SECRET
COMMISSION ON CIA ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE UNITED STATES
MEMORANDUM
To: David W. Belin
From: Mason Cargil – MC
Subject: LUIS ANGEL CASTILLO
In the
afternoon of May 12, 1975 ,
I talked with Scott Breckenridge of the Inspector General’s office. He told me
that the Agency’s files concerning Castillo were finally located in the
East-Asia Division of the DDO. Those files dealing with Castillo are files of
the “201” type. However, these files were not filed with normal 201 files.
Breckenridge could give no explanation for this anomaly.
He gave me
a brief overview of what he said the documents in the file demonstrated.
According to him, Castillo left the United States Chicago Philippines
In the Philippines Philippines Dallas
RMC: Clb
SECRET
DECLASSIFIED with portions redacted
JFK Assass. Rec. Collection Act of 1992
FAI, NSC , CIA Concurrence
PHOTO COPY FROM
GERALD R. FORD LIBRARY
SECRET
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In the opinion of
Breckenridge, Castillo’s story as documented in these files, probably cannot be
dismissed out of hand as inherently incredible. Breckenridge still has no
present memory of how the team preparing the 1967 IG report on assassinations
came to be aware of Castillo or what follow-up action, if any, was taken on the
basis of these documents. He suggests that another person who worked on the
1967 report, Ken Greer, may have worked on this Castillo angle and would be the
person to contact for such information. He stated that Greer is now retired and
living in Wisconsin United States
The Agency’s
documents on Castillo are contained in two manila-type folders, legal size. The
first is entitled “Luis Angel Castillo, 201-817248, thru April 1967.” The
second bears the identical title except for the date, which is May 67 - .”
The first file,
though April 1967, contained the following items of interest:
1. Filed
immediately after a cable, dated March 3, 1967, from [Redacted] to
Headquarters, is a copy of an interrogation of Luis Castillo by a Philippine
agent of the National Bureau of Investigation. This document is about 20
pages long and in it Castillo outlines his story.
His parents were
Cuban nationals. He left Puerto Rico to attend
school in Cuba
Castillo stated that on July 2, 1962 , during a speech, Fidel Castro
threatened to retaliate against President Kennedy. He said Castro said Kennedy
had made two attempt on
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his life and he was prepared to
order that Kennedy himself be assassinated by Cuban intelligence agents.
Castillo also claims to have been in Dallas Dallas July 7, 1962 . It appears
that the blacked-out portion of the transcript may contain certain questions
and answers dealing with the Kennedy assassination.
My
personal impression from this transcript is that Castillo was not in control of
his faculties. He is at times quite rambling, incoherent, and sometimes
inherently incredible. He states that in the Philippines Philippines
2. A cable,
dated March 8, 1967 ,
from [Redacted] to Headquarters. In this cable the [Redacted] gives
headquarters a brief outline of the transcribed testimony of Castillo described
in paragraph one. Essentially the [Redacted] is giving certain details of what
Castillo claims was his history, for the purpose of allowing headquarters to
attempt to independently corroborate these details, in order to establish Castillo’s
credibility. The cable states that Castillo is in effect telling a “pretty wild
story.”
3. An FBI
report, dated April 13, 1967 ,
Subject: Luis Angel Castillo. This report contains factual statements made
by Castillo in the Philippines Chicago
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4.
An FBI Report, dated April
13, 1967 , on Luis Angel Castillo. This report summarizes a Newark , New
Jersey Bordentown , N.J.
5. Cable,
dated April 19, 1967 ,
from [Redacted] to Headquarters. Paragraph one of this cable reads as
follows:
During
first two weeks of April, subject underwent consecutively truth serum, truth
serum-hypnotism, and hypnotism during interrogations at [Redacted].* While
confirming some earlier points in his sworn statement, subject consistently
maintained he among 14 other Cuban intel agents who deployed along street in Dallas
on the day President Kennedy was assassinated. He stated that after
assassination accomplished by people other than Oswald, he and a companion flew
to Chicago Two Chipawa Court ,
Madison , Wisconsin
Paragraph two reads in part:
“LNYMA** representatives indicated he would eventually have to effect subject’s
travel to the U.S. since he deported by error and according to LNERGO ***
subject is wanted by Bureau of Parole, Trenton, New Jersey, for violation of
parole.”
