(fost01 90259 - _ ; - , * So | YES OLY ae“ " fos John Haft AY . ; f “ From: “Hal ae son pases ® Qyese RETupy Ti a | wh Backs Cla mou ; De Not so Use On Subj: CIA OPS AND PLOT TO KILL FIDEL C:.STRO, RAUL Caste Oduog no AND OTHER. KEY FIGURES OF THE PRESENT RSGIKE IN CUBA ; E = Source: Victor ESPINOSA Hernandez (201-2351)7), born 26. A .... August 1937 in Cardenas, Matanzas, Cuba, a PM trainee win was terminated as a malcontent on 20-Harch 1961, Present .-addrcess is 415 East 52 Street, NYCZ, where his telephone . 48 HA 1 7375. "Supplemental Data: ESPINOSA flew-Air France from Orly Airport (confirmed by cachet in pp) on 29 May 65 and on ~~"“arpival in NYC the same day contacted an INS Agent named GAVASANJIAN (Phonetic) who , on the basis of information "+ & the story of ESPINOSA which appeared to affect U.S. _ -geourity, notified the FBI. Special Agent Frank 0' SRIEN “Of the NY Pield Office of the FBP’ interviewed ESPINOSA ~~ = °° i: -@n 2 May 65. The FBI notified son 3 May. I saw “ESPINOSA on h. May in the NY field office of the FBI. See ~~ "soto Feank O'BRIEN was present. (O'BRIEN said that’ INS at “———~oenrw—" Washington, DC apparently had received a report and == =~ ~~ opeecis ad notified FBI headquarters frém*which a supervisor. a TT PN head: telephoned O'BRIEN to inquire whether O'BRIEN knew ges}. about aspects of ESPINOSA's story with derogato oy ~~ gllegations about the CIA, including a _ Paraphrase of the source's story: I do not have a high | ' Pegard for the CIA or for most of “the exiled Cubans but’ | -: 2 am against the Castro regimefor which reason I have become involved in these matter about which I must be sure the CIA is informed. I sontacted the INS and the '- FBI because through them I could ensure contact with a --#esponsible OIA officer. ree re ee ee cnn mnpentin tin neem I Was a good friend of Rolando CUBELAS. We conspired + togother againat BATISTA and we planned assassinztiona . 0@ Batista supvortors. We carried out the killing of | _one of the SIN chiefs, BiG@-Gatnn, successfully-. A lot — “OL tho things the the. anti=BATISTA students did were not . effective but we did more than talk and this old Soo Bag etetnation 4s proof that people like Rolando and myself _.. .., AfGer OASTRO took over I loft duba and engaged in ant£-Uastro agen MObAVitles, I got shot in-the process, i was betrayed by »; €Ome of the Ouban oxilesa whon I was going to bomb Guba, ower. b GOW how the OLA bungled and I became bittor. I was bitter oer. @bout Rolande too, I thought that he had turned communist. outed sent him a mosnege a lene tims ago, toliing him that he _o~- Wa6 a tralter and no friend-of mina, That-was when a Fan . — fmertoan atewardona whom he liked. came to me with a meisage . trom him about how he was still a friend of mine and ¢ vnc WORE NOG like they semmed, I got mad and told her te pene Te atte on pL ry
74-00000 va Lim off tor re and I showed her the bullet wound in,ry ler ff that I had beceuse I was fighting CASTHO ang those with him ame Like Wolando, Afterwards I did not hear from Rolando until just a little while ago. . 4 It was in May when I got a letter from an ola ‘friend,”Lais FEREANDEZ)~/he had written to me before to let me kmow that . +. he is working for the CIA in Paris. This letter in hay was P pretty. confusing but Luis made it clear. that there was slo something very important, that it involved Rolando CUBELAS, , coe saeh that Rolando wanted me to-go to Paris on an urgent matter, and that another friend, Luis Trasencos, knew something about it. The letter said that the CIA knew about this Leg and that Luis FERNANDEZ thought maybe the GIA already had / : told me to go to Paris,-. although he was not sure. See nas ene