(404-10095-10200]. MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Director for Operations © '. SUBJECT  .  *: - Media Inquiry to Cuban Exile Journalist in ; '  . Miami re Cuban Involvement in Watergate | — Case and Attitudes in Miani Area ne 1. This mamorandua is for your information onlys | .: @. On 7 May 1973 we were advised by Stetion WH/Miami that °° .:. ‘two employess of a Station WH/Miani proprietary haditold the -; tation that one Rene VIERA Gonzalez, a Cuban exiles “journalist "Who writes for Diario Las Americas and owns the Westchester . Hal Bookstore In Miaml receivad a call in early May from one ENU GOTTLIEB who said he worked for tha Times in Washington... _ (GOTTLIEB is believed to be Sanford GOTTLTES, 11102 Brandywine - ' St., Kensington, Md. who was formerly an’employee ofithe - _.. | National Committee on Sane Nuclear Policy". ‘A pretext call to the Washington bureau of the New York Tines verified: that one "Sandy" Gottlieb was employed there.) COTYLIEB asked VIERA ‘what people in Miami were Saying about the Watergate’ case: and What participation the Cubans had in it. Hie specifically _ asked about the activities of Reinaldo. PICO (former 25065 Brigade member), Orlando PIZDRA (former Chief of Cuban Bureau . o£ Investigation in Batista Government), and Rolando MASFERRER | (former Cuban Senator and self-admitted former Communist). He also asked if ITT had an office -in Miami, whether Joecuin SANJENTS Perdome (former Chief of a WH/Hiami proprietary who Was amicably terminated in 1972) and Juan A. PAULA (former WH/Miami proprietary employee dnd former Controller of . a Revolutionary Democratic Pront-FRD-and currently employed by | an OGC proprietary) were still in the Miami area. He. was also interested in Edgardo BUTTARI, a Cuban born in West Tampa, ‘Florida, a former Cuban Congressman and Minister of Commerce who is reportedly associated with Mr, Charios "Bebe" REBOZO. ccording to GOTTLIEB, BUTTARI was appointed as "political .. chief in the Republican Party", | mo, cee ice aoc oan aaitas aamemnenat Tg aso f éN tee aeqonen pee vB S395 i rms Comme cr ere mera
a cone Py Ba a a ae oe - ™ 3. GOTTLIEB apparently has curre ent. ‘information on the - activities of the persons he mentioned; for example, he knew that Juan A. PAULA was involved in the jewelry business (PAULA and Antonio Felix GENSVA Corzo, a WH/Miami propristary © employee recently purchased a powelry business) and ‘he knew that Reinaldo PICO had resided in Venezuela and had racently . returned to the United States. The phone conversation lasted about 45 minutes and GOTTLIEB told VIERA that if he cane to ami they would have torch together. 6 ) 4. VIERA. does. not kriow GOTTLIEB mat vette him because -GOTTLIES said he was recommended by\ Ernesto BETANCOURT Who — has residad in the Washington area for more than ten yéars. 00> 69 GETANCOURT was a former Agency asset and is currently Chie? ‘of | the “conversation WAS |: nitiaily in snglisa but continued in Spanish. VIERA said he_ provided no information to GOTTLIEB on the basis that he is a... Cuban exile and did not want to get involved in internal U.S. Le affairs. We do not know why GOTTLIEB was interested in Joaquin °° SANJENIS or Juan A. PAULA. (Attached - are | Summary ace -o£ persons of interest to GOTTLIEB. ). oa — On 7 May 197 le niof, Gena van) was briefed on the. substaice of the report From Ni/ Mi oma pertsining 22.2: RATA who works for th which utilizes aS O©ficée space cover. Among OENEY duties pertormed by _the proprietary are the monthly checks sent to the dependents ve of imprisoned assets which are Signed in true name by PAULA. ~ 0 Iwas unaware that PAULA had purchased a new jewelry Te ae wusiness in association with Antonio GENOVA; however, he feels that (MHMUTUAL)is protected and compartmented fron the WE if/Miamd o.oo. proprietary and he has the utmost confidence in the proprietary ‘-0.0: _ being able to field any questions OlG@HMUTUAL commmication with” qethe nroprista 4 is hy nuniisted phons, and a post office box. = [|said that and could possibly be link ced.” Fo] t the trail would end there. . He '£eels that either proprietary covld only be Linked to the Agency” ol by innuendo. {He did Say that Howard HUNT was aware of - sHMUTUA he ser: A/EUR BCUTEe as Far a conceit PO » Ublpy
14-00000 . . ‘ no ae a - ~ * woot, - “ . ae . : ‘ woe - - 7 . a ; Be, 6 ee i - of : : ie. . . — an \ ° 6. entioned that the’ bona fide law firm occupying © ‘the other tion of the (SHIMUTUA offices are the attorneys fo (Thess lawyers sre ed and witting.) ee One Sr the lawyers tolg phat will be the "biggest ‘Canary singer of the year > the common receptionist area is manned byWHMUTUAD employses who also monitor all telenh calls, incoming and outgoing for the other Law fim.[ | mentioned that there have been aumerous calls from tHS “Beata and ovtgoing overseas calls to such places as Japan and Europe. 7. ili be traveling to Nassau and returning via Le Miami on “ay 19735. He intends,,to talk with his proprietary =.) .: people at that time on other GIHMUTUA) business and Will also: 2. -. contact COS, WH/Miami. (The COS has been alerted t$ expect 9-07) @ call from EVANS on 10 May 1973.) | et . James E. Flannery!) Acting Chief Fo. : _ Western Hemisphere Division . ce: Director of Security be Attachments: A-F Biographic Summaries” oi
