ae npr nmr eee JFK Assassination System Date: $/14/201 Identification Form “Agency Information AGENCY: FBI RECORD NUMBER: _ 124-10200-10431 RECORD SERIES: HQ AGENCY FILENUMBER:  92-6054-275 Document Information ORIGINATOR: FBI . FROM: WHEELER, BRYON C. TO: DIRECTOR, FBI TITLE: DATE: 05/31/1963 “PAGES: 26 ( SUBJECTS : , LCN, MEMBERS, CRIMINAL ACT, INTV, POLIMENI, GIUSEPPE, ORGANIZATION HISTORY AND BKG, MEMBERSHIP CEREMONY DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION: — Unclassified RESTRICTIONS: 4 CURRENT STATUS:  Redact DATE OF LASTREVIEW: 05/22/1998 \ OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE COMMENTS : < naa v9.1 NW 45839 DociId:32289155 Page 1
. ~ t ee p a * a ~ a a ~ wet . oe 4? en ~ ‘ 1 1 a ~ | RD-269 (Rev, 51-59) \  ) “FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION REPORTING OFFICE OFFICE OF ORIGIN DATE . ; INVESTIGATIVE PERIOD SAN FRANCISCO NEW YORK 5/31/6 12/17/62 to 5/24/6 TITLE OF CASE | REPORT MADE BY - TYPED BY Ce BRYON C. WHEELER es ~“LA CAUSA NOSTRA CHARACTER OF CASE SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION : AR - CONSPIRACY f > i 2 », REFERENCE; Report of SA BRYON C, WHEELER at San Francisco dated 12/17/6 2. Re ve of SA JAMES P, FLYNN at New York dated 1/3 3. yh grancisco letters to New York 1/23/63 and 2 : . P b> cfs (7 2 . ENCLOSURES: TO THE BUREAU: Two copies of the Tétterhead memorandum setting‘ forth characterization of informants. TO NEW YORK: Two copies of. the letterhead i memorandum setting forth char- Fi | acterization: of informants. DO NOT WRITE IN SPACES BELOW York {(92- 2308) (enol. -2) 7-San Francisco 4 -|60 Sy -la oo |REC- 77 | | ~ 2e- @ JUN | | 1 - 93-104 | NS 1963 ) | 1 - 137-2571 i ; f - 9p 137- 3124 corms pnsthi6tSb| MAR 29 Ty65_ Dissemination Record of a ae att o rue ee app How, Fwd. OM pep eve FIT OD rp = BH | = WU - NW 45839 DociId:32289155 Page 2
Le SF 92-593 BCW:es ADMINISTRATIVE DATA Informan Nostra in San Jose A) to contact one another’ INFORMANTS : Identity of Date Informant — SF T-1 is SF 2550-C-TE _. 11/5/62 1/7/63 10/26/62 12/28/62 SF T-2 is 11/19/62 SF 2354-C-TE 28 and / 22/63 SF T-4 is 11/9/62 SF 2405-c* — : 11/19/62 3/6/63 -8 is 62 and cousin o JAMES LANZA SF T- 2/4/63 SF 2345- “G-TE- (two T symbols used to cover the informant better) . ‘ B Va — a NW 45839 DociId:32289155 Page 3 SA HAROLD V. CATES SA ROY L, ERICKSON SA HAROLD V. CATES SA ROY L. ERICKSON SA CHARLES J. PRELSNIK SA CHARLES J. PRELSNIK SA HERBERT K, MUDD, JR. SA CHARLES J. PRELSNIK Cover Page bs have advised that members of La Causa Wade the San Francisco Bay area have been instructed by JOSEPHS BRITO, "Don" of the San Jose group, aS Little as possible owing to the current investigations by the File Where Located 92-593-147 “92-593-109 92-593-147 92-593-97 92-41B-257 92-41B-268 92-41B-256 92-41B-257 92-41B-266 92-593-147 92-593-131 OTHER
SF 92-593 BCW:es SF T-1 furnished the following information on January 7, 1963, and on previous contacts, concerning the Italian-Sicilian organization (La Causa Nostra) of which he allegedly is a member at San Jose, California, and has been for several years: Origin The organization to which SF T-1 belongs was ex- plained to him as being an old organization started by people of Sicily to protect themselves from land barons and others of autocratic rule. When these people came to this country, they: naturally remained closely knit and continued their specific organization in this country to make money. Structure SF T-1 stated that the group to which he belongs “is nationally organized. He has received no information indicating that it is controlled by or affiliated with any similar or- ganization in Sicily. He has asked JOHN MISURACA, during the time he was being indoctrinated, whether this organization was the "Mafia", and MISURACA told him it was. He was told that they do not use this term now but use the term "Cosa Nost(r)a", which means "Our Thing", The informant does not seem to pronounce. the letter "R" in Nost(r)a and indicates that the use of the letter "R" in pronunciation is used more among main-land Italians than Sicilians. He stated he has not heard this organization called La Causa Nost(r)a. ‘The informant advised that the smallest organized unit to his understanding is a "Circle." When the informant entered, he was initiated with two others, ALEX CAMARATA and PETE MISURACA. The informant and ALEX CAMARATA were assigned to a "Circle" having ANGELO MARINO as the head, while PETE MISURACA was assigned to a "Circle" having MANNY FIGLIA as the head, or Capo. The informant advised that the basic group in the - lower organization next to a "Circle" is called the Nost(r)a Brigada, which the informant said is a "Group" headed by one man called a "capo", This "Group" is frequently called a "Family," and may be the same as a "Circle." The Nost(r)a Brigada may be comprised of several 4 NW 45839 DociId:32289155 Page 4 fe it reer
SF 92-593 BCW:es Initiation and Oath SF T-1 recalled that when he was about to enter "the organization", JOHN MISURACA called him to see him at the home of ALEX CAMARATA. At that time, MISURACA explained to him how he entered the organization. He told him that Someone would take a needle and draw blood from a finger. He stated that anything could happen and that someone might create an incident to see how he would react. He recalled Someone saying that they might even throw a gun to him to see what he would do. The informant talked over these matters Subsequently with ALEX CAMARATA and PETE MISURACA who were also .entering the organization and who seemd to know more of what was going on than the informant. When they were actually taken into the organization, they went to the cheese factory in San Jose. There were several members from the San Jose area as well as from the Modesto area. The informant, ALEX CAMARATA and PETE MISURACA remained outside and were taken in one at a time for their initiation. This was in 1956. The initiation consisted of words delivered to the informant by two different people, to his recollection. He stated these people were MANNY FIGLIA and CHARLIE CARBONE. They were hard to understand. They did not explain the organization at that time but the details came out from these two as well as several others a little at a time over the succeeding ‘years. At the initiation, he was told that whoever "pinches" him would be his godfather. JOE CUSENZA turned out to be the godfather of the informant. The informant had never met this individual before. During the proceedings, a picture of a saint was burned. Those giving the statements to him would read or utter a sentence and require him to repeat it. He recalled the word baptised being used. He recalled that the words included statements to the effect that they were never to contact law enforcement officials personally or otherwise, that they were to have nothing to do with such a man, regardless of consequence, that they would uphold the organization over everythirgelse and would do all in their power for the organization. NW 45839 DociId:32289155 Page 5 ~~ ee