Agency: FBI
Originator: FBI
From: NH
To: HQ
Document date: 10/19/1961
Document type: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

## Page 1

JFK Assassination System

Identification Form

Agency Information

Date:

6/2/2015

AGENCY: FBI

RECORD NUMBER: 124-90110-10075

RECORD SERIES :

HQ

AGENCY FILE NUMBER :

CR 105-83117-91

Released under the John

F. Kennedy

Assassination Records

Collection Act of

1992

$44 USC 2107 Notel .

Case#:NW 54027 Date:

08-25-2017

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: FBI

FROM:

NH

TO: HQ

TITLE:

DATE:

10/19/1961

PAGES:

4

SUBJECTS :

JOSEPH RAYMOND MEROLA

MANUEL ADALBERTO ARQUES DIAZ

DOCUMENT TYPE :

CLASSIFICATION:

PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS : 4

CURRENT STATUS: Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 08/06/1998

OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE

COMMENTS:

LHM

v9.1

HH 54027

15

DocId: 32334082

Page 1

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## Page 2

In Reply, Please Refer to

File No.

UÑITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

New Haven, Connecticut

October 19, 1961

RE:

MANUEL ADALBERTO ARQUES DIAZ

BERNARD HOLMES

BRENNAN, Main street, mooaus

Connecticut, u

october 15, 1961, furnished the following information to

Special Agent Thomas M.

MANUEL ADALBERTO ARQUES DIAZ:

Murphy, regarding his association with zulen

BRENNAN first met ARQUES some time in February 1960. ARQUES was

publicity director with the Cuban Tourist Commission at Miami,

Florida, and BRENNAN was then employed as Travel Editor of the

Miami Beach Sun, a local newspaper at Miami Beach. He related

that some time late in February or early March 1960, ARQUES asked

him to go to work for the Cuban Government. ARQUES

informed him

that he could be very helpful to the Cuban Government in his .

position.

He stated

ARQUES made arrangements for him to meet his,

ARQUES, bOSs, JUANORIA, who was secretary to firines trout the

BRENNAN flew to Havana,

Cuba, via Pan American

middle of March 1960 and was met at the airport by Captain ALFREDO

GURRE, who was head of Cuban Intelligence at the time.

He stated.

that GURREA escorted him to the home of JUAN ORTA where he remained

with ORTA for

a period of approximately five hours.

BRENNAN stated

that during this visit, ORTA asked him to obtain the following:

Fi Lit

1.

Information about JOSEPH MEROLA, Miami Beach, and

Sir SIDNEY OAKES of Nassau.

BRENNAN, had contracted to

Both, according to

sell arms to Cuba but

had diverted these arms to the Dominican Republic.

ORTA desired information as to where these arms were

being storedon Nassau.

2.

Information regarding a Cuban counter-revolutionary

group in Nassau.

3.

Information regarding an individual he, BRENNAN, later

identified as

CHARLES TOPEINO, StoCk ISlandFOr102

who owned aircraft and

small boats which were making

trips to Cuba.

ALL IRFORMATION CONTANSE

EREN IS URCLASSIFIED

DATE 319S BY SEEMACIET

COPIES DESTROYED

16 SEP 1 0 1974

105-83117-91

ENCLOSURE

54027 DooId: 32334082

Page 2

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## Page 3

RE: MANUEL ADALBERTO ARQUES DIAZ

BRENNAN advised that ORTA instructed him to furnish whatever

iN =

BRENNAN stated that ORTA agreed to pay him $250 per month, which

payment he would receive from ARQUES.

He was also asked to

introduce ARQUES to prominent people in the Miami area.

He related that he remained in Havana for two days and upon his

return to Miami

conferred with ARQUES who was already aware of

ORTA's instructions to him.

He advised that the following

weekend he went to Nassau and obtained the following information

which he furnished to ARQUES fOr ORTA:

Information relating to one "SKIPPY

find i

HENDERSON, head

of the Bahamian Customs Office, who was working with

JOSEPH MEROLA and Sir SIDNEY OAKES in their arms

delivery with the Dominican Republic.

Ita

Information regarding an

anti-Castro group on Nassau

near the "Cat and Fiddle" Club, which was headed by

DIAZ LANZ.

Information regarding the storage of arms on Grand

Bahama Island below the airstrip and on Nassau

near the "Cat and Fiddle" Club.

BRENNAN stated

that ARQUES sent this information over to ORTA

by private plane. A man named SHERGALIS, whose plane was later

shot down in Cuba, was the courier between ARQUES and ORTA.

