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Daily Caller

CIA Agents Posing As State Department Officials Outnumbered Real Ones, JFK Doc Shows

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3 months ago

7 minute read

 

From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By Emily Kopp

Several foreign embassies housed more Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agents posing as genuine State Department officials between 1950 to 1960, according to a document found in the more than 63,000 pages relating to former President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, released to the public by the Trump administration Tuesday evening.

CIA mission chiefs under diplomatic cover sometimes wielded more influence than the ambassadors, even advocating policies in conflict with official U.S. diplomacy, according to a June 10, 1961, memo. Kennedy was warned by historian Arthur Schlessinger Jr. in the document that CIA agents posing as State Department officials — so-called “Controlled American Sources” (CAS) — risked delegitimizing U.S. diplomacy.

“The effect is to further CIA encroachment on the traditional functions of State,” he wrote.

The CIA mission chief often exerted more power than the top diplomats, sometimes to conflicting ends, he said.

“On the day of President Kennedy’s inauguration, 47 percent of the political offices serving in United States Embassies were CAS,” the memo reads. “Sometimes the CIA mission chief had been in the country longer, has more money at his disposal, wields more influence (and is abler) than the Ambassador. Often he has direct access to the Prime Minister. Sometimes (as during a critical period [unreadable]) he pursues a different policy from that of the Ambassador. And he generally well known locally as the CIA representative.” (RELATED: Trump Administration Releases JFK Assassination Files)

Schlessinger’s 1961 memo to the president about the CIA — in which he advocated for a reorganization of the agency — had been of interest to historians and independent researchers as a Rosetta stone for understanding hostility between the former president and the nation’s foreign intelligence gathering services.

One section of the memo, however, spanning roughly 1.5 pages, remained redacted and was only revealed Tuesday night. The section described the CIA’s widespread use of diplomatic cover and its risks. Diplomatic cover was less expensive than other methods, quicker, and more attractive for agents, the memo states.

It’s unclear why the information has been concealed from the public for decades.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard praised the release of some 2,182 files related to the Kennedy presidency Tuesday and signaled that more documents could be released upon being released from court seal.

“President Trump is ushering in a new era of maximum transparency,” she said in a statement.

 

Schlessinger listed the number of CIA agents or “CAS personnel” populating embassies abroad.

“In the American embassy in Vienna, out of 20 persons listed in the October 1960 Foreign Service List as being in the Political Section, 16 are CAS personnel; of the 31 officers listed as engaging in political activities, over half are CAS,” he wrote. “Of the 13 officers listed in the political section of our embassy in Chile, 11 are CAS.”

Schlessinger expressed concern about the CIA’s dominance in the U.S. Embassy in Paris.

“In the Paris embassy today, there are 123 CIA people. CIA [in Paris] has long since begun to move into areas of political reporting typically occupied by State. The CIA men doing overt internal political reporting outnumber those in the Embassy’s political section by 18-2. CIA has even sought to monopolize contact with certain French political personalities, among them the President of the National Assembly,” he said.

The memo makes apparent reference to rumored CIA backing of the April 1961 Algiers putsch, in which generals unsuccessfully attempted a coup d’etat in French Algeria. French President Charles de Gaulle was moving Algeria toward self-determination and away from French control, which the generals opposed.

“CIA occupies the top floor of the Paris embassy, a fact well known locally; and on the night of the Generals’ [unreadable] in Algeria, passersby noted with amusement that the top floor was ablaze with lights,” he wrote. “I am informed that Ambassador Gavin was able to secure entrance that night to the CIA offices only with difficulty.”

Jefferson Morley, vice president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation and a longtime advocate for declassification, had identified this redaction section of the memo as among his top priorities ahead of the new release.

Schlessinger suggested a review of policies instituted around Jan. 19, 1961 — the day before Kennedy’s inauguration. The historian had warned Kennedy about so-called “controlled American sources” becoming a permanent feature of the foreign service, while also advocating for the “steady reduction” of CIA agents at U.S. embassies.

“Before State loses control of more and more of its presumed overseas personnel, and before CAS becomes permanently integrated into the Foreign Service, it would seem important (a) to secure every ambassador the firm control over the local CAS station nominally promised in the [unreadable] Directive of January 19, 1961, and (b) to review the current CAS direction with an eye to a steady reduction of CAS personnel,” he wrote.

The degree to which diplomatic cover for CIA agents remains a threat to the State Department’s independence and legitimacy also remains unclear. A New York Times story on March 6 about the shuttering of some foreign embassies noted that the prospect of further cuts had “generated some anxiety within the Central Intelligence Agency.”

“The vast majority of undercover American intelligence officers work out of embassies and consulates, posing as diplomats, and the closure of diplomatic posts would reduce the C.I.A.’s options for where to position its spies,” the paper reported.

