OPERATION ALPHA 66 - INTERNAL SECURITY - CUBA - REGISTRATION ACT - CUBA.
Agency: CIA
Originator: FBI
From: FBI/PUERTO RICO
Document date: 8/8/62
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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Date: 01/18/05

JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION FORM

AGENCY INFORMATION

AGENCY : CIA

RECORD NUMBER: 104-10102-10073

RECORD SERIES : JEK

AGENCY FILE NUMBER

80T01357A

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

AGENCY ORIGINATOR : FBI

FROM

: FBI/PUERTO RICO

TO

TITLE

: OPERATION ALPHA 66 - INTERNAL SECURITY - CUBA -

REGISTRATION ACT - CUBA.

DATE: 08/08/1962

PAGES

: 8

SUBJECTS : CUBA

CUBA

OPERATION ALPHA

BLANCH, ANTONIO

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

DOCUMENT TYPE : PAPEF

CLASSIFICATION : SECRET

RESTRICTIONS : 1A 1B

DATE OF LAST REVIEW

CENT SEE A PAR PUBLIC REASED ALTA DELETIONS

COMMENTS • JEK34

: F22: 1993.07.19.17:52:09:180340 : DUPLICATE

OF 1041010310156

[R]

— ITEM IS RESTRICTED

104-10102-10073

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CIA HAS NO DRIFTION TO

- DAMINS DOCUMENT

DBA/505/

In Reply, Please Refer 10

File No.

13280,879-

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

Post Office Box 4312

San Juan 21, Puerto

Rico

August 8, 1962

8P

, OPERATION ALPHA 66

INTERNAL SECURITY - CUBA

REGISTRATION ACT- CUBA

The following information was furnished on a confi-

dential basis on July 12, 1962 by SJ T-I:

Operation Alpha 66 is under the leadership of one

ANTONIO VECIANA BLANCH, an exiled Cuban certified public

accountant who was formerly the president of the Certified

Public Accountant Association in Havana, Cuba.

went Into voluntary exile around December, 1901; arriving

in Florida by means of a small boat from Cuba. VECIANA

left Puerto Rico around July 5, 1962 en route to Chicago

and New York City to collect funds to carry out the Alpha

MICROFILMED

SJ I-I stated that VECIANA is the only spokesmanUG 2 4 1057

for Alpha 66 in puerto Rico,

supposed to have

three or four other associates in Miani. These friendsDoc. MICRO. SER.

not further identified, are supposedly exile Cuban leaders

in the Miami area.

and not an organization to seek membership andsit back

and wait for the United States to free Cuba.

VECIANA told SJ I-l that the United States Govern-

ment has proven by its past actions that it

does not

intend to liberate Cuba in the near luture. He bases

belief on the followin:

1) The U. S. permitted CASTRO to take over Cuba.

2) The U, S. permitted CASTRO to confiscate property

owned by U. si citizens in cuba without any action.

Go buss

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RE OPERATION ALPHA

66

3) The U.

sat by. and let CASTRO's Government

shoot

American citizens without any protest.

4) The U. S. has permitted Russia to set up a base

in Cuba without any protest.

SJ I-l stated that VECIANA isrot anti-American,

but feels that the Cubans cannot wait and depend on the

United States to fight their battles.

Accordingly, VECIANA has set up Alpha 66, a plan

to send 66 trained men of action into

and commit five (5)

violent, separate actions against the CASTRO regime. The five

actions are as

follows:

1) Kill the Russian Ambassador to Cuba or some

other high

Russian official in Cuba.

Blow up the isso Oil Refinery in the Regla

section

of Havana.

3) Destroy the jower plant at Talle Fiedra, a

suburb. of Havana.

4) Sink a Russian ship in Havana harbor.

5) Kill a higi ranking Cuban official.

If the aforementioned actions are

successful,

then

Alpha 66 plans to sinli a Greek or Canadian merchant ship

by using a fast yacht armed with bazookas.

Names given

to these aforementioned actions

are

"A",

"B"

"'J"

and "c"; Cuba spelled backwards.

The first action, one of the above, is to be carried

out at the end of July;

the next two in August; and the last

tWO

by September 22,

1952. SJ.I-1 does not know which actions

are

to

take place first, second, etc.

The

target completion, date of September 22, 1962

has been

set by VECIANA.

VECIANA has

been contacting the Cuban exile groups

in Puerto Pico, Florida, Chicago and possibly New York

City

in order to collect $64,000 cash to carry out the plans

of Alpha 66. As of July 3, 1962 he had collected only $10,089.

