Pseudonym: David, Paul
A memo from Mason Cargill in May of 1975 stated that George McManus was a special assistant to Richard Helms in 1963. The Rockefeller Commission document also stated that McManus "had been told of the skin diving suit plan by Halpern and later mentioned it to Mr. Helms." However, in July, 1975, in an interview with the Church Committee, McManus would deny any knowledge of assassination plots against Fidel Castro.
A Church Committee memo on July 22, 1975, stated that "as Helms' assistant for Cuban activities, McManus was in daily contact with both Helms and Harvey...McManus understood that part of his job was to keep track of Harvey who was 'quite an independent fellow', and not 'extremely forthcoming with information.'" In addition, George McManus retired from the CIA in 1970.
Another similarity between Paul David and George McManus was that David stated that he "provided an interface for intelligence information", while McManus stated that he "was primarily interested in intelligence."
104-10095-10151: LEONARD MCCOY'S REVIEW OF NOSENKO'S CASE
Circa 09/20/67: Memo for the record: Subject: Recent Developments in the Review of the Nosenko Case: "1. On 2 June I was contacted by the DDCI's Special Assistant, George McManus, and asked to come to his office to discuss Soviet intelligence collection as it related to (REDACTION). Prior to this call I had become aware that McManus was making inquiries in the SB Division about my position and background. In his office we discussed the SB collection progress and the special contribution of defectors. No comment was made by either of us regarding my talk with the DDCI..."
178-10002-10265: PERSONS...WHO MIGHT BE INTERVIEWED RE CASTRO ASSASSINATION PLANS
05/15/75: Memo from Mason Cargill to file: Subject: Persons identified in 1967 in Inspector General Report who might by interviewed on the subject of Castro assassination plans: Page 3: "17. George McManus. He was a special assistant to DD/P Helms in 1963. He had been told of the skin diving suit plan by Halpern and later mentioned it to Mr. Helms..." - - - This appears to have been taken from the 1967 Inspector General's Report on plots to assassinate Fidel Castro: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=9983#relPageId=85
157-10002-10106: TESTIMONY OF WILLIAM K. HARVEY
06/25/75: Church Committee testimony of William K. Harvey: From page 119 onward: ..."MR. SCHWARZ: Who was a CIA officer known as McManus, or by the name of McManus? MR. HARVEY: George McManus was an officer in the CIA for a great many years. He started out in the overt, then as I recall it, the contacts branch. He served an assignment in Germany, I believe, in connection with - MR. SCHWARZ: We do not need his whole history. Was he connected with the MONGOOSE operation in any way? MR. HARVEY: Not MONGOOSE as such. I do believe he was connected with the Opaloca interrogation operation in the north part of Miami. But as far as the bureaucratic MONGOOSE framework, that is the Special Group, and so forth, I do not recall that he was connected with it now. MR. SCHWARZ: So comments he made about it would not be creditable as to the motivations and actions taken by the Special Group? MR. HARVEY: Well, what I cannot exclude is he may have had some knowledge of it because of his then-bureaucratic position at CIA Headquarters. MR. SCHWARZ: Well, let me - MR. HARVEY: But he was not a participant, that I recall, at least, in the MONGOOSE meetings and discussions that allowed the preparation of documents such as this memorandum or recommendation, or any of those things. MR. SCHWARZ:...I am showing you a document previously marked as Harvey No. 15, which is a memorandum from Mr. McManus dated November 5 '62 to Mr. Helms...MR. HARVEY: I do not recall what his position was at that time. It may have been as a Special Assistant to Helms. In this case, he could have had some knowledge from which he could have made the comment..."
