ROLANDO MASFERRER TRIAL.
Agency: CIA
Originator: CIA
From: DCI
To: HOUSTON, LAWRENCE, GEN COUNSEL, CIA
Document date: 11/1/67
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION FORM

AGENCY INFORMATION

AGENCY : CIA

RECORD NUMBER

: 104-10104-10269

RECORD

SERIES

JFK

AGENCY FILE

NUMBER

80T01357A

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

Released under the John

C. kennedu

Assassination Records

Collection Act of 1992

144 0SC 2107 Notel.

Case#:NW 53294 Date:

06-14-2017

AGENCY ORIGINATOR : CIA

FROM

TO

: HOUSTON, LAWReNCE,

GEN COUNSEL, CIA

DCI

TITLE

ROLANDO MASFERRER TRIAL.

DATE

11/01/1967

PAGES

2

SUBJECTS

:

TRIAL

MASFERRER, ROLA

DOCUMENT TYPE : PAPER

CLASSIFICATION

: SECRET

RESTRICTIONS :

CURRENT STATUS

OF LAST REVIEW

COMMENTS

: JFK37 : F12

RELEASED IN PART PUBLIC - RELEASED WITH DELETIONS

: 1993.07:28.09:18:59:430620

[R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED

104-10104-10269

HH 53294

DocId: 32398119

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Indiah

SECRET

OGC 67-2059

1 November 1967

MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence

SUBJECT:

Rolando Masferrer Trial

1. This memorandum is for information.

2. During the past year we have spent a good deal of time

working with the Department of Justice and the U. S. Attorney in

Miami on possible problems in connection with the trial of Rolando

Masferrer which begins on 6 November 1967. Masferrer was

arrested by Bureau of Customs officials for violation of the

Neutrality Act when he and a number of other Cubans and some

Haitians were about to embark on an expedition against Haiti.

An indictment was obtained shortly thereafter against Masferrer

and certain selected members of his band. Neither we nor Justice

was informed of the arrest ahead of time, but we raised a question

with the Departments of State and Justice as to whether there

should be an indictment. State's strong desire for prosecution

of this particular group prevailed over our worries.

3. We see several areas of possible trouble for us. From

the start, Masferrer has indicated that he would claim that the

Central Intelligence Agency knew about and endorsed the expedition.

In fact, practically everyone in Florida, including CIA knew about

the expedition, but our Station made every effort to keep away from

it and any Cubans and Haitians associated with it. Our association

with Masferrer started in the late 1940s but was cut off completely

in the early 1950g. Certain members of the expedition, however,

had had more recent contacts with the Agency.

4. The second area of concern arises from the fact that

certain individuals associated, directly or indirectly, with

Masferrer have also cropped up in the Garrison investigation.

SECRET

CA059 1

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ECRET

in New Orleans.

We cannot predict any specific problems here

except that information developed in Miami may well be grist

to Garrison's mill.

5. Another point involves one David Cabeza, who has

done fairly extensive work for us and may be called as a witness.

He would probably be willing to talk about his activities for us

if such testimony were admissible in evidence. Hopefully the

Government lawyers can prevent this.

6.

The defense has stated it will call as a witness

Cesario Diosado. He is a Bureaù of Customs official who became

so involved in working with us that for the past few years we

have been reimbursing Customs for his salary and he has actually

been under our direction. He participated in the arrest of

Masferrer and the others. It is possible his relationship with

us will come out during the trial.

7. All of these points have been discussed in detail with

the Department of Justice in the hope that it might drop the

indictment. It is under pressure from two points, however.

The Department of State very much wants to get a conviction under

the Neutrality Act, particularly after the failure of the B-26 case

in Buffalo last year. Obviously, the Masferrer case looks like

an ideal one to prosecute from its point of view. Secondly,

CBS worked with Masferrer's group and apparently filmed all

the preparations. It has been cooperating with Justice and has

supplied its film to the U.S Attorney. Since this apparently

provides convincing information of a gross violation of the Neutrality

Act, Justice feels there is no logical explanation it can be given for

dropping the indictment. As our worries are purely speculative

and we cannot predict with any certainty that we will be involved,

I do not believe we have sufficient ammunition to contest Justice!s.

position. Justice has spent a great deal of time studying our

problems and certainly will make every effort to control the

situation insofar as we are concerned.

8. One of my lawyers, Mr. John K. Greaney, will be

in Miami working with the U. S. Attorney and his staff throughout

the trial.

s /

cc:

DDCI

DDP

LAWRENCE R. HOUSTON

General Counsel

CI

SECRET

WH subject-KENNEDY ASSASSINATION-GARRISON

SOGC subject-MASFERRER; ROLANDO

CHRONO

OCCUR leb

JKG Signer

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