· [Redacted]
appears to stand for the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation.
· **
“LNYMA” probably stands for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
· ***
“LNERGO” probably stands for the U.S. FBI
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6.
Cable, dated April 21, 1967 ,
from Headquarters to [Redacted] (signed by William E. Colby, Chief, Far-East
Division) Paragraph one reads:
“Par
1 [Redacted] 9456 [Cable referred to in paragraph five above] has created strong
reaction here. Although inclined to agree [Redacted] evaluation Castillo aka
Eloriaga Reyes case, there are disturbing verifications of story and lines to
other individuals. Believe we cannot allow case to idle along. Case primarily
LNERGO LNYUMA responsibility here, but we want [Redacted] actively and directly
involved so long as locus remains Phils.”
Paragraph three
reads: “Unless LNYUMA plans effect travel to U.S.
7. Cable dated April 24, 1967 , from [Redacted] to
Headquarters. This cable transmits a verbatim transcript of two
interrogations of Castillo by the Philippine NBI. This interrogation contains
Castillo’s recitation of the details of his activities on the day President
Kennedy was killed. He claims to have been working for one Jean Dolf who placed
him under hypnosis in Chicago
8. Newspaper articles of April 1967
from the Philippines April 22, 1967 , in the Saturday
Chronicle gives practically all the details that Castillo gave to the
Philippine NBI during his interrogation. An even more detailed account of
Castillo’s story is contained in an article in the April 22, 19676 edition of
the Philippines April 22, 1967 .
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9. One press item of interest was
published by the AP on April
23, 1967 , from Washington
“A
spokesman for Representative Gerald R. Ford, Republican-Michigan, a member of
the Warren Commission, said the congressman would not comment until he had more
information. He said Ford might have a statement if the reported confession of
Luis Angel Castillo, described as a communist agent for Cuba
10.
Cable, dated April 25, 1967 ,
from the American Embassy in Manila Washington
“Apart from question of delicacy
and prudence, one reason why embassy has not sought to offer good offices to
alleged American citizen is that he appears, in some respects, be irrational,
and has created most of his own problems here. Shortly after arrival he
telephoned Chief of Staff MATA with offer to establish contact with Huks in
order to assassinate prominent Huk leaders. (When asked how he would recognize
leaders, he replied that they could supply him with description). MATA referred
him to one of army intelligence agencies which after two interviews concluded
he was both unbalanced and semi-illiterate before turning him over to NBI.”
11.
FBI report on Castillo, dated April
24, 1967 , forwarded to the CIA
on April 25, 1967 .
This contains a complete FBI report on Castillo (i.e., his background, U.S.
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“With
reference to subject’s allegations concerning the assassination of President
Kennedy, it is to be noted that the extensive investigation of Lee Harvey
Oswald and the assassination developed no indications that anyone other than
Oswald was involved in the assassination of President Kennedy.”
The
second file, beginning with documents of May 1967, contain the follow items of
note:
12.
Memorandum, dated May 3, 1967 ,
for the record,
Subject:
Luis Angel Castillo by [Redacted] , FE/PMI /P.
This
gives the CIA ’s version of the
events beginning with the arrest of Castillo. It substantially agrees with all
of the documents discussed above.
13.
Cable, dated June 20,
1967 , from [Redacted], to Chief, Far-East Division, Subject::
Current status of Illegal Immigrant Luis Castillo. This cable states that
the Philippine NBI was still holding Castillo incommunicado in a hospital in
the Philippines. The cable indicates that the Philippine officers strongly
suspect “subject could have been conditioned by someone to attempt
assassination of President Marcos.” Paragraph three of this cable reads as
follows:
[Redacted]
officer who mentioned that a Russian hypnotism expert Libidev or Libibed,
visited Manila while on World Health Organization business in February 1967
when subject had just come to Philippines and was still at large before his
arrest. [Redacted] suspected this Russian might have contacted subject to
“maintain hypnotic control” which allegedly subject has been placed under
before leaving WOLADY.”
