REPORT: AMTRUNK OPERATION.
Originator: CIA
Document date: 04/25/1977
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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100000÷3

104-10103-10367

2022 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

SECRET

25 April 1977

SUBJECT:

AMTRUNK Operation

1. Description:

The proposal for this operation was presented to

Cuban Coordinator, ia Mebruary teh.

the State Department

It allegedly originated

with Jorge VOLSKY

and Dr. Nestor MORENO who referred to it

as the "Leonardo Plan."

Its objective was to overthrow the

Cuban Government by means of a conspiracy among high-level

military and civilian leaders of the government culminating

in a coup d'etat which would oust both CASTRO and the

Communists from power.

The CIA supported this activity and

encrypted it AMTrUnK.

The AMTRUNK cryptonym was changed to

AMSTEAMER in the Spring of 1965, several additional

infiltration/exfiltration missions were attempted or

completed, and the project was terminated in late 1966 due

to security problems. In retrospect, the activity appears

to have been insecure and doomed to failure from its inception

primarily for lack of compartmentation, and loose talk on

the part of its principals.

2. Findings:

a. UFGA 11375, dated 30 September 1963:

The wife of AMLBO-3 (Jose Ricardo RABEL Nunez,

a JMWAVE Station asset directly involved in the AMTRUNK

Operation), reportedly made direct contact with Fidel CASTRO

on

7 September 1963 at Santa Maria Beach, Cuba, in which

she asked CASTRO's permission for her and her children to

leave Cuba to join AMLEO-3 in the U.S. Mrs. AMLEO-3

reportedly expressed fear that AMLEO-3 would find another

woman if she didn't join him.

CASTRO replied by asking

"do you consider yourself a burden to your husband?"

Mrs.

RETURN TO CLA

Backyround Use Or

Do Nal Proprodues

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AMLEO-3 said "it is possible," and CASTRO then asked "but

he calls you every day."

This information, according to,

AMLEO-3, was included in a letter from his wife which he

received on 14 September 1963.

There is no copy of the

letter either in the AMTRUNK Operational file or in AMLEO-3's

dossier to confirm that statement.

AMLEO-3

detected to the U.s. in December 1962, immediately became

a JWAVE Station asset, and was used to screen names for

the AMTRUNK Operation.

He was terminated in July 1964,

repottedly due to conflict with JMWAVE Station for not

having exfiltrated his wife and children.

He returned to

Cuba on his own in 1965, allegedly to exiltrate his wife

and children, was arrested, sentenced to 30 years

imprisonment, served two years, and was set free in July

or August 1967. There are two firm accusations that he

was a CASTRO agent as early as July 1963. Comment: 1f

true, it appears that AMLEO-3 could have

been providing

CASTRO information on the AMTRUNK operation from its

inception.

Also, it perhaps could account for CASTRO's

statement

that AMBO-3 called his wife in Cuba every day?

b. UFGA 11829, dated 18 October 1963:

A newspaper article on changing trends among

high-level personnel within the CASTRO Government, written

by Tad SZULC,

appeared in a major daily newspaper.

SZULC

reportedly told a high-level U.S. Government official

that Dr. MORENO, the AMTRUNK team leader, was the source

of his information.

A debriefing of MORENO produced

information at considerable variance to that in SZULC's

article.

Confronted with the article, MORENO admitted

talking

to SZULC but denied that most of the information

in the article was

based on anything which MORENO had said.

The article created

considerable furor in Washington, D.C.

Comment: specifics concerning the content of the article

and name of the paper in which it appeared were not cited

in the dispatch.

There is no copy of the article either

in the AMTRUNK operational file or in SZULC's dossier.

If

true, SZULC's article(s) could have been used as a channel

for providing information to the Cuban Government, wittingly

or unwittingly.

c.

WAVE Cable 7300 (IN 58037) dated 9 November 1963:

Transmission of a One Way Voice Link radio

message #6 to the AMTRUNK's in Cuba on 9 November 1963, asked

If they had developed any leads into the higher echelons

of the Rebel Army,

and who at higher levels appeared to be

good prospects for recruitment. It cited rumors that persons

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in top positions of the army were dissatisfied to the point

that they may have been thinking of plotting against Fidel.

/Comment: There is no proof that the message came to the

attention of Fidel CASTRO.

However, if the operation was

penetrated, as it appears

to have been, this information"

could have reached him.

d.

WAVE Cable 9630 (IN 87039) dated 25 December 1963,

Report Number UrG 4313:

The following Information was contained inna

Secret Writing message from AMTRUNK-9 (Modesto OROZCO) dated

6 November, postmarked 22 November, and received on 2

December 1963. AMTRUNK-9 allegedly received the information

from two other sources. AMTRUNK-9 reported that during the

early part of November 1963 Fidel CASTRO Ruz, during the

course

or & private conversation, expressed fear of the

possibility of "Commando Insurrections" which might take

place on a large scale in Cuba, as the Cuban economy was such

that he could not maintain a state of military alert for a

long time.

He indicated that any prolonged period of military

alert might cause discontent among the troops, a situation

which would be dangerous and create irreparable consequences.

So as to negate this possibility, CASTRO was undertaking an

intensive propaganda campaign to give confidence to his troops

and to limit the occurrence of any internal uprising.

/AMTRUNK-9 made an unauthorized trip to Cuba following his

termination by JMWAVE Station.

The files do not reflect

his subsequent whereabouts.7

e.

WAVE Cable 0952 (IN 03920) dated 23 January 1964:

In a debriefing of AMTRUNK-9 (Modesto OROZCO)]

on 17 January 1964, he provided rather sensational statements

that the Government of Cuba was ready to fall at any moment,

that enormous quantities of weapons were in Cuba, and that

the Soviets were out to get Fidel. However, AMTRUNK-9 was

unable to substantiate such stories with sources, dates and

facts. It was learned that Dr. MORENO planned to introduce

AMTRUNK-9 to VOLSKY.

It was pointed out that SULC,

personally or through VOLSKY, may obtain information for a

sensational-type article such as he wrote last September L1963/

following the MORENO interview.

Chris Hopkins

LAD/ JFK Task For ce

Attachment: Addendum/References

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ADDENDUM

UFGA 11375, dated 30 September 1963, Operational

Progress Report on AMul-s, Trom station IMWAVE to

Headquarters, Special Affairs Staff.

Filed in

AMTRUNK Operational

folder (1946-84/3, Folder 2,

Job # 68-496/16.

b.

UFGA 11829, dated 18 October 1963, Progress Report

AMTRUNK Team, Period 1-30 September 1963, from

Station UNWAVE to Headquarters Special Affairs

staff:

Filed in AMTRUNK Operational folder (19+6-84/3,

Folder 2, Job # 68-496/16.

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WAVE Cable 7300 (IN 58037) dated 9 November 1963,

to Headquarters.

CIA radio message to AMTRUNK

agent in Cuba. Filed in AMTRUNK Project [19-6-84/3,

Folder 3, Job

# 68-179/40.

d. WAVE Cable 9630 (IN 87039) dated 25 December 1963,

23 Headquarters.

in AMTRUNK Reports folder

19÷6-84/4, Folder 3, Job # 68-179/40.

e.

WAVE Cable 0952 (IN 03920) dated 23 January 1964,

Irom WAVE Station to Headquarters.

Operational

cable concerning the debriefing of AMTRUNK-9.

Filed in AMTRUNK Operational folder 19}6-84/3,

Folder 3, Job # 68-496/16.

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