O02740140] 2 J re ces AE LEER ee Be ae eg nt Soweto sete TT | Co unciassivieo = C)_ come - : ROUTING A : SUBECT: (Opserald nanso ‘ Status of ANCALL-1 4 ROMs z Wesley L- Laybours® | Acting Chief, ¥&/00G Ton poten designation, soess exober, nd ; cate buitding) jess [et 1 panier, WH Division | lb fea? d ck HM | ; Galwu lec i i se [Waa le? li 6. / | | , seceeT «0; COMFTDENTIAL oO esau a oat [] UNCLASSIFIED =f: me 610 ee” Ge = Se, st wt ea nett Te etitestne om wae OS ceacserbsnrtvest
14-00000 a 9 eater 3, * * a Se Cen erdeen, met pgm ot : vee oe ee ee coat er maser os Pts w oan .. z . Be ae Ee maya BAT ee Ae Ur He ap EMS Ub eR, Ohno, ae San RE ORS Tk EE Oe ERG ORE OA Bs dex seme sree OLE: ee? oe - - Bales . : WH/COG 71-93 1 5 MAR O7I MEMORANDUM FOR: Chief, Western Hemisphere Division SUBJECT : Status of AMCALL-1 Ransom Negotiation {7 1. On 26 August 1970, $120,000 ransom was paid for the release of AMCALL-1. $70,000 of this anount wds paid by the Agency and ANCALL-l's wife } arranged to obtain the remaining $50,000 from i August Vanistendael, a prominent Belgian with high | po level Vatican connections interested in AMCALL-1 , a who presumably provided the additicnal money. Al- : i : though there was no firm commitment as to the exact a time AMCALL-1's release would be effected, AMECRU-1 . : anticipated his release within 60-90 days after i payment of the ransom. i AMECRU~1 delivered the money to the Cuban negotiator in Paris, there was no way to determine the reason for the delay in AMCALL-1's release until AMECRU-1 was able to return to Paris to discuss the matter with the GOC representative authorized to negotiate the ransom cases. Since AMECRU-1 now resides in Miami he is no longer able to maintain as close contact with the Paris official as was the case when he lived in Barcelona. However, he did arrange a trip to Paris in January to discuss the status of 1 and other ransom candidates with the GOC 2, Although 6 months have now elapsed since mammary BEC R tt mS EI ISI LEE TETAS TS DFE LO SEITE SEE ITEP SA SEES elas foes est ey ET tthe EE ESN
14-00000 A ST ASE TD ttre tiene. ex eee at 8 MI ee ce 8 ene ee ne aye etm ; o réepresentativ. e the talks were still in progress, tne | [ease officer in contact with AMECRU-1 met w im in Paris on 28 January. Since thel may Station has consistently been advised to avo any indication of CIA interest in any ransom case, other than AMSOUR-1, little concrete information was obtained regarding AMCALL-1's status or the Goc time table for his release. After AMECRU-~1 concluded his Paris talks the early part of February he left for Caracas where he is expected to remain until the latter part of March before returning to Miami. Although a full report on the results of his Paris negotiations can not be obtained until he returns to Miami, AMECRU-1 has be nh touch with ANCALL~-1'g wife and QUPILL-1 th hsset handling the AMSOUR-1 case. Acco ANCALL-1's wife, AMECRU-1 advised her the Goc representative in Paris indicated POOLS 8 NMI EF oF Meg erties AMCALL-1's potential leadership in exile movements if he is freed. As a rebuttal to this Goc argument AMECRU~1 wrote a letter to Manuel Pineiro, the DGI Director in Cuba, stating that AMCALL-1 had no desire or intention of engaging in political activities after his release and wished to seek employment with S0m6 European social research organization. A letter from August Vanistendael verifying AMCALL-l's intentions, with assurance from Vanistendael that he would assist in resettling AMCALL-1 in Europe, was attached to AMECRU-1 letter to Pineiro. The case officer obtained copies of the AMECRU-1 letters to Pineiro from QUPILL-1 and forwarded them to Headquarters, SPF PEON me eeChel SR ee tee nee geen ee TTT en ne ee ce eA ae ag -
14-00000 t el: ‘a, 4 Sekgae ° & a F} ww 35 Shem deen as “We got eg 5, e Oe eT Tt yom, # - PF ETT BEF Ry ager ae ao ene TENE me IEE EES mn, ace term = nt Oe Pro cored os a tame TARAS Spt ane 8 ae ID OR BOY Tees na here EES the GOC Paris representatives offered to retura the ransom money if the interested parties were mot satisfied with the current progress of the case. The ramifications involving any demand for return of AMCALL~1's ransom and termination of any further efforts to obtain his release are considerably greater than was the case with AMPANIC-7 whose entire ransom was provided by the Agency. In the case of AMCALL-1, there would be no way to demand return of . our share of the ransom without exposing Agency ; interest until such time as the Catholic contributors : indicate a desire to recover their $50,000 investnent. i Not only did Vanistendael's letter fail te indicate ' any concern in this respect, but clearly emphasized .. ot i his continuing deep interest in obtaining AMCALL<-1l's : freedom. AMCALL-1's wife is also insistent that his chance of being released not be endangered during this precarious stage of the negotiation and that any decision concerning return of the ransom be determined by AMECRU-1's evaluation of GOC intent. Although AMCALL-1's wife has always been discreet and her relationship with the Agency cooperative and above reproach, her understandable anxiety over her husband could lead to extreme resentment should any attempt be made to recover the Agency's share of the ransom at this juncture. This would be particularly true if the Catholic contributors show no alarm over i their investment or the present lack of progress made t- in effecting AMCALL-l's release. | ¢ 7 ~ ~: - e ° ° Bela U antes 3 3. AMECRU-1 also told AMCALL-1's wife that j } Smtr crn peranen stir fea en mete aren Serre RNREAANeG con fe 21 OPO ERIE ED Hy te ot ced Be chee es leruenin hes enn ge eaten eel tet tment Neem ren aes wd Bs Cea! € ®
74-90000 ; we Rae « : . . . 4 Sa ad « ’ . ; 7 4 Dies PRR Bescon. 9, . . we PO cap te BOP CRI Rone, "Oeerensgre® abotyne = Se mee thy memes a ene NR A a EON: NN ee RIOT ee nye ey =o te ase yf bo oem & &. cto aht AOD tA A oe, ORE FET, 8 ry 4. It is, therefore thet the Agency has little choice but to await ANECED-l's return to Miami where a detailed assessment of AMCALL-1's status can be obtained by 45 IGe-2, our contact with AMECRU-1, : Wesley L. Laybourne J Acting Chief, WH/coG : 4 Ce See. ee i \ \ t + i \ 1h, ‘ q ' 4 LAND ABW OR Be : “4 ry ' —~ | ' . . “ay . . . * im . 4 . : . if d \ 1 ry i a 4a, eben ibe | ides tage teied ahh « legal