LETTER TO MR. JOSEPH L. NELLIS FROM(Sanitized)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81M00980R000100020084-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 6, 2004
• Sequence Number: 84
• Publication Date: March 13, 1978
• Content Type: LETTER

CONFIDENT
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THE DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELL t th
Office of Legislative Counsel
o e meeting (see OLC
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20905 78-1108) but brought back
in accordance with THW's
Memo for Record, OLC 78-
1108.
13 March 1978
Mr. Joseph L. Nellis, Chief Counsel
Select Committee on Narcotics and
Drug Abuse Control
House of Representatives
Washington, D. C. 20515
In response to your request that this Agency review material
which you provided on 12 December 1977, enclosed is a statement
which reflects our comments thereon.
As you can understand, the material has to do with a number
of matters over which this Agency has no jurisdiction or authorization;
therefore, our comments are limited to those areas within our juris-
diction and authority.
I hope our comments will satisfy your needs.
Actin Legislative Counsel
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Downgraded to Unclassified cl=.ffi.d bI 25X1
when separated from enclosure Exempt from 96n0=1
declaE:?:ication schedule of E.O. 11652
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The material provided to the Central Intelligence Agency by
the House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and erning
theF-- =====Zl 07 and
s been reviewed by the appropriate elements
o e Agency.
CIA has no information to support allegations that Fidel Castro
and the Cuban Government may be involved either directly or in a
supporting capacity in the international trafficking of narcotics.
The House Select Committee files contain, several references
listing the CIA among those Federal agencies involved in active
investigation of the matter. We should
like to correct the record in this regard. This Agency is not, in fact,
involved in any domestic investigation of this case which is essentially
a law enforcement matter.
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The House Select Committee staff states that certain members
of the Cuban, exile community allegedly involved in the ~~ case may 25X1
have had or still have an operational relationship with LAgency. Some
of the persons associated with the did in fact have a previous 25X1
relationship with CIA. For example, 25X1
I --J He was captured at the Bay of Pigs, 25X1
but was included among the ransomed prisoners returned in December 1962.
Our records do not indicate. any contact between this Agency and
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concerning all of the other principals under investigation, and there is no
current CIA operational relationship with any of these individuals. CIA
has provided the Drug Enforcement Administration and the South Florida
Terrorist and Narcotics Intelligence Task Force with information from
our files concerning the past activities of individuals allegedly associated
with the or involved in other related investigations by these
agencie .
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The November 15, 1977, Memorandum from House Select
Committee staff investigators to Chairman Wolf (EYES ONLY)
contains a statement (page 5) that the role of the CIA (in the
investigation) is "not understood at this time. " This same paragraph
also states "that sources at DEA Headquarters in Washington told us
that the CIA has contacted them and has expressed great concern for
certain of the current law enforcement investigations in Miami. " The
paragraph concludes with the statement that the House Select Committee
investigators will be providing the Chairman with their feelings and
evaluations of this matter (CIA's role) in a separate memorandum.
Again we should like to emphasize that CIA is concerned with
only the foreign aspects of narcotics trafficking and production. While
the Agency is allowed under certain conditions to collect, store and
disseminate information concerning U. S. persons involved in such
illicit activities, it does not participate in law enforcement investigations.
CIA has supplied foreign narcotics intelligence information to law
enforcement agencies, but does not take an "active" investigative role.
With regard to the DEA statement that CIA had showed "concern"
about current criminal investigations in Miami, our records indicate
no such expression of concern, except for the normal concern for the
continued protection of sensitive sources and methods. We should
appreciate any clarification of this statement which you or your Staff
can provide us.
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