(ones Co Brees ° RETURNTS CIA Background Use Only Do Not Reproduce 668 ah apr 63 ¢ BELL g VIIAVE . FROM ACTON BELL 15 INFO 8 DOP 2, COP, ADOP/A, DFO 2, Fi/p h, wa, BELL S/c + _ BELL CITE vave s6a7* , / MZIP ZRPERUSAL REF A. BELL 1184 HB. WAVE 3593 Creer D “de RICARDO RODRIGUEZ RAMIREZ, "MEREJO" OF ESCAMBRAY. FAME AND - - FORMER LIEUTENANT OF OSVALDO RAMIREZ, ARRIVED IN WAVE ARE 6 APR. ACCOMPANIED BY WIFE, JUAN CONSUEGRA VALDES, AND THREE FISHERNEN, “ @e PRELIMINARY DEBRIEFING oF "MEREJO" INDICATES THAT’ HE WAS — ABLE TO DO VERY LITTLE DURING THE ESCAMBRAY FIGHTING, MOST OF HIS TIME BEING SPENT -IN AVOIDING THE MILITIA WHILE TRYING TO RECEIVE AIR DROPS WHICH NEVER MATERIALIZED. . MEREJOS TOTAL. TIME AS AN INSURGENT IN THE ESCAMBRAY FRONT TOTALED ABOUT THREE MONTHS. . “ats AREA OF ‘OPS WAS CONFINED MAINLY TO THE SIERRA (De SANCT I SPURT NS AND AROUND THE TOWNS OF SANCTI SPIRITUS AND SATIBONICO. | a Ss “MEREJO™ WENT TO THE HILLS. IN THE LATTER PART OF DECEMBER 68 ON THE INSTRUCT IONS OF ANDIP/3 WHO AT THIS TIME WAS TRYING - 0 ORGANIZE AND SUPPLY THE INSURGENTS IN THE ESCANBRAY AREA. ae MANUARY 61, MEREJO ot ut oo a ECRET _ THAN THE ISSUING GFFICE 15 PROHIRITIO,
14-00000 |, OSVALDO RAMIREZ WERE ABLE..TO GATHER A FORCE OF ABOUT FIVE TO "SIX HUNDRED MEN IN THE SAN AMBWOSIO AREA OF WHICK ONLY ABOUT — oY code ; ONE HUNDRED WERE ARMED. THIS FORCE WAS MOBILIZED ON THE BASIS : OF INFORMATION FROM ANDIP/3 WHO SAID THAT THEY WOULD RECEIVE au AIR DROP ON 6 JAN. THE DROP NEVER CAME AND ‘bu To THE ACTIVITY OF THE INSURGENTS IN THE AREA OF THE DZ THE GOC BROUGHT IR « FORCE. OF ABOUT 30,000 MILITIA IN A PERIOD OF ABOUT FOUR DAYS WHICH f FORCED THE REBELS TO DISPERSE. IN MEREJO*S OPINION THIS WAS BONE OF THE GREATEST SETBACKS OF THE ENTIRE ESCANBRAY FIGHTING CAND WAS A MAJOR CAUSE-OF THE FINAL. COLLAPSE. OF THE ESCAMBRAY FRONT. , ch - ao oe ON 8 JAN MEREJO AND OSVALDO RAMIREZ WERE FORCED 10 DIVIDE | MERR | DWINDLING FORCES IN ORDER TO-BREAX OUT OF. A. THREATENED f OENCIRCLENENT BY THE MILITIAbs -.-AFTER - SEPARATING .FROM OSVALDO,  MEREJO AND HIS MEN WERE CONTINUALLY ON THE RUN FROM 9 JAN UNTIL . = FEB AT WHICH TIME HE HAD A SHORT RESPITE TO TAKE THE AIR DROP EOF PARA 1 A, REF A. IN ADDITION TO ‘INEORMATION ABOUT THE DROP : oN REF B MEREJO SAID THEY HEARD THE PLANE AT THE APPOINTED TINE = | But WERE NOT ABLE TO SEE IT ‘BECAUSE OF THE CLOUDS WHICH COVERED THE DZ AREA. THE PLANE PASSED CVER An) NOTHING WAS DROPPED . ~tTHoueH THE DZ WAS LIGHTED WITH THE PROPER SIGNAL, A cross” "OF SEVEN LIGHTS. ‘MEREJO" ASSUMED THAT THE “PLANK HAD NOT DROPPED. - 'aND WOULD COME BACK THE FOLLOWING NIGHT. KOVEVER, NEXT DAY a Se Ey HEARD THAT: @ LARGE DROP HAD BEEN MADE ON THE TWON-OF SANTA Bo qyera sone 12 KNB AWAY FROM THE DZ AND THAT THE WELITIA j "RECOVERED EVERYTHING. " 18 PRONIBITED. isla bias acl . . aed eet — ee
