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

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SECRET

NO FORKIGN DISSEM

COUNTRY Cuba

REPORT NO. (SCI 316/00693-84

DATE DISTE 21 AUgUAY 1964

NO. PAGES 3

REFERENCES

RETURN TO CIA

Background Use Only

Do Not Reproduce

MAC s'lashington,

D. C.

DATE ACO. AURURt 1984

FELO REPORT NO.

TAIS IS UNEVALUATED IMPORMATION. SONAGE GRADINOS AER DEPINITIVR APPRAISA OR CONTENT IS TENTATIVR

SOURCE: A former Cuban IS officer who served with the cuban

Intelligence Service until Apr11 1964.

Hendguarters Comments

The following report la one of a serles containing personality

Information provided by the source and Includes supplemental

InforRatIon Iron tho rocorde of tula Agency.

It 1a requestad that the addressees tako no actlon on any of

the Individuals sentioned in the porsonality reports without

first checking with this Agency.

Source identified a photograph of Conandanta J080

FERNANDEZ, and sald that bis nicknano 19 'El Gallogo."

FERNANDEZ, 1s the chies of all army tralning schools iron

Cadets up. Ho 18 not connectod with Cuban Intelligence, 1, 2, 3, 4, 3,6,

Headquarters Consents

from an untested source,

¿' In a roport dared 11 Hay 1960 EERNANDEZ, pOssibly Identical

1t was reportod that one jose

above Subject, was a Cuban Ambassador on an

arme buying missions in Rome.

3. In June 1962 a Cuban national, untested, whose father was

an old army friend of Jose FERNANDEZ, aka "El Gallego,"

reported the following Information:

FERNANDEZ 18 Chlef of Artillary Schools in Habana

Province; he

frequently gives loctures on artillery

weapons at a School for Members of the Nestern Army

(La Escuela para 105 Mlembrau de Ejerçito Occidento).

4

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REP _CINCLANT

SECRKT

NO FORBIGN DISSEM

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I NA

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CINCSO A IANS

EINFORMATION

MI/SAXOR LINB/5/R

AL/SA HUB 'HE/MADE

MH/ SACI H

RIDLAN

n1

Torair THISA 7 (1),

#E 1 (3), C1 4,

RE

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IF IRITIS

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CSCI-318/00693-

RID 1

2y -333 216

16 4: 1965

3/PV

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He an a captain in the aray daring BATISTA's tlne

anil wut in prison

for his jars? in

the 4 April Hovement

until hla rejease. by CAstRO.

FernaNDEZ sas not known

to in a coamunlot and, at the ties of this report (1962),

was art considered to

He attended artlilary

schonla in the United

States (dates and places unknown) and

speaka Erglish well.

He is sell educated and vell

tralned for the position he solds.

He 1s often referred

to as "El Gallego Pernandca." FERRANDEZ allegedly

mas chlef of tho operation agalost the invaders of.

Playa Giron in April 1961. Us nas described as having

been born about 1921, being aix feet one loch tall,

185 pounds, having light grajish eyes, light brown

hair, a lair complexion, volte even toeth, and an oval

faCO.

Ho speakà with a Castillian accent..

3.

A fairly rollable source, in a report dated 17 July 1962,

statod that Major Jose Ramon FERTANDEZ vas the Chief of the

Soccion Preparaçion y Organizacion Combativa (Section for

the Preparation and Organization of Varfare - SPOC), the

Cuban

Army"s key sun for defense against invasion, and the

allitary brains of the country.

He had access to all secret

information.

FERNANDEZ received his intructions exclusively

from Fidel and Raul CASTRO with abes de, 1a 10 personal contact..r 1y

Ho recolved hia military education in the United States.. He ls

Intelligent and reportedly not a Consunist.

1. A Cuban national, untested, reported in September 1962, that

the facilitian

of the Military Acadegy at Caap Manegua

being utilizod as a training

conter for o111cers, offliBr-

candidates and non-connissioned officers. Major

JOSe FERNANDEZ,.:

aka "El Gallego," has an office on the ground floor of the first

building as you

enter the camp.

JERVANDEZ and a.General Enrique

LISTEd prepared all the training schedules, pasphlets,

training aldes,

as well as joint exercisea

in which air ground

(armor and infantry) have participatod.

5.

In a 14 Novembor 1962 report, an untested source said that

Comandanto (fnu) FERNANDEZ 18 the only Cuban official sho

1s completely within the confidenca of the Soviets with

respect to the military fortifications of the Habana area.

6. An official Spanish Service In a report dated 18 May 1963,

stated that an unddentified

"usually rellable source"

said

that Major Jose Ramon FERNANDEZ, KnOTS ag "El Gallego," 18

the one who made the preparation for CASTRO's trip to the

Soviet Union In February 1963.

FERTAYDEZ arrived in Habana

from Moscou two days before CASTRO's surprise departure.

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7:

8.

reliabie source, In & report dated 7 August 1983,

stited that she did not

think FERYANDEZ das a Cornunist es he

aas always had Catholic tendencies but that ha le a correct

•soldier and puts the silltary above everything.

te 18

divorced

did his ox-alle 1s 11ving in Xlan1 with their

two daughters,

Francis, bora 1a 1951, and AlIcle, Dora 1a 1953.

s source tho 18 a latgh ranking Cuban Illitar officer who has

good contacts anong cuban officials (be has not subulited many

reports, but they appear to have been accurate, reported la

September 1963 that Major Jose gason FERNANDBZ Alvarez, Chief

of Training, General Staff of the Cuban Rebel Arsy, 18 ant1-

Communist and a allitary typé in the strictest sense of the

vord. He sticks to big nilitary duties

and scrupulovaly

apolda politica; he keeps hinsell completely isolated from

all political elexents.

He la proud of his present status

and thankful to CASTRO for 1t; for fear of losing it he

appears unullling to undertake any kind of sctivity againgt

-Ebe CASTRO regime.

CASTRO i8 undoubtedly knowledgeable of

FERVANDEZ' attitude and las sufficient confidence in hin to

retain hia in his present position.

CASTRO also i8 awaro

that he has lew officers mith the military discipilse,

koot-hon, and expertence posseased by taRiANDEZ.

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