AGENCY RECORD NUMBER RECORD SERIES AGENCY FILE NUMBER AGENCY ORIGINATOR a ‘ FROM TO TITLE DATE PAGES SUBJECTS DOCUMENT TYPE CLASSIFICATION RESTRICTIONS CURRENT STATUS DATE OF LAST REVIEW COMMENTS ‘ £ Pi . JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM -IDENTIFICATION FORM AGENCY INFORMATION CIA 104-10422-10269 JFK - RUSS HOLMES WORK FILES DOCUMENT INFORMATION FBI DIRECTOR, FBI DCI MEMO: INTERNAL SECURITY-CUBA 06/06/1977 8 WITHHELD VECIANA BLANCH . PAPER SECRET 1B 1¢ ; RELEASED IN PART PUBLIC - RELEASED WITH DELETIONS 12/03/98 JFK-RH11 : F211 : 1998.12.03.14:31:26:123120 : TWO COPIES. DUPLICATE OF 104-10102-10212 & 104-10103-10172 _{R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED 104-10422-10269 HW 50529 DBocld:32394059 Page 1
f . . ; : oO : ; 0 Maid oe a a Lata devige OM THK-DIAECTOR «| , ® , SECRET @. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FEDERAL BUREAU OF iNViSTIGATION | WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535 - BY LIAISON pate: dune 6, 1977 To: . Director of Central Intelligence | From: - ‘Clarence M. Kelley, Director a Subject: +. OCELOT; _ANTERNAL SECURITY - CUBA 2 . — This is to advise of scrtinent ‘evehoononte in “a double agent operation, assigned the code name "Ocelot," _ which involves a meeting between our asset and Cuban Intelligence Officers (CIO’ s) in Mexico on May 19, 1977. '" We learned, after debriefing the asset upon his return. ~ £rom Mexico, that the format of the meeting had unex- pectedly involved a videotaped interview of our asset ‘The asset developed in this operation first became of investigative ‘interest to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). in November, 1976, when allegations |. were received that he was in contact with known CIO's in © ' Jamaica during October and November, 1976. Subsequent '~ . investigation, coordinated closely with the Central ONTION 5 eiiCan, *4, ‘AN UN ° 5 thy 274.4018 HW 50529 intelligence Agency (CIA) ,. .confirmed. an_active.relation- 1977, which resulted in establishing a double agent operation. _At that point, the asset furnished details_ of seven previous meetings with CIO's in Jamaica, Panama - and Mexico. In addition, asset furnished a. typewritten — .- note containing instructions for his next meeting in. - Mexico City, on May 19, 1977, which involved a coded telephone call to the Cuban Embassy, Mexico City, to .- activate the scheduled meet at a pre-determined time . -and place. The purpose of this meeting, according to. —. the asset, was for the passage of additional information. concerning the activities of Cuban exile groups in the United States and Latin America, as had been done at ' previous meetings. Sy SECRET. Be Bn Classified by 5182 —— Oe me Exempt from GDS, Categories 2 and 3 Date of Declassification, Indefinite Docld:32394059 Page 2? by Cuban technicians concerning his knowledge and partici- _Pation in anti-Castro Cuban exile activities. | (S) . ship with Cuban officials in Jamaica, Panama and Mexico. — ' A successful interview of asset was effected on April 8,
‘Letter to the Director of Central Intelligence wots Re: Ocelot. * Ds rr v7 She asset has advised that he was transported _ by automobile from the meet site in Mexico City toa hotel room equipped with videotape equipment and occu- | pied by two Cuban technicians. The asset was then asked... ‘questions: by CIO's and his responses were recorded on videotape. They assured the asset that this tape would 9055 -be shown to‘high Cuban officials, including Fidel woutg ns and that it would not be made public. Phere is, however, obvious propaganda value in this film which conld be - co utilized by the Cuban Government. Asset was specifically... advised by CIO's that Premier Fidel Castro has a forth- ‘coming television- news interview with an unnamed U. Se, news commentator, and that they wanted Castro to see: this). videotape prior. to his interview. (8) po Ee - According to the asset, the “interview began. = ‘with questions regarding his family life in Cuba before . . . “the Castro revolution, after which he was asked. to comment 5. “on the former Batista Regime in Cuba. He was then asked . -to name the political movements of which he had been a member. He told the interviewer that in 1964 he had worked . with Aloha 