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2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

SECHET

14 February 1977

MEMORANDUM

SUBJECT: Nestor Antonio MORENO

Lopez ((AMTCE-27)) (201-312091)

1. MORENO was born on 25 August 1921 in Havana, Cuba.

His father was a Cuban Senator (1940-44) and the Cuban Minister

of Public Works (1944). MORENO became a lawyer and continued

to live in comfortable circumstances. He became involved in

the anti-BATISTA movement, apparently in the late 1950's, and

ultimately in the 26th of July Movement. After the revolution,

one of his clients was Camilo CIENFUEGOS. In Miami after

defection, he was associated with the JURE.

2. MORENO's specific activities in the anti-BATISTA

movement were not reported and apparently were unexceptional.

A point worth noting about his activities before defection is

his acquaintance with Tad SZULC, at least by 1959, and with

Jorge VOLSKY. MORENO's background as a lawyer did not prepare

him for active revolutionary involvement. When he defected in

April 1961, therefore, he associated with anti-CASTRO exiles,

particularly VOLSKY, but did not become actively involved.

He was assessed in 1963 as being unfriendly to CIA.

3. About February 1963 MORENO and Enrique CAYADO Ribera

reportedly collaborated in the formulation of an operational

plan to overthrow the Castro government. They discussed it

with Jorge VOLSKY, who then passed it to Tad SZULC. VOLSKY

and SZULC apparently conspired to have the plan presented to

the "political

authorities" (Robert HURWITCH and the KENNEDY

Administration) in Washington in order to by-pass the dis-

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trusted "operational authorities" (the CIA). (VOLSKY

originally took full credit for the plan, called "Leonardo

Plan," which eventually became known as the AMTRUNK Operation.)

4. The Leonardo Plan was well thought-out and caught the

fancy of the KENNEDY Administration. HURWITCH bought it to

the CIA with the blessings of the Department of State. Thus,.

from the very beginning, SZULC, VOLSKY, and MORENO, each of

whom had outside interests to some degree in conflict with

AMTRUNK, were involved in AMTRUNK policy and planning meetings.

Moreover, all three were to some degree antipathetic to the

Agency for various reasons and were difficult or impossible

to control.

5. MORENO's indiscretions were a serious problem that

limited his effectiveness as a direct participant in the AMTRUNK

Operation by arousing the concern of other participants. While

the Station attempted to cut out VOLSKY and SZULC after the

initial policy discussions in Washington, VOLSKY always remained

involved to some degree and kept SZULC fully informed. Under

the circumstances, the censure of MORENO for talking to SZULC

was just an attempt to plug one of many leaks. The fact is

that MORENO, SZULC, and VOLSKY believed they had an inside

track in Washington because of their contacts there and all

three disliked following Agency instructions that conflicted

with their own diverse interests. However, because JMWAVE

Station and AMICE-14 (Miguel A. DIAZ Isalgue) objected to

MORENO's continued involvement in the AMTRUNK Operation after

learning of his free talk with SZULC and others, the Station

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terminated MORENO's involvement in the sensitive aspects

of AMTRUNK in November 1963.

6. Since MORENO was one of the original authors of

AMTRUNK and already disliked the Agency, one can imagine his

feelings at that juncture. He sulked, refused at first to

take a position on the Rebel Army Radio Program, and caused

problems in general. By January 1964 MORENO was actually

interferring in the AMTRUNK Operation [by giving demoralizing,

conflicting information to AMTRUNK-9, for example) and

attempting to debrief returnees on behalf of VOLSKY and SZULC.

MORENO was fired, therefore, by RABEL on Station instructions,

From the Rebel Army Radio Program in February 1964 and termin-

ated by the Station as of 5 Marche

7. (Shortly after his termination, MORENO, using VOLSKY

as an intermediary, approached Mr. G. Harvey SUMM with a

proposal similar to the Leonardo Plan. The Cos met with suMM

on 1 April 1964 and advised him how to put off MORENO.

8. In August or September 1964, MORENO left Miami and

took a position as a Spanish-language professor in South

Carolina.

CONCLUSION:

MORENO apparently was a sincere anti-CASTRO revolutionary,

but his dislike for and distrust of the Agency, which was

undoubtedly stimulated by SZULC and VOLKSY, made his involve-

ment in AMTRUNK a liability to the security of the operation.

It appears that MORENO, like many Cubans of the upper middle

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class, had little sense of security. It is obvious that he

trusted SZULC and VOLSKY far beyond what normal prudence

would dictate.

He probably was not a CASTRO agent, but he

did help leak operational details and

general plans to

people who helped to spread the information more widely and

who, themselves, were not trustworthy.

LAD/JEK Tas Force 1977/MartyaMriTed: rpJ

Copy filed: 201-312091

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