Released under the John, \ Kennedy Assassination Records ection Act of 19927 (44 USC 21 ofe;. DATE : jlt-ra- 2017. so . . = ° ° . “ONAL FORM No. 10 . 6 . 5010-106 . c a a kT 1962 EQITIGN . x oo eo. "GSA GEN. REG. NO. 27 © . posta x a 2 . * ‘ ; ° ° ° : ep. AD Adm, _ 7° - 1 - Mr. J. B. Adams Der. AD ies — ~ Memorandum FTE MEL DIN Moore, gr mite ~ 1 + Mr. W. K. DeBruler con yan vo. : Mew R. J. cag , pate: 11/5/76 | ive 4 Vv - secret. Mr. T. W. Leavitt = [7 pe** Som 1¥- Mr. R. J. Gallagher inspection i FROM : J. G. deena 1 Mr. J. O. Ingram tell « 1 - Mr. S. S. Mignosa Plen, & Eel 1 - Mr. J. G. Deegan Spee. Inv. suRyecT: ,-UNKNOWN SUBJECTS; BOMBING OF | Tein @CUBANA AIRLINES DC-8 NEAR 17 Me: Re Ke McHargue tere BARBADOS, WEST INDIES, ALL TNPORMATTOR CORTAINED 2.7 ~ OCTOBER6," 1976. HEREIN IS UNCLASSIFIED NEUTRALITY MATTERS - CUBA - WEST ANDIES EXCHPT WHERE SHO - CHILBOM; PROTECTION OF FOREIGN OFFICIALS (ee e¥iSe / MURDER; EXPLOSIVE:: AND INCENDIARY DEVICES C€! F - PURPOSE: To advise of recent developments in connection with(Jf captioned matters and Ricardo Morales Navarrete, an official in ther, Venezuelan Counterintelligence Service (DISIP). ¥ YU j SYNOPSIS: Navarrete has been a central figure in the intrigue LAD. surrounding the bombing of captioned Cubana airliner. He is S currently an embarrassment to the Venezuelan Government who now! °>% denies his existence. He has told a confidential source of the A Miami Office that prior to the bombing of captioned airliner he & participated in two meetings in Caracas at which plans to bomb a Cubana airliner were discussed. a teletype 11/4/76 Legat, eq > Caracas, advised that Navarrete Fequested a meeting but was unable ®: ero =‘. to keep the appointment indicating he was ‘being held against his .; 3 a will. In a cryptic telephone conversation, Navarrete related that ». oe 8 g he had a lot to tell Legat, that he was ‘going across the border" 2S 2| and that "Remberto" was "behind everything." Remberto Uzcatequi % 3s 6] was past Director: =~ of DISIP.; Legat believes Navarrete may Be SHAl. return to Miami," Florida, ea yhere ‘he could be debriefed - fe regarding captioned nactcce]( ; IPG: lek\e (13) 5 5 UEC es r — SECRE Docld: 32297732 Page 2?
DATE: Released under the John E. Kennedy Assassination Records ‘ones Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Hoftey. oA Zz u 11-14-2017 Lo, Memorandum to Mr. R. J. Gallagher — ‘ . ~~~ — SECRET Re: Unknown Subjects; Bombing of Cubana Airlines DC-8 Near Barbados, West Indies, P October 6, 1976 S GRET CHILBOM DETAILS: Navarrete has been a central figure in the intrigue surrounding the bombing of captioned Cubana airliner. He is a former Miami informant\who has been an unpaid confidential ~source of Legat, Caracas. As an official of DISIP, Navarrete was ; responsible for the care and debriefing of Orlando Bosch Avila, an.anti-Castro terrorist who had sought refuge in Venezuela and is.now being held in connection with the Cubana bombing. Navarrete has provided information obtained from Bosch to Legat, Caracas, including the allegation that Guillermo and Ignacio Novo were responsible for the murder of Orlando Letelier former Chilean official in Washington, D. C., on 9/21/76. pergs As evidence mounted that the Cubana bomb ee) was on | in Venezuela and that a number of present and former Venezuelan officials were implicated, Navarrete went on the offensive and attempted to discredit CIA, FBI and the American Government through telephone calls to Miami news media. Recently, Raul Diaz, , a Dade County, Florida, organized crime officer traveled to Caracas to persuade Navarrete to testify in the Florida trial of anti-Castro bomb figure Rolando Otero. Diaz confidentially advised , our Miami Office that he was told by Navarrete that Navarrete participated in two meetings in Caracas at which plans to | bomb a Cubana airliner were discussed. Navarrete also related | that if Luis Posada, one of the persons arrested in connection with | the bomb plot, were to talk then he (Navarrete) and others would go. "down the tube" in a Venezuelan styled Watergate. Navarrete became” an embarrassment to the Venezuelan Government after forcing three American journalists to leave Venezuela on. 10/21/76. Venezuela now denies the existence of Navarrete and Navarrete is reported to have called his-Miami, Florida a and told her not to call as “he does” not exist. "hw By teletype 11/4/76, Legat, Caracas, advised that Navarrete desired to meet with Legat on 11/4/76, but was unable to keep the appointment indicating that he was being held against his will. In a cryptic telephone conversation Navarrete Lg CR ve ars FICRET Docld: 32297732 Page 3