14-00000 20m Ae Ommene emee eCOmNE ewe wee mo ee sal TACHS . gn . Path Ey. eeta aa . ‘t » . 4 P oo Sa ® . Rene VIERA Gonzalez Reporter for Diario Las Americas: > Was Sneaker for Journalism in Exite at: meeting hal: Flagler Theater Miami June 1957. ‘Haa also been head of Public Relations for Cuban. 7) National Bank. date not Biven.. co oe ee & at | *3 Yale ry * rata tet eat,
14-00000 : . . SeSERERESERTEEpERTRT ERE Tene seam sere wm sere et . . 7 . eos a Reinaldo PICO Ramon - formerly AMICE-31 (201-284653) POA. granted 14 October 1960 as PM assat.” Member’ 2596 Brigade, captured Bay of Pigs. Member of Prisoners Conmission sent by Castro to Miami to negotiate release ae prisoners in exchangs for mechanical equipment and other. supplies needed by Cuba. Befected and refused te accompany - other members of Prisoners Commission on their. return to. Cuba in July 1951. POA granted 15 June 1964 for use as CA/Prop asset. SGSHIRLED 3-Octoaber 1964 -~ OA 4 February - +4966. Amicably terminated 30 June 1968. As of July 1959 . ain Caracas, Venézuela._ In December. 1369 he was dest¢tribed - ‘by a source as "one doss not know where the biuke beg gins and | (ends, what is true and what Ls ier, . a) oh
14-00000 ‘ : 0 : a, me : . Orlando PIEDRA . Griando Bleno PIEDRA-NEGUERLA (291-247379) aka ~ Orlando Eleno NEGUERLA-PIEDRA aka ~- Orlando PIEDRA aka - O. ROCA . Born. 18 December 1917, Havana, Cuba. Believed to be Cuban citizen currently . ner ree Was Chief of Cuban Bureau of Investigation in Batista Covérn-- _ Went. Told FBI June 1959 he was forced to leave Cuba unon £21i_ OF Batista, Réportedly head of anti-Castro group in Miani in ‘Juna 1555, In Sept 59 reported to be friendly with Relendo | HMASFERRER Rojas, ex-Cuban senator and publisher. PEEDRS reportedly furnished with money by Batista, - ae |. During Batista regime was included with others as o> So ety responsible officials considered directly involved in tortures... 07: and killing of Cuban citizens. Resided in Fort Lauderdale, 0.0 os Fla, in February 1960. During Batista regime PIEDRA was in ‘Charge of ail matters pertainin to. gambling, rackets and . contraband. In 19535 in Cuba PIEDBA-was also involved in ~ DUSiness Of Chinese contraband. ae fate No indication hea ever used by Agency.
14-00000 Rolando Arcadio MASFERRER Rojas (201- 42669) Cuban’ senator and selt-~ admitted former Communis te Former Quite active during early 60's in various anti-Castro ectivities in U.S. Kece nely served four and one-half year prison sentence received U.S. District Court for- violation 1 of U.S. neutrality laws. - as ; . No indication Headquarters has been in touch with subjec at any time. | 7 . me, os Bos Born 1918 in Cuba; typifies worst oléments in ‘former: resime =~ of Batista. . Name connotes ruthlessness, assassination, torture and extortion. . an - ; Still conside rs hinselt to be a Marxian Socialists has been. Te virulent critic of U.S - in me past. en rr
Edgar An .thony BUTTARI Puig (D.¥.éM.) ‘Habana. He remained in the House of Represea aka.- Edgar A. BUTTARI (Doctor) aka ~ Edgardo BUTTARI y Puig (201-276771) Oo ee Photo. available mo a re a While information in his file does not indicate ‘any. past or |. present CIA contact, there is unscurced information in the ‘WH/COG card file which shows that BUTTARI was in touch with . Prank Bender (Gerard Droller} in Mi aul in the Spring of 19 780, apparently in relation to BUTTARI's involvement with: tha Revolutionary Democratic Front (FRD ). Currently BUTTART is iavolved in many business ventures in South Florida snd is reportedly associated with Charlies "Bebe"  Reboze socke2iy and in business. | an Po eS: Edgaz vdo BUTTARI was ‘born 14 August i9c9 (a 10 given 1914) i at West Tampa, Florida, the son of a Cuban whe fought in the Cuban’ Independence War. Appointed Cuban : Inspector Ganeral instructor of the Ministry of State in 1933. He later became — Under Sa cretary o£ Labor, In’ 1338 he returned to Cuba and :- served as “Secret ary of Commerce until 1940. fle later was appointed Minis ster of the Cuban ree Service. Appointed Minister of Commerce by Batista in 1942, he held that post until 1944 |... when he resigned to run for "the house of Representatives, =~ i i tatives until 1952. ‘BUTTARE arrived in the U.S; in March 1960 to resid Miami, Florida. He became involved with the Reyolutionary = ° Hemocratic Front, eS we . : ‘During his first term as Minister of - Commerce in 4933 he was. ‘responsiblé for the arr est of, “several American representatives of large lard exporters in the U.S. (Suite, Armour, etc.) for increasing prices. At the Sane time he endeavored to put .. forward i egislation of nationalistic “tendencies, warning to "Yankee Impe rialism", and seemsd somewhat unir iendly to the ~ U.S. He later chanzed and in 1933 became more anxious ta cooperate with the G. S.; apparéentiy haying gotten over his _ epenly anti-American feolings. However, he did not appear to. be dependable according to Embassy x reports. He has been wv described as astute, clever, intelligent but Slippery. He 4 e