y : ough Vidal Morales, Brand met a leaders at tne Union Vinatera Nacional, an ass : saw Gomila three times. Jomila offered to zet the Treasury (Subsecretario de Hacienda), Dr. Israel ould get the defection of one of the members of the f0) Syand doas not remember now. Gomila also saide Gomi ta nad contacts. wit Captain of the army, stationed in 3antiazo, named juintana. Nena. This captain hac a wember of the G2 and he wanted to cooperate with the forces fighting Castros i ° instructed Gomila to get intelligence reports from this Captain, and also from %r Subsecretario de Hacienda and from the Member of tie Supreme Court. Gomila went 7 Santiago de Cuba to see the Captain, but Brand does not know the oucome of their i meeting, because Brand didn't see Gomila agains . One day Brarid went to Fernandez Plana's house to have a meeting with the milit 4 chief of the Frontin the Province of Pinar del Roe Brand feli-he had noticed 30: surveillance around the place. When Brand told this to Fernandes Plana and his fx they adonted a somewhat we-don't~believe-in-ghosts “attitude. They told Brand that vere going to sea the man from Pinar del Rio in a different place. They offered transoortation tap Brand. Brand towith Anselmo, whose car was parked in front Pornandez Plana's house. After Anselmo had been driving for a while, Erand asked if he wa3 looking throuzsh the rear mirror, to see if they had been followed. a fc seconds after this remark,’ Anselmo said that a car was after them. Prarnd theninst Anselmo not to zo to the meeting place. They began driving around town, and the ¢ toy kept after them. Finally they went to Calixto Gareia's Hosvital. Srand went into suilding, took off his moustache and glasses and went out by the same door he hac to come in. The men who had been following them were there, but it ssems they dic recognized Brand, who walked away. . Around these davs, while Brand was goinz to a meeting, he saw in the straets s friend of his, Pancho Varona, a fellow conspirator against Batista. crand invitac 4o..come into the car. They talked for a few minutes and set a date and place for meeting. Three days after that, Varona met Brand. YVarona informed Brand that a fe: days before an airplane had drovped equipment at 21 Sscambray, and that the equix hed been caught by Fidel's forces. Brand asked some 0.23. from Varona. Varona ‘pre to zet them, but he looked quite skentical about many thinss.Zrand told hin. The next time Brand saw Benito Fernandez, he said that Plinio? 's mother had vis hin, cuite nervous, saying that his son had been cavtured at <1 “scambray. “Bent: her that that was not true. os Prior to this meeting, Benito Fernandez had introduced to Brand two friends o: naned & vue Earroso, and another young man by the name of Oruz ? They idan themselves a3 friends of Nino Diaz. 2rand offered them help, and asked them their efforts with Brand in the province of Pinar del Bio. They said that lk those things with Nino Diaz before making any deffnite arrangement. 3 ng to Miami to see Nino Diaa. They wanted Zrand to establish az so h’s— might trust Brand. 3rand sent a flash to Jim Bowdin, as Brand 's bona fide with Nino Diaz. Many days vassed dy, and Srand tinue negotiations, decauge no answer sver came From Jim Eowdi: he Jompany. Prior to this meeting with Sarro3o0 and Sruz, Brand . ing with Barroso. Senito Farnandez knew that Sarroso and Cruz ns in Hayanae 3 his man Tabranes “wee Las + 4 t ae af iA. roo ane wLOCS  .. AS Gas fe) oP Has is tencia “Agramont 4 24 Liat ~wt d that in order to set a final named Rossel, who is living in the United States. Taoranes loox2d.% = me spf tla. Dead ; ; . y agcwement WLloun Srandc. HW 53294) DBocld:32356641 Page 6
HW 535294 Doc: sy this time, Brand has r qrough Cavanas of the frequent of Raul Raul Castro to the = aguia. Ve tried but could not r: house acroos the street. 2ra erto Alvarez to make a vlan for casing of the vlace anc also hands of the proz“essiona. i cou seen in thse instructions giv 2 At last, we got word that Ra vastro was going to live in were not age to rent the hous: the plan was drovvnsd. In his last mesting with Brand, Cesar Lancis had informed him of the possibil: of killing Fidel at the National Hotel, where he used to zo to have dinner with * euployees. This was also told to Roberto Alvarez, who began thinking about plana egarding the National Hotel and Pekin Restaurant. “Rumors began to-spread around town that Plinio had basen cantured somewhere nes 51 Escambray mountains. Meanwhile, Cabanas had seen Brand several tines, and had informed him ot the recruitings he had made for Cuba Libre among the drivers and conductors of Coovera de Cmnibus Aliadose - ih Finally, the newspapers in town published some nictures of Plinio Prieto after caoture near #1 Escambray. The summary trials began. The cay befors the execution, is, the llth of Octoter, Emilio Rodriguez came to see Era He informed Brand ths sh e Juan Mendez' and some other zgrouns were v coins to start obing around town in ord _orove the Government that the Cuban Peoole was azainst the executions, and on tne of the rebels. Zmilio Rodrizuez asked Brand how