Agency: FBI
Originator: FBI
From: SAC, MM
To: DIRECTOR, FBI
Document date: 09/22/1964
Document type: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

## Page 1

Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Aot of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Hote).

DATE: 11-14-2017

JFK Assassination System

Date:

6/8/2015

Identification Form

Agency Information

AGENCY: FBI

RECORD NUMBER: 124-10222-10166

RECORD SERIES: HQ

AGENCY FILE NUMBER: 97-4133-3RD NR 118

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: FBI

FROM: SAC, MM

TO:

DIRECTOR, FBI

TITLE:

DATE: 09/22/1964

• PAGES:

8

SUBJECTS:

DOCUMENT TYPE:

CLASSIFICATION :

RESTRICTIONS :

CURRENT STATUS :

DATE OF LAST REVIEW:

SPANISH VESSEL, SIERRA ARANZAZU, SUSP, MRR, CIA

PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

Secret

1B; 1C; 4

Redact

06/10/1998

OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE

COMMENTS:

INC LHM

v9.1

DocId: 32298390

15

Page 1

---

## Page 2

Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107

hotel:

DATE: T1-14-2017

&c

REASON-

DATE UE

STREN

AIR MAIL SPECI

•9/88/04

ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED

HEREIN IS UNCLASSIFIED EXCEPT

WHERE SHOWN OTHERWISE.

WAVEST

REGISNSEGD

copies made

for review at FBIHQ by.

TO :

DIRECTOR, FBI

HSCA 3.14.78

SAC...

(P)

ATTACK 01

SPANI EXA

VESSEL

NSIERRA

ARANZAZU",

1964

NEUITALITY NATTERE

Classified bysg69gh/bcrom

100"

EXAMI)

(O5RmB/6021-6)9/84-3412)

Benyairtols and

1 Lls 0/17,20,31/69

ped nytole

9/21, 22/64 contioned

ActIon

"Secret Organisation of

Contiacatal

(ОЗАС) ".

Enclosed

13 coplen

dated

as above,

catre eopy being for

Bufile 91-4138 re

disconineted locally to INS,

captlened

Copies

Border

CIA HAS NO OBJECTION TO

DECLASSIFCATIOR AND/OR,

RELEASE OF CIA INFORMATION

Patrol, Coast

Guard, Custons,

C2 and

MKH

NN TAl 1s PSI (under devolennont) ANGEL MARCO. XM)

DOCUMENT.

BN3 T-3 15 11-776-S.A/M)

3-6-98

10M1

T-3 1011-315

B30031/1

JFK)

NING

LOSI DIRGINIA DUBREZE de GINSBIA,

Donidean

THIS

Vide

Consul

The

Uma 1a classifiod Confidential because

tains into inplicating the

unk-in this attack and

CIA

has operational intereet 1a

the

tith, unanthorized

disclosure

of this late could have an adverse effect on

diplopatie

the dolense and

Antoreets o1 this country.

Д(U)

Sureau (Ene. 13) (AMSD) (RH)

Bon Juan (Ence. 1)(2080) (AH) (01)

1id arad

2. - 97-327

(SIRE)

1 → 105-9002 (OSAC)

197-4133

NOT RHOORDED

71 OCT 141964

11210:601

ENCLOSURE

SECRET

OCT 15 1964mKk

DocId: 32298390

Page 2

И)

ORIGINAL FILED IN

1877-20

---

## Page 3

Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Note).

DATE: 11-14-2017

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

In Reply, Please Refer to

File No.

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

Miami, Florida

September 22, 1964

ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED

HEREIN IS UNCLASSIFIED EXCEPT.

WHERE SHOSIN CTHEBIVISE

Re:

ATTACK ON SPANISH VESSEL

"SIERRA ARANZAZU"

SEPTEMBER 13, 1964

NEUTRALITY MATTERS

BACKGROUND

7/1618

fucklin

REASON-FOUL FI,

DATE OF RAVIEW 1/22/8/

Reference is made to previous memoranda

entitled

"Secret Organization of Continental Action (OSAC)" relating

to reports that the Spanish merchant vessel "Sierra Aranzazu"

was attacked off Great Inagua, Bahamas, on September 13,1964.

