RFK CALLED UPSET BY CIA-MAFIA TIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000300510074-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 20, 2004
• Sequence Number: 74
• Content Type: NSPR

`Intelligence-Agency and the ficials in the CIA, Houston
Mafia were Working to. said.
gether, but he.appeared ' in He said he had been told
different to their aborted the plot to kill Castro was
plot to kill Cuban Premier shaped in 1960, although
Fidel Castro, a former CIA how it got started was '"a lit-
official said yesterday. tie vague" and he said he
Kennedy-was angry at the did not know who ordered
? CIA's involving itself with it.
approved For Release 200i0NMT-fVV"1fi(V300510074-5
an. yes
33y-Lawrence Meyer
Waehtnston Post at.tr writer.
Former Attorney General cana and Johnny Resells
_ was threatened to ' reveal the
x.,bert x' -Kenned
y
I 'plot, By that time, -Ipril,
"perturbed" when he'learn-~ 1952, the 'plot had been
Led in 1962 that the Central aborted ? by unknown of-
the Mafia "because at the When the discussion came
time he was very strong on up, Houston said, the head
crime-busting," former CIA of the CIA's Office of Secu-
general counsel Lawrence rity, Col. Sheffield Edwards,
R. Houston told reporters, said, " 'I've got a fellow with
9 /,
When Kennedy was briefed
Houston said, "he didn't
seem very' perturbed about
Castro. At least, he didn't
sag anything""
} What Kennedy did say,
according to Houston, was,
"If you're going to have
anything to do with the
Mafia again, come to me
first.,,
Houston, the CIA's chief
lawyer for 26 years until his
retirement in 1973, appear-
ed before a House subcom-
mittee yesterday to answer
questions about a 20-year
agreement between the CIA
and the Justice Department
that let - the 'CiA decide
when its personnel should
be prosecuted for breaking
the law.
Although questions of pos-
sible illegal conduct should
-have been referred to him
dures,
under CIA, proce
Houston testified, he learn-
ed recently. of several fl-
legal. activities curried on
by the CIA.
Houston's comments about
the aborted Mafia-CIA plot
4 -. to kill Castro in. 19;.0.61
i epresented- the` fullest pub-
lic account yet made.
Houston said lid approach-
ed the Justice Department
when one of its investiga-
tio i t associate n of
a
some interesting contacts.
That person, Houston said,
was Robert Maheu, a former
FBI agent and then an asso-
ciate of billionaire Howard
happen that this`:-would
come up and he wouldn't
Hughes. Either through Ma-
heu or by him, contact was
made with Rosefi, Houston
said. The first contact was
made by persons purporting
to represent business inter-
ests so Roselli -would not
know he was dealing with
the CIA, Houston said.
Ultimately, however, the
plan to kill Castro - which
was to have been coordi-
nated with the Bay of Pigs
invasion - was called off.
Houston said he was not.
aware until recently that
the plot had been reinstated
after his conversation with
Robert Kennedy.
Houston's account was
heatedly denied by Herbert
J. Hiller Jr., assistant attor-
tell me. It just couldn't hap-
pen"
In answer to. questions
from Chairman Bella Abzug
(D-N.Y.) and other commit-
tee members, Houston testi-
fied that he learned only re-
cently of several illegal CIA.
activities-including open-
ing mail and conducting do-
mestic surveillance against
American citizens.
Under .a 1954 agreement,
the CIA was allowed to de-
termine when to tell the
Justice Department of viola.
tions of law by its employ-
ees. Abzug said the agree-
ment, which apparently was
forgotten by the Justioa De-
partment until last D:cem-'
ber, was "improper. proba
bly illegal and certab:ly a
dereliction of duty" by the
department. -
Abzug released a letter
from the current CIA gen-
eral counsel, John S. Warner;
giving brief descriptions of
20 cases that were referred
to the Justice Department
by the CIA for considera-
tion between 1954 and 1975.
One case, according to the
letter, "involved a .murder
which took place outs?le the
United States. Allegations
were made that two agency
employees helped dispose of
the body. The (deputy chief
for intelligence) discussed
the case with the As orney-
General in October, 1955.
The ? Attorney General's of-
ney general in charge of the fice did not take any action
Criminal Division in 1962 'due to the legal ~burisclic-
and a friend of Robert Ken- tin al restrictions in?r-Plved.' r
nedy. No further details. of the
Miller said he talked to incident were immediately
Houston but never-about a available.. -
plot involving the CIA and
the Mafia. Nor did he accept
Houston's statement that
Kennedy had been told. "If
Bob:: Kennedy ''had -knowni
about some plot to assassi-'
nate, Castro . involving the
CIA and the Mafia, he
would have told me about it
and I know damn well he
ns . n o
Mafia figuresAppiveddOr FWs6o, ~p1?
t er sal Itts
JUL IP?
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