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Cryptonym: ASCHAM

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Definition:
Allen Dulles, CIA chief for many years until the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs in 1961. Robert A. Ascham was a frequent pseudonym for Dulles.
Status:
Documented
Discussion:
This pseudonym is included because of the common belief that "ASCHAM" is a cryptonym. CITASTE was Allen Dulles' cryptonym, based on the amount of time Dulles spent in Venezuela.
Sources:

104-10310-10001: WITHHELD

1/14/61 meeting between ASCHAM and LITENSOR with "Curtis" (Mexico City chief of station Win Scott) serving as interpreter. LITENSOR discusses how ill ASCHAM's brother was in 1958 - this is a reference to Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. (At p. 4 of 8): "(LITENSOR) said he personally wanted to get rid of Castro and to have Cuba become a democracy; he offered to consider any recommended action by Mexico which ASCHAM wanted." At p. 5 of 8: "At ASCHAM's suggestion, LITENSOR agreed to assist in whatever he possibly could to disrupt and hamper (the Latin American) Peace Congress. ASCHAM was we (CIA) would send some ideas and suggestions on actions which might be taken to disrupt this Congress."

104-10227-10121: BOOK MESSAGE CABLE:FROM ASCHAM: AS RESULT OF DEFEAT OF THE CUBAN OPERATION CONSIDERABLE

5/2/61 "book message from Ascham" originating from IG Lyman Kirkpatrick: "As result of defeat of Cuban operation considerable comment concerning (CIA) now being made in press and Congress...Details of Cuban operation are sufficiently covered in DEPCIRTEL 1637 and suggest you obtain this for your info. It is my view that KUBARK/CIA acquitted itself well in most respects, although I plan full review of operation after reasonable period has elapsed. (Marginalia: to permit all essential facts to be available.)...while in no way wishing to lessen the seriousness of defeat in Cuba both for (CIA) and (the US), I wish to assure everybody that our primary effort should be to learn from experience, good or bad..."

Wikipedia entry - Lyman Kirkpatrick

Post-Bay of Pigs, 1961: At the request of Dulles, Kirkpatrick also compiled an internal report on the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion. The controversial report, which remained classified until 1998, was critical of the planning and execution of the operation and was rumored to have caused resentment among staff at the CIA, particularly Dulles. Kirkpatrick would later write that he believed the report cost him "a fighting chance at the directorship."

104-10247-10407: NOTE: ATTACHED IS INFO RELATING TO KENNEDY ASSASSINATION FROM WIN SCOTT'S PERSONAL FILES

July 1961: Reference in Win Scott's file to a 1961 cable between ASCHAM and GALBOND (Western Hemisphere chief J.C. King).

Peter Dale Scott, The Three Oswald Deceptions: The Operation, the Cover-Up and the Conspiracy

1962-1963: 1962 - It is reported here that Howard Roman resigned from the CIA this year ..."Szulc however has written that Hunt was asked to assist Dulles in writing a book, The Craft of Intelligence, that Dulles wrote following his involuntary retirement in 1961. (67) Just how long it took to complete the book is not clear; it was however published in 1963. Certainly the book would have given Hunt the opportunity to spend many long hours (presumably on Company time) with Dulles, his former boss. A third person who would presumably have been present would have been Howard E. Roman, Dulles' close friend and alleged collaborator on the book. (68) Another member of the OSS "Old Boy" brotherhood in the CIA, Roman resigned in 1962 before taking up the book-writing job with Dulles (and possibly Hunt). Roman went on to write a total of two books (and two more edited volumes) with Dulles. In that capacity he was with Dulles at the moment, on November 22, 1963, when Dulles heard of the President's murder. (69)"

104-10400-10288: CABLE:REFS OBVIOUSLY CROSSED. IN STATION VIEW DANGERS PARA A

9/25/64 cable from Mexico City to Director: This cable made this amazing plea to headquarters: "Only remaining hope would appear to be to get ASCHAM [Allen Dulles] prevail on Commission not only retouch background in photos but also retouch face (Note: the face of the Mystery Man originally thought by Mexico City to be Lee Oswald but identified in the "Lopez Report" as Yuriy Moskalev) to degree obviously not identifiable with Ruby but also not with actual subject of photo. If neither suppression nor effective alteration possible, station plans to evacuate LIMITED, LILYRIC, LICALLA, recent LICOWL installation and LIMESA properties of all gear on phased basis beginning with LIMITED 25 Sept and others 26 and 27 Sept."

Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952-1954: Guatemala Current Section: Persons and Pseudonyms

Robert A. Ascham is identified here as the "pseudonym for Allen Dulles".

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Contributors:
Bill Simpich

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