AGENCY INFORMATION AGENCY: | FBI RECORD NUMBER: — 124-10209-10457 RECORD SERIES: HO AGENCY FILE NUMBER: 45-10815-2ND NR 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7 DOCUMENT INFORMATION ORIGINATOR: FBI FROM: SAC. TP TO: DIRECTOR. FBI TITLE: DATE: 06/04/1968 PAGES: 17 SUBJECT: OBA, CUBAN POWER, SUSP, EXPLOSION, FREIGHTER, MIKAGESAN MARU DOCUMENT. TYPE: PAPER. TEXTUAL DOCUMENT ORIGINAL Unclassified _ NEW | CLASSIFICATION: = ~"~*° : CLASSIFICATION: REVIEW DATE: — 12/17/1997 UPDATE DATE: STATUS  Redact " RESTRICTIONS: ~ Consultation JFK Act 6 (4) COMMENTS: REFERRED TO USCG, INC 6 TTY Docld: 322976581 Page 1
' Released under the ohn F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Hote; -DATE? 11-14-2017 | - arn Oe ae j iv. aa, \ f 4 i : - : . | wt a> tt 4 j FBT WASH DBC FRY 4 oo ON. meu . 932 “RM URGENT 6/74/62 ALS . / HOUSTON, MIAMI, ANI  UNSUBe CHS - FIRING OR TAMPERING WITE EXPLOSION ABOARD JAPANESE FREIGHTER, “ASAKA MARU”, TAMPA, _ Ne FLORIDA, MAY THIRTY, SIXTYEIGHT, Ss } : N ~ SSEL.  OO0sTP. (45-143) | Classifid Declassi @ ¥ FREIGHTER, "NIKAGESAN MARU aretha ne eernrne AP ELE AR ITS TEER EN TTI caer Se EXPLOSTON ABOARD JAPANESE | “GALVESTON, TEXAS, JUNE ONE, NINETEEN DEXEYELCH? iT, CHS - FIRING oR TAMPERING WITH VESSEL, 00¢ HO . (45-144). a LS JUNE THREE AND FOUR LAST. u > “J ty i tu. c i Sa | oe ~U- t¥) ty id = ao = Oo -] EXPLOSIVE EXPERT, Mac DILL AFB, AN = M ONE TWO THREE TS A CHEMICAL LONG ‘DELAY ORIGINAL PILED IN Yo DETONATOR AND CAN BE DETONATED WITHIN TIME PERIOD on\one TO ONE . e Jun PX " FORTY-FOUR HOURS. [oe FIVE THO = § ACQUAINTED WITH ALL ACTIVITIES OF MIRE IN ARES ADVISES ORLANDO BOSCH AVILA, AKA “ERNESTO”, ALLEGED N TAMPA AREA FOR OVER. ONE YESRs o® "CUBAN POWER” KAS NOT BEEN 1 MARCELINO GARCIA AND EDUARDO MAURTI, REPRESENTATIVES OF (al —MIRR iN nowt ARRIVED TAMPA MAY NINETEEN LAST TO ATTEND CUBANGC te POULT 1968 NOT RECORSES™ 190 JUN 27 1968 ;f 0 we : uy eg, een dais ; oo, = prt Na 2 Docld: 322976581 Page 2?
