rd > | Cuban-Amexz .can...page 2 e FBI and CIA information which was. in the A chronology of the activities on this lead amplifies possessi the two agencies. CIA Investigation ‘The first information on the travel of the Cuban- in &ftt American appeared Se Sheenver Cf 1963. At that time the Mexico Station of the CIA sent a classified. message urgent traces on U.S. ‘Gilberto P. on. ‘that date " - “> Lopez." ay “The source said Lopez arrived _in Mexico on “November 23 en route to Havana and mma topes ns ‘disappeared i record of his trip to Havana. According ~ to the message, Lopez fad a tourist card, carrying number | 24553, which he obtained in Tampa on 1 November 20, 1963 and his passport number was B1OTG2. The message stated that Lopez. left Mexico for Havana. on November 27. via Cubana | (Airlines). nee i The classified message: Tistea tneGa yptonyn pec t aa source (of information dh travel. tt indicated : the Mexico. Station had no traces on-him: 4 In ‘another _ assified message (dated December ey 1963 a y, the,Mexico CaF static to CIA headquarters, the station SE the FBI office in ity had been \ } advised. by Mexican authorities that Lopez entered Mexico on November 27 at Nuevo Laredo. 5/
“Cuban- American...page 3 i ~ + gat the ext day — In another glassifisiacesags Gated December 4, 196 ; to the Nexicd E89 station from CIA headquarters, the Agency a ae oe a a reported that the St te-Départment check on (Gopez) had produced nothi yet because of the difficulty: in tracing records using only a name and passport number. 6/ The message contained this paragraph: . _ : that Lopez flew to Cuba on 4b you do not want to blow the er This problem is up to yout 7/ |. ed to in the classifi FAL dm ssage A aN | ov Sn federal officials who ((iexican officials also had their | own program to photograph the passports of ‘the passengers arriving | “£xom Havana. )8/ on ‘December 5, 1963. ‘the Mexico. City | ‘Station ‘reported - that Roe had stated that Gilberto Lopez had ar crossed the ‘Mexican border fat. Laredo, ‘Texas on November 23, me 1963 and registered in the Roosevelt Hotel in Mexico City on. whe AB POELII OS F Seve ot November 25 at 1600 hours in Room 203. 9/ aces, reported that Lopez departed on a Cubana flight on Dn/)
G@uban-Ame can...page 4 ~~ November 27 for Havana. That classified message ‘stated Sha Fev oon 5 curt! | . additionally that QITENPO/S haa Ag good ¢ Lopez. 10/ The photograph of Lopez contained in his CIA 201 file TOM wn eo ase ere See ene AAR Al tt EN Et tT TOL eg Selahdenteonee aS nas)"27 November To63" stamped on the back. in the photograph” ene ment tee we Pa iiearing a: dark glasses and the background in the photograph is dark and jndistinguishable . SK dispate cr Rg ted bece er-3 1s6s7 From the chief om™ Station—iartléxico +659) to headquarters, copies of the ; Dhosogrest GE open wer were attached, and the dispatch stated b4rend : go ae rr oY ae 1963 at the Mexico. City “Tinponfy Mexican authoritie as - naman aa was boarding a Cubana flight.j11/ The dispatch gave » wESS g previously reported information of the numbers of Lopez’ Ss passport and tourist card and his entry into and departure from Mexico. The dispatch contained the a! additional information that Lopez was fisted as) the only passenger on Cubana flight #465 on November 27, 1963 to Havana; the flight contained a crew of: nine Cubans. rt said he used a U. S. passport and a “cuban. courtesy. visa. ay ~The dispatch’ woe had the following message? "source states the timing and , _ Cir cumstances surrounding subject’ s “travel through Mexico and. fora ‘departure for Havana are suspicious." 13/ “The dispatch said also that the source "urgently" requested all available data on the individual. Dul(
Cuban-American... page 5 - Also on Gasca S, 196 63,) CIA headquarters cabled the (Mexico ( City, Station and identified this Cuban-American as Giiberto Policarpo Lopez, who was born on January 26, 1940. 14/.° It stated also that Lopez was not identical with a Gilberto Lopez who had been identified as active in pro- Castro groups in Los An = 15 . = = os Ardpurrtecs scared m, a March 1964, classified message (Co headquarter > €o_ headquarter that o% mrigque Ruiz Montalv oy\> € agent of the Mexican Federal Judicial Police}, nad) 3 #7. a, informed the CIA hat one of(euia' J contacts reported e February, 1964, that an American citizen named Gilberto foot £rom Laredo, Texas about 1200 hours on November L3 carrying U.. S | passport #319962, which was issued July -13, 1960. 17/ According to the dispatch, the contact related also that Lopes proceeded by bus to Mexico City “where he entered Cuban embassy"; at said that | he left the Cuban Bmbassy on November 27 and was ‘the only. Lo ees passenger for Cuba on Zlight #465. 1s/ + said ‘the | contact ‘reported thag As issued Mexican ‘travel form iB, #24553, Nuevo. ‘Laredo. 19/ ‘According to the dispatch, Ruiz: reported that he ‘could ‘not verity the contact! Ss “information, — . but thought it might be of interest to the United States government. 20/ lS
