LORAN EUGENE HALL , ALSO KNOWN AS LORENZO HALL, LAWRENCE HALL, 'SKIP'
Originator: FBI
Document date: 08/11/1964
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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104-10518-10302

2022 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

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8D-373 lRoo.11-28-61)

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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

FEDERAL BURBAU Of INYESTIGATION

Miami, Florida

DBA 78696

AUG 1 = 1504

FItZe LORAN EUGENE HALL, a180 known 88

Lorenzo Hall,

Lawrence Hall,

"Skip"

Character INTERNAL SECURITY - CUBA

Reference menorandun dated and captioned as

above.

All sources (except any listed below) whose identities

are concesled in referenced communication have furnished rellable

Intomation in the past.

IS COPY

201-258411

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FBI.

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UNITED STATES DEPARTNENT OF JUSTICE

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTICATION

DBA 77696

Miami, Plorida

AÜc: 8.004

O LORAN EUGENE HALL, also known 88

Lorenzo Hall,

Lawrence Hall,

"Skip"

INTERNAL, SECURITY - CUBA

201.258411

The following information is submitted to re-

flect the activities of LORAN EUGENE HALL in the Miami

area.

On July 9, 1959, RUBEN MIRO GUARDIA, a Panamanian

then residing in Miami, advised that in April, 1959, he

was detained by Cuban Police in Havana, Cuba.

During his

detention he met a United States citizen named LORAN HALL,

who was also under detention

HALL, a white

male, approximately 30 years of age, S'10" tall, black

hair, said he was from the State of Kansas, and

had served

in the United States Armed Forces for about six years.

HALI, told MIRO that he had arrived in Cuba in about March,

1959, and had subsequently been contacted by CAMILO

CIENFUEGOS, a Cuban Rebel Army Coumander.

CIENFUEGOS wanted

HALt to train a group of men who were goino to participate

in an invasion of Nicaragua. HALL claimed he trained a

group of men on a farm known as La Lisa, located near

Havana.

Hall said the food for the trainees came from the

Cuban Military Stafff Headquarters, on the orders of

CIENFUEGOS.

MIRO stated that HAll said he was arrested on

April 8, 1959, by Cuban authorities, who alleged HALL was

suspected of being an FBI Agent. On MIRO's departure from

cuba on July 7, 1959, HAll was still in the custody of

Cuban authorities but MIRO believed that Hall was going to

be released and deported to the United States.

CS COPY

201-258411

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LORAN EUGENE HALL

MM I-1, who has been involved in Cuban revolu-

tionary activities for the past 81x years, advised on March

10, 1963, that HALl had been in Miami for about the past

hree months, and associated with GERALD PATRICK HEMMING

an American adventurer, mercenary and soldier of fortune

Ms T-l stated HALL is disagreeable, 1s not liked by the

other mercenaries in Miami, is of low moral character,

and appears to have a criminal background.

along with some Cubans and Americans, was involved in

some plan to try and overthrow the government of Haiti.

Somehow connected with this group is an American, LORENZO

HALL, also known as LAWRENCE HALL, a soldier of fortune,

who appears irresponsible and at one time was a member of

the Cuban Rebel Army.

on April S, 1963, the Miami Office received a

telephone call from

a LORENZO HALL, 142 S.W. 21st Avenue,

Apartment 6, Miami, Florida. HALL said he understood

that the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelli-

gence Agency and Immigration

and Naturalization Service

were trying to locate him, and he wanted to report his

On November 11, 1963, MM I-I said that LORENZO

HALL, a white nale, 25 years of age to 26 years, 5'7".

155 pounds, ruddy complexion, was unemployed and had in-

dicated to the informant that he was from Los Angeles,

California. He is always on the move,

is in and out of

Klam, is the confidence man type, and it was not known

if he was then in Miami. MM T-l advised that HALL

claimed to have been in the Cuban Rebel Army, but the

other mercenaries in Miami doubt this.