ne of ys t _ Z decided to go to Paria because of the mention of Rolande. wi een ef a , fhe CIA had taken my old Cuban passport when I was in a _ __training in Guatemala and never returned it. Also, because . £ got caurht when I tried to bomb Cuba, the (NS had warned . me not to travel outside’ the U.S. saying I gould go to jail 2 -.:. for five years and + could not get a reentry permit and all wo that. However, I checked with and INS officer who knew meg ° “said that probably the INS was not so. interested.:in me oo anymore and I probably could get a reentry. Because the ae etter was so pressing in my travell at onee, Il decided { ~ , i ' i I a le ee eee : ° “ cocoon Ju ge& te go through a-lot-of ret tape. 1 went to Florida i a ae seo my brother, Rene, residing.at 5000 SW 69th Avenye, ~~; ae Miami. He arranged through some friends whum I.don't: mow =. -} ~~ FO get me a false Cuban passport, (Note: The pp has Ot “ccs” “pumber 423335, is. dated 19 November 196), bears the true ee bh name of the source, and has entry and de-arture cachets rn are oy foo: >.) fer London on lj, °7, 10. arid 21 May 65/4; for Le Bourget on : pos s———-F and 21 May; and for Orly on 29 May65). I bought a ticket’ © 9 =" Joo». and left for-‘aris without having any trouble. I am.not -. RS sure about the dates and the sequence of travel. because = = 77-7 ™ fo, ‘everything was so hurried. I went to London as well as to ; SE and I-tried to go to Spain but had to turn. backe : _ Anyway I remeber the: important things. at Paris I telephoned Luis TRASENCOS who invited. me ‘to a dunch in his apartment. When 1 got there, I. found Alberto 2-4 _ Hao, "El Loeso”,.whom.I have known. since early 1959 and — bo gees -..- whom Ll conaidered a traitor. I called *uis aside to tell bos : ~ Kim this but “wis explained that RLANCO was instructed by : ; ty =) Rolando GUEELAS so soe me, that Loco and Rolando are against . J -CASTRO, and that my seeing Loco was the reason that it was _—— -80 urgent for me to some to Parise cece ee cen nee ma tee _i..Relando GUBELAS had been in Paria 2 eouple of months canter a and, according to #1 Loeo, had loft a lotter instructing : ae _ aa t co to get word to me personally and asking that I get; ae Me .4n touch with the OIA-on the hichest level. - El Loco did a ie Cae mot have the letter with him but I..beliove it. 2 know that | mond :, Qubans are linrs and exagrerate and are insesoure and all ee eee that is wrong about them but 1 know what is yood about . i ene “them and how to sheak on. things» 8 Loco and others unti? Seta orn Wes ttoned i wae eure. ‘that they. told me the
14-00000 truth, wnat I am telling you is what I found out fron EL Loco, confirmed late@ through Eli.aco RODRENO, and confirred in part through questioning others who ‘now parts of the story but not all of it, of and Raul CASTRO and Rolando has a house at a) house of Fidel, so it is ‘. nytime. The idea is not wed ange everyting in Cuba so i of other peoplewhose names oy El “oco Blanco and El Maro : o is very security consecdédus pout Rolando CUSELAS plans to kill Fiéal ; other key men in the regime. ‘ ° Veradero Beach adjacent to the Gasy for Rolando to e6t Fidel a ~Just to kill Fidel tut to ch SAGARA EL Ua Re ey ot oe : f ; ’ H ' n ) : I do not imow sue except for % Robreno and ALMEIDA, Rolandd so he does not want people involved to know any more than ois necessary, You must understand the danger to these people, : a @What I can tell you now is that El Loco has his faults and : 30 does RORRENAO but both worship Relando and are trustworthy . oe insofar as he is Concerned. El Loco is back inside Cuba NOWe | a El Mago Robreno is in Madrid and can get messages in andout. ne He is responsible. for killing many of friends and he : kicked their dead bodies afterwards 30 IL do not like himand |. -.