. JFK Assassination System Date. ~  4/14/201 Identification Form Agency Information AGENCY: HSCA RECORD NUMBER: = 180-10144-10236 RECORD SERIES : CIA SEGREGATED COLLECTION AGENCY FILENUMBER: 30-59-01 Document Information . ORIGINATOR: HSCA FROM: TO: TITLE: HSCA PROCEDURAL WRITE-UP: CUBA TRIP , Released under the John Kennedy DATE: 00/00/0000 7 Assassination Records PAGES: 45 ollection Act of 1992 . (44 USC 2107 Note}. . ases#: Nl S3060 Date: SUBJECTS : 6-05-2017 HSCA, TRIP TO CUBA : DOCUMENT TYPE: REPORT CLASSIFICATION: — Unclassified RESTRICTIONS: 1A; 1B CURRENT STATUS: — Redact DATE OF LASTREVIEW: 08/21/1995 OPENING CRITERIA : COMMENTS : Box 24 i ‘v9.1 HW 53080 Docld:32272523 Page 1
s f p p p f f f f p f f 5306 CUO4L4 | | Classification: : (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) - 82 - Appendix I: HSCA Procedural Write-up Cuba Trip 1 Select Committee members Chairman Louis Stokes and Congressman Christopher Dodd, accompanied by G. Robert Blakey, Gary Cornwell and Ed Lopez of the Select Committee staff arrived in Cuba at 3:30 p.m., March 30, 1978. They were met and escorted through Cuban Customs by the Mayor of Havana, Honorable Oscar Fernandez Mell, the Minister of Justice, Dr. Armendo Torres Sentrayll, Senor Buergo, Ricardo Escartin and the Cuban government Senor Mell escorted the Select Committee staff to a res- taurant in Old Havana. The following day Richardson Preyer arrived in Cuba at 7:00 a.m. At 9:30 a.m. on March 31, 1978 the Select Committee representatives met with Ricardo Escartin, Senor Buergo and Captain Felipe Villa of the Ministry of the Interior. The Cuban Government gave the members and Committee their official reply to the Committee's questionnaire, given to the Cuban government prior to the Committeee's trip to Cuba. At 3:00 p.m., the Select Committee met again with Classification: Classified by derivation: Yi a a a a ae translator, Juanita Vera. At approximately 7:30 p.m. 4
7 f p p p f p f f 6 f -_ 5305 g@Pera: fF 4 47 47 47 47 Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) - 85 - trip to Cuba by HSCA representatives and Congressmen. At 6:00 p.m. the Committee staff met with Presi- dent Fidel Castro who assured the Committee that neither he nor his government had any involvement in the assassina- tion of President John F. Kennedy. (See Castro inter- view.) The House Select Committee on Assassinations staff departed Havana,..Cuba at 10:00 a.m, April 4, 1978, arriv- ing in Washington, D.C. at 4:30 p.m. Classification: 04h aes | Classified by derivation: $ f 6 f f f f f
Classification: . (This form is to be used for material extracted ge 7 from ClA—controlled documents.) Appendix 2: HSCA Procedural Write-up Mexico Trip House Select Committee on Assassinations staffers j Gary Cornwell, Dan Hardway, Edwin Lopez and Harold Leap arrived at the Mexico City airport at 8:30 p.m., May 30, 1978. (All times are Mexico City times, unless otherwise specified.) They were met and escorted through Customs by David Patton, an employee of the United States Embassy. The following morning, May , 1978 the HSCA representatives met with U.S. Embassy Political Officer duled a meeting at 11:15 a.m. with the Chief of the CIA Station in Mexico City. This meeting was preliminary in nature and concerned procedures regarding arrangement of the interviews of ex-CIA employees in Mexico. At 12:00 noon, the NSCA representatives and Richard Howard met representatives of the Government of Mexico. The Mexican representatives were: 1) Dr. Jesus Vanez, Advisor to the Attorney General's Executive Offi- cer; 2) Fernando Baeza, Chief Administrative Officer for the Attorney General; and 3) Commandate Florentino Ven- tura, Chief of the Mexican Federal Police. The Mexicans Classification: Richard Howard concerning procedure. Mr. Howard sche- g AC O41: | Classified by derivation: ___ Sid 2) a a a a) a a4 y
rr ~A A ABD SB BABA BRB BSB SB BD DA {a c Rt G 419 | Classified by- derivation: Classification: | (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) 87 r informed the staff members at this meeting that they had located Silvia Duran, Horacio Duran, Ruben Duran and Pedro Gutierrez Valencia and that each person was willing to be interviewed by the HSCA representatives. Proce- dure for conduct of the interviews was also discussed at this meeting. The Mexican government decided that the initial’ interview..would be an informal contact with the witnesses to describe the Committee's objectives. The witnesses’ statements would be formalized at a later, taped inter- view. The Mexican officials informed the HSCA staff mem- bers that they had been unable to locate Oscar Contreras, Elena Garro de Paz, Elenita Garro de Paz and Oscar | Molina. The Mexican Government had not had contact with the Garros since 1968. The HSCA staff members provided additional information on Oscar Rodriguez Molina. The Mexicans said that they were trying to locate the Garros through the Foreign Ministry since Elena's ex-husband, Octavio Paz, was an important person in that ministry. The Mexicans asked that we determine the name of the Mexican Government contact during 1964 with the Warren > commission so that they could locate their records in Classification:
Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) 04, the Archives. The Mexican officials left to set up the preliminary interviews with witnesses. The preliminary interviews were conducted by Gary Cornwell. HSCA staff members Dan Hardway, Edwin Lopez and Harold Leap were present during Cornwell's questioning. The Mexican Government was re- presented by Dr. Jesus Yanez, Commandante Florentino Ventura, and Jesus Meixueiro Kanty, second in command to Ventura. Pedro Gutierrez Valencia was interviewed at 2:30 pm. Ruben Duran was interviewed at 5:00 p.m. Horacio Duran was interviewed at 5:30 p.m. Silvia Duran was interviewed at 6:15 p.m. At 9:30 a.m. on June 1, 1978 the HSCA staff re- presentatives met with the Mexican police representatives. The possibility of other witnesses and evidence was dis- cussed. The HSCA staff requested 1) the records of the company that employed Gutierrez Valencia in 1963; press clippings of the Mexican newspaper coverage of Oswald and Silvia Duran (attached); an interview with Oscar Rodriguez Molina; 4) an interview with Oscar Contreras; 5) individual files on Elena Garro de Paz and Silvia duran; 6) evidence related to Silvia Duran's assertion Classification: ors 20 | Classified by derivation: _
p p p p f f p f 4 p p p Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) &Y that Oswald was at the Cuban Embassy on one.day only; 7) Deba Garro de Guerrero Galvan; 8) Eunice Odio; 9) Emilio Carballido; and 10) Victor Rico Galan. The HSCA also asked to be shown the Cuban Consulate. The Mexican representatives informed the HSCA staff that Victor Rico Galan had, at one time, been arrested on political charges but that he was subse- quently pardoned by either Diaz Ordaz or Luis Echevarria. The Mexicans said that they were searching for all files and newspaper articles requested by the HSCA. The Mexican officials also offered. their observa- tions on the preliminary interviews conducted the pre- vious day. They pointed out that they found it strange that Silvia had told Oswald he could not travel while in Cuba. They wondered what she was trying to tell him and whether she thought that Oswald had some objec- tive in going to Cuba other than that ascribed by the popular version. They considered the manner in which Silvia obtained employment at the Cuban Consulate unusual. Generally they noted that Silvia and her brothers seemed to have almost programed responses and a defensive demea+ nor. They pointed out, however, that all -the Durans had Classification: St3 , iL we Og ed | Classified by derivation: 5308g@yera a 2 WW WW ww N p a f f f f f f L f f f SS: I 2 2 2 a LT a
EF SF 42 42 42 4 47 tT 47 Classification: - (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) 40 had been very interested in talking to us. In their opinion, Ruben Duran was the most credible of those interviewed by the HSCA the previous day. At this point, a Mexican official who had been checking the computer records informed us that Victor Rico Galan was dead. HSCA staff members provided the Mexican authori- ties with the names of the Mexican officials who had been involved in the investigation in 1963. HSCA staff members met again with the Mexican po- lice authorities at 10:00 a.m. on June 2, 1978. At this HSCA staff members asked if the Mexicans could persuade the newspapers to reveal the sources of their stories about Oswald and Silvia Duran. The Mexican officials' response was negative. The Mexican officials informed the HSCA staff members. that most of the data we wanted from the files was in their Security Service files. The Mexican officials working at the HSCA explained that they were the Mexican equivalent of the FBI and that the Security Service was the Mexican equivalent of the CIA; hence there was the usual bureaucratic problem Classification: qe he hy 20U04 Me | Classified by derivation; _ p time, the Mexican police provided the copies of the news-- 5900 a: AI i a aw aw aw eo f f p p f f f f f f p f
