Cryptonym: ZRPRIMA
104-10247-10250: CABLE-AMWHIP/1 IN PARIS 2 AND 3 JULY 63 WITH JOSE VENEGAS VALDESPINO
Early July 1963: While in Paris, AMWHIP/1 saw in the Cuban consulate "three Cuban plastics and electronics engineers who were going to Poland to recruit plastics techs for Cuba."
11/22/63, 1700 Zulu Time, just minutes before the assassination: "Recently concluded HQs review of ZRPRIMA program shows that (CIA) efforts have not achieved any significant results and continuation of program as such no longer warranted. Main reason for (CIA) failure is that Cuban technician recruiting program has been miserable failure when measured against Fidel's original objective of 2000 techs from Western Europe alone. Though our figures not complete, we estimate probably less than fifty candidates have succeeded in inserting about thirty recruited techs into the various hiring channels, but so far only to have received contract approval from (Havana). Cuban failure to recruit in significant numbers appears (to be) largely to reluctance foreign ministry and foreign service officers pursue tech recruiting mission aggressively, bureaucratic incompetence in Havana, fear of infiltration of hostile agents and probable loss of interest in the program on part of Castro himself."
104-10185-10266: 201 FILE OF PROTECTABLE SOURCE.
5/29/63 cable from Mexico City to Director: "ZRPRIMA is (CIA) program to identify and recruit third party nationals who are being hired by (the Government of Cuba) to work in Cuba."
104-10527-10212: CABLE: MULTI-ADDRESSEE CABLE RE (--) PRIMA OPS
11/21/63 cable recommends giving up on the ZRPRIMA program because very few foreign technicians are being hired by the Cuban government.