AGENCY: HSCA RECORD NUMBER: —180-10108-10060 RECORD SERIES: NUMBERED FILES. AGENCY FILENUMBER: 015107 (FOLDER 1 OF 4) - Docum ent Information ORIGINATOR: HSCA FROM: FONZI, GAETON. TO: , TITLE: OTERO, LEADS. DATE: 05/17/1977 PAGES: 5 SUBJECTS : CIA. LEADS & INFORMATION. GARRISON INVESTIGATION. FBI. DOCUMENT TYPE: MEMORANDUM. CLASSIFICATION: — Unclassified _ its RESTRICTIONS: — Consulted CURRENT STATUS: — Withhold ‘DATEOF LASTREVIEW: — 06/24/1993 OPENING CRITERIA: “COMMENTS: Box 297. FBI tabbed Box 297-2. v9.1 HW 56529 \ Docld: 327767491 JFK Assassination System Identification Form Agency Information Page 1 Date: 10/13/20
» TO: 7 Tanenbaum | es ‘COMMITTEE ON ASSASSINATIONS:. 7 a : . . FROM: Fonzi -Re: . Otero leads '- Some interesting new developments have come up.relating to’ “. the-Rolando Otero leads and I thought it would be a-good-idea... . = to organize.(for both of us) what we have so far and where 200 | swe. should’ go with it. '. First. of all, there are details in Otero's background: which’ may be significantly related: to what we're interested-in. Otéro et was first tried last August in Jacksonville in'a Federal’ court’ .. » On chargés ‘relating to “nine bombing incidents he is, alleged. =. -" ‘to have: committed in Miami on October 17th and “December 3rd -, and’ 4th, 1975. As Federal agents later. eddmitted, the:heart . of. their case was based on information: supplied by ‘Ricardo. -. Morales... Morales never. testified at.that trial because, ° . according to Federal ‘prosecutors, he "wasn't available." .. Morales was’ working at that time (and ‘still.is) .for the. © “Security Section: of the. Venezuelan police department... Yet — While’ the trial was going on in Jacksonville, Morales traveled © _ regularly between Miami and Caracas. .. I’ had no- problem’ locating . him myself: (I got the-number of the. girlfriend he was living ~ with here).and just missed him one weekend before he returned | “+. to Caracas. He dropped in frequently atthe Little’ Havana -Activities-Center: to’ chat with his oldfriend Rafael“ Villaverde, a guy with heavy intelligence connections. Co ES gS I didn't pursue Morales. at the time because what I wanted. ‘to — . talk to..him about then wasn't pressing. Morales himself has-. “an interesting- background. He was once a member of Castro's Intelligence Agency (G-2), defected and became a highly trained ” . exploSives expert. and contract agent for the C.I.A, working *.opently: for, the Agency as late as 1965 in thé-Congo. -He was very... - Closé: to Bay of. Pigs. leader ‘Manuel Artime..and*a member of oo “Operation 40, the special ‘assassinations unit. He ’was tharged with.at least one’ murder here but never tried. In.1968 he. _was arrested for'aiseries of bombings but he became an/F.B.I.. -; informant ‘and. was never’-sentenced. He was the. chief. government’ “; witness in’ the 1968 trial of. Orlando Bosch, who was:convicted. .~- . ~and..sentenced to 10 years. (He was paroled in 1972, skipped the. _ _country and was frée until his arrestéin Caracas with. Veciana-. -.. ~ .. associate Luis Posada. this yéar-on charges of blowing up the. -“Cubana..Airlines plane. in Barbadoes: : Morales reportedly set-him .~ up for the arrest, which may be. just protective custody.) © ° ' \What-I wanted to, talk to Morales about last year was.anitem in _ : -.2,transcript of a tape recording that- emerged in the Bosch trial. - oe oOf 1968. In a secretly taped ‘meeting with Bosch, Morales: talked os HW 56829 DopId:32262491 Page 2 ~
PB eet sontariven he Cuban, Power ‘to place: ‘bombs. " “Bosch eure el o later. assumes ‘that’ Hunt | is’ the "tone of" the. wells," But 6 tee ae 2 wonder ‘about that. : ma At: any. rate, with Morales. never being called to testify. in: Y * Otero! ‘S. Federal trial.,: “Otero. was found not guilty. Of - every, -¢ount.;° That seemed - to really disturb the F.B.I. ‘andy n aon doubt, Hts. ‘trusted informant. Morales, because iidmediate ly “afterwards: the Bureau and. Morales teamed up with State. | authorities ~ to smack. ‘Otero. again with the’ same. nine charges; an '.thi's.“time*on) a State Tevel. And this-time the trial was held ont “ “net-in an urban | setting. ‘but in the back.