208 Committee organization
also: Policy Development Group
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Related entities (most co-mentioned)
Lyndon B. Johnsonperson · 10CIAintelligence service · 5National Security Councilorganization · 5Dean Ruskperson · 5Boliviacountry · 4Guyanacountry · 3Oxcartoperation · 3Forbes Burnhamperson · 3Committee of 40organization · 3USS Liberty incidentevent · 3McGeorge Bundyperson · 3Vietnamcountry · 3John F. Kennedyperson · 3Israelcountry · 2Cubacountry · 2Gulf of Tonkin incidentevent · 2Italycountry · 2Laoscountry · 2Jimmy Carterperson · 2Richard Helmsperson · 2René Barrientos Ortuñoperson · 2Ronald Reaganperson · 2Egyptcountry · 1Chinacountry · 1
Claims (22)
Richard Nixon changed
208 Committee book_quoted
“Nixon, too, made his changes. According to Kissinger, they changed the name because the 303 Committee had been identified in a 1969 news story. We can't have the American people knowing what their government is doing. In fact, the reconstit…”
▶ The Colonel's Corner Safe for Democracy Part 33 (35) @ 12:03
208 Committee approved
Forbes Burnham documented
“These figures bear that out. Several of the status reports to the 303 concerned Guyana. In March of 67, the CIA proposed a new covert operation to influence the next election. In other words, rig it, interfere with it. The 303 committee app…”
▶ The Colonel's Corner Safe for Democracy Part 32 (34) @ 38:08
Henry Kissinger issued_directive
208 Committee documented
“The 303 committee approved continued funding for selected Soviet immigrant groups and activities early in the Nixon administration. Then came the Green Beret murder case in Vietnam and revelations of the Laos secret war. In October 69, Kiss…”
▶ The Colonel's Corner Safe for Democracy Part 32 (34) @ 1:04:25
208 Committee supplied_arms_to
Sandinistas host_asserted
“Every president decides the number of this committee, and it basically functions out of the National Security Council to do nefarious shit. So evidently, the Reagan administration had a 208, 208 committee. They met frequently throughout the…”
▶ The Colonels Corner Cocaine Death Squads and War on Terror Part 3 @ 1:03:50
208 Committee front_for
Operations Coordination Board host_asserted
“The point needs to be made, and let me make this point real quick. Each president's National Security Council is set up the way they want it set up. And what you're describing is the same thing as the 303. Like I said, they come up with dif…”
▶ Operation Gladio- Vietnam Part 5 Phoenix Program @ 1:15:40
Allen Dulles headed
208 Committee host_asserted
“He basically gave it to this entity and Alan Dulles called this entity together and said that according and Eisenhower did not address the actual group. He addressed Alan Dulles and Alan Dulles told this group what the president had said. A…”
▶ Operation Gladio- Vietnam Part 5 Phoenix Program @ 1:17:34
208 Committee member_of
United States host_asserted
“500 pages were devoted to detailing drug trafficking activities. 500 pages, which are now in the possession of the National Security Archives in Washington. A small select team of State Department, Defense, CIA, and NSC officials referred t…”
▶ The Colonels Corner Cocaine Death Squads and War on Terror Part 3 @ 1:03:20
Lyndon B. Johnson founded
208 Committee documented
“DeSoto patrols were approved by a special group, renamed the 303 Committee by Johnson, which is basically the 4512-2 special group that we keep renaming every time we get a different president. Bundy was chairman of that group and should ha…”
▶ The Colonel's Corner Book Club Presidents_ Secret Wars Chap 13 @ 41:36
McGeorge Bundy headed
208 Committee documented
“DeSoto patrols were approved by a special group, renamed the 303 Committee by Johnson, which is basically the 4512-2 special group that we keep renaming every time we get a different president. Bundy was chairman of that group and should ha…”
▶ The Colonel's Corner Book Club Presidents_ Secret Wars Chap 13 @ 41:36
Lyndon B. Johnson retitled
208 Committee book_quoted
“the CIA's clandestine services. Covert action. Helms exacted the promise that Desmond Fitzgerald would weed out useless covert operations. The Cuba Project was one of the first to take a hit. Subtle changes came to the special group as well…”
▶ The Colonel's Corner Safe for Democracy Part 29 (30) @ 10:11
McGeorge Bundy headed
208 Committee book_quoted
