AGENCY : RECORD NUMBER : RECORD SERIES : AGENCY FILE NUMBER : ORIGINATOR : FROM: TO: TITLE: DATE: PAGES: OPENING CRITERIA : COMMENTS : 4 SUBJECTS : DOCUMENT TYPE : CLASSIFICATION : RESTRICTIONS : CURRENT STATUS : DATE.OF LAST REVIEW : HW 54027 DBocld: 32334082 JFK Assassination System Identification Form Agency Information FBI 124-90110-10075 HQ CR 105-83117-91 Document Information FBI NH HQ 10/19/1961 4 JOSEPH RAYMOND MEROLA MANUEL ADALBERTO ARQUES DIAZ PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT Unclassified 4 Redact 08/06/1998 INDEFINITE LHM Page 1 Date: 6/2/2015 Released under the John Kennedy WKSssassination Records ollection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Note). ase#:NU 54027 Date: ns—-25-2017
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT. OF JUSTICE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION In Reply, Please Refer to New Haven, Connecticut tle 0. October 19, 1961 RE: MANUEL ADALBERTO ARQUES DIAZ BERNARD HOLMES \BRENNAN, Main Street, Moodus, Connecticut, on ef, October 15, 1961, furnishéd the following information to ~~ / Special Agent Thomas M. Murphy, regarding his association with --) /, MANUEL ADALBERTO ARQUES DIAZ: . (OL Eoin. ry i BRENNAN first, met ARQUES some time in February 1960. ARQUES was publicity director with the Cuban Tourist Commission at Miami, Florida, and BRENNAN was then employed as Travel Editor of the, Miami Beach Sun, a local newspaper at Miami Beach. He related that some time late in February or early March 1960, ARQUES asked him to go to work for the Cuban Government. ARQUES informed him a. that he could be very helpful to the Cuban Government in his. nf * position. He stated,ARQUES made arrangements for him to meet his, \k ‘, ARQUES', boss, “tan, ate was secretary to Fidel Castro... 'f ~* BRENNAN flew to Havana, Cuba, via Pan American Airlines about the ;‘ / middle of March 1960 and was met at the airport by Captain. ALFREDO 4 GURREA, who was head_of..Cuban Intelligence. at_the time. He stated*« 0 a + Ng that GURREA escorted him to the home of JUAN ORTA where he remained ~ with ORTA for a period of approximately five hours. BRENNAN stated that during this visit, ORTA asked him to obtain the following: om a 1. Informatien about JOSEPH \MEROLA, tian peach, ~fadl. Sir SIDNEY{OAKES of Nassau. Both, according to BRENNAN, hAd contracted to sell arms to Cuba but had diverted these arms to the Dominican Republic. ORTA desired information as to where these arms were being storedm Nassau. 2. Information regarding a Cuban counter-revolutionary group in Nassau. n individual he, BRENNAN, later OPEINO, Stock Island, Florida, armature small boats which were making 3. Information regarding identified as CHARLES? who owned aircraft an trips to Cuba. 4 ALL INFORMATION CONT, | n URCLASSIED PHS) SYED. ~ . one da}as oy SE nbcleAA Cor soe JE S-G = ia 463%) ENCLOSURE a I : - oo | AW 54027 Docld:32334082 Page 2
Lf 7 ‘RE: MANUEL ADALBERTO ARQUES DIAZ BRENNAN advised that ORTA instructed him to furnish whatever information he developed to ARQUES and pointed out to him that he should give no information to Seno BLANCO, the ,Cuban Consul General in Miami, or his Aide, CARLOSYSANCHEZ. @ \ ha fer BRENNAN stated that ORTA agreed to pay him $250 per month, which payment he would receive from ARQUES. . He was also asked to introduce ARQUES to prominent people in the Miami area. He related that he remained in Havana for two days and upon his return to Miami conferred with ARQUES who was already aware of ORTA's instructions to him. He advised that the following. weekend he went to Nassau and obtained the following information which he furnished to ARQUES for ORTA: {| vn a co \ aga bo ahit se information yelating to one “SKIPPY}{ HENDERSON, head 4” ~~~ /{ of the Bahamian Customs _Office,,.who was working with — 5 JOSEPH-MEROLA and Sir SIDNEY OAKES in their arms delivery with the Dominican Republic. 3G Information regarding an anti-Castro group on Nassau neat the "Cat and Fiddle" Club, which was headed by DIAZ LANZ. Information regarding the storage of arms on Grand Bahama Island below the airstrip and on Nassau near the "Cat and Fiddle" Club. BRENNAN stated that ARQUES sent this information over to ORTA by private plane. A man name SHERGALIS, whose plane was later i shot down in Cuba, was the cougier between ARQUES and ORTA. BRENNAN advised that he later furnished a report to ARQUES x regarding JOSEPH MEROLA,. Sir SIDNEY OAKES, and SIDNEY | NEUBAUER and their arms purchases for the Dominican-Republic. | third report was furnished to ARQUES which gave a rundown n the background operations and identity of employees of CHARLES TOPEINO, Stock Island, Florida. BRENNAN stated this was all furnished to. ARQUES at the request of ORTA. SoM - ~ oN ih ee Or i HW 54027 Docld:32334082 Page 3
