Thomas Karamessines
Thomas Hercules Karamessines (July 25, 1917 - September 4, 1978)[1] was the Deputy Director for Plans of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency from July 31, 1967 until February 27, 1973. Karamessines was actively involved in the Agency's Project FUBELT to undermine the government of Chilean president Salvador Allende.
Military service
Karamessines served in the United States Army during the Second World War, but because of his knowledge of Greek language and history was assigned to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), an organization that eventually would transform into the Central Intelligence Agency in 1948.
Intelligence career
Karamessines came to work in the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC), the espionage and counter-intelligence branch of the CIA, directed by Frank Wisner. The OPC concentrated on "propaganda, economic warfare; preventive direct action, including sabotage, anti-sabotage, demolition and evacuation measures; subversion against hostile states, including assistance to underground resistance groups, and support of indigenous anti-Communist elements in threatened countries of the free world." Karamessines worked undercover in Greece until 1953, and was Chief of Station in Rome in the early 1960s before being appointed Assistant Deputy Director for Plans under Richard Helms, holding the same post under Desmond FitzGerald. When the latter died of a heart attack in July 1967, Karamessines succeeded him as Director for Plans (with Cord Meyer serving as the Deputy Director for Plans).
Operations
Chilean presidential elections of 1970
Karamessines was responsible for Operation MB (including a major campaign against the left-wing press called MHCHAOS or Operation Chaos, targeting some 500 newspapers, infiltrating those opposing the Vietnam War), and as chairman of the Chile Task Force he played a major role in FUBELT, the covert operation aimed at preventing Salvador Allende being inaugurated as President of Chile. In a secret cable to Henry Hecksher, CIA station head in Santiago, dated October 16, 1970, Karamessines pointed out: "It is firm and continuing policy that Allende be overthrown by a coup... it is imperative that these actions be implemented clandestinely and securely so that the USG (United States Government) and American hand be well hidden."
Karamessines has also been implicated in the plot against General Rene Schneider, the commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army who refused to support a coup against Allende. The CIA, purportedly intending only a kidnapping and not a murder, provided weapons and money to the group that carried out the operation, but General Schneider was shot during the attempt and died in a hospital three days later. The operation's failure backfired badly, rallying both the people of Chile and its military in support of Allende. The latter was confirmed as the President-elect of Chile by the National Congress of Chile on October 24, 1970.
Kennedy assassination
After the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Helms and Karamessines were responsible for investigating the activities of Lee Harvey Oswald. Robert J. Groden and Harrison E. Livingstone report in their book High Treason that Karamessines sent a memo to Helms pointing out that he had discovered that E. Howard Hunt had been in Dallas on CIA business on the day that Kennedy was killed.
Watergate scandal
Three of the central figures in the Watergate scandal (E. Howard Hunt, Eugenio Martinez, and James W. McCord) were former employees of the CIA, creating political problems for Helms and Karamessines. Although then-President Richard Nixon and several of his staff (amongst which senior aides such as White House Counsel John Dean and Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman) tried to cover up the scandal (or at least mitigate the damage) by instructing the CIA to block further investigation by the FBI, something which Helms forcefully resisted, it spiraled out of the White House's control and ultimately forced Nixon to resign his office on August 9, 1974. On February 2, 1973, however, his feelings towards his Director of Central Intelligence soured beyond repair, Nixon had already fired Richard Helms, and Karamessines subsequently resigned in solidary protest.
Death
Karamessines was scheduled to be questioned by the House Select Committee on Assassinations regarding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. However, before giving evidence he died of a heart attack at his vacation home in Quebec.