, — JFK Assassination System Date: 6/4/2015 ; Identification Form Agency Information ‘ Peleased under the John | AGENCY: FBI . - Kennedy RECORD NUMBER: —124-10277-10383  hasassination Records ollection dct of 1992 RECORD SERIES: HQ (44 USC 2107 Note}. asex#:NW 54027 Date: AGENCY FILENUMBER: 97-4474-16, 17, 18 68-25-2017 Document Information ORIGINATOR: FBI FROM: ~©SAC, MM TO: DIRECTOR, FBI TITLE : DATE: 03/22/1961 PAGES: 1] SUBJECTS : MIRR, ASSOC, ACA, CUBA, SEIZED, CAPTURED, BOAT, PRISONERS, AMMO, ARMS : DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION : — Unclassified RESTRICTIONS: 4 CURRENT STATUS: — Redact DATE OF LASTREVIEW: 06/18/1998 OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE COMMENTS : INC 3 MEMO v9.1 - . 9 HW 54027 DocId:32301048 Page 1
oO = 1 =- Mr. Farr Assistant Attorney General J. Walter Yeagley Cis HAS No Waeerch 102988 MOVIMIENTO INSURRECIONAL DE RECUPERACION REVOLUCIONARIA INTERNAL SECURITY - CUBA. iS REGISTRATION ACT - CUBA = 4 NEUTRALITY MATTERS DECLASSIMIES HY {A Y lO. SB an li-l- a dK). eee IE BMS . This will refer to your memorakdum of February 13, mg 1961, advising that you have solicited the views of the A Central Intelligence Agency concerning this matter and that we would be subsequently furnished your opinion regarding the need for further investigation. ~ ies. OTHERWI AE For your additional information, a source, who has furnished reliable information in the past, advised on March 21, 1961, that the Cuban radio made several broadcasts that day announcing seizure of a boat and capture of an American and four Cuban counterrevolutionaries at Cabanas, Pinar del Rio, with arms and ammunition. The broadcasts identified the Cubans as Gilberto Betancourt, AA SS. Francisco Garcia, Marciano Belo Martinez and Augusto Marvel. AN? The American's name was not distinguishable to the source. c2——The March 22, 1961, issue of the "Miami Herald" carried an article. entitled "Yank, Four Others Seized in Cuba With Arms Load," Associated Press, Havana. The news article - announced the capture of five men, including an American ‘who was identified as August MacNair,in an. arms~laden motor: et laurich. The launch was identified as.'the "Mercury" according to the article, the announcem at of. he capture” of this group followed reports that ‘rebel: for es had start Vee. a major buildup in the hills of Pinar del is. roevince here “Ss substantial numbers were awaiting th arrival . Of. arns e | “sy On March 22, 1961, Angus €.-McNais Goal Gabies, Kir » orida:lhadvised his son, Angus McNair, Jr., ‘had been rFested by Cuban authorities the previous day when” located N “ar a boat loaded with:guns. McNair stated his son ‘had been recen}ly associated with Frank Fiorini who is: an American Mens ———— adventurer and self-professed jeader of a group of anti-Castro Callahan Andividuals. -__McNair last ‘saw’! his; son on _ March 4, 2961, at Conrad "MAILED 8 Rosen 2 Wey oo MARS 2 19615: ; FF: pw" > _coMt. _SRE N oi) ON YELLOW, PAGE (4) | Ingram cry . i Gandy G2 oS wAiL-Room (J TELETYPE UNIT | ona Ne nag : nree) HW 54027 Docid!s%301048 Page 2 aie ae ~ Trotter W.C. Sullivan Tele. Room hen
