DEBRIEFING ANTI-CASTRO CUBAN EXILES.
Originator: CIA
From: LA/OPS
To: CONTACT REPORT
Document date: 01/17/1977
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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17 January l9a?

CONTACE REPORT

i

former staffer

8/09 Bay

Pointo !rive

Tampa, Florida 33615

813-881-8510

SUBJECI:

Debriofim, on Training and Denolitions Given to Anti-

Castro Cuban Exiles

PLACE : Holiday Inn (Campa: Airport)

Tampa, Florida

TIME

:

14 January 1977

0900 - 11115 hours

1.

Purpose: To debrief A

on questions posad by tin

Department of Justice regarding anti-Castro Cuban exilos.

Theso

questions, in general, covered training and explosives/detonatio

derices given to these exiles.

2. Maeting:

came to my motel room (503) on Friday

morning at 0900 and departed.

at 1645. During this time, both of us

sat, in easy charis in front of a picture ridor on the ith foor -tir.

did 95% of the talking.

Neither of us got up during this veriod,

a stroch of almost 8 hours.

A. was most intertaining, out only

marginally informative as to specific details on the questions prober

to him. Ho spins a good story and remembers people and places very

well.

Ity bona fidos for the meeting vas a call fron!s. Sheila

O'Neilto A a day beforo I arrived in Tampa.

is a littio

goosy, because of a DEA connection (bolow), and checked if out thru

à phone call to the motel by his wife. Incidentally, I used trus

name with

4 1

3. Results: A covered the following topica with me:

Training: On Panama and the facilities used, the best

could remember, Ft. Shernan was open in about August or

September 1960 to train Cubans for about a 2 to 3 month period.

There were about 40 to 50 men, mostly ARTIME followers.

When it was

docidod a bigger group would be noeded, which later bocame Brigado

2506, these people were sent to Rotalhulou (Guitomala) araxath in

about November 1960. Actually, the group was split, with some going

to Guatemala and. others. to. the New. Orleans. area.

As to other tralning.

in Panana,

lhas no knowledre. (NOTE:

A surgested that Mr.

«A, », retired staffer currently in the New Orleans arra,

might be

a good source.

As Iwas C/Ops for the invasion Task Force,

as wadl as Deputy for PM and C/Ops for JIMlAVE at one time.)

S-E-C-i-E-T

i, A., is

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Suerties:

As lo explosives, tino delay fuses, revo!!

control dovisas, antontion materials, etc. riven to thare exilor,

said, "Look ovor the supply manual for that timo." Apparenile,

the exiles wore given everything that was available and in large

quantities.

A said he just could not bogin to rive me a list

of what had been passed.

Infat Joans: After the Bay of Pirs invasion,

vorkerl with infiltration teans. The Mency worked with those teas

from roughly 1963 to 1956.

Thoy were in two catapories.

The first

wore unilateral teams. training and sponsored by the Meney. The

othor calagory was "political" toans - that is politiel groups in

southern Florida who were sponsoring infiltrations into cuba.

The Agency holpod this later a catacory by riving them supplies.

In the case of both, they usually marlo a caches

in Cuba.

unilateral team, 35

an oxample, would make a cache on island, and

another group would pick it up and use it (conpartmentation).

In some cases, teans. (both unilateral and political) would not

actually make the cache and keep the material in florida, to be

used later at their own convenience,

In addition,

was posittin

that some of Castro's troops obtained some of these caches, due in

foul-ups and snitches.

These caches containes pistols, rifles and

hoavier, money and demolitions. Some of the teams cheated by going

to the Bahamas and buryinh their stuff on small islands and reporting

back to Florida that they had cached in Cuba.

stated soveral

timos that there

was no offoctive control over the "political"

groups and thereforo no control ofer the material riven them.

this, me may surmizo

that Agency equipment (demolition included) was

in the hands of anti-Castro Cubans in south Florida, as

well as

'Castro's Rebel Army on-island.

d. Brigade Training: Further to demolition training to

Anti-Castro Cubans,

A reminded me that shortly aftor the Bricade

was ransomed from Cuba, Brigade leaders were taken to Palm Beac

and talked with President Konnedy. At that time, the US Govt offered

Brigade members the chance to join the U.S. amy.

This also included

infil team members, who were completely seperate from the Brigade, and

members of the Brigade airforce.

The Army end of this training was

Biven at Ft. Benning, Georia and began in early 1963. There, Brirade

members entered the U.s. Army at roubly equivalent ranks - officors

were made 2nd Lts.

They received Ranper training, plus. jump trainin.

