MR. WYDEN'S 22 JUNE 1988 LETTER ON INTERVIEW WITH GEORGE KISEVALTER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90G01353R001100020003-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 1, 2012
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: August 2, 1988
• Content Type: MEMO

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Mr. Peter Wyden
Dear Mr. Wyden:
? Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, D C.20505
io AUG 1
I have received and read with interest your letter of
22 June 1988.
In principle, I have no objection to your interviewing
retired CIA officer George Kisevalter in connection with your
research. I request, however, that an officer of this Agency
be present. I cannot, of course, speak for Mr. Kisevalter; he
will have to decide for himself whether to grant you an
interview.
I will arrange to have Mr. Kisevalter informed of my
decision and the condition attached to the granting of the
interview. If he agrees to meet you, then he will be in
contact to arrange a date and place for the interview.
Sincerely yours,
WW1 H. Webar
William H. Webster
Director of Central Intelligence
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SECRET
CI-252-88
SUBJECT: Mr. Wyden's 22 June 1988 Letter on Interview with
George Kisevalter
Dpo/cic
Distribution:
Orig - DCI w/att
1 - DDCI w/att
1 - EX REG Watt
1 - DDO REG w/att
1 - DDO w/att
1 - ADDO/CI Watt
1 - CIC Watt
1 - CIC Chrono Watt
SECRET
(25 July 1988)
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PETER WYDEN
83-2636X
June 22, 1988
Hon. William H. Webster
Director of Central Intelligence
Washington, DC 20505
Dear Judge Webster:
I am a historian and author of some dozen books, including BAY OF PIGS - THE
UNTOLD STORY (Simon and Schuster 1979) which I understand is highly regarded
in the intelligence community. Another of my books is DAY ONE - BEFORE HIROSHIMA
AND AFTER (Simon and Schuster 1984). Both books were Main Selections of the
Book-of-the-Month Club and the latter is currently being filmed for a three-hour
CBS-TV Special sponsored by AT&T.
I am completing a comprehensive history of the Berlin Wall for Simon and Schuster.
A list of some 300 of my interviewees is attached.
In connection therewith, I seek permission for a retired CIA employee, George
Kisvalter, to discuss with me one isolated and unexplained sentence in
THE PENKOVSKY PAPERS (Doubleday 1965), edited by Frank Gibney and translated
by Peter Deriabin. I gather the book was sponsored by the CIA. On page 236 of
the Doubleday edition it states: "I learned about the Berlin closing four days
before the Soviet government actually closed it off."
This unexplained statement is of great historical interest because there appears
to have been not a single other source accessible to the West who had the
slightest advance inkling that the border would be sealed or. lqigust 13, 1961,
preparatory to the construction of the Wall. 1
The Penkovsky statement begs obvious questions: What did he know? When did he
know it? How did he learn it? What and when did he tell his case officer,
presumably Mr. Kisvalter, who debriefed him in London and Paris?
Surely these long-ago historical questions are now discussable, especially since
much material about Penkovsky that is of vastly more sensitive nature has been
published by authoritative sources. By way of recent example, I refer to
REFLECTIONS ON THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS by Raymond L. Garthoff (Brookings
Institution 1987)which (pages 40-41) even details the methods by which Penkovsky
sent materials and a variety of signals to Western personnel in Moscow itself.
On my behalf; Theodore C. Barreaux of the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants kindly contacted Mr. Kisvalter at his home (703-356-2545).
Mr. Kisvalter said he would discuss thee matters only with Agency permission
'which I seek hereby.
Since my book is close to completion, I would be greatly appreciative for an
early acknowledgment of this note and, if at all possible, an approximate
STAT
STAT
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estimate as to when I might expect a ruling. Until September 5, mail should
please be addressed to me to the address below where I will be working
beginning within the next few days. And thank you very much for your interest.
