Agency: FBI
Originator: FBI
From: MM
To: HQ
Document date: 09/19/1973
Document type: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

## Page 1

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

DATE: 11-14-2017

JFK Assassination System

Identification Form

Date:

4/29/201

Agency Information

AGENCY: FBI

RECORD NUMBER :

124-90082-10009

RECORD SERIES :

HQ

AGENCY FILE NUMBER : CR 64-47305-199

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: FBI

FROM:

MM

TO: HQ

TITLE :

DATE: 09/19/1973

PAGES:

5

SUBJECTS :

ANTONIO VALLE

U.S. NATIONALS IN CUBA

DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

CLASSIFICATION: Confidential

RESTRICTIONS: 1B; 1C; 4

CURRENT STATUS : Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 07/14/1998

OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE

COMMENTS :

MEMO

v9.1

DocId: 32328877

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0

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Released under the John F. Keniedy Assassination Recois Collection Act of 1992.17a USC-21

DATES

OPTILNAL'FORM NO. 10

MAY 1882 EDITION

GSA FAMR (A1 CFR) 101-11.6

UNITED STATES

OVERNMENT

Memorandum

A NOPRIATE AGENCIES

AND FTAND OFFICES

TO

Langes

SUBJECT:

SLIP (S) OF

DATE

DIRECTOR, FBI (64-47305)

CONFIDENTIALE:

9/19/73

REC 406 tames

SAC, MIAMI (105-7039) (RUC)

00N: 107865(Poyl)

blancom 2: 1526(SpierTo.

1051678746815)

S. NATIONALS IN CUBA

IS - CUBA

517.95

Massinsa

151008520 mac105- 016692(Emnich)

Declassity

on:

CARR

1/00 - 126660 (Jackom)

164. 1878 (hare Rath)

мле

v/7/s4

GL I

TTON CONTAINED ReBulet, 7/26/73

DRE

MLASSIXLED

iCE.

chan bas

I SHOWN

On August 27 and September 7, 1973, MM 1228-SC

who has furnished reliable information

contacted concerning information set out in the Naval Le

Investigative Service (NIS) report, dated May 31

1973,

re "Americans Allegedly Incarcerated in Cuban Penal Insti

tutions." Based on continuing contacts with various

political prisoners in Cuba, including ANTONIO CUESTA VALLE,

and their families in the United states, over a period

Pay

chido

exil

64n) V:

BARBER

CLASSIFIED

EXTENDED BY

REASON

FC

Re JOHN (LNU)

Declassity on:

Source has never received any information regarding

Copy Filed

a JOHN identifiable with information as set out (page 2, Par. 2)]

Source is of the opinion that this information might relate

-107868-

to different

individuals. TONY CUESTA had been friendl

with one JOHN/BARBER,

a prisoner in Havana during 1962,

105

2-1506-

and had written his wife in Miami regarding BARBER….

JOHN

WILLIAN BARBER, a subject of Miami 164-582, Knoxville 164-37,

was identified by this source through information from

CUESTA as a prisoner in Principe Prison,

Havana, in July,

1972, who was rumored to have been involved in running nar-

ycotics from various Caribbean ports to the United States.

3002 Morgan St. N. W., Huntsville,

was trying to

arrange his release through the

Ju.

State Department.

He had reportedly been in prison

in Havana since April,

19622 after his plane hadrte29 104-413055141

caught in a storm and

forced

down on a small island

the north coast of Cuba.

W/CLASSIF

Bureau (RM)

REASON:

1.5 (c.ot)

New York (Info) (RM)

DECLARA

SEP 24 1973

ON: X 01100

= 01

Newark (Info)

(RM)

NIS INFO ON

+? ARE

(1 - 134-1368 Sub

71 - 134-816 Subor

WWS: ed

(7)

LET• 0TD/ 12-12-97 masaD KSR

NA

1/10/18 J56/dh 5-29-98

for review saud by

1973

ASCA: 12/16/37 n

ri Antoiis Valei

CONTIDENTIAI

17 10/4 00T

9

I Dixile 62-11724

wy U.S. Savings Bonds Regularly on the Payröll Savings Pla

5010-108-02

DocId: 32328877

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Note) .

105

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Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (14 USC 2107 Note).

• DATE: 11-14-2017

MM 105-7039

CONFIDE" TINI

This source reported on November 20, 1972, that

in late October, JOHN W.' BARBER was on the verge of being

released from prison in Cuba.

Source reported on May 30,

1973, that BARBER had contacted Mrs. TONY CUESTA in Miami

by telephone on May 27, 1973, reportedly from Huntsville, Ala.

He indicated he had been released from prison and had

returned to his home. During the last few months of his

incarceration, he was held at the immigration facility at f

the ministry of the Interior @n(4)

There had never been any indication that BARBER

was born in Cuba or that he could even speak Spanish.

Source learned that BARBER and CUESTA had never actually

met, but Mrs. CUESTA told source that when she talked to

BARBER on the telephone, she did not recall that he spoke any

Spanish, or had any accent and she did not have the impression

was other than a native North American. EDU

Re Other Individuals

MM (1228)s has received no information identifiable (C

with LARRY ERASER.

From time to time, sketchy news has been

obtained of American students who are hippies detained in

Cuba, but source could recall no additional details or

identifying data.

