Agency: FBI
Originator: FBI
From: SAC, SF
To: DIRECTOR, FBI
Document date: 01/23/1963
Document type: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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

DATE: 11-14-2017

JFK Assassination System

Date:

5/14/201

Identification Form

Agency Information

AGENCY: FBI

RECORD NUMBER: 124-10217-10120

RECORD SERIES: HQ

AGENCY FILE NUMBER:

92-6054-159

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: FBI

FROM: SAC, SF

TO: DIRECTOR, FBI

TITLE :

DATE: 01/23/1963

PAGES:

8

SUBJECTS :

LCN, MEMBERS, ORGANIZATION

DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

CLASSIFICATION: Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS:

CURRENT STATUS:

Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 05/27/1998

OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE

COMMENTS :

19.1

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Lease

DATE :

unter the John F. Kenned

Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (41 USC 2107 Note).

11-14-2017

OPTIONAL FORM NO. 10

5010-104-02

UNITED STATEX

SNT

Memo.

TO

DIRECTOR, FBI (92-6054)

DATE: 1/23/63

FROM

SUBJECT:

SAG, SAN FRANCISCO (92-593)

VARIMINAE "COMMISSION"; et aI

AR - CONSPIRACY

Re Bureau letter to New York, 1/8/63.

SE 2550-C-TE 1s an American born citizen of

Sicilian extraction. He has been in the organization involved

since 1955.

His command of the Italian language is not

complete since he has learned it in this country,

speaking it

among Sicilians although generally using the English language

among his associates.

His spelling and pronunciation of words

is not always accurate by his own admission.

The following information concerning the organization

to which he belongs has been given the informant by other

members of the organization...

The informant was interyiewed

for the information reported herein on January 18, 1963,

by SASROY L. ERICKSON and HAROLD V. CATES. He cannot now

recall the person who made statements or gave him information

•in the usual instance, nor can he now recall the time or

place the information

was given to him, but when recollection

is available it is set out.

The informant may in the future recall further

items of interest and these will then be reported.

Bureaus

- New York City (92-2300)

- Phoenix

I0 - San Francisco (92-593)

- 92-41 Criminal

Intelligence Program

- 131-2571, SF 2550-C-TE)

92-508, ALEX CAMARATA)

92-211, PETER MISURACA)

REC-1892 - 6054

92-131, JOSEPH BONANO)

92-50%, EMANUEL FIGLIA

92-506, CHARLES CARBONE)

92-124,

JOSEPH CERRITO)

9 JAN 25 1963

92-180, ANGELO MARINO)

15q

1

RLE/1r

(15)

-

-

5 5 FEB 1 8 1963

EX. - 116

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

DATE: 11-14-2017

SF 92-593

RLE/1r

Following is the information he can presently

give concerning the organization to which he belongs received

through participation as

well as statements made to him by

other members.

ORIGIN

The organization SF 2550-C-TE belongs to was explained

to him as being an old organization started by people of

Sicily to protect themselves from land barons and others of

autocratic rule.

When these people came to this country, they

naturally remained closely knit and continued their specific

organization in this country to make money.

STRUCTURE

The informant states that the group to which he

belongs is nationally organized.

He has received no information

indicating that it is controlled by or affiliated with any

similar organization in Sicily.

He has asked JOHN MISURACA,

during the time he was

organization was the "Maria

being indoctrinated, whether this

, and MISURACA told him it was.

He was told that they do not use this term now but use the

"Cosa Nost (r)a"

', which means "Our Thing":

The informant

does not seem to pronounce the letter "R" in Nost (r)a and

indicates that the use of the letter "R" in pronunciation

is

used more among main-land Italians than Sicilians.

He stated

he has not heard this organization called La Causa Nost (r)a.

The informant advised that the smallest organized

unit to his understanding is a "Circle." When the informant

entered, he was initiated with two others, ALEX CAMARATA and

PETE MISURACA.

to a

"Circle"

The informant and ALEX CAMARATA were assigned

having

• ANGELO

MARINO as the head, while PETE

MISURACA waS

assigned to a "Circle" having MANNY FIGLIA: aS

the head, or copo.

The informant advised that

the basic group in the

lower organization next to a

"Circle" is called the Nost (r)a

Brigada, which the informant says is a "Group" headed by one

"man called a

"Copo".

This

"Family," and may be the same as a

"Group" is frequently called a

"Circle."

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Released Under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Hote).

DATE: 11-14-2017

SF 92-593

RLE/1r

can deal with others outside even though they are not actual

The informant was first advised of the existence

of this organization after his work with ALEX CAMARATA and

PEE MISURACA in connection with their attempted extortion of

HAROLD SMITH, SR., Harold's Club, Reno, Nevada. ALEX CAMARATA

had been a close friend of the informant for several years.

The informant stood up for the son of ALEX CAMARATA at his

christening, and the daughter of the informant was a school

mate of the son of ALEX CAMARATA.

CAMARATA came to the informant around 1954 and said

that they had a chance to make a little money. He said that

his uncle, PETE MISURACA, had been selected to work with

CAMARATA

and the informant in connection with a "little job"

that had to be done in Reno.

He was told that he had been

"checked out" and the organization felt he would listen to any

proposition and would be a safe risk. He had never met

PETE MISURACA. The first meeting involving this matter was

held in the home of CAMARATA, at which time the informant was

The informant was told how

HAROLD SMITH, SR. had

"welched" on a deal and owed PETE

MISURACA money. Several meetings were held in connection

with this matter.

