Agency: HSCA
Originator: HSCA
To: JOHNSON, JIM
Document date: 03/17/1978
Document type: OUTSIDE CONTACT REPORT

## Page 1

JFK Assassination System

Identification Form

Agency Information

Date:

9/21/201

AGENCY: HSCA

RECORD NUMBER :

180-10118-10034

RECORD SERIES : NUMBERED FILES

AGENCY FILE NUMBER:

008138

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: HSCA

FROM: JOHNSON, IM

TITLE:

DATE:

03/17/1978

PAGES:

6

SUBJECTS :

Released under the John

A Reseation Records

Collection Act of 1992

144 USC 2107 Notel .

Case# :NU 53090 Date:

06-07-2017

...ACTIVITIES

ALPHA 66

AMN/LASH

OSWALD, LEE, POST-RUSSIAN PERIOD, POLITICAL AND

SUBVERSIVE.

FAIR PLAY FOR CUBA COMMITTEE

LEADS AND INFORMATION

ANTI-CASTRO ACTIVITIES

DOCUMENT TYPE :

OUTSIDE CONTACT REPORT

CLASSIFICATION:

Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS :

Consulted

CURRENT STATUS:

Withhold

DATE OF LAST REVIEW :

06/21/1993

OPENING CRITERIA:

COMMENTS :

Box 148.

v9.1

53090

DocId: 32267309 Page 1

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## Page 2

Routing SLip

N0. 008/38

DATE

ocument I.D.

COPY. TO

Hernandes Vict eras

Esintra

Charlie Mathews

Jim Wolf

'Donovan Gay

Jackie Hess

Cliff Fenton

Mala 66

FIGG

Rawald X 3.

Team #1

Team #2

Team #3

Team #4

Team#5

Form #2

Special Instructions:

008138

JFK Routing Slip

NO.

DATE

38/78

socument I.D.

Interven o

colineon

by Morled Elet seasy

кон, in.

Gary Cornwell

Kenneth Klein

lenate helect Comm

Charlie Mathews

Jim Wolf

ouchitelle

Pick Rittongs

Pook I

UJackie Hess

Cliff Fenton

Ewing

Cubano, Anti-Cartoon 72

Veciana, Antonio

Team #2

DRE

Team #3

5119.28

AM/LASH

Team #4

Team# 5

Special Instructions:

74 53090 DоcТd:32267309—

Page 2

Tomber +2

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## Page 3

KENNEDY 00813₴

OUTSIDE CONTACT REPORT

DATE March 17

TIME 10:30AM

I.

Identifying Information:

Name Jim Johnson

Address

Telephone

Type of Contact:

Telephone

XXX Person

II.

III.

Summary of Contact:

Jim Johnson, formerly with the Senate Select Committee on Intelli

gence. Activities, was interviewed today by John Hornbeck,.

Patricia Orr, Jonathan Blackmer, Bill Triplett, and Jim

Wolfe regarding his knowledge of the Senate Committee investiga-

tion of the possibility of Castro or anti-Castro Cuban involve-

ment in the Kennedy assassination. Johnson was able to:

answer questions put to him, but was restricted as to what

information he could volunteer. . He did indicate that there

were certain areas which he felt should be further pursued.

He called our attention to pages 11-14 of Book V of the

Select Committee's final report, which deals with Cuban

groups active in 1963 after the U.S. government withdrew its

support of much of the military action against Cuba; the

impact of ongoing Cuban exile activities in the New Orleans

Recommended Follow-up (if any):

Request files on operations against Cuba prior to the assassina-

tion; files on the "Cuban-American" of Book V; and other

Signature:

HN 53090 DocId: 32267309 Page

3

Form

#5

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## Page 4

JOHNSON

page 2

area and Lee Harvey Oswald's interest in it; and the

approach that the special group and government agencies

were taking in their actions against Cuba.

There are three Cuban groups which Johnson felt were

worth further investigation: Alpha 66; SENE (although it

was unclear to Johnson what role SENE played vis á vis Alpha 66);

Comandos L-66; and the DRE, the group with which Carlos

Bringuier was associated. Several DIA and CIA case officers

were interviewed by Johnson, but the staff of the Senate

Committee did not interview or take testimony of any Cubans in

these groups except Antonio Veciana, whose credibility

is high, according to Johnson. Johnson indicated that

while Veciana's case officer did not fit into any neat

categories, he was connected with military intelligence.

The committee attempted to locate or identify Maurice

Bishop without success.

Johnson said he did not look at documents dated

prior to 1963 in many instances, and recommended that we

100k at the earlier dated files. He also indicated that

the June-July 1963 meetings of Cuban leaders and Somoza

or officials of other Latin American countries interested

in the anti-Castro movement could be of interest, since

they reflect attempts to reorganize the anti-Castro movement

following the withdrawal of most U.s. support. These

attempts may involve wealthy Cuban emigres. (Proverbially,

the wealthy Cubans went to other Latin American countries;

the poorer Cubans, who often became the footsoldiers of the

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4

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## Page 5

JOHNSON

page 3

anti-Castro movement, usually exiled to the United States).