"Released under the John FE. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1997 (44 USC 2107 Hotes. DATE: 11-14-2017 ms ; oo os + os , 2: - ae SECRET Memorandum to Mr. R. J. Gallagher Re: Unknown Subjects; Bombing of Cubana Airlines DC-8 Near Barbados, West Indies, October 6, 1976 CHILBOM S EC R — that he had a lot to tell Legat but could not talk over the phone and that he was “ going across the border.' Navarrete volunteered that e person was "behind everything" and gave the name "Renberto."(KI( Ul (o\Remberto Uzcatequi was the Director-... of DISIP during period that Posada was a member of that organization.{ Legat did not know what cryptic comments of Navarrete meant but no elaboration wa offered by Navarrete and conversation was terminated. & (U\ Legat believed Navarrete is being kept in seclusion, and that he m orced to leave Venezuela possibly going to Miami, = | Florida. f (u Lega speculated that if Navarrete returns to the United States he may be able to shed light on Cubana bombing and Leteliér's assassination. og Xu . In another development Raul Diaz, supra, received a telephone call from Navarrete late on 11/3/76. In this call Navarrete alleged "that the CORU meeting in the Dominican Republic was sponsored by the CIA." CORU is an anti-Castro. terrorist group which has taken credit for numerous terrorist acts throughout the Caribbean since June, 1976. CORU was formed as an umbrella organization at a June, 1976, meeting in the Dominican Republic attended by five anti-Castro terrorist groups. It is believed’ that Navarrete was referfing to this meeting. @ yy) In this telephone call Navarrete also told Diaz that if George Gomez, Alfredo Chumaceiro and Armand Santana were out of jail at the time of the Letelier bombing then they were responsible for it. If these men were in jail, according to Navarrete, then y of their associates perpetrated the Letelier bombing. & eu) SECRET -4ie t ce Docld: 32297732 Page 4
Released under the a Kennedy Assassination Records yenveowmon Act of 1992? (44 USC 2107 Hote }- DATE: 11-14-2017 - “ SECRET i Memorandum to Mr. R. J. Gallagher | Re: Unknown Subjects; Bombing of Cubana Airlines DC-8 Near ‘ Barbados, West ‘Indies, October 6, 197652 8} (2) uscets SE REN CHILBOM ; Gomez, Chumaceiro and Santana Le. by New York City police on 7/24/76 while they were attempting to place a pipe bomb at the Academy of Music, New York City. Navarrete also alleged that Mercedes Rosello, a controversial Cuban who associates with persons involved in anti-Castro activities transported some "items" for the Cubana airlines bombing from Miami to Venezuela. Rosello resides in Miami Cg § W Diaz advised he. does not knownwhether Navarrete is furnishing reliable information or whether he is furnishing this information as part of the plan by him or the Venezuelan Government to place the blame on the U. S. Government for acts of terrorism conducted by anti-Castro organizations. ) U) and U. S. Government never gathered steam. AHe is currently on the "outs" with the Venezuelan Government ‘who may be contemplating his elimination through deportation or otherwise. Navarrete, in furnishing this recent information, may be attempting to 7 ingratiate himself with U. S. law enforcement who may be asked to provide a haven for him should he reach our shores (a) ; OBSERVATION: Navarrete's attempts to cean. Ae the CIA, FBI Dissemination has been made of above information to the Department of Justice, Department of State, Central Intelligence Agency and U. S. Secret Service. SECRET SBQRET BEC! Docld: 32297732 Page 5