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• LURAN EUGENE HALL

HM T-1 said HALZ was then loosely connected with

Cuban revolutionary activities, which he uses as a gimmick

to try and obtain money donations.

In Miami, he loosely

associated with GERALD PATRICK HEMMING, 'MEXICAN" LARRY

HOWARD and WILLIAM HOUSTON SEYMOUR, all unemployed ad-

venturers.

MY I-l stated HALL and HOWARD made a trip to

California several months previously in an attempt to

collect money by representing themselves as members of an

anti-CASTRO movement.

It 1s doubtful they collected any

sizeable amount of money.

Their practice is to contact

local chapters of the John Birch Society, claiming they are

anti-Communist freedom fighters, and ask for money to carry

on their work.

They do obtain some money this way, and

use the money for living expenses.

In October, 1963, according to MM I-1, HALL and

SEYMOUR visited Dallas, Texas, trying to collect money

donations under the guise of representing anti-CASTRO

organizations. Among the persons they contacted was

LESTER R. LOGUB, 628 Meadows Building, Dallas, a geolo-

gist. It is unknown if LOGUE gave them any money.

On December 5, 1963, MM I-1 advised that HALL

had not been seen around Miami for about a nonth, and his

whereabouts vas then unknown.

On November 1, 1963 the United States Customs

Service, Miami, Florida, furnished a report conceming the

boat PITUSA I, which was observed on October 29, 1963

being trailer hauled by a 1955 Oldsmobile sedan, south of

Miami in the direction of the Florida Keys. This car was

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LORAN EUGENE HALL

accompanied by another automobile, and a station wagon.

At approximately 1 AM on October 30, 1963, in the vicinity

of Jewfish Creek, U.S. Custons officers apprcached the

Oldsmobile and boat, and another one of the cars, anc

Found in the second car a quantity of arms, munitions.

explosives and supplies. The driver of the 1955 Olds-

mobile was identified as L. E. HALL, 142 S.W. 218t

Avenue, Miami, Florida, who was also the registered orner

of this car.

The sole occupant of the other car, a

Mercury, was identified as MANUEL, BARBARITO PEREZ, GOYANES,

& Cuban citizen. Customs seized both cars and their con-

Investigation disclosed that an anti-CASTRO or-

ganization, the Frente Revolucionario Anti-Comnista

(FRAC), had been involved in plans to utilize the PITUSA I

on a trip to Cuba, for the purpose of gathering propaganda

material for the John Birch Society, and to obtain money

to sustain military type raids on Cuba.

On August 6, 1964, MI. STANLEY SHACHTER, U.S.

Customs Agent, Miami, confirmed that L. E. HALL i8 identical

tO LORAN EUGENE HALL. He recalled that HALL, at the time

of the Jewfish Creek incident, said he intended to to to

Cuba on a raid. Neither HALl nor his companions were

arrested.

At that time HALL had information in his poss-

ession reflecting that he was born January 4, 1930 and re-

sided at 285 N. Oakland, Apartment 9, Pasadena, California.

Another residence address in his possession was for 1191

Collegeview Drive, Apartment 14, Monterey Park, California.

On June 26, 1964, IN I-I stated that he last

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LORAN EUGENE HALI

heard of LORENZO HALL about 8 months ago, at which time

HAll was reportedly en route to Mexico with LAWRENCE

HOWARD.

My I-l said that both HALL and HOWARD were

"soldier-of-fortune types" and prior to coming to Miami

In 1963, had raised money, possibly from right wing

organizations in Califomia, in order to support their

proposed military action against the regime of FIDEL

CASTRO. HALl never succeeded in such military effort

In that he was thwarted by the action of U.S. Customs

at Miami, who seized what equipment he possessed.

M4 I-l expressed the opinion that HALl may

have gone to Mexico with HOWARD, but BAlL is not know

to have returned to Miami since

the latter part of

1963.

