12: The Doolittle Report on CIA Covert Activities

Pawley’s participation in the Guatemala coup left him feeling satisfied in 1954 that “the Monroe Doctrine and the position adopted by the Organization of American States had been forthrightly reasserted.”1

But he had also experienced first-hand “an absolutely intolerable breach of security during the Guatemalan episode” which he detailed decades later in his autobiography. After playing tennis with The Washington Post publisher Phil Graham, Pawley was stunned to hear Graham “lob over my head” the news that the U.S. was going to help Castillo Armas overthrow the Arbenz regime in Guatemala. Graham gave him more details as if Pawley was “listening to a top secret briefing at State. All that was missing was my role in the affair.” Graham revealed the source of his knowledge as a CIA “high official in the covert operations arena.”

While indicating that he did not question Graham’s patriotism, Pawley noted that “Graham’s lapse underlines the axiom in delicate operations that a participant should be told only what he needs to know. No more. No less.”

Pawley immediately told President Eisenhower of the security breach, and Ike responded by telling Pawley “‘to conduct a thorough investigation of the covert side of CIA operations for me.’” Pawley was concerned that it would jeopardize his invaluable relationships with the Dulles brothers at State and CIA. As a result, Eisenhower then suggested that Lt. General Jimmy Doolittle, “a national symbol of competent fair mindedness,” head up the study group with Pawley assisting him.2

Pawley’s files were moved from covert to an overt file, and he was given cryptographic clearance in preparation for becoming a key member of Eisenhower’s Special Study Group. The Doolittle Committee was formed in the summer of 1954 to study the CIA’s successes and failures in Guatemala, Iran and Europe and make recommendations on how to improve the agency’s capabilities.

During the clearance process Pawley’s background information passed through many hands including CIA Director Allen Dulles and the Director of Security Sheffield Edwards3, who seven years later would play a role in a plot with members of the Mafia to assassinate Fidel Castro,4 something Pawley would advocate.5

The July 13, 1954, two recommendations were written concerning “Bill Pawley’s usefulness.” One was from Henry Holland. “In my opinion Pawley would perform outstandingly on almost any assignment. His abilities as a lone operator are generally recognized. On the Guatemalan assignment he functioned smoothly as a member of a team.”6

The second recommendation was in the form of a CIA memorandum for Director Allen Dulles from Director of Security Sheffield Edwards who had set up Project BLUEBIRD’s teams of psychiatrists, polygraphers, hypnotists and technicians to identify risky CIA personnel and defectors in 1950. (BLUEBIRD evolved into ARTICHOKE and then MKULTRA.)

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