Cryptonym: WUCLASSIC-88
WUCLASSIC-88 died on September 23, 1978 in Monterey. Walter C. Badendick was WUCLASSIC-88's case officer at that time. WUCLASSIC-88 probably had a link to San Francisco, as Badendick told police and coroner in Monterey that Fort Miley Veteran's Hospital, in San Francisco, should have information about relatives of the deceased.
WUCLASSIC-88 was an army officer in Philippines, and he served in some liaison capacity with RTACTION/CIA regarding anti-Huk operations. WUCLASSIC-88's 201 number was 201-948067.
A memo on October 13, 1978, stated that Adrian Fisher Sherman, Jr., died on September 23, 1978, after suffering a heart attack at his apartment in Monterey, California. Sherman was previously of interest to CIA as a military detainee between 1952-1954, when he was serving at Clark Air Force Base, the Philippines, as a Major in the United States Army. The memo added that Sherman's son recalled in May, 1978, seeing a written plan to assassinate Fidel Castro at his father's apartment. Sherman's son said that it had been prepared by his father in the early 1970's when he was working in Florida, but apparently at a time when he had no CIA association. The plan had went missing. Sherman had been of interest to DCD and FRD in San Francisco, California, since April, 1977.
WUCLASSIC-88 was possibly a colleague of Colonel Napoleon Valeriano, the anti-Huk leader in the Philippines. Valeriano is mistakenly referred to as "Vallejo" in one of the posts below.
104-10414-10124: MEXICO CITY STATION HISTORY
Re: August 1959: "LITAINT-1 (Angel Lorenzo Saavedra Correa - known in the US as "Manuel Villafana Martinez") was recruited by Hazlett in August 1959 and cooperated with CIA until April 1960 when he defected to the United States." LITAINT-1 was flown into San Antonio Texas on an airplane arranged by LIENVOY-1. At page 65 of 239, the history states, "On August 1959, two officers of the Cuban Embassy in Mexico (LITAG-1, 201-267743, naval attaché, and LITAINT-1, 201-98818, air attaché) walked into the US embassy office of the naval attaché and expressed their dissatisfaction with the Communist influence over the Castro government. Hazlett talked with them and they agreed to remain in their positions and cooperate with CIA." LITAG-1 (Jaime Varela Canosa) defected on March 30, 1960, driving into Laredo, Texas. LITAINT-1 was flown to San Antonio, Texas, in a private plane of LIENVOY-1 on April 12, 1960 through arrangements made by the station in Mexico...Both officers were subsequently handled by the Miami station."
104-10220-10000: CABLE RE: AFTERNOON 9 SEPT CMDR JAIME VARELA CANOSA CUBAN NAVATT CALLED U.S. NAVATT
9/11/59 cable from Mexico City to Director: "Afternoon 9 Sept Cmdr. Jaime Varela Canosa Cuban (naval attaché) called US (naval attaché) Mexi and set meeting...Shryock (Tom Hazlett) present with same cover Villafana (note: LITAINT-1) meeting references...Varela plans (to go to) Havana 11 Sept after getting more details from Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo by phone. Varela suspects Manuel Villafana, military attaché, had (handed in) his denunciation during latter's trip (to Havana)...(Varela) did say if forced to resign (he) will request residence visa (to) US...(A) few months ago Varela made clandestine contact (in the) outskirts (of) Mexico City with Santiago Alvarez, leader (of the) anti-Castro faction (in Mexico)..." Also see 1993.07.14.15:07:44:590280: INTERVIEW WITH POW (FORMER BAY OF PIGS PRISONER)
https://www.luminpdf.com/viewer/5e4c340eac7db2001151de46
7/18/60, memo by Ernest W. Sparks, C/WH/4/PM, re Daily Log, PM Section: "The entire PM Staff attended a meeting held with Mr. (Robert) Reynolds (note: true name Al Cox) in the conference room at Barton Hall. The basic concept of operations in its various phases was presented. Following this presentation, various aspects of this operational plan were discussed by the staff, which included logistics, staging area, and personnel required for this operation. Messrs. Romer, Rogers & Beal met with Colonel Valeriano and Lou Rucker (CA staff) to view a film on air resupply using the latest Agency sterile containers and parachutes for delivery of ZRMEDRICK packs. Valeriano was also briefed on contents of packs and markings. Replicas of the ZRMETRICK packs stockpiled at midwest will be sent to Guatemala for training and familiarization. Agent RIVERO (note: AMPANIC-7) was taken to the Warrington, VA firing range where he was checked out in the use of the Special 38 Airweight semi-hammerless pistol; British Welrod pistol, single shot, 9 mm parabellum with silencer; carbine with folding stock; and the 7.65 British Welrod with silencer. He is also to be checked out this week in the use of a sporting rifle with telescopic lens attachment..."