Thus,

• said, if any exiles wore training, in demolations and related

topics; there bost training was probably pivon at Ft. Benning.

float

of these men wero in the U.s. Army for oither 6 months or one year.

Cubana Bonbing:

was specifically askerl about the

6 October 1976 bonbing the of the Cubana airliner in

the Caribbean.

a I said the street-word among the cuban community in south Florida

Is that the bomb should have gone off in the plane on the ground.

Tho

bombers did not mean to kill all of those people. On BOSCH, the

cormunity does not particularly like him, but admires him becauso he

had been going at Castro tooth and nail for yoars.

They do not like

the idea of terrorism and fault BUSCH and MORALES for this.

S-E-C-R-E-T

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1.

Swing Fevor:

harl road the recent articlos in th

papers about tho introduction of Suing Fever into Cuba by the dey

jn 1972.

Ho had no knowlede of thin.

did ack if co had

checked with DIA???

Ho said when ho had boon with the Amy as a

Specinl Forcos type, it mo unbelievenble what the Army had dome

in Cho do of dio Marfaro inining in the States.

he mentioned an

axeaxi a training exorciso in MYC, when a falo substance was into-

duced into the water of a hotel where Pres. Disenhover was stayin:.

In any event, kirrat

said if Swine fever had been introducer

into Cuba, ho woulon't doubt that the Army/DIA had some hand in it,

espocially if the so-called sources claimed it came out of ft. Galick.

p..

Assassinations by the Aroncy:

said he had absolatoly

no knowledgo of assassinations, attempts or plans, by anyone in the

Agency during his tour.

Not only were they prohibited by the Acerer.

they wore counter-productive. It was explained to him during hi:

Azency tour that there was a good chance of an assascination back

firing; that we (U.S.) are more vulnurable to assassinations than

the Cubans or Soviets. Therefore, as far as he was concorned, thei

vere strictly vorboton.

Ericorializing,

A isaid it was too bad

that the upper-ocholonsdid not believe in this restriction. On top

of that, they approacher mafiosa to help them. (NOTE:

* is

rather anti-Kennedy, especially Bobby, with whom he was in a shoutin;

match during a hearing on the Bay of Pigs invasion.)

h.

Assassination of Peruyero: Juan Jose Feruyero, a Baj

of Pigs voteran and leader of the Brigade 2506, was runned down last

woek as he loft his home in Minni.

said

tho word on tho strea!

amongs the cuban, community is that this was done by the Dol as

a warnin

to the anti-cubans in Miami. Foruyero had no enemies - he was not

into drugs, crimo, politics, etc.

By killiny him, the Cubans verg

warning the community that thoy could strike anywhere and anyono.

Thus, watch out and lay off Cuba and Cuban citizens. If anyono else

had been killed, perhaps the killing could have been blamed on

the mafia, drug dealers, politicians, etc.

A copy of an editorial

from the Tampa' Iribune of 14 Jan 77 is attached, below.

-E-C-R-E-T'

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this care entered

Assassination of Lottalior: inito on assassinations,

§ conversation.

He has no porsonal knowlelie

ol' what happoned. Again, horover, he ravo ne the "stroot word. "

In Miami, tho Cuban community is gaying that the same people who did

ju ocall afored the totaline deerination.

Conto tecticind:

arrangod for the lottalior killine - hired and paid tho killors.

For this reason,

the Chicago family of the Maria is furious with

Traficante, because he is/or will bring heat on the Mafia.

reason for Traficante doing it.???

Fidel Castro hired him and paid

him well to do it.

The word is that Traficanto has been cooperatin:

with tho Dol and Fidel since he departed Cuba.

Fidel vant.od Rossoli

killod, because of Rosseli's part in the assassination attempt againat

Fidel.

emphasizer that that this is not his theory, but worl

from the street in Miami.

j. CBS Show on Cuba:

A said CiS is planning a show

on the "Logacy of the Bay of Pies," which should on broatenst in

about. May 1977.

CBS has already shot seanx interviews in Miami,

including ons with Peruzero (above) before he was killer, plus

covoring the afternath of his assassination.

Currently, the CBS

crew is in Cuba - they hope to filn the beaches at the Pay of Pirs -

which had been suggested to them by

has also been

interviowed and has given his opinions for the TV showing.

In Cuba, the CBS crew hopes to also interion Firel - also at the

surgestion of

No has talked to Tho fellow behind the show is named CRILE and

A l extensivoly.

Accoming to

A l, the sho:

would have boen vory anti-agency in its comments, but ho

has turnod this around almost 180 degrees!ll As planned, the

show will be two hours and shown in May 1977.

k.

Brigado 2505: On the Brigado, A Isaid he had been

an apolitical organization. Individuals of any political shade had

been mombers and politica had not really entored Brigade Association

business.