66, a militant anti-Castro organization head~--- - ‘quartered in Miami, Florida, in helping approximately: . - twenty-eight Cuban exiles and arms pass through Puerto Rico. | _ to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, for use against Cuba> and that all but four of these Cuban_exiles.had.returned | - to Puerto Rico. The four who did not return are now in Cuban jai Lis. 4S). Asset was also ‘asked about his participation ‘in a an assassination attempt of Fidel Castro in Chile in 197i. 7 The asset stated that he had participated in the attempt . with Antonio Veciana, a Cuban exile now residing in Miami. When asked if Veciana had been employed by the CIA, he’ veplied that he. did not know, however, — assumed that he. was, based on the fact that Veciana had used a car with . United States diplomatic license plates to transport the “necessary arms and equipment from Bolivia, where Veciana. HW 50529  Docld:32394059 Page 3
HW 50529 - was osteitis United States embassy, - to Chile. This Se “tette er to the Direc stor of Central IntelLigance Re: (Ocelot. mo . plan was aborted by. other Cuban exile participants at the last minute. Asset had previously furnished this. infore | mation to. cio's during other meetings. — 48) oo oo “Asset. was also questioned | about: a 1961. Assassi- Sg es nation attempt directed at Castro in Cuba, in which the ae asset participated. — He acknowledged that he, Veciana, and Bernardo Pradreres had at that time tried to kill Castro with a bazooka. They waited in an apartment, which was rented in Havana, Cuba, by Veciana's mother-in-law, . -£or Castro to appear at the nearby Cuban capitol. Pradrerea ~ had hired two other individuals not known to the asset to... -° go the actual firing, but when Castro finally appeared the " bazooka.failed to fire due to its deteriorated state from = _ "having been buried for an extended period of time. The Cuban authorities later discovered the bazoo! sa, which had ©. been left in the apartment, and were then able to Adentity all of. the participants. (S) During the initial interview of asset oat April 8, 1977, he made availabla a photograph obtained . from Antonio Veciana, which Veciana claimed to depict © \ Dee Harvey Oswald. in attendance at an Alpha 66 meeting” . ' in Dallas, Texas, in.1963. Another photograph depicted | Veciana as a speaker at this_meeting.__The asset_had.. _.made this information available to CIo's at previous | meetings. In the last segment of videotaping in Mexico, . the asset was confronted with enlarged photographs of -- the alleged Alpha 66 meeting and was asked to point out > the individual similar in descriotion to Oswald, after | which the videotaping was concluded. The whole taping: process lasted approximately 90 minutes and consumed - almost three reels of videotape. (5) ‘ Photographs mada available by the asset were - axeamined by FBI agents familiar with the Oswald investi- - gation and it was determined that Lee Harvey Cswald is not depicted in these photographs. It is noted that SECRE pe a5 DocId:32394059 Page 4
Letter to the: | Director of Central Intellia: ance Ret Ocelot. Jack Anderson's column in the “Washington Post on May 6, |... 1977, claims that Antonio Veciana has testified before =... ‘the House Assassinations Committee that he was’ in cont “- tact with Lee / Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas, in August,” 1963. aie a ome ‘above | asset has furnished other sensitive ; | intelligence information, including the identities of — : previously. unknown CIO's, and it is anticipated that he will be of future value to our foreign Seerareaeeas pre senna effort. Any effort by the Cuban Government to exploit . -. the propaganda value of information obtained from this recently developed asset over the period of seven previous... meetings would necessarily cost their int elligence service the public identification of several CIO's currently in... Jamaica and Mexico. You are being made aware of the above . developments since it is recognized that the Cuban Govern-.- ment may elect to publicize this videotape for propaganda... - ‘purposes and that such an event could Ampack upon current | policy de ecisions. {S) A —_ “whis: information is also being furnished to the Secretary of State, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, and the Attorney General. © WW 50529. Docld:32394059 Page 5