‘country of Florida’ Mg, - o/ Panhandté- where’ most.of ‘the jurors;, although employees: of. of ““Eglin-Air. Force Base, were | actually residents of Alabama, ©  .red- -blooded’ Americans. who: knew the: ‘difference between: the. -- + good... guy -F.B.I. agents and .some crazy Cuban bomber. ‘Never- | _theless, Otero was found ‘guilty of. only . one of the nine © - Charges, that. of placing a bomb ina’ locker at- Miami. abeport. The: prosecution had presented a, locker handle with. his. bos thumbs print.on it. Otéro's lawyers-claimed that’ Morales. had: ‘enough. sophisticated | C.1eA. training .to know ‘how :to transfer: a print and. that if Otero.could not: be linked: to ‘the: ‘other > _ bombings, only. Morales could have done them.. I: think Otero ~ made ‘a. ‘significant point in his defénse-when, after. admitting. . he-«was a fanatic anti- Communist and=terrorist, hé.said-that. -any.:bombs' placed within.the United States were of: ‘propaganda - 7 “value. only | ‘to Castro. Nevertheless, Otero. was found guilty ‘on’. that one ‘count and, for that single charge, given 40 years. 7 Now all of. that may be important. ‘in terms of the’ information © ae =. Otero; is. ‘providing us and where it is going. ALthough. “the = am _FsB.I. seemed to be out to get Otero, a Bureau _Teport® Ty got. “indicates that strange things happened early in its. ‘efforts - to gather information relating Otero to the bombings.” “; Also relevant, ‘may | be this: In 1975, Otero says, he was * “involved me .., imla: plot. to kill Castro in: Venezuela. That plot, he. Bays, | oo oe was: planned*without the support ‘or: knowledge’ of the C.L.A. “*.-One of. those. ‘involved: in the plot was 6tero's. friend: Hector _. /Séerrane. vo, Early in January, 1976, Serrano. ‘caught a rumor “that ° he, ‘Antonio: ‘Gonzalez and Ciro- Orizondo were. going, to’ bet Oe sd by -the-FVB.T. | linking them to a° connection with ‘Otero.’ : " . Sand> the: ‘bombings. Fearing that, Serrano:went. to” “the FAB. T. and. - _. told ‘them his ‘story. re | Recording to the F.B.I. report, Serrano told the Bureau ‘that. 7 - Gonzalez chad béen in touch with Arturo: Cobos,. described ‘as: me a. Cuban known | to. have contacts in the C.1. K.' HW 56329 Docld:3227627491 Page 3
This is what the F.B.I. report then says: "Cobo name. of Bernard a high. level _ Otero’s attorneys later discovered that there is, it ee ' “Mike Hall. > He supposedly is a Treasury Agent in .the Minneapolis '. bureau of, the: Alcohol, Tobacco Tax and” as s furnished the. 0. Torres...as the man to call with contacts: on » With the C.I.A. in Washington, D.C, Torres... > * advised Gonzalez: that he contacted his source. in the C.I-A;:. ‘and.learned that the F.B.I. ‘is aware. that Rolando Otero did -’ cottmit: the bombings, and that Otero's three friends,- Ciro ' ~ Orizondo,. Tony Gonzalez and Hector Serrano are going to be framed: by the F.B.I. for their involvement in the same “. bombings. Gonzales stated that on. January 14, 1976, the. CVT SA: was sending a man down to Miami, Florida, ‘to. arrive: . atvabout 12:30 p.m., January 14, 1976,°to interview. these. “men, who. should get to a ‘safe! house ‘in Miami until the . . €.0.A. man arrives." . - 7 "What ‘happened then was this: A. fellow by the name of Mike Hall. _ Suddenly -shows ‘ap in Miami. He gathers together Otero's ee “associates ‘and -takes them to a "safe house" where, “he ‘assures: *. ~ ‘s.them, they'11 be safe from an F.B.1. -frame up. He ‘holds them | therefor a: couple of days. during. which ‘time, they’ are visted. - by, Ricardo *Morales, who fills them in-on the details" of Otero's , involvement with the ‘bombings. Hall. then gathers together _ _2 Couple of Otero's tape recorders, a typewriter (which, he . hints, may. have been used to write notes relating ‘to the © : bombings) and a few other pieces of equipment and leaves town with it.all. That's the last anyone sees of’ the stuff ra . or Mike Hall. indeed, a” irearms Division... vve(His. telephone in St. Paul: 612-725-7092). He wouldn't. talk. Aout his actions but said he used to be the ATT§F agent in. “ charge“of the- Miami office until 197.4." He said he received a “Call: from an.old “informant” (Torres). who supposedly. wouldn't + talk with”anyone else in ATTGF except* him: So he- immediately “ - - flew in from’Minneapolis and did his stuff. ‘I hear the F.B.I, 0 _. has: filed .an ‘official protest about his involvement. a This is the way I read the significance: of Hall's actions: I<: think he (and whoever he works for) wanted to make sure that | While Morales was: helping the F.B.I. to build its case against. Or ealdenee ureau didn't. stumble across: any untutored ‘witnesses or evidence that. would have. knocked the case out early. Hence’. Hall's..quick visit to Miami, the "safe house" bit and” the gathering of the "evidence." What I find. interesting, considering the possibility.that Otero. “could be out for-revenge, is that -he doesn't put. in. such a . likely candidate as Moralesinto the . -- especially since he admits he doesn't have any ‘hard evidence ~ — - relating to the names he did give us. _And he seems to ‘have.’ - -. been acquainted with Bernardo de’ Torres only peripherally, the: - Kennedy assassination, others*less so: -In addition, what he did give us he. readily te admits. he got froma thitd party. HW 56829 Docld: 3227627491 Page 4
-owas ‘involved in that securit ( ic _list Torres. as an associate of Anselmo Leon-Alliegro, an old. What we have.-so far on Bernard de Torres is this: He ‘showed -. up in New| Orleans very early. in Garrison's investigation _° Claiming he-had important information. | He said he was” a private|detective inMiami and wanted to help. .Garrison~ recalls he mentioned the name of State Attorney Richard - s Gerstein as.an entree. Miami newspaper clippings at. the ..-. “time describe Torres as the "military coordinator of °° ., Brigade 2506." He refused.to. comment to reporters on his _ “ rolesini Garrison's investigation?: “He said some of the | !- angles were 'classified,!> such as reports of an Oswald’. °. “i visit here." [My personal opinion is that, from ‘my experience,, anyone who.comes up. witha story. putting Oswald in Miami isa source of. misinformation. ] - However, according to the. ° Clippings: "Torres was among :a group of .ten Cubans" who . _ ~ helpedSecret. Service men-protect President Kennedy when he. “visited Miami-four days before his assassination." The latter is interesting -because the only one whoever had a story of-localites assisting Secret.Service men here in’Miami on “Kennedy's visit was..Jerry Patrick Hemming, who says he. also..’- y effort. “Miami Police:reports . pal of Hemming's. Police once fFound:a quantity of explosives and weapons in Alliegro's home. Alliegro said they belonged .- - to Torres. . ae ‘Torres also has a connection with a-Boutique that is owned by. “another Otero lead, Norman Diaz. Diaz is the father-in-law -- of.Miami ‘City Commission Manolo Rebozo, a close. associate of Manuel Artime's and a former member of. Operation 40 himself... ‘Today, Garrison feels that,Torres was one of his early’ sources of misinformation. He hasn't yet checked his. files on him, ‘but , from recollection he says whatever information Torres provided _— “.never.went anywhere. _The latest clipping I have on Torres reports that he was going to be-summoned to” testify before a-Federal grand jury-in Washington investigating the assassination of ._ * Chilian Foreign Minister Letelier. That was early. this year. ©. “. £ don't plan to approach. Torres until I run the full-circle around him. It's the little things that make me.feelhe may -be important. Otero; for instance, told me that the source of his information, Juan.Adames, the fellow he was in the’ Broward County © ‘Jail with for @ brief period; visited his, Otero's,. girlfriend © when he was out..for a short while last summer. Bob Rosenblatt, — : * wv . _ /Otero's attornéy, was recently talking to her and ‘asked her ‘-vabout it... She said ‘that Adames dropped by just to tell her how “much he was in-sympathy. with Otero's: plight and that he would — try to help. as much as possible... She said it was just. a-brief - SOCial,visit. Yet, she volunteered, he. did- happen to bring up . “the name of Bernardo Torres and asked if Otero had ever mentioned _ him to'her. (Adames knew that Otero has. been ‘in regular. telephone - contact with ther from his Panhandle prison.) She said she told | & “W 56829 Docld:32262491 Page 5