MEETING WITH JOHN MARKS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81M00980R000400030013-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 3, 2005
• Sequence Number: 13
• Publication Date: March 27, 1978
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For Release-.2005/08/22: CIA-RDP81 MO0080R000400030013-1
27 March 1978
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Meeting with John Marks
1. At 1500 today I met with John Marks and a young lady, Diane
St. Clair, who he introduced as "my associate." Also present at th.e
meeting was from the Public Affairs Office. The meeting
was set up at mark's request to discuss a book he is writing and a
research trip to Cuba in connection with the book.
2. Marks began by giving a quick sketch of the book he is
preparing. He said it will be published by the NEW YORK TIMES (Quadrangle
Press). The book will be about the Government's (articularly CIA)
experimentation and efforts in the area of controlling human behavior--
particularly experiments in the 50's and 60's. Marks said he had made
arrangements with other writers and had copies of what he had done
"stashed arourmd town" in the event some? hing happened to him.. When
questioned him on this point C"Who do you think would do you in;'")
he replied that in working on a book like this he was certain to make
enemies of people involved in the ongoing research ("A strange business"
he says). He said, for instance, that he plans to leave for Cuba in
about 3 weeks for a one week visit to do research on his book there. He
said the trip made him nervous because "Planes have a habit of falling
out of the sky on their way to Cuba." Twice during the conversation he
said perhaps the Agency might suggest some questions that he could pose
to the Cubans (apparently government officials since trip was arranged
through Cuban liaison office in New York), I said I was sure he (lid not
mean to imply that we would "task" an American Journalist going tQ a
foreign country. He laughed and replied only, "6,Ihatever."
3. I told Marks I was curious about why he had come to the Public
Affairs Office instead of going through his usual modus operandi? i.e.,
FOIA. He said he didn't want to go through the legal hassle of having
to write briefs, etc, and further that the FO>;A process was rather
general and what he wanted today were three rather specific things.
4., Marks requested the following:
a. Answers to written questions which he would also submit
to the Cubans (copy with clips also provided by Marks attached.)
b. A briefing by CIA experts on the control of human
behavior. Subject; Soviet activities in this field to
establish reasons why we (CIA) undertook experimentation
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 Approved For Release 2005/08/22 : CIA-RDP81 M00980R000400030013-1
to counter the Soviet threat. He does not expect a current
assessment but rather a description of the Soviet state of'
the art circa 1962. Marks said this would give us an
opportunity to establish in stronger terms the reason why
our own testing in the area was begun.
STAT
c. An interview with whom he
identifies as presently in 00331 aana former y Director
of ORD. Marks said he has contacted at home and
says he is willing to give t n erview if the
ency agrees.
5. Marks.ended the discussion with the following observations/
information/proposals:
a. That while he in no way wished to "work with" us, he did
feel that what we do (intelligence) was very necessary.
b. That while we probably had a long way to go, Turner, was
apparently trying to get things straightened out.
c. This would be his last book about the CIA.
d. That he knew the CIA experirrienta Lion had gone into
"terminal experiments", i.e., ones in which real subjects (POWs)
were encouraged through mind control to attempt real actions
(using real bullets instead of blanks in a hypnosis experiment
to determine if someone could be influenced to commit murder.)
e. Marks said he knew that
the Scientific Engineering Instna-ce, Was working on very
sophisticated electronics work having to do with satellites. But
he also knew that work in the human behavior area was part of what
they do. He said he knew if he kept digging he would get all the
details on the behavior experiments-wand at the same time would
discover the details on the satellite work as well. He said we
might wish to provide him with the information on the behavior
work and in exchange he would stop digging, i.e., and not uncover
the satellite information.
6. The meeting ended at about 1530.
er ert E. Hetu
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Attachments: Questions and clips
Distribution:
DCI NFAC
DDCI OGC
DDA OLC
DDO IG
DDS&T Security
 Approved For Release 2005/08/22 : CIA-RDP81 M00980R000400030013-1
QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY JOHN MARKS
In general, I would like information on any experimental or
operational use by any government or private group of chemical,
biological, or behavioral techniques. By behavioral techniques,
I am referring to any use of drugs, hypnosis, sensory deprivation,
electro-shock, psycho-surgery, radiation, para-psychology, or re-
lated methods aimed at manipulating or controlling human behavior..
