Home/ Resources / Projects / CIA Cryptonyms / bigram: QD / cryptonym: QDDALE

Cryptonym: QDDALE

Return to Main Crypts Page

Definition:
William D. Pawley. A former diplomat, he had also owned major sugar interests in Cuba, as well as Havana's bus, trolley and gas systems.
Status:
Documented
Discussion:
William Pawley was a wealthy Miami businessman and a staunch right-wing conservative. He was a friend of Allen Dulles and Clare Booth Luce. In his book "The Last investigation", at p. 53, author Gaeton Fonzi writes: "Pawley had also owned major sugar interests in Cuba, as well as Havana's bus, trolley and gas systems and he was close to both pre-Castro Cuban rulers, President Carlos Prio and General Fulgencio Batista." 104-10122-10099: In 1959, he was described as a personal friend of Allen Dulles, with interests in petroleum and mining in the Dominican Republic. He worked very closely with Fabio Freyre, AMBLAB-1 and Alligator in his Cuban schemes. On 10/20/60, Pawley enthusiastically supported the plans of Eladio del Valle and FAYCA to invade Cuba: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=46893#relPageId=2&tab=page Also see 104-10160-10187: A follow-up 11/2/60 CIA memo. Pawley became deeply involved in anti-Castro operations, supporting the DRE (crypt: AMSPELL) and in 1963 financing Operation Tilt, aka the 1963 Bayo-Pawley raid, purportedly undertaken to exfiltrate Soviet personnel from Cuba who would claim that missiles remained in Cuba after the 1962 crisis. 104-10265-10302: 11/2/60, FAYCA leader Eladio del Valle Gutierrez sought out Pawley for support of his invasion plans.
Sources:

The Road to Dallas, by David Kaiser, p. 43

from the book: ...December 22 he [Pawley] was given covert security approval and assigned the cryptonym QDDALE. With CIA help, he began building anti-Castro organizations both inside...

104-10061-10115: LIST OF NAMES RE KENNEDY ASSASSINATION INVESTIGATION

This name trace lists QDDALE as item 12 on the referenced page; the following page identifies #12 as "William D. Pawley." See 104-10049-10422 - in 1952, approved for contact by CIA as potential source of FI information - good bio by OS chief Sheffield Edwards

1993.08.05.14:01:12:340052: Withheld

August 1954: Pawley, William Douglas - #78435: "Subject is a member of the Doolittle Commission. Interim Top Secret clearance was granted Subject by the White House in 1954...he has been the organizer and president of aircraft firms. During World War II, Subject assisted in the formation of the American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) for the Chinese Air Force." In 1951 he became Special Assistant to the Secretary of State, and then a similar post with the Secretary of Defense. "Subject presently is the Chairman of the Board of the Intercontinent Corporation."

104-10265-10078: CABLE: FOLLOWING IS SUMMARY 9 MARCH REPLY TO RUBIO, WHICH BEING

3/14/60 memo from WH/4 Martha Tharpe to Havana: In dealing with Catholic Church, QDDALE suggests "penetrate the secretariats of bishops to neutralize work (of) these gentlemen. For example, I have suggested this be done to Oriente archbishop, using Monsignor Angel Hernandez." See 104-10271-10039, page 6 of 11 during March 1960: Underneath QDDALE in the AMPALM (MRR/MRP) complex are Rubio Padilla, Silvio Cardenas, Justo Garcia Rayneri, Jamie Gomila, and Enrique Carrillo.

124-90041-10098: No Title

9/13/60 report of FBI agent Robert James Dwyer in Miami to Director: Pawley was recruiting Cuban leaders to join the FRD. He represented himself as someone who was responsible for the overthrow both the Guatemalan government and Batista and continued to represent the US government. Pawley's group includes of James and Burt Hedges and "have been able to name their man, General Martin Elena, as military leader of the FRD." (p. 24)

104-10265-10299: QDDALE CORRESPONDENCE

This is a fascinating memo from just after Kennedy's election, noting Pawley's glee at having a connection to Kennedy through Florida Senator George Smathers. Pawley's delight with Kennedy would not last.

104-10265-10379: CABLE: NET MARINA BILL FOR FEB AND MARCH SHOULD BE 6120 DOLLARS

3/31/61 cable by WH/4/Prop J. Isaminger, x2766: "Net marina bill for Feb. and March...Mr. Horton Heath of Gibraltar is advising marina and other "clients" of adjusted bills...WAVE should pay Marina thru QDDALE in such way assure QDDALE or marina in turn will pay Gibraltar. If any trouble anticipated WAVE could insist receiving check for amount made out to Gibraltar at same time cash payment made QDDALE."