104-10414-10124: MEXICO CITY STATION HISTORY
Re 1961: Interview with former BoP prisoner Edgardo Antonio Buttari Puig, Jr., son of the mayor of Havana: "Colonel (FNU) Vallejo, an American officer of Philippine extraction, was the head of the American personnel assigned to (JMTRAX, the Trax base in Guatelmala)...Late in November, 1960, Col. Vallejo left and was replaced by an American known to me as "Frank"...Frank arrived with a group of others among whom I recall "Burnie", "Gordon", Pat, and one known as "C. B."..."Frank" reorganized the whole setup. He dissolved the teams and organized the Brigade 2506. On 30 January 1961, Manuel Villafana, head of the Cuban Air Force in exile attached to the Brigade 2506, visited Trax Base. Villafana (circulated a letter to the FRD) demanding, in the name of the members of Brigade 2506, to remove the general staff of the Directorate, FRD, and reinstate Jaime Vanosa Carela (LITAG-1) as Navy chief...Villafana had the approval of the Brigade headquarters, but the opposition of the majority of the Brigade members. We considered this an act of insubordination to the Chief of the Joint Staff and to the civil authorities of the FRD. This incident caused a mass disturbance within Trax Base...the 2nd and 3rd infantry battalions refused to continue training until FRD representatives arrived at Trax Base...the principal American instruction, "Burnie"...on 31 January 1961...told us that Jose Perez San Roman was to be reinstated as supreme head of the Brigade...all Brigade members left the platform area and returned to their barracks. Villafana and San Roman remained alone...Some men refused to continue training until an acceptable solution was reached. About 14 of these men were sent under arrest to Peten plains where they were fed by airdrops...the 2nd and 3rd infantry battalions were combined and reorganized..." (Interview conducted 12/23/62)
The Secret War, Fabian Escalante (Ocean Press, 1995), pp. 61-69: https://archive.org/stream/FabianEscalanteSecretWarCubaCIA/Fabian%20Escalante%20Secret%20War%20Cuba%20CIA#page/n37/mode/2up/search/valeriano
Re 1961: Also see the 2004 version, "The Cuba Project", pp. 61-69: "(The plans for the Bay of Pigs included) a mercenary brigade landing on the beaches near the city of Trinidad in the southern part of Las Villas province, storming the city and then with the support of the guerrillas in the Escambray mountains, cutting off communications and installing the provisional government where it could call for the help that was waiting...among the most seasoned of the soldiers were Felix Rodriguez, Segundo Borges, Jose Basulto, Javier Souto, Edgar Sopo and Rafael Garcia Rubio...Colonel Napoleon Valeriano was pleased with his pupils...He didn't know that the CIA had changed its plans; he and the other instructors would soon be unemployed when Army Colonel Jack Hawkins and his colleagues , the Green Berets, took charge of the brigade to turn it into a real military unit. The name of the brigade, '2506', came from the dog tag number of one of the first recruits, who was killed during a training accident. The brains at the CIA thought that this number might confuse the Cuban agents...William 'Rip' Robertson and Grayston Lynch were among the trainers who became de facto adjunct chiefs during the invasion. Both had helped the counterrevolutionary cause from the beginning, when they joined Frank Sturgis in the Anticommunist Brigade, a front organization created for the Cuba invasion...In mid-December a group of 84 men arrived at Fort Gulick in the Panama Canal Zone...from the camps in Guatemala...the most dedicated recruits...they included Miguel A. Orozco Crespo, Felix Rodriguez Mendigutia, Manuel Puig Miyar, Manuel Reyes Reyes, Jorge Garcia Rubio, Emilio Rivero Caro and Pedro Cuellar."
104-10161-10507: DUTY OFFICE RECEIVED PHONE CALL ADVISING DEATH OF WUCLASSIC/88.
