14-00000
104-10221-10222
2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
70-204 (Nov. 3-2-46)
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
FEDERAL DUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
SECRET
Copy to
1
-
DBA 3/0·65
INS, Miami, Florida (All 877 123) (RM)
Report of
Dates
EUGENE L. PAYNE
DEC 26 1032
Pield Office Pile a
105-6466
Tule
FELIPE VIDAL SANTIAGO
Charaden
INTERNAL SECURITY CUBA
Offices
Miami, Florida
Dureou File Si
201-267042
by filed.
Synopsies
Subject, a Cuban refugee, entered the U. S. on 8/9/60;
from Colombia. Subject defected from the CASTRO govern
ment while employed as Cuban Naval Attache in Caracas,
Venezuela. Subject is a former graduate of the Cuban
Naval Academy and in exile has been involved in considerable:
anti-CASTRO clandestine activity against Cuba. Subject
has affiliated with various anti-CASTRO organizations in..
the Miami, Fla., area and in 11/62, was reported to be
associated with an individual having contacts with a
Guatemala government official.
DETAILS:
- C -
PREDICATION
Investigation in this matter was based upon
information from MM T-1, another government agency which
conducta security and intelligence-type investigations,
who advised on August 8, 1962, that information had been
received from a sub-source of unknown reliability, who
advised as follows:
SECRET
Group 1
Excluded from automatic
downgrading and declassification
+
This document contains neither recommendations for conclusions of the FDI. it to the property of the FDI and le loaned to.
your agency; it and its 20lenta are not to be 
distributed outake your say.
FICHIN!
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FELIPE :DAL, 2293 N. W. 7th Street Miami,
Florida, an individual who formerly held a responsible
position in the Cuban Navy, had accompanied an individual
identified as JACK CANNON, a United States citizen, on an
anti-CASTRO clandestino trip to Cuba between October 18
and 23, 1961, in which they were purportedly transporting
$80,000.00 worth of arms. The boat operated by CANNON,
who also uses the name JACK SHEA, and the subject was sunk
along the North Coast of Cuba and the arms were lost.
Although CANNON was allegedly engaged in anti-
CASTRO activities, MT-1's sub-source pointed out that
after dealing with him in business and learning about his
background, he suspected that CANNON was actually involved
in clandestine missions for the CASTRO regime with ramifi
cations relating to criminal activity in the Miami area.
BACKGROUND
A. Residence
:
According to the records of Immigration and
Naturalization Service (INS), Miami, Florida, as made
available on December 6, 1962, by CHARLES CHALLANDES,
Investigator, subject regides at 2293 N. W. 7th Street,
Miami, Florida..
B.. Birth Data and Alien Status
On June 14, 1961, INS, Miami, Florida, made
available to the Miami Office information relating to
political refugees entering the United States since
January 1, 1959. Included in this list was FELIPE VIDAL
SANTIAGO, born February 3, 1926, at Havana, Cuba.
On December 6, 1962, Investigator CHALLANDES,
mentioned above, made available their file Number All 877 123
relating to the subject, which contained the following infor-
mation:
VIDAL arrived in the United States on August 9,
1960, from Bogota, Colombia, and applied for a B-2 visa
(
for 
four months to visit his refugeę wife. He pointed out
he 
was a Lieutenant in the Cuban Navy from 1944 to 1956.
In 1958 
ho affiliated himself with FIDEL CASTRO and after
January 1, 1959, he was appointed Chief of the Maritime
Police by the CASTRO government. On October 16, 1959, he
was appointed 
Naval Attache at Caracas, Venezuela. На
defected on March 7, 1960, in Caracas because of the communist
infiltration of the Cuban government.
On April 8, 1961, VIDAL applied for political
NADAL indicated that in the United States he would
reside at 708 N. W. 23rd Street, Miami, Florida, and had
in his possession a document identifying himself as the co-
ordinator 
of the anti-CASTRO organization Movimiento de
Liberacion Democratico Revolucionario.
Ca August 10, 1960, INS obtained a sworn signed
statement from VIDAL in which he stated he was discharged
from the Cuban Navy under the government of FULCENCIO BATISTA
because of his opposition to BATISTA.
