(toa-fote3-t04z4 a ~ ais e.- , RETURN TO CIA Background Use Only Do Not Reproduce ao € ants 28 June 1965 CONTACT REPORT Meetings of 22 June 1965 at Hotel] Roosevelt and 23 June 1965 at the Tudor Room of the Hotel Commodore oF Participants: Carlos TEPEDINO, (Harry Yebster)and Harold F., Swenson (All the information reported below is from TEPEDINO A. PRQ-1' fora filled out by Carlos. See attached original. €opies being made for 201) . .B, Involvement in political activity or revolutionary or counter-revolutiona-y activity . r 1. Carlos has never been active. in politics and voted only once in his life - for a candidate of the Authentic Party. However, he has been active in revolutionary and counter- revolutionary activities since 1952. During the year 1952-53 he began conspiring against BATISTA acting as an accommodation addressee for Jose Antonio ECHEVARRIA (now deceased) and close associates of ECHEVARRIA, including Rolando CUBELAS. Others involved with Carlos in the anti-BATISTA activities included Ricardo MIBAN Rivas (who had been a Senator in the Prio govern- ment and a Winister in the Grau government and who now resides in Miami), Sergio MEJIAS (who had been both Senator and Minister during the Pris government, a representative durinz the Grau government and who is now the Mayor of Matanzas), Diege Vicente -‘TEJERA (now in Santo Domingo where he is trying to start a fishing business and where he is a close friend of IMBERT), Marcelino "Marzo" ARTIME (no relation to Manuel ARTIME), Fernando CORTINA (now a prisoner in Cuba), Daniel VASQUEZ (a Cuban air force pilot now residing in Miami), and Carlos Palo Soccoras (former President of Cuba). During thissime pe-iod, he came to know Jose VENEGAS Valdespino, known as “El Chino"; but Carlos never was friendly with VENEGAS knowing him only as an associate of Rolando CUBELAS in student activities. Carlos’ friendship with Rolando resulted from their being introdtced by Antonio ECHEVARRIA. 2. In addition to serving as an accommodation addres+32 Tor the revolutionaries who were plotting against BATIS SA, Carlos used his business premises to hide people fleeing from thz BATISTA police and to hide arms for the revolutionaries. He also contributed fands to the revolutionary cause. © epee nae serrate _v Prgrset ree ry Fam teat - ome oa tomy
3. During the revolutionary activity against BArisra, ECHEVARRIA and CUBELAS had as much or more prestige than Fidel CASTRO but after BATISTA fled from Cuba, Fidel CASTRO maneuvered himself inte control-of a11 of Cuba to the detriment of other revolutionary leaders. CUBELAS accepted CASTRO‘s leadership at first but became disenchanted as CASTRO turned towards communism and as CASTRO neglected the other revolutiomry leaders who had struggled against BATISTA. As the result: of _ CASTRO'S attitudes and actions, many of the old revolutionaries betame Cqunter-revolutionaries. Seme fled the country and some began working against.the CASTRO regime in the same way as they _had worked against BATISTA. The activities of Rolando CUBELAS and those closé to ‘him, including Carlos, are covered in a separate paragraph below. C. Conneétion with the Agency 4. About 1957 Carlos and a Cuban businessman named R.cardo RIVON were approached by a Czech who said that he wished to invest a substantial sum of money in Caba and who promised quick and substantial profits if RIVON and Carlos would join in his activities. Although Carlos no lonzer remembers the name of the Czech,he believes the Agency would have a record of it. Carlos was suspicious of the Czech and suggested that RIVON discuss the Czech's offer with the U.S. Embassy.,,[t was because of this that Carlos came to meet the individual who listened to RIVON when the latter went to the Embassy. (Stewart ( e Czec requested that Carlos and RIVON maintain contact with t who was believed to.be connected with intelligence activities. 5. The close ssociation vitn[ —Jeontinued and in about November 1959] —_—si[frequeste arios ¢ o to Mexico to obtain information about a Soviet exhibition® offered to pay the expenses of Carlos but Carlos, who was prosperous, refused to accept any funds. He did attend the exhibition, became a member of the Cuban commission which arranged for the transfer of the Soviet exhibition to Cuba, and was able to obtain detailed information whih Pppcared to consider valuable. About August 1960, Rolando S and Carlos were invited to a leftist student conference in Switzerland. By this time, Carlos had become friendly with both and with a colleague of oO named Art Avignone.OGCarlos accepted requirement which Fé believes were levied by Avignone rather than bx d once again was offered funds so that he could fulfill these requirements in Switzerland. Apain Carlos refused to accept money but agreed enthusiastically to do all that he could for the United States. Carlos wus ,iver a contact plan so that he could report to an unidentified American in S.itzerland, but although Carlos carried out the arrangements, the American never appeared. » SLGRET