“Primacy of the National Security Advisor as chairman of this 303 committee had become established. Until February 1966, this would be Mac Bundy. For a month or so after Robert Comer, then the chairman became Walt Rostow. The chairman inform…”
▶ The Colonel's Corner Safe for Democracy Part 29 (30) @ 11:11
Walt Rostow headed
208 Committee book_quoted
“Primacy of the National Security Advisor as chairman of this 303 committee had become established. Until February 1966, this would be Mac Bundy. For a month or so after Robert Comer, then the chairman became Walt Rostow. The chairman inform…”
▶ The Colonel's Corner Safe for Democracy Part 29 (30) @ 11:11
208 Committee funded
Movement for National Revolution book_quoted
“In August 1963, the special group approved secret funds for Washington's favorite party in Bolivia and began to interfere in the 1964 elections. Between 63 and 65, the CIA would spend $1.2 million to support organizations and youth groups a…”
▶ The Colonel's Corner Safe for Democracy Part 29 (30) @ 13:42
208 Committee funded
René Barrientos Ortuño book_quoted
“Barracentos Fortuno, a vice president in the coalition, launched a military coup that swept away the democratically elected president. Two months later, the 303 committee approved more cash for the military coup leader. Records indicate tha…”
▶ The Colonel's Corner Safe for Democracy Part 29 (30) @ 14:49
208 Committee funded
René Barrientos Ortuño book_quoted
“In the face of political opposition, Baratentos jailed opponents and canceled elections. Gee, that seems like a pattern. The 303 committee nevertheless authorized even more money in July of 1965 and even more money in March of 1966 before a…”
▶ The Colonel's Corner Safe for Democracy Part 29 (30) @ 15:21
208 Committee funded
Oxcart documented
“That was not the original identifier. It was supposed to be RS-71. I thought that was funny. In 67, when the CIA wanted to use Oxcart over North Vietnam, the group considered that too. No one hesitated to dictate alterations. At a November …”
▶ The Colonel's Corner Safe for Democracy Part 32 (34) @ 33:07
Dean Rusk member_of
208 Committee book_quoted
“The people who made the choices, of course, were the members of the 303 Committee, LBJ's renamed special group. Secretary of State Dean Rusk may not speak for all the principals who participated, but his remarks are eyebrow-raising. Quote, …”
▶ The Colonel's Corner Safe for Democracy Part 32 (34) @ 26:56
208 Committee approved
USS Liberty incident host_asserted
“Every time that ship sailed anywhere, it was done with the approval of the 303 committee. A lot of people don't know that. The Liberty was considered a ship equivalent to the U-2. The U-2 flew no missions without it being approved through t…”
▶ The Colonel's Corner Safe for Democracy Part 32 (34) @ 34:34
208 Committee handled
Oxcart documented
“to the Israeli-Egyptian coast when it went. From the beginning of 1967 through May of 68, the 303 Committee handled five proposals for specialized use of submarines, seven for the U-2, eight for the Oxcart, five for other aviation assets, a…”
▶ The Colonel's Corner Safe for Democracy Part 32 (34) @ 35:05
Committee of 40 succeeded
208 Committee caller_asserted
“It apparently was named the 303 Committee. The blurb says an NSC National Security Council staffer had recommended the new name, and this is in quotes, be something utterly drab and innocuous to deflect away attention. Yeah. Yeah. So if you…”
▶ Operation Gladio- Vietnam Part 5 Phoenix Program @ 1:07:25
208 Committee headed
USS Liberty attack caller_asserted
“Coup the government, assassinate the prime minister or president or whatever. But this, the group, the 303 committee is the group that was basically in charge when the USS Liberty was attacked. And those are the people that they worked up t…”
▶ Operation Gladio- Vietnam Part 5 Phoenix Program @ 1:08:51
Atlantic Council succeeded
208 Committee caller_asserted
“Yeah, and if you start cross-referencing the names, you're going to see a lot of not only CFR and NSC crossover. Oh, all of them, yeah. But right when this ended, remember, that's the year that Rockefeller, Kissinger, and Brzezinski gave us…”
▶ Operation Gladio- Vietnam Part 5 Phoenix Program @ 1:09:21
Mentions (55)
▶ 1:05:02
questions, please request a mic and come up. Hello, Warhamster. Hello, Colonel. How the heck are you? I'm awesome. How are you? You are awesome. Good to hear you. Happy Labor Day. Thank you. Same to you. So I haven't caught all of this seri…
▶ 1:05:59
