Veciana - 17 staff individual it was being done. 19° It happened "a number of times"; he said that a Cuban would come in and ask to see Colonel Kail and, when introduced to him, tell him that he was not the Colonel Kail he had met outside the Embassy. 102 Kail said he would then take the Cuban through the Embassy to have him point « 102 out the CIA agent who had used his name. (‘$1) Kail said he was not familiar with a Maurice Bishop, nor had he ever heard of anyone using that name. 193 (it A} Another aspect of Veciana's story which the Committee at® borate was his claimed in- volvement.in the assassination attempt on Castro in Chile in 1971. Ina report given to Senator George McGovern in 1975, Castro provided information detailing the plot ‘and accused "“counter-revolutionaries from Alpha 66" as co-conspirators. /°? Veciana himself, however, was not specifically mentioned. Nevertheless, Eas } Committee jmmeonpimnqarlaieds “ PLOb beg the anti~-Castro Cuban community in Miami, found that Veciana's involvement in the plot was known by many of the active exiles. Max Lesnik, editor and publisher of Replica, the most pro- minent Spanish-language weekly publication in the com- munity, said he was aware of Veciana's involvement in 105 the assassination attempt at the time. He said, HW 53080 Docld:322973595 Page 88
HW 53060 Veciana - 18 however, that Veciana told him that it was "his own plan," and did not mention the involvement of a Maurice Bishop. 1?° Lesnik could not identify Bishop but said he always did think that Veciana must have had "some high government contacts, probably CIA, ni07 (9 The Committee also attempted to confirm Veciana's role in the Chile plot by locating two other anti-Castro Cubans allegedly involved with him. They were interviewed in Caracas, Venezuela, and, because they are not United States citizens, they could not be subpoenaed for sworn statements. ( (84) One of those named was Lucilo Pena. A Cuban- born graduate of Auburn University in Georgia, Pena is now a Venezuelan citizen and a sales manager for a large chemical firm. He has lived in Venezuela since Loy. 108 (3) Although Pena denied any involvement in the Castro assassination plot in Chile, he admitted to know- ing Veciana since "1964 or 1965," when he was active in Alpha 66's "Plan Omega," a plot to invade Cuba from a base in the Dominican Republic. 1°? He said he first met Veciana through a friend, Secundino Alverez, who was the Caracas chapter leader of Alpha 66,710 (Alverez was among those named by Veciana as also being involved 1il Pena admitted he had been in in the Chile plot.) contact with Veciana during the period the Chile plot was being planned but, he said, their meetings were Doclda: 32273595 Page 39
HW 53060 Veciana - 19 only casual, usually at boxing matches which Veciana promoted. 17? ‘Pena also admitted that Veciana may have discussed the possibility of assassinating Castro with him during one of these encounters at the boxing matches. "I think he asked some help in raising money," Pena said, "but that's all I know about that, "213 Pena denied any knowledge or involvement in any plot to blame Russian agents for the planned Castro assassination in Chile. "I am not the type to do that kind of counter-intelligence work," he said. "I am too open wll4 | and honest. a 6) (43%, Pena, however, admitted to knowing, perhaps since 1963, Luis Posada, another anti-Castro Cuban in Caracas who Veciana claims was also involved in the plot to kill Castro in Chile. 145 (43 4/ \Conmi ttee invesetgerors= interviewed Luis Posada in the Venezuelan political prison, Cuartel San Carlos, in Caracas. Posada had been arrested in October, 1976, along with well-known anti-Castro Cuban terrorist Orlando Bosch, and indicted for being in- volved in the bombing of a Cubana Airlines plane in 116 - which 73 persons were killed. Cs? 2) Posada had earlier been linked with assassina-~ tion ‘plots against Cuban officials in Chile, including two who disappeared in August, 1976. 117 Docld: 322773595 Page 90
