124-10062-10388 JFK Assassination System Date: 11/17/20 Identification Form AGENCY : RECORD NUMBER : RECORD SERIES : AGENCY FILE NUMBER : Agency Information FBI i 124-10062-10388 HQ 105-82555-656 ORIGINATOR : FROM: TO: TITLE: DATE: PAGES: SUBJECTS : DOCUMENT TYPE : CLASSIFICATION : RESTRICTIONS : CURRENT STATUS : DATE OF LAST REVIEW : OPENING CRITERIA : COMMENTS : v9.1 ° ' AW AS35530 BDocid: 32140801 Page i Document Information FBI SULLIVAN, W. C. BELMONT, A. H. 12/03/1963 7 LHO, POST-RP, TRAVEL, ALLEGED $6500 PAYMENT PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT Secret , 1B ‘Redact 12/10/1997 APPROVAL OF CIA , 4
er a ; . LT .f = cd ae! o., ~ wo OPTIONAL” FORM HO. 10 : 5010-106 1 s ar _gisAY 1962 EDITION - iPA - $a GEM. REG. NO. 27 ¢ Gsa G! EG. NO. 7 Of Toison UNITED STATES GO'ssRNMENT 22" ae ‘Caspet ee Callahan f SUBJECT: ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY 4! SYNOPSIS 7 On 11/25/63 at Mexico City, Mexico, information rele} yilbertd*AAlvaradey Ugarte, Nicaraguan national . 4t on 9/18/63 he saw|Lee Harvey Oswald; in Cuban Consulate in Mexico Ci d witnessed payment 56509 to Oswald. Alv claimed among those also present when money passed to Oswald was SylviafQuran, Mexi- can national employed in Cuban Consulate. Alvarado further claimed he, ora eens ' 9¢@aSi0ons in late /63, had tried to furnish above information to U. - Mbassy, Mexico City, but Embassy switchboard did not put him in contact BOQ _ with any U.S. representatives. Search of Embassy switchboard records failed 9 = to disclose any such calis were logged. Bureau investigation established = -Jswald was in New Orleans from 9/17 until approximately 9/25/65 when he Mn oy jeparted for Mexico. Sneha 5 spresence in Mexico from 9/26 until 10/25/65 “53 fa : verified, me hope oN - ESa assador. to Mexico, Thomas. Cann, through.State Depart- 2 ~ cy |. nent requested FBI assistance in directing instant investigation in Mexico. - 3ureau Supervisor Laurence P. Keenan designated to go to Mexico City to - assist and arrived 11/27/63.€Mexican authorities interviewed Sylvia Duran ’ and are convinced she is telling truth when she states she recalled meeting _ gswald at Cuban Consulate on 9/37 and 9/28/63 and unsuccessfully endeavored ' to assist. him-in obtaining Cuban and Russian visas. Mexican authorities ’ also convinced Duran not involved in any political activity _in Cuban Con- - sulate and confident her duties restricted to routine consular matters, On 11/28/63 authority obtained to release Alvarado to Mexican authorities © | ' for interrogation. On 11/29/63 Mexican authorities advised Alvarado's fe . story "fascinating" and stated he was unable to pick out photo of Duran. © *~ _ Later on 11/29/63, information received Alvarado admitted to Mexican ._. ' authorities his story fabrication designed to provoke U.S. into kicking. ' Castro out of Cuba. CIA, Mexico, advised Nicaraguan source states. approxi- - mately 20 to 25% of information previously furnished by Alvarado wunreliable - and that he had re tion of considering himself more intelligent- than his control officer. $s) seaasoeltsamtndesefr | pen . “Qn 11/30/63 Ambassador Mann advised since Alvarado's statements |. fabrication, no longer necessary for SA Keenan to remain in Mexico, Keenan . returned Washington, D.C.,12/1/63. Information received that Alvarado now . claims his original statements true and that he recanted unger fear of violence, from Mexican authorities. loS- 925855 _b  LPK: mls‘ (9) HS REC 12 aan - 1-Mr. Belmont; 1-Mr. Sullivan; 1-Mr. Rosen; - 1-Mr. D. E. Moore; 1-Mr. Sizoo; 1-Mre, Branigani. sme: * L-Mr. Keenan; 1-Liaison A lodhalas : orn NLA abner ae ae pybEczaew| vrel L HW 52333 Doctd: 327140801 Page 2? 8925 (Dp XSZ