My specific questions are:
1. Can you provide specific information on the various plots
to discredit Fidel Castro, as listed in the report of the Church
Committee? This includes the aborted plot to spray Fidel's broad-
casting studio with an LSD-like substance; the possible impregnation
of a box of Fidel's cigars with a chemical which caused temporary di
orientation; the possible plot to destroy Fidel's image by dusting
his shoes with thallium salts, a strong deplilatory, which would
supposedly have made his beard fall out; the aborted plot ender
which James Donovan was to have given Fidel a skin--diving suit
contaminated with a deadly disease; or any example of an attempt
bya foreign power to secretly influence a person's behavior.
2. Can you provide specific information on any attacks
rected at Cuba's crops? Bill Moyers, in his CBS television docu-
mentary, mentioned that there was an attempt to destroy Cuba's
sugar crop through chemical./biological methods. Also, there was
an article in the Washington Post on January 9, 1977 (taken from
the newspaper Newsday) by Drew Fetherston and John Cummings linking
the CIA to a 1971 outbreak of swine fever virus in Cuba and there
was a March 21, 1977 article by the same authors in the Washington
Post linking American intelligence to a possible attack to infect
Cuba's turkeys. I would appreciate any information available on
these or any similar incidents.
3. Can you provide specific information on any Cuban attempt
to use chemical or biological techniques against the United States
or any other country. An article by Jack Anderson in the January
17, 1977 Washington Post states that in 1962 the Cuban government
set up a laboratory to study, among other things, the death of
Cuban turkeys, and that the laboratory was.run by a Dr. Martinez
Viera. The article alleges that.at that time Cuba may have been
considering the use of. biological warfare. Could I talk to Dr.
Viera and to Antonio Nunez Jimenez, the politburo mernber allegedly
knowledgeable about these matters.
4. Can you provide information on the use of any chemical or
biological attacks in assassination attempts against Fidel or any
other Cuban leader? The Church committee report indicates that
there was a plot which included poisoning his cigars with deadly
botulinum toxin and there are other reports of other attacks with
poisons- In the report given by the Cuban government._to Senator
Geor`~a~pa`~el~'s~~~/1` E~D~br8~R04~~~3~1 mention of
counter-revolutionaries arrested with "warlike material,:",=?_ Was
any of that "warlike materia" chemical, biological, or behavioral
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would appreciate access to people erect knowledge of
the' information of I am requesting. In other words, l would like
to interview primary sources, as well as knowledgeable government
officials.
I would be willing to omit the name of any person interviewed, although I will need to describe generically from whom the informa-
tion came (a government official or a waiter in a restarant or
a farmer whose pig died, etc.)
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 BY Drew Fetherston the virus over to an anti-Castro group, This sndree said he had no proof that 'r'he non-SovIct , bloc' agricultural
0" and John Cummings The deaf er We was gl hniclan then In Cuba saint that at
Nowad$y A ~ 1#'W ft'.' ~ftela> i ~ 'ir1~ 8'hu[~ dcle~'13ii c e time of the mithrealc there was a
NEW YORK-With nt least file tacit hoot and turned it over to a fishing "in a case like this, thouGh they chronic shortage of meat and Any 7fa-
backing of Central intelligence '
trawler off the Panamanian
a
stance c wa not
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operatives linked to source said the substanc
anti?Casfro terrorists Introduced Afri' ? identified to hint until months After In Washington( plauilblo denlabllity," a pig in his backyard, Tlecauso or this
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can swine fever virus into Cuba in .;? the outbreak in Cuba.`i-e would not. The Investigation referrpo to by the situation, highly unusual for an urban '
1971. Srs weeks later nn outbreak of elaborate, operative on the trawler involves n area, the "disease could have existed
the disease forced the slaughter of Anet
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Newsday he was given the virus in a .i aboard at a prearranged rendezvous Elan on. attempts ' Inc "Jiailer, Slates
in d speech on July 26, 1971, Castro
scaled unmarked container , abase
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