3
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VIDAL —dicated he never joined the July 26th
rev Lutionary of FIDEL CASTRO; b. was
affiliated with all groups of the revolution. In October,
1957, VIDAL was co-ordinater of the Organizacion Accion
Resistencia (The Clandestine Resistence Action Organization).
He pointed out that in Havana, Cuba, he participated in
dissemination of propaganda, sabotage, organized strikes,
and meetings in jails, all on behalf of the CASTRO
revolution.
VIDAL pointed out that in 1958 a pact was formed
in Caracas naming MANUEL URRUTIA as President of the now
government, but that CASTRO later usurped the presidency.
After URRUTIA was overthrown, VIDAL became disenchanted and
began to cooperate with anti-CASTRO organizations. Ho
asked for foreign duty, and after noting continued CASTRO
activities against the government of ROMULO BETANCOURT
and the movement of Russian agents to Cuba, he removed his
'family from Cuba, want to Colombia, and defected.
VIDAL emphasized that he had never been a
member of the Communist Party in Cuba.
On October 3, 1962, MM T-2, a Cuban refugee
familiar with certain phases of anti-CASTRO activity in
the Miami area and who has limited nation regarding
communist activities in Cuba, advised that captioned subject
was personally known to him in Cuba, where he had the repu-
tation of being an opportunist and extremely fond of drinking
and carousing. He was a Captain in CASTRO's Navy in
Cienfuegos, Cuba.
SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES SINCE DEFECTION
FROM CASTRO REGIME
The December 7, 1960, Issue of "La Prensa,"
a dafly Spanish language newspaper published in New York,
carried an article entitled
, "Establish United Cuban
Front in Miami." 
This article stated that the United
Front of Liberation 
in the City of Miami was announced
by members of the group
, which included Commander FELIPE
VIDAL SANTIAGO of the 
Movement of Democratic Revolutionary
Liberation, among others.
On February 20, 1961, MI T-3, a Cuban familiar
with certain 
Cuban 
activity in the Miami area, advised
SANTIAGO VIDAL and another 
individual of an anti-CASTRO
group are purchasing 
radio equipment.
On April 4, 1961, CARLOS PRIO SOCARRAS, former
President 
of Cuba, advised 
an Agent of the FBI that a boat
owned by FELIPE VIDAL 
SANTIAGO, former Cuban Naval Attache
to Caracas, Venezuela, had 
been dispatched to the coast of
Cuba. The boat had been 
gone approximately ten days and
had not yet returned. PRIO 
advised the purpose of the
trip was to bring out of 
Cuba a close friend of PRIO,
identified as JULIO 
GARCERAN, former msgistrate of the
Supreme Court of Cuba. 
GARCERAN was to be brought to the
South Florida area in 
VIDAL's boat.
The July 4, 1961, issue of the "Diario las Americas,"
a Spanish 
language newspaper 
published in Miami, carried an
article entitled, "United 
Front for National Liberation,"
:
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lating in effect that the Constitution of 1940 would be
restored by the iberating army and unify 1 the Cuban
anti-communist forces. The article bore the signature of
Commander FELIPE VIDAL SANTIAGO on behalf of the "Democratic
Recovery of Cuba."
The April 27, 1962, issue of the "Miami Herald,"
a daily newspaper published in Miami, carried an article
pertaining to the training of exiles in the Miami area,
Subject, on behalf of the United Liberation Front, was
listed as one of the participants in this training.
On May 25, 1962, MM T-1 advised that subject
would in all probability be included in the military
commission of anti-CASTRO Cuban exiles which was being
organized by Central American countries to cooperate in
action against the CASTRO government.
On August 8, 1962,
advised that JACK CANNON, IM T-1, as previously indicated,
claims he is engaged in anti-
CASTRO activities and has made 43 clandestine trips to Cuba
in various ships, transporting arms and documents and ex-
filtrating people, advised his ship was ank somewhere along
the North Coast of Cuba, but was able to save himself in
small plastic boat with an outboard motor which was on
board, and arrived in Cay Sals. He reportedly was ac-:
companied on the trip by FELIPE VIDAL, 2293 N. W. 7th
Street, Miami, Florida, who formerly held a responsible
position in the Cuban Navy during the CASTRO regime. On
this trip, CANNON said they were transporting $80,000.00
worth of arms and these were reportedly lost when the boat
Bank.
