(tos-fotas-t0raa] | on ea Roeper DOT nt pence oF pra ent * RR AE NG ye ohare, ene te Re ye! NN BRAND November 15/60 On August 5/60, at 7 a.m., Brand made contact with | Brand told that he wanted to see Amparo (Plinio's wife), in order to debrief her on the actual situation of OA's groups. That same afternoon Brand saw Amparo. Amparo informed Brand of all the arrests that had taken place after Plinio's escans from El Escambray. In regard to OA's groups in Havana, Amparo told Brand that Efren Rodriguez, member of the Executive Commitee of the OA,was in a safe houss in Havana, and was the man who could brief Brand on @A's situation. On August 6/60, Brand saw Efren Rodriguez. =fren informed Brand that, on account of Abay and Pensla'’s asylum at the Embassy of Brasil, contacts had been lost with the action groups of OA. Efren was completely out of money. Srand gave him $130.00 and instructed hin to establish contact with 0a! 3 action groups. Efr agreed to do this. Brand had to remain in his safe house for the next ten days, becauss no glue or moustaches had heen sent to him, and he had no materials for his disguise. Meanwhile, Plinio had arrived to Favana, and had established contact with. Stren and other members of the underground. | | gave Brand a man to be used as a driver or as a cuteout. This man iS named Montes. After receiving the diszuise materials, Brand establis contact with Jasus Izslesias, former member of Triple A, and Brand's fellow consp for many years. Islesias owned a 50 fte yacht. Brand asked Iglesia's help to use his yacht to smuggle weapons into Gubae Iglesias was in very low spirits. He sai that it was useless for the cubans to fight Fidel, since Fidel had a powerful ba from the Soviet Union, and that unless the UeS. decided to do something about it our efforts were doomed to failure. In short, Iglesias refused to help. Next, Brand established contact with Cesar Lancis Bravo. Cesar agreed to help Brand instructed Cesar to start looking for D.2s. and Leds. Besides, Cesar was t start organizing laborers in the different Unions, and to try to gather informat from all of them. Cesar also volunteered to make contacts with policemen in the patrol cars, in order to find out the codes they were using in their radio communications. He-also promised to start a search for safe housss and store hou and to start checking Fidel through the members of the Sindicato Gastronomicas I that first meetinz, Brand gave Ce esar lone thousand PESOS» to be used for exnenses for the renting of houses. Next, Brand mad@contact with Benito Fernandez. Benito said that he was eager help and that all of ua had to give our best to overcome our country! 8 situation Benito offered his efforts to try fo, find D.Zs. and Leds. Besides, he volunteere to do some recruiting. Benito informed Brand that he had an action zroup of abou fifteen men, already armed. Contact was made with Dr. Helio Nkrdo Baez. Nardo informed Brand that he had already been aproached by pveople fron MRR and By Lomberto Diaz, acting the latte as representative from Tony Varona's|sroup< Nardo had refused to work with them. Brand asked Nardo to take care of thp Province of Pinar del Rio as a leader of a new underground group, of which he ule going to be one of the leadsrs. Nardo azr to this, and promised to start lookiag for D.Zs. and L.Zs.. and also promissd to take care of the recruiting of peop in the Province of Pinar del aio. He mentio thet he had a friend who nad been a lieutenent in the rebel army, and who had qu his position because of the communis tendencies of the GoYernment. He told sran that this ex-lieutenent could become'a valuabls asset if won to our sides. Ha sai he was zoinz to try to bring this mar to talk with Srand. brand savs Nardo five sesMa, for exsenses. i is j $ : ; 2 $
