MEMORANDUM SUMMARY OF DEPOSITION TO: G. Robert Blakey, Chief Counsel - - FROM: S. Jonathan Blackmer, Staff Counsel, JFK YE ‘DATE: July 18, 1978 | RE: Summary of Victor Espinosa Deposition Taken June Ty 1978 in Washington, D. C.° I. S - Background: Association with. “the Revolutionary | - * '.* Council of the University of Havana y 1954- 71959. \ a Victor Dominador Espinosa Hernandez was “porn to a- - wealthy, landholding family in Cuba. In 1954, he entered the University of Havana, joining two of his Childhood - friends Jose Antonio Echeverria and Rolando Cubela in the student political movement. Cubela and Echeverria, some- what older than Espinosa, were at the time already firmly established as the leaders of the Revolutionary Council of the University of Havana, primarily directing. their efforts against the Batista regime. Numerous clashes with the police and general inattentiveness to studies prompted ‘Espinosa's father to send Espinosa to Louisiana State. University | in Baton Rouge. in: 1955. ° APP. 3- 6, A347) -_ When Espinosa became eighteen years of age in ap- proximately 1956, he left L.S.U. and returned to Cuba to manage the ranch-estate left to him by the death of his grandfather. Upon his return, his political fervor some- what tempered, Espinosa was content: to go about his business, and spend long weekends: in Havana once a month pursuing less idealistic endeavors such as gambling and women. .(p. 47) During one of these sojourns in Havana, Espinosa received a telephone call from,Cubela advising him that Echeverria had just returned from a meeting in Mexico with Castro, and wanted to assemble the "old" group, as Castro wanted them - to step up their activities against. Batista. 9. As a result of the meeting, action: groups were - formed under the direction of Cubela and Echeverria. Each group consisting of approximately four men was given the task of assassinating a designated high ranking official of the Batista Government. Among the targets were Blanco co, head of military intelligence; Taberinalla, head of the army; Usalace, chief of police. (pp. 47, 48, 49, 50) HW 54756 Docld:32246513 Page-2 .
an Summary of Deposition | Victor Espinosa Page Two Espinosa's group, with Cubela and Pedro Carbo, was immediately successful, killing Blanco firco within the -week of their assignment. Although not suspected at . first, Cubela nevertheless fled to Miami, while Espinosa, oo the youngest and least suspect, remained in Cuba. Cubela Do eventually returned in 1957, and fought Batista from the - . Sierra Maestra ‘Mountains, independently of Castro. (pp. 51, 52). Thus by late 1957, there were three groups fighting “Batista:. Castro's group in Oriente. _Province, William “Morgan's group and Cubela's group. Castro wanted control - Over all the groups, and having Morgan under control, sent ‘Che Guevara to consolidate the other "fronts". Guevara's ; Mission was first to assassinate Rolando Menoyo,' then Cubela.- “BY ‘October of 1958, Guevara had taken Menoyo and Cubela into : custody, but released them after four days. (pp. 54, 55) When Batista. abdicated in January of 1959, Castro! s “group was.the only one left. intact as the others had been decimated: ‘by fighting, especially Cubela's after an assault ~on the Presidential Palace. As Espinosa described the scene, "no one knew what to do; we were fighting a war and the war - was over; we didn;t have any ambition’ of power. Our aim was to get the guy (Batista), when these people's (Castro's) aims were very. well planned for far ahead." (p. 38) , Thus by late. 1959, with Castro’ in power, Espinosa, seeing the ‘Student -movement ending, left for the United States -and exile, (p. 58) (especially after Espinosa had been ar- ‘rested by Castro for: attempting to smuggle the entire contents of an army arsenal to Panama and was released only % after _Cubela’ Ss intervention). (PP. 57- ~59)” II. Espinosa’ ‘Ss Relationship with Mike Mcbaney | AD 1954- 1959. mo Espinosa often frequented the gambling casinos in Havana while a student at the University of Havana. Through ~ poa social friend, FNU. Callejas, who was the manager of the m, Hotel Nacional, Espinosa was introduced to Bill McLaney, “(brother of Mike, and then through Bill,.: ‘to. ‘Mike. Their i . relationship, according to Espinosa, was purely social during ‘the remainder of their years in Cuba, not involving any “ clandestine activities directed at either Batista or Castro. Espinosa is not aware of any activities of that nature by -either of the McLaneys during this time: (pp..9, 10) HW 54756 ‘DobId:32246513 Page 3
