Agency: FBI
Originator: FBI
From: SAC, MM
To: DIRECTOR, FBI
Document date: 06/23/1965
Document type: PAPER-TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

## Page 1

JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION FORM

AGENCY INFORMATION

AGENCY: FBI

RECORD NUMBER: 124-10285-10183

RECORD SERIES: HO

AGENCY FILE NUMBER: CR 65-69402-24

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

ORIGINATOR: FBI

FROM:

SAC. MM

TO: DIRECTOR. FBI

TITLE:

DATE: 06/23/1965

PAGES: 7

SUBJECT:

LB, EMP, ACA, REL, BKG, DESCR, RES, BOMB, ESPIONAGE ACT, EVID, LTR,

FPT, TYW, SUSP, BENAVIDES, ELIO GONZALEZ

DOCUMENT TYPE:

PAPER. TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

ORIGINAL

CLASSIFICATION:

Secret

NEW

CLASSIFICATION:

REVIEW DATE:

07/02/1998

STATUS Redact

UPDATE DATE:

COMMENTS:

RESTRICTIONS:

JFK Act 6 (1)(B)

JFK Act 6 (1)(C)

JFK Act 6 (4)

INC LAB WORK SHEET

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Page 1

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## Page 2

OPTIONAL FORM NO. 10

5010-106

° 8 "MAY iDOL EDITION

GSA GEN. REG. NO. 27

UNITED STATES G

RNMENT

Memorandum

with

TO

FROM

SECREU

DIRECTOR, FBI (65-69402):

"DATE:

(Attention:.

FBI Laboratory)

SAC, MIAMI (65-3066) (P)

6/23/65

ALE INPORTATION CONGAINED

HERET!

5319: 29 EXCEPT

56685401606

4/98-7FH

SuRVECT:

492

CHANGED

UNKNOWN

SUBJECT, aka

Armando Blanco,

(FNU)(Benavides; OCe

ET AL

ESPIONAGE

- CUBA

100:

New York).

10-14-97

CLASSIFED BY 5668 SLD/KSR

111594

DECLASSIFY, ON 25X.

Classified

SeEminds

Declassifty on.

482664

JFK

OADE JFK

Title is changed to add the aka (FNU) Benavides,

which aka was determined as

a result of investigation.

34

ReBulet to New York 6/4/65.

(и)

Enclosed for the Laboratory

airmail envelope

(name and address of sender and receiver torn from

envelope) and two mimeographed pages beginning, "New York,

1965,

Estimado amigo:" and ending,

"Un compatriota."

', which

letter was enclosed in mentioned envelope.

REQUEST OF LABORATORY

The Laboratory is requested to process enclosures

for latent fingerprints.

It is also requested that the

typewriting appearing on the mimeographed letter, as well

as the typewriting set out near the bottom of the first

page of the letter, be compared with other available

specimens from any espionage or double agent sources.

In this regard, the mimeographed letter appears to be

identical with

letters previously submitted to the Bureau

(Attention:

FBI Laboratory), including a letter furnished

to the Bureau on April 16

"MARIO BLANCO, ESPIONAGE

1965 in the case entitled,

except forthe accommo-

dation address in Cub

5

Bureau (Enc-2) (RM)

REC-42

-

New York (65-23630) (RM)

16 JUN 25-1965

5

Miami

(1

134-1136, MARIA ESTHER

MORENO MERCANTITY

(1

(1

05-1998; Cuban Intelligence Activities in V.S

05-8749, Double Agent Operations - Cuba)

(1 - 65-2959, JOE SURVEY)

ABRIEL

MFF: s11

BOSRE

(i0)

JUL 211965

amed 7-14-6578

Rew: 41.

NSCA

7/204

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## Page 3

MM 65-3066

SECRET

CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING RECEIPT OF LETTER

On May 20,

1165. VICTOR/BALBUENA, 1158A S.W.

1965,

6th Street, Miami, appeared at the Miami Office of the

FBI and made available the enclosures.