14-00000 bree’ going to have results for the next meeting. os Francisco Robayna Dominguez, ex-lieutenent of the Rebel Army. Robayna had: been al . 4 _Robayna was to work under the orders of Narde. | - houses, because the people they could use for that, were needed at the MRR. Neve . people at the University, because everyone seemed te belonz already to one organi _ Willing to work with him, though some of them already belonged fo Rescate. He had C{ rn on on Dew i at the first meeting with Benito Fernandez, Erand also saw Nelson Izlesias, s University student, and son of Jesus Iglesiase Brand instructed Nelson to start making some recruitings at the University. Brand also instructed Nelson Iglesiag to make the necessary arrangements so Brand could have a meeting with Jose Fernal Planas and Eddy Crews, members of the Catholic Youth, students at the Universit Havana and members ot MRR (Artime's faction). Brand gave Nelson one hundred pasq| for expenses. , - _ A week after their first meeting, Brand saw Cesar Lancis again. Cesar said th had been making some contactswith different unions. He also exnlained that up to that time he had been working with Tony Varona's group; named "Rescate". He exp his concern about the double role he was playing, working with Rescate at the sa: time that he! WoFicing with Brand. Lancis said that in due course he could bring friends in Rescate to Brand's organization. Brand said that a week had elapsed.aj no results had been attained and that he wanted results. Lancis said that he was] Through Nelson Iglesias, Brand had a meeting with Jose Ferriandez Planas and Eddy Crews. The meeting took place at Fernandez Plana's home in Vedado, Havana. | Brand asked Fernandez Plana's help in order to get D.Zs. and LbeSs, and safe : hou Though Fernandez Planas agreed to help, he was a little bit reluctant because off connections with MaR. He said he was going to talk things over with his friends promised to give me an answer in a few days. Nevertheless, he accepted four hund pesos to be used in the renting of safe houses. Brand also asked about the possi of creating some disturbances at Havana University on the 50th of September, anniversary of Trejo's death.They said their chances were slight, because they could not burn the people they had at the University in that kind of action. He said that in the event of a riot at the University, they would be crushed by the communists and militia, already well trained, equipped and organized. In his next masting with Brand, Nardo brought along a man by the name of ms, 2 member of the American Army, at Fort Dix, New Jersey. He had = member of the American Army. He deserted.to zo to Cuba and join the forces fignt] 3 Batista. He became a member of Faure Chaztpn 's guerrillas in the mountains of Las | = Villase Robayna said that he was willing to join Nardo and Brand's efforts. He sq that he had already been working in the recruiting of people. He assured: Brand th .. he. could count with a force of 150 mene He also said that he was going to get Dead. : In his next meeting with Brand, Fernandez Planas returned the four hundred pe: i. he had previously received. He said he could not take care of the renting of safd" since Brand had promised him weapons, he said he would keep trying to get DoZs. q LeZs- He said he wanted to see Brand again. ee Benito Fernandez saw Brand again. He said that he had talked with his brother - who had been a Mayor in Santiago de Cuba. He had alse talked with Luis Casero Gui who had also been a Mayor in Santiago de Ouba. They both promised him to start searching for DeZs. and L.Zs, in the southern coast of the Province of Orient Brand also saw Nelson Iglesias agains. He said it had been difficilt to récrul or another. Nevertheless, he said, he had a group of around ten students who were in contact with a boy named Solis, who was heading Rescate!s group at the Univers Around these days, Jos, a member of the Company whom Brand had met in Washingt came to visit Brand at Brand's safehouse. He said that they wereri't interested anymore in getting people out of Cuba to be properly trained. He promised to. sivd Brand some contacts which would help Brand in his activities. Thess promises wer kept, and Brand made some contacts which will be referred to in due course.