Last yoar, however, they joined with Orlando BOSCH, amonr

others, to help form COlU. Now, the Brigade is embarrassed and wished

they had never joined CORU. They with-drew shortly after the Cubana

bombing in October 76. However, the damage has been done to the

Brigade Association, which

¡considers a shame.

On the CBS film

(above),

said he was filmed attending an anniversary meating.

This same meeting was where CBS filmed Peruyero.

1.

& DEA: "when

retired from the Agency, ho

moved to Koy Wast. Ho came to the attention of DEA, especially to

Lou Conine, an ex-Agency officer now with DEA.

calls Conine

an SOB and. worse.

He went into a long explaination of his activitios

with DEA in Key West. • In summary, he was a P/A and ran a string of

informants. Because of internal DEA politics, he was blown and left

dangling on astring in Key West. He had to leave town within 24

hours and loft his peoplo (informants) there without calling or

warning thon.

hs a result, he lost friends, prestigo with his

informants (many of them Cuban exiles) and his business in Key West.

In roneral torns, he was treated very shabbily by DEA and regrots

ever having nixod with them. He is still in contact with one of

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- 1s -

our carafficore

decontine to

B will tir:

reburuins to the deeney shortly.

is Tmiliar with the

operation in kay dout.

Another ex-ency emolovoe cat also in-

volvel in

this

operation, ono

• The undersirned knew

Ded he mickly rose

to G5-141 and was diroctin the ley lest oneration.

When it folder, acconting to

was buste? to G5-1.3 an!

sent back to cashington, where he is not working in Dod's Inspoobion

Diviston (similar to our IG Staff).

¡was also aware of anony

ox-Agoncy employso, (fri)

; who was to so to flexico under

DEA "deep cover".

Nccordina. lo

waa lo be involve!

in assassination oporations

arainst Moxican dealera and pushers.

Instead,

ended up in El Paso for about a vear and is no:

in Miami.

The undersigned personally know

know of his spocific assignment within DEA. (MOE:

out did not

while the shore

is a little ramblind, this is the way the debriefine of A, ven

all aftarnoont)

is Manuseript: I had road A.."s monseripl,

"Tho Bay of Firs" beloro doparting Washinaton. Lynch explained that

he hail dict.ded this paper art had a couple of secretarins type it.

out.

It is only in very rough form and he wanted to get his thoughls

down on papor.

15 he indicates in the paper, ho wanted to get tin

facts straight.

lie feals that since he was there and part of the

invasion, he has a unique view point of the Bay of Firs and wants

to see that history reflects his pobition.

As indicated earlier,

A is rather bitter against the Now Frontier, the Kennodgs anl

Camelot.

This is reflocted in his manuscript.

claired that,

much of his papor had been "stolen" in that he explained tho invasion,

for instance, to the CBS crew and they were using somn of his matarial

in the soon to hue be shown program described above. In addition,

mentioned that he hal spoken to the Meney historian - can':

recall his name - un vho is also writing a book (classified) on the

invasion.

As to publication, it coons to be in the dirtant future.

He does not plan to no to a publisher, where he would tar raceive

royalty payments of around 5%.

Rather, he plans to publish on his

own, probably in Miami, and realize close to 1008 profit. It micht

cost him thn in the area of 15,000, but he could realize a profit of

about $30,000 depending on sales.

n.

lalso spoko ahout porsonalitios within the

He mebtioned Ted Shackley, "Dum'Dum"Dimmer, many people in

LAD who had a part in the invasion or JMvAVE.

is a member of

the retired Agency employees association that Dave Phillips formed.

As such, he has appeared several times on Tampa radio and TV shows.

To me, he appears to be an articulato defender of the Agency.

4. Conclusion: For me, this was a most intoresting interviow.

As far as results, the interviow indicated to me that we can rot

broad-brush overviews from retired Agency employaes, and fow details.

To answer specific quostions from Congress and/or the Dopartment of

Justice, we must continue to dig and come up with docurents from

S-F-C-R-E-T

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acancy lilos.

Unfortunatly" these docurants appear to be most

difficult to locate and rotriove, many of thom burker in retire?

file holdings.

5.

Rocormendationa: do should continue to sock information

fron retired arency employees, aspecially when it appears that ther

tree intimately

which we are interosted.

This should be a solective procoss am

used only wien de bolieve tho intiree could contribute to our

immediate inquiry.

The documented facts, howevor, are still neede

to anower questions posed to us officially by other Goverument.

entitios.

4147.

. сё

Grady A Vocker (g

LA/Ops

S-E-C-R-E-T

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