On July 22, 1964, GERALD PATRICK HEMMING, 1036

S.#. 5th Street, Miami, Florida, who since 1959 has

been active in Cuban revolutionary activities, stated

he first met LORAN HALL, who liked to be called "SKIP"

HALL, In April, 1959, at which time HALl was in jail at

the Army barracks in Ciudad Libertad near Havana, Cuba.

HALI, was arrested for being involved in alleged prepara-

tions for revolutionary action against Nicaragua. HALl.

shared a cell in the Cuban jail with SANTOS TRAFFICANTE,

well known gambler and hoodlum of Tampa and Mian,

Florida.

HEMING stated he next met HALl In Los Angeles

in January, 1963, at which time HEMMING was visiting

his family, and while in Los Angeles, HEMING was inter-

viewed by a reporter from the PASADENA INDEPENDENT STAR

concerning HEMING's anti-CASTRO organization called

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LORAN EUGENE HALI

Interpen (Inter-Continental Penetration Forces). HALL,

uno was in calliornia at the time, was able to locate

HEMMING through the reporter.

HEMMING related that on his return from Cali-

fornia to Miami in February, 1963, HALL accompanied

him, and after arrival in Miami, HALl attempted to 8880-

ciate himself with various anti-CASTRO groups to organize

action on several revolutionary ideas of HALl, Including

one to invade Haití. None of the groups at Miami took

HALL very seriously, considering him somewhat of an un-

reliable character.

HALL eventually associated himself with a

Cuban named MANUEL "MANOLO" AGUILAR. Together with

AGUILAR and several other Americans, Including WILLIAM

SEXMOUR from Arizona and TOM DUNKIN, a Florida newspaper-

man, Hall participated in an infiltration attempt against

Cuba but they were arrested by U.S. Customs while still

on the highway in the Florida Keys. At that time U.S.

Customs confiscated what equipment the group had, but

no prosecutions were brought against HAil or the other

individuals involved. HEMMING stated that the latter

Incident occurred some time in late 1963.

During the summer of 1963, HALL and LAWRENCE

"LARRY" HOWARD, an individual of Mexican-American descent

who was in Miami at the time, went out to California

where they were able to raise funds and obtain some guns

which they then brought back to Miami. HEMMING recalled

the brouge back.

that they had approximately 16 Garand M-1 rifles, which

they converted to automatic rifles.

these weapons were confiscated by U.S. Customs on the

highway in the Florida Keys when HALl and his group were

reportedly preparing to leave for Cuba.

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LORAN EUGENE HALL

HEMMING advised that HALL has not been in Miami

since approximately November, 1963, when Customs made the

seizure of equipment. He said that HAll left Miami with

LAWRENCE HOWARD, who was reportedly now in Vera Gruz,

Mexico. HEMMING did not know if HAll, went to Mexico at

that time but he recently saw MANUs, AGUILAR, now &

member of the anti-CASTRO group Ejercito Rebelde in Miami;

and AGUILAR said he had recently heard from HALL, who 18

still in Los Angeles.

HEMMING stated that RALL 18 about 32 years of

age and is married to a woman wno once was the secretary

to the President of Cessna Aircraft in Wichita, Kansas,

but as of February, 1963, when HE MING was in Los Angeles,

HALL was residing at 285 N. Oakland, Apartment 9, Pasadena;

California. At that time he was employed by the Ernie

Porter Chevrolet Company in Pasadena.

HEMMING related that HALL and LAWRENCE HOWARD

when en route from California to Miami in the summer of

1963 with the converted Garand rifles, were held by the

Dallas Police Department for possession of narcotic

medicines. HEMMING believed that HAll and HOWARD had

been able to obtain such medicines from doctors in Cali-

fornia on the basis of their proposed military action

against cuba, which would require medicine for the wounded.

HEMMING did not know how HALL and HOWARD came to the atten-

tion of the Dallas police.

This document contains neither recommendations nor con-

clusions of the FBI. It is the property of the FBI and is

Loaned to your agency; it and its contents are not to be

distributed outside your agency.

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