Home/ Resources / Projects / CIA Pseudonyms / pseudonym: KLEMACK_JOSEPH

Pseudonym: Klemack, Joseph

Definition:
Joseph Q. Klemack was probably a pseudonym for Cornelius Roosevelt, Chief, Technical Services Division (TSD) in the early 1960's.
Category:
pseudonym
Status:
Probable
Discussion:
A memo in December, 1961, mentioned that Joseph Q. Klemack was Chief, KURIOT (CIA Technical Services Division - TSD). Cornelius Roosevelt was Chief, TSD, in the early 1960's, during which time he participated in the CIA-Mafia assassination plot against Castro involving a poisoned pill.

Austin P. Badger (pseudonym for Seymour Russell), was the Chief of TSD from at least December of 1962 to at least November of 1964.
Sources:

157-10004-10147: CHRONOLOGY OF CASTRO ASSASSINATION PLANS

SSCIA document: ..."GAMBLING SYNDICATE OPERATION INITIATED: August, 1960: In August, 1960, DDP Bissell requested Sheffield Edwards, Chief of the Office of Security, to establish contacts with gambling syndicate that was active in Cuba for the purpose of exploring capacity for assassinating Castro. Edwards told the case officer for the operation, James O'Connell, to contact Robert A. Maheu, a private investigator with syndicate connections. Edwards and Bissell discussed various forms of poisoning with Cornelius Roosevelt, Chief of TSD..."

104-10209-10019: FOLDER CREATED ON POHORDILYS, SEMEN, 201-289249

11/08/60: Dispatch from COS, Germany to COS, Paris (Attn: James B. Winterhalter) (Info: Chief, EE; Chief, WE; Chief, SR; Chief, KURIOT): Subject: AQUATIC/REDWOOD/Operational Examination of Letters for Secret Writing: "1. The letters transmitted with the above reference have been covertly tested for the presence of secret writing. 2. The letter postmarked from USSR revealed (REDACTION). The letter postmarked (REDACTION) traces of (REDACTION), however, because of the nature of the requirements no attempt was made to develop or identify the (REDACTION). 3. The letters are herewith returned, sealed, for integration in the mails for sending to the addressee. Elmer E. Hukeed for Jacob R. Overbury." Approved: Treichler for Joseph Q. Klemark.

104-10209-10019: FOLDER CREATED ON POHORDILYS, SEMEN, 201-289249

11/20/60: Dispatch from COS, Germany to COS, Paris (Attn: James B. Winterhalter) (Info: Chief, KURIOT; Chief, EE; Chief, WE; Chief, SR): Subject: AQUATIC/LCIMPROVE/AEDOGMA Transmittal of Letters: "Enclosed herewith as Attachment #1 is an envelope containing the two letters of reference 'I.' A full report on the examination of these letters will follow. Elmer E. Hukeed." Approved: Joseph Q. Klemack.

104-10209-10019: FOLDER CREATED ON POHORDILYS, SEMEN, 201-289249

11/22/60: Dispatch from COS, Germany to COS, Paris (Info: Attn: James B. Winterhalter; Chief, EE: Chief, WE; Chief, SR; Chief, KURIOT): Subject: AQUATIC/REDWOOD/Operational Transmittal of SW Examination Report: "Transmitted herewith as KAPOK attachment number one is a report on the laboratory work done on letters mentioned in the references above. Elmer E. Hukeed." Approved: Joseph Q. Klemark.

