Mirabal Interview Page 18. Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: What did you tell him? I consulted hin about the case, whether they had any news about that person or his wife who was a Soviet citizen. And what did he tell you? And he told me about that, that that same man had been in his office to request a visa for the U.S.S.R. But that he had forwarded to Mos- cow and that it would take about four months to get a reply. It is known that a citizen of a country has the right to go back to that country. But it was not she who was requesting a visa to come to Cuba but rather himself, her husband. But then it seemed to me somewhat strange, a strange combination. So -we decided not even to forward the case to the Ambassador. Let me see if I can't get clear. When did this telephone conversation--when in the day did this telephone conversation take place? Was it in the morning or in the afternoon? It seems to me it was around noon. time. I don't remember. It should have been. .withan ten and two in the afternoon. Was Oswald present in the Consulate*when you
Mirabal Interview Page 19. Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: made the phone call? I think so. I think he was’ because I made: the telephone call before writing out the note. Okay. Let me see if I can't reconstruct with . you what happened. He came in on the second occasion, filled gut the application, and then you called the So- viet Embassy to check to see whether he had re- ceived his visa and they gave you the information that you previously gave us. Yes. Did you then give the information to Mr. Oswald? No, I did not. To Mr. Azcue. And that's when the argument occurred? No, ng. , The discussion was before that. Because though he came to fill out the application, the way he was asking to do it, he wanted to have the reply very soon. He said he could, not wait for months and then there was another argument about that. There was an argument on both occasions. Did any other people make phone calls from the Cuban Embassy to the Russian Embassy? About the Oswald case? wa Not from my phone. I had a telephone in my office
Mirabal Interview Page 20. Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: didn't? and the secretary had another telephone. Did Sylvia Duran ever call the Russians? I cannot tell you yes and I cannot tell you no. Did you ever had any conversation with her that would lead you to believe that she had made phone calls? No. Did you ever have any conversations with Mr. Azcue that would lead you to believe that he had made phone calls in this connection? I don't know about that. You mean you don't remember whether he did or Or you just have no knowledge at all? Not that I know. I never knew about that. Did you ever make a phone call to the Russian Em- bassy in which you put Lee Harvey Oswald on the phone to let him directly talk to the Russian Em- bassy? No, I never did. Did you ever have any direct face-to-face conver- sations with Mr. Oswald? No, I never did. | When the argument occurred, what langtiage was Oswald speaking? English.
Mirabal Interview Page 21. Blakey: Mirabal: (Tape turned Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Did he ever speak Russian in the Embassy? Not that I heard. | , , So, over.) Let me repeat that question. Did he ever speak Russian in the Embassy? No, I was all the time in my office, and working. I had work to do. I tell you honestly, I never gave much importance to that. It was just a simple argument, a discussion. At that moment also he was not--the figure he became later. I did not pay much attention. But rather to loud voices I heard, that was what called my atten- tion. But what was going on there I do not know. Those voices were speaking in English, then? The three. of them--the Secretary, Azcue and Oswald. Did you know Azcue both professionally and so- cially? I met him September the second, 1963. He went to receive me at the airport. Then afterwards we became good friends. | Did you know Sylvia Duran both professionally and socially? Well, from the social point of view I visited her a once during a birthday party because it was logical.
Mirabal Interview Page 22. Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: I was head at the office and she invited me. But we never carry out any social life together. Did you ever attend any parties at her house? Yes, I did. Do you recall attending any parties that period during September at her house? Well, the party was soon after the night I arrived in Mexico. I don't remem- ber if it was her birthday, I think it was. Hers or her husband's. Do you know when she was born? No. Could it be that her birthday is November 22nd, the day of the assassination? No, I can't tell you. Can you recall whether you attended a party that would not be a birthday party that weekend in September when Oswald was in Mexico City? No, I don't..- Do you know if Mr. Azcue attended any parties at her house that weekend? ye They knew each other for sometime but I can't tell you if he went to her house to a party.
