180-10442-10106 * . Yr : ; = with(larry stémsiela cra Chief of Station in Mexico City. | i Lichant tffticookie rYfuinuse 1 fe sore an alfseem a ca ore Gsceintierbstatea that it appeared that the House Select Com- — Fobelae 12 FIRST DRAFT carte See LE Bia ; ot Lhe eS House Select Committee staffers Edwin Juan Lopez and Harold Leap traveled to Mexico City on August 7, 1978. The staff members were met by David T. Patton at the Mexican airport at 10:15 P.M. Mr. Patton then checked the staffers into room 1754, already chosen, at the Maria Isabel Hotel in Mexico City. Mr. Patton told Committee staffers that(Larry . , ‘Stemfield)wished to see us at 8:30 A.M. the following morning. On Tuesday, August 8, 1978, Committee staffers met . . a He informed the staffers that the two individuals the Committee wishes to interview [Danny Flores, AKA Luis xparicio]ana {nomen Dea) were ready. At 9:30 A.M., August 8, 1978, Committee staff members a] interviewed|[Danny Flores} (See write-up of|[Danny Flores {[ - interview. ) The interview ended at approximately 10:15 A.M. Committee -staff members returned to(me. stefneie1a's)) office, Gi. SteYnfield)stated that it appeared that the Mexicans had only located two witnesses for the Committee, Oscar Contreras Lartigue and Noe W. Palomarés. He asked who _the staff members wished to speak to. Committee staff members pte explained that they would at some time like to interview mittee on Assassinations had alréady asked the Mexicans to locate them. (. stelnfield)stated that the HSCA's interview wita Sst ae Wramgy~was considered “highly sensitive". Hé explained that three rooms at a nearby hotel would be used. 701472 -16/0G-
First Draft , “ Page Two In one room, {Ba anon GNMEEEZDERIN [would Sit, Committee staff members would sit in a second room and two CIA personnel officers would insure that the equipment worked properly in a third room. (os stetntiergythen phoned Mr. Niles Gooding, who had been sent to the Mexico citystatiog)) trom Headquarters. to arrange the procedures. Mr. Gooding explained that in 1977 Stansfield Turner had created a new position at Head- quarters. He explained that his position, which he never fully explained though asked, was created to insure that important sensitive meetings were within the “guidelines set. Mr. ‘Gooding stated that the Central Intelligence Agency had been under greater Congressional serutiny the past two years. Mr. Stansfield Turner, wishing to show the Agency's good faith, had allow the Army to lend them a retired officer to ‘act as liaison at sensitive interviews. Mr. Gooding then ex- | plained that we would be escorted by two CIA personnel to our interview wi nom At 10:55 A.M., August 8, 1978, Committee staff members Liz. apezwbuant aiiOn! Aa vale ule oa RAIDRP RampeaeRIeT ew esr sou 3.] (See Gamo Alvarez Duran { interviewed [} interview write-up.) At 12:30 P.M., Committee staff members telephoned Captain Fernandez Ventura Gutierrez. His secretary explained that Mr. Ventura was not in the office, but that she would have him call us when he returned. At 6:30 P.M., since Mr. Ventura had not yet returned the staffers call, they again called his office. His secretary apologized for Mr. Ventura and explained that he had not yet returned to the office and she assured us that he would telephone upon his return. At ’ é /
i i First Draft Page Three 9:15 P.M.,Or. Jesus yafiez, the Assistant to the Oficial Mayor, telephoned the staff members explaining that Mr. Ventura was very busy on an important assignment and asked us to visit — the Procuraduria General at 11:00 ALM. the following morning. ‘At 10:15 A.M., August 9, 1978, Committee staff members met with.State Department Official Richard Howard to alert him that the Committee would request the Mexican officials to make Sylvia Duran available in Washington for the hearings. Mr. Howard explained that once we had permission from the Mexican government the State Department would insure that she was in Washington when necessary. At 11:00 A.M., August 9, 1978, Committee staff members met with Dr. Jesus Yanez and Ciprianio Martinez Novoa. Mr. Yanez told Committee staff members that Ciprianio Martinez Novoa, the agent ‘in charge, would try to aid us in all our interviews. Mr. Martinez then briefed the.Committee staff members on their up-to-date progress: Oscar Contreras Lartigue had been located and pre- "interviewed by Mr. Martinez in Tampico, . We would fly to Tampico on Friday, August 11, 1978 at 7:35 A.M. Noe W. Palomares had been located and could be inter- viewed on Thursday, August 10, 1978 in the afternoon at his office, Cerrada de la Presa 4. His phone number, 595-0891, was made available to the Committee. | June Cobb Sharp received a trouist permit, number 72781, on June 27, 1947. She entered Mexico through Nuevo Laredo,
First Draft — Lf Page Four Texas. She asked, but was denied, permission to represent ‘the magazine, Modern Mexico. On June 21, 1948, she received a courtesy permit, number 25556. She disappeared in 1954 and never returned to Mexico. The Committee staffers did not tell the Mexicans that the House Select Committee on Assassinations has evidence, her 201 file, that she was in Mexico in the Sixties. Eunice Odio Infante, a Costa Rican, received a three- month permit on February 9, 1954. She remained in Mexico, il- legally residing at Nacas-45-a, until 1972. She applied to _ write for the Excelsior magazine on many different occasions, but was rejected every time. In 1972, Ms. Odio married a . Communist painter, Rudolfo Sanabria Gonzalez and moved to Rio “Neba-16 ‘apartment 40. “On May 24, 1972, Ms. Odio was found dead’ in her bathtub. The official presiding at her autopsy concluded that Ms. Odio had poisoned herself. Emilio Carballido Fontanes was in Caracas, Venezuela, on vacation and scheduled to return to Mexico in early 7 September. His address is Constituyentes 207. His phone number is 515-8345. [@snsuero Espero located. When the Mexican officials inquired about herfat the nBJ record in Mexico could not be Cuban Embassy in Mexico city) no one at the office remembered that she had worked there. Committee staff members were told was probably dead. EON MEcowmVESwah until 1968 when their offices in Mexico closed.
