Agency: FBI
Originator: FBI
From: KNAPP, WADE E.
To: LEG, MX
Document date: 03/17/1964
Document type: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

## Page 1

Moleased under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (41 USC 2107

DATE: 11-14-2017

Identification Form

• TIM----

Agency Information

AGENCY:

FBI

RECORD NUMBER:

124-10239-10175

RECORD SERIES:

MX

AGENCY FILE NUMBER :

105-3702-468

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: FBI

FROM:

KNAPP, WADE E.

TO: LEG, MX

TITLE:

DATE:

PAGES:

SUBJECTS:

03/17/1964

4

LHO, POST-RP, INTV, RIVERA, MANUEL VICENTE PORRAS

DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

CLASSIFICATION : Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS :

4

CURRENT STATUS :

Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 01/24/1995

OPENING CRITERIA:

INDEFINITE

COMMENTS :

DOdId: 32183965

Page

4

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## Page 2

Released

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

Hotel.

DATE: 11-14-2017

FINAL PERM MU

MAY 1962 EDITION

GSA GEN. REG. NO. 27

UNITED STATES GUVERNMENT

Memorandum

TO

..

(CONFI

ENTIAL

LEGAT, MEXICO (105-3702)

DATE:

3/17/64

FROM :

SUBJECT:

SA WADE E. KNAPP

LEE-HARVEY OSWALD, aka

IS -R - CUBA

DECLASSIFIED BI 304& PWTIANA

08.

3/18/8

MANUEL VICENTE PORRASI RIVERA

2(2)

on 3/2/64, HARRY KUSHNER,

Consul, American Embassy,

San Jose,

Costa Rica, determined from his records that MANUEL

Va 1a 205 ma 222

_ PORRAS RIVERA was issued a B-2 (Visitors) visa on 9/13/63,

valid for multiple entries until 9/13/67.

This individual

was in possession of Costa Rican passport #6093-63. He was

born 3/21/37 at San Jose, Costa Rica.

He was described as

white, male, 5' 7"

, with

brown hair and brown eyes, a Costa

Rican citizen and single. His address was shown as 500 yards

south of El Oriente Grocery Store in Escazu, Costa Rica.

requested the visa to visit Miami for 15 days as a tourist

said he expected to depart on 9/15/63.

on 3/2/64, Capta1n GONZALO

ARAYA,

Second in Charge,

security Agency, San Jose:

advised that MANUEL, VICENTE PORRAS

RIVERA 18 a Costa Rican citizen in possession of Costa Ricar

Identification No. 1-254-529.

He was born on 3/2/37. His

parents were VICENTE PORRAS and RUTH RIVERA. CU

Captain ARAYA advised that approximately six months

ago PORRAS had contacted him and stated he was going to try

to go to cuba.

He wanted to know whether Captain ARAYA was

Interested in his making the trip as he said he wanted to

furnish information

he might obtain in Cuba.

Captain ARAYA

advised that PORRAS' parents have a bakery in Escazu, a small

town located just outside of San Jose. He said that he con-

sidered PORRAS more or less of a vagabond and did not encourage

him to make the trip.

He was unable to state whether PORRAS

tried to travel to cuba but stated he would make him

avallable for interview on the following day. Aul

on 3/3/64, CURMINAT MONGE LAZCARES.. Section Chtef,

Immigration Department, San Jose,

advised his-records rerlect fly

CLASS. & HXT

REASON-FCIM

BY seEK/eN/AMe 9-5-79

WEK: mms

(1)

•DATE OE REV

ALL INFORMATSON CONRAINED

HEREIN IS UNCL

SiFIED

EXCEPT WHERE SHOW

RIHERITE A

DocId: 32183965

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CONFID

ENTIAL

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## Page 3

Released under The Jöhn F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 F

Mote). DATE: 11-14-2017

MC 105-3702

"CONFIDENTIAL

that MANUEL V. PORRAS RIVERA left Costa RIca on 9/15/63 for

the United States. He returned to Costa Rica on 10/11/63. 82)

on 3/3/63, MANUEL VICENTE PORRAS RIVERA

was Inter-

viewed and furnished the following information. Cu

He advised his father owns the PORRAS Bakery in

Escazu, Costa Rica, and said that he 1s in charge of the

bakery during the night shift. He advised that the Communist

situation In Cuba has worried him and said he decided he

would try to make a trip to Cuba in order to ascertain the

true conditions there to make this information available to

interested authorities.

In furtherance of this idea, he left

San Jose in mid-September, 1963, for Miami, Florida.

There

he contacted an anti-Castro Cuban and volunteered his services.

He was put in contact with several other Individuals who

advised

that they did not believe he could be of any service

to them.

thereafter, he left Miami for Merida, Yucatan, Mexico,

where he contacted the Cuban Consul on several occasions and

tried to get a visa to visit Cuba.

