Heleased under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC FiO? Hote). DATE: 11-14-2017 ~ . C _([SECREY C ‘MM 2=156 : | | JDH/neb . - ff On November 3, 11960, MM T-8, a Confidential Source™ abroad, advised that the following information had ‘been. obtained concerning the twenty-seven man expedi- . tion which invaded Cuba. during the first part of October, 1960, reported backed by ROLANDO MASFERRER, (S) ~ On or about September 24, 1960, FRANK WILLIAMS, _ 117 North Flagler Avenue, Homestead, Florida, fisherman. _ and owner of the "Sunsport," was approached in Marathon, Florida Keys, by a man called ''JULIO' (LNU), who asked him to take a load of petrol to refuel another boat at ~~ sea, WILLIAMS is the owner of the diesel-engined converted -L: °C. V. P., the "Sunsport," registered in Florida with License No.” * FIA5285A, WILLIAMS was offered $100.00 a day for this job which he accepted. He subsequently loaded the "Sunsport" in Miami with twenty drums of high test gasoline amounting to l, 100 gallons. (s ~ On. September - 26, 1960, the "Sunsport, “ with WILLIAMS as captain, and. accompanied by PAUL HUGHES, 425 Harold Avenue, N.-E., Atlanta (also 524 Teckwood _ Drive, N. W., Atlanta,) left Biscayne Bay near Miami to keep. a rendezvous with a fast P; T. boat, the "Aladino, " at Mira por vos Cays about fifteen miles southwest of Castle Island lighthouse: (Castle Island is immediately south of Acklins Island in the ‘Bahamas. ) (5) - The’ "Aladino" is believed to belong to ROLANDO MASFERRER,° a supporter of the ex=BATISTA government in Cuba, ‘This vessel, with twenty-seven anti-CASTRO revolutionaries on board, had left Miami at about the same time as the "Sunsport." The captain was a Cuban: called GONZALEZ-PADRON ang the engineer another Cuban, MARRERO-ORTEGA, HORAT GONZALEZ7FADRON (possibly | identical with HORACIO CANIZARES PADRON), resides in | care of Coinmar Lines,.2974 N..W..North River Drive, | 7 Miami, F , Florida, ‘and is a boat captain, “ABELARDO MARRERO= } ORTEGA A (possibly identical with ABELARDO MORRERO ORTEGA), an operates a filling station at the corner of S. W. 6th(s\ _ Bo, (SECRET Do | O-1622~3F Docld: 32330025 Page 6
DATE: 11-14-7017 a eo ‘ oo Leased under—the—2-ehn- i i rds Collection Act of 1999 (4a TSC 2107 Hotes. [> 4 eH F.— Kennedy Assassination Reco " {SECRET - MM 2+156 - JDH/neb Street and 8th Avenue, Miami, and is’a merchant shipping mechanic: The original intention was that the "Aladino" should go straight to Cuba and then return to the Castle Island fendezvous, where she would be refueled from the ~ "Sunsport." Owing to incompetent navigation, she ran aground several times on her outward journey, through Bahamas waters and ran out of fuel.’ By the ‘time"Aladino" » reached: Castle Island lighthouse on about the first of October; her engines were in poor condition and it was not safe for her to proceed any further. The invasion party of twenty-seven men was transferred to the "Sunsport" and on about the fourth of October were landed at a point one-and-achalf miles southeast of Baracoa light in Oriente Province, Cuba, where accord-' ing to WILLIAMS they were given a hearty welcome by the villagers.(S\ | - | me The "Sunsport" then returned to Castle Island and found that the "Aladino" had gone aground near the lighthouse, the anchor having broken; © She is likely _ to become a total wreck, After a day's delay, GONZALEZ.~ and MARRERO were taken aboard the "Sunsport" with five. carbines, one rifle and twenty-two rounds of assorted ~— °30, 238 and .45 amuunition, which did not fit the guns. . According to HUGHES, these weapons were withdrawn from - the invasion party (who were armed with carbines, rifles _ and revolvers), because of their doubtful serviceability.(s) i The "Sunsport" then set course for Nassau, but~ as shewas running out of fuel, put in to Georgetown; Great Exuma, where she arrived on October: 7; By this time, the Bahamas police had become suspicious that something was going on and the four men were taken into custody. WILLIAMS and HUGHES were subsequently allowed to return to the . U. S.-om about October 8, 1960. It is not clear where . the two Cubans are at the moment. (S)\ | ' - . ! 8/ SECRET: y~ — - woe fen ee DoclId: 32330025 Page
Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC DI0T Hote). 7 DATE: 11-14- ~2017 _ r- : ee a ee . a Ipickes MM Qe 156 SBH/neb HUGHES claims that he. was” the organizer | of the invasion and that he was working. with ROLANDO | _ MASFERRER. He said he was anxious to return.to Miami. _.in order to make arrangements for further supplies’ to ‘be delivered to the twenty=seven men in Cuba. He said” he had the promise of 800 sten guns from some sympathizers 7 _in South America to help further invasions of Cuba, and - M /that he-intended to operate off the Cuban coast with ‘a boat ‘about the size of the "Aladino," but which was more . economical in fuel. HUGHES alleged that the U. S. . Ly authorities: boarded the "Aladino'' after she left Miami; but asked°no questions about the ‘large number of men on™ _ board,” declined te search for arms, and wished. them good ‘luck. and allowed them to proceed. (S\. ie “While ‘the "Sunsport'' was. at Castle Island : ‘either. on. its outward journey or on its return from ' a “Cuba, (it is not clear which), it was contacted by co an. airplane’ piloted, so WILLIAMS, believes, by JULIO | ““(LNU.) © Messages were dropped asking if they were. in ; . _ trouble and if the men had been put. ashore in Cuba .(S) So “On October 11, 1960, “WILLIAMS returned: to: a oo Nassau to claim the: "Sunsport.'" Among the documents - found on the "Sunsport" was a letter. addressed to Senor ‘SANTLAGO ALVAREZ, 701: S. W. 8th Street, Miamd.(S\ - According to subsequent. press reports, fifteen ' at ‘least of the twenty-seven men put ashore in Cuba have been captured and executed. - Three of these were Americans, _ ANTHONY ZARBA, DALE THOMPSON, and ROBERT 0, FULLER; Press reports also say that HUGHES himself has been arrested, _so he must. have returned to Cuba after leaving Nassau ' on October 8.(S} © 7 In January, 1960, HUGHES, ‘together with a. man “galled MATTHEW DUKE, used the airstrip at Great Exuma ‘as a jumping off point for a fire-raising raid on some Cuban sugar fields. In May, 1960, DUKE was killed in Cuba while trying to exfiltrate someone from that country.(s\ BA, (SEG. i Docld: 32330025 Page &