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Cryptonym: GUIDE-302

Definition:

Gary Coit, the Domestic Contacts officer that would make contact with Priscilla Johnson.

Status:

Speculative

Discussion:

Sources for CD/OO Guide 302 include both Johnson and a Cuban national - it appears that "the guide" refers to a certain set of "guidelines" that provide a characterization for the contact. Sometimes, like with Robert Webster who is explicitly referred to as "Guide 223", the guideline may become a nickname or cryptonym for the contact himself or herself. In these instances, the guideline becomes the same as the contact. Is it possible that SR/CA Gary Coit was the contact for both Soviet-based Priscilla Johnson and a Cuban national - Cuba seems far away from Coit's Soviet beat? OO forms draw distinctions between the contact, the source, and the sub-source. Johnson is never described as "the contact". She is described as "the source". If Guide 302 is Gary Coit and Guide 303-BR is Manny Chavez - and if Guide 303 and Guide 303-BR are one and the same - that is a very odd meeting of two different sectors of the CIA. But not impossible. A description of Clay Shaw that was written in 1949 leads to this rather complicated conclusion. See 104-10181-10405: This memo states that "Mr. Shaw has been interviewed concerning subject case requirements for Peru, and reports thereon are in process of preparation. Mr. Shaw has also been partially interviewed along the general lines of the revised OO/C Guide No. 10, and will be further interviewed along these lines."

Sources:

1993.08.10.18:25:19:400028: HSCA REQUEST DATED 19 OCT 62 - 27 MAR 78; OLC 77-5685; MULTIPLE DOCUME

10/24/62 information report: "Reference: CD/OO Guide 302." The source is identified in marginalia as "Priscilla Johnson".

1993.07.15.19:52:10:060620: MEMORANDUM ON JOHN GENTILE REGARDING ANTI-CASTRO GROUP

4/30/63 memo. Re Guide 302 and Guide 303. No mention of who the contacts are. The source is described as a US national, gun runner, and soldier of fortune - clearly John Gentile. Because the opening sentence is blurry, there may be a second source - but it seems to have only one source. This memo refers to Jack Orrias and John Gentile - both involved in writing bad checks - both were among the 21 Americans returned by Castro in April 1963. Gentile said Orrias was a Communist agent for Castro.

104-10175-10310: INFORMATION REPORT: AREVALISTES PUZZLED BY PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S SAN JOSE STAND/MAJOR ALFONSO PRERA, GUATEMALAN EXILE FIGURES PERSONA NON GRATA WITH BOSCH-AREVALO PECTION

5/8/63 memo: Re Guide 302 - "Arevalo Production". No contact is mentioned. The source is described as a "writer who has specialized in Latin American affairs for more than 15 years."

124-10213-10483: [No Title]

5/27/63 memo, re CD/OO Guide 303-BR. No contact mentioned, but it states the report was developed by an "AFNIN representative" "assigned to the office of preparation". See 104-10178-10006, p. 3 - Note the same description was provided in a 6/3/63 memo, and the previous page identifies the Air Force representative as "M. Chavez", Manny Chavez, an air force officer who also worked with the CIA - see Chavez's pseudonym "Russell Sambora". The source is described as a Cuban national presently living in the United States. "He is presently employed as a reporter on a large newspaper and is in close contact with Cuban exile leaders."

104-10135-10088: PARTIAL CONTACT REPORT ON MEETING WITH PRISCILLA JOHNSON, 30-31 JAN

2/4/64 report 17457 by Gary Coit, SR/CA: Coit interviewed Priscilla Johnson about a Soviet student named Aseev at Harvard who had decided to defect to the US.

Peter R. Whitmey, Priscilla Johnson Macmillan and the CIA: http://www.jfk-info.com/pjm-cia.htm

1964: Description of Report 17458: Coit felt that "...we cannot expect to use Johnson actively in operations. She obviously doesn't want to get involved in deep plots. She is unlikely to be the type of informant who will volunteer information; but she will supply info she has acquired, if asked and if it's not too sensitive, such as the (identities) of her friends in the USSR."

104-10135-10092: LETTER, "I AM TRANSFERRING TO ANOTHER SECTION" AND GIVING NAME OF ANOTHER PERSON TO CONTACT IN THE FUTURE

Report 17463, signed by Gary Coit: "Dear Priscilla, Just a short note to tell you that I am transferring to another section of the outfit and thus won't be involved in the affairs that interest you most. Therefore for the future you should get in touch with REDACTED whom you met some time ago. He can be reached at the same number you have for me, and the same address..."