AMWORLD- -SHOWDOWN MEETING BETWEEN AMBIDDY-1 AND ERACERB-1, WEEK OF 29 JULY 1963
Originator: CIA
Document date: 08/22/1963
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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2023 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

22August 1963

MEETING WITH AMBIDDY -1, 13-17 August 1963

SUBJECT: AMWORLD--Showdown Meeting Between AMBIDDY - 1

and ERACERB-1, Week of 29 July 1963

Synopsis

The following is AMBIDDY-l's description of a showdown with

ERACERB-1. There

were no witnesses present and, needless-to emphasize,

A-1 put the best possible face upon his performance in this crucial meeting.

Its tenor, we are inclined to accept as probably true. On the other hand, it

would be premature to conclude that ERACERB-1 has in fact abandoned his

grandiloquent invasion plans. He may have merely shelved them until such

time as he determines that A-l is so deeply committed in Nicaragua that he

has no choice but support ERACERB-l's strategy. Also, the problems posed

by other, competing exile organizations may not actually have been resolved

to A-l's ultimate satisfaction. A-l's forthcoming (ETD o/a 21 Aug 1963)

visit to Nicaragua may give a clearer reflection of what he has in effect been

able to accomplish.

1. The last meeting between AN BIDDY- 1 and ERACERB-1 took

place in the home of the latter. Present were AMBIDDY-1, ERACERB-1 and

Capt. Perez. The latter part of the meeting was between them alone.

2. ERACERB-I gave AMBIDDY-I the maps and the aerial photo-

graphs of Puerto Nuevo. Capt. Perez was then asked to leave.

3.

ERACERB-1 stated that he had been called by ERLOOP-1 from

Miami to tell him that Tony Varona and Prio desired totalk with ERACERB-1.

He would receive them in order to set their minds at rest and tomake sure

that they bother niether Nicaragua nor AMBIDDY-1. The latter availed

himself of this opportunity to tell ERACERB-1 the following:

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4. "I know that you have talked to a great number of people in

Miami. Many of these people claim that you have promised them help. I

want to clarify something. The group of individuals that help me financially

are not willing to give one solitary cent to people who are not with my

group. In other words if there is going to be aid for many groups you can

rest assured that I will have to leave Nicaragua and go to another country,

and assuredly you will have support of these other groups yourself. Our

plans are going to be carried out by myself and the boys who are with me.

One of the reasons why we left PBPRIME was because we refused to execute

plans which had not been drawn up by us. If my bost suspect that these plans

will not be directed by them and myself, they will refuse to come to Nicaragua.

Besides, if you reach political understandings with some of the old politicians,

those commitments will bind you but will not bind us.

Under no circum-

stances will we obey political directives from discredited politicians. The

only door that opened to us and through which we could invade Cuba at the

Bay of Pigs was Nicaragua. For this reason I am very indebted to you. It

has demonstrated to me that what they say about a' dictatorship in Nicaragua

is false. But other Latin American countries do not know what I know about

Nicaragua. If l ally myself with these old politicians, the Latin American

people will know that this is an imposition. I don't wish to gain the reputa-

tion of

no being an individual who has had things imposed lupon him. Also, I

am/willing to permit other Latin Americans to say that you, in order to

help Cuba, imposed your will upon us. And that is what people will say if

I unite with those old politicians.

These politicians, when they are out of

hearing, say that Nicaragua has a dictatorship. They are now, hypocritically,

coming to you and asking that there be a coordination of all these groups.

ion upon AMBIDDY-L.

prestige, but I am interested in mine. A-

•d l am interested in your prestige.

I have received letters from the undergound in Cuba saying they thought you

are a bad man.

(A-1 admitted that these letters are nutional.) They thought

so until they heard that you were helping me. Since they know me they

assume that ERACERB-1 must be a democrat. I have a reputation of being

a revolutionary and a democrat. I want to help to disprove the ill repute

of your being a dictator. If I unite with those old politicians, I will lose

my reputation and you will lose yours.

I want to help you because I

realize that the bad reputation which you have acquired is a result of

Communist intrigue.

At a time when other Latin American countries are

very silent about communism, you are willing to take strong action. In

order to help you I will have to overthrow Fidel Castro. And in order to

overthrow Fidel Castro I have to be able to call on the help of the Cuban

people. In order to rely on the help of the Cuban people I must try to pre-

serve the reputation I enjoy with them. In order to do so, I cannot afford

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io ally myself with this gang of crooks. Only in this way will I be able one

day. to stand on Cuban soil and say that it was ERACERB-1, the defender of

democracy, who enabled me to liberate Cuba. It is then when all like

minded Latin American governments will join in fighting communism. And

the indisputable leader will be yourself.

