104-10429-10054  SUBaL(T Plight from Mexico City to Havana on 22 November 1963 REFERENCE : 1. What is the ‘total CIA information on the two flights from Mexico City. to Havana? 2. What was done. at the time to develop further information _ on this matter? 3. Can further: information be acquired on this matter now? FINDINGS: 1. The Mexico Station records confirm only one flight from Mexico City to Havana on 22 November 1963. This was the regularly scheduled Cubana Airlines flight. There were two reports of small aircraft flights (one | a twin engine flight to Mexico City connecting with Cubana for onward transportation to Havana of a mysterious passenger;. and the other a flight allegedly from Dallas, Tijuana, and Mexico City to Havana with two "gang- land'' type passengers.) Beyond the original reports (from sources of undetermined reliability) there was nothing in the Mexico Station records to substantiate that these flights occurred. 2. Facts substantiated by Mexico Station records: On 22 November 1963 a Cubana Airlines plane from Havana arrived at the Mexico City International airport at 1620 hours (Mexico City time) and departed on a return flight to Havana between 1940 and 2035 hours (Mexico City time) the same day. It was on the ground in Mexico City about 4 hours which would be considered normal for servicing for a turnaround flight carrying passengers both ways. . This information was obtained from sensitive reliable sources in the process of _ routine operating procedures on 22 November 1963. 3. Report. not substantiated by-Mexico Station records: On 30 November 1963 CIA Headquarters cabled Mexico City that a report had been received that the 22 November 1963 Cubana departure had been delayed.five hours from 1700 to 2200 hours awaiting an important passenger who arrived at the Mexico City airport in a private twin motor aircraft at 2130 hours Mexico time. Passenger transferred directly . to Cubana plane without going through customs or immigration and travelled in pilot's cabin to Havana. 2/ This information “was passed to the Mexican officials on 2 December 1963 for investigation. There is no record of a reply. We know from independent information in paragraph two above that some parts of this report are in error. The Cubana flight was not delayed for five hours. It had departed for Havana from Mexico City between 1640 and 2035 hours which would be at least an hour before the twin motor aircraft was alleged to have arrived in Mexico City. The source's name is on the manifest as a passenger from Mexico City to Havana but the - time supplied by him does not agree with. other information considered reliable. w
13-00000 - The Mexiéan Government assured the U. S. Anhassador that it was taking steps :to’control travellers and closed the border with the U.S. for. - several ‘hours immediately after the assassination. 3/ A flightoéf2a ' -private™ ‘aircraft such as this is possible but it is imlikely that such ’ wnusual activity as this would have gone unnoticed by the Mexico Station team of ‘observers who reported on Cubana Airlines flights. 4/ 4. Report not substantiated by Mexico Station records: On 2: Novenber 1964 thel-Hambur, burg Basel reported that.a source in Cuba claimed to have seén an aircraft with Mexican markings. discharge passengers at the Havana airport at. 1700 hours on 22 November 1963. The source reported that the two passen- gers "were gangsters" and that "the plane had just come from Dallas, via Tijuana (where it was forced to land because of engine trouble) and. Mexico City." 5/ This information was sent to the FBI on 23 December 1964 for investigation. 6/ The FBI responded on 31 December 1964 that Tijuana - would have been. an.unlikely place for a "forced landing" on a flight from- Dallas to Havana.. Their office.was making no further inquiries in the » _ absence of additional details from CIA. They suggested that CIA conduct an investigation in Tijuana. 7/ (Tijuana is almost the same distance from Dallas flying West as Havana would be flying Southeast or Mexico City would be flying South.) The Mexico Station had no investigativ e assets in the Tijuana area. The information was a year old when received and much too vague for retroactive checking of records. The untested source who had provided the report died before he could be questioned for additional details. 5. The SSC V report page 103 further complicates travel data by the listing of the Cubana Airlines flight delay from ''6 p.m. until 11 p.m." The writers of this report were probably trying to transpose the departure time to the equivalent of Eastern time. Their information is dated 1 December 1963 which is probably a mistaken reference to the cable which is dated 30 November 1963. 2/ The Mexico Station file copy of this cable carried the date of 1 December 1963. which is the date it was received. 2/
13-00000 i baédy and. Gibana i Airlines coriversations : “Summary: translations, are... igage he originel These’ are. not verbatim - (File: from CIA to. Mexico Ci cy sgt file copy of DIR 86054 which is. dated 1: December 1963; thée'date. of recéipt, (201-289248). Extract of a tidn:passéd to the, Mexicsn. Government officials for a. check ) on i this aircraft ,:datéd 2. December 1963. (File: 201- 289248) . ; ; j: Mexics City, ‘Ambassador Thomas C. Mann, dated 2 Novenbee 1963, ‘Control::269, SECSTATE 1177, advising the 2 Departinent: of State. that the. Mexican Government had closed the border with thé.U.S. for all travellérs not personnally and well-known: to’ the ‘Mexican. Government . | File: Mexico Station File P-8593).. 4/ - LIFIRE surveilidnce team. Their « case officer at that time was Robert CH. Feldmann) of LA Division: od - Se (BOGA-3171. dated. 2. November 1964, a dis atch from Hamburg B Base) re ~ . reported information from 1964, dispatch fron fi “had received  , “ita year earlier from a Cuban-colleague. (AMLOAN Job #66-602/61, Se, ‘File: -19-6-79/3, ‘volume 1). -HMMA=13244 dated 30 December 1964 . transmitted to Mexico City Station a copy of the CSCI-316/02545-64 which had - beén. ‘sent to the FBI on 23 December 1964. (201+322247). ou of ~ GScT-316/02845: 64- ‘dated 23 December 1964 (201-322247) Tf FBI memorandum dated 31 December 1964 DBA- 9434, Subject: Lee Harvey “OSWALD D responding to. >. CSCI- 316/02545- 64 @o1- 322247) . ;