157-10002-10004: INDEX CARDS FROM JUNE & JULY 1975

09/25/61: SSCIA document: "PERSONS/ENTITIES: Sam Gold, Dr. Edward Gunn, Juan Orta, Dr. Raymond Treichler, Cornelius Roosevelt. CATEGORIES: Castro. OCCURRENCE: In discussing the possible methods of accomplishing the mission, Sam Gold suggested that they not resort to firearms, but that if he could be furnished with some type of potent pill that could be placed in Castro's food or drink. Sam indicated that he had a prospective nominee in the person of Juan Orta, a Cuban official, who had been receiving back payments from the gambling interests who still had access to Castro, and was in a financial bind. Cornelius Roosevelt, Chief, TSD was consulted and assigned Dr. Raymond Treichler to develop a pill that had the elements of rapid solubility, high lethal content, and little or no traceability. Six of these items were produced and after being checked out for their effectiveness by Dr. Edward M. Guinn, these pills were ultimately turned over to Sam for the mission. Neither TSD nor Dr. Gunn was briefed on the ultimate use of the pills."

104-10169-10139: HANDLING AT GERMAN STATION 16 17 DECEMBER OF SOVIET DEFECTOR FROM RUSSIAN EMBASSY AT HELSINKI

12/18/61: Memo for the record from Roger I. McKee: Page 5: "15. Bentham was then fully briefed on developments and Roodine gave certain operational information of a sensitive nature from subject to Bentham. After necessary analysis and discussion the following decisions were reached...c. Joseph Q. Klemack (Chief, COS/KURIOT) was contacted by phone from Bentham's residence and said he believed that his people could affix in the subject's passports a Federal Republic entry stamp. This was considered necessary in order to prevent embarrassing questions by German Immigration authorities on Sunday when the family would depart by commercial air. The family entered the Federal Republic 'black' and accordingly there was no entry permit in their Soviet diplomatic passports..." Page 7: ..."21. In the meantime, Klemack and one of his men working on the documentation had returned to Eschborn to take pictures of subject and his family that would be necessary for the (REDACTION) passports. The best reading we could get from the KURIOT (CIA Technical Services Division - TSD) people working on the documents was that they would not be ready on time..." Page 9: ..."28...At about 1335 Klemack arrived with subject's two original Russian passports. These were then put in a brown manila envelope and one of Naylor's United States citizen employees was asked to proceed immediately to the aircraft and give these to Roodine..."

178-10133-10091: MAHEU, ROBERT A.

06/24/66: Memo from Howard J. Osborn, Director of Security to Deputy Director: Page 3: ..."10. Cornelius Roosevelt, Chief, TSD, was consulted and assigned (REDACTION) to develop a pill that had the elements of rapid solubility, high lethal content, and little or no traceability. Six of these items were produced and, after being checked out for their effectiveness by Dr. Edward M. Gunn, three pills were ultimately turned over to Sam for the mission. Neither TSD nor Dr. Gunn were briefed on the ultimate use of the pills..."

157-10005-10204: PERSONS TO BE INTERVIEWED ON SUBJECT OF CASTRO ASSASSINATION PLOTS

05/15/75: Rockefeller Commission document: Memorandum to file from Mason Cargill: Subject: Persons Identified in 1967 in Inspector General Report Who Might be Interviewed on the Subject of Castro Assassination Plans: ..."4. Cornelius Roosevelt. He was Chief of the Technical Services Division during Phase I. The requests for assistance from Edwards to Gunn and Treichler were passed through Roosevelt..."

157-10002-10148: TESTIMONY OF JAMES P. O'CONNELL

05/30/75: SSCIA testimony of James P. O'Connell: Pages 98-99: ..."Mr. WIDES: Do you know if Dr. V. S. Roosevelt, who was head of the Technical Services Division at the time, was witnessing about this? Mr. O'CONNELL: I wouldn't want to bet my life that he wasn't. But he was at a meeting when the bills were delivered, and Dr. Treicher came over to Colonel Edwards' office. Mr. WIDES: But you don't recall whether you ever knew that Roosevelt knew what it was in connection with as distinct from merely knowing it was a lethal pill, is that right? Mr. O'CONNELL: I can't say - to my personal knowledge, the discussion never came up when I was there. I don't think he is a dummy, and I don't think Treichler is any dummy, and I think they had a general idea. But as far as I know they were never officially told..."