He stated that

his sister-in-law, MARIA MORENO BALBUENA, the wife of

LUIS BALBUENA CALLADILLA, received the letter at her

residence on May 19, 1965.

She became very upset upon

receiving the letter and requested VICTOR BALBUENA to

turn it over to the FBI. The letter has been handled by

MARIA MORENO BALBUENA, VICTOR BALBUENA and one ALDO ENRICH,

a friend of MARIA MORENO's husband, LUIS BALBURNA A U)

INTERVIEW OF MARIA ESTHER MORENO MERCANTITY

MARIA ESTHER MORENO MERCANTITY furnished the

following to SAS MAURICE F. FARABEE and CLARENCE P. GRAHAM

on May 27, 1965.

MARIA BALBUENA received the enclosure at her

residence, 418 S.W. 10th Street, Miami, Florida, on May 19,

1965.

was addressed to Mrs. MARIA E. BALBUENA, 418

S.W. 10th Street.

She became frightened and fearful that

in some way the receipt of her letter would jeopardize her

chances of getting her two children out of Cuba to the

United States.

away. She recalls, however, the sender had the surname

BENAVIDES (first name not recalled) and a New York City

address. The letter was postmarked May 18, 1965, in New

York City.

MARIA BALBUENA disclaimed any knowledge of the

sender of the letter.

MARIA BALBURNA, a doctor of pharmacy, owned a

Be on was one. i any of the son coveriment

Cuba, in the years prior to the

at Guantanamo Base.

He actively participated in anti-CASTRO

activities while employed by the U. S. Government on the

naval base at Guantanamo.

Because of his anti-CASTRO

activities, it became necessary for MARIA BALBUENA to

flee to the

United States, which she did with her infant

-2-

SECRET

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## Page 4

MM 65-3066

SECRET

child, LUISA BALBUNA, having arrived on a visa waiver at

Miami on July 6, 1962. She has two other children, NORA

BALBUENA, age 11, and FRANCIS BALBUENA, age 10, which she

was unable to secure visa waivers for,

and left them

behind with her mother and father, MERCEDES and SAIVADOR

MORENO, in Guantanamo.

They were to secure visa waivers

for the two children and send them to the United States

to be with MARIA BALBUENA.

However, to date, MARIA

BALBUENA has been unsuccessful in getting them to the

United States.

Her husband, LUIS BALBUENA, was subse-

quently brought to the United States by the U. S. Navy.

MARIA BALBUENA had written many letters to her parents

in Guantanamo expressing her homesickness and her desire

to see the children, as well as get them to the United

States, but she has

never indicated a desire or interest

in returning to Cuba.

She has paid approximately $200 to

several persons in the Miami area in an effort to get visas

for them to come to the United states but on each occasion,

the persons were unsuccessful. Recently, MARIA BALBUENA

has been sending money to a priest in Spain in an effort

to get visas for her daughters, to get to that country.

On or about May 7, 1965, MARIA BALBUENA called

her father in Guantanamo, Cuba.

He told her he had

recently been to the Immigration Service at Santiago

de Cuba concerning the daughters and the Immigration

authority informed him that for the daughters to leave

Cuba, all the property belonging to the parents would

have

to be turned over to the Cuban Government.

Bo the Ca

The

grandfather explained to the Immigration authorities

that all the parents' property had previously been con-

fiscated.

The Cuban Immigration official then informed

o ration of

MARIA BALBUENA's father that it might be possible for the

daughters to obtain a departure permit in the latter part

of May, 1965.

MARIA BALBUENA has a distant relative named OSMEL

FRANCIS, who was associated with the Cuban Government and

has been a Communist for many years. When she left, Cuba

in 1962, he was an international attorney employed at the

Rancho Boyeros Airport in Cuba.