MM (1228S has furnished information from time to CC

time regarding RUSSELL J. LEASE (Bufile (64-1878), who was

imprisoned in Principe Prison on April, 1972, on

the charge

of illegally entering Cuba, in that he and another American

companion,

to Cuba:

STEPHEN L. BUTH, had apparently flown a plane (e)

This source reported June 8, 1972,

that Mrs.

PATRICIA LEASE, RUSSELL'S wife,

telephone 813-922-8776m

sarasota, Florida, was planning to travel to Cuba to

arrange for the release of her husband.

opinion of other Cuban prisoners that LEASE had been making

marijuana runs and had been inadvertently downed in Cuba.

On May 27, 1973, JOHN BARBER had advised TONY

CUESTA's wife in

Miami, that RUSSELL LEASE had also been

released from prison in Cuba and had returned to the Unite

States to Sarasota, Florida.

in February, 1973, he had VU

-2-

CONFIDENTIA!

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"Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (14 USC 2101 Metey.

• DATE: 11-14-2017

MM 105-7039

CONFIDENTIAL

been sentenced to a term of four years in prison in Cuba,

but had already arranged his release. U

LEASE is obviously identifiable with" (FNU) ROOT'

(page 1, par. I) in NIS report. @EUCA (u)

This source has not heard of any American prisoners

alleged to have been members of the FBI, but indicated that

rumors are always circulating in Cuban prisons alleging

that different prisoners are government informants, CIA

Agents, etc. The only American prisoner known to MM 12287s (<)

named RICHARD, WaS IRVING RICHARD POYLE, Bufile 105-107868,

who had returned to the United States from Cuba

July, 1973, and had Contacted source.(C

in early

On August 28, 1973, and September 1 and 5, 1973,

MM 3240-PSI was contacted regarding referenced information.

Based on 9 years in Cubanprison as a political prisoner

1964-73, this source reported as follows: (u)

Be: [JOHN] A (4)

Source stated information regarding JOHN

appeared to relate to at least two or more different JOHNS.

JOHN W. BARBER, an American from Huntsville, Ala., was

incarcerated in Havana during the period April - August, 1972,

and was freed with little or no explanation. Although

source had never personally met BARBER, he had the reputation

of being involved in narcotics and had been reported to

have been an "Interpol Narcotics Agent" who was infiltrated

into the prison to expose the drug traffic between Cuba

and the United States.

BARBER had a fight with LEASE when

each reportedly Claimed that the other had stolen their

drug customers

in Jamaica and the United States. There

never any indication that he spoke or understood Spanish,

or that he had any Cuban background. His nickname in

jail was "Yankee."

BARBER had been acquainted with TONY

CUESTA.

(e(u

JOHN SPIRITO (Bufile 2-1526), born in Sicily,

who claimed American citizenship,

spoke Spanish like a

Cuban and had a very heavy accent when he spoke English.

(A(4)

-3-

CONEIDEMTIAL

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/Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (11-USC 2107 Hote) .

• DATE: 11-14-2017

CONFIDENTIAL

MM: 105-7039

SPIRITO is in Cienfuegos,' Cuba, at the present time working

as a construction engineer in the Cuban Government.

(4) P)

JOHN PIS MASUTIER (Bufile 105-161874) was a

Cuban with American citizenship, arrested in 1965, and

sentenced to four years.

When he was in jail in Cuba,

PIS would not speak English because he was afraid.

He said it was because he had promised not to speak

to be in San Jose, California, at this time.

nEl 15 until be conleted his detone He la supposed

Re Other Individuals

MM 3240-PSI indicated that RUTH and ROOT

were obviously identical to STEPHEN L. RUTH and RUSSELL J.

LEASE, with whom source had associated closely in prison.

RICHARD JOHNSON and (FNU) PHILLIPS were not known to this

source. He recalled there were several student hippie

types in prison from time to time.

One pair of white

youths, ages ly and al, one tall and one short, both

with long hair, who had come to cuba by boat, claimed to

be "revolutionaries." They did not, however, fool the Cuban

officials, and were

thrown in jail.

It was thought one's

name was JIM. (U)

Source did not know LARRY FRASER, or any American

prisoners. who claimed to be members of or connected with

the FBI: U)

On September 1, 1973, MM 3240-PSI listed Americar

prisoners still in jall in Cuba in 1973, as follows: (U) fel

At La Cabana, Havana

Americans

- 3

Puerto Ricans

-

At Guanajay, Cuba

Americans - LAWRENCE KIRBY LUNT

105-i15 335

FRANK EMMICK

10N-116692

JUAN TUR VALDES

100058111

EVERETT JACKSON

: 105-126660

MARIA DEL CARMEN Y LOPEZ(RUIZ) -

America Libre Farm

1

(0144)

CONFIDENTIAL

-4-

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Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (11 USC

2107 hote).

DATE: 11-14-2017

MM 105-7039

CONFIDENTIAL

Puerto Ricans - 1 - CLAUDIO, MORALES

(X4)

and Principe Prisons, numbers not indicated.

The gone alien not increates at pati ta

It is to be noted that it was the considered

opinion of looth MM 1228+S and

XMM 3240-PSI that information CG.

set out in' referenced Nis report was confused, non-specifie

and replete with inaccuracies.

If additional information is developed in this

connection, it will be promptly furnished.

-5-

CONFIDENTIAU

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