-- —--— maybe later I shall kill. him but for now 4 believe thathe ~ I is useful and ean be trusted for t 7 he matters which involve ‘o Rolando and the plot against Fidel CASTRO. Some of the CIA peopls are nottrustworthy. This is what 4 bothers Rolando CURELAS and EL Loco and El Mago and me baGe- -.-.\.--- pahis is why Rolando wantz me. to get his messare through. , ‘@ wants an answer fast. The message is that CUBELAS and the others with him are able to kill Fidel and others in he regime, but they need some help and they need to know hether the CIA and the U.$ Governemnt abe with them and illing to gs pont. them or, notessfF-.. ~ olando wil? wei S denttiie ah ne ™Ls important’ bécatse. amme money, ld or something because Also’ he might need he needs to know ti. f “will nee f go bought. ai oe or some ou = Rolando Sp a ‘support hi!» e to be gp : . Rolsidos says tat he cannot delay re than three or four months. That is the maximum. Cban 4 curity forces would find out and arrest everyone if there Loco and El Mago said that on 5 or 6 June someone is passing hrough Madrid en route from Prague to habana and that this a rson could carry the answer to Rolando. They did not say bol w I should get the anawer to El Mago but I supnose I can a ly to hadrid to give it in person and, if you want, oneof : ou GAN accomany me, I myself suspect that Rolando will : #0 or three months, I believe that 26 July is a rood date because all the chief targets will be asserbled. so it will be caster to get them all fast, but © “ih Rolando did not send ne this as hdés plan, : oland ad be @ ® H 126 will send someone: to s “ {ff you agree to : Among other things “| Guban not American, ‘| gome people Help, oct Pol ». BL Loco and-E1l tavo have acsoss -.-fUurepe and these embassies nre enraged in contacta with vaca; SOMMUNiots and in. aubverste the game applies to embussies -2 | unten htt Africas El Looo and Hl bnpo eould havo boon reiving you Pca Valuablo inforration All along. Yet your 1Goplea- Ln “om Bgoundty games and do not une people Like thias q Leadyou » Me Unraltable and risky people, - as Memabe rae an eceater oe to any Cuban Bnbassy tn Biddy So RO ere tae eco separ 8m
14-00000 had codes, ciphers and microfilm to prove this and ke showed re them to one of your people in ladrid. what better proefdo you want? What did you do about it? Nothing. Yet this man, a member of Cuban Security, offered to work as oo uv Loco was in Europe as an officer of Cuban Security, He a double for you and he tried to tell you about Rolando'ts plot. .Now he is bak in Cuba... As the result of his frustration von} over your attitude, he was in terrible mental state when 5 2 saw him. 4ad I been your people in the CIA, I'd not h ave i t pee let him return that way. In his upset he could do something a ... .Pash which might blow the whole operation, : g teeta einem FS we wievin.., . <&L Mage Robreno is a delinquent. He shot an American inCuba over some private Gisagreemnet. Ee shot a police officer, cone. i pO beat up his wife, now his ex-wife. This is apart from Bis killings on behalf of CASTRO in the t#ials of counter- . a ...... MeVOlutionaries, This is why Fidel wanted Robreno out of. pr Cuba. = Robreno is a delinquent, a trouble maker and an embarrassment, In the Cuban embassies in Burope,. they | imow this, So they do They do not believe. that 18 conter revo ~Zsent El Mago a ticket so he could travel from Madrid to “aris to see me. This is--because your people in Paris “Seid that thoy could not hekp me get a visa to Spain and — _ > DeCause. when tried to enter Spain illegally I ran into TN) Tay