14-00000 Cc) so . C8: » Brand had been asking to see Plinio. Plinio also had been askinz to see lrank Amparo knew about one of Brand's safehouses. She cane one day and told Brand thi Plinio needed to ses him. Next day, Brand went’ to see Plinio. At Plinio's safe Brand also met a man named Juan Mendez, also known as Seorge the Pilot or Jose Casanovae Mendez waa the head of o group named MAR (Movimiento Anticomunista Rev. cionario). Plinio told Brand of his efforts and how pleased he was with the way |, things were going on. Plinio also talked about-his plans for the inmediate fut and the meetings he was expe&ting to have in the days to come. In return, Brand eaid that ne was also pleasedwith the way things were developing. ; In his next meeting with Brand, Robayna brought a map pointing out a DZ. -T was the first D.Z. that Brand got. Brand gave Robayra a lensatic compass so Rob could give the exact location of the next D.Zs. he was trying to get.Robayna wad) = full of enthusiasm with the outcome of his efforts. All his men were anxious tof _ into battle. Robayna gave Brand an estimate of the weapons he needed for his 150) & That list of weanons was given to the Company in Havana. Robayna also infermed H- that in the Province of Pinar del Rio, a majority of the population was in favor. 3! an uprising against Castro. . , ~-- It should be said by now that all the meetingsheld by Brand were reported to uy the Company in Havana, almost inmediately after they took place. Brand had been i instructed in Nashington to give , report each weeke Actually, resorts were give in many oc@@sions twice and thrice a week. —=9 i By this time, Brand had met with Sfren Rodriguez in several occasions... Efren Rodriguez was contacting and organizing action groups to be used in Havana, in t Gity as well as in the Province. A man by the name of Rutilio Ramos had been con; =. by him. This man was to lead the men we were -plamning to use in an attempt again) i: Fidel's life. Efren Rodriguez had also met people who gave him detailed informa tits on the Government forces in Isle of Pines. Rutilio Ramos also made some reports 4 | this. Contacts were made by Efren Rodriguez with action groups in San Jose de Lag‘ Lajas, ; Lo La Joe sent Brand some instructions that enabled Brand to make contact with a mat | named Alberto Jorge Losada Fernandez, who worked at the Compania de Electricidads % This Losada was one of the leaders of an organization called "Resistencia Agramo Though they had: men all around the island, their mein force seemed to be in the Province of Pinar del Rioe And what seemed most important of all, they had a grow: of fifty men already in the mountains in Pinar del Rio, in:a place named Rio Hon: In the first meeting with Losada, Brand gave him 500 pesos to be used in the ts purchase of supplies for the men already in the mountains. Brand also instructed 7 Losada to try to organize groups at the Compania de Electricidad. These groups wat to be used in sabotage atthe Electric Company. Losada agreed to send word to the |” leader of the group at the mountains to come to Havana-to have a meeting with Bre: Losada also agreed to try to find some DeZs. or L.Zs.~From that day on, Losada‘d : the meetings with Brand would take place in two houses he indicated, and which Brand promptly aporoved. : : Joe sent Brand some instructions that enabled Brand to make contact with amar } named Vidal Morales, who was to provide the goons that were promised to Brand by | # Jim Bowdin. Brand instructed Vidal to organize his men and have them ready for action to be used when required. Brand also instructed Vidal to start checking Garlos Rafael Rodriguez, a well known communist, and also to give all the informs he could gather about the top communists:in Cuba. Vidal agreed to this. In a meeting with Losada, he informed Brand that the leader of the group at Seas _ Rio Hondo, a man by the name of Lazaro Santos Abreu, had been killed in his way + Havana to see Erand. Brand then told Losada to make arrangements so Brand could’ have a meeting with the man whea had substituted Lazaro Santos. 4: Brand had a meeting with Cesar Lancis and Losada, so both men would get in toul © ana urawile tarwathaw $2. - 373 £3. ‘