1994.04.12.16:00::2:160005: Reel 26, Folder B

5/1/62 letter from REDACTED, Colonel, USAF; Acting Chief, DPD to Shirley Stetson of the Contacts Division: Pawley- an aviation specialist - personally sponsored retraining for pilots who participated in the Bay of Pigs invasion based upon an eligibility list from the CIA's Cuban operations officer. Enrique Becali Gonzalez, a member of a Cuban splinter group, tried to get into the program even though he was ineligible. His number was "WH-639"; do not know what program this was part of, but apparently within the activities of the International Rescue Committee, who wrote a letter regarding this matter on 4/16/62.

104-10229-10356: LETTER: MARIADA. SINCE WE RECEIVED YOUR LETTER WE'VE MEANING TO WRITE

Antonio de la Carrera offers another perspective on Pawley in this June 1962 letter: "Must I say a final word on behalf of Spruille Braden, George Smathers, and William Pawley?" He suggests that America's Cuba policy should be the opposite of whatever they propose. De la Guerra was the executive assistant to President Urrutia, Cuba's first president under Castro. When Urrutia was removed from office, both men defected. http://www.northjersey.com/obituaries/antonio-de-la-carrera-91-lawyer-fled-castro-regime-1.915842 (As for Spruille Braden, Wikipedia describes Mr. Braden as a CFR member, formerly active with the United Fruit Company and was a former ambassador to Cuba. In the foreword to his book The Losers, Paul Bethel thanks Spruille Braden, the president of the Citizens Committee for a Free Cuba, "for appointing me Executive Director of the Committee and editor of its publications."

104-10122-10071: STATUS OF QDDALE CLEARANCE

"JMWAVE has maintained an operational contact with QDDALE since 28 August 1962...JMWAVE has established that QDDALE is a well-informed businessman with excellent connections throughout the Miami business community. As a result, QDDALE has been used as a special contact for the development of certain background data, operational intelligence, and/or the conduct of selected operational support tasks. QDDALE is a special contact and not an agent...The JMWAVE contact with QDDALE does not preclude his being contacted by KUJUMP or WHD." Feb 1964 dispatch.

104-10312-10361: CABLE: OP INVOLVING SOVIET DEFECTORS WHICH MR. WILLIAM PAWLEY HAS DISCUSSED

6/5/63 cable from Reuterman/Ted Shackley to TODHUNTER/DDCI Marshall Carter and Dainold/Desmond FitzGerald on Project TILT, also known as the Bayo-Pawley affair. Explains that it was at John Martino's initiation, based on his contacts with "Bayo"/Eduardo Perez/AMDENIM-11, who convinced Martino that he had contact inside Cuba with Soviet defectors who would claim that nuclear missiles were still inside the country. Once convinced, Martino turned to Nathaniel Weyl in a search for a non-official sponsor. Weyl contacted Life Magazine, who agreed to come up with money for the operation, and Julian Sourwine of the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee who would conduct the initial public surfacing after the Soviet defectors were brought to the USA, to be followed with the Life story. Sourwine contacted Pawley and asked him to participate, "in order to have some control over op and simultaneously gain access (to) maritime support craft...(because the op was most complicated) Pawley then turned to JMWAVE for advice and received guidance that best way handle op was cooperate with (CIA) and turn Sovs over to (CIA) as soon as possible after they exfil Cuba." Pawley said that "he was implementing op as a private citizen willing to gamble on unlikely long shot." See 104-10312-10174: Pawley revealed some of his involvement with Project Tilt, aka the "Bayo-Pawley mission." the 1963 raid purportedly made to extract Soviet personnel who would reveal that Soviet missiles were still in Cuba; the raid party disappeared and were never found. (1964 memo)

180-10113-10416: WILLIAM D. PAWLEY

Re late summer 1963: Vera Glaser reported: "Pawley has been ducking calls from Senator Frank Church's Intelligence Committee. In one instance, when Pawley was reached, he clammed up. The subcommittee has information that Pawley masterminded a CIA project in the early 1960s involving a group of young anti-Castro Cubans. One of the youths later shadowed Lee Harvey Oswald who offered himself as a 'hired gun' to a Communist group in New Orleans. The Cuban taped Oswald's pitch. When JFK was murdered, the material was turned over to the FBI. It is believed now that the material was withheld from the Warren Commission. Two senators, Richard Schweiker (R., Pa.) and Gary Hart (D., Colo.) head the subcommittee. They want the Cuban's name, but Pawley says he doesn't have it...Clare Boothe Luce, former ambassador to Italy, recently revealed that she worked with Pawley on the CIA Cuban project. At one point, she recalled, Pawley gave her the name of the Cuban whose testimony the subcommittee now seeks. But Mrs. Luce won't urge Pawley to release the name to the Senate panel, because, she said, 'Bill is writing his memoirs.'" Vera Glaser's article was written sometime in 1975.

Contributors:
Jerry Ennis • MFF • Bill Simpich

© Mary Ferrell Foundation. All Rights Reserved. |Site Map |MFF Policies |Contact Us