SJ 65-514 —.. 0 | of the Chinese Circus in San Juan, Mayaguez, and Ponce, Puerto Rico. , RLIA 4ABALA MAS, who had been furnished bv the interviewine Agents a Spanish copy of the Advices of Rights HW 50529 foxm which he said.he understood] and signed, was presented a reading of the statutes having to do with foreiqn govern- ment agents and the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, The Advice of Rights form was furnished to FELIX ZABALA HAS prior. to the afocementioned discussion of his travel outsides of Puerto Rico ia the last six months. ZABALA was sternly advised that he tad been asked to tell: the truth in all the- above matters arm? that any discrepancy in his account could sibly be a viclation of his curreht Federal prebation . which. extends to January 29, 1975. ‘At this point, FELZX ZABALA MAS advised the inter- Viewing Agents trat he had no idea how the FBI had gotten- all the facts about him and that the PBI seems to know evervthinu about him. He ctated that ba is. not a Communist and that anything political that he would do would be against. } FIDEL. CASTRO. At this po int, ZABALA PES stated that he had waited for a lond time for tnis moment and that. he is now willing to tell che interviewing Agents evervthina. ZABALA MAS stated that che following accounts are only known loy himself and his vriend, ANTONIO VECIANA. ile stated chat VECTANA recently had seme problems with a _United State ; Cc ao] Governhent assassination committes which.was looking into the assassination of JOHN FITZGERALD RONNCDY. He stated thai VECIANA. had to appear on appr oximately three occasions i Fashington s D. C., the last of which was around December 16, 1976. SABALA stated that approximately one month hefore sors FPF. REYNEDY was shot in-Dallas, Temas, VECIANA and an individual who @.RnALA felt was associated with United States: with Central Intelliaence eqency (CIA), “Nr. BISHOP,” mek with LEY WARVEY ALD in Dallas, Texas. SABALA St J “Me. BISHOP' know VESIASA since L9G1L. Me added that BISHop had handled an sassimation attempt against FIDEL CASTRO while CASTRO was in Chile in 1971... -ZABALA stated that VECTAMA went to Bolivia to work for the United States Government. around 1967. Ne stated that - VECTANA and he went to Chile in 197]. Docld: 32357039 Page i1
cod TOP SECRET SJ 65-514 10 to set up an operation. to kill CASTR He stated that to expedite this, false Venezuelan nasspoxts were made, the. necessary guns were brought in in. the diplomatic pouches,. hand grenades were picked up in Bolivia, and a United States diplomatic car carried that paraphenalia from Bolivia to” Chile. ZARALA stated that the plan was prepared in Miami, | Florida, and.at that time VECIANA was still working for’ the United States Embassy in Bolivia. He added that ‘he and -VECIANA rented the. room in Santiago, Chile, and stayed there HW 50529 for two or three days. ZABALA stated that JUAN DOMINGUEZ and NARCO, RODRICUEZ (Cuban exiles not further identified) ‘thereafter took. over that room and enrolled in an approximately six month coursé in photegraph.and television in Santiags. The purvose of the endéavor was to.place a gun inside one of the cameras which would be used by DOMINGUEZ or RODRIGUER and when. FIDEL CASTRO made his appearance before members of the press, he would be shot by one of these individuals. ZABALA n official in the Chilean goveriiient secured ess permits for these individvals to come in CASTRO when he arrived in Chile in-1971. added. that a h a the proximity a a 4 i the necessary p fe) He stated that the operation was not successful as DOMINGUEZ and RODRIGUEZ failed, by some means, to shoot CASTRO. on the first day tnat he was presented before the members:-of the: press and that on the second day one of those individuals Stated that he mast gc to the hospital as his appendix was bothering him, _ Ehe other individual stated that someone in CASTRO! s vicinite identified him and thereafter, that potential assassin left Chile and was later seen in Bolivia. ZABALA reported that ANTONIO VECTANA prepared a letter for the benefit of FPIDEL CASTRO in Cuba in which he Siqned the nickname of his (VECIANA's) secretary, MARGARITA. (MARGARITA is FBILDA CAO, who is currently a resident of San Juan, Puerto Rico, an employee of the United States Government in Hako Rey, Puerto Rico. She was VECIANA's secretary while ve was in Cuba. and while he was in Puerto Rito from 1961 to 1967, and associated with Alpha 66). That letter contained information concerning AUPONEO VECTANA'S connection. with the United 3tates Central Intelligence Agency and his’. -attempt to kill. CASTRO in Chile in 1971.  ZABALA stated that the information in the letter was known to no othe er individuals Doclda: 32357039 Page 12
