10 11 12 O oe 13 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 “23 HW 53080° Docld: 32246213 | your contact in Paris? Mr. Espinosa. Yes. kRobreno wrote tie a letter oné-tine asking me to put my natie to a document, and he wanted to get a visa to come to the States and he wanted me to sponsor him and ne needed. two sponsors. And he wrote me a letter on a paper, and I signed my name to the sponsorship, and that is the only time. | Mr. Hornbeck. Did he actually arrive, to-your knowledge? mr. Espinosa. No, they never gave him a visa. Mr. Hornbeck. Until the time that Cubela was arrested, did you have.any information about him personally or about the ‘particular plot person? Mr. Espinosa. Nothing whatsoever. -In-my ‘ind: “thought, well, probably he got wise to the whole thing and just dropped it, because sone time elapsed between the binie “that L spoke toxe) his people in Paris and until the CIA and the tise he got Ccaugnt in Cuda. Mr. Hornbeck. Was your first knowledge that he was arrested from some public source or from a personal source? Mr. Espinosa. Public source. | : | Mr. Hornbeck. Can you tell what that Was? Mr. Espinosa. It was a newspaper. Mr. Hornbeck. Did you recognize tne names of other persons arrested with him? Tat Mr. Espinosa. I recognized the name of Blanco; and’ there _ ALDERSON REPORTING: COMPANY, INC, Page. hy 7 Tth STREET: $.W. REPORTERS SUILDING-WASHINGTON, 0:C. 20024 1202) 584-345
10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 23 24 25 HW 53080 Docld:32248213.- Page 92 Was Somepoody else arrested. And the first thing IT read adout —) it, there were four.people arrested, and I knew Blanco and I- Gidn't know the otners. Mr. Hornbeck. I am sure then if you have the public accounts of that trial, you «now that Cuoela was not executed, and did you find that a strange event? Mr. Espinosa. Yes and no. Mr. Hornbeck. Can you tell us why “yes" and "no"? Mr. Espinosa. "Yes," because, to my Knowledge, Castro had never commuted anybody's death sentence in Cuba mek ane on the other hand, I Knew he liked the guy. very much. Mr. Hornbeck. It was a ‘personal relationship. between Cuoela and Castro? Mr. Espinosa. Yes. Whatever it was, love, hate, ‘or the faggots -- I don't know what it was -- but they had a. elationship, an especial relationship between them. Mr. Hornbeck. Can you give us any examples of a special relationship between the two? | Mr. Espinosa. well, I remember one time when, Rolando pulled a gun on Castro in f ront of his bodyguards. and everything and called him every name in the book, cand wei, course nobody moved or said anything, but I thoug nt when this is over, he is going to go to the can forever.,, and nothing Nappened to him. Mr. Hornbeck. I take it this is sometime still in. 1959? " ALDERSON REPORTING COMPANY, INC;). 50
10 14 12 Oo 60 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 23 25 O Mr. Espinosa. This was at tnat time, and he just put his» arm on mim and he said "You have such a tenper"™ and talked him out of everything. Mr. Hornbeck. Would you describe Cubela as an individual. having a very quick temper or very emotional person? Mr. Espinosa. Yes, extremely. Mr. Hornbeck. Would you cescribe him as unstable? Mr. Espinosa. Yes. Mr. Hornbeck. Have you directly or indirectly received any information about Cubela since the time that he was sent to prison in Cuba? Mr. Espinosa. . No. Mr. Hornbeck. Do you have any information whether or not he is still alive or anything? : Mr. Espinosa. Yes. What I hear is that he is alive and ne is working as a doctor and he is not having such a bad life. Mr. hornbeck. How would you get this kind of information? Mr. Espinosa. Because I can't remember now, t think T nad this from Trasancos in Paris, but there is some kind of --. I don't know if he was a diplomat or if he isa French ~ engineer who is working in some kind of project. in Cuba or. was ~working in some kind of a project in Cuba, and I know that this person knew Cubela’s mother and somehow news.of him has ALDERSON REPORTING COMPANY, INC, HW. 53080. DooTd:32248213 Page 93) 5, srpecr siw. REPORTERS BUILDING. WASHINGTON: D.C. 20024 (07) ana_aae8:
co — ne tacx and forth go vo Europe from Cuba. I hear he is working 2 as a coctor and the beginning was very tougn, and then he'is OQ 7 3 working as 4a doctor. and he is not having it so bad; but ne is 4 alive and he is in prison. . 5 Mr. Hornbeck. Were you told of the method DY whieh 6 Cubela was supposed to assassinate Castro? 7 Mr. Espinosa. No. I neard the story about the rifle and 8 the telescopic site, and I had a story that he had met Artime, 9 which of course I thought was stupid of him, and I had a4 stoi 4 sS 10 that Artime had promised him some boats through the CIA to ge et 11 him out. . 12 I repeat to you today what I said the other day... the O oe ~ 13 whole thing doesn' t make sense to me. And on ones hand” 1 hear a 14 this, and of course it is very difficult to judge something 15 when you are being told by third parties, and on the one hanc 16 JT hear that there 1s going to be an insurrection, let others 17 call it that way, or a military uprising of certain pedple in 18 the country,.and on the other hand I hear that Cubela is. oing “00 19 to shoot the guy. And if you are going to shoot. the. guy oa 20 there is going to be an insurrection, why do you: heed some '21 boats to take you out? . 22 Once you do that you nave to stay in and see.it through. ‘23 And you follow me, if there is going to be an insurrection and 24 you are going to be a leader, now the hell are you going to 25 shoot the guy and tanks are going through the streets and: a as _ ALDERSON REPORTING COMPANY, INC, rigt Te HW 53080 DocTd:32248213. Page 94 i AA aL Aer Oa Aen ToNe Sri RIA VATA QUHIRIA TARE AL NAADA AAA mRA ADAG .
10 11 12 en : 8 “14° “15 16 47 18 19 20 21 O . BO 23 we 24 25 82° you are going to take a boat and leave the country? There are a number of tnoings that I tried to be very. logical about, and I try to be a very logical person-all of the time, but especially when they are logical, I try to be -more logical and I am objective about things. I don't understand it. Mr. Hornbeck. When you heard these stories about artime peing involved, or a rifle with a scope being involved, what was the source of that information? Mr. Espinosa. This I heard from Robreno. Mr. Hornbeck. Was this during the same discussions in Paris before New York? . 'Mr. Espinosa. Yes, ‘Mr. Hornbeck. Did Rubreno know Artime, to your” Knowledge? Mr. Espinosa. I don't know. I think iaybe he was with ROlando when he had the meeting with Artime; maybe, cut F am not sure. But I know they had never been friends before, Mr. Hornbeck. Are you Saying your information from Rubreno was that Artime met in Madrid with Cubela?.- Mr. Espinosa. I can't remember if it Was Madrid, but positively that he had met Cubela. } Mr. Hornbeck. Was your information that the CIA: Hed arranged this meeting, or did you have any knowledge of .the CIA at that time? _--ALDERSON REPORTING-COMPANY; INC," 5 NW 53080 Docld:32248213 Page 95. 0c Ge cnn