14-00000 Priest named Las Heras. Brand went to that meeting and asked this priest to go t identified himself as a delegate from Organizacion Occidental Anticomunista (o0a] - Wers given to Robayna, that in the last message that Robayna sent to Brand thro wae Leap ° i C rn a on al instructed Losada not to talk with Lancis about the people in the mountains. He to talk with Lancis only about the laborers at the Electric Company, because B Wanted Lancis to organize the labor section of Cuba Libre. . ‘In his next meeting with Brand, Lancis refused to have anything to do with IE: He gave Brand a written report about Losada and Losada's brother, also working f | Electric Company. The report said that Losada had been a well known batistiano,e. © that he had been suspected of being an informer for Batista's Security foress, BF * revort also said that Losada was suspected of being a fairye The sama report sti! : that Losada's brother was a drug addict and a "pusher". Brand:theh aaked :Lancish there were any doubts about Losada's attitude against the present S Lancis said that Losada and his brother were considered Fidel's en : question. Lancis informed Brand that a former major ot the army, named Manuel di Jesus Hernandez, had been commisioned by Lancis to establish a net of informersi Lancis also said that he had received several thousand pesos from Rescate and tf he was willinz to return: the thousand pesos that Brand had given him.s To this Brand answered nothing. Arcund the Tifteshth of September, Brand thought he had noticed certain unud things around Potin's building, where Brand's safehouse was located. One day, a when Brand was entering the building, he heard a man asking about the people wh¢ living at the penthouse of the building. This confirmed Brand's suspicions than | something wrong was going on. Brand left the building and never came back. It we until three weeks later that Brand found out, through Augusto Casamayors, the me who had provided the safe house, that a tennant of the penthouse;who lived in f of Brand's apartment, had been the victim of enextortion. This had been the unud atmosphere that Brand had noticed around the building, because that tennant had: under surveillance by the people whe submitted him to extortion. “ Brand went to live for some days at Juan Mendez's place. At this safchouse, space met a man named Jorge Esnino, who worked with Mendez at MAR. Brand put Espino inf’ contact with Nardo, so Espino's people in Pinar del Rio- woild work under the suid : of Robaynae Espino's military chief in Pinar del Rio was & young man by the name Barrios. Brand met. Barrios and introduced him to Robayna. From then on, Barrios in contact with Robayna, and working under his command. Coo . Around these days, Brand heard that Mendez was. going to have an interview wit] : Artemisa, in the Province of Pinar del Rio, and contact Nardo, so he would provid - Nardo with all the help that the priesthood could afford to give in aa: Pinar del Rio. Brand saw= Nardo and arrangements were made in such a way that Nal-3 did see Father Las Heras. From then on, it was their business to keep in touch. At the meting with Father Las Heras, Brand met a physician named Dr. Leon Lemus A few days later, Brand introduced Nardo to Dr. Leon Gemus, so Leon would help Na i in the Province of Pinar del Rio. Later on, Brand introduced Leon Lemus to Roba O0A's military chief in the Province of Pinar del Rio was a young man name Cruz, This Cruz Blanco was introduced to Robayna by Leon Lemus. From ‘then en, Cruz Blay was to work under the orders of Robayna. It is on account of all these contacts Nardo, he claimed to have six hundred men under his command. And he said that th: Was a conservative figure. Nardo commented that in order to maké"this figure more conservative, he would say that Robayna had five hundred men under his command. figure is accepted by Brand as good,
14-00000 _ at the Cooperativa de Omnibus Aliados. This Cabafias had hundreds of friends ano ' Havana. He alse Said that he was going to give Brand a driver. Brand gave Cabsna/ ' 620 pesos, *. Anselmo. In this meeting they said. they had found a DeZ. and that they were goin, . the equipment and start ting. through Bran met an American known as William Webster. This was to put Brand in contact with a group of a friend of Brand who had gone to Mig ~ Named Mario Massip. Through Webster, Brand met a man already known to him for many ' years. This man's name is Simon Yabree Simon Yabre was to put Brand in contact wit™ lack of new and kept asking bout the deliverg ' of weapons always answered ; he knew nothing about it, that ' always delivered ny reports but could not tell me what the policies of the Compa Were in that respect, - to be the exact truth, that they had connections along the whole island with welll - known and respected people. That they could provide fincas and transportation, Al. - they wanted was weapons and guidances Brand promised both. Through the Company, g 4 '' five times more. Cardenas gave a list of the weapons his friends needed. Brand cd People from the Front:were supposed to go to that meeting. Brand was invited to ¢ . Efren Rodriguez, Jorge Espino, Francisco Santiago, Juan Mendez and Joe. Plans we - «the man vides — Through Brand met aman named Alfredo Izazuirre Rivas. Thie—w told Brana—cnav ne nad been trained in sabotage and: that he had around 20 men all had to do was to keep their men organized and ready to enter into action when req oe By the first days of September Brand had met Dr. Rodolfo Henriquez Lauranzon,} a Well known Cuban dentist. This dentist lent his house many times so that it col be used for Brand's meetings with Benito Fernandez. Brand also used Henrigquez. asp treasurer. Whenever Brand received money from the Company, he took it to Henrique _in order to avoid a heavy loss of money if Brand was capturede In ons of the mest with Benito Fernandez, Brand met a man named Jose Caba¥its,-who had been a stockhie drivers and conductors of busses in Havana. Cabvafas promised to get safehouses al: ‘storehouses. He also promised to organize groups among the drivers and conductor}: _A few days later Brand met Luis Alvarez, a former bus dyiye , at yh : j became Brand's driver. This Luis Alvarez had been recommensed chy tenia ev aR ey be a courageous, dedicated and faithful companione ae , Lo In a new meeting with Jose Fernandez Planas, Brand met a young. physician know]: give Brand a map pointing out the exact location of the place. They asked which [| . Weapons could Brand provide. Brand mentioned all the weapons he heshad been prom} and commited himself.to deliver certain amount of those weapons fifteen days aftd the map had reached his hands. The boys promised to give the map in short notice These boys also wanted to establish contact with Brand's people in Pinar del Rio _° Some days later Brand received a very detailed map of a L.Z. in the southern ‘coast of the Province of Pinar del Rio. It was sent to the Company right away. _ By this time Robaynas. had sent Brand the. location of another D.Z. By then .,. Re kept asking about the weapons, and he kept saylng that his men were anxious to re Mario Massip's group. By this time Brand had become a little bi: uneasy about the on t eh lA aR Dat RMN lt eA AS, RROD: - EAS OSCE TULA EL SELON AC LTS LST TL ONS LCE ESET LO —— Khe de btn ngetce vec eee tee RR ER ER RRA -., Through Webster, Brand made contact with a wealthy and very well kmown cuban ‘Silvio de Cardenas. Silvio de Cardenas said that he was one of the leaders of a headed by Jose Ignacio Rivero and Antonio Rubio Padilla. -He said, and Brand belie ‘days later, Silvio de Cardenas provided two D.Zs. Brand. met Silvio de Cardenas fo — himself to deliver the weanons in due courses oo ae , ' One day Brand got. word that there was going to be a meeting at -Plinio's safehe Brand sent word saying he saw no reason why he had to. ‘that meeting, but Plinia insisted on Brand's attendancé. Brand went to the meeting. There he saw Plinio, set to coordinate the OA and the Front'sa efforts to help Plinio in the mountains | It was established also that Brand would coordinate his men in:Pinar del Rio witht ‘organized in the City and Province of Havana. Brand told him that in due cours weapons and sabotage and incendiary materials would be provided and that all Izag
14-00000 . he would fini something for him to do. .This man claimed to be one of the leaders: of an organizations. in the Province of found the man to be honest, but dumb and unexperienced. Nevertheless, Brand ins _ to follow Brand. When the car apvoroached Brand saw Nodal and Silvio Martinez, aj ‘member of Triple A. Silvio called Brand and insisted on having a meeting with -bad, and many friends had warned Brand that the hairplece looked. a fale from a mies ‘more than twelve or fifteen days. 2) The disguise was good as lohg as it made B nd '-.a@-long period of time, this disguise should not have. distinctive features. It s' in September Brand kept asking Jim to.send Karl: to Cuba. Brand wanted to be dias — - always have enough materials at hand.In many occasionssthe renlacements fer mou ° - ' Karl had made them in a hurrye e Tole Gow By this time, Brand had met a man Imown as Roberto Alvarez, who had a red jep ¢: and who said he had been trained in intelligence work, and that he had been ing ~ for several years. This man was introduced to Brand by Joberth e was to help Brand in anything Brand would require of him. Brand found that Robep. © was available only after 5 peme and on Saturdays and Sundayse Brand found this # = Alvarez to be a sensible, educated and calmed individual. Brand told this man t} * Cabafias had given by now four safchouses. These safehouses were already inhal but the families living there were to receive anyone in. needcof a safehouse, Inf. of those houses Brarid lived for two weeks. Another of those houses was used as ¢ safehouse for meetings. ‘Through Cabanas and Benito Fernandez, Brand met a man named