= 2-

BEERS

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SBURKL

RE OPERATION ALPHA 66

If none of the

actions are successful by September

22, 1962,

then Alpha 65

has pledged that it will return all

donations to the donors.

The money is being collected

and placed in the Alpha

66 account

at the Banco de Ponce, Santurce, ¡uerto Rico.

All donators are given receipts for money donated. The money

set aside to cover each of the five actions.

SJ I-l noted that one of the larger donations,

one of $500, came from LUIS FERRE,

Rican Statehood

Party leader.

SJ I-l noted that FERRE has

a reputation of

always donating to any anti-CASTRO drive, without

reservations.

SJ I-l atated that VECIANA has indicated to him

the names of thee individuals who are now in Cuba

who are

expected to assist Alpia 66 in their plan of action.

as they had been connected

in 1956 with the Servicio de Inteligencia Militar (SIM)

the Dominican Republic. According to VECIANA, PARADELA 1s

jail in Cuba and SJ I-l cannot figure out how he can be

much help.

However, NOBLE and RUIZ are on the loose in

Cuba and, according to sJ I-1, are

cold-blooded killers.

SJ I-Zadvised On July 12, 1952 tiat ANTONIO

VECIANA was formerly the Chief of

Action of the Movimiento

Revolucionario del ruevlo (MRP) in the Havana area. He was

a member of the Christian Family Movement in Cuba and President

of the Certified Public Accountant Association in Cuba. He

was

a top executive of the Banco Financiero, Havana, Cuba,

which

bank was owned by JULIO LOBo, the

"Cuban Sugar King"

According to SJ I-2, VECIANA was in charge of the

"Liborrio" to !cill FIDEL CASTRO. VECIANA's mother

rented an apartment across the street from CASTRO!S

presidential palace in Havana, and VECIANA and friends

up bazookas to fire

at CASTRO.

However, then it came

for action, the bazookas vere

found to be defective and

not fire.

and VECIANA fled Cuba around

latter part of 1961 by a small boat to Florida.

When VECIANA arrived in Florida, he contacted

other Cuban underground leaders he had known in Cuba who were

in exile and toget..er they had decided on forming what

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SECRET

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RE OPERATION ALPHA 66

is now referred to as Alpha 66. SJ T-? does not know the

identities of the other leaders of Alpha 66, with the excep.-

tion of the figureheads in Puerto Rico.

These figureheads, who have nothing to say with

the operational plans of Alpha 66, are as follows:

1) ISRAEL GONZALEZ, Certified Public Accountant,

no to:

in Exile):

2) ROBERTO I. CASTELLON, a public accountant and

formerly head of the Triple AAA Cuban exile group;

3) L. CEBALIOS, another Cuban exile whose background

is now known to SJ T-2.

SJ T-2

stated that he was asked to join the Alpha

66 leadership by VECIANA,

but declined to do

so stating

to VECIANA that while he

was interested in helping any

legi-

timate Cuban exile grou?, he does not plan to get involved

as an officer in any such group of action such as Alpha 66.

However, SJ T-2 stated that he would be willing to act as one

of four

selected Cuban exiles in Puerto Rico who

would jointly

endorse any checks or other donations to Alpha 66 to insure

that the money obtained would be used for the stated purpose

of Alpha 66;

that is,

to pay for the cost of sending 66 men

into Cuba to commit five (5) actions against the Cuban

CASTRO Government. SJ T-2 stated that he does not know what

these five actions are

with the exception of two, namely,

to blow up the Esso Refinery at Regla, Cuba and to kill

high Cuban Government official.

SJ T-2. stated that all these actions of Alpha 66

outside the United States and United States

territories. He does not know the location of any base of opera-

SJ I-2 continued that JERONIMO ESTIVE ABPIL, the

aforementioned ROBERTO I.

CASTELLON,

an exiled Cuban

priest,

Padre LEON HERNANDEZ and

one DEL VALIE (not further described),

check all donations and issue receipts. If Alpha 66. is not

successful in its plans, then the donations

will be returned

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RE OPERATION ALPHA 66

to the donor.

