</s>157-40014-10137 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 IDENTIFICATION BY THE PRESIDENT OF F. Kennedy ASSASSINTATION REGORDS AGT OF 1992 Identification Form Date: 77/2017/13 Agency Information AGENCY : SCCIA: AGENCY NUMBER : SCCIA RECORD NUMBER: RECORD SERIES : MISCELLANEOUS RECOROS OF THE CHURCH COMMITTEE AGENCY FILE NUMBER :: 07-M-43 AGENCY FILENUMBER : MISCELANEOUSRECORDS OF THECHURCH CONMITTEE ORIGINATOR : SCCIÓA Document Information FROM: TO: TITLE: DRAFT REPORT DATE : PAGES: 207 SUBJECTS: SCCSGO, REPORT DOCUMENT TYPE: REPORT CLASSIFICATION: Declasified RESTRICTIONS: IB: IC CURRENT STATUS: Redact DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 04/05/2000 OPENING CRITERIA : COMMENTS: CCBOX 349 1 NW 50955 DocId: 324233525 Page 1

Summary  
The document details U.S. government covert operations involving the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the early 1960s, focusing on efforts to support anti-regime dissidents in Latin America and Southeast Asia. Key elements include CIA planning for "Executive Action" capabilities under Richard Bissell and William Harvey, which involved researching methods to assassinate foreign leaders such as Fidel Castro, Rafael Trujillo, and Patrice Lumumba. While no direct assassination attempts were made against these figures, the CIA developed contingency plans and logistical frameworks for potential operations. President John F. Kennedy’s administration authorized limited support for dissidents in the Dominican Republic, including arms shipments to anti-Trujillo groups, though he explicitly prohibited U.S. involvement in political assassinations. Internal debates within the White House and CIA over the extent of covert action, risks of unintended consequences, and operational secrecy are highlighted. The Church Committee later investigated these activities, noting ambiguities in authorization chains and ethical concerns about justifying violent tactics under national security pretenses.  

Key People  
- **Richard Bissell**: Deputy Director of Plans at the CIA; initiated the "Executive Action" project (codenamed ZR/RIFLE) to research assassination methods for foreign leaders.  
- **William Harvey**: CIA officer overseeing the ZR/RIFLE project, described it as a general capability without specific targeting lists.  
- **John F. Kennedy**: U.S. President who authorized cables supporting dissidents in the Dominican Republic but explicitly prohibited U.S. involvement in political assassinations.  
- **McGeorge Bundy**: Special Assistant to President Kennedy for National Security Affairs; discussed ZR/RIFLE with Bissell but denied direct involvement in assassination planning.  
- **Walt Rostow**: Deputy Assistant to President Kennedy; testified he was unaware of specific assassination plots.  
- **Thomas Karamessines**: CIA official overseeing Chilean operations during the 1970 coup against Salvador Allende.  
- **Henry Kissinger**: U.S. Secretary of State involved in debates over covert actions in Chile and South Vietnam.  

Key Locations  
- **Washington, D.C.**: Headquarters for White House and CIA decision-making on covert operations.  
- **Dominican Republic**: Site of CIA-supported arms shipments to anti-Trujillo dissidents.  
- **Cuba**: Central to CIA assassination plots against Fidel Castro.  
- **Chile**: Focus of U.S. efforts to undermine Salvador Allende’s government through military and intelligence channels.  
- **South Vietnam**: Location of the 1963 coup against Ngo Dinh Diem, with U.S. involvement in funding and coordination.  

Key Events  
- **1961–1962**: CIA planning for "Executive Action" capabilities under ZR/RIFLE, including research on assassination methods for foreign leaders.  
- **October 1963**: CIA provided funds to Vietnamese generals for the coup against Ngo Dinh Diem; U.S. officials debated non-interference and risks of assassination.  
- **November 2, 1963**: Assassination of Diem and his brother Nhu following a failed coup attempt in South Vietnam.  
- **1970 Chilean coup**: CIA coordinated with military officers to plan the kidnapping and killing of General Rene Schneider; internal conflicts arose over operational transparency and authorization.  
- **Church Committee investigations (1975)**: Found ambiguities in CIA authorization chains for assassination plots, emphasizing risks of confusion and ethical concerns.  