a wee > - ’ FBI vavepthaction - Cuban-Ame. .can...page'6 The cable stated also that backyround information So arn t Sam contained in a qactispatch ‘dated March 18 which was being pouched to headquarters, 21/ . oS The wexT St " owkh ok t ) b oo the Deputy Chief of the 1} fexco City st Station A cabled a classified message to headquarters in which it was stated that the information contained in the earlier aispatch PAE DP 7VWACh ALIN which discussed Qati-afcontaews ibes fully with that provided Sov a) station. b GTTENPO JS early December 1983<"-227——~\ . A 201 file was opened on ciingrto Policared Lopez by Agency headquarters on December 16, 1963. 23/ At that time his records indicated that no earlier 201 file had existed. The file contains a "Review of 201 file on U.S. citizen” by <7) q Nan operations officer for the EL ‘component 4 of the Agency. 24/ In that’ review the file Tassified as a "counterintelligence case Gi. e., involving a foreign intelli-. gence or security service). " 25/ ‘The date of entry of. that gategoxy in Agency records ais indicated as 5 January 22, » 1G) in a. Lopez! s- Eile. 26/ In a report dated 1 August 26, 1964,
Cuban-American...page 7 which had been carried out in Key West, Florida. he report stated that Lopez's coungin, Guillermo Serpa( Rodrigue , told the . FBI that Lopez came to the United Stated for the first time some © time after castro first came to power. 27/ He’ stayed approximately one year and then returned to Cuba. 28/ Rodriguez stated that Lopez returned to Cuba because he was homesick and missed his family; he had parents and four brothers who still resided a member of the Cuban militia at that time. 30/ another brother, Raimundo Poli@arpo “Lopez, -had reportedly been sent to the Soviet union to study by the Cuban government, according to Rodriguez. 3u/ | Rodriguez told the FBI that Lopez returned to the United States in 1960 or 1961 because he was afraid he woulda be drafted into the Cuban militia if he remained in Cuba. 32/ _ The FBI learned that Lopez married an | American woman in Key West in August, 1962. 33/ According ‘to Lopez! ‘Ss wife, he worked for a time with: the Pepsi Cola col “in. 1962 and at ‘the Movina | and Murgia Bakery . in key, West, which | was owned by, cousins. Bay” She said that he ‘also worked ‘for, a construction ‘company in : Tampa in. June, 1963. 35/
‘Cuban-American...page 8 Lopez's wife told the FBI that’ L6pez began suffering from recurrent attacks of epilepsy and had to be confined at Jackson , | State Hospital in-Key—West in early 1963. 36/ She stated that he was treated by doctors from Coral Gables and Key West for the epilepsy. 37/ She stated that .she did not believe he had a history of epilepsy before coming to the United States. 38/ She believed his convulsions were brought on by nervous tension and worry over his family in Cuba and may have beena reason. .for his return to Cuba in 1963. 39/ | | The wife said that in approximately November, 1963, she received a letter from Lopez saying he had returned to. Cuba. 40/ The wife stated that she was surprised he had ‘returned but that he had mentioned he was going back to Cuba when he ‘left for Tampa in November, 1963. 41/ The wife gave her opinion that he returned because of his close relationship with his | parents. 42/ The wife stated that she received another letter. from him iater from Cuba. 43/ According to the letter, he was . working as an elevator operator 4 in ‘Havana. 44s ‘In that letter Lopez said he had received some “kina of financial assistance * for the trip from an. organization in Tampa. 45/- “According to the _ wife, Lopez did not have ‘sufficient personal funds to pay the coe expenses to Mexico. and ‘Cuba. 46/ She said that he had ‘never had ae contact with Cuban refugee organizations to her knowledge. 47/
Cuban-American...page 9 Rodriguez told the FBI that Lopez left Key. West in late 1963 to go to Tampa with the hope of being able to return to Cuba. 48/ Rodriguez said he believed Lopez wanted ~_ to return to Cuba because he was afraid of being drafted into’ the U.S. military. 49/ Rodriguez said Lopez was not involved in any Pro~ Castro activity while living in Key West, but ‘that Lopez was: "definitely" pro-Castro. 50/ Rodriguez recounted that in one instance he and Lopez actually had a fist-fight over Lopes’ S pro- Castro sympathies. $1/ | 7 In a report in March if. the FBI reported that Lopez had attended a meeting of. the Tampa Fair Play for Cuba Committee on “November 20, 198s. ° 52/ The report also stated that at a meeting of the ‘group on November 17, 1963, Lopez stated that he had been refused travel back to Cuba. He said at that time | _ that he was waiting for a phone call from Cuba to get word on his departure to Cuba. 53/ According to that report in March, (1964, a ‘member of the Tampa FPCC stated that ‘she called a friend in “Cuba on ‘December 8, 1963 and: was told that, Lopez Aad arrived safely. say The enbez | Lopez | had ‘hot deliverea gifts to persons’ in “Cuba from peo . oss in Florida as he ‘had ‘promised to do. 55/_ “The member ‘stated also that the Tampa ‘chaptet of the FPcc had given Lopez approximately $190 for the réturn trip to Cuba. 56/ The member said that Lopez had gone to Cuba by way of Mexico because he did not have a passport. 57/