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Daily Caller

LA Anti-ICE Chaos, Clashes With Police Spreading Around America

Published on June 11, 2025

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From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By Hudson Crozier

The unrest that has consumed Los Angeles in recent days appears to be spreading elsewhere as numerous rioters outraged at immigration raids were arrested across the country on Tuesday night.

Los Angeles authorities began making “mass arrests” late Tuesday and issued a curfew following days of rioting sparked by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests of illegal immigrants in the area. Businesses were seen in the process of boarding up their buildings in anticipation of possible looting, the Daily Caller News Foundation reported.

Local media outlets reported that major U.S. cities saw their own versions of Los Angeles’ chaos Tuesday night, with alleged assaults of police officers, fires, rock-throwing and other acts of violence. Protests and resulting arrests had already started to spread beyond Los Angeles as of Monday night.

Seattle

At least two people were arrested after protesters tore down American flags at a federal building in Seattle and burned them on Tuesday night, according to multiple reports. Earlier that day, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers were seen on video shoving back Antifa-style militants and firing crowd control munitions after the activists tried to block entrances and exits to the building, which houses an immigration court.

New York City

Eighty-six people were arrested overnight starting on Tuesday evening as protesters marched to a Manhattan immigration court and other locations, local outlet ABC7 reported. Police said people threw bottles at protesters and debris and traffic cones onto the road. Charges included assault, resisting arrest, reckless endangerment and obstructing government administration.

One exchange caught on video showed a woman pleading with protesters to let her drive past them on the road so she could go to work.

Illegal migrants “are having their children taken and their parents,” a traffic-blocking activist told the driver.

Another video posted by Sky News showed a mob trying to force its way past a wall of officers while screaming.

Denver

Protesters began gathering at the Colorado State Capitol building in Denver on Tuesday before moving off in a crowd to block traffic on two streets, Colorado Newsline reported. Police ended up in confrontations with rioters throughout the evening, arresting at least 17 on charges such as obstruction of streets, graffiti, assaulting a peace officer and unlawful throwing of projectiles, according to 9News. Police were reportedly seen throwing smoke bombs and pepper balls to disperse crowds.

Atlanta

Organizers of an anti-ICE rally in Atlanta on Tuesday night had agreed to disperse by 9 p.m., but some protesters remained and set off scuffles with police, a local Fox network reported. Rioters damaged three police squad cars by throwing rocks, police said, and threw fireworks at officers. Police used tear gas to disperse the agitators and arrested at least six.

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Crime

LA Mayor Karen Bass Makes New Demands Of Trump At Monday Night Press Conference

Published on June 10, 2025

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From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By Mariane Angela

During a Monday night press briefing, Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told the Trump administration to stop the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Los Angeles.

President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles on Saturday after riots erupted following an ICE raid at a Home Depot. During Monday’s press briefing, Bass called for an end to the raids conducted by the Trump administration, claiming that the power to deploy troops or request assistance should lie with state and local officials, not the federal government.

“I would say stop the raids. Stop the raids, period. I would say give the power back to our governor, and if we need the National Guard, we can do it in the normal circumstances, which is the request is made local, and the governor decides, or not to, grant that to our city,” Bass said when asked what she would say to the Trump administration.

Bass reiterated her earlier stance and questioned the need for an additional military presence, given the National Guard’s current role in securing federal buildings.

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“We didn’t need the National Guard. Why on earth? What are they going to do? Do you know what the National Guard is doing now? They are guarding two buildings,” Bass said when asked to react to the deployment of Marines.

Bass then called the deployment an unjustified and overreaching action.

“They are guarding the federal building here in downtown, and they’re guarding the federal building in Westwood. That’s what they’re doing. So they need Marines on top of it? I don’t understand that. That’s why I feel like we are part of an experiment that we did not ask to be a part of,” Bass added.

Despite Bass claiming that the National Guard’s deployment was unnecessary, Fox News reporter Bill Melugin shared videos showing ICE agents in one of the vehicles being struck by rocks. Melugin also posted additional footage and photos of the aftermath, including an image of an ICE agent’s injury and a windshield damaged by a rioter’s rock.

Around 1,000 individuals wreaked havoc in Los Angeles Friday night, surrounding a federal building, attacking ICE agents, deflating tires and vandalizing government property, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The unrest caused significant damage and severe traffic disruptions, bringing several key city roads to a complete standstill.

On Saturday night, Trump authorized the deployment of the National Guard to assist local law enforcement and warned Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom that the federal government would intervene if local authorities failed to restore order.

In response, California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday, challenging the deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles to address the immigration riots. Attorney General Rob Bonta and Newsom said that federalizing 2,000 California National Guard members without Newsom’s consent exceeded the president’s authority.

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