassination plot: Discussed but without confirmation of the target.  
- CIA operations: Highlighted through interactions with case officers and agents.  

Key Organizations  
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): Implied involvement through Colonel Nichols, case officers, and potential funding of operations.  
- U.S. Embassy, Havana: Requested recruitment of agents for intelligence gathering.  
- Cuban Air Force: Sturgis’s former military affiliation during the revolutionary period.  
- Revolutionary Council: Mentioned as an entity involved in Bay of Pigs planning.

JFK Declassified Files

135-10001-10253.pdf

Document Summary

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