Originator: HSCA
From: FONZI, GARTON
To: GUSTAUSON, TROY.
Document date: 07/27/1976
Document type: MEMORANDUM.

## Page 1

180-10104-10395

2022 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDE ASS maion SyNeY ASSASSINATION RECORDS DACT OF 19921

Identification Form

Agency Information

AGENCY: HSCA

RECORD NUMBER :

180-10104-10395

RECORD SERIES: NUMBERED FILES.

AGENCY FILE NUMBER: 012919

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: HSCA

FROM: FONZI, GARTON

TO :

GUSTAUSON, TROY.

TITLE:

DATE: 07/27/1976

PAGES:

5

SUBJECTS:

ANTI-CASTRO ACTIVITIES.

CIA.

RAY, MANUEL.

LEADS & INFORMATION.

GODAY, JOGGUIN,

DOCUMENT TYPE: MEMORANDUM.

CLASSIFICATION: Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS: 1A

CURRENT STATUS : Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 02/18/1997

OPENING CRITERIA:

COMMENTS :

Box 227.

v9.1

NW 50955

DocId: 32260837

Page

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## Page 2

MEMO - 7/27/76

TO :

Troy Gustavson

FROM: • Gaeton Fonzi

012J24

I spent most of my time in Puerto Rico last weekend cruising the

labyrinthian

suburbs of San Juan looking for Leopoldo Cainas

lin the southeast suburb of Carolinal and Manuel Rodrigues

Occarberro. Cinnithe southwest turbanization" of Summitt HelD

i found that they have both since moved from the last addresses

had. forthem:

There is.no lead

- on Rodriques but, if necessary.

L could probably dis one up:

The people in the house he

once

Tived in were away for the weekend, but a

neighbor told me that

Manolino moved almost a year ago and that the current residents

of his former home are the second family to have

lived there.

since

he left andabrobably wouldn't haven even heard of Rodrigues.

L did notice that San Juan

Realty seen to be handling many house

sales insthe area and lf ve ever get to feeling that Rodrigues is

significanteenough

to pursue ve can follow up that Tead. eront now

1dont.think.hels.that-important.

Easeluckler with.leopoldo Cainas

The guy who ls now living ina

the house Cainas owned said that Cainas moved only a monthror so

ano and-isaTiving

withahis son-in-law in north Florida

bought the house

from Cainas and

Slace he makes payments to nomy

through the mail he gave me his address near New Smyrna Beach

There's no telephone listing

but

Tu aebadule a trip to call

on him,

probablyafter my

return from New Orleans:

Despite not

finding Rodrigues and Calnastand

not being able to

reach Frank Ballou, the guy Owen Darnel fosuggested T talk withs

the trip.mayhave.been worthhile. as.a.result of both the general

backsroundand specific detailed informatoon I got from lengthy

Conversations with Joaquin dodoy and Manuel Ray a

2600023533

*F.

when ve were looking for

Intelligence

connections fand very close to a cuban-expert El agent meredi

Eranklerien who veciana had been in

touch with and, we-thought

must have known Bishop because Rishop savo Yeciana indicationSan

that he Knew him.

him

n th cúba

Godoy was the link to cogswet lo

He first met d

in 1958 where,

says Godoy,

Gogswell

had close contacts.

with the American-Embassy.

whenl.subseauent.ly.met.Cocswellring

-palm"

Reach he struck mefas

a former wealthy playboy type who had

sunk into alcoholism, but a cuy who had been nothing more than a

pseudo-intelligence contact, freelancing for various agencies, a

'hobby' activity he came to as a result of his social standina and

classy military background the was a lavy officer himself and his

uncle was top brass who had a ship named after him):.

One of the

reasons ! decided to check

in with Godoy while in Puerto Rico was

to confirm my impression abaht dogswell and, also. to ask him if

he has since recalled the namo of the f.l. Hunt representative he

had previously told no he

met in New York.

HY 50955 DooId:32260037 Page 2

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2

Godoy, for what it's worth, seems to be a member of Puerto Rico's

swinging social set.

He's head of the group division of New

England Life, has a plush office and walls covered with commendations.

memorabilia and photos of himself and friends lamong them Hollywood

writer Bud ('What Makes Sammy Run") Schulberg. Godoy himself looks

like something out of Hollywood: ta!!; lean, square-jawed handsome:

man

in his early 50s

What

l: learned

from Godoy must be considered

together.with

what

Manuel Bay would later telling Their vews of the same situat do

are slightly off register

That

along. witha few other things

Godoy said makes me wonder if we've hit apon a circle of some

sinnificances

Veciana

viewed Godoy merelyas a duy withathe.

right

Social contacts whose principal Job was to raise money and

support on a higher echelon.

I wonder now

va Godoy was more

closely linked to an intelligence network than Vectana realized

codoy: once worked for Castro on an upper-middle administrative

level belleve on the public works department. -He

says, however

he was early involved In counter-revolution underground activity

In Cuba-with Manuel Ray's

MRP group

¿planning sabatage operations

of major sugar refinertes and military installations.