09/25/78, Cable from Director to FR/San Francisco: Slugline WNINTEL ISOLOG SECUR: CITE DIRECTOR 296966: "1. Duty officer received a phone call at 0115 hours 25 September from brother of WUCLASSIC/88 advising that WUCLASSIC/88 had died of a heart attack on 23 Sept in his apartment in Monterey. Brother stated he advising RTACTION/CIA of the death because his brother had worked 'under contract as advisor to RTACTION at one time.' 2. Brother can be reached at IDEN telephone number. 3. Assume that FR/San Francisco can call on San Francisco security field office and/or NVCANOPY (FBI) to assure that all security and administrative problems arising from death in safehouse are resolved. 4. File: 201-948067." Orig: FR/3/SF (Ellam). Coord: FR/SS (Hayes), OS/SSD/OSB (Mirabile). Rel: C/FR/3 (Beckwith). - - - 09/25/78: Cable from Director to FR/San Francisco: Slugline WNINTEL ISOLOG SECUR: REF: DIRECTOR 296966: "IDEN: James A. Sherman, Bradenton, Florida. Tel: (813) 748-3232." https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=224829#relPageId=1
104-10161-10510: OPS MEETING WITH WUCLASSIC/88.
09/25/78, Cable from FR/San Francisco to Director (Madensky Acting): Slugline WNINTEL ISOLOG SECUR: "1. Walter C. Badendick (CO) arrived Monterey circa 1900 hrs on 23 September 78 for ops meeting with WUCLASSIC/88 (C/88). Weekend agenda was to include social introduction of CO to two or three naval postgraduate school (NPS) targets, ostensibly as C/88's nephew in commercial alias. When C/88 did not answer dorbell, CO observed through window that chair was overturned and body on floor...Although C/88 was obviously dead, CO called emergency ambulance to be sure that all precautions were taken to save him. They arrived promptly and, after confirming that C/88 was dead, called police and deputy coroner. CO told latter he was personal friend of C/88 and did not know any relatives but that Fort Miley Veteran's Hospital in San Francisco should have that information...2. NVCANOPY (FBI) and Naval Intelligence service liaison at NPS were advised morning 24 September through base liaison channel. 3. Relative C/88's brother may be referring to time when, as army officer in Philippines, C/88 served in some liaison capacity with RTACTION (CIA) regarding anti-Huk operations. 4...He subsequently reported that he had destroyed all copies of contact reports and accountings and would not keep any in future. He should, therefore, have had on premises only (A) sterile list of NPS cultivation targets, (B) current accounting due for submission 23 September and, (C) possibly one or two contact reports of social cultivation of NPS officers. These materials should be innocuous in appearance and likely to be mistaken for materials dealing with hospitality or business activities. Of course, it is possible that he retained more than he said, but other materials he would have would be more of the same. From C/88's remarks on several occasions, his family would be favorably disposed towards RTACTION or NVCANOPY..."
09/27/78, Cable from FR/San Francisco to Director: Slugline WNINTEL ISOLOG SECUR: "1. In coordination with local RTACTION/CIA security office base has judged that, although materials concerning (CIA) operations still among WUCLASSIC/88's effects should be few and relatively innocuous as described in ref, effort should be made to confirm this and retrieve if it can be done with cooperation of next of kin. 2. Base assumes that son is next of kin and, in absense of will naming other executor, is entitled to possession of C/88's personal effects. Badendick call to mortuary on pretext of interest in welfare of dog revealed that son is enroute from east to west coast by auto, is still unaware of C/88's death, and is expected in Monterey evening 27 or morning 28 September. 3. Plan for (CIA) security officer to contact son, identify self as USG official and ask whether son aware that C/88 was doing volunteer part-time classified work for USG. If son reveals no knowledge of such activity, security officer will identify self as Department of Defense official. If son is aware of C/88's activities, (CIA) credentials will be shown. In either case, request will be made to review C/88's personal effects in presence of son and retrieve any materials dealing with sensitive activities. Will advise results of interview/search..." - - - 2022 release: https://documents3.theblackvault.com/documents/jfkfiles/jfk2022/104-10161-10506.pdf
104-10161-10503: SECURITY OFFICER INTERVIEWED WITTING SON.