; . - ce | - . Oe \ . : Se - TOP SECRET | —— @ | SJ 65-514 | 11 and VECIANA had - requested SABALA to transmit that letter to his Sister, AMALTA, in Cuba for personal delivery to FIDEL CASTRO. ZABALA stated that the letter inferred that VECIANA's secretary was dissatisfied with VECIANA and that VECIANA wanted a large amount of publicity due to his appearance befor2 a United States Government qzoun which. dealt with the assassination of . oun F. KENNEDY. This letter, was submitted to Cuba via ZABALA's sister, on or about - September 11, 1976. ZABALA stated that he then received a cal] from his sister, AMALIA, in Cuba, and she stated that she wanted to se: him in Jamagica on Octcher 28, 1976. (He cadded that-he responded to his sister's request and was in Jamaica on Sctober 28, 1976, and was met there by his sister, He stated that he: was staying at the Sheraton Hotel in Kingston, Jamaic:, anc on his: First night there he met a Cuban by the nam: Of CARLOS. He added that: CARLOS, ZARBALA's .sister, and he, vent to a large hotel (one or two level cabana style) possibly outside Kingston, Jamaica. ZABALA ceserined CARLOS ag a white wale, five feet six inches tall, weighing 189 pounds (over weight), having dark eves, dark hair, with gree streaks in the sides. CARLOS was further described as bein? approximately 40 years old and that he wore .. no glasses or hac no other destinguishing physical characteristics, CARLOS ceseribed himself Lo ZABALA as a person who was high up in the Cuban covernment intelligence. CARLOS carried with him at all times a businessman's attache case which contained a pistol. ZABAL?. did not see the pistol at any time. In addition to meeting CARLOS, supra, ZABALA met the driver of the automobile which took ZABALA, Z2ABALA sister, and CARLOS to the hotel. his’ individual was tha vicerconsul of the Cuban Embassy in’ Kingston, Jamaica, JUAN CARBONELL. ZABATA described CARBONELL as being a white inale, feighina 170 pours, rive feet eleven inches tall, having black hair, dark eyes and wearing glasses with dark plastic frames. No other dist tinguishing characteris tics were noted. by ZABALA, . So Upon arriving at the hotel, ZABALA was cuestioned | by CARLOS and JUAN -CARBONELL in the presence of his sister, om AMALIA, and they wanted to know current information concerning HW 50529 Docld:32357039 Page 13
oe | c= “2 re) = 25 SJ 65-514 12 ORLANDO BOSCH, CORU, REINOL RODRIGUES, FRANK CASTRO, ANTONIO VECIANA, and other members cf anti ~CASTRO groups. In response to VECIANA's letter to FIDE CASTRO, CARLOS and CARBONELL ot felt that WECEARA (8 secretary disliked VECIANA and they requested that ZABALA tell the secretary that they will broadcast the information presented in "her* letter over Radio Havana in ebout a week's time. ZABALA stated that inasmuch as he was responsible for. forwarding the supposed letter from VECIANA's secretary, the Cubans believed that ZABALA greatly disliked VECIANA also. ZABALA stated that no such broadcast was ever made according to ANTONIO VECIANA. ZABALA réported that in the course of the above-~ mentioned contact with CARLOS and CARBONELL, the latter stated that they would get in contact with. him through his sister, AMALIA. They asked ZABALA if he neéded. any money and he replied negatively. , ZABALA HAS reported that he returned to Jamaica ‘around November 4%, 1976, and staved at the Sheraton Hotel, During his ¢irst evening there; a strange voice telephoned: his room and advised him to go ‘outside. He went down and stood by the hotsl swimaing, pool and then saw CARLOS, supra, . and was again tasen by CARLOS and JOAN CARBONELE to the -hotel.where he previously met these individuals. SABALA. stated that the cide from the Sheraton. Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica, to the other hotel takes approximately thirty minutes. by. car and this hotel is located ‘near the sea. Upon entering this hotel, ZARALA was introduced to "fhe General." (At one’ time dur ing the interview with "The General" the latter was referrted to as JORGE.) SABALA stated that. he also carricd a businessman's attache case which ZARALA suspected could sarry a qun. ZABALA stated that during the course of this contact the entire conversation was taped on a tape player in the room. ZARBALA described the "General" as a white male, Five feet SEVEN inches tall, weighing 160 pounds, approximitely 36 years of age, and from Cien Fueaos, Cuba. .ZABALA stated that "The Gener al :" looked like a well: built, firm milicery type. He stated that this.individual mr had dark hair with slight traces of qrey on.the side... the "General". had dark eyes and no-other dis stinguishing physical charac teristics, HW 50529 Docld:32357039 Page 14