Oscar Rodriguez.) Oriente. They were willing to work provided they were. supplied with weapons. Bré ~- this man to keep in touch with Cabafias, By this time, Brand had. become a little bit uneasy about his ‘dteguise. During} = perambulations around town, Brand had met by chance with many old friends. Nene). * them recognized Brande One day, however, a boy named Nodal, member of Triple A, saw. Brand-in a drugstore and recognized hime. When Brana. went out, Brand noticed that two men in a car were watching him. The car went around the block and star Brand was mad to see how irresponsible and indiscrset these fsllowa were. Brand) them an appointment, but Brand didn't attend to it. Brand had become uneasy aboy the disguise because, although B,was using a second hairpiece, 4% looked awfullj afar. They also said that the moustache looked tee dark. Brand’s conclusion aboy this is what follows:l)The disguise was very good, but hairpleces: don't last lon in Cuba's climate. If one wears them daily, as Brand did, they ars: not good for} a different man, but it was bad because it had too distinctive features, that i that if the police radioed a description of a man with vory dark hair, very dari. moustache, @ nd a pair of somehow unusual glasses, it is dur eneugh that Brand 4 going to be caught, It is Brand's opinion that if a man iste wear a disguise fj | be difficult to describe the man in disguise, This is why from the very first d in a different way. Another thing about disguises: the person in disguise shoulj....; ‘took too long to arrive to Cuba. The last ten moustaches were rsceived in very |... shape and were so bad that Brand thought they had not been mads by Karl, or thal. By this time Brand had already met Mario Escoto a known conspirator and old friend of Brand. Esceto was Aureliano's representative. in Cuba, and-the man-in charge of Triple A» Brand offered weapons. to. Escoto, provided Escoto zave Dose Escoto said he had to consult this with Aureliano, but nevéFthsIsss, hea” ‘said “thd was going to send Brand a map with the exact location of a D.Z. Brand also offey Escoto any money he might need, but Escoto “Said he didn't need x moneye He implied that he had been provided with’ all the money he needed for his activities... -- f By this time, Brand had notified the Company that all his men were to. work the name of “Cuba Libre", and that this Organization was going to be leg Oy Trre Benito Fernandez, Jose Cabanas, Helio Nardo, Alfredo Izaguirre, and | ‘prada. at ate ABO inate)
14-00000 . 4 ‘her that that was not true. -themselves as friends of Nino Diaz. Brand offered them help, and and asked them to coo Through Vidal Morales, Brand met a man named Jaime Comila Perez. Gomila was onel. ot the leaders at the Union Vinatera Nacional, an association of wine intlustrialis# | ©: brene saw Gomila three times. Somila offered to get the defection of the Under Sec = the Treasury (Subsecretario de Hacienda), Dr. Israsl Rodriguez. He also said the). he could get. the defection of one of the members of the Supreme Court, whose name Brand does not remember now. Gomila also said. Gomila had also mads contacts with ¢ Captain of the army, stationed in Santiago, named Quintana Mena. This captain had 4 a uember of the G-2 and he wanted to cooperate with the forces fighting Castro. Bra: inatructed Gomila to get intelligence reports from this Captain, and also from the? Subsecretario de Hacienda and from the Member of tae Supreme Court. Gomila went tof! Santiago de Cuba.to see the Captain, but Brand does not know the oucome of their j meeting, because Brand didn't see Gomila ,2saine f One day Brand went to Fernandez Plana's house to have a meeting with the milital chief of the Frorfin the Province of Pinar del Rio. Brand felt-he had noticed some |. surveillance around the place. When Brand told this to Fernandes Plana.and hia frit they adopted a somewhat we-don't-believe~in-ghosts attitude. They told Brand that were going to see the man from Pinar del Rio in a different place. They offered é transportation up Brand. Brand went with Anselmo, whose car was parked in front of* Fernandez Plana's houses. After Anselmo had been driving for a while, Brand asked i¢ he was looking through the rear mirror, to see if they had been followed. A few seconds after this remark, Anselmo said that a car was after them. Brandi thenlinstry Anselmo not to go to the meeting place. They began driving around.town, and the cay kept after them. Finally they went to Calixto Garcia's Hospital. Brand went into al. ouilding, took off his moustache and glasses and went out by the same door he had ¥ to come in. The men who had been following them were there, but it seems they didn] recognize Brand, who walked away. . be