Cryptonym: WURABBIT
HSCA researcher, Dan Hardway, made a request to view material on WURABBIT, WUTARDY, WUBONBON, and other projects in 1978. His notes were sanitized by the CIA.
"In the latter part of 1963, CIA created its Domestic Operations Division (DOD), which was to be responsible for any clandestine development of sources in the United States. Prior to the establishment of this Division, CIA activity in this field was managed from each individual area division at Washington headquarters. The pressing need for more clandestine sources, coupled with the recognition of the vast potential in the United States, prompted CIA to create a new division which would be responsible for all the area division interests...Approximately 40 intelligence officers are assigned to the task of engaging in the assessment and/or recruitment of positive intelligence sources, primarily in the diplomatic field. Some of the personnel are assigned to the handling of firms or organizations which may be supporting certain CIA operations abroad. DOD personnel in the field operate under authorized Department of Defense cover..."
157-10005-10228: Testimony of E. Howard Hunt (snippet #1)
1/10/76, Howard Hunt's testimony: "After Allen Dulles' resignation and retirement, I was assigned for about a week to the CA (note: covert action) staff and then I transferred to the newly set up Domestic Operations Division under Tracy Barnes, which was really the Commercial Operations Division, although it was never so-called. I was the first Chief of Covert Action for the Domestic Operations Division and we inherited as a new division a number of projects that had been running for a period of time, that had been run by the commercial staff of the Agency and by a number of the geographic divisions. The purpose of turning these ongoing projects over to the Domestic Operations Division was to centralize contacts with publishers in the United States for the benefit of geographic division such as the Asian or Far East Division which might want a book published on Indonesia for a particular purpose. They would come to Tracy Barnes with a particular request. And I should say that the relationship with the Frederick A. Praeger publishing company had been in existence for quite a period of time and I think they were managed by Cord Meyer International Division, if I'm not mistaken, or possibly the CA (covert action) staff. But what we received were ongoing operations. We were sent the case files for the Frederick A. Praeger project, for the Fodor Guides project, for the Continental Press organization, which had been operating out of the National Press Building in Washington. We had a project in India which I visited on one occasion called Allied Pacific which we ran out of the Leesburg, Virginia office. I had no personal media contacts with American magazines or newspapers, if that is the thrust of your question... ...I don't recall of any publishing houses beyond Frederick A. Praeger, that is trade publishers, that we dealt with. We had our own press agency, Continental Press, which I imagine you're quite familiar with...
157-10005-10228: Testimony of E. Howard Hunt (snippet #2)
"...What I recall is Fred Praeger meeting with Tracy Barnes and me individually, either in Washington or New York during this period and saying I have a great book I would love to publish but it's not economically feasible, and I think it would be good for you people abroad for the following reasons. And we might come up with the differential or we may not. I don't recall any Agency-created manuscripts that were sent to Praeger or, for that matter, any other publisher..." "Were there any other CIA publishing proprietaries than the two you have mentioned, Allied Pacific and Continental?" "That I had personal knowledge of within the Domestic Operations Division, no." "...Were there others?" "
00/00/76: SSCIA document: Proprietaries: Page 70: "ENTITIES DISSOLVED: TAB A: ...Media and/or Publications...WURABBIT..."
180-10142-10087: THE WARREN COMMISSION AND MEXICO
00/00/78: HSCA document: Notes by Dan Hardway: "Summary of box of files on WURABBIT. I. Project dealt with Continental Press, Inc. Box provided...files from 1965 - accounting records. II. 2nd WURABBIT box - bank statements. Continental press was a news service based in Washington that provided news articles, comics, editorials, etc to foreign publications. III. Box #3 financial records. IV. Box #4 financial records. V. Folder 2 of Box #1 'operations' reviewed." - - - Page 42: "HUNT SUMMARY: Hardway: Files reviewed 4/7/78: 1. ECPOEM - WURABBIT Correspondence: Folder 7, Box 2..."
104-10081-10033: LIST OF FILES READY FOR REVIEW BY HSCA AT HEADQUARTERS
CIA document: Page 3: ..."15 March 1978 - (NR) Four special projects for Dan Hardway, researcher (WUTARDY, WUBONBON, WURABBIT, WUHUSTLER)..."
03/24/78: Memo from S. D. Breckinridge, Deputy Inspector General, to Legislative Counsel (Attention: Rodger Gabrielson): Subject: HSCA Request Regarding WUTARDY, WURABBIT, (REDACTION)BONBON and WUHUSTLER: Reference: OLC 78-0448/2, 15 March 1978: "The OIG has no documents which are responsive to subject request."
104-10135-10069: MEMO RE HSCA FOLLOW-UP REQUEST
03/28/78: Memo from Robert W. Gambino, Director of Security to Legislative Counsel: ..."2. (S) Background: Reference is made to the attached request dated 15 March 1978 (OLC 78-0448/2). The House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) has expressed an interest in reviewing all files pertaining to Projects WUTARDY, WURABBIT, (REDACTION)BONBON, WUHUSTLER for the period August 1963 - December 1964. (S) A search of records of the Office of Security has disclosed no record of Project WUTARDY. Information located on Projects (REDACTION)BONBON and WUHUSTLER is outside of the time frame of interest. Minimal material has been found regarding Project WURABBIT, particularly within the time period requested. This material, which consists primarily of a request to update a Covert Security Approval on an individual of interest to Project WURABBIT, originated with Domestic Operations Division/Covert Action Staff. Coordination with the Office of the Special Assistant to the Deputy Director for Operations for Oversight indicates that the HSCA request would be more appropriately handled by Foreign Resources Division of the Directorate of Operations in view of the WU diagraph. In view of the foregoing, no material will be made available by the Office of Security. (C) If you have any questions regarding the above, please contact Mr. Bruce Solie (red line 9126) or Mr. John Sullivan (red line 1893) of this Office."
04/11/78: Memo from Rodger S. Gabrielson, OLC/C&R to Mr. Shepanek, O/SA/DO/O: Subject: Sanitization of HSCA Researcher Notes: "1. (S) Attached for your review, appropriate sanitization, and classification is a copy of the notes taken by HSCA researcher Dan Hardway on his review of the files on ECPOEM-WURABBIT, WURABBIT WUPUNDIT, WUBONBON, WUHUSTLER, etc (Hunt Summary). 2. (U) Please use black grease pencil to excise and directly above the excised information please write in a sanitized description of the information excised, for example: employee, asset etc. 3. (U) Please send us a copy of the notes after your sanitization and we will forward to the Committee. All original notes will be kept in this office under the name of the particular researcher involved."