Date: 01/17/05 JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION FORM AGENCY INFORMATION AGENCY : CIA RECORD NUMBER : 104-10102-10148 RECORD SERIES : JFK AGENCY FILE NUMBER : 80T01357A DOCUMENT INFORMATION AGENCY ORIGINATOR : FBI FROM : FBI/MIAMI TO : CIA TITLE : REPORT: LORAN EUGENE HALL, AKA LORENZO HALL DATE : 08/26/1964 PAGES : 9 SUBJECTS : MIRO GUARDIA HALL, LORAN E DOCUMENT TYPE : PAPER CLASSIFICATION :. UNCLASSIFIED RESTRICTIONS -: 1B CURRENT STATUS : RELEASED IN PART PUBLIC - RELEASED WITH DELETIONS DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 07/20/93 COMMENTS : JFK34 : F19 : 1993.07.20.09:05:22:620530 : COVERING TRANSMITTAL LETTER ATTACHED. Released under the John Kennedy Was5assination Records ollection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Nate). ases#: NW 54653 Date: WO-253-Z2017 {R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED 104-10102-10148 HW 54653 Docld:32356696 Page 1
yOrl4f (Rev. 10-13-63) eee . ——$———— . . — 2 Federal Bureau of Investigation fae AUG 26 1964 a ; i _Director i oes | _ Central Intelligence Agency . . at Washington, D. C. 20505 . Ce ATTENTION: Deputy Director, Plans \ so Dear Sir: i . ~ oor your information, I am enclosing communications which may be a of interest to you. — oo (__] No further investigation is contemplated with regard to this matter. mo {-_] You will be advised of the pertinent developments in connection Oe | with this inquiry. oh CJ Status of case: [_] Completed [_] Incomplete : 4 . i Very truly yours, Enc. (Upon removal of classified enclosures, if any, ' ‘this transmittal form becomes UNCLASSIFIED.) 5 j “Ll H t ' av J v HW 54653 Doel ' — - .
ia Reply, Please Refer to Fue No. HW 54653 UNITED STATES DEPARTMEN FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVE T OF JUSTICE STIGATION 4 Miami, Florida Title LORAN EUGENE HALL, also known as Lorenzo Hall, Lawrence Hall, "Skip!" Character INTERNAL SECURITY - CUBA Reference memorandum dated and captioned as A . All sources (except any listed below) whose identities are concealed in referenced communication have furnished reliable information in the past. This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of the FBI. cal oc) fn itis the property | of the FBI and is loaned to your agency; it and its Contents are not to be distributed outside your agency. DoclId: 32356696 Page 3
HW 54653 In Reply, Please Refer to . : iS '> a 2 ae 7 fo File No. ‘ ‘ ~ _ © LORAN EUGENE HALL, also known as fh} Lorenze Hall, a Lawrence Hall, MSkip" INTERNAL SECURITY - CUBA The following information is submitted to re- ‘flect the activities of LORAN EUGENE HALL in the Miami area. . On July 9, 1939, RUBEN MIRO GUARDIA, a Panamanian then residing.in Miami, advised that. in April, 1959, he was detained by Cuban Police in Havana, Cuba. . During his detention he met a United States citizen named LORAN HALL, who was also under detention at the time. HALL, a white. male, approximately 30 years of age, 5'10" tall, black hair, said he was from the State of Kansas, and had. served in the United States Armed Forces for about six years. HALL told MIRO that he had arrived in Cuba in about March, 1959, and had subsequently been contacted by CAMILO CIENFUEGOS , a Cuban Rebel Army Commander. CIENFUEGOS wanted HALL to train a group cf men who were goine to participate in an invasion of Nicaragua. HALL claimed he trained a group of men on a farm known as La Lisa, located near Havana. HALL said the feod for the trainees came from the Cuban Mil itary Stafff Headquarters, on the Orders of CTENFUEGOS . . . NERO stated that HALL said he was arrested on April 8, 1959, by Cuban authorities, who alleged HALL Was suspected. of being an FBI Agent. On MIRO's departure from - Cuba on July 7, 1959, HALL was etill in the custody. of Cuban: authorities but MIRO believee that HALL was going tc be released and depor tec to the United States. | Gs), - Kn, oe | fi u Docld: 32356696 * Page 4
