One of the "pressing" problems facing CIA in October 1953 was to “determine the feasibility and desirability of providing meals eaten at Domestic Operations Base Safe Houses free of charge to personnel assigned to duties thereat by proper authority.”
These safe houses were used for various reasons: dealing with defectors and others who arrived in the United States under the foreign intelligence program with the cryptonym REDSOX;
- The Domestic Operations Base has been assigned the responsibility of operating a network of safe houses for REDSOX agents. These houses are located within an 85-mile radius of DOB Headquarters.
- Government regulations provide that REDSOX agents brought to the United States under "Special Procedure Entry" must be held under twenty-four-hour per day surveillance.
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Safehouse duties assigned to DOB Case Officers are tedious, monotonous, and demanding. Safehouse resident case officers work under conditions of tensions, and are required to put in many long hours of overtime.
- Case Officers assigned to REDSOX projects by DOB are required to spend long periods of time at isolated safe house installations without relief.
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The only practical way to keep an account of meals served was for the safehouse cook to note the names of each person served. This was bad security practice since the agent was pointed out as the only one who did not have to pay.
- Security considerations require safe house resident Case Officers to eat their meals at the safe house.