Veciana - 20 é * (75 Tf Posada's background as a military and intelli- gence operative is eclectic. He was a member of Brigade 2506 but did not take part in the Bay of Pigs landing.!18 In 1963 he joined the U. S. Army and was commissioned 19 | a first lieutenant. He resigned his commission in 1964 \ana became an agent for the cray*° He went to ae Venezuela in 1967 and shortly afterwards joined the Venezuelan secret police, called DISIP, the Direccion de los Servicios de Inteligencia y Prevencion.t?t From 1971 to 1973 he: was chief of operations of the General Division of Security for DISIP, which included counter- intelligence.1? He resigned from DISIP in 1973 and went to Washington, D. C. to take training from what he termed "a private company" in the field of lie detection. 1}22 He then returned to Caracas to open his own private detective agnecy. (/60) Posada told Committee investigators that he was not involved in the Castro assassination attempt in Chile in 1971.14 He admitted that he knew Veciana but said he only met him twice, once in Miami and once in Caracas at the boxing matches. 12° He said he did talk to Veciana about the time the Chile plot was being_ planned, but Veciana never mentioned anything to him about ie. 128) HW 53060 DBocld:32273595 Page 91
HW 53060 marriage, the husband of a first cousin to Veciana. Veciana - 21 (/6/) | esr Another aspect of Veciana's allegations whee were of seme Ge interest to the Committee was Bishop's suggestion of developing a misinformation scheme involv- . . .: 27 . ing a Castro intelligence agent and Oswald.+ Veciana said that Bishop knew that a relative of his was in the Cuban Intelligence service assigned to Mexico City at the time of the Kennedy assassination.1}28 According to Veciana, a news story was circulating immediately after the assassination that Oswald had met a couple on the Mexican border while on his way to Mexico City prior to the assassination.+?? Bishop, Veciana said, suggested he attempt to get in touch with his relative and offer him a bribe to say that it was he and his wife who met Oswald in Mexico, 13° Veciana said he was never able to get in touch with his relative about it and eventually Bishop told him to forget it. 23} (162) The name of Veciana's.relative is Orestes Guil- lermo Ruiz Perez and he is, in fact, a relative by 132 Veciana said he first learned of Ruiz's affiliation with Castro's intelligence service shortly after Castro took _ power. He and Ruiz were walking in a Havana park when they were stopped and searched by Castro's police. Ruiz was found to be carrying a gun and was taken away. Con- cerned, Veciana immediately placed a call to a close friend inside Castro's government, Minister of Pinance y Docld:32273595 Page 92
Veciana - 22 Rufo Lopez-Fresquet. Lopez-Fresquet told Veciana not to worry about Ruiz because Ruiz was actually working for the intelligence service. 3 (/63 Although Ruiz was a Castro’ agent and Communist, he warned Veciana that he was being observed visiting the American Embassy in Havana and told him to be care- 134 is ful That™g,why Veciana later thought that he might o be able to turn Ruiz into an anti-Castro agent. Sometime after the Kennedy assassination, Veciana said he was ap- proached by another anti-Castro Cuban named Robert Vale: 135 \whom he knew to be working for the cal Vale asked i Veciana to attempt to contact Ruiz about possibly be- * coming an asset for the CIA. 36 Ruiz, at the time, was stationed in Spain and when Veciana found a friend, Roblejo Lorie, who was traveling to Spain, he asked him to carry a letter to Ruiz. Lorie gave the letter to Ruiz but, according to Veciana, Ruiz tore the letter 4 up in front of Lorie and told him that he did not want to have any contact with Veciana because he knew Veciana "was working for the cra,"t3? (/64) The Committee was able to interview Orestes 138 Guillermo Ruiz in Havana. Ruiz acknowledged that he was related to Veciana through marriage.+?? He said that "everyone in Cuba" knows that Veciana is associated HW 53060 Docld: 32273595 Page 93 “A
HW 53060 Veciana - 24 dition because he knows that Veciana had to undergo vigorous tests in his rise in the hanking business. 149 C16? Veciana himself denied Ruiz's allegations that he had had psychiatric problems as a young man. His mother confirmed his denial. ?°° The Search for Bishop (168) One of the factors utilized in the Committee's efforts to locate Maurice Bishop was the description of him provided by Veciana. When he first met him in 1960, Veciana said, Bishop was about 45 years old, about 6'2" tall, weighed over 200 pounds and was athletically built. He had grey-blue eyes, light brown hair and, a light 151 complexion. Geos? Veciana said, ABishop: appeared MALT to spend -ssket=ef time outdoors or in sunny climate be- cause he was usually well-tanned and there was some skin discoloration, like sun spots, under his eyes. [°° He appeared to be meticulous about his dress and usually concerned about his weight and diet.2?? In the latter O25 cid . ct a years that Veciana knew him, Bishop taok“to,using glasses A for reading.?>4 Oey Shortly after he revealed his Bishop relation- ship to Senator Schweiker's investigator, Veciana aided. a professional artist in developing a composite sketch of Bishop. Schweiker's office provided the Committee with a copy of the sketch. Veciana told the Committee that he considered the artist's composite sketch of Bishop a DoclId:32273595 Page 935