“Released under the John BR ennedy A205 SADERALISURERFOFONAST SAGE ction Act of 1992 (44° USC 2107 B DATE e1i- 14-2017 J U. S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Mer Toleon_.. | . COMMUNICATION SECTION Mr. DeLoach— | 0) JUN3 1968 C) Mr. Bishop... # % 2 = - Mr.° 7 ° . AT ete | s ra “Mr. Callatan. g TELETYPE gr FBI TAMPA PM EST URGENT 6-3-68 ONL (710 DIRECTOR, HOUSTON AND MIAMI FROM TAMPA (45= FEW UNSUBs EXPLOSION ABOARD JAPANESE FREIGHTER, LE TT ERA STAR EOC, rename semen Nt Legge ect e nr Gar KaGEsan MARU, GALVESTON, TEXAS, JUNE ONE, 1 AO tn et ti EAR A SAUTE TENET NI NETEEN SIXTY EIGHT, CHS - FIRING OR TAMPERING eee WERGELET OEE EERE SSRAIELE RE LAAT BRACES SR A aI EEE “WITH VESSEL, oor “HOUSTON. - Ll wees TAMPA, ADVISED TODAY, RECEIVED oat a FROM LT. (JG) MILLER, USCG, CAPTAIN OF PORT »~ GALVESTON, TEXAS, WHO INFORMED CAPTIONED V soi HAD AN EXPLOSION IN RUDDER POST AREAA ABOUT THREE Eu COPY FIFTY PM, SATURDAY, JUNE ONE LAST FOR INFORMATION HOUSTON, TAMPA INVESTIGATIO NG u & CASH ENTITLED, “UNSUBs EXPLOSION ABOARD JAPANESE BNREECOR: FREIGHTER, “ASAKA MARU” TAMPA, FLA. MAY THIRTY, NINETEEN SIXTYEIGHT’, SAME CHARACTER®, WHEREIN jORIS-7 | SIMILAR EXPLOSION OCCURRED IN RUDDER POST AREA, | CAUSY.NG ESTIMATED DAMAGE OF ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND more la 2 <== ois be | if 6 JUN 26 1968 Rage sas Apa ee : h Docld: 322976581 Page 3
Me -DdLoach Z i . , FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION ° : Mr. Mohr. | 7” com PARTMENT OF JUSTICE y : M?. Bishop... _. | COMMUNICATION section C) Mr Casper — [ingen 4 Mr. Cillahan .. } JUN 3 1968 Mr. Conrad... j Mr. Felt ar under the John F. _Kennegly Assassination Records Collection Act of 199? (44 USE oboe? Bi . Miss Holmes. fl Miss Sandy. A! FB I- “HOUSTON f52568 PM URGENT 6-3-68 af MATE 0. DIRECTOR, TAMPA, MIAMI ab UNCLA FROM HOUSTON (45-NEW DAT i ctl | UNSUB; EXPLOSION ABOARD Japanese “vessel @mIKAGESAN | MARU AER GALVESTON, TEXAS, JUNE ONE LAST; CRIME ON THE HIGH SEAS - | ap FIRING OR TAMPERING WITH VESSEL, 00: HO. | 3 | ON THIS DATE, LTo Wo Go MILLER, Us So COAST GUARD, U. S. COAST GUARD BASE, GALVESTON, ADVISED THE JAPANESE VESSEL °MIKAGESAN MARU” ARRIVED AT PIER FORTY, GALVESTON, TEXAS, AT NINE PM, MAY THREE ONE, LAST, THE LAST PORT Lp AT WHICH THIS VESSEL WAS DOCKED PRIOR TO ARRIVING GALVESTON If WAS MEAMI, FLORIDA, HAVING ARRIVED AT MIAMI, MAY TWO EIGHT, {v - LAST, AND DEPARTED FROM MIAMI TO GALVESTON, SIX AM, MAY TWO NINE, LAST. MELLER STATED WHILE VESSEL WAS DOCKED AT PIER FORTY, GALVESTON, AN EXPLOSION OCCURRED IN THE AFT PART OF THE SHIP ly yo ldGlo 7 - END PAGE ONE Docld: 32297651 Page 4
