Pseudonym: Sabetay, Edward
On July 9, 1965, Harold Swenson sent a memo to John Hart, on the AMLASH plot to kill Fidel Castro, and other prominent members of the regime in Cuba. In addition, on July 26, 1965, Sabetay was again mentioned and John Hart, DC/WH/C, was the Authenticating Officer.
A memo in April of 1968 was from Hart, and he was now Chief, European Division. Moreover, a dispatch in February, 1970, was co-signed by Edward D. Sabetay and the Releasing Officer's name was John L. Hart, C/EUR.
An obituary in 2002 for John Hart stated that he was "head of the CIA's European Division from 1968 to 1971."
Testimony from William Wainwright in 1975 to the Church Committee mentioned that Hart took over as Chief, Task Force W, in the early spring of 1965.
104-10226-10438: AMSCROLL ECONOMIC WARFARE ACTIVITY
12/31/64: Dispatch from DC/WH (SA) to COS, JMWAVE: "Forwarded herewith is a copy of EGFA-43043, 1 December 1964, which is of interest to the station. Forwarded under separate cover is the attachment to the dispatch. Edward D. Sabetay." Originating Officer: Jerome Ott, WH/SA/MOB/PROP. Coordinating Officer: John S. Tilton, C/WH/SA/MOB. Releasing Officer: John L. Hart, DC/WH (SA).
104-10102-10159: CABLE: VICTOR ESPINOSA ON RETURN PBPRIME TOLD ODURGE AND
06/08/65: Cable from Madrid to Director and Paris: Slugline RYBAT KEYWAY PBRUMEN UNSNAFU AMLASH: "1. For PARI: Victor Espinosa on return PBPRIME (U.S.) told ODURGE (INS) and ODENVY (FBI) of AMLASH (Rolando Cubela Secades) conspiracy; contacts with AMLASH-2 (Jorge Carlos Robreno Marieguez) and 3 (Alberto Blanco Ramirez), UNSNAFU-9 (Luis Enrique Trasancos), Mirrlees; criticism of KUBARK (CIA) staffers at MADR, including Growery (probably Earl Williamson); derogatory accusations on QUSPORT (Bichi Bernal), QUSWIFT-1 (probably Earl Williamson), AMWHIP-1 (Carlos Tepedino Gonzalez); Mirrlees scare in accepting as serious joking recruitment by AMLASH-3 for SOVS; relationship at PARI among Bob, Dick, Maureen, Luis Fernandez, UNSNAFU-9; clumsy attempt use AMWHIP against UNSNAFU-19 (Antonio Maria Carrillo Carreras) who witting of AMWHIP ties with KUBARK; AMWHIP pocketing difference between KUBARK payments for jewelry and amounts given to UNSNAFU-19; generally inept handling of AMLASHes; needs of AMLASH-1 to vet prompt reply on KUBARK attitude toward him. Sabetay is aware of details above as told to Langosch (Harold Swenson) by Espinosa..."
06/22/65: Cable from Rome to Director and Madrid (Info: WAVE, PARI): Slugline KEYWAY PBRUMEN AMWHIP: "1. Purchases of jewelry from GOC by AMWHIP/1 (Carlos Tepedino Gonzalez) and AMWHIP/2 (Juan Ventura Valner) through AMB Antonio Carrillo well known and approved by HQs see DIR 49557 (not to WAVE, PARI and DIR 60438 (Not to MADR). 2. Person listed by TN in ref is partner A/1 and A/2 Rome jewelry store and slated be plaintiff heirlooms case Rome. 3. During recent Sabetay TDY Rome discussed anomaly all-out heirlooms effort while letting A/1 and A/2 continue trade in GOC jewels. However, during recent A/2 meet he said Carrillo has had nothing for sale for months. Carrillo keeps prodding A/2 go Havana. 4. A/2 plans go Spain on vacation early July. Any MADR objection our warning him QUOTA (probably the Spanish Direccion General de Seguridad - DGS - Directorate General of Security) interest and telling him not to go Spain? 5. No index."
07/09/65: Memorandum from Harold Swenson to John Hart: Source for this memo was Victor Espinosa Hernandez.