First Draft Page Five (chao smTGMadGF, “Deitay) was born in cual laa (eae ' He entered/ Mexico July 1, 1965 and taught @raphviege ites T RM until January 1, 1968 when he disappeared. The Mexican officials assume that he returned to Cuba. ‘General Jesus Jose Clark Flores died in the early 1970's. | Ernesto Lehfeld Miller, Academic Coordinator at the School of Interior Design, had not yet been located. \  [eemTeRSTeES] Lives at jyasmeweuaay Japartment éB0denw Citonosamsamemnal,] Mexico City. His phone number is [eES=oouwj The landlady at his apartment explained to the Mexican officials that /Miamasemwe) had left town hurriedly on Monday, August 7, 1978. Mr. Martinez, wishing to know when he returned, had placed a plece of scotch tape on the bottom right edge of his door. Mr. Martinez explained that he checked it every four hours and would notify us if ‘returned before we left. Manuel Calvillo did not live at Cuanhtemoc 877-5 as — the Committee had stated. Mr. Martinez spoke to the landlady at the apartment for the past twenty-five years who said that no Manuel Calvillo had ever resided there. Committee staff members explained that Calvillo went by a pen-name which would be forwarded the following morning. | When Committee staff members inquired whether Ms. Sylvia Tiracdo Bazan could testify’ at the hearings, the Mexican officials stated that they would have an answer for the staffers by Friday morning. The Mexican officials explained that they
First Draft Page Six would have to speak to her to insure that she was willing to travel to Washington. on Thursday, August 10, 1978, Committee staff members “met with Dr. Jesus Yanez, Agent Ciprianio Martinez Novoa, Capitan Florentino Ventura Gutierrez and Attorney General Licensiado Dr. -Breza at 11:00 A.M.’ The same information listed for the 11:00. A.M., August 9,.1978, meeting was reviewed. Manuel Calvillo's "pen=name" was given to the Mexicans who stated that they would check it with the landlady. | | committee staffers returned to their hotel room with Agent Ciprianio Martinez Novoa after the meeting. Agent Martinez attempted in vain to telephone Oscar Contreras ‘Lartigue to inform him of our visit. At 3:30 P.M., Agent Martinez finally reached Mr. Contreras’ child who informed him that Mr. Contreras was not in Tampico. He had traveled to Mexico City for a Pachido Republicano Institucional convention. When Agent Martinez asked the child if he knew where his father was staying in Mexico, he responded ‘that he did not. Agent Martinez explained to the child that he would call at a later time to speak to his mother. Agent Martinez telephoned Noe W. Palomares at 4:00 P.M. and arranged an interview at 6:30 P.M. that evening. Mr. Martinez asked Committee staff members to meet him at his office at the Procuraduria General at 6:00 P.M. At 6:00 P.M., August 10, 1978, Committee staff members met Agent Ciprianio Martinez at the Procuraduria General, and he drove them to Mr. Palomares' office. At 6:30 P.M., Committee
4 “6 ‘ First Draft . | . Page Seven staff members interviewed Noe W. Palomares. (See Noe W. Palomares interview write-up.) After the interview Agent Martinez returned to the Maria Isabel Hotel with Committee staff members. He attempted | to reach Mrs. Contreras at Tampico twice with no luck. At 9:45 P.M., he finally contacted her. Mrs. Contreras told Agent Martinez that Mr. Oscar Contreras had told her that he would try to get a room at either the Hotel Regis or Hotel San Francisco. Mrs. Contreras explained that since there. were a few conventions scheduled in Mexico City that weekend she could not assure that he would be at either. Mrs. Contreras “told Agent Martinez that she would notify him if her husband should call. ce oe Mr. Martinez called both hotels and inquired whether Oscar Contreras Lartigue was registered. He was not: registered . at either; they were completely booked=up. | | oo Mr. Martinez attempted to reach sylvia Tirado Bazan at her home to ask her whether she would be willing to: travel to Washington for a hearing date and to ask whether she knew where Mr. Ernesto Lehfeld Miller could be located. She was | not in. Agent Martinez explained that he would go to the hotel. where the Partido Republicano Institucional was holding its convention early the following morning; after which he would meet the staff members at 9:30 A.M. at their hotel room. At 9:45 A.M., August ll, 1978, Agent Martinez met Committee staffers at their hotel room and explained that he