It was decided that this "Group" would

contact SMITH to secure $100,000.00 because SMITH had made a

contract and broke it. The informant was told this was

necessary because the organization took care of its own

problems and never went to the police.

During one of the early meetings he met JOHN MISURACA.

He learned that this individual had been in Reno and talked

to a FRANK SORCE.

ART PRICE was also in attendance at some

of the meetings in this matter.

During the activities involved with the attempt

to secure

informant

the money from HAROLD SMITH, ALEX CAMARATA t010

the

that if the problem was worked out, they would be

asked into the

"Organization."

Details are

vague to the

meant the

infornant, "Mafia.

but he states he knows he was lead to believe this

11

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

DATE: 11-14-2017

SF 92-593

RLE/1r

On one occasion JOHN MISURACA told the informant

he would be taken into the organization. The informant asked

him if he was to understand that this was the "Mafia"

, and if

he was to be "made"

. He advised that he used this word

because he had read it in books. He was told by JOHN MISURACA

that it was the

"Mafia" and that he would be brought into the

organization on the recommendation of JOHN MISURACA.

MISURAÇA 1Uhd Pim that he ner have to be proved herore

getting

". The informant was later told by PETE

MISURACA and ALEX CAMARATA that JOHN MISURACA had talked

to them about the informant who called him a cool customer

based' on his actions in Reno.

INITIATION AND OATH

The informant recalls that when he was about to

enter the organization, JOHN MISURACA called him to see him

at the home of ALEX CAMARATA.

At that time, MISURACA

explained to him how he entered the organization.

He told him

that someone would take a needle and draw blood from a

finger.

He stated that anything could happen and that

someone might create an incident to see how he would react.

He recalls someone saying that they might even throw a gun

to him to see what he would do. The informant talked over

these matters subsequently with ALEX CAMARATA and PETE

MISURACA who were also entering the organization and who

seemed to know more of what was going on than the informant.

When they were actually taken into the organization,

they went to the cheese factory in san Jose.

There were

several members from the San Jose area as well as from the

Modesto area.

o we there me tho

The informant, ALEX CAMARATA and PETE

MISURACA remained outside and were taken in one at a time for

their initiation. This was in 1956.

The initiation consisted of words delivered to the

informant by two different people, to his recollection.

He

stated these people were MANNY FIGLIA and CHARLIE CARBONE.

They were hard to understand.

They did not explain the

organization at that time but the details came out from

these two as well as

several others a little at a time over

the succeeding years.

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

DATE: 11-14-2017

SF 92-593

RLE/1r

At the initiation, he was told that whoever

"pinches" him would be his godfather. LEO CUSENZA turned

out to be the godfather of the informant. The informant

had never met this individual before.

During the procedings, a picture of a saint was

burned. Those giving the statements to him would read or

utter a sentence and require him to repeat it.

He recalls

the:

word baptised being used.

He recalls that the words

included statements to the effect that they were never to

contact law enforcement officials personally or otherwise,

that they were to have nothing

to do with such a man, regardless

of consequence, that they would uphold the organization over

everything else and would do all in their power for the

organization.

He recalls them also

saying

that the organization

would do all possible for the

"Family," and that no member

could take action against another member without the okay of

the "Council."

The proceeding was similar to the reading in a

wedding ceremony in that a sentence would be stated and the

person initiated repeated the sentence given.

The climax of

the ceremony was the pricans of a finger by the godfather

using a needle or a knife.

DISCIPLINE

Immediately after entry into the organization, the

informant learned that the person they should go to at all

times was

"copo."

They were told never to go above him

without his approval. This directive has since been changed

and they now can go to higher authority without seeing their

"Copo"

first.

He does not recall any suggestions or orders

to use other

than their true names.

He himself used the name

AL COSTA on a trip to Reno but does not know the reason for

He learned that a

could not go back east unless

he gos the permission on solo, which makes him believe that

the headquarters of this organization would be in the east.

Since the original orders of never cooperating with the law

enforcement officials, a change has been instituted allowing

them to talk to law enforcement agents where practical.

They

have been told that even though this can be done, they still

"make their own law.

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

DATE: 11-14-2017

SE 92-593

RLE/1F

When the informant was taken in, it was explained

that he may be called upon to commit crime. It was further

explained that he would be told why a crime must be commited

and assured of the complete backing of the organization.

The initiation itself is an oath, and the final thing stated

is words to the effect that the person initiated can never

leave the organization except through death.

He has been

told that although the organization may order them to commit

crime,

they cannot commit crime on their own without the

approval o the organisation.

Soldato "

, meating

"Soldierli

Each member is often called a

within

the organization.

DUES

When he first came in, he learned that they were

expected to give $5 per month to

the organization.

This wạs

dropped two years ago. He himself was not required to give often

because no one told him who to give his money to.

He has

been told that contributions originally depended upon the

and ROSE CAMARATA recently told him that her

abather-in-Law" had to put $100,000.00 into the Apalachian

meeting.

When he was told that he could even be called upon

to commit a crime but could never commit a crime without the

okay of the organization, he was also told that they should

try to do good work and that if any crimes were commited, they

were expected to pay 10 per cent of any "take" to the

organization.

RECORDS

The informant advised that he has never heard or

seen any indication that records for this organization are

maintained.

He has never seen any written instructions

and has heard that they should never keep notes or things

such as phone numbers or addresses on their person since

these could be picked up and used against them.

He has never seen any such thing as an insignia for

the organization.

The only introduction he has heard that

would specifically mean that the person being introduced is

a member is by introducing the person as a

"friend of ours"

or "amigo Nost (r)a"

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