BRIEFING OF CHAIRMAN L. MENDEL RIVERS ON CIENFUEGOS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73B00296R000100020076-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 31, 2006
• Sequence Number: 76
• Publication Date: October 6, 1970
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For Release 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP73B00296R000100020076-6
SECRET /sr. srr
OLC 70.0714
6 October 1970
MEJ% RANDUM FOR THE RECORD
S B CT: Briefing of CbAirmwn L. Meudel Rivers
On CieeIuegos
with the Director's instruCtiofae, this
1. Ina accordance
.
ua
i
o
rrY
siternoon I met with Cha
3' sak M. lust ek to
unsel
C
Committee, and Acting Chief
reopen" to Rivers' request to see the Ciee1asegos photographs*
g. 1 began by explaining that in showing the Chairman
these photographs and brteaag him on their significance we were
acing to Violation of isstructious from higher authority and I
must ask for the C -irmae'1 firm assurances that he would guarantee
our protection. He said "I never stand for anybody
to say?' but so tar as my request was concerned he ''had always
protected us and he always would sea we needn't worry about that.
3. After I had displayed and explained the photographs (some
.,__ !r. tit. VVAV to support
of which Rivers insistea on
process certain conclusions he bad arrived at by so" in mind that" tsssisacts
Rivers eked we it there was say d b# y
are moving in them. t
4. 1 said I thought this was clear but there was still a number
unanswered questions. I explained that even it nuclear eubmsritses
..s* > what types they
t
er
would be or what missions they o p
construction observed was quite recent and it was too soon to tell how
aerate the facilities would be when completed.
0 1%C E t /ll'Et+lMT2V
Approved For Release 2007/ : CIA-RDP73B00296R000100020076-6
 Approved For Release 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP73B00296R000100020076-6
EC R T/sxminvic
IS connection with some of the discussion abut the barges
which had been shipped from kola Islet to Qeufuegos, Slatinshek had
a folio of excellent closeup photographs of undisclosed origin which
showed not only the barges but several other soviet vessels allegedly
He said those were unclassified and suggesto
make use of these rather than risk compromising o
a asked a number of questions along the line of who was
doing the actual construction work ("ssia*s or Cubans). whether some
of the old Cuban naval facilities or we re simply using
and he didn't soe why h couldn't. I said I realised most of the story had
the Chairman and Slatinshek wanted to be sure, the
anal up-to-data photographs as anon as available,
briefed on any other now deveelapmee
td I again emphasised the sensitivity of the material
we had discussed. Rivers said everybody else had boo
"off lets" to Cubans, and whether the Russians had completely
rough our regular briefings of slatinsltek as the picture
y but would try to get the answers and keep the Chairman
casi9aal basis. I said I couldn't answer those questions
llc one way or another but in any event I must urge him to
protect the fact that he had been briefed by Agency reprosentativees since
we could really be in trouble if it became known. I asked that he be
particularly careful not to reveal inadvertently to Eissinger, who I
understood he au ght be sensing about the problem, that we had been dis-
cussing it with him. H. said we could "trust him one hundred percent.
9. During our discussion Slatinshek backed me up vigorously
ag the security angle, and, after we left the chairman, slaetiash.o,
said he would do all he could to "keep a leash an him.
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