HW 53060 Veciana - 25 "pretty good" resemblance.!>°> (i 79) Prior to the Committee's efforts, Senator Schweiker's office, as well as the Senate Select Sub-— committee he headed, looked into certain aspects of Veciana's allegations. Schweiker, for instance, re- quested the Belgian Embassy to conduct a record check for information about a passport issued under the name of "Frigault." The Belgian Embassy said that, without additional identifying information, it could not help.??° In addition, Schweiker's investigator showed Veciana numerous photographs of individuals who may have used the name of Bishop, among them Oswald's friend, George deMohrenschildt, who was then a teacher at Bishop College in Dallas. The results were negative.?>/ ( 74) It was Senator Schweiker who focused the Com- mittee's attention on David Atlee Phillips, former chief of the Western Hemisphere Division of the cra (Deputy| a Directorate of Operations, as perhaps having knowledge of Maurice Bishop. Immediately after receiving the Bishop sketch, Schweiker concluded that Phillips, who had earlier testified before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Activities, bears a strong resemblance to the sketch. Docld:32273595 Page 96
HW 53060 VECIANA BESET - page 25-4 (74) When Veciana was shown a photograph of David Phillips by Schweiker's investigator, he did not provide am an absolutely conclusive ikea SF } For that reason, it was decided that Veciana be given the opportunity to observe Phillips in tH 1 TF person. «23 Schweiker arranged for Veciana to be present at a luncheon meeting of the Association of Retired Intelligence Officers in Reston, Virginia, on September a) 17, 1976. Phillips was one of the founders of the Association. CES 15nd. ' Veciana was introduced to Phillips prior to the luncheon. He was introduced by name but not by affiliation with Alpha 66 LC mTOR CCS or involvement with anti-Castro activity. According to Schweiker's investigator, there was no indication of /é3 recognition on Phillipl’S\ part. @ Following the Ye ie Veciana had the opportunity to speak with Phillips se ~ (Peutemea in Spanish. Veciana asked Phillips if he was in Havana in “6S 1960 and if he knew Julio Lobo. Phillips answered both questions affirmatively and then asked Veciana to repeat FRB YES his name. Veciana did and then asked, "Do you know my name?" 4C7 a. Phillips said he did nots Phillips asked if Veciana was ; . WA | on Schweiker's staff. he was told that he was not but that Veciana was helping Schweiker in his investigation of the . SEF 1590 Kennedy assassination.” Phillips declined to be interviewed by Senator Schweiker's investigator, but said he would be happy to speak with any Congressman or Congressional representative [7a "in Congress.’ Following the encounter of Veciana and Phillips, Docld: 32273595 Page 9?
HW 53060 25h asked Veciana if Schweiker's investigator =pmaetieechh OF | Hy RS. David ey Ses was Maurice Bishop. Veciana said he was arom Coie) not”? Boweanoms ciwefker's investigator expressed some > Raenever) doubt about Veciana's credibility on the point,because of Veciana's renewed interest in continuing his anti-Castro operations ans his expressed desire to re-contact Bishop (73 to help nine th addition, Schweiker's investigator expressed doubt that David Phillips, who was once in charge of Cuban operations for the CIA and whose career was deeply entwined in anti-Castro operations, could not recognize the name of Veciana as being the founder and vociferous public spokesman for one of the largest and most active eg, PRR anti-Castro Cuban groups, Alpha 66. L7F¢ (174) ae Committee considered other factors in exam- ining Phillips. Until 1963, Phillips' principal area of expertise and operations } with the CIA was propaganda and 5/7 5” psychological warfare. In 1960, when Veciana said Docld:32273595 Page 965