178-10004-10087: [RESTRICTED]

07/10/75: Rockefeller Commission document: Titled: Summary Report on CIA Investigation of MKNAOMI: Page 18: ..."None of the interviews undertaken in the course of this investigation provide information about specific support to operations which may have involved assassination. Roosevelt, who was Chief of TSD from 1960-1962, believed that discussions involving assassination took place but claimed to know few of the details and was skeptical as to the seriousness of such discussions. Treicher, Chief of the Biology Branch during this period, denied ever have received requests for such support or providing it, but these assertions appear incompatible with information he earlier provided to the IG's office during its investigation of assassination attempts. Treichler may constitute a connection between the MKNAOMI project and the assassination plots involving Castro. He was the officer responsible for MKNAOMI during this period. The records show his giving direction in specific terms to the preparation of materials at Fort Detrick matching those mentioned in the assassination schemes. Finally, the IG's report indicates that he delivered such material to other elements of the Agency. Beyond the Castro schemes, no suggestion can be found that any of these materials or devices was ever considered for use for lethal purposes."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1991/08/09/cornelius-roosevelt-75-dies/da0869cd-0db1-4287-9e03-555ef54b888c/

08/09/1991: Obituary in the Washington Post by Bart Barnes: Headlined: Cornelius Roosevelt, 75, dies: "Cornelius Van Schaak Roosevelt, 75, an engineer and retired official of the Central Intelligence Agency, where he had been chairman of the technical surveillance countermeasures committee, died Aug. 2 at his home in Washington after a heart attack. Mr. Roosevelt also was a collector and leading expert on the graphic work of the late Dutch artist M.C. Escher and a collector and scholar of netsuke, which are small Japanese carvings, generally of ivory. He also was a scuba diving instructor and a frequent scuba diver in places such as Haiti and the Red Sea. He had a home workshop where he did extensive woodworking and other projects, from repair of his scuba equipment to the fixing of clocks, toasters and collapsed chairs and chandeliers. Mr. Roosevelt also was an amateur archaeologist, and he had helped in the removal of Egyptian antiquities from areas to be flooded for the construction of the Aswan Dam during the 1950s. He was the grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt and the son of Army Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr., who died of a heart attack during the D-Day invasion of France during World War II and was awarded a Medal of Honor posthumusly. He was born in New York City, attended Harvard University and graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. From 1938 to 1941 Mr. Roosevelt was a mining engineer for American Smelting and Mining Co. in Mexico, then served in the Navy during the war and afterwards. His duties there included assignments with a Naval technical mission in Europe and service as technical assistant to the chief of the office of research and inventions. From 1946 to 1949 he was manager of the mining division of William Hunt & Co., a mining and heavy machinery firm, in Shanghai." (CONTINUED BELOW).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1991/08/09/cornelius-roosevelt-75-dies/da0869cd-0db1-4287-9e03-555ef54b888c/

08/09/1991: Obituary in the Washington Post by Bart Barnes: Headlined: Cornelius Roosevelt, 75, dies: "After the Communist takeover in China in 1949, Mr. Roosevelt served as president of William Hunt & Co. in Hong Kong in 1950. He also was president of International Industries Inc. in Hong Kong in this period. Before joining the CIA in Washington in 1952, Mr. Roosevelt was vice president of Security Banknote Co. in Philadelphia, research administrator for the Office of Naval Research in Washington and director and president of Linderman Engineering Co. in Washington. He had been chief of the technical services division at the CIA and then chairman of the technical surveillance countermeasures committee, a position that involved securing U.S. facilities against electronic eavesdropping. He retired from the CIA in 1973 and had served in retirement as a defense consultant and on the board of Aerospace Corp. Mr. Roosevelt was a member of the Metropolitan Club and the Army and Navy Club in Washington. Survivors include a sister, Grace Roosevelt McMillan of Glyndon, Md., and a brother, Theodore Roosevelt II of Mount Desert, Maine."

Contributors:
Gavin McDonald

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