Sincerely,
Peter Wyden
cc Theodore C. Barreaux
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PETER WYDEN
THE BERLIN WALL -- Interviewees to January 1, 1988
Americans
Amory, Robert, Jr. Former Deputy Director, CIA.
Applewhite, E.J., Former CIA official in West Germany.
Armstrong, DeWitt. Former Pentagon general.
Ausland, John C. Former chief, Berlin Task Force State Department.
Ball, George W. Former Under Secretary of State.
Battle, Hellen. Former American prisoner in DDR.
Bentley, Eric. American playwright, visitor to East Berlin.
Boudin, Leonard A. U.S. counsel for DDR spy, New York.
Brinitzer, Peter H. Former American intelligence officer, Berlin.
Bross, John. Former Eastern European chief, CIA.
Bundy, McGeorge. Former National Security Council director.
Carver, George A. Jr. Former CIA officer, West Germany.
Cash, Frank E. Jr. Former State Department official, Washington.
Castaldo, Siegrid. DDR refugee, New York.
Catudal, Honore M. American historian, author.
Chayes, Abram. Former Legal Counsel, State Department.
Clifton, Chester V. Former military aide to President Kennedy.
Clarke, Bruce C. Former commanding general, U.S. forces, Germany.
Cline, Ray. Former German station chief, CIA.
Cox, Henry. Former State Department official, Germany.
Diamond, I.A.L., film writer, Hollywood.
Dulles, Eleanor Lansing. Former head, Berlin desk, State Department.
Ewell, Julian. Former general, executive assistant to Gen. Maxwell Taylor.
Farmer, Thomas L. Former CIA official, Germany.
Fox, Thomas D. Former CIC official, Germany.
Gildner, Jay. USIA official.
Gilman, Benjamin A. New York Congressman.
Goodman, Erika. DDR refugee, New York. k
Greenwald, Ronald. New York rabbi (spy exchanges).
Halpern, Samuel. Former CIA official.
Helms, Richard. Former CIA director.
Hemsing, Albert E. Former USIA official, Berlin.
Higgins, Trumbull. American historian.
Hillenbrand, Martin J. Former State Department official.
Hoofnagle, James E. Former USIA official.
Jameson,'Donald. Former CIA official.
Johnson, U. Alexis. Former Under Secretary of State.
Kaysen, Carl. Former National Security Council official.
Kenney, John. Former CIA agent, Berlin.
Klein, David C. Former State Department official.
Koczak, Stephen. Former State Department official.
Kohler, Foy D. Former Assistant Secretary of State.
Lantos, Tom. California Congressman.
Ledsky, Nat. Former U.S. Minister, West Berlin.
Lightner, Allan E., Jr. Former Chief of U.S. Mission, Berlin.
Lundahl, Arthur C. Former CIA aerial reconnaissance chief.
McCone, John. Former director, CIA.
McNamara, Robert S. Former Secretary of Defense.
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PAGE 2
Mallinckrodt, Anita M. American historian of DDR.
Mapother, John. Former CIA official, Berlin.
Marchetti, Victor. Author, former CIA official.
Martin, David C. CBS Washington correspondent, author.
Mautner, Karl and Martha. Former State Department officials.
Merthan, Lawrence C. Former State Department official.
Moses, Hans. Former CIA official.
Muller, George. Former State Department official, Berlin.
New, Ricey S., Jr. Washington counsel for Americans charged as spies in DDR.
Nitze, Paul H. Former Assistant Secretary of Defense.
O'Donnell, James P. Former State Department official, author.
Owen, Henry. Former State Department official.
Petty, Clair E. Former CIA official, Germany.
Pittman, Steuart L. Former Assistant Secretary of Defense.
Pleitgen, Fritz. German TV correspondent in Washington.
Rositzke, Harry. Former CIA official, author.
Rostow, Walt W. Former Deputy Director, National Security Council.
Rusk, Dean. Former Secretary of State.
Safer, Morley. Former Berlin correspondent, Canadian television.
