AGENCY INFORMATION AGENCY: FBI RECORD NUMBER: — 124-90068-10052 RECORD SERIES: HO AGENCY FILE NUMBER: 62-75147-210-112 DOCUMENT INFORMATION ORIGINATOR: FBI FROM: PRICE TO: ROSEN TITLE: DATE: 02/28/1958 PAGES: 5 SUBJECT: | AMERICAN GAMBLING ACTIVITIES IN CUBA DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER. TEXTUAL DOCUMENT ORIGINAL Unclassified NEW CLASSIFICATION: CLASSIFICATION: REVIEW DATE: 06/24/1998 UPDATE DATE: STATUS _ Redact . RESTRICTIONS: JFK Act 6 (4) COMMENTS: MEMO Docld: 32328101 Page 1
Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of'1992 (44 Usc 2107 Hates. DATE: “11- ~i4- 2017 ~ 4 oe rn fo). . . —_ ow o emorandum to Mr. ‘Rosen - e- American . ‘Gambling Activities in cubs) flever tans and. Associates May Be Using Cliff Jones as Front ‘In Downey Rice! s report to Hilton Hotels, unnamed | “underworld sourcestase. quoted as having said that Meyer}bansky and Abner "Longie* Ziilinan are the principals in the operation of thé Havana Hilton casino being "fronted" by Cliff Jones.” CLiff- Jenés and his law Tiri” (Jones and Wiener) are. known to have represented several of the leading gambling establishments in iLas Vegas, Nevada, and investigation by the Nevada State i Tax Commission and the Kefauver Committee brought out that i Jones actually held a proprietary interest in some of the igambling casinos. One of these was the Thunderbird and another was the Tropicana.. It has been established that a loan of several hundred thousand dollars was made by Meyer and Jake y, y Lansky to Mafio cks, the principal of record in the Thunderbird. NOY .\ Also, JakeMLlansky has reported. income from the Thunderbird in “op his Federal income tax returns, When Frank Costello was shot and slightly wounded in New York in 1957, the police found on his person a.slip of paper bearing figures which exactly corresponded with a particular operation of the casino in» the Tropicana. There had been allegations previously that i Costello was "in" the Tropicana. ne (iever Lansky's Status. and Political Influence in oups() Meyer Lansky? s participation in Havana, Cuba, gambling activities dates back at least to the 1930's although his tenure - there may not have been continuous since that time. . There have. been a number of press articles in which it was alleged that in effect Lansky is President Batista's unofficial "czar" d- recent meinen ey “= gambling. (During™ “the past “weeks, Lansky has been in NYC-and while there was picked up by” the NYCPD and questioned concerning the Anastasia murder according to-the press. He is stated - to have been charged with vagrancy.and released on $1,000 bonds ;Also, in press reports Interior Minister Santiago Rey of Cuba Sy jis guoted as stating tk Leysw i: ‘Cuba and that the Cub the entrance wae ther countries for criminal aa yactivities. G Ehe Legal Attache at Havana, Cuba, has received 4 : informatis ‘indicating the possibility that. Meyer. Lansky is @ "well wired" with high political figures in Cubag}: otential o Criminal Informant Goffredo Cellini who is assoc ed with 8 Meyer and Jake Lansky at the Hotel Nacional casino has related} %, meee ‘4 . Ze : aie & tL : 4 -4- ; ae a fate x j Docld: 32328101 Page 2?
" Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1997 (44 USC 2107 Hotes. DATE: 11414- -?017 oa ; : Bp ON 4 6 Pe ve. o> ‘ * : : ° " . oF a . ~~ Py ral ‘ oN 6% w emorandum to Mr. Rosen Ly. 2 - Gambling Activities in Cub Sr J) AW = Sg Pees oi to the Attache that a represeitapive of Andresy Cuban Prime. Minister, had been ‘in .touch with Jake Lansky. {Rivero Aguero has frequently been mentioned as the candidate of the Cuban, Government coalition parties to succeed President Batista in-elections scheduled to be held in June, 1958. Rivero Aguero's representative, Suar 6ZARivas,. advised uch Jake Lansky that Rivero Aguero had indicated that for a Contribu- | tion of $3,000 a month-from each of the casinos at the Hotels Nacional, Havana Rivera and Capri, Meyer Lansky could be assured ' of encounter ing no difficulty with the Cuban Government. The _ informant said that Jake Lansky indicated that he would not Lo “git still for the shakedown" and simply refused to pay any: : sum at all to Suarez Rivas for Rivero Aguero. Informant.said ~ ne lets he got the impression from Jake Lansky that the Latter apparently believed that his. brother, Meyer, was sufficiently well connected with the Cuban Government and so had no desire. to start lining the pockets. of the potential ‘candidates for | the Presidency. The informant in this matter was ina good position to obtain the foregoing information in view of the fact that he acted as interpreter: between Suarez Rivas and Jake Lansky. a4) ; . If reports are true that Cliff Jones is "fronting" f in the Havana Hilton for Meyer Lansky , Lansky's connection in that group could conceivably be indicative of good political iconnections in Cuba. One of the group, Roberto Mendosa, has- a brother Mario, who is a prominent lawyér and reputedly is legal adviser to the Cuban Government. Me —_ In view of the above, it will be interesting to see if Lansky is denied readmittance to eee i a ACTION: i *  - The situation concerning American gambling. activities in Cuba is being followed closely in connection with the Top Docld: 32328101 Page 3