157-10011-10057: TESTIMONY OF RICHARD HELMS, 17 JUL 1975
07/17/75: Church Committee testimony of Richard Helms: Page 73: ..."SENATOR HUDDLESTON: Who was he? THE CHAIRMAN: McManus was your assistant? MR. HELMS: McManus was an assistant that I had and I don't, looking at this memorandum, since I haven't read the whole thing all the way through, I don't know quite who it was directed to, and what he is basing these comments on. Is something quoted in here?..." - - - Helms also mentioned McManus during testimony on 07/18/75: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=1355#relPageId=27&search=george_mcmanus
07/22/75: Memo from Paul Wallach to Fritz Schwarz: RE: Staff Interview of George McManus (Monday, July 21, 1975): "As we discussed last week, I asked George McManus to come down for an interview Monday evening. The interview last approximately three hours; the substance of that interview - as reconstructed from both Joe DiGenova's and my own notes - is reflected in the attached memorandum. McManus should make a brief appearance before the Committee. He worked closely with both Helms and Harvey, and his testimony will allow a different perspective on the Mongoose operations and the assassination issues. McManus will testify as to his perceptions of Robert Kennedy, and Messrs. Helms, McCone, and Harvey. More specifically, McManus may show us that Helms was not as 'on top' of the Cuban operations as he would have had us believe on June 13 - a position from which he attempted to back away during his most recent Committee appearance." - - - Page 5 onward: "Historical Data: McManus retired in May 1970 after some 20 plus years of covert/clandestine agency service. In the early 1950s he headed up the CIA's European Defector Interrogation Center. He was subsequently appointed Canadian Station Chief and later Director of the Cover Staff. In mid-December 1961, Helms asked McManus to apply his European expertise to the Agency's Cuban Defector Interrogation Center. McManus headed for Florida on Christmas Day and spent the following week at the Opa Locha Center...It was not until early January 1962 that Helms formally brought McManus 'on board' as his assistant for 'Cuban activities'...McManus describes himself as 'Helms' eyes and ears' in the Cuban area. McManus spent his final years with the Agency as Director of Cover (1963-1965), Assistant to Admiral Rayburn (DCI: 1965-1967), and as Station Chief in Europe (1967-1970)." (CONTINUED BELOW) - - - 2022 release: https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2022/157-10014-10219.pdf
07/22/75: Memo from Paul Wallach to Fritz Schwarz: RE: Staff Interview of George McManus (Monday, July 21, 1975): Pages 7-8 mentioned McManus, Helms and Robert Kennedy. Page 9 onward: "McManus on being Helms' assistant for Cuban operations: As Helms' assistant for Cuban activities, McManus was in daily contact with both Helms and Harvey. Moreover, he often assisted Task Force W in responding to and indeed often implementing Landale's plethora of requests. Soon after the January 19 meeting, Harvey was brought in as Director of the Cuban Task Force. McManus understood that part of his job was to keep track of Harvey who was 'quite an independent fellow', and not 'extremely forthcoming with information': McManus explained that Helms shared his feeling that 'we had to get off our asses and get moving on Cuba'...McManus prepared a weekly report for Helms wherein he summarized intelligence information and the operational work of Task Force W. Apparently, the operational section was prepared by Harvey and simply reviewed by McManus prior to transmittal to Helms. Helms in turn reviewed the draft report...Although McManus was Helms' 'Cuban eyes and ears' he disclaims any knowledge of discussions, plans or attempts relating to the assassination/elimination/liquidation of Fidel Castro...McManus believes that McCone would have been 'morally outraged' if informed of assassination attempts. However, the 'accuracy' of McManus' statement may be questioned as he also stated that 'Helms would have been opposed to assassinations.' When I explained that Helms was aware of such attempts, he could not provide a satisfactory response."
07/22/75: Church Committee testimony of George McManus: Page 4: ..."In 1951, I went to Germany and organized the Defector Reception Center, the idea behind that we would process people who were defecting from the Soviet Union and satellite countries. And then I organized a group called the Returnee Exploitation Group dealing with German scientists who had been taken by the Soviets to the Soviet Union after World War II. We would induce these people back from East Germany, interrogate them for information on Soviet scientific and technical developments. I left Germany in September of 1955, September or October, and I was sent to (REDACTION) as the Chief of Station and I remained there until October of 1960. I returned to Headquarters and was assigned to duty in Headquarters until...December of 1961..." - - - Pages 10-11: ..."MR. McMANUS: I was an assistant and dealt solely with Cuban matters. MR. SCHWARZ: Assistant to whom? MR. McMANUS: To Helms. MR. SCHWARZ: To Helms. MR. McMANUS: But I was primarily interested in intelligence. After we had the flow of information beginning to come in from the refugees, it became clear to me that there was a great Soviet threat and I followed that very carefully. I could see the build-up developing in Cuba, and I thought that was the heart of the matter. That interested me more than any other aspect of the show. I did write a weekly report - MR. SCHWARZ: For Mr. Helms? MR. McMANUS: For Mr. Helms. It was printed up, perhaps the DCI signed it. I don't know what the name of it was, but it was a special report, it was sent to several people in government. It was sent to the White House, SECDEF, State, Attorney General, the Bureau, I guess, in which I would summarize the highlights of intelligence gathered during the past week, and then I had an operational summary of what had been done operationally during that week..."