Mirabal Interview Page 23. Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey:. Mirabal: Did you know Maria Teresa Proenza? I met her at the Embassy but I didn't have any relations with her. | Do you know if she was at a party at the Durans that weekend? No, I don't remember. Did you know General Jose Jesus Clark Florez? I met a lot of people, I don't remember. Did you know Emilio Carbellido? I think I heard the name but if I met him I don't remember, perhaps it was at the time I think I heard the name, Emilio Carbellido. Do you know if he attended a party at the Durans that latter part of September? No I don't. Did you know Elena Garro de Paz? No, I don't. Perhaps I met her but I cannot as- sociate the name with the person now. Did you know Deba Guerrero de Galvan? No. Did you know a Victor Rico Gallan? Yes, I did. yo and who was-- Journalist. oe Did you know him well? No, but he used to go to the Consul. We had super- i
Mirabal Interview Page 24. Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: fetes ' ficial relations always. Did you ever hear that Lee Harvey Oswald was at a party at the Durans on the weekend of September 26, 27, 28, 29? No, I never heard that. Mr. Mirabal, I hope you will understand that the questions now that I am going to ask you are some- what delicate and I would not ask you unless I had information that made it necessary. And I would not ask these kinds of questions just to pry into people's private lives. _ Having apologized for the delicate character of what I am doing, let me ask you a series of questions. Was Sylvia Duran married when she worked at the Consulate? She told me that she was married with a painter. Did you ever hear that she was unfaithful to her husband? Well, there were some comments but not very serious. I never gave any importance to the comments. that were made, Did she have a reputation for being with more than one man on more than one occasion? | No. As far as I know. Could she have been described as a woman of easy virtue?
Mirabal Interview Page 25. Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: THe thing is that I never used to speak about those types of things with the other people. The distinction that I'm trying to draw, it is sometimes possible for a person to have an affair even outside of marraige based on love. There are other people who would stay with anyone and what I'm trying to ask you as delicately as possi- ble is if Ms. Duran had the reputation of being the kind. of woman who might stay'‘with anyone? I never knew that version. You indicated that you did hear that she perhaps was unfaithful. Without going into the details of the people. . There were some comrades there at the Embassy who started commenting but not as a serious matter. Not as a serious conversation. Did you ever hear that she might have had an affair, at least a week-end affair, with Lee Harvey Oswald? No. Do yow think that if this had occurred that you might have heard about it? Yes. People would have commented on that. Be- cause after what happened, that is, the assassina- tion of the President, we talked a lot. There was a lot of conversations dealing with Oswald. eee roe ol
Mirabal Interview. Page 26. Blakey: Mirabal: Bhakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Do you know how Sylvia Duran got home at night? Did her husband come to pick her up? ft Sometimes. Did you know a Ernesto lLetfeld Miller (Ph.)? Do you know if anyone other than ‘her husband ever came to. pick her up? | No. Did you ever hear or learn that Sylvia Duran ‘sent Lee Harvey Oswald to a group of students at the University of Mexico? In an effort to obtain the visa? | No. Do you think you would have heard of such activity had it occurred? It would have been normal. Do you know an Oscar Contrares Lartigue? Not by the name. “~™ Did you know any students at the law school at the University of Mexico? Well, I, there were some students who sed to go to the Embassy looking for propaganda, books, literature. 7 Did you know a Ricardo Guerra? No.
Mirabal Interview Page 27. Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Following the assassination of President Kennedy, was Sylvia Duran arrested by the Mexican Govern- ment? | | | Yes, she was. Did she discuss with you that arrest? Afterwards. Would you tell us what she said happened to her? She told me that she was arrested. I don't even remember where it was. It was either in her house or out of her house, that she was mal- treated. What do you mean by maltreated? Not, uh, she was not beaten. But she had some bruises and they wanted to link her with Oswald. How did they give an indication that they wanted to link her with Oswald? Because of the visit to the/Embassy. When you say they, do you mean the Mexican Police? Yes, it was the Mexican police. Which police service arrested her? I don't remember -- The Mexican police! What I mean was that, there are several different Mexican police services. Do you remember which service it was that arrested her?