mL: - S5a55 \TE: 11- 14- 2017 Oa PAGE TWO AT THREE FIFTEEN PM, JUNE ONE, LAST, AT THE TIME OF THE EXPLOSION, THE SHIP WAS IN THE PROCESS OF LOADING COTTON AND THE COTTON WAS BEING PLACED IN HOLES ONE TWO AND THREE WHICH ARE LOCATED IN THE FORWARD SECTION OF THE VESSEL. HE STATED AT THREE FIFTEEN PM, JUNE ONE, LAST, A LOUD NOISE OCCURRED IN THE AFT PART OF THE VESSEL AND THE CHIEF MATE ‘OF THE VESSEL CLAIMED HE THEN OBSERVED WHITE AND GRAYISH SMOKE AT THE REAR PART OF THE VESSEL AFTER THE EXPLOSION. MILLER STATED HE OBSERVED THE DAMAGE TO THE VESSEL FROM THE EXPLOSION AND NOTED ONE OF THE STEEL PLATES OF THE HULL OF THE VESSEL LOCATED AT THE STOCK AND SHAFT OF THE RUDDER OF THE | VESSEL HAD BEEN BLOWN INWARD AND THAT A SMALL PORTION OF THE PLATE HAD BEEN BLOWN DOWNWARD. HE STATED THE DAMAGED PLATE IS ABOUT THREE AND A HALF FEET - FOUR FEET IN LENGTH AND ABOUT ONE AND A HALF FEET WIDE. NO ONE WAS INJURED AND NO FIRE ‘OCCURRED ‘FROM THE EXPLOSION AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE END PAGE TWO Docld: 322976581 Page 5
RO Based Ander the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 H ter. TE jp ft -14-27017 ~ 0 7 0 ° or PAGE THREE PIER OR OTHER PARTS OF THE VESSEL, HE STATED THERE WAS NO “CHEMICAL OR EXPLOSIVE TYPE OF CARGO ABOARD THE VESSEL AT THE TIME OF THE EXPLOSION, HE ADVISED THE EXPLOSION OCCURRED IN THE RUDDER AREA ABOUT SIX TO EIGHT FEET ABOVE THE WATER OF THE CHANNEL, HE ADVISED THE ONLY CARGO NEAR THE DAMAGED PLATE WAS WATER TANKS CONTAINING WATER USED BY THE SHIP PERSONNEL, HE ADVISED THE ONLY DAMAGE RESULTING FROM THE EXPLOSION WAS TO. THE STEERING MECHANISM, BUT THE VESSEL WITH ASSISTANCE OF TUGS, LEFT GALVESTON JUNE TWO, LAST AND WENT TO HOUSTON, TEXAS, WHERE THE VESSEL IS NOW LOCATED AT PIER TWO ONE. MILLER STATED HE OBTAINED A SMALL PORTION OF THE DAMAGED PLATE AND ANOTHER SMALL PIECE OF METAL WHICH DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE PART OF THE VESSEL'S HULL. HE ADVISED HE HAD NO IDEA WHA T CAUSED THE EXPLOSION. HE STATED HE HAD LEARNED THROUGH CONTACT WITH THE U, S. COAST GUARD IN FLORIDA THAT ANOTHER JAPANESE VESSEL, THE | END PAGE THREE Docld: 322976581 Page 6
Prexeased 3 “under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1993 (44 0sc 7107 Hote }- TE: 11- 14-7017 F BD yt 9 2 o PAGE FOUR "ASAKA MARU" HAD A SIMILAR INCIDENT AT TAMPA, FLORIDA, ON MAY THIRTY, LAST AND THIS VESSEL, TOO, HAD PREVIOUSLY SAILED FROM MIAMI, FLORIDA. HE ADVISED THAT THIS VESSEL IS PRESENTLY BEING TOWED TO MOBILE, ALABAMA. TAMPA AT TAMPA, FLORIDA. IF NOT ALREADY DONE, ASCERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES RE DAMAGES TO THE "ASAKA MARU". MOBILE AT MOBILE, ALABAMA. WILL UPON ARRIVAL OF THE “ASAKA MARU", INTERVIEW SHIP PERSONNEL FOR ALL PERTINENT INFORMATION. © | MIAMI AT MIAMI, FLORIDA. WILL OBTAIN ALL PERTINENT INFORMATION REGARDING “MIKAGESAN MARU” AND “ASAKA MARU? WHILE THEY WERE DOCKED AT MIAMI AND ATTEMPT TO DEVELOP ANY SUSPECTS. HOUSTON AT HOUSTON, TEX. WILL AT PIER Two ONE, INTERVIEW SHIP PERSONNEL OF THE “MIKAGESAN MARU” FOR ALL PERTINENT INFORMATION AND EXAMINE DAMAGED AREA OF VESSEL. P END HOLD AFTER ACK WPK FBY WASH DC ane: . re wre we SP, ‘OK Docld: 322976581 Page 7