DIRECTOR, FBI . - 3/13/63 : YA _ SAC, PHOENIX (134-363) - attention: FOREIGN LIATSON DEsK RICARDO DIAZ-LANZ pt PSI - CUBA | | v DO RICHARD Ve BRALM, MONEY Oldsmobile Company, 530 East ~ Oh ~MeDowell Road, Phoenix, advises that he has an individual work- ing for him as a car salesman by the name of RICARDO DIAZ, who % is a Cuban. Mr. BRAHM states that he does not have a full QMS: background picture of this individual, but regards him highly at this time as a salesman, and has réason to believe that he could be of assistance to our office in Cuban matters. Mr. BRAHM explained that DIAZ reportedly spent some time in prison in Cuba by reason of the CASTRO dominance in the affairs of ba. t3 Mr. BRAHM furnished the following description and N background of DIAZ, as it is contained ‘in his file: ORIGINay FILED py / oY -// aN . Name: RICARDO. DIAZ [ Residence: 620 N. 2nd Street, “ SF Phoenix, Arizona | = ate of Birth: November 11, 1931 2 \ Height: 5' 10" to 5! 11" | OAL eX; - Male . SAR Build: Slender _ | O57] Weight: «145 pounds ; b= cS - Age: ; In the 30's i =3 Education: Reportedly has a degree from Y ee N ene guniversity of Havana in » O=N*S = Social Security Number: 569. 66-3351 = ’ 3 ~ Bureau (RM) 2~ Los Angeles (RM) pf \ 2 - Miami (RM) Waa Gf se. v4 2 - New York (Ru) kA ww? WE i ~ Phoenix —. \ NOw PHCORDES ‘ — : 123 a3 Wisi 26 1963 “yo CLC:mss “y (10) —————w ES | Gee | . «8 G&G - 6 MAR 271963 .< : ys ~ RW Docld: 32308235 Page 2?
PX 134-363 References: SHIRLEY HARDEN, . Selgnick Studio, Los Angeles, California; W. R. WILLIAMS, — 204 New Jersey Avenue, Glen Burnie, Maryland; Reportedly worked as an auto- mobile salesman in Culver City, California. The Bureau, Los Angéles, Miami and New York are re- quested to. search PSI's name through the general indices of their respective offices, Los Angeles is also requested to .conduet a credit and criminal check against PSI, ~ . A review of the newspaper morgue of The Arizona Re- public disclosed an article written in the February 22, 1963, issue of the paper. This article is set forth verbatim as follows: . "I did just what I had to do." “And what did Ricardo Diaz have to do? "Fashion a knife from a spoon, Kill his prison guard, and navigate 100 miles of open sea in a stolen sail- boat. | | "But it freed the 31-year old Diaz, now 4 Phoenix auto- mobile salesman, from the Cuban revolution he embraced . before it turned down the Communist path. "Now Diaz, whose full name is Diaz-Lanz, is afraid someone will consider him a hero. "It was expediency," he said. "I was like a pig in a pen. I had to get out. It was my brother who was the hero, a "His brother is Maj. Pedro Diaz Lanz, chief of the Cuban air force,“who bécame disenchanted with the _ revolution in July 1959 and told the world of Fidel Castro's ties with communi sm, rene "Ricardo was a social worker in the Castro regime. He i was thrown into prison without explanation. He was i: beaten and kicked. Some of his ribs were broken, ~2- Hah NIE Docld: 32308235 Page 3 x
PX 134-363 “Twenty months later, last Sept. 28, he escaped from the Isle of Pines. He slew his guard during one of their daily health walks on the island. "A night and day later he landed at Key West, Fla. "Ricardo was a revolutionary and acquaintance of Fidel Castro at the University of Havana. Ricardo has a master's degree in sociology. "But he took no part in the abortive revolt of July 26, 1956, at the Havana police barracks, nor in Castro's landing after his return from exile, "In fact, his family had been among the favorites of the Batista regime, and Ricardo had a paper~shuffiling job in a Havana government tourist agency. — "Ricardo said: "He doubts that Castro had any Communist help until after his successful return to Cuba from Mexico. He landed with 17 men and meager supplies. -"Gastro didn't need any help from Russia. "Cuba was overwhelmed with hatred of the Batista regime and ready for revolution. It had been talked up by the students and young intellectuals of Cuba for years. "But there was no leadership, no planning. Castro didn't provide it either, “But the sheer audacity of his attack on the police barracks tabbed him as a man of action. And his suc- cessful return three years later made him the man of the hour. . . "By the time Cubans learned he. had betrayed them to communism, it was too late. "So what are the plans of a learned young man with a dream of equality for everyone, a young man who had a hand in an abortive attempt at a bright new world? "I want to make a lot of money," he said, "Maybe ~3- oo. EY Docld: 32308235 Page 4
1. SE a” a = A A . i » x ~ = A ar d By “. 2 ¥, i ? e i PX 134-363, 0.0. Le i | . @ million dollars,” a Hee tf . ‘aay , ; | wor ee a pretty fair start in the capitalistic ; "He sold a new car his first de mol 301d. ar h m4. ay at Money Oldsmobile four in the first two weeks, e's had to ‘work 12 hours a day to do it", — But ners pad Fo work 7 a j : € 5. ee ‘ v . } p \ : ~ SS ae \ 2 ai \ “L s ut ~h. 4 “en i, 4 an ; va VOD Docld: 32308235 Page 5