Salinger, Pierre. Former presidential press secretary.
Schelling, Thomas C. Harvard professor, defense expert.
Schmitz Clarence. Former CIA agent, Germany.
Schorr, Daniel. Former CBS TV correspondent, Berlin.
Sigl, Rupert. Former double agent for CIA and KGB in Berlin.
Smith, Bromley K. Former executive secretary, National Security Council.
Smith, Jean Edward. American historian, author.
Smith, Jeff. Former State Department counsel, spy exchange negotiator.
Smith, R. Jack. Former CIA official.
Sorensen, Thomas C. Former USIA official.
Stanley, Timothy. Former Pentagon official.
Steinert,Franz. Former DDR army colonel, then Defense Intelligence Agency official.
Stearman, William Lloyd. White House consultant.
Stewart, Gordon M. Former CIA official.
Talbott, Orwin C. Former general, Maxwell Taylor assistant.
Taylor, Maxwell, D. Former Army Chief of Staff, White House official.
Thuermer, Angus M. Former CIA chief, Berlin.
Trivers, Howard. Former assistant chief of U.S. Mission, Berlin
Tyler, William R. Former Assistant Secretaryo)f State.
Von Pawel, Ernest. Former colonel, U.S. Intelligence, Berlin.
Watson, Albert. Former commanding general, U.S. garrison, Berlin.
Westin, Av. Former CBS TV producer, Berlin.
Wilder, Billy. Producer of film "One, Two, Three," Berlin.
West Berlin and West Germany
Albertz, Heinrich. Former Mayor of Berlin, Berlin.
Backlund, Sven. Former Swedish Ambassador, Berlin.
Bahr, Egon. Member of West German Parliament, Bonn.
Bailey, George. Former Director, Radio Liberty, Munich_
Biermann, Wolf. DDR refugee, singing star, Hamburg.
Boenisch, Peter. Former Springer Co. editor, Munich.
Borkowski, Dieter. DDR refugee, author, Berlin.
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PAGE 3
Brown, Ralph A. Former CIA officer in Berlin, Berlin.
Buch, Guenther. Gesamtdeutsches Institut, Berlin.
Faust, Siegmar. DDR refugee, author.
Fricke, Karl Wilhelm. DDR expert for Deutschlandfunk, Cologne.
Fritzen, Dora. Philanthropist, shipline owner, Hamburg.
Frucht, Adolf-Henning. Physiologist, accused spy, Berlin.
Gruebel, Baerbel and Ota. Refugees from DDR (East Berlin).
Hanisch, Edda. Former DDR functionary, Bonn.
Heidrich, Heinz. Former DDR attorney, Munich.
Hennig, Ottfried. State Secretary, Member of Parliament, Bonn.
Hildebrandt, Rainer. Director, Checkpoint Charlie Museum.
Hurwitz, Harold J. West Berlin university professor.
Jope, Manfred. Refugee from DDR (Riesa).
Kraal, Meta. Refugee from DDR (East Berlin).
Kreutzer, Herrmann. Former politician, Berlin.
Kunst, Herrman. Former Lutheran Bishop, Bonn.
Lange-Mueller, Katja. Refugee from DDR (East Berlin), novelist.
Loewe, Lothar. Former West German TV correspondent in DDR and Washington.
Lochner, Robert. Former USIA chief, Berlin.
Loewenthal, Gerhard. National TV commentator, Mainz.
Long, Wellington. American wire service and radio correspondent, Bonn.
McCord, Thomas F. Former CIC chief in West Berlin.
Mettke, Joerg R. Former "Spiegel" correspondent in West Berlin.
Meyer, Michel. French TV correspondent and author, Bonn.
Michel, Jeffrey H. American DDR expert, Berlin.
Mueller, Manfred. "Spiegel" correspondent, Duesseldorf.
Naumann, Lutz-Peter. DDR refugee, West Berlin police reporter, Berlin.