i. ere c , REVIEWED BY SRWUFK TASK FORCE — . { |. ‘ | | 2.2397 dd Assistant Attorney General - RELEASE IN FULL J. Walter Yeagley . CT] nae [1] TOTAL DENIAL which time McNair, Jr., announced he was leaving for. Giiba, For your information, McNair, Sr,, is an accountant in a Miami law firm in which Senator George Smathers of Florida is an inactive member . On the night of March 21, 1961,. another source; who has furnished reliable information: in the past, reported that Orlando Bosch, who is a civilian delegate of the. Movimiento Insurrecional de Recuperacion Revolucionaria in Miami, learned of the seizure by Cuban authorities of this group in Cuba. He identified Marciano Belo, also known as Guajira, as being among this group. Bosch cenfided the group had been taken by the boat “Jolly Roger” to a point off the coast at Cabanas, Pinar del Rio Province, where they were transported by skiff to the shore at which -point they were apparently apprehended. On. March 22, 1961, Inspector Willis Smithson of the United States Border Patrol, Miami, advised that on March 11,.1961, the "Jolly Roger" was reported in the Florida Keys with Angus K. McNair, Jr., and eight unnamed Cubans on board. On March 12, 1961, the "Jolly Roger" was reported in the Key West, Florida, area with Elidio C. Suri y Goichoheca, Cuban alien, on board. On March 19, 1961, the. "Jolly Roger" arrived at the Lower HMatacombe Key near Key West | . and as of March 22, 1961, it was at this location having ‘loaded eight 55-gallon fuel drums on board. Captain Enrique Rodriguez Ibanez of the “Jolly Roger" has been ‘ordered to report te the Immigration and Naturalization Service at Miami . - On March 21, 1961, the Central Intelligence Agency advised the captured group could possibly be an independent operation of the Frente Revolucionario Democratico, an NN -anti-Castro unity organization, but that Central Intelligence Agency had no operational interest in this matter and it is in possession of no knowledge regarding the "Mercury." 6<) ate . For: your additional information, the first source mentioned in this letter advised that Gilberto Betancourt. was arrested in 1957 by the Batista government on a bombing DocId: 32301048 Page 3
Pi y FROM SAC, MIAMI /105-2855/ = -4P ~ y Ly ee er Ze , (en 8/5 no, CUBA, WITH oe AND ee NETTONT | a “eubal with aiils) LOAD, ‘END QUOTE, DATELINED ASSOCIATED2PRESS 28 14 \OSirstined TS SHABLE TO INFORMANT. TODAY-S ISSUE OF MIAMI HERALD ye y . . oe . . ‘ Mr. Parsona_—— |] . SOUS UY IAN ME TMVESTIRGTION { Mx, Mohr. M.S CSPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Mika s COME UHICATIERS cesT an ; Mie, Conrad. , ae & My. DeLcach ; MA ie ra i hy. Evans—— AU ire ION CONTAINED eg } ip. Malone . Rosen ‘el : op ett ean 9- (4 Classitied byQre P< eel Declassify on/ RADR( IFE URGENT / 3-22-61 6-29 PM EST RHR TO DIRECTOR, FBI ae Declassify ‘ : W.CSullivan | “elle, BROT | . Me Hie. Ingres j j, Sis Gandy ——| MOVIRMIENTO 2_INSURRECIONAL DE RECUPERACION REVOLUCIONARIA, fo“ |} IS DASH CUBA, “RA DASH CUBA, NM, RE MIAMI REPORT OF SA 7 & “| GEORGE ES DAVIS, JR, JAN. EIGHTEEN LAST AT MIAMI AND BULET MN" 0e* Ni ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENs, JAN. TWENTYFOUR LAST,” ON MARCH i i TS pyerrove LAST, MM FOUR | NINE TWO DASH S ADVISED THAT CUBAN - a MILO QUOTE V0Z END QUOTE MADE SEVERAL BROADCASTS ‘THAT