The money is banked in the Alpha 66 account

de Ponce in San Juan, then ISRAEL GONZALEZ

sends the money

on to Miant where

another account exists

in the name of Alpha 66; identity of bank in Miami is unknown

SJ I-2 noted that he had originally been introduced

to VECIANA by ISRAEL GONZALEZ. He then listened to the plans

of VECIANA, whom he hacionce met through the Christian

•Family Movement some years previous in Cuba. SJ I-2 stated

that he was impressed with the apparent sincerity of VECIANA

and even went to Ponce, Puerto Rico to speak in behalf

of the Alpha 66 .

SJ I-2 stated that he has not pressed VECIANA

for details as he feels

the less Cubans who know about

the operations of the sioup' feels that

the better chances are for some

success.

He stated the he

the failure of the

landing at the Bay of piss was due to too many people knowing

about the plans before the attack. SJ T-2mels

that VECIANA

realizes this also,

and is attempting to keep the bare minimum

people knowing about Alpha 66 plans.

SJ I-2 stated that the Division of Intelligence,

Police of Puerto Rico (DI

POPR) have contacted Cuban exile

leaders regarding Aloha S6. He stated that the detectives

apparently hare had some complaints

from other Cuban exiles

describing Alpha

56 as

"ust another fraud to obtain money

Crom the exiles"

.. aid nopes

he as nos made a

nistake bu helping VECINA and Alpha G6, but he:reels inat

under the eadership of a man like VECIANA the plans o..

Alpha 66 might work out to the benefit of all cubans.

SJ T-2 stated that VECIANA has left Puerto Rici

for several weeks tovisit Cubanexile groups in Chicago and

New York. VECJANA then intends to return to Puerto Rico.

SJ T-2 noted that Alpha 66 is using the mailing

address of Box 9791, Santurce, Puerto RiCo:

stated

that

this is the box of the Contadores Publicos en

Of ISRAEL GONZALEZ.

on July 16, 1962, Miss PAI GRADIA, Secretary,

Postal

Inspector's office,

puerto Rico,

advised that Post

Office

BOx 9791;

Santurce is

San Juan listed to the Asociacion Contadores

publicos y Privados.

=5-

SHORES

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RE OPERATION ALPHA 66

on July 6, 1952, SJ I-3 advised that he had met

ANTONIO VECIANA and had been requested to join the leadership

of Alpha 66 in Puerto Rico. He stated that he was introduced

to VECIANA by JERONIMO ESTEVE. SJ I-3 stated that he asked

VECIANA 1f he had contacted the Consejo Revolucionario Cubano

VECIANA told him

or the U. S. Government about his planstold him he was not

interested until VECIANA has obtained the approval of the

Consejo or the U. S Government.

SJ T-3 stated that he considers

Alpha 66 to be another of the many hopeful Cuban exile opera-

tions which do not have a chance of success from the start.

SJ T-3 added that he would not donate a penny to Alpha 66

and considers it a possible fraud.

on July 25, 1952, ROBERTO ROCA ROSILLO, YouthiuI

Cuban exile leader

in Puerto Rico of the Movimiento Revolu-

cionario Recuperacion (MRR), advised that he feels that

Alpha

66 1s a group with high plans but without any chance

of success. He stated that Alpha 66's plans are not even

1962, let

alone July, 1962, as Alpha 66 is still looking for guns and

men.

ROCA

stated that to do the things Alpha 66 plans to

do would end up in suicide for all concerned. ROCA continued

that he certainly would

any of his MRR members to

Alpha's movement nor would he donate any money to their cause.

exiles based on emotions rather than common

sense. SJ I-4

stated that he has not heard much of Alpha 65 in the past

few weeks.

A characterization of the Puerto Rican

Statehood Party appears in the appendix

hereto.

This document contains neither recommenations nor

conclusions of the FBI. It is the property of

and is

loaned to your agency;

it and its contents are not to be distri-

buted outside your agency.

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APPENDIX

PARTIDO ESTADISTA REPUBLICANO

(Republican Statehood Party of Puerto Rico) (PER)

A legally constituted political party which ad-

vocates continued union with the United States in

the form of statehood.

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In Reply, Please Refer to

File No.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE A ELIGI

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

Post Office Box 4312

San Juan 21, Puerto RicO

August 8, 1962

OPERATION ALPHA 66

INTERNAL SECURITY - CUBA

REGISTRATION ACT - CUBA

Reference is made to the letterhead memorandum

dated and captioned as above at san Juan.

Sources mentioned In instant communication have

furnished reliable information in the past.

This document contains neither recommenctions

nor conclusions of the FBI..

the property of

FBI and 1s loaned to your

agency; 1t. and its contents are

not to be distributed outside your agency.

101

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