overlap with some of the 303 committee stuff that i've dug up and i just i just thought i'd bring that up so you and your researchers could have some fun with it because there's a lot of juicy stuff with 303 committee and i'm like i said i'…
▶ 1:05:59
overlap with some of the 303 committee stuff that i've dug up and i just i just thought i'd bring that up so you and your researchers could have some fun with it because there's a lot of juicy stuff with 303 committee and i'm like i said i'…
▶ 1:07:25
It apparently was named the 303 Committee. The blurb says an NSC National Security Council staffer had recommended the new name, and this is in quotes, be something utterly drab and innocuous to deflect away attention. Yeah. Yeah. So if you…
▶ 1:07:25
It apparently was named the 303 Committee. The blurb says an NSC National Security Council staffer had recommended the new name, and this is in quotes, be something utterly drab and innocuous to deflect away attention. Yeah. Yeah. So if you…
▶ 1:08:51
Coup the government, assassinate the prime minister or president or whatever. But this, the group, the 303 committee is the group that was basically in charge when the USS Liberty was attacked. And those are the people that they worked up t…
▶ 1:10:21
And so whenever the other team is in, they have to go to one of these locations. And so it's interesting that you say that because it's basically like they took the 303 committee and just housed it inside of that, right? Well, yeah, and it'…
▶ 1:14:15
So what the CIA did was they created a fake left to lie about the really big stuff to the left and then make the left knowledgeable about the little capillary truths that only college students are going to ever learn about to begin with. An…
▶ 1:15:40
The point needs to be made, and let me make this point real quick. Each president's National Security Council is set up the way they want it set up. And what you're describing is the same thing as the 303. Like I said, they come up with dif…
▶ 41:36
DeSoto patrols were approved by a special group, renamed the 303 Committee by Johnson, which is basically the 4512-2 special group that we keep renaming every time we get a different president. Bundy was chairman of that group and should ha…
▶ 44:41
As such precautions were in the purview of the 303 committee, one wonders just how much attention was being given to them by the special group, not only for DeSoto, but also for all kinds of covert operations. The CIA at least felt itself t…
▶ 45:34
The committee has suggested areas where covert action is needed, has decided that another element of government should undertake a proposed action, imposed caveats, and turned down specific proposals for CIA action from the ambassadors in t…
▶ 46:02
Johnson himself earned the Dr. No label for his frequent casting no votes on the committee. Yet the period of November 63 to February 67, the 303 committee approved 142 covert actions. This averages out to five per month of covert action.…
▶ 46:29
Considering that the 303 committee normally met only once a week and that the proposals were submitted in advance for discussion in the departments before the department heads came to the meeting, that was a lot of work to be staffing all o…
▶ 1:03:20
500 pages were devoted to detailing drug trafficking activities. 500 pages, which are now in the possession of the National Security Archives in Washington. A small select team of State Department, Defense, CIA, and NSC officials referred t…
▶ 1:03:50
Every president decides the number of this committee, and it basically functions out of the National Security Council to do nefarious shit. So evidently, the Reagan administration had a 208, 208 committee. They met frequently throughout the…
▶ 58:16
Covert operations were defined as those intended to further the U.S. policies abroad. Jimmy Carter continued the practice of intelligence regulations through his executive order 12036, which he signed in 1978. Assassinations continued to be…
▶ 33:24
Under the group, a Cuba coordination committee handled day-to-day activities. As the issues were summarized for Vice President Johnson by his military advisor, quote, the basic decision must be made as to whether an invasion of Cuba directl…
▶ 10:11
the CIA's clandestine services. Covert action. Helms exacted the promise that Desmond Fitzgerald would weed out useless covert operations. The Cuba Project was one of the first to take a hit. Subtle changes came to the special group as well…
▶ 10:43
