JFK Assassination System Date: 6/2/2015 Identification Form Agency Information Peleased under the John AGENCY: FBI Kennedy RECORD NUMBER: — 124-90100-10234 issassination Records Ollection Act of 1992 RECORD SERIES : HQ (44 USC 2107 Note). ase#: NW 54027 Date: AGENCY FILENUMBER: = 52-72398-233 ne—-25-2017 Document Information ORIGINATOR: — FBI FROM: MM TO: HQ TITLE: DATE: — 12/03/1959 PAGES: 9 SUBJECTS : STUART SUTOR JOSEPH RAYMOND MEROLA DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION: — Unclassified RESTRICTIONS: 4 CURRENT STATUS: — Redact *  DATEOF LASTREVIEW: — 07/29/1998 OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE COMMENTS : AT v9.1 HW 54027 Bocld: 32332016 Page 1
C) MM 52-3290 7 It is to, be: noted that ARTHUR WILLIAM MILLER, / a former PCL of this office, was Acting Manager. of the ‘Garden of Allah Motel. during Oct. and Nov, 1958. MILLER, -FBI# 299033B, is now serving a prison sentence of 18 months. for Grand Larceny at the Florida State Penitentiary at Raiford, Florida. His number . there is 66234, - During the time that MILLER was a PCI, he was. contacted on various occasions during Oct. and Nov., 1958, - relative to the activities of JOSEPH R. MEROLA and other hoodlums at the Garden of Allah Motel. MEROLA,who was ‘also the subject of a separate investigation as a suspected jewel thief, was interviewed during that same period of | time at the Garden of Allah by SA C. GRAHAM HURST, The following pertinent info was then developed: ‘ On September 29, 1958, MEROLA was interviewed at 6:00 PM,"at the Garden of Allah by SA HURST, He advised ‘SA HURST that he had flown from Miami to NYC on or about — August 28, 1958; had stayed at the Warwick Hotel, and ~ had returned to Miami, Fla., at 2:30 AM, 9/29/58, via ct flight 647, airline unidentified. 4 ee During this interview, a man came into the motel 1!" Lobby and went up to MEROLA. MEROLA introduced this man to SA HURST as being JOSE B. ALEMAN, owner of the Tradewinds -Motel, Miami Beach. MEROLA told SA HURST that on 8/3/58, he registered with the US Department. of Justice as an agent for the Revolutionary Civic Front, as a public _ relations man. He said he obtained the papers necessary for filing, and had sent them to the Justice Department . from: an attorney representing ALEMAN. i HW 54027 DBocld:32332016 Page 2?
r | HW. 54027 MM 52-3290 It is to be noted that -ALEMAN was also the ‘recognized leader of a group known as "Cuba Rebelde" which was at that time engaged in anti-BATISTA revolutionary activities in Miami. ALEMAN did not participate in the. . aq, Loterview. between SA HURST. and MEROLA, but. sat. in. another. be oo is part of the lobby. ee ee On 10/3/58, from 11:00 AM until. 12: 16 PM, SA HURST again talked with MEROLA in the lobby of the same motel.. During this conversation, an unidentified “Cuban came up to MEROLA aid said that "JOSE" wanted to see MEROLA. MEROLA then attempted to stop this Cuban from saying anything else in the presence of SA HURST, pointing out that SA HURST was an Agent with the FBI. It appeared that the "JOSE" referred to may have been ‘JOSE B. ALEMAN. On 10/6/58, SA HURST interviewed MEROLA in the> lobby of the same motel. MEROLA disclosed he had left Miami on 10/3/58, and had. flown to NYC and had returned to Miami during :the early morning hours of 10/6/58. He disclosed a bankruptcy hearing was held on the afternoon - ve, . O£ 10/3/59, and that the Garden of Allah | would. have. to. (80. “inte bankruptcy. 7 ae = oe ca On 1025/58, former PCI MILLER advised that. MEROLA. was at the Garden of Allah Motel each day during the ©: week, beginning 10/19/58, and up until 10/23/58, when he heard that MEROLA had left town. On 10/28/58, MILLER advised SA HURST that MEROLA returned to Miami on the mid-afternoon of 10/26/58, or. the | early morning of 10/27/58. MEROLA was around the Garden of -4- DoclId: 32332016 Page 3
MM 52-3290 OO re oe 1 ; \ ' Allah on 10/28/58. MILLER said that a larger number ‘of. UE te ad | Cubans than usual asked for MEROLA on 10/28/58.. “MILLER ' vo os PTs a Ben ‘paid | that ‘almost every day several Cubans came to ‘the’ * ai . motel looking for MEROLA and that many of these Cubans’ ;could not speak English. 4, 7 7 On 10/29/58,MILLER said he did not see MEROLA . ae at the Garden of Allah on that day and did not know AE MEROLA was in or out of town. — ae ta a it On 10/31/58, MILLER said that early on 10/31/58, “MEROLA told the ewitchboard operator at the motel that ~ . he was not in to anyone. MILLER said that on the next 3 occasions on 10/31/58, four or five Cubans came to the : motel asking for MEROLA. On the afternoon of 10/31/58, a Y the Cubans left a note for MEROLA which note indicated So that MEROLA was giving the Cubans the run-around and they wanted $6,000 or else. 7 mt ', » MILLER said he did not see MEROLA at the motel | re ey et on 10/30/58. MILLER said that in his position he ha Pye goer ettnen cies gn gh BOL ‘the roomein the basement of the motel and'’’'' ars eee ' i 'u that in the past MEROLA had some boxes there, but he did! a7 not know what the boxes contained. | i { { \ On 11/3/58, MILLER said he saw MEROLA in the va! motel on 11/1, 2, and 3/58. MILLER said he had occasion re - to go into the rooms in the basement of the motel on , 11/1/58, at which time the boxes he had previously seen): | 4 : 4 there belonging to MEROLA, were no longer there. | he I 7 On 11/5/58, MILLER said he saw MEROLA at the | | ' motel on the morning of 11/4/58, and again.on the I po, morning of 11/5/58. He said the Cubans who left the note -5- | | : -m 1 i | HW 54027 DocId:32332016 Page 4
wit 52-3290 for MEROLA on 10/31/58, had been back to the motel at - least once each day since that time, apparently attempting - .to contact MEROLA. On 11/5/58, these Cubans left another note for MEROLA reflecting that MEROLA had not kept his appointment and they still wanted their money. MILLER furnished the license number of the car driven by these Cubans, which was a light blue sedan bearing 1958 Fla. tag 1W-110905. The records of the Dade Co. Auto Tag. Agency, Miami, reflect this license was issued to A. VALDEZ ZAMBRANA , 426 NW ‘isth Ave., Miami, _for a 1956 two-door Chrysler. On 11/21/58, Lt. A. H. "RED" LEONARD (NA): Miami Beach PD, advised that at 9:15 PM, 11/11/58, while a check was being made of the parking lot next to the Garden of Allah Motel, the Miami Beach PD arrested 3 Cubans as follows: ANTONIO BRIONES, born 6/24/39, at Havana, Cuba, who was in possession of a US Army .45 caliber automatic “weapon, SN 301936. ANTONIO ZAMBRANA, born 1/17/25, at Havana, Cuba, residence 426 NW 13th. Ave., Miami, Fla. LORENZO BURUNAT, born 1/19/34, at Oriente, Cuba. These men also had in their possession a bullet proof vest and 3 clips of ammunition for an Italian-type rifle. These men were booked for carrying concealed -6- DoclId: 32332016 Page 5