Johnson believes that activity in Puerto Rico in

August 1963 also bears looking into. Several Cuban groups,

such

as the DRE, were meeting in Puerto Rico at this time

for fund-raising activities. Johnson pointed out that

Orest Pena visited Puerto Rico in August of 1963, however,

the purpose of his trip may not have been fully investigated

by the Warren Commission. Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo of SFNE

also began his fund-raising tour at this time.

Johnson recommends we specifially check station files

in Puerto Rico and other stations for integration of reports

into the main Washington files, since many files were not

sent to Washington headquarters as a matter of routine. The

Senate Committee made no attempts to obtain these files.

JOhnson found military intelligence had destroyed many

files and hence, it was difficult to reconstruct their

operations. Also, in 1963 there were many intelligence

operations and special groups which did not fall into the

agency structures in any normal way, and these might

be more difficult to obtain documentation on. However,

Johnson recommended we request files on operations directed

against Cuba

after 1962, with special attention to Puerto

Rico in August of 1963.

Johnson also went over some specific events and individuals

of interest, such

as AM/LASH, which in October 1963 was

completely insecure since the FBI had received information

HIH

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JOHNSON

page 4

on October 10, 1963 from an informant about the identity

Of AM/LASH and the imminent meeting between AM/LASH and his CIA

contact.

Johnson

said the FBI would not give the Senate

Committee the name of the informant, however, he did

not believe it was Victor Espinosa Hernandez

since the

FBI

was trying to locate Espinosa at this time in regards

to the summer explosives arrest at Lake Ponchartrain.

With respect to the nature of CIA operations against

Cuba in 1963, Johnson maintained that agency plans had

become more sophisticated, such as the use of AM/LASH

in assassination plots. Some military raids were taken

agasint Cuba in the summer and fall of 1963 to keep Cuban

exile morale up, but generally there was a tough crack-down

on such activity and agency involvement was usually restricted

to intelligence gathering rather than hit-and-run tactics.

With respect to Lake Ponchartrain training camps,

JOhnson believed the camps were set up mostly to obtain

right wing backing for anti-Castro operations. The McLaney

camp, which was not fully investigated by the FBI, appears

• to

have been

relatively low-level operation. Although the

groups had in its possession 4000 tons of explosives, it

did not have the airplanes to carry out bombing raids

over Cuba, unlike groups such as Alpha 66, which were strong

enough for that type of operation. Admittedly, however,

Johnson said it was not known who McLaney and the others

were working with. (Unfortunately, the FBI did not have

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JOHNSON

page 5

very good coverage of organized crime activities either).

He did feel that it was significant in that Oswald would

probably have read about the seizures in the newspaper and

Oswald's contacts after these events with Bringuier

and Arnesto

Rodriguez of the Berlitz School would be con-

sistent with low-level infiltation attempts.

Johnson believes that the incident with "D" in Mexico

City may have been orchestrated by Somoza to put the blame

on Castro.

Johnson felt satisfied with "D"'s confession

to the Mexican authorities. He noted, however, that Gibson,

an EPCC member, fits the description of the red-haired

man described by "D".

Johnson stressed the FPCC angle as particularily interesting,

especially the Canadian and Mexican aspects of the investigation.

He did not elaborate on this point, except to say that members of

the FPCC located in Moscow when Oswald was in Minsk, were

also in Mexico in 1963. Johnson also called our attention

to page 63 of Book V of the Senate Committee report regarding

the "strange travels" of a Cuban-American who crossed into

Mexico at Nuevo Laredo on November 23, 1963 and then returned

to Cuba.

This individual had a brother in the Soviet Union

in 1963; he also attended a meeting of the Tampa chapter

of the FPCC, which becomes more interesting since Vincent T.

Lee suggested Oswald get in touch with the Tampa chapter.

JOhnson only examined the FBI files on the FPCC and never

looked at CIA documents on the subject. From this review,

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JOHNSON

page 6

however, he feels that the benign picture in the warren

Report about the FPCC may have been incorrect. He feels there

is reason

to suspect that it had Cuban intelligence ties and

it may have acted as a conduit for intelligence information.

Johnson suggested a cross check on the Cuban-American

and the FPCC from all possible agencies.

Johnson briefly mentioned other areas to look into,

including:

1) The U-2 which went down into the Gulf around

the 19th or 20th of November. Johnson only

saw newspaper accounts of this incident.

2) Oswald's travel to Moscow in 1961 should be docu-

mented.

3) He reiterated the possible importance of the

four cuban groups previously mentioned, noting

that groups such as Alpha 66 were sophisticated--

perhaps sophisticated enough to send someone like

Oswald

to contact the Soviet Embassy or engage

in intelligence operations.

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