Cryptonym: LISIREN-3
A dispatch in August, 1967, stated that "an LNERGO (FBI) informant alleges that 'quite some time' before the assassination of President Kennedy, Oswald met in Mexico City with a member of WOFACT (CIA) whose alias was Bill Medina. The latter's true name was not known to the informant. Would you please advise whether the name Bill Medina is known in any context? We assume there is no connection with IDENTITY but would appreciate your comments." The identity was given as Alfredo Medina Vidiella.
Curiously, the dispatches on November 12, 1963, and November 13, 1963, both have different 201 numbers for LISIREN-3. The 201 number for the former was 201-12106 while the latter was 201-347429. Perhaps the 201 number in the dispatch on November 12, 1963, was referring to the OA investigation and not to LISIREN-3.
A dispatch in October, 1964, noted that Enno Hobbing of the Latin American Information Committee gave a sum of money to LISIREN/3 "for defraying some of the costs attendant to the recent visit of Cardinal Tisserant to Mexico."
LIHUFF was an anti-communist organization in Mexico with emphasis on students, economics, civil pressure and propaganda - financed by the Mexico City station. Many LIHUFF members were also LISIREN members. LISIREN may have been more oriented to religion - looking at the reference above to LISIREN-3 subsidizing the cardinal's visit.
Notice the relationship between LAIC (Enno Hobbing/GPAZURE's Latin American Information Committee, aka ZRAWARD), the Council for Latin America (104-10218-10047, p. 62 - probably the same as LAIC) and INCA (Alton Ochsner's Information Council of the Americas, in New Orleans).
104-10414-10124: MEXICO CITY STATION HISTORY
"In March 1963, LISIREN-3 advised David A. Phillips, the station CA chief, that LISIREN-5 (201-725282), a close personal friend of DCI John A. McCone, had arranged for LISIREN-3 and LISIREN-5 to meet with McCone in Washington. The station cabled Headquarters to be prepared for a request for financial support. LISIREN-3 and LISIREN-5 briefed the Director on the activities of the Social Studies Center and asked for a direct subsidy of $80,000 per month..." (11/16/78, Mexico City Station History from Anne Goodpasture: Page 320) 4/8/63 memo for the record by SAS officer Gabe Lowe: 104-10218-10225: MEMO: COMMENTS ON PROPOSED PROJECT LIHUFF - "Several members of the LIHUFF organization are also members of the LISIREN organization. One of them, Eduardo Prieto Lopez, recently discussed the LISIREN organization with the DCI in the latter's headquarters office and is aware of US government funding to the LISIREN complex."
104-10093-10274: CABLE - CLINIC IN NEW ORLEANS FOR UNEXPECTED OPERATION
11/02/63 MEXI 6768 from Mexico City to Director, slugline LISIREN KUJUMP: "FYI: LISIREN-3 (IDEN) now at Oschner clinic New Orleans for unexpected operation. Diagnosis not known MEXI. Suggest HQS through KUJUMP/Domestic Contact Division may wish send flowers or note from "(Washington) friends" or perhaps from Thomas J. Brent/CIA director John McCone."
https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2023/104-10093-10275.pdf
11/02/63, Cable from Mexico City to Director: Slugline LISIREN KUJUMP: CITE MEXI 6769: REF MEXI 6768: "IDEN is: Ing. Alfredo Medina. C/S Comment: Attached."
104-10100-10415: PRIOR TO SENDING FLOWERS CHECKED WITH CLINIC AND LEARNED PATIENT DISMISSED
11/08/63 cable DIR 81793 from Director to Mexico City, ref MEXI 6768: "Prior to sending flowers HDQs checked with clinic whereupon it determined LISIREN-3 dismissed 8 November with clean bill of health." Re 11/8/63, 104-10310-10251, p. 5: "Dr. Alton Ochsner (201-834497)...Dr. Ochsner is director of the Ochsner Foundation, founder of the Ochsner Clinic, and president of the Information Council of America. He is a world-famous surgeon. Dr. Ochsner was of contact interest in October 1947 and November 1948. He has been a cleared source since 13 May 1955. The last official contact with Dr. Ochsner personally occurred on 8 January 1962 and with the Ochsner Clinic on 8 November 1963."
104-10098-10141: DISPATCH: LISIREN/3 - POA EXTENSION
11/12/63, Dispatch from Chief, WH Division to COS, Mexico City: "The POA for LISIREN-3 has been extended until 29 January 1964 to allow completion of the OA investigation." HQs File Number: 201-12106.
104-10211-10401: DISPATCH: OA GRANTED FOR AN ASSET
11/13/63 dispatch HMMW-12114 from Chief, WH to Chief, Mexico City, ref HMMA-21714 11 July 1963: "LISIREN-3 was granted an OA on 7 November 1963 for use as outlined in reference." 201-347429
104-10211-10274: CABLE: LISIREN/3 STATION ASSET WITH RELATIVES MRID REPORTS STRONG RUMORS
12/5/63 cable MEXI 7261: LISIREN-3, station asset with relatives (in Madrid) reports strong rumors from ILLEGIBLE that Torres Hermanos, Ford dealers, are engaged in providing tires, batteries and spare parts subsequently smuggled into Cuba. Please advise (of) any confirmation (of) these rumors or any possible connections ILLEGIBLE activities."