HW 53060 Veciana - 26 he first met Bishop in Havana, Phillips was serving as a covert operative in Havana, running a public rela- — 7% tions agency as a front. From 1961 to 1963, Phillips was Chief of Covert Action in Mexico City. When Oswald visited the Cuban Embassy in Mexico City in 1963, Phillips was in charge of Cuban Operations for the CIA in Mexico City. Phillips had earlier lived in and had numerous as- 177 ' sociations in Chile. He had also served as Chief of Station in the Dominican Republic, Brazil and Venezuela. rash weee@e further validated an interest in Phillips in relatign to Bishop. In Miami, its investigators inter- (173) The Committee -adkas developed other information 176 toi eae tlig Pe fused 0p viewed a former career agent for the CIA, tae. wiihediY Row Caress. -Groziery From September, 1960 until November, 1962, Cone ss Crozier was a case officer at the CIA's JM/WAVE station, the operational base which coordinated the Agency's _ (7 activities with the anti-Castro Cuban exiles. He handled one of the largest and most activé anti-Castro groups, [the Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil. (DRE)\. ‘ - Cypress ; ; At the time that Greerer was at the Miami JM/WAVE okow CH station, pavid Phillips was responsible for the-psycho- logical_warfare aspects of the CT anti-Castro opera~ Mere Cross tions. _ eresrer coordinated the DRE's propagandal opera” tions with Phillips, who would occasionally visit the h 164 / JM/WAVE station from Wasington. Generally, however, aren 12% >  Crezier worked with Phillips' direct assistant at the Doclda: 32273595 Page 99 Pa +63
HW 53060 Veciana - 27 Station, who used the cover name of Doug Gupton. (179) x0 his book about his role in the Bay of Pigs operation, former CIA officer E. Howard Hunt uses a psuedonym when referring to the chief of [bropa- t65-/57~ ganda for/the operation. The chief of propaganda . ase ips (73 was David Phillips. Hunt called him "Knight. Het (Ty When asked bys Committee ie was familiar with anyone using the cover name of Ces$ Bishop at the JM/WAVE station, *@reeter said he was "almost positive" that David ypiliips had used the cover name of Maurice Bishop. He said he was "fairly sure" pee PS that Hunt himself had used the cover name of Knight. Cres$ erat paar” Owever y—Croztrer said* the reason he was certain that Phillips used the name of Bishop was because he recalled sometimes discussing field and agent problems \in the area of psychological warfare|with Phillips' assistant Doug Gupton and Gupton often saying, "Well, I guess Mr. Ode SS ‘Bishop will have to talk with him." -Grezbher said: "And, of course, I knew he was referring to his boss, David Phillips." He® /4 (174 The Committee ascertained that the cover name of Doug Gupton was used at the JM/WAVE station by Q ss former CIA employee ptdemnenertie tn heectaaree ir bd (INSERT -- get. Kent. insert - CIA security room safe in FONZI - INSERTS file) — j27- 19s Docld: 32273595 Page 100
pees as pettase™ IO eT ia ee AOL | enema eras 2 PID EN RE A So te A * YU . s Los - insert Veciana write up /eaf — ‘. (\74) me Committee staff interviewed Doug Gupton « on | August 22nd, 1978 at CIA headquarters. gO Geaahiey Gupton said he worked for the : CIA from December, 1951) until his retirement.in June, 4 Ww awa avot> oltauds , 1978, much of that. time gh the Covert Action Guidance “ss Staff. (22s Gupton confinmed that he was in charge VE 6 pecial Sad ob fasemmemide operatiGnsyat the Miami JM/WAVE station YP and that his immediate superior - was David Phillips. category CS (cover came) Gupton acknowledged that who worked for him and that he saw on a “aatiy 140 basis. (84) Gupton said he does not recall whether FE. Howard Hunt or David Phillips ever used- the name of "Knight." ever using “the name of Maurice Bishop. ” When Cross’ . : . told about cazexsieniits recollection of him referring to ' Phillips as "Mr. Bishop,” Gupton said: "Well, maybe I 1?@3 did. I don't remember." 6see He also said, however, that he never heard the name of Bishop while he was tem 74+ stationed in Miami. (ese When shown the sketch orf Bishop, he said it did not look 131k <e anyone he knew. rs ) He said he does not Bocas Phillips. (easy | (/ Explaining his working | relationship with David Phillips, ~Gupton said he was in contact with him regularly in Washington by telephone and cable and that Phillips visited Miami HW 53060 DBocld: 32273595 Page 101 "quite
