22 May 2006

Cryptome received today from the US State Department Office of Information Program and Services a document entitled Soviet Zone Booklet "Agent 2996 Reveals," by Wolfgang HOEHER. English translation from German, 38 pages.

A cover memorandum from Carl W. Rankin, LfV LO Berlin, to Hq 66th CIC Group, ATTN: Mr. Parkinson, dated 26 August 1954, states:

The booklet gives a comprehensive discourse on the GEHLEN Organization. In general the facts presented would appear to be true if one overlooks the few outstanding errors, such as the naming of CID as the "Counter Intelligence Department" with activity in the espionage field.

The cover memo and booklet (there are no redactions):

http://cryptome.org/gehlen-hoeher.pdf (3.9MB, PDF by Cryptome)

State Department stamps indicate the document was declassified from Confidential on September 23, 2003 "with CIA concurrence not obtained," and approved for release on April 27, 2006. The stamps on the cover memo are partly illegible due to the use of pencil for dates and initials.

This document is part of a response to a March 29, 2001 FOIA request made to the US Army Intelligence & Security Command (INSCOM) for several dozen intelligence documents:

http://cryptome.org/inscom-update.htm

Most have been provided directly by INSCOM while others have required approval of other agencies for release: CIA, Air Force, Navy, State Department. These secondary responses continue to arrive.