I can learn a great deal from you

in the field of international politics, strategy, tactics.

As far as the

feelings of the Cuban

people are concerned, this is something I understand. "

5. ERQCERB-1 told AMBIDDY -I that he had let him talk without

saying anything because he wanted to know how he felt. Now, A-1 could

be completely convinced that all, absolutely all, that ERACERB-1 had done

was designed to set up AMBIDDY-1 as indisputable leader of the resistance

("the Cuban question"). ERACERB-1 would never fail A-1. While it is

perhaps true that ERACERB-1 had taken some bad steps, this was only to

help A-1. Under no circumstances did he want A -1 to share the prestige

with someone else. He wanted A-l to always speak frankly with him because

it was not true that he does notunderstand the Cubans. Some of the things

that he has believed were in error. A-l shouldn't worry about that.

Whatever doubts A-l had, ERACERB-1 would clear up immediately.

He was completely in accordance with whatever A-l had said.

He knew

that many calumnies had been spread about him. He knew that perhaps

the only individual who could clear him among the Americas was A-1.

He understood that Carlos Prio did not have the prestige to say that

ERACERB-1 was not a dictator.

Besides, Prio says many things today and

others tomorrow. Prio was one of the men who had launched an invasion

against Nicaragua in the days of ERACERB-l's father and he would never

forget it. He understood that many men ho had listened to him never

declared themselves to him in public, bu talked badly of the Nicaraguan

government once outside of Nicaragua. That the only one who had never

rejected Nicaragua in any way and declared himself a friend of ERACERB-1

was A-l who should rest assured that all of ERACERB-1's activilics were

for the purpose of helping A -1.

6. After this discourse, A-l told him that AMWORLD-2 had

called to say that ERLOOP-1 had created a mess in Miami, drawing up lists

of candidates, recurits and other things. A-1 told ERACERB-1 that it was

his impression that ERLOOP was recruiting on his own. This plan, A-1

pointed out, will not work because his camps were going to be small camps.

ERACERB-1 could imagine 10 thousand Cubans who want to fight. Where

will we keep them? Who will take care of 10 thousand Cubans? Who is

obstruct the progress of A-l's work and would be fatal for his plans.

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Besides, it would jeopardize the security of his project.

7. ERACERB-1, in answering, accepted full blame for ERLOOP-l's

activities, having told him, thinking of a subsequent invasion, to recruit

Cubans willing to participate in it. ERACERB-1 promised to order ERLOOP-1

the following day when he was expected hime, to suspend permanently all

recruiting. A-1 is sure of this because Capt. Perez told him that ERACERB-1

in fact told ERLOOP-1 to stop recruiting.

8. A-I took the opportunity of ERACERB-l's mention of an

invasion to make the following observations: Had ERACERB-1 considered

that if there is an invasion of Cuba, the liberators of Cuba will be the

PBPRIMERS, not he: Conversely, he should understand that by engaging

in this type of war (i.e., unconventional) which can be won, prestige re-

garding the liberation of Cuba will belong to A-1 since it was ERACERB-1

who granted the bases for this type of war. "You don't understand that we

with our spirit and with our youth, and with our guerrilla groups, we can

destroy Castro and make Cuba the first nation which freed itself from

communism. This impact upon the international scene would be lost if

there is an irvasion from outside.

This would be another warlike act, not a

liberation of the country itself. "

9. ERACERB-1 conceded that there was going to be many obstacles

for an invasion. But he was going to see if some type of guarantee could be

obtained so that A-l would not be abandoned. A-i rejoined that it would be

necessary to work and accomplish the end result without a guarantee.

"Our problem is that we have always asked for guarantees and that they have

failed us. Let us work with full confidense in our own resources. Anything

else would be foolingourselves. Althoughithey give us guarantees, they don't

keep them. You are very intelligence and you understand international

politics. In the international field there are not guarantees." ERACERB-1

conceded that perhaps A-l was right. They parted with a warm embrace.

ADI.

Henry D. Hecksher

Distribution:

1 - COS, Managua

1 - COS, JMWAVE

1- Policy

1 - Liaison w/ Nic

1 - ERACERB-1 201

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