a Gee 70 Seas Gupton said, however, that there were two His set of operations was run out of sets of operations. Miami and he kept Phillips informed of them. Phillips ran another set of operations personally out of Washington and, Gupton sald, Phillips did: not keep him briefed about enon bel Gupton also said he knew that Phillips used many of his _ojd contacts from Havana in his personal Reem? operations. €2 Sores ea HW 53060 DBocld:32273595 Page 102
ae AD ie Se ae aie capheahe sevahions aset Fabaceae Ta cdpcia eevieiesia ine Saaealtee ites Seip Rak rene a Came eee ee nee Veciana - 28 Gz David Atlee Phillips testified before the Committee in Executive Session on April 25th, 1978. 3 ine Executive: Session:.on April, 25,. 1978. Nie said he never m2 197 used the name « Maurice Bishop. He said he did not know 7 BEF 2100. of anyone in the CIA who used the name ¢ Maurice Bishop. He said he had seen Antonio veciana only ‘twice in his life, — @ the second time oewcsy morning of his hearing before the Gommittee when Veciana, who had testified earlier, emerged R0O/ TF from the hearing room while he, Phillips, was in the hallway. Phillips said the first time he met Veciana was at a meeting ; oe of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers in Reston. . : He said that Veciana’ was brought to that meeting by an investigator from Senator Schweiker's office but, said Phillips, Veciana was not. introduced to him by name but | AERO 2 only as "the driver. He said Veciana asked him some questions in Spanish but at the time, Bewardp he diay hot know who Veciana was or why Senator Schweiker's office had _ sent him to the meeting. (138) Phillips also testified that he had never used the Sof ise name. Pa Frigault and had never used a Belgian passport { 123) Phillips was “shown the sketch of Maurice Bishop but could not identify it as anyone he knew. He said, however, or 706 - ; "It looks like me. (7P4)r0 sworn testimony before the Committee in Executive Session on April 26th, 1978, Antonio Veciana » said that David Atlee Phillips is not the person he 707 knew as Maurice Bishop. . ae said, “however, that | ; aa, 491 308 there was a “physical similarity." HW 53060 DBocld:32273595 Page 103
(8) On March 2, 1978, the Committee requested the CIA to check all its files and index references per-*? taining to Maurice Bishop. © On March 31, 1978,. the CIA informed the Committee that its Office of the Inspector General, its Office of the General Counsel, its Office of Personnel and the Deputy Directorate of $03 4/0 Operations had no record of a Maurice Bishop. (789) On August 10, 1978, B.H. - @e he a former covert operative of ‘the CIA, was sey Brier by the Ere Committee in a special closed session. from 1952 to 1970. ee Between 1960 and | Gite] Ai 2 1964 he was assigned to Cuban operations. 63s aries? BH. was a CIA Sent. — Ce a pay As such, he testified, he was involved in "“day- to-day" operations with David Atlee Phillips. He characterized Phillips as "an excellent intelligence officer” and "a 43) 2/4 personal friend." fe5 (18) When asked if he knew an individual named Maurice Bishop, B.H. said: "Again, Mr. Bishop was in the organization but I had no , personal day-to-day open relationship. with him. Phillips, C22) ARIS yes; Bishop, no. I knew them both..." @3easepas2) . 7 we V 738) Although he couldn't: describe Bishop's physical ‘characteristics, B.H. said he had seen him "two or ‘three G2 216 times" Sees) in the Mhallways or cafeteria" (a8, Qas2t} at CIA headquarters in Langley. B.H. said he thought ° ° (eo lf Bishop worked in the Western Hemisphere Division ~ [== and that he had a position "higher than me.’ He could not be more specific. The two .or three times he saw Bishop, he said, was between 1960 and 1964. when he himself was in Cuban operations, although, he said, he dian’ t know @3) 230. {£ Bishop worked in that area also. Pt eeromene meena: 2 5ST EEE ETE OEE ESE in AW 353080) Bocld:32273595 Page 104
HW 53060 a 2, B.H. insert hot (/ 84) askea how, if He did¥Va personally know Bishop, he knew the person he saw at CIA headquarters was Maurice Bishop, B.H. said: "Someone might have said, 'That is — Maurice Bishop,' and it was different from Dave Phillips BT Josue Lamigacy Gate 23) 7 or|Hal Swenson; guys that I know.” <Suem SS Cn (40) Cowevers When shown the skete of Maurice pishop, WV oe B.H. could not identify it as anyone he recognized. Docld: 32273595 Page 105