rr A ABD BR DB BA RD BB HB A A 20.0423 Classification: | (This form is to be used for material extracted qi from ClA—controlled documents.) involved in obtaining access to their files. The Mexi- cans informed the HSCA representatives that Emilio Car- billido had been located; that Victor Rico Galan was dead; that Deba Garro could not be located; and that there was no record of anyone named Eunice Odio. HSCA representatives told the Mexican officials that Odio, who was either Costa Rican or Guatemalan, had been the mistress of Emilio Carballido..: The assassination and the reaction of the Mexican people to this event was discussed. At 1:00 p.m., HSCA staff members conducted an interview at the United States Embassy in connection with the CIA aspects of the Mexico City investigation. At 2:30, Gary Cornwell discussed problems with the Chief of the Mexico City CIA Station. He requested that the COS cable Headquarters regarding restrictions placed on the HSCA staff in Mexico. At 6:00 p.m., the HSCA staff members, accompanied by Jesus Meixueiro Kanty and his assistant, Honorio Escondon, met with the assistant chief of the Mexican Security Service Nazar. Mr. Nazar gave an oral resume of the interviews with Mexican officials conducted in 1963 of Silvia,..Horatio.and Ruben Duran and Betty Serratas. Classification: ___ | Classified by derivation:
Classification: | (This form is to be used for material extracted Q 2 from ClA—controlled documents.) Mr. Nazar said that the files had to be formally requested J before he could consider releasing them. He suggested | that we secure statements admissible in United States " courts from the witnesses whom we wished to interview. Mr. Nazar suggested that our best investigatory avenue | would be to concentrate on Oswald's interrogation after é his arrest on November 22nd. Mr. Nazar had a very low | opinion of Elena Garro de Paz's credibility. June 3 and 4, 1978, were spent on CIA-related aspects of the Mexico City investigation. Two interviews g were conducted. | At 11:00 a.m. on June 5, 1978, the HSCA staff ; interviewed Horacio Duran for the record. At.1:00 p.m. . " HSCA staff member Edwin Lopez and Mexican officials Honorio Escondon and Dr. Alfonso Orozco Gutierrez inter- " viewed Pedro Guerierrez valencia for the record. At 5:00 p.m,, HSCA staff members interviewed Lynn Duran, 6 aka Lydia Duran, for the record. On June 6, 1978 at-11:00 a.m., the HSCA staff inter- viewed Ruben Duran for the record. At 1:00 p.m., .the . | 6 staff representatives met with Commandate Ventura about 6 unfinished business. The staff representatives agreed Classification: ac u O42. id | Classified by derivation; _ AD: £7 LT 49 47 47 47 r eA RA MR BC DB AB BD BH DB SE ASB WBA y
Classification: | (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) i, to supply the Mexicans with questions for two witnesses who. could not then be interviewed. Commandate Ventura authorized Honorio Escondon to interview Oscar Contreras Latrigue and Ernesto Leffel Miller. At 5:00 p.m., the wife of Ruben Duran, Betty Serratos, was interviewed for the record. At 5:45 p.m., Silvia Duran was interviewed for the record. The HSCA staff representatives left Mexico City at 8:30 a.m. on June 7, 1978, arriving in Washington, D.C. at 5:30 p.m., Washington time. Classification: g f f f f a, r p f f f 200042: & | Classified by derivation: i A a a a a a a ae
$ p p p rl f f f f p f p Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) GN Appendix 3: HSCA Procedural Write-up Mexico Trip 2 House Select Committee staffers Edwin Juan Lopez and Harold Leap traveled to Mexico City on August 7, 1978. The staff members were met by David T. Patton at the Mexican airport at 10:15 p.m. Mr. Patton then checked the staffers into Room 1754 at the Maria Isabel Hotel in Steinfield,. CIA Chief of Station in Mexico City, wished to see us at 8:30 a.m. the following morning. On Tuesday, August 8, 1978, Committee staffers met with Larry Sternfield. He informed the staffers that the two individuals. the Committee wished to inter- view, Daniel Flores, aka Luis Aparicio and Ramon Alvarez Durant, were now available. At 9:30 a.m., August 8, 1978, Committee staff mem- bers interviewed Danny Flores. (See write-up of Danny Flores interview.) The interview ended at approximately 10:15 a.m. | Committee staff members returned to Mr. Sternfield office, Mr. Sternfield stated that it appeared the GOC had only been able to locate two witnesses for the Com- mittee, Oscar Contreras Lartigue and Noe W. Palomares. Classification: eC C425 0G A: AP: Ay @ 4 A Aw "s | Classified by derivation: y a