‘“ , : ., ) ‘HE DIRECTOR OFFICE OF 7 . SECRET UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535 BY LIAISON Date: June 6, 1977 To: ' Director of Central Intelligence . From:". - Clarence M. Kelley, Director _ . ' Subject: + OCELOT;. . . INTERNAL SECURITY - CUBA _ This is to advise of pertinent developments in -a double agent operation, assigned the code name "Ocelot,” which involves a meeting between our asset and Cuban Intelligence Officers (CIO's) in Mexico on May 19, 1977. ' We learned, after debriefing the asset upon his return from Mexico, that the format of the meeting had unex- pectedly involved a videotaped interview of our asset by Cuban technicians concerning his knowledge and partici- pation in anti~Castro Cuban exile activities. (S) The asset developed in this operation first became of investigative interest to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). in November, 1976, when allegations were received that he was in contact with known CIO's in Jamaica during October and November, 1976. Subsequent investigation, coordinated closely with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), confirmed. an active.relation- ship with Cuban officials in Jamaica, Panama and Mexico. A successful interview of asset was effected on April 8, 1977, which resulted in establishing a double agent operation. At that point, the asset furnished details of seven previous meetings with CIO's in Jamaica, Panama and Mexico. In addition, asset furnished a typewritten note containing instructions for his next meeting in. Mexico City, on May 19, 1977, which involved a coded telephone call to the Cuban Embassy, Mexico City, to activate the scheduled meet at a pre-determined time and place. The purpose of this meeting, according to the asset, was for the passage of additional information concerning the activities of Cuban exile groups in the United States and Latin America, as had been done at previous meetings. (S) . SECRET | Classified by 5182 Exempt from GDS, Categories 2 and 3 Date of Declassification, Indefinite HW 50529 Docld:32394059 Page 6
SECRET fs Letter to the Director of Central Intelligence Re: Ocelot. The asset has advised that he was transported by automobile from the meet site in Mexico City to a hotel room equipped with videotape equipment and occu- --pied by two Cuban technicians. ‘The asset was then asked HW 50529 questions by CIO’s and his responses were recorded on videotapa. They assured the asset that this tape would be shown to high Cuban officials, including Pidel Castro, and that it would not be made public. There is, however, obvious propaganda value in this film which could be utilized by the Cuban Government. Asset was specifically advised by CIO's that Premier Fidel Castro has a forth- coming television-news interview with an unnamed U. S. news commentator, and that they wanted Castro to see this videotape prior to his interview. (5) . According to the asset, the interview began with questions regarding his family life in Cuba before the Castro revolution, after which he was asked to comment .. on the former Batista Regime in Cuba. He was then asked to name the political movements of which he had been a member. He told the interviewer that in 1964 he had worked with Aloha 66, a militant anti-Castro organization head- quartered in Miami, Florida, in helping approximately twenty-eight Cuban exiles and arms pass through Puerto Rico to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, for use against Cuba and that all but four of these. Cuban.exiles had. returned to Puerto Rico. The four who did not return are now in Cuban jails. {5) , Asset was also asked about his participation in an assassination attempt of Fidel Castro in Chile in 1971. The asset stated that he had participated in the attenpt with Antonio Veciana, a Cuban exile now residing in Miami. When asked if Veciana had baen employed by the CIA, he > replied that he did not know, however, assumed that he > was. based on the fact that Veciana had used a car with United States diplomatic license plates to transport the necessary arms and equipment from Rolivia, where Veciana SECRET ~2- DoclId: 32394059 Page ?