Agency: FBI
Originator: FBI
From: MM
To: HQ
Document date: 09/30/1958
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

Date:

6/3/2015

Identification Form

Agency Information

AGENCY:

FBI

RECORD NUMBER :

124-90110-10058

RECORD SERIES:

HQ

AGENCY FILE NUMBER :

CR 97-3575-7

Document Information

ORIGINATOR:

FBI

FROM:

MM

TO: HQ

TITLE:

DATE: 09/30/1958

PAGES:

8

SUBJECTS :

JOSEPH MEROLA

JOSEPH RAYMOND MEROLA

DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

CLASSIFICATION: Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS: 4

CURRENT STATUS: Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 08/06/1998

OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE

COMMENTS:

RPT

v9.1

DocId: 32334065

Page 1

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

DATE: 11-14-2017

Report Ferm

F0-21 36521255)

..

Reporting Office

MIAMI

TITLE OF CASE

CHANGED

JOSEPH MEROLA;

B. LEONARD BIRD;

ROBERT N. DILLARD;

UNKNOWN PILOT

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

Office of Origin

MIAMI

Date

9/30/58

Investigative

Period

8/22,29: 9/3,4,8,13,19,

Report nadety

26,22130

CHARLES WO

EDMISTON

CWE :

CHARACTER OF CASE

REGISTRATION ACT;

NEUTRALITY MATTERS

Typed By:

mos

Synopsis:

Approved

Copies

B. LEONARD BIRD, businessman, Miami, Fla., states he has

no knowledge of any planned revolution in Haiti. He said

he recently received a contract from the Haitian Government

to construct houses. States he is personal friend of ARTHUR

BONHOMME, Secretary of Public Works in Haiti, and through

him obtained authority for housing project.

ROBERT N.

DILLARD, businessman, Miami, advised he had no information

about any planned revolution in Haiti and he had no relative

who is a pilot and had no relative who had been contactedd

to

fly arms into Haiti. DILLARD advised that he knew HAROLD

BUSSINIUS, a Haitian National, and described him as a liar

and con man.

RUDOLPH BABOUN, Haitian Consul, Miami, advised

that information furnished by HAROLD BUSSINIUS was not believed

reliable. JOSEPH MEROLA, Miami, FBI No. 4989299, not

available for interview.

JEN

ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED

-P-

HEREIN IS JUNCLASSIFIED

DATE 1/21/15 BY 5p. 7 wa

Special

Agent

1n

Charge

Do not vrite in spaces belon

97-

35.73

4.

Bureau (RM)

USA, Miami (RM)

1

-

U. S. Customs, (Miami (RM)

1

-

New York (Info)

(RM)

- Miami (97 230) ski

URCID

16. OCT: 3.1958

AGENCA States.

DATE FORW. 10/14/58

HOW FORM

i Dres lege Havend

RWC/ FR

Shots - AC51

7-2-53

gaplicin

Property

of

the

agent

This

you by the FBI,

and

neither

it nor

its contents are to be

distributed

# U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1958 O 385319

DocId: 32334065 Page 2

REC- 29

outside

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## Page 3

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

DATE: 11-14-2017

MM 97-230

DETAILS:

V

lhe title of this case as being marked changed t

show the full name of B. LEONARD-BIRD

as furnished by

BIRD when interviewed on August 22, 1958.

This case is predicated on information furnished

by RUDOLPH BABOUN, Haitian Vice Consul, Miami, Florida,

who furnished the following information to the Miami Office

of the FBI on August 28, 1958. BABOUN stated that he had

received information that 27 Americans and one LEONARD

BIRD of Miami, and one JOSEPH MEROLA, who hangs around the

Garden of Allah Motel, Miami Beach, were involved in a

revolutionary attempt against Haiti. BABOUN also said that

one Mr. DILLARD, who operates a lumber business, and who

has been trying to obtain a lumber contract through the

Haitian Government, has a relative who has been offered

$10,000.00 to fly arms into Haiti. BABOUN also said that

his

informant advised that the Haiti Revolution had a

depot of arms and ammunition located some distance from

Miami and arms worth $70,000.00 cached on an island between

Florida and Haiti.

On September 4, 1958, BABOUN recontacted the

Miami Office and advised

that his informant was HAROLD

BUSSINIUS, a Haitian National, and that BUSSINIUS had

returned to faiti at BABOUN's expense FElt

On August 29, 1958, BABOUN advised thel Miami

Office that one ROBERT

GREEN

contacted him and said he was

representing MEROLA and that if BABOUN wanted to deäl

with MEROLA to send word to GREEN. GREEN quoted MEROLA

as saying, "This time we won't miss". BABOUN interpreted

this to mean that the Revolution will be successful.

- 2

97-3575-7

LONE-Wined

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

DATE: 11-14-2017

MM 97-230

DILLARD again stated that he wanted it understood

that he,lad at no time, had any knowledge of any planned

revolution in Haiti and had no relatives who had been

approached to fly arms to Haiti.

DILLARD stated that in his opinion, LOCASSIO,

NUNNALLY, and BUSSINIUS are nothing but "con men" who would

attempt to make a dollar in any manner they could.

• He

also said that even after financing the trip to Haiti

for BUSSINIUS and NUNNALLY, and after ascertaining they had

no timberland available to them, BUSSINIUS again approached

him in August, 1958, and tried to tell him he now had

timberland available if DILLARD was interested. DILLARD

said

he told BUSSINIUS he wanted no further business

dealings with him.

On September 4, 1958, RUDOLPH BABOUN, Haitian

Vice Consul, Miami, advised that HAROLD BUSSINIUS

was sent to Haiti by him and he did not know when

BUSSINIUS would return to the United States.

On September 8, 1958, BABOUN advised SAS

TOBIAS E. MATTHEWS, JR. and CHARLES W. EDMISTON that he

now realized that LEONARD BIRD and DILLARD are not connected

with any planned revolution in Haiti and that he did not believe

all information furnished by BUSSINIUS was reliable. He

also said that he now recalled that he had met BIRD and

that BIRD was negotiating with the Haitian Government

in order to obtain a contract for constructing a housing

project in Haiti.

On September 19, 1958, CHARLES J. MATHEWS, Special

Investigator, Dade County Manager's Office, Miami, telephonically

advised that he had just returned from Haiti and while in

Haiti had interviewed HAROLD BUSSINIUS. He stated

that he contacted Haitian officials about BUSSINIUS'

location and they were reluctant to admit that BUSSINIUS

was in the National Penitentiary. They gave Mr. MATHEWSS

permission to interview him.

97-3575-7

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