t First Draft Page Eight was unable to locate Mr. Contreras Lartigue at the convention. Mr. Martinez then left to check onfftir. Aiberue SuotJ/and Sylvia Tirado Bazan. ? At 12:30 P.M., August 11, 1978, Agent Martinez returned to the Committee staff members' hotel room. He telephoned Mrs. Contreras at Tampico who stated that her husband had not telephoned her since she had last spoken to Agent Martinez. At 1:50 P.M., another agent, Honorio Escondon telephoned Agent Martinez at the Committee staffers’ hotel room to inform him that MMS PMMSSrTEMStOtoy must be back in town because. the scotch tape was no longer in place. At 1:55 P.M., Agent Martinez ' telephoned /MUGS"SEMCMSHIEtO; BUSES: denied that he had worked at the Cuban Embassy in the Sixties g) stated that he knew nothing about the assassination and declined the Committee staff members' request to interview him. - At 2:00 P.M., August 11, 1978, Agent Martinez telephoned Sylvia Duran. Agent Martinez then gave the telephone .to Committee staffer Lopez. Mr. Lopez asked Mrs. Duran whether she would be willing to testify sometime in September at the Committee hearings in Washington; she answered affirmatively. She stated that September 13th, 14th and 15th would not be "good days" because the Mexican Revolution celebration would be taking place and she was a planner and participant. © When Mx. Lopez asked Ms. Tirado if she knew Mr. Ernesto Lehfeld Miller's phone number, she stated that she did not. She stated “tht if we telephoned her ex-husband Horatio at either 516-0398
oor neha sneak ae ita identified himself, First Draft Page Nine or 515-8621, he would be able to help us. At 2:15 P.M., Committee staffer Lopez telephoned Horatio Duran, who gave him Ernesto Lehfeld Miller's office phone number, 548-4839. At 2:20 P.M., Lopez telephones Mr. Miller and arranged a meeting for 9:00 PLM. that evening. At 2:30 P.M., Agent Martinez telephoned Capitan Ventura to report on his progress. {@tnen Martinez told Ventura that he had located Mlseiawel, Ventura asked him if he was alone. When Agent Martinez lied and stated that he -was- alone, Ventura told him that he should under no circumstances allow us to interview @iSaEITE. When Agent Martinez completed his phone call, he said "I don't understand why nobody wants you to talk to him. "f | At 9:-0 P.M., August 11, 1978, Committee staffers interviewed Ernesto Lehfeld Miller. (See Ernesto Lehfeld .Miller interview write-up. ) ‘At 11:15 A.M., August 12, 1978, Committee staffer Say Lopez called [Risa wwerwe™sueite Jat his home. When Mr. Lopez @ESEESSEWS) immediately stated that he knew nothing. fie further stated that he never worked for the Cuban Embassy. When Lopez explained to him that employees at the Cuban Embassy had stated that he had been employed there, MEBSSUSZS hung up. Wree"Akberbwer Sy voice quivered throughout the short talk.ff | At 11:45 A.M., Sylvia Tirado called Lopez and stated that she had thought about: traveling to Washington all night. She said that she had seen a report in the papers where Azcue had stated that the man who visited the Cuban Consulate in 1963
i oe First Draft Page Ten was not Lee Harvey Oswald. She stated that Azcue had only seen him once while she had seen him "at least three times". When Lopez said, "At least three times?", Mrs. Duran said, "Three times, you know?" She further stated that if she testified in Washington and the Committee concluded that she was lying she would be crucified when she returned to Mexico. Mx. Lopez reassured her and explained that he would send her a long letter explaining procedures when he returned to Washington. At 12:05 P.M., Agent Martinez met the Committee staff members at the airport. He stated that Contreras and Calvillo had not been found. The Committee staffers gave Martinez-a_ list of questions to ask Oscar Contreras Lartigue. . Agent Martinez stated that he would mail the results of the interview to Lopez at the Committee offices in Washington. The Committee staff members left Mexico City at 1:55 P.M. and arrived at Washington's Dulles Airport at 10:35 P.M,