_HW 54756 _ _Docld:32246513 Page. 4 Summary of Deposition Victor Espinosa Page Three B. 1959-1963. Under the sponsorship of McLaney, Espinosa ‘left Cuba’ _ in 1959 for Miami. While he may have initially stayed at... McLaney' s home, he soon began living with his family in Miami. . It is not known why Espinosa moved to New York in 1960, but his return to Miami later in 1960 was occasioned by his desire to join his former colleagues in training for the Bay of Pigs invasion. — App. 9- 12) Espinosa left the "employ" of the CIA in August of ' 1961* (See Section.III, p. 4); he returned to Miami. In _ '. June of 1963 Espinosa was detained. by FBI and Customs agents - in Miami for an attempted bombing raid on Cuba. - According -to Espinosa, McLaney sponsored Espinosa and a few of his associates in a plan to bomb. the.Shell Oil refineries in ‘Havana. In this group: were Sam Benton, Carlos Hernandez . Sanchez, John Koch Gene, Acleo Pedrosa. Amores, Miguel Al- varez and Richard Albert Lauchli. Benton procured an air- plane, Espinosa the explosives from Lauchli, and McLaney supplied the financing. (pp. 16-22) An informant within the group alerted the FBI which was waiting with Customs. officials as the group rendezvoused for the mission. When _this mission failed, another one was immediately put into . operation. .The oil refineries were again the targets, but the plan was to leave from a deserted airstrip in the - vicinity of Lake Ponchartrain, Louisiana, using either a B-25 or a B-26 bomber, fully operational. Again Espinosa ‘planned the ‘operation and secured the explosives through -Lauchli. This time, McLaney was to provide the airplane, and only inform the group of its location once the bombs . were ready for’ loading. (pp. 23- 29, “91, 92). oe, As was the ‘case. for the June “15th mission, this one _ was also a failure. One member of the group was recalled to Miami due to.a death in the family, the remaining members, feeling this would: breach their security, disbanded, re- turning to Miami. with. Espinosa going to New York to report _'to Mike McLaney.:'On° July 31, 1963, the FBI discovered the cache of explosives to be used on the mission at a farm house at Lake Ponchartrain owned by Mike McLaney's brother Bill, and confiscated | the entire Supply. (pp. 28, 29) Espinosa. remained in New York ‘until approximately '1967, when he moved to France. He remained there until 1969, ro} oe PASTE O SEIT GAME ST ORIEY AONE PNP TIE ELIT HIE RT NT
Summary of Deposition Victor Espinosa Page Four. ‘then went into business in Spain and England. He stated he has had no contact with McLaney since 1965, his last anti- ‘Castro involvement with McLaney being the aborted July 1963 raid on the oil refineries in Havana. i. 29) oe TTI. _-Espinosa's Contact With the CIA ‘During his anti-Batista activity in Cuba from 1954 ‘through 1 1959, Espinosa was aware that certain persons in his ‘s"group" had some contact with the American Embassy in Havana, and that a number of. individuals working in Castro's or- - ganization had similar contacts with the CIA. Espinosa had "no contact with the CIA until he reached Miami in 1959 and - Joined 1 the Bay of Pigs training force. Espinosa was made aware of. training being conducted te! invade Cuba upon his arrival. . He left word with friends --" to keep him. informed and went to New York to work. A short » while later ‘he was contacted, and immediately returned to -.enlist. Espinosa was sent to Guatemala in June or July of : (1960 to begin the training. (pp. 10, 11) In. Guatemala and later Panama and. New Orleans, ; ‘Espinosa was trained in conventional military warfare, : guerrilla’ warfare, explosives and clandestine operations. As a result of ‘this. training, Espinosa did partici-. “pate in various raids into Cuba, some of which were aimed ‘at the destruction of military targets, others with ‘the purpose of gathering information and bringing individuals ..out. These activities began before the Bay of Pigs invasion and. continued through the following summer of 1961. (pp.. .'. 14-16) *(It should be noted that Espinosa stated that he “.was able to obtain from a friend in the government his file ~.which details each of these operations and the participants; ‘however, in our review of files on Espinosa, we find records showing that Espinosa was terminated from involvement in “March of 1961 and taken off the payroll. ) HW 54756 IV. Espinosa’: s| “Involvement with the AMLASH Operation Espinosa! s activities with the CIA ceased as of late. ‘summer 1961. (p. 62) In approximately June of 1965, while - Docla:32246513. Page 5