DAY (A : :=\\} ANNOUNCING SEIZURE OF A BOAT AND CAPTURE OF AN AMERICAN (2 $N mvp FOUR. CUBAN COUNTERREVOLUTIONARIES AT CABANAS, PINAR DEL: | $k. - . OADCASTS IDENTIFIED UBANS As GILBERT EpantGourT,. FRANCISCO) SARCIA, MARCLANO_ | | " BELO ARTINEZ AND AUGUSTO ARVEL,. | ‘AMERICAN-S\NAME WAS NOT Oa ait IMAL SARANGI sete SREY ae Re ra tor ; CARRIED aRticuE: ENTITLED QUOTE YANK, FOUR OTHERS | HAVANA, RE? ARTICLE oe CAPTURE FIVE MEN, INCLUDING “IND PAGE”ONE Bi zal “oy, DAWAS NOOBuecTION TG | REL CR Pact © OF OA INEORMAT 10N > 1S DOCUMENT. Tp 10x Kee bs Ce es. Mee a i. gra tee] SS pripe ’ soect HW 54027 DocId: 32301048 Page 4
PAGE TWO = Cobos AN AMERICAN IDENTIFIED AS aucus) MAC NAIR, IN ARMS LADEN MOTOR LAUNCH, BOAT IDENTIFIED AS’ QUOTE MERCURY END QUOTE, ACCORDING TO ARTICLE, ANNOUNCEMENT OF CAPTURE THIS GROUP FOLLOWED REPORTS THAT REBEL FORCES HAVE STARTED MAJOR | BUILDUP IN HILLS OF PINAR DEL RIO PROVINCE WHERE SUBSTANTIAL NUMBERS WERE AWAITING ARRIVAL OF ARMS, THIS MORNING ANGUS — | eens Re, HAD BEEN ARRESTED. BY CUBAN AUTHORITIES YESTERDAY IN BOAT LOADED WITH GUNS, M EEEN ASSOCIATED WITH FRAN IR SAID HIS SON HAD RECENTLY Uy Sih ~ Go be, LORINI , “WHO” “TS AMERICAN ? ADVENTURER AND SELF DASH PROFESSED LEADER OF GROUP ANTI DASH CASTRO INDIVIDUALS. MC NAIR LAST SAW SON MARCH FOUR LAST WHEN SON -$ ANNOUNCED LEAVING FOR CUBA. FOR INFO BUREAU, MC NAIR, SR. IS ACCOUNTANT IN MIAMI LAW FIRM IN WHICH SENATOR GEORGE ee Poe 2f @ MATHERS, OF FLAsy 1 IS - INACTIVE MEMBER LAST T NIGHT;“NN “SEVEN Fane TWO SIX DASH S$ REPORTED THAT ORLANDO) osti, “WHO AS. CIVILIAN DELEGATE OF. MIRR IN IN MIAMI DISCLOSED HAD JUST LEARNED OF SEIZURE BY CUBAN AUTHORITIES OF AN MIRR GROUP IN CUBA. HE IDENTIFIED MARCIANO BELO, ‘AKA GUAJIRA, AS AMONG THIS GROUP, ' BOSCH CONFIDED THIS GROUP HAD BEEN’ TAKEN ON BOAT QUOTE END PAGE TWO HW 54027 Docld: 32301048 Page 5
. . we ro ° * - . a Ps . SEPRET = : ; o a PR i » Tesley 1 one i Pel IN FULL [CU RELEASE iN PART H nen PAGE THREE a TOTAL Dewan g Ht ppsn Zo JOLLY ROGER END QUOTE TO POINT, OFF COAST AT CABANAS, PINAR DEL RIO PROVINCE, WHERE THEY WERE TRANSPORTED IN SKIFF TO SHORE, WHERE THEY WERE APPARENTLY APPREHENDED, TODAY Ht INSPECTOR WILLIS SMITHSON, U. S. BORDER PATROL MIAMI; Cabo ADVISED THAT ON MARCH ‘Bewey LAST, JOLLY. ROGER WAS REPORTED ON BOARD, ON MARCH TWELV f LAST, “JOLLY / ROGER REPORTED IN P naan KEY WEST AREA WITH ELIDIO Gs URI ¥ GOICHOHECA, CUBAN a ALIEN, ON BOARD, ON MARCH NINETEEN, JOLLY ROGER ARRIVED LOWER MATACOMBE KEY, NEAR KEY WEST, AND AS OF TODAY STILL ce) perins: THERE HAVING LOADED EIGH% FIFTYFIYE GALLON FUEL DRUMS ON  SLASRIf/{e0 Be TUNA Cute — df4 d leet lament 4 $63, 4 BOARD, CAPT, ENRIQUEPRODRIGUEZMIBANEZ OF JOLLY ROGER WAS ‘waif QDERED REPORT INS, MIAMI. [veSTERDAY, | CIA ADVISED GROUP | CAPTURED COULD BE INDEPENDENT OPERATION OF FRENTE REVOLUCIONARIO DEMOCRATICO, AN ANTI DASH CASTRO UNITY ORGANIZATION, BUT THAT CIA HAD NO OPERATIONAL INTEREST IN THIS MATTER AND THEY ARE IN POSSESSION NO KNOWLEDGE RE QUOTE MERCURY END auote JOAN GQ 4 ) MM FOUR NINE TWO DASH S HAS ADVISED THAT GILBERTO BETANCOURT WAS ARRESTED IN FIFTYSEVEN BY BATISTA GOVT. ON A BOMBING CHARGE AND THAT FILES OF BUREAU FOR REPRESSION COMMUNIST END PAGE THREE | HW 54027 Docld: 32301048 Page 6