Prior to her departure,

she went to see him for assistance and at that time, he

refused and stated that if it became necessary, he would

kill MARIA BALBUENA's husband in order to protect the

Cuban Government.

- 3 - SECREZ

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## Page 5

MM 65-3066

MARIA BALBUENA stated she intends to take no

action concerning the matter out of fear of jeopardizing

her chances of getting her daughters to this country.

However, should she receive any subsequent letters,

will immediately advise the FBI. She furnished the MARIAYBAL BUENA

following background data concerning herself:

MARLARM A BIENOTALBUEN

Name

Date of birth

Place of birth

MARIA ESTHER MORENO MERCANTITY

August 10, 1929

Guantanamo. Cuba

5'4"

Weight

Hair

Eyes

Complexion

INS Number

U.S. Entry

Cuban address

150 pounds MARIA

E. BALBUINA.

Black

Black

Dark

A12 838 737

July 6, 1962, Miami, Florida,

on visa waiver

Calle Luz Caballero #1051,

Guantanamo, Cuba

U.S. Address

418 S.W. 10th Street,

Miami, Florida.

MURENC

Mother

MERCE DE SHIRENE

MERCEDES MERCANTITY HECHEVARRIA"

age

5-58,

residing at Calle. u

B.APPROX 1902

caballero#1051 Guantanamo,Cuba.

Father

SALVADOR, MORENO CASTILLO, age 61,

residing with wife B.APPRoX 1904

Brothers

Sisters

Husband

None

LUIS ABALBUENA CALZADILLA, residing

at 418S.W. 10th Street,

CUBA

Children

CALLE LUL CABOLERO#1051

GUANTANAme, LÜBA

NORA BALBUENAXMORENO, age 11, CApeRs 145/

residing with grandparents;

-FRANCIS BALBUENAXMORENO, age 10,

residing with grandparents;Skpp.ar?

LUISAY BALBUENA, MORENO, age 32,

residing with parents B.PPiEi11a

CUBA.

ADMINISTRATIVE DATA

4185.0.00111012

811#121

The enclosed mimeographed letter *which is identical

to previous letters submitted to the Bureau in similar cases, u

-4 -

SECNE!

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## Page 6

MM 65-3066

SECREV

*except for theraccommodation address in Cuba

attempts to

Solicit the recipients' assistance in furnishing informa-

MALAJA

- Masoja and Estrella, Havana,

same as previous letters submitted to the

Bureau, Easion translation al caclosure 15 not furnishedles.

AMARIA BALBUENA stated she does not want to furnish

information to the Cuban Government as requested in the

enclosure out of fear of jeopardizing her daughters' chances

she stated, however, were it not

for her daughters, she would gladly write a letter to the

accommodation address in Cuba: She said she would immediately

advise the FBI should she receive further correspondence from

the Cuban Government.

In view of this; it appears MARIA

BALBUENA has only a limited use as a PSI; however, Bureau

authority is requested to maintain contact with her in the

event she should receive subsequent correspondence from

the Cuban Government

It is noted MARIA BALBUENA's husband, LUIS

BALBUENA CALZADILLA, was a former source of the Miami

Office concerning anti-CASTRO activities and is the

subject of Miami file 134-903.

MARIA BALBUENA is the

subject of Miami file 157-781

in case entitled,

"UNSUB;

Bombing of Residence of MARIA BALBUENA, 912 S.W. 5th

Avenue,,

Miami, Florida, March 31, 1963 - BOMBING MATTERS."

This file reveals that shortly prior to midnight on

March 31, 1963,,

the front door of the residence of MARIA

BALUENA,

as well as the windows of the house, were

destroyed, as a result of a bomb explosion. No one-

was injured and investigation in the matter was con-

ducted by the Miami Police Department.

- LEADS -

NEW YORK

AT NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Will search indices of the New York Office for

pertinent information regarding&(FNU) BENAVIDES*

(s1й)

- 5

SECRED

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