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Cryptonym: HYSAGE-1

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Definition:
Thelma King, Panamanian legislator and double or triple agent. She indicated to CIA officer Jake Esterline on 11/22/63 that she knew Oswald and said that "Castro would never do that". Had dual loyalties to Cuba and the United States.
Status:
Documented
Discussion:
According to Jake Esterline in 1998, King once spoke about meeting Oswald in Cuba. Michelle Combs at the CIA reviewed King's 201 file and said that there was nothing "relevant" to give to the ARRB. https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=60491#relPageId=2 See 104-10180-10044, p. 68: 6/10/64...Rogelio Rodriguez Lopez, DGI officer and second secretary at the Cuban consulate in Mexico, is described as "Thelma King's contact." A good overview on Thelma King can be found here: https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2018/jan/23/cia-panama/
Sources:

104-10308-10281: MEMO: ZRKNICK OPERATION (NON CS MATERIAL)

August 1962: Thelma King was a Panamanian deputy recruited by Castro to conduct espionage missions. Jake Esterline/Anthony Ponchay also communicated with her. Next three pages reveal that this woman was also known to CIA as ()SAGE-1.

180-10141-10251: 180-10141-10251

Dispatch 10/3/63 from CS/Panama to C/WHD. HYSAGE-1 learned on 9/26/63 that Jose Puente Blanco recently met with Manuel Ray in Puerto Rico for a three-day meeting.

104-10528-10154: CABLE RE MAIL COVERAGE.

10/8/63 cable DIR 74072 from WH/3/Mexico N. Judkins to Mexico City, slugline ZRKNICK: "On 3 Oct HYSAGE-1 (IDEN) told Panama City station that besides mailing letters for Cuba to Ofelia Reguere HYSAGE-1 also mails some letters to Panamanian consul in Mexico for delivery to Cuban embassy; that consul old personal friend who does this as favor and not aware extent (of) HYSAGE-1 Cuban activities; so far only innocuous test messages sent this channel. Request discreet and selective mail coverage consul identified by PACY as Marta de Dool de Cazardo (sp?). Insurgentes Sur 222, Despacho 288, Mexico. Do not pass HYSAGE-1 name to any LIBIGHT personnel." 104-10100-10156 identifies HYSAGE-1 as "Thelma King, Panamanian national deputy."

104-10308-10282: ZRKNICK UNNUMBERED BOX VOLUME 111

10/26/63: Pamama City to HQ: "Hope you understand that PONCHAY (Jake Esterline) and Station CI is dissatisfied with aspects of ()SAGE Ops as is HQ. Do not, however, at this point, see spectre of Soviets or massive provocation efforts directed by Soviets or Castro in progress."

104-10331-10182: OUR CONVERSATION RE ESTERLINE

11/22/63 HYSAGE-1 was talking to Esterline when news came in about JFK's death. She said Fidel would never do that. She indicated she had met Oswald. Unredacted version: http://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/withheld-jfk-assassination-documents/#

104-10308-10270: CONTINUATION OF DISPATCH: SHE CONTINUED TO BE TRUTHFUL

12/3/63: In HZPA-13960 In HZPA Woman identified as ()SAGE-1 was a big fan of JFK. Her bio number was 201-003373 - she wrote a eulogy to him and gave it to Jack Esterline, should be in CIA files to this day (eulogy not found on MFF). Another document reveals this same event, and that the woman involved was Thelma King: See https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=17002&relPageId=2&search=hzpa

HSCA Segregated CIA Collection (staff notes): 180-10141-10251

2/9/64: "Jose Marie Puente Blanco left Panama City for Caracas...he is possible Castro agent...2/22/64: "The Puente Blanco brothers have been under some suspicion since their arrival in PACY (Panama City) following their release from Cuban prison as result of intervention of Thelma King. Part of suspicion is result of activities of brother, Jorge, still in Cuba."

104-10054-10014: TYPIC/DGI-DSE OFFICIALS KNOWN TO AMMUG-1

6/10/64: Rogelio Rodriguez Lopez "handled"HYSAGE-1/Thelma King in Mexico City. Also see 104-10063-10322, which identifies King at page 4 as a "singleton agent" for the Cuban intelligence service and Rodriguez as her contact.

Don Bohning, "Thelma King: Panamanian Puzzle", July 5, 1965. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19650705&id=buxRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_3MDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5233,2651900&hl=en

1965: Examination of King's dual loyalties to the interests of Cuba and the USA.

Bill Simpich, JFK Records Not Believed Relevant and Panama, 2/1/15, http://jfkcountercoup.blogspot.com/2015/02/51-years-after-panamas-fight-forfreedom.html

Story of the life of Thelma King, HYSAGE-1. A particularly hot document is in 1971, when she had some information on plans to assassinate Nixon's vice president Spiro Agnew: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=60409&search=srpointer#relPageId=26&tab=page

104-10107-10031: QUESTIONABLE ACTIVITIES

Circa 1971: "Activities to be Discussed with Acting Attorney General Silberman...probable violations of Agency charter...Project PARAGON...upon DCI approval of a CI staff request, the Office of Security surveilled Thelma King, a Latin American revolutionary, and several associates in New York City and Detroit. There was surveillance and mail coverage of several American citizens in regard to a plot reported by Ms. King to assassinate Vice President Agnew and DCI." 1974 memo.

157-10011-10078: TESTIMONY OF OSBORN, HOWARD J., 17 FEB 1975

Circa 1971: OS chief Osborn discusses "a female agent of the Latin American division who reported to the CIA the existence of a plot to assassinate the Vice President and to kidnap the Director of Central Intelligence. This surveillance was conducted under the supervision of Mr. Ober, of the Directorate of Operations, with the full knowledge of the FBI. Also included in this surveillance were some of the contacts of this agent in Detroit, Miami, and New York City. The agent involved here was Thelma King, and the surveillance took place in 1971..." Also see https://archive.org/details/ThelmaKingRubenOscarMiro/page/n1 - Page 2 of 113: "Osborn (of the Office of Security) states that physical surveillance of individuals in this country has been very rare as far as the Office of Security is concerned. (Estimated less than ten times)...4. A female agent of the Latin American Division who reported to the CIA the existence of a plot to assassinate the Vice President and kidnap the Director of Central Intelligence...The agent involved here was Thelma King, and the surveillance took place in 1971."

Contributors:
Bill Simpich

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