It is noted, as previously reported, that the Sep-

tember 16, 1964 issue

of the "Miami

News" a daily newspaper

published

at Miami, contained an article stating that one

Telmo Alvarez had

called a news agency (United Press Inter-

national) and claimed his group, the Secret Organization of

Continental Action (OSAC), was responsible for this attack.

In contradiction to this claim, it is noted that

Juan Mesa Rodriguez, a member of OSAC, when interviewed on

September 21, 1964,

said he had not been consulted prior to

the press notification claiming OSAC responsibility and that

OSAC had not been connected in any way with the attack upon

bonected in

the "Sierra Aranzazu". 4/m)

It is also noted that on September 18, 1964, MM T-1,

a Cuban exile with contacts. in the Movimiento de Recuperacion

Revolucionaria (MRR), an anti-Castro organization based in the

Caribbean, furnished information which he had received from

associates in the MRR to the effect that two launches and a

large boat operated by MRR personnel participated in the attack

on the Spanish merchant vessel,

in the mistaken belief they

were attacking a Cuban vessel. (Y)m)

CURRENT INVESTIGATION

The following additional investigation was conducted

in order to resolve this matter:

69l94

97-410

DocId: 32298390 Page 3

---

## Page 4

Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Hotej?

DATE: 11-14-2017

SECRET

Re: Attack on Spanish Vessel "Sierra Aranzazu", September 13, 1964

said Los Juramentados was definitely not involved in the attack.

They suggested the possibility that Castro had ordered the

attack to embarrass the United States,

but said they had no

information to support this theory.

M)

IV.

MISCELLANEOUS

Antonio Perez Quesada, 365 Northwest North River

Drive, Miami, a Cuban exile who is currently occupied as a

fisherman in the Bahamas,

and who in the past participated

in some

attacks on the north coast of Cuba, advised on Sep-

tember 22, 1964,

that he had no knowledge concerning the

identity of the people who attacked the Spanish vessel.

He

expressed the opinion that the boats involved would have had

to be either very large boats or to have been based at a 10-

in a st

cation near the eastern end of Cuba, since the attack occurred

too far from the

United States to have been launched from

this country.s/n)

On september 22, 1964, MM T-2, a Cuban refugee with

some knowledge of pro- and anti-Castro activities in the Miami

area, reported that on the evening of September 19, 1964, he

had overheard a conversation going on among a small group.of

exiled Cuban newspaper men regarding the sinking of the

Spanish vessel on September 13, 1964.

MM T-2 said the news

paper men agreed that the ship had been attacked by a launch

of the Cuban Navy and, according to this source, agreed on

this theory because it was unacceptable to them

that the at

tack could have been made by an anti-Castro group due to the

long-standing friendship between Cuba and Spain, as well as

the fact that

to Cuban exiles

espay has

been giving considerable assistance

MM T-3

Cuban withht

police and private investigator

irty years! experience as a S

and who maintains contac

with some sources in Cubal

advised on September 22, 1964,

- 4

SECRET

DocId: 32298390 Page 4

---

## Page 5

Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Notej

DATE: 11-14-2017

RFCREM

Re: Attack on Spanish Vessel "Sierra Aranzazu", September 13, 1964

that the majority of Cuban exiles in Miami believed that this

attack was made by forces directed by Fidel Castro in order

to embarrass the United States and perhaps to make the oper

ation of Cuban exiles against Cuba more difficult in the

futureda

MM T-3 also reported that the 'Cuban Government gun-

boat "24 de Febrero" had been in the immediate area of this

attack and that very shortly thereafter Cuban radio stations

were claiming that United States planes had interfered with

the intended rescue operations of

the Cuban gunboat.

MM T-3

added that the principal Cuban exile organizations in the

Miami

area have

denied any knowledge as to who had directed

the attacken

MM T-4 Xa Dominican With excellent contacts in of

ficial Dominican

he had

Circles, advised on September 22, 1964, that CS.

Miami

been talking to a Cuban exile who travels between

and the Dominican Republic

This Cuban advised MM T4

that

the general opinion in the Dominican Republic was that

this attack had been made by Cuban exiles based in the

Dominican Republiq.4

This document

contains neither recommendations nor conclusions

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.

SECRED

DocId: 32298390 Page 5

---