Classification: | (This form is to be used for material extracted ne from ClA—controlled documents.) He asked the staff members whom they wished to speak to. The Committee staff members explained that they would like to interview Lichant I, Licookie I, LiHuff I, ie Lan Litamail 7 and Litamil 9. Mr. Stefnfield stated that it appeared that the House Select Committee on Assassina- tions had already asked the Mexicans to locate them. Mr. Steinfield stated that the HSCA's interview with Ramon Alvarez Duran was considered "highly sensi- tive." He explained that three rooms at a nearby hotel would be used. In one room, Ramon Alvarez Durant would sit, Committee staff members would sit in a second room equipment worked properly in a third room. Mr. Stein- field then phoned Mr. Niles Gooding, who had been sent to the Mexico City Station from Headquarters to arrange the procedures for the interviews. Mr. Gooding explained that in 1977 Stansfield Turner had created a new posi- tion at Headquarters.to insure that important sensitive meetings were within the guidelines previously arranged. Mr. Gooding stated that the Central Intelligence Agency had been under greater Congressional scrutiny than the past two years. Therefore, Director Turner, in order to demonstrate the Agency's good faith, had engaged a retired i R RM RM BR BM BM RB RB BR BR WM W Classification: 200429 . 0 A A: a a a a a me | Classified by derivation: —_—_— , and two CIA personnel officers would insure that the
Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) Ob Army officer to act as liaison at sensitive intérviews by Congressional representatives. Mr. Gooding then ex- plained that we would be escorted by two CIA personnel to our interview with Ramon Alvarez Durant. At 10:55 a.m., August 8, 1978, Committee staff mem- bers interviewed Ramon Alvarez Durant. (See Ramon Al- varez Durant interview write-up.) At 12:30 p.m., Committee staff members telephoned Captain Fernandez Ventura Gutierrez. His secretary explained that Mr. Ventura was not in the office, but that she would have him call us when he returned. At staffer's call, they again called his office. His se- cretary apologized for Mr. Ventura and explained that he had not yet returned. to..the office and she assured us that he would telephone upon his return. At 9:15 p.m., Dr. Jesus Yanez, the Assistant to the official mayor, telephoned the staff members explaining that Mr. Ventura was very busy on an important assignment and asked us to visit the Procuraduria General at 11:00 a.m. the following morning. At 10:15 a.m., August 9, 1978, Committee staff members met with State Department Official Richard Howard 6:30 p.m., Since Mr. Ventura had not yet returned ‘the g Classification: | Classified by derivation: _ r MA A ABD BA BB DMD HA AB TBM ABA WH y
Classification: | (This form is to be used for material extracted a) from ClA—controlled documents.) to alert him that the Committee would request the Mexi- can officials to make Silvia Duran available in Washing- ton for an HSCA hearing. Mr. Howard explained that once we had permission from the Mexican government the State Department would insure that she was in Washington when necessary. At 11:00 a.m., August 9, 1978, Committee staff members met with Dr. Jesus Yanez and Ciprianio Martinez Novoa. Mr. Yanez: told Committee staff members that Ciprianio Martinez Novoa, the Mexican agent in charge, would try to aid us in all our interviews. Mr. Martinez then briefed the Committee staff members on their up-to- date progress: Oscar Contreras Lartigue had been located and pre- interviewed by Mr. Martinez in Tampico, Mexico. We would fly to Tampico on Friday, August ll, 1978 at 7:35 a.m. to interview him. Noe W. Palomares had been located and could be interviewed during the afternoon of Thursday, August 10, 1978 at his. office, Cerrada de la Presa 4. His phone number, 595-0891, was. made available to the Committee. June Cobb Sharp received a tourist permit, number Classification: bh G4 we | Classified by derivation: a a a a ae p f f f f p f 4 p f f p
rr ™:a A ZEB EB BAD TB BG GE BSB WH 1 Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted 4% from ClA—controlled documents.) 72781, on June 27, 1947. She entered Mexico through Nuevo Lardo, Texas. She requested but was denied permission by the Mexican government to represent the magazine, Modern Mexico. On June 21, 1948, she re- ceived a courtesy permit,: number 25556. She disappeared in 1954 and never returned to Mexico. The Committee staffers did not tell the Mexicans that the House Select Committee on Assassinations had evidence from review of June Cobb's 201 file that she was in Mexico in. the Sixties. Eunice Odio Infante, a Costa Rican, received a three-month tourist permit from the Mexican government on February 9, 1964. She remained in Mexico, illegally residing at Nacas-45-a, until 1972. She applied to write for the Excelsior magazine on many different oc- casions, but was rejected every time. In 1972, Ms. Odio married a Communist painter, Rudolfo Sanabria Gon- zalez and moved to Rio Neba-16 Apartment 40. . On May 24, 1972, Ms. Odio was. found dead in her bathtub. The offi- cial presiding at her autopsy concluded that Ms. Odio had poisoned herself. Emilio Carballido Fontanes was in Caracas, Venezuela, on vacation and scheduled to return to Mexico in early Classification: __ Classified by derivation; _ ea VA VM WM AMA MR A AM DM AM WM TA
