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Cryptonym: LIFIZZ

Definition:

LIFIZZ put out various publications. One of them was Espejo magazine, a right-wing weekly periodical in Mexico that received CIA funding.

Status:

Probable

Discussion:

Henry Holland was a prominent Spanish speaker in the Eisenhower Administration - he was instrumental in moving this program forward before his death in 1962. See these notes: https://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/finding_aids/pdf/holland_henry_f_papers.pdf

Sources:

104-10218-10221: THE ATTACHED LETTER REFERS TO "ESPEJO" IN MEXICO AND "SUMA

Gabriel Lowe memo, probably April 1963: "Background: In 1960, Henry Holland obtained some financial support for "Espejo" from several US companies (Sears, Roebuck; Socony Oil; Pan American Sulfur, several others) that were interested. When their backing was insufficient, Holland asked J.C. King if the Agency would help to fill the gap and, accordingly, $2000 was paid into "Espejo" through a cover foundation arrangement. Apparently, this procedure was repeated several times thereafter." After Holland died, the station continued to fund it until a LIHUFF proposal that included "Espejo" was disapproved for "numerous" reasons by J.C. King himself. It looks like this memo was signed off by DC/CC/1 and by "Holliwell" - long-running question about whether any relationship between this man and the well-known OSS/CIA Paul Helliwell that financed covert actions in Cuba. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Helliwell

104-10218-10223: REQUEST TO STOP FUNDING A WEEKLY MAGAZINE

Memo from about April 1963: "To COS, Mexico City; Operational KUWOLF, LIFIZZ's weekly magazine; ACTION: Please stop funding the new LIFIZZ weekly. "...the Ambassador had asked the station to support a weekly magazine, published by LIFIZZ-1, designed to counter Politica and Siempre. A friend of the Ambassador had been supporting it and that friend had to pull his support...compared to Siempre it is a pallid publication indeed. (Crossed out: 'that would do honor to any active chapter of the John Birch Society') It is not in the same class with the brilliantly conceived LISPUR which Mexico Station proposed and which the same Ambassador rejected as too dangerous. (Probably Thomas Mann.)...at Headquarters, our judgment says we should not support this publication at all. For LISPUR, we would dig up the funds somehow."

104-10218-10222: LETTER REGARDING FUNDING FOR PUBLICATION

4/15/63 letter from Henry Holland's brother Baxter Holland to C/WH J.C. King offering to assist in moving Henry's magazine forward and asking J.C. about his intentions in the matter.

104-10175-10174: CABLE LIHUFF PROJECT IN PRESENT FORM DISAPPROVED

7/15/63 cable from C/WH/3: "LIHUFF project in present form disapproved, mainly because it essentially subsidy of rightist group over which we have little control...if Mexi agrees, (modify to provide) stopping support to LIHUFF magazine." HQ felt magazine was "ineffective".

104-10098-10094: DISPATCH:LIFIZZ PROJECT RENEWAL FOR FY 1964

9/7/63 memo from HQ to Mexico City: "Project LIFIZZ was approved"...although for less money than previous years. HQ asked for prompt reports regarding this "sensitive operation".

104-10218-10047: (ASSET) (LIHUFF) OPERATIONS.

10/15/64 cable from Chief, Mexico City to Chief, WHD: "(HMMA-23708 and HMMA-23773) forwarded another two issues of (Espejo), the LIHUFF/(IISE, an anti-communist organization) regular publication, plus another publication as well."

104-10218-10039: DISPATCH: OPERATIONAL/KUWOLF/LIHUFF

12/2/63 memo by Win Scott: Scott wrote that IDEN B and his group would fund the magazine starting on 1/1/64. An intriguing memo, with all IDENs blacked out.