Around these days, while Brand was going to a meeting, he saw in the streets an friend of his, Pancho Varona, a fellow conspirator against Batista. Brand invibad 7 /o.2comp info the car. They talked for a few minutes and set a date and place for a meeting. Three days after that, Varona met Brand. Varona informed Brand that a few days before an airplane had dropped equipment at £1 Escambray, and that the equipmi had been caught by Fidel's forces. Brand asked some D.Zs. from Varona. Varona prom to get. them, but. he looked quits skeptical about many things.3rand told him. The next time Brand saw Benito Fernandez, he said that Plinio's mother had visi him, quite nervous, saying that his son had been captured at 21 Hecambray. Benito Prior to this meeting, Benito Fernandez had introduced “to Brang_t two friends of named Enrique Barroso, and another young man by the name of Cruz? They identified their efforts with Brand in the province of Pinar del Rio. They said that they hac talk those things with Nino Diaz before making any def[nite arrangement. They sad” Cruz was going to Miami to see Nino Diag. They wanted Brand to establish bona fid¢— Nino Diaz so he== might trust Brand. Brand sent a flash to Jim Bowdin, asking him establish Brand's bona fide with Nino Diaz. Many days passed by, and Brand was, noq able to continue negotiations, because no answer ever came from Jim Bowdin or any member of the Company. Prior to this meeting with Barroso and Cruz, Brand had had a first meeting with Barroso. Benito Fernandez knew that Barroso and Cruz had aN : hidden weapons in Havana. 7 “Through Losada, Brand met a ‘man nained Juan Tabranes. This man Tabranes if the leaders of"Resistencia Agramonte". Losada'had informed him of his dealiag Brand. He said that in order-to get a final agreement with "Cuba Libre", he had inform a man named Rossel, who is living in the United States. Tabranes looked wi to come to an agreemsnt with Brand.
nen on -~o- By this time, Brand has received information through Cabanas of the frequent cd of Raul Raul Castro to the tnbassy of Checoeslovaguia. We tried but could not ren# house acroos the street. Srand had instructed Roberto Alvarez to make a plan for @ casing of ths place anc also for the killing. The hands of the vroffessional couly Seen in the instructions given by) Roberto Alvarez. At last, we got word that Rau} Castro was going to live in Crients, and since we were not awte to rent the houses the olan was dropped. In his last mesting with Brand, Cesar Lancis had informed him of the possibill of killing Fidel at the National Hotel, where he used to go to have dinner with te employees. This was also told to Roberto Alvarez, who began thinking about plans: regarding the National Hotel and Pekin Restaurant, Rumors began to.spread around town that Plinio had been captured somewhere near al Escambray mountains. Mesnwhile, Cabafas had seen Brand several times, and had informed him ot the recruitings he had made for Cuba Libre among the drivers and conductors of Cooperat de Cunibus Aliadose . Finally, the newspapers in town vubdlished some nictures of Plinio Prieto after | capture near El Escambray. The summary trials began. The day before the execution, is, the llth of October, came to see Erand. He informed Brand tha Juan Mendez' and some othsr-Zrouss were toing to start shooting around town in orde _orove the Govarnmant that the Cuban People was against the executions, anc on the sg of the rebels. sked Brand how many men could he sive sha around town. 5¥rand” answsre he had no men available for ttf t asked if Brand had any men available to.irvtorescye Plinio. Bran r could give armed men for that purvose. also asked ebout Brand's possibilities in men to help in an attempt against Fidel’s life at Mulgoba. Brand answered that he could give armed men for that action.The "“we-must-do-somethinzg" atl. ("tenemos gue hacer als co"), is the worst thins that can happen in a consviracy. iWhef” Brand realized that all the lesders in the different zroups wanted to start shootir wituout plans or any definite purpose, Brand began to have strong doubts about the seriousness or coordination of the efforts that were under WAY e after Plinio's execution, morals came to an all time low. Brand instructed Caba to start sabotage on the busses in Havana. Brand sent a flash + Lnsisti on the urgency of receiving incendiary and demolition materials. No anawer. In the between the 17th and the 2hth of October, more than one hundred busses were damazed) Havana by pouring starch or emery in the radiators. Benito Fernandez had informed Brand that Guido Gonzalez Bustamante had seen Beni and had incuired about Brand's whereabouts. Benito said that Brand was out of Cuba. Guido then said that