When the Cuban Consul in

Merida refused him a visa,

he traveled to Mexico City and

registered at a small hotel located about three or four blocks

from the Palace of Fine Arts.

On a Saturday, the exact date

of which he did not recall but which was apparently 9/28/63,

he called at the Cuban Embassy in Mexico City but was stopped

by a guard or watchman outside the building and Informed that

the Embassy was not open. He was told to return on the

following Monday.

PORRAS RIVERA did not again try to contact

the Cuban Embassy.

He said that several days later he left

Mexico City at about 8:00 or 9:00 P.M. by bus for Nuevo

Laredo.

He recalled that shortly before arriving at Monterrey,

Nuevo Leon, he changed buses to Nuevo Laredo where he left

Mexico and entered

the United States at Laredo, Texas.

was unable to recall the time he arrived in the United States

but said the time was about 3:00 or 4:00 P.M. on the day

following his departure from Mexico City.

At approximately

4:00 P.M. on the same date he boarded a bus at Laredo for

Dallas, Texas. This bus, he recalled, was of the Greyhound

Bus Iine.

He spent several days in Dallas and then traveled

cave and then , turned to, san joe, Conta ta 20(2)

or five

days and then returned to San Jose, Costa Rica.

He was shown a photograph of LEE HARVEY OSWALD but

stated he was almost certain he had not seen the individual

pictured therein either while he was trying to establish

contact with the Cuban Embassy, Mexico City, or enaroute to

the United states.

In fact, he felt quite certain he had

never seen the Individual pictured therein. FU

CONED Y

NTIAN

105-3702-468

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DocId: 32183965

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

DATE: 11-14-2017

MC 105-3702

ICONFIDENTIAE

A photograph of PORRAS RIVERA as contained on the

visa application which was made available by HARRY

KUSHNER

on 3/2/64 Ja being made an exhibit an thia 111e 12)

EDWARD BASTIEN

on 3/12/64,

acquainted with

but had never heard of EDWARD BASTIEN.

He presonally con-

tacted the Franciscan Order and was advised that EDWARD BASTIEN

was not known to the members of that order in Guatemala CIty. MU

on 3/12/64, records of the Citizenship Section,

American Embassy, Guatemala CIty, were checked by FRANCIS

ARENZ, Vice Consul, without locating any Identifiable Infor-

mation.

Mr. ARENZ

advised that there was no record that

BASTIEN had ever registered as an American citizen at the

Embassy, had not applied for a passport, there, or requested

any other service.

He said the American Embassy, Guatemala

City, has not issued identification cards for about five years.

There was no complete recora oi

those which had been issued

by the Embassy in the past.d

had never heard of EDWARD BASTIEN.

on 3/12/64, CHARLES MAHER,

Sales and Traffic Manager,

PAA, Guatemala City,

checked the manifest of PAA Flight 502

from Guatemala City to Mexico City of 10/1/63 without locating

the name of EDWARD BASTIEN among the passengers.

He also

searched the publication of the American Society in Guatemala

but found no record of BASTIEN. AMMU

on 3/13/64, EMILIO AGUIRRE

Head of the Foreigners

section, Immigration Department, Guatemala City, checked his

records without locating any Identifiable information on

BASTIEN. He advised that he

felt certain BASTIEN was not a

resident of Guatemala. *U

Consul General of Mexico

-3 -

CONFIXENTIA

105-3702-468

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Moteased under the John P. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 Cal USe 2107

DATE: 11-14-2017

MC 105-3702

JAIN. CONFIRENTIAL

After his name, BASTIEN l1sted the Initials "B. M. T." Не

showed his age as 56 and birthplace as Montreal, Canada.

claimed to be a United States citizen and a tourist in

Guatemala.

He displayed Identification Card #67145 dated

9/20/50, not further identifiea.

His Guatemala City address

was shown as Plaza Motel.

AlU

on 3/13/64, ABIGAIL DE CASTILIO, wife of the owner,

Plaza Motel, ascertained from her records

that EDWARD BASTIEN

had arrived at the motel on 9/27/63.

He registered showing

his nationality as American.

He stated he was 56 years of age,

a priest, and was from Elgin, Texas. She said he was in

possession of Guatemalan Tourist Card #45801 Issued in Tapachula,

Mexico.

Mrs. CASTILLO stated that she felt certain that he

had arrived by plane. Her records showed that BASTIEN did

not stay at the motel on the night of 9/28/63 but returned

on the night of 9/29/63 and remained there until 10/1/63.

She

but was unable to furnish his destination.

BASTIEN as a tall Individual with

a rather red face, and she

said he spoke good Spanish.

4.

CONtENTIaN

105-3702-468

DocId: 32183965

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