y d > ? z a A | RE: MANUEL ADALBERTO ARQUES DIAZ — | BRENNAN advised that in April 1960 he again met with Captain ALFREDO GURREA and JUAN ORTA in GURREA's office in Havana. . He stated that they desired more information regarding the source of MEROLA's arms and wanted, him to bo, set up an arms deal for them with MEROLA. He related that he did make an arms deal with JOSEPH MEROLA and also with SIDNEY NEUBAUER, who agreed to sell. sub-machine guns and | ' grenades to Cuba. He stated he furnished this information along with price list to ARQUES. He added that the only other report he furnished to ARQUES for JUAN ORTA related to \ t- information about arms delivery which SIDNEY NEUBAUER, oa hy first name unknownXTRENTO, proprietor of Mill own Arms_and. aa Z Supply, somewhere in ‘New Jersey, and JULIETTEV/DE SCALZI, an Italian Countess, had witha party in Quite, uador . BRENNAN could not recall the details of this arms delivery | but the information was obtained in April or, May 1960. He advised that he furnished this information to ARQUES, who ~ in turn furnished it to ORTA by telephone in his, BRENNAN's, presence. BRENNAN stated that the only money he received from ARQUES was an occasional twenty or thirty dollars. He stated that ARQUES did not pay him the $250 a month agreed upon by ORTA. He advised that he did receive approximately $600 when in Cuba in connection with a COTAL convention, which was a conference of Latin-American. travel agencies held there during the latter part of April 1960. We advised that his association with ARQUES also concerned a plan to set up tourist offices in Canada, and also concerned publicity in connection with tourist trade in Cuba. He ; explained that ARQUES was scheduled to be sent to Canada in June 1960 as Public Relations Director of Cuban Affairs and he, i BRENNAN, was to assist him there at $600 per month, but this plan fell through. This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of the FBI. .It is the property of the FBI and is loaned to: your agency; it and its contents are not to be distributed outside your agency. . ‘ ‘ t . Leah oo Beye ad ’ ro as y rr \ i HW 54027 Docld:32334082 Page 4
that. during this visit, | ORTA asked him to obtain the following: SS: Net UwITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF “SUSTICE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION In Reply, Please Refer to New Haven, Connecticut File No. October 19, 1961 RE: MANUEL ADALBERTO ARQUES DIAZ DIAZ BERNARD HOLMES BRENNAN, Yiadn Street, ‘Moodus ; ‘Comnecticut,; on October 15; 1061, furnished the following. information ta . Special. Agent Thomas: ii. Murphy , regarding his association With MANUBL ADALBERTO - -ARQUES | DIAZ: - BRENNAN first met ARQUES. gone time in yebruary 1960. ARQUES was publicity director with the Cuban Tourist Commission at Miami, Florida, and BRENNAN was then employed as Travel Sditor of the Miamd Beach Sun, a local newspaper at Miami Beach. He related that some time late in February or early. March 1960, ARQUES asked him to go to work for the Cuban Government. _ ARQUES informed him that he could be very heipful to the Cuban Government in his position. He stated ARQUES made arrangements for him to meet his, ARQUES'; boss, JUAN ORTA, who was sécretary to Fidel Castro. BRENWAN flew.to Havana, Cuba, via Pan American Airlines about, the middle of March 1960 and was met at the airport by Captain ALFREDO GURREA, who was head of Cuban Intelligence at the time. He stated that GURREA escorted him to -the home of JUAN ORTA where be remained with ORTA for a period of approzimately five hours. BRENNAN stated L.  Id€ormation about: JOSEPH MEROLA, Miami Beach, and . Sir SIDNEY OAKES of Nassau. Both, accerding to BRENNAN, had contracted to sell Arms to Cuba but. - ORTA desired information as to where these arms were being storeda Nassau. 8 information regarding a Cuban’ counter-revolutionary group in Nassau. 3. Information. régarding an. individual. he, BRENNAN, later . ddentified as. CHARLES TOPEINO, Stock Island, Florida, .. who owned aircraft and small boats which were naking » trips to Cuba. ALL IRFORMATION CONTAIYZD rene if vacLassiniea \¢ | HW 54027 Doclda: 32334082 Page 3