◆ SpookStack

~ SECRET It is interesting to record the rea~on within the Agency to the Free· report: C/JMARC lamented .the fact that the Lloyd Free .report evidently has gotten into the hands of the Cuban Government and will probably be. used with devastating effect at some point during the meeting [the upcoming OAS Conference scheduled for San Jose, Costa Rica). He told ADDP/A that he felt the Department of State. would have to be prepared to sacrifice Mr. Free's report on the proverbial "alter of gold." The point was made 'strongly to ADDP/A that the Free report, in fact, is not at all valid other than for a limited "sample" of the City ot''!tHabana. ADDP/A agreed, but said he did··not think State should be made aware of the fact CIA actually pa~d for the report. He further indicated that he was still endeavoring . to find out how the report copy of which CIA never received in full -- got out of control.* 25/ The substance of the Free Report appeared in the New York Times and also in a Peter Edson column which was reported to be syndicated in 600 newspapers. In , passing this information on to the DDP, Chief, WH/4 suggested that "the survey, in the opinion of WH/4 * Chief, WH/4 apparently misread the significance of the Free report because, as the report points out, the most serious opposition was, in fact, in the Havana area, which included the heaviest sampling of opposition sentiment. - 225 - rot'SECRET