#Thereiwas

other leaders within cuba were very upset with pays for

joined the Frente and other ClA-backed Cuban groups In supporting

the Bay of Pigs. The MBP

leaders in Cuba, says Godoy, were

totally against a Baysof-Pios type

invasion and didn'tiwant the

help: of the u.s.ror the Batastaltes it was supporting.

2 Godoy

said that after the Bay of Pigs debacle he was sent to the. u.s

to push Raysaside asga leader of the uRBand- to take over inut

Falsing tunds, for the underground.

That sawhen Pay formed JURE

the organization sylad a onrolseust tors said they were associated

With. Godoy said he worked with Veciana because, Veciana had been

a manher ofthe MRP before he formed Alpha Gone said the MRP

never received any aldor assistance

from the ClAsand herhimself

never had any contact with-the ClAhraxcopte for the two contacts

hugh,fat felloy,

Who questioned him occasionally cand

the other once with Bernard Barker, who offered the MP massive

support its leaders would cooperate with the CrAsThetoffer

was. rejected.

I showed Godoy the Bishop sketch but it rang no bells with him.

I mentioned no names but did tell him that it was an American who:

had been in contact with Veciana over the years. He expressed great

surprise

that Veciana had been in

touch with an American but,

perhaps

in

my paranoia, I detected

touch of irony in his grin

when he

said it. li.e., was he himself assigned to report on

Vecianals activity?).

He fold me he had heard that Veciana had

recently been

in some kind of trouble

and had heen in Jail.

told him it had to do with narcotics, lle said.

I don't believe it.

Mberlutely not. leciana was the straightest, absolutely trustworthy

AW 50955 DocId:32260837 Page 3

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3

and

honest person l ever met. I would trust him explicitly.!

veciana had told me that he thought that Godoy had worked for

the Rockefeller Foundation at one

time.

Godoy said no.

he

hadn't, but

he had applied for a job

there once. He was

turned

down

because there was no opening, but he had been

recommended by nick Goodwin, whom he

had gotten to.know

very

well.and.who...by the.wayrintroduced.him to.both President

Kennedy and Pobert Kennedy: Godoy, says, however that he was

once.invitedbonderman.kahn-of..the Hudson.Institute to.taker

part. ina

series-of.seminars.onNational-Security Rolicy and

Latin America.

" That wassin: 1966 and he accepted.

other ouest

speakers seemed to be from my quick glance at the program

he showed me)

mostly rightawing and military types.

Godoy

said he was invitedabecause Kahn had heard of his nameras

beingassociated with. the MPP..but.m.stillsuspiciouof fhe

whole thing

became more

sospicious when Godoy sald; Won going to give

you the name of a fellow whol think can

help you; someone who

may know the person you're looking for. He's a very close friend

and tell him you talked with me

His name is Max Losnick, the

publishensof Replica.

As you-may recall from a memo.! recently sent

Sylia Odio had

told me.of.the

problems she.and her hasband. had had with the

magazine they were

e trying to get off the ground after they

refused.to.publish.articles they thought came..from Cubans

with ClA connections:

The problems mostly at distribution.

points and sales outlets, she felt were caused by represendatives

Roplica.r.lknow.Lesnick

once had very close ClA connections,

was with the clA reocat the

American Embassy the night that

Batista.feltrAl somethe: Ne

Times!

Clöcal correspondant George

VolSky a forner us lAtomplovee maintains an office In Lesnick's

building Nevertheless, when

Erinted of ny suspicions about:

Losnick. Codoy sald he trusts.

Lesnick expitcity and is surethe

is not clA Lo factor he sal dintesnickihas been

the cia tenot point out that so has Bug ons orraid.s.of

/Haying.double.checked.my.tiles.there.are.afewserrors.in.the.ga

above: The correct spelling is Max Lesnik

He wasnt at the American

-Embassy he was.in the oceanfront apartment of Jack-stewart,

offictally

the-politicar. section. leader. at the embassy..Cesnik was with ther

Second National Front of Escambray. Stewart told Lesnik the ClAwas

flying

in that night a t-26 laaded with weapons for SNFE. ! believe

the pilot was

Fiorini.)

as dad . ....

As smooth, charmina and capable of intrigue as l suspected Godoy

of being, l not almost the opposite impression of Manuel Pay.

An ennineer in private practice, Ray is a

small, soft-spoken

oly who struck

25 2

man of quiet principle and rationality, and

an intellectually

honest individual.

hin

I was greatly impressed

ry

AN 50933. Doold: 32260831. Page

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## Page 5

Over a four-hour conversation

with kay, ! covered

a wide range

of specific details regarding

any possible knowledoe he might

have had about even the remote links

ma'chich

we're interested,

including Lobo, Lykes, Kail, Trafficante, training camps and

Castro

assassination attempts.