Nietschke, Mrs. Karl Heinz. DDR refugee (Riesa).
Obst, Werner. DDR refugee, economist, Munich.
Priesnitz, Walter. Gesamtdeutsches Ministerium, Bonn.
Pritzel, Konstantin. Retired West German politician, Berlin.
Rehlinger, Ludwig A. State Secretary, Bonn (refugee and spy exchanges)
Salm, Uelo. West Berlin attorney, former government official, Berlin.
Schacht, Ulrich. DDR refugee, newspaper correspondent, Bonn.
Scharf, Kurt. Retired Lutheran Bishop, West Berlin.
Schenk, Fritz. West German TV commentator, Mainz.
Schmidt, Andreas. DDR refugee, Bonn.
Schmidthammer, Jens. Deutschlandfunk author, ,Cologne.
Seifarth, Volker. Refugee from DDR (Riesa).
Sejna, Jan. Defector, former Czech general.
Spangenberg, Dietrich. Former West German politician, Berlin.
Stange, Juergen. West German attorney, Berlin (refugee and spy exchanges)
Stone, Shepard. American foundation official, Berlin.
Svingel, Carl-Gustay. Former Swedish diplomat.
Thedieck, Franz. Former West German politician, Bonn.
Thomas, Stefan. Former West Germany politician, Bonn.
Urban, Ingo. DDR refugee, West German newspaper correspondent, Bonn.
Wedel, Reimar von. Attorney, Berlin (refugee exchanges).
Witte, Petra. Dentist, DDR refugee, berlin.
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East Berlin
PAGE 4
Beyer, Hartmut. DDR border police, Lieutenant Colonel.
Heym, Stefan. Ex-American, author.
Meehan, Francis J. U.S. Ambassador to East Germany.
Miller, Cynthia J. U.S. public affairs officer.
Reinhold, Otto. DDR government official.
Runge, Irene. Sociologist.
Schmidt, Max. DDR government official.
Schwabe, Ernst-Otto. Editor, "Horizont" magazine.
Seidel, Karl. Chief for West German Relations, DDR Foreign Ministry.
Vogel, Wolfgang. Attorney, refugee and spy exchanges.
ADDENDA
Ash, Timothy Garton. Author, former London Times correspondent,E. Berlin.
Binder, David. Former German correspondent, The New York Times.
Boelke, Joachim. Editor-in-chief, Der Tagesspiegel, Berlin.
Boelling, Klaus. Former speaker for West German Government.
Bradlee, Benjamin C. Washington Post editor, Kennedy intimate.
Brandt, Willy. Former German Chancellor, former Mayor of Berlin.
Garthoff, Raymond. Former State Department official.
Hanisch, Colonel Wilfried. DDR military historian.
Hoerning, Erika. West Berlin sociologist.
Legere, Laurence. NATO official.
Leonhard, Wolfgang. Historian, former DDR official.
Maron, Monika. DDR writer, daughter of former DDR Minister.
Noelle Neumann, Elisabeth. West German pollster.
Peet, John. British newspaperman, former DDR official, East Berlin.
Schaefer, Heinz. Retired DDR police official, East Berlin.
Seiffert, Wolfgang. Historian, forter DDR official.
Sicking, Peter. West Berlin sculptor.
Weber, Hermann. Historian, DDR expert.
Zimmermann, Hartmut. Historian. DDR expert.
ADDENDA
Axen, Hermann. DDR politician.
Blair, Bruce. Brookings Institution.
Dimmer, John P., Jr. CIA Berlin, retired.
Ellsberg, Dan. Former defense consultant.
Frank, Reuven. Former president, NBC News
Hood, Bill. CIA Berlin, retired.
Leonhard, Wolfgang. Yale historian.
Loeser, Franz. Former DDR official.
Rose, Guenther, DDR, historian, Humboldt University
Schlesinger, Arthur M., Jr. Historian.
Sorensen, Theodore, C. Former White House Counsel.
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