Subj:  Kennedy and Castro		Section: 
  To:  Gerard McNally, 73763,436	Tuesday, January 10, 1995 5:06:18 PM
From:  					

It is not accurate when you state that there is no reference. It would be 
more accurate for you to say that you have not read my specific message 
citing that reference. OK, I will try again. I try not to use classified 
documents or material which the average person would have a hard time 
finding. You may not be able to find a copy of the original GPO printing of 
the Church Committee report. So, I will quote from the WW Norton book, 
Alleged Assassination Plots Involving Foreign Leader: An Interim Report 
of the Senate Select Committee To Study Governmental Operations With 
Respect To Intelligence Activities United States Senate Together With 
Additional, Supplemental, And Separate Views.

The impetus to assassinate Castro did not begin with JFK. It began at 
lower levels of the CIA. Page 92:

  (i) Dulles' Approval of J. C. King's December 1959 Memoran-
dum. -- On December 11, 1959, J. C. King, head of CIA's Western
Hemisphere Division, wrote a memorandum to Dulles observing that
a "far left" dictatorship now existed in Cuba which, "if" permitted
to stand, will encourage similar actions against U.S. holdings in other
Latin American countries.
  One of King's four "Recommended Actions" was:
  Thorough consideration be given to the elimination of Fidel Castro. 
None
of those close of [sic] Fidel, such as his brother Raul or his companion 
Che Guevara,
have the same mesmeric appeal to the masses. Many informed people 
believe
that the disappearance of Fidel would greatly accelerate the fall of the 
present
Government.
-----------


Page 148:

(1) Helms' Perception of Authority
  Helms testified that the "intense" pressure exerted by the Kennedy
Administration to overthrow Castro had left him to perceive that the
CIA was acting within the scope of its authority in attempting
Castro's assassination, EVEN THOUGH ASSASSINATION WAS NEVER 
DIRECTLY
ORDERED. [emphasis mine]
----------

Page 149:

  Helms said that he was never told by his superiors to kill Castro,
(Helms, 7/17/75,p.15) but that:
  No member of the Kennedy Adminstration * * * ever told me that 
[assassina-
tion] was proscribed, [or] ever referred to it in that fashion * * *. Nobody 
ever
said that [assassination] was ruled out * * * (Helms,7/17/75,pp. 18, 43) 
[elipses in original]
-----------

Page 150 top:

  Helms testified that there was no direct order to assassinate Castro.
------------------

Page 151 middle:

  Despite these reservations, Helms did not seek approval for the
assassination activity. He said this was because assassination was not
a subject which should be aired with higher authority.
--------------------------

Page 269:

  Helms told the Committee that he had never raised the assassina-
tion operation with McCone or other Kennedy Adminstration officials
because of the sensitivity of the matter, because he had assumed that
the project had been previously authorized, and because the aggressive
character of the Kennedy Administration's program against the
Castro regime led him to believe that assassination was permissible,
even though he did not receive an express instruction to that effect.
----------------

My comments: I believe Helms was telling the truth. I also agree with him 
and understand his position. Further, I believe he may be correct that the 
first assassination project was approved from the highest level during the 
Eisenhower Admininstration, although perhaps not by Eisenhower 
himself. (hint, hint) The document may be released soon through some 
"accidental" declassification.

Conclusion: Unless you think Helms was lying, his testimony is that JFK 
did not order the assassination of Castro and that Helms took it upon 
himself to authorize the assassination of Castro.

Tony