many wen could he sive to start st around town. Brand answered that he had no men available for that. Zmilio Rodrizue asked if Brand had any men available to try to rescue Plinio. Brand ansered that could give armed men for that purvose. Emilio Rodrizuez also asked about Brand's possibilities in men to help in an attempt against Fidel's life at Mulgoba. Brand answered that he could give armed men. for that action.The "we-must-do-something"” a (“tenemos gue hacer als =o"), is the worst thing that can happen in a consoiracy. ih Brand realized that all the leaders in the different zZreuos wanted to start shooti wesnous plans or any definite purposes, Brand began to have strong doubts about the eriousness or coordination of the efforts that were under way. After Plinio's execution, morals came to an all time low. Brand instructed Ca: to start sabotage on the busses in Havana. Brand sent a flash to Jim Sowdin insist on the urgency of receiving incendiary and demolition materials. No answer. In the between the 17th and the ake th of October, more than one hundred busses were damaze Havana by pouring starch or emery in the radiators. Benito Fernandez had informed Brand that Guido Gonzalez Bustamante had-seen Ber nd had incuired about Brand's whereabouts. Benito said that Brand waa out of Cubs ido than said that iMiguel Isa Fresneda, a former friend of & iding a hish position at the lMinisterio de Gobernacion, had was in Havana, under discuiss, and offerinz monsy and weavons to organizations. Isa's son in law, named Nelson Barroso, was a member o Police in Cubs. . Meanwhile, Nano Alonso, former member of the Army, and present member-of the Fr in the Province of Pinar del Rio,yhad sent a message to Dr. Nardo. In, that n3s3aze2- Nardo, Alonso said: "It is a shams that you refused to work with us at the Front, have permitted’2s' $S"deceived by the man of the hairviece and the dyed moustache", answered saying that the hairoisece for many years, and ths he had known the man of man never tried to deceive anyone. ~~ Brand had never contacted or sent messages either to Nafio Alonso or to Misusl 7
n which Monte, a cuban employ ousee hen Brand reached this apartment, he found BS ernment, ag it.nad deen done with aad come to Washington to see Jim Bowdin. C4 ct Dr. Milanes, Brand then went to see Alfredo Taaguirre, and stayed at his place for a weeks | he meantime, and through Izaguirre! s friendgat the Embassy, Brand sent a flash % in Bowdin, informig him of Zrand's decision to wesk, Alfredo Izaguirrs returned home one night that it was better for him to go to live somewhere C13R6 Through Benito Fernandez, Brand made contact with a very well known physician : Eernardo Milanes. Though Brand had decided t work with Cuba Libres But then, Benito Fernandez came to see Brand and told him that Nino Diaz was in Santiago, making contacts. with different zroups. Since Brand had been told by Alf: or Humberto Sori Marin, a Izazuirre that he, Izaguirre, had been aporoached by Pa: — eq 3 decided inmediately to go to Oriente and try Marin, because Sori Marin had also stated that he had 500 msn, ~——s 14 ldlometers of the southern coast in Ln Orientos Brand want to see Izeguir: and seks? TiS fo eatablish contact Wisi S Sori Marin and tell him that Brand wanted see him, either in Havana or in Crientes thas his friends at the Embassy didn't know who Brand was, and had advised bin to iscontinue his contacts with Brand until they could find out who Bran was. ft Izaguirre's house in a rage o have threes other majors willing to revolt to Jin Bowdin, and, nevertholess, Izag cuirre!'s fr rand then went to gee Emilio Rodriguez take Brand out of the country. Bek. vito Fernandez brought Brand a very ¢ Zobsrnadora, in the northern. coast of Pinar del Rio. The map was se gat awaye Cabanas Laformed Brand that stevs had be ot wu. d had not been. able to find out, who Brand was. said that he had 4 they, the peonle from the Company » had sent Eps at the main Cigar Factories in Havana. d then saw Hardo for the bast Lime. ng on in the Province of fin mar del Rio, asnair because he ‘had mot Contact were made by 3rand which eventually pr rovuced | Docld: 32356641 Page ‘10 HW 53294 3 3 co make an anpod very well located, cut Brand f the Compaay, had built pas that it nad been hundreds of empeyapaztiu + i dn't prove anything, except that the cover had not been well built up. Brand made an appointment with Emilio Rodriguez.e Both started walking around city for about.two hours. Brand told Emilio that. he > had decided to discontinue ap: discontinus overations.e At the en quite upset and told Bran: to discontinus opsrations, he recr: who was willing to bring: ‘acgroup of about 50 of his fellow paysichan. against the Government, Bran to put Nino Diaz in contact with | Sor: and that “fZasuirre then told Srand, quite bluntly he day Brand ssnt th Ten days had elapsed from t the Embassy didn't o Company's orepara ivad an answer oa to inauire asout etailed map pointing out a Dede. at or en vacen to produce Nardo wags nigh § pleased with the way sceived the we ce looked awPully bade Aluost no een sant to Brand had each hair o¢