Miguel Isa Fresneda, a former friend of Drand and presently holding a high position at the Ministerio de Gobernacion, had informed Guido that 2 was in Havana, under dissuise, and offering money and weapons to different underzgro organizations. Isa's son in law, named Nelson Barroso, was a member of the Judicial Police in Cuba. Meanwhile, Nano Alonso, former member of the Army, and present member of the Fro in the Province of Pinar cet Rioyhad sent a message to Dr. Nardo. In, that message + Nardo, Alonso gait. ;at is a shame that you refused to work with us at the Front, 4 have permitted JES" BS Feceived by the man of the hairpiece and the dyed moustache" answered saying that he had known the man of the hairpiece for many years, and that man never tried to daceive anyon Brand had never contacted or sent nessages either to Nafio Alonso or to Miguel Is esneda.e One afternoon, around the 16th of October, while Brand:was in a car driven by iffa Portuzal, a woman employee of the Electric Company, Brand noticed that three oliceman in a patrolcar were insistently sturing at hin. The patrol car went anead Brand's car, and since Srand was near his safehouse, hs 20h out of the car. when Sr
| the las direct hooked at Brand and 3pe re ded up the car aound the blocke Before they could set to Brand, Brand had ente n L a safehouse, at Hotel Vista Al Mar. Next Gav, Brand went s safehouses to try to make an appointment with) This safehouss ery well located, but Brand never liked the Way In Which Monte, a cuban employes of the Comomay, had built up the cover for th safehouse. When Brand reached this apartment, he found that it had been sealed by the Government, as it had been done with hundreds of empty apartments in the city. That didn't prove anything, except_that the cover had not been well built uy. Brand made an appointmant with | Both started walking around thef city for about two hours. Brand told that he had decided to discontinue oper} add come to Washington to see Brand then went to see Alfredo Izazuirre, and stayed at his place for a week. I e, and through Izazuirre's friend§at the Embassy, Brand sent a flash to informig him of Brand's decision to discontinus overations. At the end. that weak, Alfredo Izaguirre returned home ona nicht quite upset and told Brand that it waa better for him to go to live somewhere else. Through Benito Fernandez, Brand made contact with a very well known physician ns Dr. Bernardo Milanss. Though Brand had dscided to discontinus ovsrations, he recruit Dr. Milanes, who was willing to bring asgroup of about 30 of his fellow physicians to work with Cuba Libre. are But then, Benito Fernandez came to ses Brand and told him that Nino Diaz was in Santiago, making contacts with different groups. Since Brand had been told by aAlfre nage that he, Izaguirre, had been aporoached by Major humberto Sori Marin, who c Sd to have three other majors willing to revolt dzainst the Government, Brand dacided inmediately to go to Oriente and try to put Nino Diaz in contact with Sori Marin, because Sori Marin had also stated that he had 500 men, and that he could ‘control 14 Idlometers of the southern coast in 1 Oriente. Brand want to see Izaguirrs and asked His to establish contact with So Sori Marin and tell him that Brand wanted - see him, either in Havana or in Orientes*I[zazuirre then told Brand, quite bluntly, that his friends at the Embassy didn't know who Brand was, and had advised him to discontinue his contacts with Brand until they could find out who Bran was.e Brand left Izazuirre's house in a rage. Ten days had elapsed from the day Brand sent the flash to and, nevertheless, Izacuirre's friends at the Embassy didn't know and had not been able to find out, who Brand was. Brand then went to see to incguire about the Company's prepsrat yto take Brand out of the ure pes that he had not received an answer on but that they, the people from the Cétbany, had sent Be 5000 pesos. Benito Fernandez brought Brand a very detailed map pointing out a Ded. at or nea La Gobernadora, in the northern coast of Pinar del Rio. The map was sent to the Company right away. Cabaflas informed Brand that steps had been taken to produce sabotage at the main Cigar Factories in Havana. Brand then saw Nardo for the last time. Nardo was hizhly pleased with the way things wers soiling on in the Province of Pinar del Rio, though he informed Brand thd Robayna was in despair because he had not received the weapons that had been promig to hin. 5 . Contact were wade by Brand which eventually Provuced his departure from the - country. by this time, the hairpiece looked awfully bade Almost no glue was isft, and St moustaches that had bean sent to Brand had each hair vointing in a differen OMe ay Af cr