Cryptonym: AMTRUNK-1
104-10102-10226: AMTRUNK OPERATION
Identified as AMTRUNK-1.
104-10103-10110: ACTIVITIES OF JORGE VOLSKY - (Continued)
1961: "When Volsky arrived in the United States, he visited his friend and former contact at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Paul Bethel, who at that time was in charge of the Miami office of the USIA. Bethel was sold on Volsky's presentation on himself as a counterrevolutionary recently out of prison...Bethel contacted him to edit a VOA program which was entitled "The Truth Behind the News". JMWAVE traces on Bethel show...(a) In 1960 Bethel who was Press Attache for the US Embassy in Cuba was a suspected informant for the Castro regime. (WH/4/CI dated 23 September 19600. No confirmation of this was ever developed. (b) Bethel was employed by JMWAVE for three months, October through December 1961, as a writer-analyst for a detailed analysis of the overt Cuban press. This employment took place shortly after Bethel had left his job in USIA in a huff as he refused to accept a transfer to Washington where he was to work in a matter related to the Peace Corps. His (CIA) employment was on a trial basis only and was terminated after an assessment by Headquarters...that Bethel's reports contained nothing which was not already available through regular established sources and therefore his high salary, $1000 per month, was not justified. (c) When Bethel resigned his USIA post and began to work for CIA, William G. Wagley took over his position as Chief of the Miami office. Wagley made Volsky responsible for the weekly summary report made to Washington USIA analyzing the Cuban situation."
104-10175-10039: DISPATCH: DISTRIBUTION OF BOOKLET "JOE VIDAS"
7/5/62 dispatch from Chief, WH Division to Chief of Station, Mexico City: "Headquarters has been informed that QKFLOWAGE/USIA is collaborating with GPAZURE of ZRAWARD
104-10103-10110: ACTIVITIES OF JORGE VOLSKY
9/62-8/64: Document refers to "AMTRUNK-1". JMWAVE's conclusion in 1964 was that there was no proof that Volsky was a Soviet agent, but that he should be watched. Cautioned that "if he has been providing information to both the (New York) Times and to JURE based on his access to QKFLOWAGE materials and contacts, then it would appear that an early inquiry into his activities by QKFLOWAGE (USIA) Headquarters is indicated... "VOLSKY first became of interest to KUBARK (CIA) in February 1963 when it was learned that he was the source of an anti-Castro plan known as Operation LEONARDO designed to split the Castro regime by the recruitment of certain elements of the Militia and the Rebel Army in the GOC (Government of Cuba). This plan had been presented to ODACID (State Dept.) through Tad SZULC, editorial writer of the New York Times Washington office, and ODACID sent it for action to KUBARK Headquarters." Succeeding pages show that Volsky was his grandmother's name. Friends with AMBLEAK-1 and Max Lesnick... Imprisoned at the same time as AMBLEAK-1 during the "Invasion roundup" following the Bay of Pigs. Volsky got out within a month thanks to his US visa...AMOT-119 reported on 9/17/62 that Volsky had close relationships with Tad Szulc of the NY Times as well as the Washington Post...Szulc presented to ODACID (State Dept) an operational plan based on Volsky's ideas which was subsequently turned over to KUBARK (CIA)...Szulc and Volsky frequently discussed matters in Polish, which was deemed suspicious by CIA sources...Volsky was described as Szulc's "unofficial stringer"...Several sources indicated that they felt Volsky was working with JURE to infilitrate the CIA during 1963.
02/07/63: FBI memo from S. J. Papich to D. J. Brennan: Subject: Anti-Castro Activities: "On February 6, 1963, Harold Swenson, CIA, confidentially advised the Liaison Agent that the following individuals will be involved in an extremely sensitive operation involving a clandestine landing in Cuba; this will take place in the near future: Enrique Cayado Rivera, Antonio Garcia Perez, Doctor Nestor Antonio Gustavo Jose Luis Moreno Lopez, Miguel Diaz y Salgue, George Volsky. Swenson submitted name check requests concerning the individuals. Bureau files were checked and there was no evidence of any derogatory information. The name checks were returned to Swenson on February 6, 1963, with notations indicating that Bureau files did not contain derogatory information. ACTION: The above information is being directed to the attention of the Nationalities Intelligence Section."
3/17/63 draft memo by Desmond FitzGerald - an important memo, following up on Bill Harvey's memo on how to continue the battle against Cuba in 1963 - see 104-10103-10079. In FitzGerald's memo, he states "we also intend to request USIA to have VOA (Voice of America) devote special attention to its military audience inside Cuba." The marginalia alongside it asks: "Bethel? Volsky?" See 198-10004-10020, p. 84. 1/12/63: For "attempt to induce split in the Cuban regime", that task is assigned to "State, CIA, USIA".
104-10102-10236: DISPATCH ON OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES
8/24/64 cable from Chief of Station, JMWAVE to Deputy Chief, WH/SA: "Among Volsky's Cuban contacts is Raul Chibas Rivas (201-248160), a member of the executive committee of JURE, listed as Manolo Ray's right-hand man...Chibas, the former director of the Havana Military Academy and reportedly an early idol of Fidel Castro, defected in 1960. He gave a three hour interview to Tad Szulc in Havana who reported him completely disillusioned with the Cuban regime. However Chibas had a definite record of Communist Party participation and was suspected by (FBI) of being a Castro plant in the United States..."