The CIA wrote down how to blame someone else for its assassinations
A handwritten note found by investigators told officers to line up a communist-looking fall guy, complete with a fake agency file.
Who Killed JFK? · Who Killed JFK?The CIA once ran a program to kill foreign leaders that came with written instructions for framing someone else if the operation was exposed.
The program was called ZR Rifle. It was led by CIA officer Bill Harvey and aimed at removing leaders Washington saw as a threat.
Senate investigators later uncovered classified papers about the effort. In 1976, the Church Committee found a handwritten note from Harvey himself. It said, “planning should include provision for blaming Czechs or Soviets in case of blow.” In other words, point to a Soviet ally.
Harvey directed the agency’s central registry to build a false 201 dossier on that stand-in. A 201 is a file the CIA keeps on someone it is watching, and Harvey wanted this one to appear to be a counterespionage, or CE, file.
The point was paperwork. If planners wanted a left-leaning patsy to carry the blame for a killing, they needed records that made the fall guy seem like a communist operative.
Questions people ask
Who was Bill Harvey?
William Harvey was a senior CIA officer who helped run covert operations in the 1960s. He led ZR Rifle, the agency effort that explored assassinating foreign leaders, and later served as station chief in Rome. He became a central figure in Senate investigations of assassination plots.
What was the Church Committee?
It was a U.S. Senate committee, chaired by Senator Frank Church, that investigated abuses by intelligence agencies in 1975 and 1976. Its hearings revealed assassination plots, surveillance of Americans, and covert operations. Its reports led to new oversight rules for the CIA and FBI.
What is a 201 file?
A 201 file is the CIA's personnel-style dossier on a person of interest, holding biographical details, contacts, and activities. It is named for the form used to open it and is used to track potential agents, targets, or threats. A convincing fake one could make an innocent person look like a trained foreign agent.