14-00000 | S. DUE TO THE LARGE AMOUNT OF MATERIAL DROPPED THE _ APPARENTLY ASSUMED THAT IT WAS INTENDED FOR A ALRGE FORCE OF DISURGENTS AND IMMEDIATELY POURED MILITIA INTO THE AREA TO , _ FERRET THEM OUT. MEREJO HAD TO DISPERESE HIS REMAINING FORCE, - ABOUT 268 WEN OF WHICH ONLY 26 VERE ARKED, IN ORDER TO BREAK (QUT OF THE ENCIRCLEMENT. MEREJO WITH ELEVEN MEN TRIED TO MAKE “WIS WAY TO CANAGUAY. ON THE WAY HE: STOPPED TO GET FOOD AND 2 GLOTHING IN THE HOUSE OF A FRIEND “NEAR “ <eanert SPIRITUS. WHILE THERY WERE THERE THE HOUSE WAS RAIDED = won . FARMER TOLD HIM THAT A SPECIALRNILITIA FORCE NUMBERING anouT seas NEN WAS ROAMING LAS TOSAS LOOKING FOR MEREJO PERSONALLY, ano LEAVE YHE AREA ENTIRELY. HE CONTACTE AN AMDIP/S ORGANIZER IN CAIBAGUAN WITH. WHOM HEREJO‘'S WIFE Wag HIDING, AND ASKED HIM TO HELP HIM escare.[____[provrvep TWO QUTONOBILES WHICH ENABLED MEREJO, HIS WIFE AND EIGHT OF HIS-WENE So “in GET TO HAVA WHERE THEY WERE HIDDEN BY THE ANDIP/3 HAVA, , TON HICH WAS-UNSER THE DIRECTION OF 4 | MEREJO STAYED IN HAVA UNTIL ABCUT 22 MAR UNTIL HE _ REPROD ton Gy 1x dormer i ct Or bt is Prone, "ebose oa hittad alba pe meres eH ’ cree # La
14-00000 _ WAS MOVED TO LA ISBELA ON THE NORTH COAST OF LAS VILLAS WHERE . HE WAS PUT IN THE. HANDS OF FISHERRAW WHO MERE 70 EFFECT HIS jos RECEPTION WITK A BOAT FROM PBPRIME. | oe t 9, «MEREJO AND KIS VIFE STAYED VITH THE FISHERMEN FOR ABOUT 4a DAYS, BEING SHIFTED FRON BOAT TO BOAT, WHILE TRYING TO MAKE _ RECEPTIONS WITH BOATS FROM PBPRINE. CONTACT WITH THE BOAT "FROM PBPRIME WAS PREVENTED EACH TINE BY THE PRESENCE OF A Goc }{¢ PATROL CRAFT WHICH RUNG AROUND THE RECEPTION AREA AT caYo DUTTON. (WAVE COMMENT: MEREJO WAS TO BE EXFILTRATED VIA OPS =. CARROT, TURNIP, RUTABAGA ANDBOWLINE ALL oF WHICH FAILED BECAUSE GF : vnee , mee eo Wo RECEPTION.) MEREJO AND THE FISHERNEN BELIEVED THAT THE eoc “PATROL CRAFT WAS AWARE THAT A RECEPTION IN THE DUTTON AREA WAS 0 TAKE’ PLACE. | BOs Bs By WHEN THE DUTTON AREA BECANE TOO HOT THEY MOVED TO THE ; AREA OF CAYO JUTIA AND TRIED TO SET UP A RECEPTION AT THIS POINT (WAVE COMMENT: DISCUSSION OF THE DIFFICULTIES WITH REGEPT ION AT CAYO DUTTON AND ATTEMPTS TO ARRANGE RECEPTION AT JUTIA ARE REFLECTED IN THE ANDIP/3 W/T TRAFFIC PASSED TO WAVE.) c ge ON 25 MARCH WORD WAS RECEAVED BY COURIER FROM HAVA THAT “fNDIP/S*S RADIO. IN HAVA HAD BEEN CAPTURED BY THE GO ALONG te LEAVE CUBA TO worn ARREST. ON 4 APR MEREJO, HIS WIFE AND »  QONSUEGRA LEFT GUBA WITH THE FISHERMEN IN ONE OF THEIR BOATS | ARRIVING IN THE WAVE AREA ON 6 APR. REPRODUCTION BY Cire “es ie eget Be! picid celetraciete? S eee
14-00000 18. FAILURE OF THE RECEPTION AT CAYO DUTTON APPRARS TO BE A DEFINITE INDICATION THAT THE GOC HAS BEEN READING THE ANDIP/S W/T TRAFFIC TO HAVA ALL ALONG AND IS A PRIME EXAMPLE ee ae mn _ OF HOW AN INSECURE INDIGENOUS COMNMO NET CAN JEOPARDIZE AND BLOW CENTER OPS WHICK ARE OTHERWISE SECURELY HOUPTED 6 . pep ROOUCTION ay OYHER i eeaiil a Bias arnt