HW 54653 DocId: 732356696. , Page. A _LORAN EUGENE HALL MM T-1, who has. been involved in Cuban revolu- tionary activities for the past six years, advised on March 10, 1963, that HALL had been in Miami for about the past three months, and associated with GERALD PATRICK HEMMING, an American adventurer, mercenary and soldier of fortune. MM T-1 stated HALL is disagreeable, is not liked by the other mercenaries in Miami,.is of low moral character, and appears to have a criminal background. On March 18, 1963, LUIS BALBUENA, 908 S.W. 5th Street, Miami, a Cuban exile, advised that his brother, along with some Cubans and Americans, was involved in some plan to try and overthrow the government of Haiti. Somehow connected with this group is an American, LORENZO HALL, also known as LAWRENCE HALL, a soldier of fortune, who appears irresponsible and at one time was a member of the Cuban Rebel Army. . On April 5, 1963, the Miami Office received a telephone call from a ‘LORENZO HALL, 142 S.W. 21st Avenue, | Apartment 6, Miami, Florida. HALL said he understood that the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelli- gence Agency and Immigration and Naturalization Service were trying ‘tte locate him, and he wanted to report his © address On November 11, 1963, MM T-1 said that LORENZO HALL, a white male, 25 years of age to 26 years, 5'7". i155 pounds , ruddy complexion, was unemployed and had in- disated te the informant that he was from Los Angeles, California. He is always on the move, is in and out of Miami, is the confidence man type, and it was not known if he was then in Miami. MM T-1 advised that HALL claimed to have been in the Cuban Rebel Army. ‘but the other mercenaries in Miami deubt this. , ~ 2 -
a ‘HW: 54653 ‘LORAN EUGENE HALL . MM T-1 said HALL was then loosely connected with Cuban revolutionary activities, which he uses aS a gimmick to try and obtain money donations. In Miami, he loosely: associated with. GERALD PATRICK HEMMING , "MEXICAN" LARRY HOWARD and WILLIAM HOUSTON SEYMOUR, all unemployed ad- | venturers. MM T-1 stated HALL and HOWARD made a trip to California several months previously in an attempt to collect money by representing themselves as members of an anti-CASTRO movement. [It is doubtful they collected any Sizeable amount of money. Their practice is to contact: local chapters of the John Birch Society, claiming they are anti-Communist freedom fighters, and ask for money to carry on their work.. They do obtain some money this way, and use the money for living expenses. : In October, 1963, according to MM T-1, HALL and SEYMOUR visited Dallas, Texas, trying to collect money donations under the guise. of representing anti-CASTRO organizations. Among the persons they contacted was LESTER R. LOGUE, 628 Meadows Building, Dallas, a geolo- gist. It is unknown if LOGUE. gave them any money. On December 5, 1963, YM T+1 advised that HALL -had not been seen around Miami for about a month, and his whereabouts was then unknown. oy On November 1, 1963 the United States. Customs Service, Miami, Florida, furnished a report concerning the boat PITUSA I, which was observed on October 29, 1963 . being trailer hauled by a 1955 Oldsmobile sedan, south of Miami in the direction of the Florida Keys. This car was. ~-3.- ’ DocId; 32356696 Page 6
~ NW 54653 Doecla;32356696 Page 7 LORAN EUGENE HALL accompanied by another automobile, and a station wagon. At approximately 1 AM on October 30, 1963, in the vicinity of Jewfish Creek; U.S. Customs officers approached the Oldsmobile and boat, and another one of the cars, and found in the second car a quantity of arms, munitions, explosives and supplies.’ The driver of the 1955 Olds- _ mobile was -identified as L. E. HALL, 142 S.W. 21st Avenue, Miami, Florida, who was also the registered owner of this car. The sole occupant of the other car, a Mercury, was identified as MANUEL BARBARITO PEREZ GOYANES , a Cuban citizen. Customs seized both cars and their con-~ tents.. Investigation disclosed that an anti-CASTRO or- ganization, the Frente Revolucionario Anti-Comunista (FRAC), had been involved in plans to utilize the PITUSA I on a trip to Cuba, for the purpose of gathering propaganda material for the John Birch Society, and to obtain money to sustain military type raids on Cuba. On August 6, 1964, Mr. STANLEY SHACHTER, U.S. Customs Agent, Miami, confirmed that L. E. HALL is identical to LORAN EUGENE HALL. He recalled that HALL, at the time of the Jewfish Creek incident, said he intended to to to Cuba on a raid. Neither HALL nor his companions were arrested, . At that time HALL had information in his poss- ession reflecting that he was born January 4, 1930 and re- ‘Sided at: 285 N. Oakland, Apartment 9, Pasadena, California. Another residence address in his possession was for 1191 Collegeview Drive, Apartment 14, Monterey Park, California, On June 26, 1964, MM T~1 Stated that he last - 4m. ie Donated qeedpataatamny Ss i ele eh een rin isene