Cuban-American...page 10 The March 1964 FBI report listed Lopez's passport as #310162, which had been issued in January, 1960, and his Mexican tourist card as "M8-24553, issued November 20, 1963. in Tampa. 58/ It stated that Lopez entered Mexico by private, ‘auto at Nuevo Laredo on November 23, 1963 and departed for Havana on November 27 as the only passenger on a Cubana flight, carrying a Cuban courtesy visa. 59/ According to the FBI file, Lopez's mother, Esperanza - Rodriguez, was born in Key West, Florida. 60/ The file | listed three cousins and four uncles who resided and worked in ‘the Key West area with their families. 61/ | Lopez's FBI file contains a memo from the Tampa office dated October 26, 1964 which states: | | It is felt that information developed regarding the subject is not sufficient to merit consideration for the Security index. 62/ The only information transmittéd by the FBI to the Warren ‘Commission on Lopez concerned a check. at the Passport Office. 63/.- “The information the | Bureau dia send to the Commission a bout the Pampa chapter of the’ FPCC aia not ‘include any, “information on Lopez! s activities. 64/ | “The CIA apparently aia not provide a “any information on “Lopez to the Warren Commission. AS pointed | ee out in the Senate report, this omission is made mo égregious
% ‘ Cusan-American...page 12 incorrect on several points: Lopez's name was misspelled "Lopes"; it stated that Lopez entered Mexico on foot when the CIA repeated the FBI's conclusion that he had traveled by auto; it gave incorrect Gigits in Lopez's passport number; it stated that the Mexican tourist visa was issued in Nuevo Laredo and not Tampa; and it reported that he ‘Stayed at the Cuban Embassy. 67/ Based on these inaccuracies, Tr the tespector~Gerreral concluded that "the source patently was extensively misinformed." 68/ Based on “that eng vation ey “TE K, the Seopectos-Gereral sonpletely @iscounted en cable by tne Deputy Chief: : Stationinfiexico Gp arch 20, eas . * Cisdenat th Coes Twformation "jibed” with what had é i been 2orted- by the CIA's source. 69/ Presumably the discrepancies pointed out by the TF re, oem 1L are meant to explain the that the x CIA did not take “more aggressive investigative step to 1977 -imepectem cence report explaing that: the Agency are a ascertain whether there. -might, have~ -been”™ ‘some “connection between Lopez and the | assassination. In that regard, the had no other means (of investigating Lopez at his disposal and chad carried ‘the lead” as. far as it was able by - LE ES questioning a Cuban defector about Lopez. While the fact - . of the CIA's lack of access to further information about ‘
: + ® Cuban-American...page 13 , 1h Lopez may well be the case, that fact does not explain either the failure of the CIA to take more seriously the suspicions of the sources, or most importantly, to report whatever . information it had to the Warren Commission. In that TR R regard, the attempts 2 the Enspeetes—Senerar to denigrate the value of. the information provided on Lopez do not exp lian Dorm Ho Girdptsh the apparent negligance of the Agency =F seriously pursu€se the information as it was received. The Agency is not to be faulted for the strength of its intelligence gathering, but rather for the judgment which kept that a intelligence from the governmental body, the Warren Commission, which was mandated to pass on the strength of ‘exactly that kind of information. | From the information collected by the ‘FBI, there | Vows bL2.. appear to be werdt-exptetred reasons both for Lopez's desire to return to Cuba and his solicitation of the help of a local FPCC chapter for that travel. His contacts in Florida appear on. their face’ to ‘be “innocent aad-nonporitiess and not oo. in any. way connected, with ‘the assassination. “Despite the suggestion by the Senate report of suspicion in the fact that Oswald "may" have been ‘in touch with that same PPCC chapter, “no evidence appears to suggest that oswald was actually in touch with the Tampa FPCC, or that Lopez was connected in any way with Oswald or Dallas.