be |: | ead eget e- ; eee ; Ay Memo to Mr. Belmont RE: ASSASSINATION OF “SEC that Alvarado was being treated cordially and that he was either teiling the truth.or was the world's best liar. This official advised that Alvarado's interrogation was continuing and that this interview would now be conducted in a little stronger manner. He furnished no further elaboration on this statement but stated that Alvarado, who is apparently familiar with the interior of the Cuban Consulate, was unable to pick out a photograph of Syivia Duran from a group of photos of female individual SY Yu) : - witnessing the passing of $6500 to be true. This official advised (On the evening of 11/29/63, Legat, Mexico, received informa- tion from a high-level Mexican official that Alvarado reportedly admitted his story was a pure fabrication designed to provoke the U. S. into kicking Castro out of Cua grin 11/3063, Winn Scott, Chief, CIA, Mexico City, advised that he had ré@ceived information from Mexican authorities who were interviewing Alvarado that Alvarado had admitted that informa- tion furnished by him regarding Oswald's presence in the Cuban Embassy on 9/18/63 and the information regarding a pay-off to Oswald was a Dire fabrication for the Apove-men tioned reason. Scott advised that By] yan official of the Nicaraguan Security Service who is very familiar w Alvarado, arrived in Mexico City on 11/29/63 and during the last few hours of Alvarado's interrogation was in a room adjoining that room in which Alvarado was being interviewed. AS a ; consequence, he was kept adyised of, the progress of Alvarado's inter- view. According to Scott, [Wheelock] had advised that Alvarado in the fe] eo: past had furnished information concerning Nicaraguan Communist Party activities and 25% of the information furnished by Alvarado was unreliable. escribed Alvarado as a person who believed himself to be moré’ intelTigent than his control ‘officer. Scott stated no information was available that the Mexican authorities had used any violence in securing an admission from Alvarado _that his statements were fabrication iis} FRET Sette . a) os Investigation by both Legat, Mexico, and CIA, Mexico, looking towards identifying other witnesses allegedly present in the Cuban Con- sulate at the time Alvarado claims he saw Oswald receiving the above- mentioned $6500, was unable to uncover the white male who possessed a Canadian passport or the red-haired Cuban Negro. It is noted Cuban Vice Consul Azcue reportedly returned to Cuban on 11/18/63. Mexican authorities have been requested to assist in the possible identification of the above-mentioned white male with Canadian passport and red-haired Cuban Negro who allegedly witnessed the pay-off to Oswald. However, it \iwtness that Alvarado's descriptions of those persons who reportedly ~ witnessed the pay-off are intentionally vague, thus making it impossible to identify or interrogate “them and Iéaving Duran as the only logical person available to confirm or refute Alvarado's statements (2 (x) HW 52333 Doctd: 327140801 Page 3 ; \ a
as 7” ‘ ' ? a ae fs a \ . ) L Memo to Mr. Belmont RE: ASSASSINATION OF "Se KENNEDY On 11/30/63, Ambassa@é# ATE RCVSE’ that since it was de- termined that Alvarado's ceo enenee HERS eaves: it was not necessary for SA Keenan to remain away from his duties in Washington. He ex- pressed his sincere appreciation for the Bureau's cooperation and assistance, and requested that his personal gratitude be conveyed tos the Director. (9 A . | SA Keenan returned to Washington, D. C., on-12/1/63. #As of 11/30/63, Alvarado was being held by Mexican authorities on the charge that he illegally entered Mexico: Alvarado, in his | Statement to Mexican authorities, advised that he had entered Mexico without a Mexican visa and after bribing a Mexican Immigration inspector eo exican authorities advised CIA, Mexico, that Alvarado would probably > be deported to Nicaragua in the near future7' a ee ee Fa a a ff Rey indan eae Eee | U. _ _ a #Legat, Mexi i cable 12/2/63 advised that Alvarado J Yd) Ain his statement t aimed that his original statements. wére rue and that Re reCanted under fear of violence from the Mexican y, iN es ran 3 Rid net RPMI hvnaig Dante Seek gare i authorities. | { | | i}e , ADDENDUM BY W. C. SULLIVAN/LL -_ 12/3/63 Alvarado should be immediately subjected to a polygraph examination. This is being handled. ae rn SEE SEGRE! N HW 52333 Doctd: 327140801 Page 4 ;