10/05/78, Cable from FR/San Francisco to Director: Slugline WNINTEL ISOLOG SECUR: "1. Summary: (CIA) security officer interviewed and obtained cooperation of already witting son of WUCLASSIC/88 (C/88) in reviewing papers at apt of deceased for compromising material. Some but possibly not all ops related material recovered. Son also claimed that among apparently missing papers was Fidel Castro assassination plan written several years ago by C/88 before (CIA) association and which was among C/88 effects moved to apt in May 78. Latter document never mentioned to or seen by Case Officer Badendick...5. Base subsequently reviewed materials obtained by security officer. They consisted of carbon copies of old (unintelligible) contact reports and operational accountings, plus list of (REDACTION) prospective targets, zerox photos of (REDACTION) officers, some pieces of scratch paper with fragmentary notations, a few addresses, some (REDACTION) officers' calling cards...These items were subsequently destroyed. 6. Son told (CIA) security officer of plan to assassinate Cuban premier Castro which C/88 had drawn up many years ago while in Florida. Son said he knew this report was written at time when C/88 had no connection with (CIA), but was curious because report was among C/88's effects when son helped him move to Monterey in May 78 but was now missing. Officer told son he could shed no light on this, it being first knowledge we had of it...7...Badendick asked whether son had noted among C/88's personal effects a copy of thesis written by (REDACTION). This thesis had been given to C/88 by (REDACTION) with request for editing and suggestions and was to have been returned by C/88 evening he died. Son said he had seen thesis and thought it had been turned over to Badendick's colleague. When told it was not, he said he would check again and if it has not been destroyed, he would return it to Badendick..."
104-10161-10504: MEETING WITH SON OF WUCLASSIC/88
10/12/78, Cable from FR/San Francisco to Director: Slugline WNINTEL ISOLOG SECUR: "1. Walter C. Badendick met for over two hours with son of WUCLASSIC/88 in local restaurant on 9 Oct 78...Son related that C/88, although enormously talented and at one time youngest major in U.S. Army, had married second wife unacceptable to army and gave up his career because of his responsibilities to her and his children...This led to lengthy period which son described as 'pure hell' for C/88, during which he was poor, in ill health and unable to utilize his considerable talents as intelligence officer. During last eighteen months of association with RTACTION/CIA, C/88 was once again in his element, was doing purposeful and important work and was fulfilled at end of his life...Son was intimate confidant of C/88, who told him he had (CIA) mission in Monterey but did not reveal targets even in general, said nothing of modus operandi...2. Regarding C/88's plan to assassinate Castro, son said it was written many years ago in Florida at time when son is absolutely sure C/88 had nothing to do with (CIA). In fact, said son, he does not think plan was drawn up at anyone's behest, but rather that C/88 had discussed general Cuban situation with some acquaintances and then had on his own initiative written up plan. Son remembers seeing plan when he moved C/88 to Monterey in May 78, but it was not among personal effects. He speculated that perhaps C/88 had destroyed it. Although (CIA) had neither involvement nor knowledge of plan, it could be subject to misinterpretation if it ever became public and were associated with (CIA). Son said if plan should turn up he will either destroy it or make sure it remains his private property; he is aware of undeserved harm if could do to innocent (CIA)...4. Son was unable to again locate Mazaheri thesis, which he believes was destroyed by one of C/88's daughters..."
104-10161-10502: MEMORANDUM ON THE DEATH OF ADRIAN FISHER SHERMAN JR.
10/13/78: Memo from Joseph P. Mirabile, Operations Support Branch to Chief, Operations Support Branch: "1. On 25 September 1978, a call was received in the Security Duty Office from James A. Sherman, Subject's brother, advising that Subject suffered a fatal heart attack on 23 September 1978 at his apartment in Monterey, California. Subject was sixty years of age and had a history of previous heart trouble. 2. Mr. Sherman was previously of interest to this Agency as a military detainee, 1952 - 1954, when he was serving at Clark Air Force Base, the Philippines, as a Major in the United States Army. After leaving the army. he worked for Pan American Airlines for approximately 13 years and then as an investigator for the State Attorney General's Office in Miami, Florida. He has been of interest to DCD and FRD in San Francisco, California, since April 1977...3. On 23 September 1978. Subject's body was discovered by an FRD case officer who had arrived at the Monterey, California, apartment for an operational meeting...5. The only aspect of this incident, which may be of continuing security concern, is that the son recalls that in May 1978. while assisting his father in moving some personal effects, he remembers seeing a written plan to assassinate Fidel Castro. The son said that it had been prepared by his father in the early 1970's when he was working in Florida but at a time when he had no Agency association. At this time the paper is still missing. It may have been recently destroyed by the Subject or, the possibility exists, it may have been stolen by someone having access to the apartment..."