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Paragraph
five of this cable reads: “While we are minimizing time devoted to this case,
[Redacted] will keep in close touch with [Redacted] and report further
developments.”
14.
Cable dated June 26, 1967, from [Redacted] to Headquarters. This
indicates that a [Redacted] within Philippine NBI had reported indicated that
Castillo had signed a new statement on June 26, 1967, identifying himself as
one Manuel Angelo Ramirez. In this statement Castillo claimed to have been a
WOFACT (Probably referring to the CIA )
employee who participated first in Bay of Pigs invasion, then in the
assassination of President Kennedy. He also indicated that he had been sent to
the Philippines to attempt to assassinate President Marcos. Cable indicated
that the NBI did not believe Castillo’s claim about his CIA
status and its involvement in assassinations, but needed to “clear up” the
subject’s claims. Paragraph three contains the statement that, “We briefed
minister and will brief FBI and INS
on FYI only basis, at first opportunity.”
Paragraph
four of this cable reads;
“Subject’s
story getting more absurd and we frequently point this out to [Redacted].
Nonetheless, Par 1 [referring to assassination allegations referring to CIA ] is a leak to local press, no matter how far
fetched the story, it could be embarrassing.”
15.
FBI report dated February 15, 1968, indicates that Castillo had arrived
at Chicago O’Hare International Airport from Manila at approximately 11 p.m.,
February 10, 1968. On February 14 officers from the Sheriff’s Department of
Cook County, Illinois, visited Castillo’s mother’s home in an effort to arrest
him with a warrant charging him with parole violation. They were advised that
on February 13 Castillo left his mother’s home in an automobile with a number
of unidentified male individuals. His mother added that she did not expect to
see her son again.
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16.
FBI report, dated December 30, 1967, on Luis Angel Castillo. This report
contains the text of a letter which Castillo sent to his mother in Chicago on
December 4, 1967, while he was still under interrogation by the NBI in Manila.
In the letter he claims that all of his confessions were the result of NBI
torture and none of them were true. He explains that since the NBI recently got
a new director who is anti-American, he was then being tortured to force him to
claim that he is a CIA spy who was
sent to the Philippines for the purpose of assassinating President Marcos. His
mother turned the letter over to the FBI as soon as she received it.
17.
Memorandum for the record, dated June 18, 1969, by J.F. Devanon of the Los
Angeles Field Office, Subject: Victor Arcega, Hermosa Beach, California.
This memorandum describes contact the Los Angeles field office had with Arcega.
Arcega, on May 26, 1969, telephoned the Los Angeles field office of the CIA on the listed telephone number. He claimed that
he had information on a Cuban Communist in the Philippines and he agreed to
mail the particulars to the CIA ’s
P.O. Box. The letter he subsequently wrote is attached to this memorandum. In
it Arcega claims to have been the hypnotist used by the NBI in its
interrogation of Castillo in 1967. He claims that he used the name Vicente
Sanchez.
Arcega,
in 1969, was a proofreader for the Los Angeles Times, who was about to be
deported to the Philippines because his visa was expiring. He claims that
Castillo had been subject to prior hypnosis and he had been programmed to
undertake certain actions when certain key words were said to him. One key word
dealt with the assassination of President Marcos of the Philippines. The letter
does not state why Arcega is providing this information to the CIA at this time. The file does not indicate what
follow-up if any CIA undertook as
a result of this letter.
It
should be noted that the summary of the interrogation cabled to headquarters on
April 24, 1967, discussed above, included a report on Castillo, signed by one
“Vicente Sanchez, Hypnotist.” It is not clear how Arcega would have known the
name used by the hypnotist in 1967 had he not either been the hypnotist or been
associated with the NBI in some other capacity.
SECRET
PHOTO
COPY
FROM
GERALD R.FORD LIBRARY
GERALD R.
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