Не
According to the source of MM T-1, JACK CANNON,
who 's a United States citizen and former CASTRO guerrilla-
man, is suspected of working for the Cuban government.
resides at 2020 N. E. 135th Street, North Miami, Florida,
where he and his Cuban wife, MARIA SUAREZ, are tenants.
The source of MM T-1 advised he had had some business
relations with CANNON and upon obtaining some information
about him, strongly suspects he is involved in some clandes-
tine mission for the CASTRO regime, with ramifications of
criminal offenses in Miami. He stated he suspects CANNON
is the same man who was known in Cuba by the name of DUVAL
and who was MORGAN's adjutant during the executions per÷
formed in Cuba.
file
201-242256
MM T-1 advised that on August 27, 1962, FRANK
FIORINI, individual active in anti-CASTRO activity, had
Indicated that he had participated in discussions for the
previous three days with the subject and other members
connected with the JULIO CARCERAN group. PIORINI had.
discussed participation in activity relating to the pro-
curement of crews for a number of B-26 planes, and it was
decided that candidates for these crews were not to be
members of the anti-CASTRO Cuban Revolutionary Council.
According to MM T-1, the pilots recruited were to
be sent to unnamed Central American bases and targets were
to be Guantanamo Naval Base and the City of Santiago de
Cuba, or some target in that general vicinity. No specific
date was set for this operation, but FIORINI was given the
date of August 31, 1962, as a time limit to find crews.
FIORINI stated he had offered his services to VIDAL, but
was told he could not participate, a
while
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On October 22, 1962, MM T-4, who has been in-
volved in Cuban volutionary activities fo. the past
five years, advised that the subject was planning to
depart that dato for Cuba on a military mission. Ac-
cording to MM T-4, VIDAL was accompanied by the American
adventurer ROY HARGRAVES. VIDAL allegedly has 15 men
in his group and recently visited New York.
On November 19, 1962, MM T-4 advised that VIDAL's
friend, ROY HARERAVES, is a friend of JOHN BONILLA, Consul
General of Guatemala, and that both are mutual friends of
an old Nicaraguan revolutionist. This Nicaraguan recently
hired HARGRAVES to place a fire bomb in an unidentified
boat. He is reported to have stated that the Nicaraguan
government did not want to sponsor any action against
CASTRO, but would confer with BONILLA, who has knowledge of
the establishment of an Inter-American Brigada,
On October 29, 1962, MMM T-4 advised that the
subject was planning a mission to Cuba. The subject
recently returned from Cuba, where he claimed to have
been a mission. VIDAL is reported to have said that
when „hey were 35 miles off the Cuban coast, his boat wag
folled by a Cuban gunboat, and that when they were ten
miles off the posat, another gunboat joined in the
surveillance. At this point VIDAL returned to Miami.
He was reportedly using a borrowed boat and the purpose
of the mission was to drop an agent in the Matanzas Province
of Cuba,
On November 13, 1962, MM T-4 advised that approxi-
mately three weeks previously the subject had departed from
Vaca Key, Marathon, Floride, in a private boat on a trip
to Cuba,
subjects
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
The following $4 a physical description of the
Name
Alias
Race
Sex
Date of Birth
Place of Birth
Address
Height
Build
Hair
Peculiarities
Occupation.
Marital Stafus
Wife
Father
Mother
Fingerprint
Classification
Cuban Passport No.
FELIPE VIDAL SANTIAGO
Felipe Vidal
White
Mala
February 3, 1926
Havana, Cuba
2293 N. W, 7th Street
Miami, Florida
6'
Slender
Brown, receding
Wears mustache
Cuban Naval Officer
Married
RAQUEL GONZALEZ feal
HONORATO VIDAL MADRAZO
MARIA DEL CARMEN SANTIAGO
ALVAREZ
19 L 17
01432
PS
'W MIII II
S 1
. U UCO
Alien Number
All 877 $23