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COINTELPRO -- Border Coverage Program (1961-1963)
Introduction
Communist Party in Tijuana
Monterrey Investigation
FBI Personnel in Mexico
In accordance with Bureau instructions an analysis has been made of the situation in Mexico relating to the application of counterintelligence tactics, and the great value of such tactics is realized. The situation in Mexico because of the following circumstances is different from that faced by a domestic field office: [ ] If any other specific tactics become apparent, the Bureau will be advised and authorization requested for their utilization. All Agent personnel have been alerted to the importance of this program, and every effort will be made to implement it to the fullest extent possible. Legat, Mexico City to Director, Feb. 14, 1961
Your statement that all Agent personnel have been alerted to the importance of this program and that every every effort will be made to implement it to the fullest extent possible has been noted. In this connection, you should bear in mind that the fact that the Bureau's interest in disruptive tactics under the counterintelligence program should be held very tightly within your office on a need-to-know basis and no indication of the existence of this program should be given to any outside agency.
NOTE ON YELLOW: The Legal Attache's analysis of the potential of his office under this program is largely negative in nature although it adds nothing to the information already available to the Bureau relative to the possible difficulties involved.
Director to Legat, Mexico City, Mar. 3, 1961The analysis made in relet of the communist situation in your border area is well presented and shows a clear picture of the situation faced by your office. ... It is noted that although you obviously understand the purposes and tactics of this program, frequent reference was made in your letter to possible "harassment" of individual communists. Your attention is invited to the previous instructions which pointed out that harassment for the sake of harassment is not desired, but the purpose of this project is to disrupt the communist movement either through raising issues which will highlight the weaknesses of the organization and its program or through the partial or complete immobilization of individual communists. It is suggested, therefore, that you emphasize to your border coverage program the need to bear in mind the disruptive purposes of this project, avoiding the concept of "harassment," to insure that future plans are laid in accordance with the basic purposes of this project. Director to SAC, San Diego, March 2, 1961
Counterintelligence -- BORCOV, SAC San Diego, July 10, 1961
Communist Party in Tijuana In connection with the above captioned program the San Diego office has been closely following the activities of the Communist Party in the Tijuana area in order to further determine the results of the disruptive tactic applied in that area several weeks ago. The Guerra Montemayor Cell has been disbanded and some degree of confusion and distrust still exists. Members are still suspect and accusations continue to be leveled by PCM members against each other. The San Diego Office feels that this particular tactic was a successful one. SAC, San Diego to Director, June 28, 1962
Monterrey Investigation On 2/9/61 [ ]., of the Monterrey Resident Agency telephonically advised that [ ] 1961, edition of the magazine "Cierto - Revista de Monterrey," which had just appeared in Monterrey, contained an article concerning the handling of a case in the Monterrey area known as the [ ] This article attacks the attitude of the Monterrey newspaper "El Norte" because it defended [ ] and also mentions [ ] as being with the FBI. [ ] has been advised that the Governor of the State of Nuevo Leon and the Mexican Ministry of Government are taking action to suppress circulation of the current issue and possibly further editions of the magazine. This morning RAUL RANGEL FRIAS, Governor of the State of Nuevo Leon, requested [ ] to come to his office, which he did. The Governor asked [ ] to accept his apologies for the above article and stated he is going to take action to have the magazine terminate such scandalous articles. Legal Attache, Mexico City to Director, Feb. 9, 1961
FBI Personnel in Mexico Adequacy of Personnel, Mexico City Office, Inspector Edwards, Nov. 29, 1963
Personnel Complement, Mexico City Office, Legat, Mexico City, Oct. 25, 1963
Personnel Complement, Mexico City Office, William Sullivan, Nov. 13, 1963
Copyright Paul Wolf, 2002-2004. No copyright to original government works.