104-10229-10161: CONSULTATION RE COMMITMENTS AND FINANCING BRIGADE DEPENDENTS
07/26/65: Cable from Director to JMWAVE (Orig: W. T. Cini, Unit: WH/C/MO): Slugline TYPIC AMBUD: "Per Sabetay-Elmard telecon, request Caponong (probably Evalena S. Vidal) proceed HQs for one or two days consultation re commitments and financing brigade dependents. Should arrive for meetings morning 29 July. PLS advise." Releasing Officer: Jacob D. Esterline, AC/WHD. Authenticating Officer: John L. Hart, DC/WHD/C.
104-10229-10084: DISPATCH: AMBUD BENEFIT PAYMENTS
08/02/65: Dispatch from Deputy Chief, WHD for Cuba to COS, JMWAVE: Page 2: ..."Edward D. Sabetay." Originating Officer: T. J. Flores, WH/C/COPS. Releasing Officer: John L. Hart, DC/WHD/C.
104-10071-10074: SUBJECT: TENTATIVE PLANS OF SENATOR ROBERT KENNEDY TO VISIT WEST BERLIN ON 1 MAY
04/16/68: Memorandum from John L. Hart, Chief, European Division to Director of Central Intelligence (Via: Deputy Director for Plans):
104-10181-10011: CIA FILE ON ORESTES RUIZ-PEREZ, VOL 11.
02/12/70: Dispatch from Chief, Western Hemisphere Division to COS, Madrid, COS, WH/Miami (ATTN: REDACTION): Subject: TYPIC/Continued Operational Interest in AMAUTO-1: Page 3: ..."Michael V. Slatinski. I would appreciate your giving personal attention to this matter, because it is rare that we we have such a detailed assessment as we have in this case. Edward D. Sabetay." Originating Officer: Richard Wheeler, WH/COG/OPS. Coordinating Officer: (REDACTION), AC/WH/COG. Releasing Officer: John L. Hart, C/EUR.
157-10005-10258: TESTIMONY RE: CUBAN OPERATION
08/01/75: SSCIA Testimony of Mr. Weatherby (William Wainwright): Page 11: ..."MR. BARON: And Bruce Cheever was the Deputy Chief of Task Force W during the entire period that you served on Task Force W? MR. WEATHERBY: That is correct. I believe he had a short tenure as Chief until Mr. Hart took over, John Hart. MR. BARON: When did John Hart take over as Chief of Task Force W? MR. WEATHERBY: It was quite near the end of my time on it, so I would say approximately in early spring 1965..."
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2002-06-03-0206030149-story.html
06/03/2002: Obituary in the Chicago Tribune by The Washington Post: Headlined: "John Limond Hart, 81: John Limond Hart, the Central Intelligence Agency's station chief in Vietnam from 1966 to 1968 who called the agency's treatment of a top KGB defector an 'abomination' in a sensational report in 1978 for which he came out of retirement, died May 27 at an assisted living community in Washington. He was 81. Mr. Hart had Alzheimer's disease. Over the years, Mr. Hart had served as head of CIA operations in Korea during the Korean War and later as chief of a Cuban task force. He was head of the CIA's European division from 1968 to 1971, when he was asked by then-CIA chief Richard Helms to review the case of Yuri Ivanovich Nosenko. Nosenko contacted the CIA in Geneva in 1962, looking to trade secrets to replace Soviet money he spent on a drinking spree. He defected in early 1964, and just months after the assassination of President John Kennedy, he said he could prove a link between suspected killer Lee Harvey Oswald and the KGB. As that link was debated, CIA counterintelligence chief James Angleton and others suspected that Nosenko had been planted by the Soviets to provide disinformation. He was held for three years while agents examined his claims. Eventually, he was released and given a new identity and a consulting job in the Washington area, but not before his handling poisoned relations within the Soviet division of the CIA. At a 1978 hearing of the House committee on assassinations, Mr. Hart testified that Nosenko's treatment was "counterproductive and created a lot of misinformation" at a critical time for the agency. Mr. Hart declined to characterize the potential of a link between Oswald and the Soviet intelligence agency. Angleton disputed many of Mr. Hart's conclusions...Mr. Hart retired from the CIA in 1973..."