157-10008-10246: INTERVIEW WITH PAUL DAVID (ALIAS)
07/25/75: SSCIA interview (Wallach and DiGenova) with Paul David: "This morning, Joe and I met with (REDACTION) ('P. D.') at the Carroll Arms for approximately two hours. George Clarke from the CIA's General Counsel's staff was present for the last fifteen minutes of the interview. Background: 1948-51: Assistant to the (REDACTION)-(REDACTION). 1951-54: Chief Rumanian Desk. 1954-58: Chief of Operations Against Communist Areas (Eastern Bloc) - (Operations from (REDACTION)-stationed in (REDACTION). 1958-61: (REDACTION). 1961-62: Special Assistant to Helms. 1962-63: National War College (June 1962 - July 1963). 1963-64: Helms' Special Assistant. 1965-66: (REDACTION). 1966-69: (REDACTION). 1969-73: Chief of Operational Services - Chief of Staff in DDP. (Director Clandestine Services). 1973: Chief Career Management Personnel. 1973-74: Chief Plans & Programs for Directorate. Interview Summary: Bissell 'out of the blue' asked P.D. to read and comment upon (Ghosn) Zogby's Cuban operations paper. P.D. told Bissell that the paper/proposals 'stunk'...'much like another Bay of Pigs.' Apparently, Helms also read and liked P.D.'s comments. After Bissell 'left', Helms requested that P.D. come on board as his staff assistant. P.D. stressed that he was not in the operational line of command - 'I provided an interface for intelligence information.' A typical day in P.D.'s life: - Screening cable traffic (7 - 9 a.m.). Primarily cables relating to positive intelligence, to prepare Helms for his daily 9 a.m. hour-long meeting with DCI McCone. - Prepared a daily briefing for the White House on Cuban intelligence. - Preparing review of books such as 'The Invisible Government' and damage reports (i.e., reports setting forth what sensitive information exposed by book). P.D. stressed that he was 'out of touch with the day-to-day operations of Task Force W.' However, he believes that Harvey kept Helms fully briefed." (CONTINUED BELOW).
157-10008-10246: INTERVIEW WITH PAUL DAVID (ALIAS)
07/25/75: SSCIA interview (Wallach and DiGenova) with Paul David: "Harvey, in P.D.'s own words, was 'not an ordinary man',...'egocentric,' 'bombastic', 'one of the strongest proponents of compartmentalization and need to know.' In addition, Harvey had a law degree and a successful FBI stint prior to joining the Agency...P.D. noted Harvey's intense loyalty to 'his people' (including Helms and Starkey. However, P.D. is sure that even with these people, Harvey was likely to have been extremely close-mouthed."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1980/04/01/george-boles-mcmanus-was-senior-aide-at-cia/d616da98-8ed7-4713-9301-1d0626c5cbfb/
Obituary of George Boyles McManus in the Washington Post: "George Boles McManus 69, a retired senior administrator with the Central Intelligence Agency, died of a viral infection of the brain Saturday in the New England Medical Center in Boston. Mr. McManus worked for the agency from the time it was founded in 1947 until retiring in 1970. He held posts in Washington and abroad. During the 1960s, he was special assistant first to Adm. William Raborn, during his stint as director of Central Intelligence, and then to Adm. Rufus Taylor, who was deputy director of Central Intelligence from 1966 to 1969. After retiring from the agency, Mr. McManus lived in South Africa for three years before moving to Yarmouth Port Mass., in 1973. He had lived in McLean for many years. Mr. McManus was a native of Arlington, N.J., and a 1931 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. He earned a master's degree in business administration at Harvard University in 1933. He was a banker in New York City before being called to active duty with the Navy in 1939. He was a liaison officer with the British Navy and an intelligence officer during World War II. He attained the rank of commander and was assigned to the old Central Intelligence Group in Washington before retiring from active duty and joining the CIA."