treubleand turned back, As I'gaid before, I wanted to -/ > : et confirmation of what EL Loce had told me. El Mago | =. -@onfirmed everything, enna ; + Now -to mention the problems about your people, I must exlain ~~ te that these are indidental-to the real reason for seeing you | fot which is te Bive you the message from Rolando. I did 2Y.tha te me ———~{-Rolando said that he did not t | a did) ~~ 4 in sr not want to seo him even though wanted to meet “g | saeeereie n Rolando was in Europe ast. have known aoe : for years, since he was in Nabana- and belonged | —vO the Vedado Tennis Club ard was diunk by three.pom, every 0 Single day, Recently in Madrid he-has-set up’ a ‘Cuban girl’ / ———--in en aprtment and he got her a job in a Guban refugse i L Wo -Offlee. She stole files ob the contents of file : from the - werenn Off 400, She io working for the regime and /Wilidamsgon( fo1t io. for hep, Her nickname is Tota. Thig makes not a bit of TNL GLE Lerenae’ to us except that it 4 8 further reason that Jc «people pr? thelr livos against Cuatro do not confide Soon Do not confuse Tota with Beba, another. u Yiond of |! Seba ie the niece of wu. SULlLo Lobos, Sho ta divoreud £ om a frivund ef mines. She ~~ . - i _ has been going ith nd sho is nll right. nie nya tha 16 GIA chief for Spain and ~~~: PLCs ome shlofs ~.. g Another ons of your people, whom my friends do net trunt and --| whon do pot truat ia Varios VEPSDINO.--He has a Jewelry | “Bnep here in NY around: th Strant, J i Of MY paintings somotine Neo this 4 "aman whe ¢oupte ‘6.@ man who fa ous Cr a tempat, TOE EEE EEE A tr EN, seen
14-00000 @ make money and who will do anything for roney. You should — “not trust hirt bet you do. For example, he told you ‘hathe -A28 the confidence of Anb-sandor CAdiILLO in Karis, that he could Leeore better friends with CARRILLO ir you supplied money with which to buy confiseated jJowolry from CARRILLO. ow a. SO you gave EERRXXENX the money, the amount TEFEDINO asked Be Yor, TEPEDIIO paid less for the fewaary to CARRILLO,” TEPEDINO oo Po YAf rade a nice profit for hinsélf, and CARRILLO thouchtit all very funny. CARRILLO told friends that he knows that TSFEDILO is working for you CIA peonle and won't tell. ers TSPEDINO anything which CARRILLO does not want you to hear, ; CASRILLO told all this to El Loco BLANCO. 7. beeen a oo 1 ead .., Also you should kmow that TEPEDINO tells you that he with you but when he is with others who critici : ..... them that he agrees with them, “e has heen acting asa. i Ene ena Supposed intermediary between you and Rolande CUSELAS in _.. Senneetion with this plot. ‘this is because CUPELAS trusted si TEPEDINO as an old friend. “et me explain that this y- ‘TEPEDINO is an older guy so the friendship is not. like tthat ==! 7 ‘between Rolando and myself. We double dated, foutht and 2.0 “|. is: plettea together. -This TEPEDINO is differefnt , He is out agrees 28 you hetelia ‘out to make money. He has been telling Rolando's friends ~~ ee Over a period of time that he has CIA contacts and ean get 4 be “> anything needed from the CIA. “e has not come throughe rs __... They want nothing else to do with him. ae foc : another of your poople-is Bichy. BERNAL who works ror ~“ dn Madrid. BERNAL Was Cuban military attache in Jap _. she defected, absconding with $14,000,:.al1 of which he kept “TT. \for himself and none of which he contributed to the sountor. : “pevolutionary cause, This is the kind. of person whom you “trust aid whom we do: note eee es soo tenes mw rere @ 1 oo eee etie eo LS, | About your Paris:people, Bob, Dick and Maureen who is Dick's secretary, there is no complaint in particular. Maureen ‘dees not Imow when she is being kidded, Luis