CtA HISTORICAL REVIEW PROGRAM
RELEASE AS
3
HKIOKAKXIU FOR TIE RECORD
ATTENTION: CHIEF, WH DIVISION ano7
SUBJtCT : ExploiUtloo of Military Missions
REFERENCE: Uenosto DDCI and DCI dtdov andotespectively
1. ecent neetlng infficeecord of which is in your files) General Balmer. was asked to Bake necessary arrangements with Col. Brad Smith in Gen. Ersklne's officeriefing of the chiefs of the Amy mission and Air Force mission in Guatemala City for PBSUCCESS purposea.
?. Gen. Bolmer informed me yesterday "that he had run up against opposition on the working level in the Pentagon". Thla opposition wao particularly on the part of Army, whereas Air Force appeared more According to Gen. Balmer- "therearked reluctance on the part ofrmy officers in the Pentagon to have their military missions, or the heads of same, engager in intelligenceen. llalsjoremphasiMd that this wasworking level attitude" on the part of Army and suggested that we think the matter over andthe issue withithout undue delay.
3. old Gen. Balmcr that it was ay off-hand impression that the Army perhaps was making too auch of our intentions for the military missions in Guatemala as outlined in referencedemos. It is my belief that we are not trying tooavy reporting responsibility on the missions in addition to their routine duties. But rather that we were asking members of tbe military missions to pay specific attention to information that they would ln any case accumulate curing their day-to-day liaison within Guatemalan military circles; the only difference being that they would make some relatively minor but perhaps exceedlnp,ly interesting contributions to the PBSUCCESS effort through (a) processing their local know-howertain degree, and by (b) assisting the American Ambassador in guaging the Current attitudes of leading personal itie-as well as the rank and file within the Guatemalan Armyime when relations between Guatemala and the United States were particularly sensitive.
TOLHflfET
SEC^WfY1NFOKMAIION
Ii. In anj case Gen. Balncr wants PBSUCCESS officers to give some thought to this matter and have another discussion withefore he (Gen. Baleer) did anything further regarding this issue.
5. Gen. Balsier further stated that he hid ascertained that both chiefsArmy and Air Force Missions were due to be replaced in March, Their successors were already or would be shortly in preparatory training in. or nearby military
/ 6, uggest that we discuss this thoroughly atine ataff meeting,ovemberand brief DEyT
V. TOFTK
^ / Chief, PP/OPS
Original document.
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