MEMO - SUBJECT: CUBANA FLIGHTS.
Originator: CIA
Document date: 05/09/1977
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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1104-10404-10423gut 2022 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

9 May 1977

SUBJECT: Cubana Flights

1. The Mexico Station surveillance of Cubana flights in

1963 consisted of a (unilateral) group (LIFIRE) and two separate

groups (LiPO and LIENVOY) handled jointly with the Mexican

Government

a.

LIFIRE was handled by Robert Feldmann.

These sources

observed arrivals and departures of Cubana flights. They

reported any unusual incidents and provided copies of the

flight manifests.

This travel was routinely reported to

Washington by cable (JMGIN Cuban Travel).

A copy of the

manifests was sent later by dispatch to Washington with

the same reporting crypt.

b. LITEMD and LIENVOY were handled (on the policy level)

by the COS with high ranking Mexican Government officials.

I made the daily pick-up meetings with Career Agent Jeremy

K. Benadum for LITEMPO and Staff Agent Arnold F. Arehart

for LIENVOY.

Security Service Officers. sury operate a cone verican

They operated a concealed

passport camera and photographed incoming passengers'

passports from the Cubana flights.

No outgoing passports

were photographed because the facilities for departures

located at the other end of the airport and not

feasible for the number of available agents at our disposal.

the purpose of the passport camera operation was

to identify the Soviets arriving via Havana.

us with a list of the incoming passengers on the

flights.

(50-6-91/4 Job 67-200/50, Box 13). LIENVOY

telephone tap operation against the Cuban Embassy and

provided transcripts of conversations with the Cubana Office

and the Mexican Airport Control Office.

I checked with Robert Feldmann who said he thought all of the

Cubana flights were passenger flights. A review of the transcripts for

the Commercial Office of the Cuban Embassy for late 1963 indicates that they

were shipping large quantities of automobile parts, foods and medicines

from Mexico City to Havana by Cubana Airlines.

Statements to clients on

what day they could

send cargo and packages by Cubana led me to the

conclusion that all the flights to Mexico City from Havana could carry

passengers but some of the flights out were basically cargo (with the

capability of also carrying a few passengers).

From manifests, it appears

that Cubana made a flight from Havana to Mexico City and return every

other day.

There was a flight on 22,

25, and 27 November 1963.

22 and 25 November flights carried passengers.

The 27th November flight

carried 75 passengers to Mexico and

returned with LOPEZ and it is believed

• a plane load of cargo. (LITEMPO passenger list attached).

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