Priscilla Johnson McMillan

Priscilla Johnson McMillan has written a book (Marina and Lee) and numerous articles regarding the Kennedy assassination. But she has also applied to work for the CIA and has been considered a friend of the agency, as these documents clearly show. How objective could she be when a major suspect in the assassination has always been the CIA?

Documents 1 2 3 HSCA Testimony

Document #1

This is a CIA contact report on Priscilla Johnson taken 11 December 1962. Stamped "ARRPOVED FOR RELEASE 1993 CIA HISTORICAL REVIEW PROGRAM" and titled "Contact Report Meeting with Priscilla Johnson on 11 December 1962."

1. Circumstances of Meeting: Priscilla Johnson was selected as a likely candidate to write an article on Yevtushenko in a major U.S. magazine for our campaign.....She had been an OO source and they had a clearance on her for contact and debriefing...

2. Impressions and Assessment: Miss Johnson impressed me as being able, astute and conscientious, qualities that I have noted in the articles of hers that I have read....Although concerned about making her articles accurate as to fact and free from any external influence, I think she might be worked around to writing an article in which she genuinly [sic] believed, but which would also further our purposes for Yevtushenko. She also has other information that would be well worth getting on several young Soviet writers.

[...]

4. Yevtushenko: Miss Johnson agreed with our evaluation of Yevtushenko, but only up to a point. She said that those in whom she had the greatest faith in the USSR consider Yevtushenko to be still on their side of the line and think of him as a defender of their causes in internal literary matters at any rate.....She was, therefore, reluctant to attack him all out. I did not raise the issue of her writing an article at our inspiration, but raised the general problem of whether it would not help to have him attacked here so that he could go back to the USSR and plead for greater freedom in order to continue as a [sic] effective propagandist. She got the idea and thought there might be something to it. She said she was going to write a series of articles for the REPORTER including one on him and that she thought she must write only the truth, without defining exactly what that was to me.

5. Despite her statements in the paragraph above, I think that Miss Johnson can be encouraged to write pretty much the articles we want. It will require a little more contact and discussion, but I think she could come around....Basically, if approached with sympathy in the cause she considers most vital, I believe she would be interested in helping us in many ways. It would be important to avoid making her think that she was being used only as a propaganda tool and expected to write what she is told. I don't think she would go along with that idea at all. On the other hand, she is searching for both more information and more understanding of the problem of the Soviet intellectual and is consequently suject to influence.

Donald JAMESON [sic]
Chief, SR/CA

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Document #2

This next CIA document was released to the National Archives on March 25, 1977.

Chief, [whiteout] 12 April 1957

Attn: [whiteout]

[whiteout]

Chief, Contact Division, OO [whiteout]

Priscilla Johnson [whiteout to end of line]

1. In November 1956 [whiteout] expressed an interest in subject
asked that we obtain a sample of her writings. We at last have been
successful in contacting subject, and enclose herewith a sample of her
writing. This particular article has been refected by several publishers.

2. Subject is now living with two other girls at 131 A East 62nd
St., New York, telephone TEmpleton 8-3673. She is not employed and is
spending most of her time writing a book about her recent trip to Moscow.
She is thinking seriously of another visit to the USSR, and has promised
to keep us advised of her plans.

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Document #3

From the National Archives, approved for release 20 Apr 1977, and stamped across the top with "Reproduced from the holdings of the National Archives HSCA (RG 233)":

31 January 1961

MEMORANDUM FOR: Chief, Personnel Security Division, O3

FROM : Chief, Contact Division, OO

SUBJECT : Travelers to Sov Bloc Countries

1. It is requested that priority security checks be processed on
the US citizens as described in the attached Biographical Data Forms.

2. Our deadline is 2 FEBRUARY 1961 [whiteout] for approval to
contact Subjects on an ad hoc basis. Information to be discussed will be
classified through "Confidential".

3. Subjects will travel as tourists to the USSR and/or other Sov
Bloc countries. We plan to debrief [whiteout] them with tourist guid type
requirements pertaining to our general interest in the visited areas.
4. Please direct your reply to [whiteout], Extension [whiteout]

Attachments:

JOHNSON, Priscilla

[Handwritten across the bottom of this is this message:]
Briefed re disapproval for Agency employment. Proceeding for with caution
on Confid ad hoc basis - 2/7/61

HSCA Testimony

From Priscilla Johnson McMillan's HSCA testimony - p. 1-31:

Mr. Goldsmith: At that time, were you contacted by anyone whom you knew to be affiliated with the CIA for the purpose of giving the CIA information?

Ms. McMillan: I do not recall any such contact being made.

Mr. Goldsmith: Was any such contact made after you returned from your second visit to the Soviet Union?

Ms. McMillan: No, no such contact was made, that I know of.

Mr. Goldsmith: What about after your third trip?

M. McMillan: Yes. After my third trip.

Mr. Goldsmith: When, specifically, did you return from

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[At this point 9 pages in a row are missing, with a sheet saying "Access Restricted" - Authority CIA (said HSCA but that was crossed out and "CIA" substituted.) Info withheld becuase of not Security-Classified Information, but "Otherwise Restricted Information" is checked (those were the only two options.) Her testimony has over 40 still classified
pages. But it's clear she met with the CIA.]

p. 1-45:

Mr. Goldsmith: When was the first time that you saw it?

Ms. McMillan. When I read my file of documents from the CIA which reached me on February 1st, 1978.

Mr. Goldsmith. This, then, is a copy of a letter that was in your file that you received from the CIA, is that correct?

Ms. McMillan. Yes, Mr. Goldsmith.

Mr. Goldsmith. Do you recall having written this letter?

Ms. McMillan. No, but now that I see it, I think that I wrote it.

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[This woman recalls next to nothing in this whole 100+ page interview. She says "I do not recall" more times than Oliver North!! Funny how she can recall everything Marina told her though - right? She was also one of the few to testify before the HSCA with her lawyer at her side, interfering now and then throughout.]

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