Again, everybody has their own name for it. Now it was going to be called the 303 Committee, named after the establishing directive. The committee met weekly and sometimes even more frequently. Occasional projects were approved in a telepho…
▶ 11:40
But if the 303 committee could not agree or an operation involved great risk, LBJ would then convene what he referred to as the seniors, McNamara, Dean Rusk, and the CIA director to discuss them directly. Deputy Undersecretary of State Hugh…
▶ 12:38
would be one of the easy ones. During the Kennedy years, Washington gradually began mixing itself into the politics of Bolivia. A paper prepared for the special group in September of 1962 acknowledged that a quote-unquote leftist politics w…
▶ 14:49
Barracentos Fortuno, a vice president in the coalition, launched a military coup that swept away the democratically elected president. Two months later, the 303 committee approved more cash for the military coup leader. Records indicate tha…
▶ 15:21
In the face of political opposition, Baratentos jailed opponents and canceled elections. Gee, that seems like a pattern. The 303 committee nevertheless authorized even more money in July of 1965 and even more money in March of 1966 before a…
▶ 32:40
Yet, the CIA wants you to believe they didn't have anything to do with his actual execution. Che Cavera's Bolivian diary soon acquired a life of its own. Before his death, the 303 committee actually discussed the handling of documents expec…
▶ 26:56
The people who made the choices, of course, were the members of the 303 Committee, LBJ's renamed special group. Secretary of State Dean Rusk may not speak for all the principals who participated, but his remarks are eyebrow-raising. Quote, …
▶ 27:27
LBJ sometimes called them together, but that happened when their surrogates on the 303 could not agree. The secret war, Russ believes, should have been a focus for we permanent National Security Council members, not our substitutes. Russ hi…
▶ 27:54
what was actually being done rather than just consider items placed on the agenda. The former Secretary of State decided that control ought not be left to subordinates or congressional committees. We learned that the hard way, he said. In a…
▶ 28:25
Between November of 63 and February of 67, the 303 Committee approved 142 covert action proposals. That's an average of five a month. That compares to 4.8 for Kennedy Special Group. During the decade beginning in 65, some 32% of approved co…
▶ 31:41
covert actions. And while the totality clearly conveys the extent to which the NSC managed the secret war, it fails to convey the breadth and depth of the work. A quick survey of 303 business will aid in its understanding. One staple of the…
▶ 32:10
assorted other technical collection programs, listed the missions planned, and placed it before the 303 Committee. Significant modifications were also considered. When President Johnson wished to reveal the existence of the CIA Air Force su…
▶ 33:07
That was not the original identifier. It was supposed to be RS-71. I thought that was funny. In 67, when the CIA wanted to use Oxcart over North Vietnam, the group considered that too. No one hesitated to dictate alterations. At a November …
▶ 33:36
Burning Sun, that's what it was called, collection mission, and modified the closest point of approach to enemy territory plan for another. Peripheral flights around Cuba, missions over North Korea, electronic intelligence tickler flights a…
▶ 34:06
The project to place nuclear-powered detection gear in the Indian Himalayas to monitor China's weapon development came before the 303, as did the continuation of the U.S. intelligence ground stations in Iran, Pakistan, and Ethiopia. The gro…
▶ 34:34
Every time that ship sailed anywhere, it was done with the approval of the 303 committee. A lot of people don't know that. The Liberty was considered a ship equivalent to the U-2. The U-2 flew no missions without it being approved through t…
▶ 35:05
to the Israeli-Egyptian coast when it went. From the beginning of 1967 through May of 68, the 303 Committee handled five proposals for specialized use of submarines, seven for the U-2, eight for the Oxcart, five for other aviation assets, a…
▶ 36:08
in 1967. They were there in the skirmish before that when Israel was doing its shit, but there's no mention of them in the declassified document that we reviewed of them being in the area during that time, but they had lots of resources the…
▶ 36:40
