180-10141-10499 oe DECLASSIFICATION AND RELEASE OF THIS DOCUMENT. TEL % AS SANITIZED | | Cuban-American In Book V of the final report of the Senate Select oo Committee to Study Governmental Operations on the performance of the intelligence agencies in’ the investigation of the assassination, ‘the FBI and CIA are criticized for their apparent failure to fully pursue” leads surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy and then to fully report to the Warren Commission the results of the investigations they did undertake. One such lead concerned the travel from Texas to Mexico City of ap-unicentiffea Cuban- American on November 23, 1963, and then his flight to Havana on November 27. 1f/ The lead was made more “interesting” by the fact that the Cuban-American reportedly attended a meeting of the Tampa chapter of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee on November 17, 15963. 2/ The House Select. Committee on Assassinations examined the documents connected | to that lead to determine: (a) whether the facts which were known by the FBI and CIA about that individual warranted ~ further investigation and what “investigation was undertaken; - (b} whether any of that information was reported to the Warren - Commission; and (c) whether the known” facts suggest any. | ree % involvement in the assassination of President Kennedy. [go- 10/4 | - 10494 eer ee
Cuban-American...page 2 A chronology of the activities on this lead amplifies information which was. in the possess} the two agencies. CIA Investigation The first information onthe travel of the Cuban- VV £42 American appeared Se dbeomber CF 1963. At that time the Mexico Station. of the CIA sent a classified message to CIA headquarters that a source (dentified as LITEMPO/4) had requested of the Mexico (Ci Chief of Station at 1300 hours on that date "urgent traces on U.S. citizen-Gilberto P. Lopez." 3/ The source said Lopez arrived in Mexico on November 23 en route to Havana and that Lopez had disappeared with no record of his trip to Havana: According to the niessage, Lopez | had a tourist | cara, carrying number | 24553, which he obtained in Tampa on Novenber 20, 1963, and . his passport | number was 310162. ‘The message stated that Lopes. jleft Mexico for Havana’ on November 27) via “Cubana. (airlines). The classified message. listed the czyptonyn | LIFIRE as a emeeete source of information 1 on Lopez" s travel, it indicated | -the Mexico. LEY Station had no: traces on him- 4 hie | : "heat sine, WPT Qu ated December 3, In another classified message. a the Mexico City Station to CIA headguarters, the station 1963) from 97: coported also that the FBI office in Mexico City had been aiivised-by Mexican authorities that Lopez entered Mexico on November 27 at Nuevo Laredo. 5/
Cuban- American...page 3 ee seubrhe nexr dig ae In another classified message dated December 4, 196 < = to the Mexico EGF searion from CIA. headquarters, the Agency. reported that the: State Department - check on Lopez, haa produced nothin yet because of the difficulty in tracing, records using only a name and passport number. 6/ The message ‘contained this paragrapht en Oo . We assume you. ‘have not told ¢ crue insce? that Lopez flew to Cuba on 27 November because you do not want to blow the LIFIRE operation. This problem is up | to you. 7/. 7 Fe -The LIFIRE operation referred to in the epassiti ssage FBAAT ca] Yon aad ont to the Mexico Station involved Cooperation between the CIA and Mexican federal officials who artici ated Ana___— passports of ‘the passen fers arziving “fom Havana. 8/_ On December 5; “1963: ‘the Mexico. ‘city | Station reported | : OAF} dlidy | 7 that ‘the LITEMPO/4 source had stated that Gilberto. Lopez had. crossed ‘the Mexican ‘border “at. Laredo, ‘Texas on | November 23, 1963 and registered in ‘the. Roosevelt. Hotel in Mexico. City on he ABO wp Sout ro November 25 at 1600 hours in Room 203. of ~LLTEMPG; also reported that Lopez departed on a Cubana flight on
Cuban-American...page 4 ~ November 27 for Havana. That classified message stated FOut oc, an wpe sews additionally that G@ITEMPO/D )had,a good photograph of ‘Lopez. 10/ The photograph of Lopez contained in his CIA 201 file ee has "27 November 1963" stamped on the back. In the photograph Lopez is shown wearing - -dark glasses and the background in the photograph is dark and indistinguishable. tha, foMaria g Sig . Ina dispatch ated” Décémber 5, 1963)}from the Chief of . Station in Mexico CES to headquarters, copies of the | photograph of Lopez were attached, and. the dispatch stated tren): aes that the photograph was S taken, on the. night of Novenbar ee en . 1963 at the Mexico City airport by Mexican authorities as wa ay The dispatch gave pe trent Se 4 a Cubana flight. _ the. previously reported ‘information of the numbers of Lopez Ss” passport and tourist cara and his entry | | into | and departure from Mexico. The dispatch « contained the. additional information that Lopez was (ister 45) the only ; passenger . on Cubana- ‘Flight #465 on November. 27, -1963 to Havana; ‘the flight contained a’ crew of nine 2 Cubans. Te. said ne used 7 a U. J.8._passport and a “Cuban courtesy visa. 12/ “The ‘dispatch’ ee had the following message? “source states the timing and circumstances surrounding subject ‘sg. travel through Mexico ana. departure for Havana are ‘suspicious. " Lay the dispatch said also that the source "urgently" requested all available data on the individual.