Classification: | “2 OD (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) September. His address is Constituyenteés 207. His phone number is 515-8345. Consuelo Esperon's personnel record in Mexico could not be located. When the Mexican officials in- quired about her at the Cuban Embassy in Mexico City to the Committee's trip;s:no one at the office remembered that she had worked there. Committee staff members were told that Esperon was probably dead. No basis was given for the Mexican government's conclusion. Al Wichtrich worked at Royal Crown Cola until 1968 when its offices in Mexico closed. November 3, 1927. He entered Mexico July 1, 1965 and taught Graphics and Art at U.N.A.M. until January 1, 1968 when he disappeared. The Mexican officials assume that he returned to Cuba. General Jesus Jose Clark Flores died in the early 1970's. | | Ernesto Lehfeld Miller, Academic Coordinator at the School of Interior Design, had not yet been located. Luis Alberue Suoto lives at Michelet #7, Apartment #301, Colonia Aneura, Mexico City. His phone number is 545-9947. The landlady at vhis apartment explained to Classification: f f f f , § carlos Jurado J. Delmar was born in Cuba on | p 4 r f f Me 9 eCe 04s | Classified by derivation: 5308 Ci: is a ay a a a ae rr ~mZ~A ™”~A BRB A BD OB A BD BSB SE GB A
Classification: | (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) the Mexican officials that Mr. Alberue had left town hurriedly on Monday, August 7, 1978. Mr. Martinez, wishing to know when he returned, had placed a piece of scotch tape on the bottom right edge of his door. Mr. Martinez explained that he checked it every four hours and would notify us if Alberue returned before we left. Manuel Calvillo did not live at Cuahtemoc 877-5 as the Committee had stated. The landlady for the past twenty=five years, at-..the :apartments told Mr. Martinez that Manuel Calvillo had never resided there. Committee staff members explained that Calvillo went by a pen name which would be forwarded to the Mexican officials the following morning. When Committee staff members inquired whether Ms. Silvia Tirado Bazan could testify at an HSCA hearing, the Mexican officials stated that they would have an answer for the staffers by Friday morning. The Mexican officials explained that they would have to speak to her to insure that she was willing to travel to Washing- ton. On Thursday, August 10, 1978, at 11:00 a.m. the Committee staff members met with Dr. Jesus Yanez, Agent Ciprianio Martinez Novoa, Captain Florentino Ventura Classification: _ aU 0432 | A BM A BR BRB BM BM A BR BM WM TW Classified by derivation: F A A Qa Aa BA AB wD TS BSB EB AB WA
EF fF 42 42 7 47 47 47 47 s Classification: . (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) Gutierrez and Attorney General Licensiado, Manuel Calvillo's "pen name" was given to the Mexicans who stated that they would check it with the landlady. at his alleged apartment building. Committee staffers returned to their hotel room with Agent Ciprianio Martinez Novoa after the meeting. Agent Martinez attempted without success to telephone Oscar Contreras Lartigue to inform him of our visit. At 3:30 p.m., Agent Martinez finally reached Mr. Contreras' child who informed him that Mr. Contreras was not in Tampico. He had traveled to Mexico City for a Partido Republicano Institucional convention. When Agent Mar- tinez asked the child if he knew where his father was staying in Mexico City, he responded that he did not. Agent Martinez explained to the child that he would call at a later time to speak to his mother. Agent Martinez telephoned Noe W. Palomares at 4:00 p.m. and arranged an interview for 6:30 p.m. that even- ing. Mr. Martinez asked Committee staff members to meet him at his office at the Procuraduria General at 6:00 p.m. | At 6:00 p.m., August 10, 1978, Committee staff members met Agent Ciprianio Martinez at the Procuraduria Classification: RA A A EB A B BQ B BR RB BM W CO P, OAV eed ‘sO | Classified by derivation: _____