Pressures against North Vietnam as well as cross-border patrols into Cambodia, Laos, and North Vietnam. Makes you wonder if they were apprised of sending in that special forces team for Red Rock where it was a dead-end mission and they were…
▶ 37:08
that it would have been a 303 committee responsibility to ensure that, unless intended, there was no conflict between the 34A attacks along the North Vietnamese coast and the De Soto patrols taking place at the same time. Records are still …
▶ 37:38
In the six months through mid-68, for example, the 303 considered 18 different status reports on assorted covert actions. During that period, there was no fewer than 30 requests for project renewals. Former members who had served on the spe…
▶ 38:08
These figures bear that out. Several of the status reports to the 303 concerned Guyana. In March of 67, the CIA proposed a new covert operation to influence the next election. In other words, rig it, interfere with it. The 303 committee app…
▶ 38:40
By this time, Ambassador met directly with Burnham in early June, and the record of their conversation shows they explicitly discussed how overseas votes in the election would be manipulated, even to the number of votes for different partie…
▶ 39:10
could have halted the flow of money. It did not. Between 62 and 68, the CIA spent more than $2 million interfering with Jagen and him being the prime minister in support of Burnham, which ended up as a fiasco, as they all do. In December 16…
▶ 41:06
Specific issues preoccupied the 303 committee from week to week. In November of 67, the group immersed itself in forward planning for the CIA's Laos program through 69. Ramparts Magazine and other 67 controversies did not entirely close off…
▶ 41:33
and operation at the World Youth Festival in Bulgaria. A month later, the special group back on Vietnam considered a move to expand CIA's provisional reconnaissance units, part of the Phoenix program. Over the 17 month beginning in January …
▶ 42:06
14 in Asia, and two in the Middle East. The 303 rejected just six. According to the 303 memo to the Presidential Intelligence Advisory Board, the Middle East projects followed from the Six-Day War, whose aftermath precluded the political ac…
▶ 42:36
Sometimes the 303 matters were kicked upstairs to the president. In 67, controversies over CIA funding, for example, these items came before the 303 committee. That July, Russ signaled his desire to bring one of LBJ's Tuesday lunch national…
▶ 43:03
As Richard Helms pointed out to Walt Ristow, Russ worried about the fallout in Congress if the operation was blown, not the project itself or its objectives. That December, Nick Krachenbach told the 303 Committee that Dean Rusk had not been…
▶ 43:33
harbor. That's when they were mining it. Walt Ristow agreed to take it up at the next Tuesday lunch. They did it, so I guess it didn't matter that the Secretary of State didn't care, didn't like it. An illustration of the 303 process exists…
▶ 44:07
The two meetings that month, the special group considered another year's subsidy, complicated by Italy's multi-party political system, making it necessary for the CIA to approach different groups, sometimes cross-cutting interests. The secr…
▶ 12:03
Nixon, too, made his changes. According to Kissinger, they changed the name because the 303 Committee had been identified in a 1969 news story. We can't have the American people knowing what their government is doing. In fact, the reconstit…
▶ 14:30
National Security Decision Memorandum 40, the special group, was to approve all major and politically sensitive covert action programs in the joint reconnaissance schedule and to review covert programs annually. The review requirement respo…
▶ 30:25
committee, the old 40 committee, was at the heart of the secret war. It was retitled, they love changing names, to the crisis pre-planning group. In other words, we're pre-planning the next crisis. Then they changed it to the policy coordin…
▶ 30:56
because that was the number of the room that they met in. The attorney general and the OMB director, regular members of Carter's special group, were occasionally invited, but not really. Langley's proposal came in option papers, passed arou…
▶ 31:53
eliminating the special group as screen. So anybody telling you that George Bush was running this is lying. Reagan continued regulating intelligence activities by executive order. His version, Executive Order 12333, issued on 4 December 198…