SHEFFIELD EDWARDS
Sheffield was born in San Francisco just after twentieth century began and during his later youth moved to New York. He graduated from the West Point military academy in the course of nineteen twenty-three and during WWII Sheffield enlisted with the US Army’s Air Corps. Subsequently he was promoted to command the 12th Armor Group and achieved the rank of colonel by the end of his service. By nineteen forty-six Edwards joined the Central Intelligence Group (CIG), a predecessor to the CIA, and one year later was serving the Central Intelligence Agency. Under Colonel Edwards the CIA’s Office of Security conducted numerous investigations regarding personnel with alleged Communist links amidst the nineteen fifties. His staff over the next decade grew from less than a few dozen to hundreds of agents which vastly expanded the influence of his office.

Amid the summer of nineteen sixty Edwards was approached by Deputy Director for Plans Richard Bissell seeking assets for assassination plots. He would serve Agency leaders by using James O’ Connell and Robert Maheu to establish a channel with mafia sources. He briefed Agency Director Allen Dulles and Deputy Director Charles Cabell on the status of the establishing assassination capability using criminals. The suggested plots targeted Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and less than a year later Edwards played a role supporting aspects of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. The plots were later taken over by Agency officer and leader of its Staff D sabotage group, William K. Harvey. Edwards testified he did not inform the next Agency’s next director John McCone about the plots in order to shield him from related guilt. He retired to practice law in Virginia by 1963 but years later testified to multiple Congressional groups about his role in the plots against Castro.

Testimonies
Presidential Commission Testimony Senate Select Committee Testimony