Pseudonym: Elmard, Philip G.
Elmard appears to have been stationed in Switzerland and was the CIA liaison with the FBI during the FBI's investigation of Richard Gibson of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee post 11/22/63. The FBI was interested in what Gibson knew about Lee Harvey Oswald.
A FBI memo from Legat, Bern, Switzerland, on November 29, 1963, noted "John Dimmer, Chief of CIA, Bern, states he received cable from his headquarters inquiring about feasibility of interview of Gibson concerning whether he can throw any light on Oswald's assassination of President. Dimmer wishes to coordinate with Legat Bern."
A FBI memo from Legat, Bern, in November, 1964, stated, in regards to the serialization of a book by Joachim Joesten on the assassination of President Kennedy in a Zurich newspaper, that "Mr. John Dimmer, (covert CIA), very informally contacted some of his press contacts and furnished them information strictly off the record from his own files against Joesten. He suggested to his contacts that they could perhaps discredit Joesten. This action by Mr. Dimmer was probably taken without knowledge of his own headquarters and was furnished to me on a very personal basis and is strictly for the Bureau's infromation only."
1993.07.20.14:36:34:680620: JOHN ROSSELLI - OGC FILES NOT MADE AVAILABLE TO HSCA STAFFERS
John Dimmer succeeded Ted Shacley as JMWAVE Chief of Station. Robert Davis was COS 10/61 to 2/62. Shackley was COS 4/62 to 6/65. Dimmer was COS 6/65 to 3/67. See 157-10011-10083, p. 7 of 115 and p. 9 of 115: Dimmer was followed by Paul Henze, who left at the time the size of JMWAVE was reduced. After Henze, the next Chief was Jake Esterline from about 1968 to 1973.
11/29/63: FBI memo from Legat, Bern to Director, Legat, Paris: Titled: CHANGED. LEE HARVEY OSWALD, INTERNAL SECURITY - R AND CUBA: ..."John Dimmer, Chief of CIA, Bern, states he received cable from his headquarters inquiring about feasibility of interview of Gibson concerning whether he can throw any light on Oswald's assassination of President. Dimmer wishes to coordinate with Legat Bern. I consider such interview logical and desirable. Interview can be conducted by Robert C. Ode, experienced and reliable embassy consular officer, after clearing with ambassador. Gibson can be requested to come to embassy for interview or Ode will go to Lausanne if necessary."
104-10408-10322: CABL: FOLLOWING ODENVY REP AND STATION VIEWS RE POSSIBLE CONTACT
11/30/63 cable from Bern to Director: "...Elmard informed AMB and ODENVY (FBI) rep he intended reply to queries which he had received from KUBARK (CIA) HQS, I would forward for HQS info only views OF AMB, ODENVY rep and Elmard re possible approaches re Gibson Interview, ask HQS defer any approach to dept until ODENVY rep received guidance from his HQS... Further info from INANITION confirms that Albert Schweitzer College, Churwalden is reputable school whose curriculum places emphasis on humanistic studies and whose general orientation is away from left in politics. No info has emerged as to why proclaimed Marxist Oswald would seek to attend such a school."
12/17/63: FBI memo from Legat, Bern to Director: Titled: RICHARD THOMAS GIBSON: IS - CUBA: ..."John Dimmer, (REDACTION) (covert CIA), (REDACTION), Bern, informed that Gibson had been located in Paris. In view of this, this case is being RUC'D in this office."
104-10308-10009: CABLE: ( ) 6317 ( ) 6318 COVER ( ) CONVERSATIONS
3/3/64: Priority memo from Geneva to Bern (Elmard only). ...INDEVOUT-3 conversations with ROA re Castro's attitude toward (US) and subject's own visual observation of Castro's reaction to "fishing boat incident." (Note: The fishing boat incident is probably when two Cuban MIGs fired on a disabled privately owned US fishing boat during Feb. 1963 - see 198-10004-10156, p. 24.) ROA informed subject that prior to his assassination, President Kennedy "established certain contacts" with Cuba. ROA said that Kennedy "emissaries" had been sent to contact Cubans. ROA specifically cited contacts that had taken place in New York.
11/20/64: FBI memo from Legat, Bern to Director: Titled: ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY 11/22/63, DALLAS TEXAS MISC. - INFO CONCERNING: "The book authored by Joachim Joesten on the assassination of the President is presently being run in the Zurich, Switzerland, newspaper 'Die Welt Woche.' Mr. John Dimmer, (covert CIA), very informally contacted some of his press contacts and furnished them information strictly off the record from his own files against Joesten. He suggested to his contacts that they could perhaps discredit Joesten. This action by Mr. Dimmer was probably taken without knowledge of his own headquarters and was furnished to me on a very personal basis and is strictly for the Bureau's infromation only."
01/08/65: FBI memo from Legat, Bern to Director: Titled: MARK LANE: SM - C: "Re Bern letter 1/5/65. On 1/6/65 John Dimmer, (REDACTION), the Embassy, Bern, confidentially informed that he had learned that Lane was to speak in Zurich, Switzerland, some time in the next two weeks on the subject of Oswald's innocence in the killing of President Kennedy. Lane's talk is alleged to be sponsored by Heinrich Buchbinder, well known Swiss Trotskyite who is prominent in the Swiss Movement Against Atomic Armament (Schweizerische Bewegung gegen die Atomare Aufrustung - SBGAM). At Dimmer's request, he was furnished background material concerning Lane. Dimmer stated that he would keep this office informed of further developments in this matter."
8/30/65 memo with Philip G. Elmard signing off as JMWAVE, COS: "... AMTURVY-13 was never mentioned again in any correspondence received from AMCROAK-1. Since that time all of AMCROAK-l's messages contained positive intelligence and operational matters only. No further mention of AMTURVY-13 was ever made in his messages. However, in view of the information contained in paragraph 2 of Reference A, WAVE believes that this could be the reason for AMCROAK-1's compromise. It is believed that AMCROAK-1 was arrested because of his own indiscretion and because he did not heed our instructions to keep away from AMTURVY-13."