BRENNAN advised

that he later furnished a report to ARQUES

regarding JOSEPH MEROLA, Sir SIDNEY OAKES, and SIDNEY

/NEUBAUER and their arms

purchases for the Dominican Republic.

third report was furnished to ARQUES which gave a rundown

on the background operations

and identity of employees of

CHARLES TOPEINO, Stock Island, Florida.

BRENNAN stated this

was all furnished to ARQUES at the request of ORTA.

2.

NW 54027 DooId:32334082 Page 3

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## Page 4

RE: MANUEL ADALBERTO ARQUES DIAZ

BRENNAN advised that in April 1960 he again met with

Captain ALFREDO GURREA and JUAN ORTA in GURREA's office

in Havana.. He stated that they desired more information

regarding the source of MEROLA's arms and wanted, him to

set up an arms deal for them with MEROLA. He related that

he did make an arms deal with JOSEPH MEROLA and also with

SIDNEY NEUBAUER, who agreed to sell sub-machine guns and

grenades to Cuba. He stated he furnished this information

along with price list to ARQUES. He added that the only other

report he furnished to ARQUES for JUAN ORTA related to

information about an arms delivery which SIDNEY NEUBAUER,

First name unknown tReNto, proprietor of Milltown Arms and

suppy, somewhere in New Jersey, and JULIETTE DE SCALZI,

an Italian Countess, had with a

BRENNAN could not recall the details of this arms delivery

but the information was obtained in April or. May 1960. He

advised that he furnished this information to ARQUES, who

in turn furnished it to ORTA by telephone in his, BRENNAN's,

presence.

BRENNAN stated that the only money he received from ARQUES

was an occasional twenty or thirty dollars.

He stated that

ARQUES did not pay him the $250 a month agreed upon by ORTA.

He advised that he did receive approximately $600 when in

Cuba in connection with a COTAL convention, which was a

conference of Latin-American travel agencies held there

during the latter part of April 1960.

He advised that his association with ARQUES also concerned

a plan to set up tourist offices in Canada, and also concerned

in Cuba.

explained that ARQUES was scheduled to be sent to Canada in

June 1960 as Public Relations Director of Cuban Affairs and he,

BRENNAN, was to assist him there at $600 per month, but this

plan fell through.

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.

3.

54027

DooId: 32334082 Page 4

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## Page 5

In Reply, Please Refer to

File No.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

New Haven, Connecticut

October 19, 1961

RE: MANUAL ADALBERTO ARQUES DIAZ

BERNARD

OLES

BRENNAN, Main Streot,

Moodus, Connecticut; on

october 15, 1061,

furnished

the following information to

Special Agent Thonas i.

Murphy, regarding his association with

MANURE ADALBERTO ARQUES

DIAZ:

BRENNAN first met ARQUES some time in February 1960. ARQUES WRE

publicity director with the Cuban Tourist Commission at Miami,

Florida, and BRENNAN was

then employed as Travel Editor of the

Miami. Beach Sun,

a local

newspaper at Miami Beach.

He related

that some time late

in February or early March 1960, ARQUES asked

him to go to works for the Cuban Government... ARQUES

inforned him

that he could be very holpful to the Cuban Government in his

position. He stated ARQUIS made arrangements for him to meet his,

ARQUES", bOSs, JUAN ORTA, who was secretary to Fidel Castro.

BRENNAN flew to Havana, Cuba, via Pan American Airlines about the

middle of March 1960 and was

met at the airport by Captain ALINEDO

GUNREA, who was head of Cuban Intelligence at the time. He stated

that GURREA escorted him to the home of JUAN ORTA where he remained

with ORTA for a period of approximately five hours. BRENNAN stated

that during this visit, ORTA asked him to obtain the following:

l. Information about JOSEPH MEROLA, Miami Beach, and

Sir SIDNEY OAKES of Nassau. Both, according

to

BRENNAN, had contracted to

sell arms to Cuba but

had diverted these arms to the Dominican Republic.

ORIA desired information as to where these arms were

being storeden Naseau.

2.

Information regarding a Cuban counter revolutionary

group in Nassau.

3.

Information regarding

an individual he, BRENNAN, later

identified as CHARLES TOPBINO, Stock Island,

Florida,

who owned aircraft and small boats which were making

trips to cuba.

AL INFORMATION COATANIAK

BAT 2/18/25 BY SAMAC/KE

54027 DooId:32334082 Page 5

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