-3- At this time Carlos’ step-father sent a message to Switzerland warning Carlos that he should not return to Cuia. After the student congress in Switzerland Carlos therefore went to the United States. He decided to reside in the U.S. but in order to arrange for a resident visa, he had to leave the country. Accordingly, about February 1961, Carlos went to Mcxico to request a re ident vis rom the United States Consul. At that timné-he saw . in Mexico and introduced Rolando CUBELAS, ; also in Mexico at that time, to (Carlos had been trying ~ ., t@ introduce CUBELAS to ‘the Ameri cans fordsome time and had once made tentativé arrangements to introduce and CUBELAS in “Ciba but these preyidous arrangements fel: rough at the last minute. Accordingly. the first contact between CUBELAS and the ‘Americans took placé in Mexico about February 1961.) Carlos came _to the U.S. with a resident visa about March 1961 and has resided -in the.U.35. from that time_until the present, although he has travelled frequently to other countries in connection with his jewelry business. When no Agency representatives contacted Carlos in the U.S. for several months, he assumed that the Agency had lost interest in him and no longer wished to make use of his services. Some time later, individuals representing the FBI contacted Carlos by telephone and wished to meet him, but Carlos preferred: not to begin any new association and said that he was not interested in any further contacts concerning Cuban matters. These phone calls from the FBI resulted from the suggestions made by who has cooperated closely with the FBI at Miami. 6. Carlos resused°his contact with the Agency when he was appraached by (under pseudonym) with whom he made a trip. to Helsinki where he introduce Rolando. There were other meetings involving and CUBELAS at Stockholm, Cceopenhaygen and Paris. Rolando me in addition t re) D. Plans and Contacts of Rolando CUBELAS 7. During the time when Carlos was in Europe an when he say BELAS there, at times alone and at times with on CUBELAS outlined to Carlos pians for a°coup iii Cuba. hese plans cencerning which Carlog,has informed the Agency in detail in talks with) rowith Mr. Sanchez (under pseudonym) involved the assassination of Fidel CASTRO. From that time until the present Carlos has tried to serve as an intermediary between Rolando CUBELAS and the Agency. The last time that Carlos saw Rolando in person was in Madrid about March 1965 but Carlos did talk to Rolando again, also in March 1965, by telephone when Rolando was transitting Gander en route back to Cuba.
e/ypaf Sua] 7k ote ~4- 8. Rolando, in order to carry out his plan for a coup in Cuba,has had to make a number of persons knowledgeable to @ greater or lesser. extent. Those people who now are in Cuba and who are aware of the plans of Rolando include the following: -"Cdte Ramon-GUIN (who has become quite nervous and who is drinking ‘heavily), Cdte (friu) NIEVES (whom Rolando considers absolutely reliabie and.a key figure in the plan and who now is in charge of. the port of Havana), a Captain whose name Carlos has furnished to the Agency but whose name he cannot recall, who now is an artillerychief), a MIG pilot (who had served withgfolando during the fighting: against BATISTA) jl _—|(whose knowledge is dangerous because he is a coward who now hesitates to bear any responsibility in carrying out the plan), Luis: SOTO (who now is rector of Habana University), Marcelino "Marzo" ARTIME (an old revolutionary who is thoroughly reliable and who is a close friend of Carlos), an individual whose name Carlos does not recall. but who is an uncle by marriage of Tony CASTEL (whom Carlos considers to be a worthless person), and at least six or seven others whose names Carlos does not know. 9. In addition to these individuals who are aware of the details of Rolando's plot, there are others whose support CUBELAS believes he can count on once action is taken but who have not been made aware of the plot (so far.as Carlos knows) up to the present time. These include the following: Cdte Efigenio ALMELJEIRAS or ALMESEIRAS, Cdte Juan ALMEIDA Bosque, Raul DIAZ Arguelles, a Cdte who is known as “Julio El Grande", a Lieutenant whose first name is Guillermo and who acts as Rolando's chauf- feur, Pepin NARANJO (whom Carlos considers 4 coward), about 20 or 30 officers in the armed forces whom Rolando knows well but whose names are not known to Carlos, Faure CHONON (whom Rolando considers a communist at present but whom Rolando expects to support a coup for personal benefit), and finally a number of people in Las Villas. 10. Other individuals who are aware of the plans of Rolando CUBELAS and who have played some part in the plotting up to the present time include Carlos Jose “El Mago" ROBRENO, Alberto “El Loco” BLANCO, BERNAL, Manolo REY, Nanuel ARTIME, GALLARETA, M guel Cuco de Leon, Rafael QUINTERO, Luis TRASANCOS and Angel Luis FERNANDEZ.