HW 54653 LORAN EUGENE HALL heard of LORENZO HALL about 8 months ago, at which time HALL. was reportedly en route to Mexico with LAWRENCE HOWARD. - MM. T-1 said that both HALL ‘and HOWARD were "soldier-of-fortune types" and prior to coming to Miami in 1963, had raised money, possibly from right wing organizations in California, in order to support their proposed military action against the regime of FIDEL CASTRO. HALL never succeeded in such military effort in that he was thwarted; by the action of U.S. Customs at Miami, who seized what equipment he possessed. MM T-l expressed the opinion that HALL may have gone to Mexico with HOWARD, but HALL is not know to have returned to Miami since the latter part of 1963. - On July 22, 1964, GERALD PATRICK HEMMING, 1036. S.W. 5th Street, Miami, Florida, who since 1959 has been active in Cuban revolutionary activities, stated he first met LORAN HALL, who liked to be called "SKIP" HALL, in April, 1959, at which time HALL was in jail at the Army barracks in Ciudad Libertad near Havana, Cuba. HALL was arrested for. being involved in alleged prepara- tiens for revolutionary action against Nicaragua. HALL shered a cell in the Cuban jail with SANTOS TRAFFICANTE, well known gambler and hoodlum of Tampa and Miami, Florida. So - oS HEMMING stated he next met HALL in Los Angeles in January, 1963, at which time HEMMING was visiting his family, and while in Los Angeles, HEMMING was inter- viewed by a reporter from the PASADENA INDEPENDENT STAR concerning HEMMING's anti-CASTRO organization called 5. Docld: 32356696 Page 6
HW 54653 Docld: 3235669 LORAN EUGENE HALL Interpen (Inter-Continental Penetration Forces). HALL, who was in.California at the time, was able to locate HEMMING through the reporter. HEMMING related that on his return from Cali- fornia to Miami in February, 1963, HALL accompanied him, and after arrival in Miami, HALL attempted to asso- ciate himself with various anti-CASTRO groups to organize action on several revolutionary ideas of HALL, including one to invade Haiti. None of the groups at Miami took HALL very seriously, considering him somewhat of an un- reliable character. HALL eventually associated himself with a Cuban named MANUEL '"MANOLO" AGUILAR. Together with AGUILAR and several other Americans, including WILLIAM SEYMOUR from Arizona and TOM DUNKIN, a Florida newspaper- man, HALL participated in an infiltration attempt against Cuba but they were arrested by U.S. Customs while stiil on the highway in the Florida Keys. At that time U.S. Customs confiscated what equipment the group had, but no prosecutions were brought against HALL or the other. individuals involved. HEMMING stated that the latter incident occurred some time in late 1963. During the summer of. 1963, HALL and LAWRENCE "LARRY" HOWARD, an individual of Mexican-American descent who was in-Miami at the time, went out to California where they were able to raise funds and obtain some guns. which they then brought back to Miami. HEMMING recalled that they had approximately 16 Garand M-1 rifles, which. they converted to automatic rifles. HEMMING said that | these weapons were confiscated by U.S. Customs on the | highway in the Florida Reys when HALL and his group were reportedly preparing to leave for Cuba.
AW 54653 Bocld:32356696 Page 10 LORAN EUGENE HALL HEMMING advised that HALL has not been in Miami Since approximately November, 1963, when Customs made the Seizure of equipment. He said that HALL left Miami with LAWRENCE HOWARD, who: was reportedly now in Vera Cruz, Mexico. HEMMING did not know if HALL went to Mexico at. that time but he recently saw MANUEL AGUILAR, now a member of the anti-CASTRO group Ejercito Rebelde in Miami ; and AGUILAR said he had recently heard from HALL, who is still in Los Angeles. . HEMMING stated that HALL is about 32 years of age and is. married to a woman who once was the secretary to the President of Cessna Aircraft in Wichita, Kansas, but as of February, 1963, when HEMMING was in Los Angeles, HALL was residing at 285 N. Oakland, Apartment 9, Pasadena, California. At that time he was employed by the Ernie Porter Chevrolet Company in Pasadena. HEMMING related that HALL and LAWRENCE HOWARD -when en route from California to Miami in the summer of 1963 with the converted Garand rifles, were held by the Dallas Police Department for possession of narcotic medicines. HEMMING believed that HALL and HOWARD had been able to obtain such medicines from doctors in Cali- fornia on the basis of their propesed military action against Cuba, which would require medicine for the wounded. HEMMING did not know how HALL and HOWARD came to the atten- tion of the Dallas police. This document centains neither recemmendations nor con- | clusions of the FBI. It is the property of the FBI and is loaned to your agency; it and its contents are not to be © distributed cutside your agency. cs - 7 *.