‘404-10183-10042} Bate TURN TO CIA - ecpacy ground Use O SEC RET Do Not Reproduce” 4 June 1963 ~ MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD SUBJECT: AMWHIP/1 Meeting, New york City, 31 May 1963 ’ e 1, Meeting Time/Place: Subject was contacted by telephone on 27 May 1963 and @ meeting arranged for 31 May in New York City. Upon. arrival in New York City, the undersigned called AMWHIP at his. office and ® meeting was set up for 1400 at the Forunz restaurant. Disteviasp fetoveT clred , PACurard fy bees BLT, Gee Marohed + fae ette pnd low Cane + 2. Purpose of Meeting: The meeting was scheduled prior to A/l's trip to fiome and the Continent for the purpose of arranging contact with the Rome Station for the purpose of exploring the possible operational utilization of A/i'ts jewelry store which he was opening in the new Cavalieri-Hilton Hotel in Rome, and for discussing additional means for recontacting the reluctant AMLASH/1 in Havana. 3, Operational Interest: As in the past, A/1l was most generous and cooperative An is attitude towards collaboration with KUBARK. He offered to make available both the facilities of his new jewelry atore in Rome and of the jewelry firm of Corietto, Inc., of Milan, for any reasonable use to which ‘UBAR‘ might wish to employ them, i. e-, as letter drops, cover addresses, or to provide cover for a <XUBAR<% agent operating in Italy or Europe. A/1 recommended that the jewelry store be considered before Corletto, however, because he has more control over the gtore than the manufacturing firm, (it is noted that we adhered to this advice in cabling Rome of A/its impending arrival....8e¢é DIR y. A/l also stated that his partner in the store is Juan VENTURA Vainer (Wallner), born 10 April 1914 at San Jose, . Costa Rica, and now & naturalized Cuban citizen, residing in Geneva (45 Avenue Wendt, tel. 345732). ventura, who was formerly a source of the Air Force Attache in Havana prior to Jan 1961, ig highly recommended by A/1l an @ BAN of gence, who ta anti-Hegige and ia atill very interested indoing what he can outside the island to aid the UG against Castro. Yentura, who ia & jewolor and gem dealer by profession, will be a. 8 free cee gage t ate ge (eseadeanencenstrinas ve SECiE Tl
SECRET » in Rome three weeks of every month to manage the store until a satisfactory. resident manager can be found to take over. Should Rome wish to take advantage of A/l's offer, he could be readily used to provide an introduction to Ventura. Only . a general discussion of the ops possibilities for A/i'‘s store - were discussed with him at the meeting. He was told that if . Rome was interested in discussing the idea further with his, a representative would initiate the contact. This person will speak English initially and will identify himself as a “friend of Bill Thompson's” and refer to this instant meeting in New York on 31 May. A/1l can be reached at the following places, in ofder of preference: c/o Cavalieri-Hilton Jewelry Shop ; - . via Michelino Tossi ~o Rome c/o Dr. A. Romano via Ciccerone 44 Rome c/o Corletto, SRL Milan 4. A/l advised the writer that he would be stopping off in Paris during this trip in order to get his passport renewed at the Cubaa Consulate in Paris. His contact there is( Luis E. oo TRASANCOS ) A/l has state viously (namely at the 28 March 63 meeting) that he enn. a good man, probably willing to assist the USG, but entirely too outspo<en about his dislicses for certain aspects of the present Regime. A/1 assed whether we wanted him to sound out (P)? and stated that in any case he was going to tell the man to watch hig. tongue in his dealings with the others in the Eabassy. Since (Tis already of interest to the Paris Station, A/L was told that we had no interest ia the man at this time, but that we would be interested in hearing : any comments about the meeting when A returned. [t is noted also that A/l said that it was through (TRASANCOS) that he was procuring @ watch for Jose VENEGAS, Cuban representative to the IuS in Prague. 5, A/1 reported that he had received two postcards from VENEGAS in Europe, and as & result, A/l wondered just what VENEGAS was interested in. [It is recalled that AMLAS! had warned A’l last summer to be very careful of YENEGAS, as he was { ie
“secreT 3 & atrong regime supporter and Communist, whe definitely wag not to be trusted with the time of day. A/1l will report ‘on any tnfo he devélops on VENEGAS and his activities.  -A71-also™ stated that he feels VENEGAS has “extraordinary iafluence with the regime, and apparently travels throughout Europe far. too “much not to be involved.in some “special” business for the Regime. . ; 6. A/l reported that Wilfredo VENTURA Medico y Su..,. bora ca 1933 is p close. friend of Fauvre CHOMON, “brother of the diplomat/and’ presently Minister of Communications in. Havana, VENTURA is approachable, according to A/1, if done by a com- “~péetent and secure person. We éould be used to elicit info - from his friend CHOMON. VENTURA's wife is presently. residing in Miami. A/l volunteered the use of his name in any contact, ., 42 this was deemed advisable by us. We 067. Another friend who is trusted explicitly by A/l is (Jose ACEF vara) ca 33 years old, who is in the municipal ’ government of Havana, his exact position is at present unknown to A/1. He is of moorish descent. A/1 checking. 38 years old, is, at : 8. - present ; a @ sell % He . W8S & phys ed instructor in Batisfa's time as been used ag a cut-out in the past for letters fro G AMLASH/1. He has not used this channel since Ngee tober crisis. rd) raws 3, iy | bora lat ew ’ on (May 2; or s esent residential address is(Rua Gar toe Ribeiro 135, Apt. 702, Copacabana,) Rio de Janeiro, tel. 6-5053) According to A/1, he is currently selling steel for industries for M. Navigacao e Comercio Motonave § Q Rio ol Branco 81, Ric de Janeire, Prior to leaving Cuba engaged in acupuncture work in Havana. According 1 should be able to be utilized in Rio as he has wide conta within the Cuban community in that city. Subject lived for six years in Cuba prior to going to Brazil. Is divorced and nas son living in Paris. (This lead. has already been made available to the Field for consideration, ) 10, AMLASH Re-Contact Attempt: As requested at the 28 March 63 meeting _A71 renarted that he had written a letter to his cousin, | Henctosing a card for AWLASII/1, which included th ‘s girl friend, Maria Dolores, in Madrid (the accommodation address) assigned L before he returned sm, La
14-00000 \/py a SECRET 4 i wees to Cuba last September) was very anxious to hear from him. At this writing, A/l stated that be had not heard from his cousin as to whether he had been able to get this card to LASH. in erder to increase the chance that a message would reach LASH, A/1 was instructed to write from Europe during his present trip there, directly to LASH's mother in Havana, and enclose a letter to LASH. This message was to include the fact (in appropriate cover terms) that Maria Dolores was gtill inquiring about LASH and really desired to hear from him. Also A/l was to inquire whether LASH- intended to visit outside Cuba in the foreseeable future, and if se, perhaps he and A/1 could get together. Letter ‘to LASH's mother ia to be mailed aconest from Europe. Will report upon return to New York. . ll. A/l's address-in Paris will be that of the same hotel “he used during tae operation with AMLASH last August, Hotel Franklin, 19 Rue Buffault, Paris, He is well cnown there and uses it whenever he is in Paris. 12. The meeting lasted one hour and twenty minutes. There were no incidents of a security nature. £ vl 03
aabener . EP eR ns aren wee wa yt ee ad wee, ue weet . a 4 « =, _ ° os e . a . tad . 7 se” se va - . GEOLELLEREA ROMANA CAVALIERT HILTON > ROMA O ethai fe oa TEL. 34-6556 eo aa