Unfortunately, following the

Ray of Pigs, Ray's activities appear to have been not too involved:

in the operational level, concerning himself instead. from what

I can surmise,

ingarnering moral

andsfinancial. supportimostly

in-Puerto Rico

Nevertheless chere are a few nf the more significant points

developed from Ray:

when Ray was interviewed by the Fel concerning the visit that

sylvia odio had from three men who said they were associated

with Rays organization JURE, Ray was not told that themen

claimed that association and he was not told that. odio was

specifically introduced

tora

man named Leon Oswald. He.claims

that he was simply told that

sylvia 0dio was. claining. that

Lee Harvey Oswald once came to hier door and that the Felagent

wanted to know from him whether she was mentally stable..

Ray's first contact with the American EmbassySin Havana was

when he was working underground. for Castro before the Revolution.

That was in 1958-and it

was with a man named Cadwell. (Question:

could this

it seems likely;

be our man Jack: Cogswell?

so, our impression of him as a

freelance intelligence Informant

nay need revising and therefore, too,

does our view.of. Godoy

Tand his relationship with Veciana. Ray later dealt at the

Embassy with.Cl/statron.chief Jim-Knoe/Hand his-assistant

named Williamson

willamson doesn't fit the Bishod description

and,-from. what.

recall_of-Paul.Bethels. description of knoel

reither does the

When;

as i mentioned to you,

showed Day the:

Bishop sketch and

gave hun a verbal description it didnt take him very long to.

study and tell he he thought it bore a very close resemblance

to the fellow who interviewed him when he first arrived in the

United States:

That was In November 11260, In Tampa. Ray recalls

that the man sald he was with the government, but he doesn't

specifically remember that the nuy said ClA, but he thinks, herdid

What Ray recalls specifically was thet the fellow didn't ask him

very much about the details of specific operations, contacts or

what was going on inside Cuba: Instead, he was more interested

i n

talking with Pay about his political philosophy.

Ray says he talked

with hin

for about two hours and then never saw him again.

ray doesn't specifically recall.any front.operating.out of the

Pan

American Bank Building. but wonders whether or not RECE dia.

comewhere in my files I have some background on RECE

and will

chock it, but off the top of my head it was Orlando Rosch's

organization.

Coincidentaály. when l mentioned Victor Paneque

to Ray. he said he

knot

him in the underground in cuba but later

in Miami. Day found

that lanecuo had become very close to Rosch.

That may be significant since

Paneque was

the co-founder of sFurgis's

HW 50955 DooId: 32260837 Page

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5

International Anti-Communist Brigade of No Name Key and was

also

among

the cuban's picked up on the way to the Ruddlph

Davis-Bus laBarre. New Orleans training camp.

Ray feels that the

ClA, in a plan perhaps masterminded by

Howard Hunt (whose book "Give Us This Day" he says is full

of "lies," the reason for many of which he does not understand),

deliberately conspired to break up the MPP.

The MRP,

says

strongly opposed any najor Bay of Pigs-type operation at

or anytassassination attempts-on. Castro's life.:

such operations

contained too high a riskof fallure and, with their failure.

the collapse of the organization supporting them.:The original

RP. plane

says Ray, encorporated a series of operations each.

carefully timed to develop the impression among the general

population.and.withinaCastros.army-that there.-was.hacrescendo

Lof resistance building.

That would bring collapse. from within

Pay reasoned.

The first stage in the series of operations

Involved 30 separate sabatage operations within the

span of a

week." The

second stage involved consecutive landings of small

guerilla forces at various points of

the island's coast. Together

both.staces would.result.in

theiappearance of a massive and

coordinated attack that was too. big to resist.. The problem,

says Ray ewas

that.to.carry.outsthis scheme..the.MRP. needed thel

military-support of.manuel Artimels group; the MARiand: that?s.-

how he got involved and sucked into the Bay of Pigs

frente.

It mightabe significant to keepthe following in mandain view

of the story that Robert

and others are

now

beginning

to push namely that Operation

40for whatever name

they now

vIll cive to the secret assassiantion squad) was meant. to

result in the ultimate benefit of lohly or some other Cuban

leader:

Rav

says that when

he wes locked up with the other

Cuban leaders insthe house in-Opa Focka by the ClAson the eve

softhe Bayeef Pigsie the only one a Moved out

they Tater discovereda

was Manue lArtimera

who venton the radio to announce that he was

the:

chee frof

the army

hayeshe fad ways wondered by a non named liocerdo sordinas

not well known and had no major backing in

n Cuba, Hound up

being among theisleaders' of. the Frente.' cle asked. Tony Verona

ahout it and verona told him that ill Pawley insisted on.te

Ray

saystthat

the

han who oriarnally put cubelta -CAuLASH) in touch

with the cla was "El Vano" Cobreno,

in Soain.

Cubela-suggested to

him the idea of using a high-powered telescopic rifle to kill

Castro and before he could back out of the idea,

whichhhe immediately

began to have seoond thoughts about

: Robreno pushed him into it.

Word leaked out, says Ray,

when ertime told his inner circle of MR men

the plan. one

of them, it later was revealod, was a castro 62 egent:

CAll of the above is fron rough notes, but l taped most of the

intervier and if any specific arons need further develoring 1'1!

check back on the tanes.)

NW 50955 DocId: 32260837 Page 6

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