Cryptonym: GPLOGIC
11/21/60 memo from James P. O'Connor, Chief, TSD/LSS to Chief, Personnel Security Division/Office of Security, attn: "Mr. Farr", subject Hugh Chisholm McDonald: "It is requested that Subject Individual be granted continuing contact approval through TOP SECRET. Purpose: For matters of interest to TSD/Authentication. Hugh Chisholm McDonald, County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, DOB: 16 May 1913 at Hopkins, Minnesota..." Also see 104-10124-10141, 1/4/61, referring to McDonald as a "contractor's employee", number 189460, who will be utilized in his present position as a LA deputy sheriff for matters of interest to TSD/Authentication.
3/6/64: Desmond FitzGerald told McGeorge Bundy: "In my estimation, a covert program at this time designed to overthrow Castro is not realistic...The sabotage raids are conducted by Cuban exile groups trained in Florida and entirely subject to our planning and control." (A reference to Comandos Mambises)
Don Bohning, The Castro Obsession (Potomoc Books, 2005), pp. 248-252
Bohning writes: "FitzGerald's (3/6/64 letter, above) summed up the disappointing status of covert activities in the context of the program approved the preceding June..." In the wake of meetings on and around 4/7/64, there was "(no) evidence of any further CIA-controlled sabotage raids. Such raids were 'stood down' the previous January and apparently never resumed...Desmond FitzGerald's Special Affairs Staff, an independent unit handling Cuba at CIA headquarters, reverted back to being part of the Western Hemisphere Division in 1965. Shackley left Miami in mid-June 1965, after beginning the scale-down of what had been the frontline command post for the secret war."
Curtis/Mexico City COS Win Scott "at the request of the Chief, PBSWING, saw REDACTED to deliver an invitation to visit the home of GPLOGIC. Several other meetings were held between (Scott) and REDACTED prior to this trip."
104-10413-10054: Project Lifeat Renewal
In 1965, several branches of the CIA were reading the transcripts of a tap on a former employee of GPLOGIC who was communicating with a foreign officer.
Memorandum from JMWAVE to Director, 7/22/65: Lobbyist Irving Davidson connected with Cuban exiles working with OAS. The memo states that Davidson was acting on "orders from GPLOGIC" but not as active as before. Guillermo Belt Ramirez - former Cuban ambassador to US... leader of OAS group, said GPLOGIC had left word with him all was well, and that the question of Cubans in the Inter-American Force should be left for Rio conference.
This July 1965 memo shows Davidson still part of Cuban exile group going to the Dominican Republic as part of the OAS force. Davidson is still acting "on orders from Lyndon Johnson, but that Davidson is not as active as before." The plan is for Julio Aton Constanzo Palau to appoint Frank Fiorini, Claudio Medina, Colonel Carrasco (fnu), and Higinio "Nino" Diaz and others who have among them a total of 3000 men. "Represented in the group are Brigade 2506 and Cuban exile groups known as the Rebel Army, the Constitutional Army. and the Authenticos. These groups are to constitute a government in exile representation."
FBI 62-109060 JFK HQ File, Section 145, p. 127
11/1/67 memo from T. E. Bishop to Mr. DeLoach re interview with I. Irving Davidson and plans to "smear our President". Leonard Davidov, president of Securities Associates (a burglar alarm company) contacted Davidson about Hugh McDonald's "Eastern Group" - putting up a ton of money to "learn the truth about the assassination of John F. Kennedy...McDonald is currently engaged in some sort of business arrangement with Howard Hughes, the Las Vegas, Nevada, multimillionaire businessman, which concerns a sale of helicopters to law enforcment agencies. McDonald is alleged to know that President Lyndon B. Johnson had prior knowledge of the plans to assassinate President Kennedy and that one George de Mohrenschildt was part of this conspiracy and supposedly was instrumental in the training of Lee Harvey Oswald for the actual murder. Davidson claimed he advised Davidov to have nothing to do with any attempt to 'smear' President Johnson; however, he was unsuccessful because Davidov has been promised a share in the police helicopters business if he will help McDonald. Davidson said Davidov approached him for the purpose of learning about de Mohrenschildt's background...Hugh McDonald is undoubtedly identical with Hugh C. McDonald who retired on 1-17-67 as Chief of Detectives, LA County Sheriff's Office...it is strongly believed that (Davidson's) real motive is to obtain information on de Mohrenschildt and McDonald...(William Oltmans claims) that de Mohrenschildt's brother Dimitri was a participant and possibly the second assassin who fired from the woods simultaneously with Oswald."
Joan Mellen, Our Man in Haiti: George de Mohrenschildt and the CIA in the NIghtmare Republic (Trine Day LLC, 2012), p. 261.
"McDonald's book, "Appointment in Dallas: The Final Solution to the Assassination of JFK", published in 1975, was not taken seriously by historians. In it, McDonald invents a mythological shooter named 'Saul'. The FBI took a dim view of the book, but decided the wiser course was to remain silent and so not grant Hugh McDonald public attention. 'Should the Bureau desire inquiries', they determined, 'it is felt considerable inquiry should be made through CIA.' I. I. Davidson received no acknowledgement for his efforts, as of course he preferred."
104-10272-10027: DCI MORNING MEETING MINUTES EXCERPTS FOR 1975.
5/15/75 CIA memo: "The Director noted a call from Strobe Talbott (note: Time Magazine) asking for comments on information dug up by Sandy Smith of Time magazine alleging that Herman Kimsey, Hugh McDonald and the Agency were involved in a plot to assassinate President Kennedy. He provided a note on this topic to Chamberlain to review."
12/31/75: FBI supervisor Robert Gemberling, who was one of the original supervisors in the JFK investigation, writes a 30 page analysis of Hugh McDonald's book Appointment in Dallas. McDonald worked on the 1964 Goldwater campaign, and hired his former CIA supervisor Herman Kimsey. McDonald claims that Kimsey told him he knew the story of the killing of the JFK, and that the shooter was in the second floor of the Records Building with instructions to shoot JFK when Oswald aims the gun "close to the President", believing he is working with the CIA and that the Secret Service has knowledge of his action. The shooter is supposed to shoot Oswald at his perch in the Texas Book Depository window after he shoots JFK, but fails in this aspect of the plan. Kimsey said that he would deny it if asked. McDonald allegedly obtained some documents of Kimsey's at some point. McDonald's entire tale has many problems - not the least of which is that the alleged shooter claims that Oswald was in place by 11:48 am, although a number of witnesses saw Oswald in the lunchroom well after 12 noon. The story is not without interest, as Gemberling claims it is ridiculous never decisively refutes it.