Key Organizations  
- **Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)**: Led covert operations against foreign leaders, including research on assassination methods and logistical support for dissidents.  
- **National Security Council (NSC)**: Coordinated U.S. policy responses to coup planning in Chile and South Vietnam.  
- **U.S. Department of State**: Provided guidance on non-interference and evacuation protocols during covert operations.  
- **40 Committee**: Interagency group overseeing U.S. covert actions, including discussions on Chilean and Vietnamese coups.  
- **Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)**: Involved in South Vietnamese coup planning and execution.

The document details covert operations conducted by U.S. agencies during the Kennedy administration, focusing on CIA activities targeting foreign leaders. It outlines unauthorized or unreported actions such as the Castro assassination plot, which involved underworld figures without official approval; the Trujillo Operation, where arms were supplied to Dominican dissidents with assassination plans concealed from policymakers; and the Schneider Incident, where CIA-provided machine guns led to the kidnapping and death of General Schneider in Chile. These operations are linked to broader efforts like Operation Mongoose, a covert program against Castro’s regime that included sabotage, propaganda, and discussions about assassination as a potential tactic. The text critiques the lack of oversight, internal failures in communication, and the ethical risks of using assassination as a policy tool. It references legal gaps in U.S. law regarding extraterritorial assassinations and advocates for legislative reforms to criminalize such acts.  

Key People  
- **Richard Bissell**: Advocated for "plausible denial" in CIA operations, contributing to ambiguous directives.  
- **William Harvey**: Justified withholding information about Castro operations from John McCone.  
- **John McCone**: Former CIA Director who opposed assassination due to its impracticality and moral risks.  
- **Allen Dulles**: Former CIA Director whose approval was cited for continued operations under subsequent administrations.  
- **Leonard Colby**: CIA Director who issued internal directives banning assassination in 1973.  
- **Richard Helms**: CIA Director who acknowledged the dangers of assassination.  
- **Lyndon B. Johnson**: Mentioned in the context of U.S. policy against political assassination.  

Key Locations  
- **Cuba**: Central to CIA operations targeting Fidel Castro and discussions about covert actions.  
- **Dominican Republic**: Site of the Trujillo Operation and associated CIA activities.  
- **Chile**: Location of the Schneider Incident involving CIA-supplied weapons.  
- **United States**: Venue for legal debates on assassination policies and proposed statutes.  

Key Events  
- **Castro Assassination Plot**: CIA-backed operation using underworld figures, conducted without official approval or disclosure.  
- **Trujillo Operation**: Arms supplied to Dominican dissidents with knowledge of assassination plans withheld from the State Department.  
- **Schneider Incident**: CIA sent machine guns to Chile, resulting in General Schneider’s kidnapping and death.  
- **Operation Mongoose**: Covert program against Castro’s regime involving sabotage, propaganda, and discussions about assassination as a tactic.  
- **Proposed Statute on Assassination**: Legislative recommendation to criminalize conspiracy, attempt, or execution of assassinations against foreign officials domestically and abroad.  
- **Kennedy Administration Policies**: Period marked by covert operations lacking clear legal oversight and internal directives banning assassination.  

Key Organizations  
- **Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)**: Central to all operations, with internal failures in oversight and communication.  
- **Special Group Augmented**: NSC body overseeing covert actions against Cuba, which failed to explicitly prohibit assassination.  
- **Department of Defense**: Involved in planning Operation Mongoose, including the "Operation Bounty" proposal for incentivizing Castro’s assassination through rewards.  
- **U.S. Congress**: Engaged in debates over legal reforms to address gaps in anti-assassination statutes.

JFK Declassified Files

157-10014-10137.pdf

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