Mirabal Interview Page 28. Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: No, No, I don't. Did she tell you what questions she was asked by the Mexican police? . oo Well, you know, she was talking about that and who was present. The Ambassador was also present. What questions did they ask her? I don't remember exactly now but I do know that-- Did they make any accusations against her? No, no. She was released. What I meant was, in the questions did they accuse her of doing anything? “As far as I knew, they wanted to link her with this event. I know that there is something. about that. Did they want to link her to it personally. For example, did they ask her if she had an affair with Lee Harvey Oswald? I don't remember anything. Or did they try t6° Link her in the sense that she was an employee of the Cuban Embassy? I think so. Did they suggest that somehow the Cuban Government was involved with Lee Harvey Oswald, and thus the assassination, an attempt through Ms. Duran to establish that link?
Mirabal Interview Page 29. Mirabal: Blakey: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: I don't remember but I don't think so. She commented on everything but uh-- . I note that it's now eleven fifteen and that it would probably be unfair for me to continue asking questions without giving you say, five Minutes for rest. IE wouldn't want it said _that I was unfair to you. Perhaps we could take a five minute break. Let the record indicate that it is now twenty minutes to twelve. (Break.) On any occasion that Mr. Oswald was present at the Consulate did you ever get any indica- tion that he was with other people? No. Did you see anyone outside that he might have gone out and been with? I remember an image that one time in which I went to the window there was a woman close to the Consulate. I remember but it is not very clear but I didn't know who she was. Is there any reason to associate her with him? s w No, I didn't have any-- Did you see him go out and talk to her? No, IL did not. Excuse me, one of the things he brought to the Consulate was a certificate of marriage. When he showed it to me, I didn't ask
Mirabal Interview Page 30. Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: anything related to these certificate but I related that I associated that perhaps that woman that was outside could be his wife. Did he say that he was with her? No, no. I never talked to him. It's just an assumption on your part that it could have been true? Yes, only an assumption. Could you recall for me what the reaction was in the Cuban Consulate and Embassy to President Ken- nedy's assassination? Well, when we heard about it, I can't recall, I think it was the day after, I heard it in the morning, we put on the radio and we heard about the news. Well, you can imagine the feeling of the people working at the Embassy, they were very upset. They were worried also, hecause that's not common for these event s to happen. Especially because at that time our relations with the U.S. government were not good and in Mexico we had a very active counter-revolutionary force who threatened us whenever we had A party and sometimes they managed to carry out some acts against us. For example, throwing “ink. bottles to.our Embassy, and different provocations
Mirabal Interview Page 31. Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: against us. So, first of all, the news worried us because it was the assassination of a U.S. President and this hadn't happened for a long time. And also, because that situation perhaps the counter-revolutionaries could use us. That is mainly the impression I recall. And we tried to maintain ourselves as calm as we could. Did you have any discussions with Sylvia Duran about Lee Harvey Oswald's trip to the Consulate in light of the assassination? No, I didn't. Do you recall her reaction to the assassination? She was the one who gave me the news that he was assassinated. She communicated first that he was assassinated, then I put on the radio. Some- time later she herself came again and she told me that the name that the radio had given as the assassin was the same name of that person who went to the Embassy requesting a visa. Because the thing is that she handles everything, the papers, and she had to write up for sometime, different times, the name, so she recalled it. And she: remembered the name. Resets ad
Mirabal Interview Page 32. Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: “Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: Blakey: Mirabal: What did you do with that information? Well, what I told you before, we Did you report it to the Ambassador that the reported assassin of the President of the United States had asked for a visa? Yes. ‘Do you know what he did with it? He recommended:us to be calm and to wait for the events. He was going to talk with the Mexican authorities. That is what I remember. Do you know if any communication was had between Mexico City and Havana about Lee Harvey Oswald and the visa application? No. You don't know. Could, is it possible that there was some communication that you did not know about? I didn't know. - | Did anyone ever talk to you as part of an investiga- tion conducted by the Cuban Government into Lee Harvey Oswald's visit? | yo After the assassination? After the assassination. an No.