12/16/63 cable DIR 89489 from Director to Mexico City info Madrid, slugline PBRUMEN MHVIPER: "Would appreciate Mexi attempt obtain through LISIREN-3 and relatives any specifics re Torres Hermanos involvement supplying auto parts to Cuba. HQS prepared approach Ford (USA) to halt activity if sufficient evidence can be furnished."
104-10218-10047: (ASSET) (LIHUFF) OPERATIONS.
10/08/64, Dispatch from COS, Mexico City to Chief, WHD: Subject: General - Operational/Specific - Enno Hobbing: REFERENCE: MEXI-9619, dated 26 May 1964. "1. On 6 October 1964, LIHUFF/2 reported through LIHUFF/1 that Enno Hobbing of the Latin American Information Committee and his Mexico 'specialist', (fnu) Ferrer, were in Mexico City. Hobbing gave a sum of money to LISIREN/3 for defraying some of the costs attendant to the recent visit of Cardinal Tisserant to Mexico, but declined to provide any financial assistance to LIHUFF/2 for Identity. 2. It was also learned by the Station that Ferrer was going to try to contact LINOODLE/1 on 7 October 1964. Douglas J. Freapane, the outside case officer, told LINOODLE/1 to avoid any type of binding or continuing relationship with Ferrer and Hobbing. This information resulted from a meeting between Michael C. Choaden and Ferrer. The latter called on Choaden at PBSWING, stating that he simply wanted to pay a social call on behalf of Hobbing, intimating that Hobbing was not in Mexico City. Choaden was carefully taciturn during the meeting with Ferrer. (REDACTION) for Willard C. Curtis."
124-10369-10045: ADMIN FOLDER-O9: HSCA ADMINISTRATIVE FOLDER, LHO INCOMING C
7/18/67: A. Edward Horsey, a public accountant in Kalamazoo, Michigan, tips the FBI that he been working with a group of people to study the Kennedy slaying. They concluded a man named Al Groat was on the grassy knoll firing a gun - as mentioned in the almost-certainly-fictional book "The Plot to Kill JFK" by David Warren. "Their detectives...know that Lee Harvey Oswald met in Mexico City, Mexico whose alias is Bill Medina and whose true name is not known." His group also claims that Ruby was working with a post-hypnotic suggestion. As seen below, this caused the CIA to "ZR Ruby". Harold Weisberg and others had correspondence with a woman named Helen Hartmann in 1968-69 provide who offered claims that Horsey was a disinformation artist. The last page provides a "JFK" newspaper ad of 8/27/67 signed by A. Edward Horsey and allegedly Penn Jones - http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/White%20%20Files/White%20Assassination%20Clippings%20Folders/Miscellaneous%20Files/Miscellaneous%20IV/Misc%20IV-58.pdf http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg%20Subject%20Index%20Files/H%20Disk/Hartmann%20Helen/Item%2002.pdf
104-10010-10008: POSSIBLE RAMIFICATION OF ASSASSINATION OF PRESIENT KENNEDY
08/08/67: Dispatch from Chief, WH Division to COS, Mexico City: Subject: Possible Mexican Ramifications of Assassination of President Kennedy: "1. An LNERGO (FBI) informant alleges that 'quite some time' before the assassination of President Kennedy, Oswald met in Mexico City with a member of WOFACT (CIA) whose alias was Bill Medina. The latter's true name was not known to the informant. Would you please advise whether the name Bill Medina is known in any context? We assume there is no connection with IDENTITY (note: page 4: stated it was Alfredo Medina Vidiella) but would appreciate your comments... Theresa H. Bachardy." This "FBI informant" was the tipster known as "A. Edward Horsey" - https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=97730#relPageId=2 - this tip caused the FBI to "ZR Ruby" and run a trace on "Bill Medina" that resulted in the surfacing of the name of Alfredo Medina Vidiella/LISIREN-3. See 104-10522-10085, p. 123: MEXICO CITY CHRONOLOGY COVERING PERIOD 27 SEPT 63 - 3 FEB 1968 - the above 8/8/67 event about Bill Medina is recorded in the chronology created by Ann Goodpasture. 104-10195-10453, p. 2: Win Scott confirms that there is no connection between the alleged alias "Bill Medina" and "Alfredo Medina Vidiella". A. Edward Horsey may have been spreading disinformation, and drew the name "Bill Medina" from the almost-certainly-fictional book "The Plot to Kill JFK": http://historiadiscordia.com/were-we-controlled-the-strange-case-of-a-edward-horsey/ 1978: As part of the "Mexico City Project" - Photos of possible "Second Oswalds" were shown to former Cuban consul Eusebio Azcue, as well as Sylvia Duran, Theresa Proenza, Sylvia Odio, Elena (Garro) and her daughter, red-headed Cuban, Ugarte, Gutierrez, Robert McKeown, and University of Mexico student (note: All of these people had allegedly seen Oswald). These photos include the photo of "Bill Medina". 180-10110-10067, p. 5.
104-10174-10065: FOLDER ON LOGANOV, VALENTIN SERGEYEVICH
5/31/68 contact report, re LIOVAL-1 (aka John Emil Blankeneagel, American friend of Soviet consul Pavel Yatskov in Mexico City): "(Subject's friend Donald Briggs, who taught Spanish and knew some Russian, was planning to visit.) Vidiella suggested that he, Subject, Briggs, and his (Vidiella's) good friend Valentin (Loginov) - as a group of Russian speakers - all get together for an evening. Vidiella suggested that they all go to his French girl friend's apartment and have a blast replete with girls and booze." More on this line at pp. 195-196.