Cuban-American...page:l4 . o an : . > Despite what is now known about Lopez, the Warren Commission may well have wanted to lay to rest suspicions which would remain about Lopez, and satisfy itself that these circumstances in no way indicate foreign involvement in the assassination. The CIA has contributed. - to those suspicions by not airing the matter and explaining ? circumstances which could shed light on otherwise sinister | appearing events. The Committee has documented instances where the CIA decided to forego passing information ‘to. the Warren Commission - out of a desire to not lay bare extremely sensitive sources and methods of intelligence. the(tiFiks) operation“ . 7 nee certainly falls within that cateyory-ahd as soon as the CIA pat eae momee wean ended ~ began receiving information. that (LIFIRE }was the source of the information about , Lopez! ‘s trave , the cables and \ s, messages reflected the desire to not reveal that method. It also seems plausible that the FBI likewise chose not to as } divulge: what it had. learned about Lopez because in doing fo "so it would have had to. reveal the ‘sensitive CIA operation ee which generated the. initial information on Lopez’ s travel to Cuba on November 27.
ve ¥ . ne eCubpan-Ame. can footnotes i/ The Investigation of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: Performance of the Intelligence Agencies, Book V, Select Comm. to Study Governmental Operations, 4/23/76, p.61, Senate Report No. 94-755. | 2/ Ia. | | | 3/ Classified CIA pocunent ex} IN 72615, 3 Dec. 1963. | A/ Ta. oO Oo 7 5/ Classified CIA pocunent (Mex) IN 72829, 3 Dec. 1963. 6/ Classified CIA Document __, 4 Dec. 1963. 7/ Id. 9/ Classified CIA Document (ised) 7253, IN 74227, 12/5/63. 10/ Id. | | — Wis natch, : meen ll/ Classified CIA Gocument|] +22579, 12/5/63. 12/ Id. OC | 13/ Id. 14/ Classified CIA Document _ , 5 Dec. 1963. 15/ Id. 16/ Classified CIA Docunent() 0829, iN 43194, 19 Mar. 1964.- Say cae 20/ “Ta. ee oe =o 21/- Ia. NE 7 nN nN ™~™ | Classified CIA pocunens flexi 9740, IN 43940, 20 Mar. 1964.
Gabon-Ameri¢an footnotes...page 2 Y w * e 23/ Classified CIA Document, Personality File Action Request, 16 December 1963, #201-741600. | 24/ Classified CIA Document. 25/ Id. 26/ Id. : oe | Le 27/ FBI Report, 8/26/64, Serial 105-126109-12, p. | 28/ Ibid. at Ibid. -at N Oo ~ | We on ~ Ibid. at Ww bo ~ Ibid. at | Tbid. at WwW N ~ Ibid. at Ww ud ~ tad Re ~ Ww ) ~ i on ™~ i ~} ~ r |o |S je | ~ SN NON im ho ™~ i ' t | > lo ~ i U | bs ram ~ 1 | res wn ~ t | a= [oa ™ | na wd ™ he co ™~ |
“8 hoe . “ok * e “Ee. e ‘Cuban-American footnotes...page 3 49/ Ibid. at ——- | According to Lopez/s FBI file, he registered with the Selective Service at Key West on July 29, 1960 and was classified 4-F on February 23, 1962 due toa language barrier. 50/ 51/ 2/ FBI Report, 3/31/64, Serial 105-1261909-9. 53/ Ibid. at 54/ Ibid. un so ~ an Q ~ ron tr ~ 62/ FBI Report, 10/26/64, Serial 105-126109-13. 63/ Senate Report, The Investigation of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Book V, p.63. _ 64/ Ta. | | —65/ See Senate Report, B. 104. ee ee mo TASK Foto -88/ cra Classified ‘Document, 1977 anepectss Generat's Report, - Tab B, p. 16.— ; othe Report, 68/ Id. 69/ Ibid. at 17.