TRASENCOS and _Bl Loco BLANCO saw her in Paris, “They jokingly asked ifshe GT: or the Soviets-for twice what you people are . ‘ yan She paled and swallowed the story. After : "El Loco told me the story, I-talked to. Maureen, I confirmed | ‘it. Maureen is the go-between for Luis Trasencos and “Dicke The problem is that we cantt bea sure that we oan’ gat «the story from /Rolando CUBELAS to the CIA chicts by using T\----s your Pards peoples We don't want Luis TixASENGOS or Luis On , FERNANDEZ to know more than they need, ‘This is just good. - —LB6ourity. They know enough about the general plan but. _  ¢ they need not know details. - os rors — hak PELL. woe ee GE uo ve an . ee conde nna Uthers who know quite a bit are ARTIME.AND his aldo, QUINTEROS,} i cd don't think 4t good that AKTIIE should. be too involvedbut _! id t i 3 i rele Ayes ce EL NPS ahd ot BG AMER Se t fa A ho Pe > ‘SQUBELAS needed somo help. QUBELAS met both ARTILT nnd Te aon TEPEDINO in Kurope., They agreed on a. fow refnrenas points ceeds wad on the north const of Guba as possible exflitration places : 1 z.. £POm whish AWtIrs could pisk Up GUMELAS? poeple if something J. oj _ R008 wrong. Alao.-ARTINE pave somothing .to JUL ‘ : 3 Scatnts took baok.to Cuba in hig bage "(ovid) BES me inna ssaesfaapintnninn 2 sis Lned Se tis mremmenecemeieet nate ate soe enmemtcouaw Teremaeenesmramer an anys sents me na wpa “
14-00000 -- do not Imow whether it wos a #adfo or not but Fou peovle ‘ought to see to it that CLEELAS does have a radio ‘so he can “eommnicate with you. = . ‘A little about myself: I have some money. My family managed to. get quite a bit out of Cuba. We are trying te cet the. rest of the family, my grandmother and my uncle out. Thhey — “ . ao™ live at 15th and Linea in Vedado, “abana. _ by grandmother is : Poe Juana IRIVARHKEN and my uncle is Pedro HESNANDEZ. They are ar |"... supposed to have gotten visas for Spain :nd to be getting 7 wooo o- ORAG permits but we have been hearing-this for some time. ai —_ we I used my own money to buy passage for El Mago betwee Boe - hadrid and “aris and to pay my own expenses. ° i v2 . ° . ® Pa. Yu - 81 Mago does not work but his girl, Sonia by whom he has a - er a 6hild, is working as a dancer in-Spain se he dees prettywell [ wet dy ~ gbhere on her earnings. His wife and two children are in ‘lami now.: His father, a fine guy and. good newsman, is *. I-have done my part in getting word to you. “+f you wantme te do something, let-me know. If + get any further word . A411 gst in touch with the FBI here, Frank O'BRIEN, and he. . - will let you: know so you can meet-me.' I have told all of ,this only to INS, the PBI and you. _I am not going to say... . danything to anyone else... bof tia: 22g FID a AcTI “I shall. discuss with| | a Oe ore: Frank O'Brien will. notify us if he gets further word, ~~~ & “If you want to test this ote. 2 by sending (via El Madgo 4 ine “sunsavory though he be) a message to CUBELAS that we _ \ | “"gertainly are in favor of helping those who are ; trying to-make Cuba free but that we want him to ~ es send someone responsible with full details befrere : -we make committmpnts, you can send me a cable while 97777" ‘Zam over in ‘adrid. As stated before, the file makes — -@ll.of this seem a ball of wax. The foregeing = CCT “account speaks for itself. Maybe the CUBELAS boys ... | i _ape sincere and will act, maybe they are just = 9 =o --" <7 i “4 talking, maybe this 1s a provocation. If you want : ——— to. find out all that El Hago knows, it probably "8 will bo nocossary for a staffer to spend time with ok °- the | adrid Station was not deposed, co do oe 3 his when Iwas there last. Yd. - ESP IVOS, o asl Tenant BAe Mberbe pT | for uy