JFK Assassination System Date: 6/4/2015

Identification Fann

Agency lnfonnation
Released under the John
AGENCY: FBI F. Kennedy
RECORD NUMBER : 124-10277-10383 ~ssassination Records
Collection Act of 1992
RECORD SERIES: HQ (44 USC 2107 Note).
~ase#:NW 54027 Date:
AGENCY FILE NUMBER : 97-4474-16, 17, 18 08-25-2017

Document Infonnation
ORIG INATOR : FBI
FROM: SAC, MM
TO: DIRECTOR, FBI

TITLE:

DATE: 03/22/1961
PAGES: 11

SUBJECTS:
MIRR, ASSOC, ACA, CUBA, SEIZED, CAPTURED, BOAT,
PRISONERS, AMMO, ARMS
DOCUMENT TYPE : PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT .
CLASSIFICATION : Unclassified
RESTRICTIONS : 4
CURRENT STATUS : Redact
DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 06/ 18/1998

OPENING CRITERIA : INDEFINITE

COMMENTS: INC3 MEMO

v9.l · 9
NW 54027 Docld:32301048 Page 1
 0

1 - Mr. Farr
Assistant Attorney General
J. WaLter Yeagley CIA HAS f\1() "~~·icff rol961
//J.~9 .-.;· '!'11)'1
1'{.;i:~tor, FBI
., '
-I7 /
Dz~ :·;; ~'..:.>E·: · ; '.:,T;t,) :-~ P/iYJ/OR.
F{t { ·· __ H· ·~." L~ ;~.~: ~JFU\1lA TiCH~
IN Trm:; DOCUMENT. J'fh ,,".'fA..LiJ
llOVJMIDTO llfSURRECIONAL DB
llBCUPBRACIOlf UVOLUCIORARIA Classi~db11
llfTBIUIAL SBCURJTY - CUBA )
BEGISTllATI01' ACT - CUBA . Decfas . O·: ADr~q 10/ts
RBUTllALITY u'J'TERs OEG Ltss:r·;:~.u BY . Z.. _f:h.. ~D.:jJ!Jfb
Thia will refer to ~!u~~~:12~~~f ~F;b;~;~; 13,
1961, advising that you have solicited the views of the
Central Intelligence Agency concerning this matter and that
we would be subsequently furnished your opinion regarding
the need for further investigation.
Por your additional information, a source, who
has furnished reliable information in the past, advised
on llarch 21, 1961, that the Cuban radio made several
broadcasts that day announcing seizure of a boat and capture
of. an American ¥d four Cuban counterrevolutionaries at
cabanas, Pinar del Rio, with arms and ammunition. The
broadc-.ts identified the Cubans as Gilberto Betancourt,
Prancisco Garcia, Marciano Belo Martinez and Augusto Marvel.
The ~rican's name was not distinguishable to the source.
l.11-~~-----·~.he March 22, 1961, issue of the "Miami Herald" carried an
article · entitled "Yank, Pour Others Seized in Cuba With
Arms ~ Load," Associated Press, Havana. The news article -
~.j ~;t
~· ·~f ~'i ~
.
ann~nced the capture of five men, including ,an Aae.ric~ ~ wb.O;
was :"'i dentified as August Kac1'a1r, in u , ~J.adA,n, Die1"r~ 1 ;\ !
~ ~i ~i~tt launch. The launch was identified ~::~flj~---~-ll~r~tjr!!_\ •¥i i
~ -;:s fi5 I\ according to the article, the annrince~ .,~£-Ihe "c·a ·p tur.e·
of this group followed reports that ~~ '~~1'.;~·';j~~,eef: ·li~~-,-~~~~ed
1

f.JVJ . a major buildup in the hills of Pin'~ ". ~~l.'~~-•r.ov.~~~·~ ·--~~~re

· d' J:7 subatantial numbers were awaiting ~~~ ~~ &Trival .. o~-- -~.~ , ..._,..
. ...? ep I . ... ; ; ~ · ~ - '"_', ~·: ..,, ~; r.,"J ...,,_,,·",. . .. .. . , ...~, ,,,... i
. !>/J' fl. L On Barch 22' 1961 • Angus ! It~·· ~ llClfai"r ",; c~~al Gable~ ,
:tcAD l·l::!:!~: ~:v~:!nh!:t::1tfe:U:h:C:~!ilo~i ~-~~:h=~~~ocat~d \.
r~ison •· ( 'lrD i~A , llcBa~r s~!a~~cl. -bis: ~D 1 had been
boat loaded 111 th ;· guns.
Parsons rece-.,iy associated wi ~J;l . Frank Fiorini who ~. ~s.-- an · American
~;~ 0 " 1 adventurer and self-prdfe~d ,.} .e ader of a group of a:11ti-Castro
c.a lla han _ _ individuals. Mcltair last saw ,: b.ls1_son on March 4, 1961, at
cJ'nrad
De Loach _ _ /
~-MAILED
· -
a i."f ) ~·'/· '. "l,
'.. '<
., •
· ·,· - - ·~· ~ ~ l",j
/

Evans
Ma lone
I\
Ii , "-
,,. / ~ , • •R
\Vi Ar /
<""\
~~
,, ,
l.
gl'.'}
tl ·..-.
·~
. -· -· .
( ··J ,
.l-.. '1~
~.b~=~ t;·QJ • •i . . .. . -SF.E N ~Tc~ ON YELLOW, PAGE :)-·\.i _!_
Trotte r 'WFF •PW COMM-Fm' 1 ~ • •\J,
W.C . Sullivan _ { 4) ~ ..1, 'E ~
Te le. Roo m - - :· . , · . 1
..-.~

~:~~; . ;;} ) ' Ml!L~ROOM D TELETY~E UN IT D ..· j·.·l-1f'··...

SE~
\n, 54027 D~c1~~30104a Page 2 lPIJJl
 . . ........... .. "":,... ·. · ,

£-..l S~
" .,.. · 1
-
\ .: . ·.

" v
., . ~
... \..,l' ))
. .
'
:~· -· / •. ..:'
:-: . ~ =~ --~-~.'
·' . °'.-. • .

Assistant Attorney GE!neral

J. Walter Yeagley
0 TOTAL DENl.-~L
which time McNair, Jr. , announced he was leaving for ·-Cltba,
For -your information, McNair, .S ri, is an accountant in a
Miami law firm in Wbicb Senator George Smathers of Florida
;i.$ an inactive member.
On · tlle night of March 21, 1961,. anc~l:ler source,.
Who has furnis.hed reliable information·i.n the past, reported
that Orland<> Bosch, who is a civilian delegate of the · · ·
Movimiento Insurrecional de Recuperacion Revoluc:J;onaria
in Miami, lea.rned ·of tl;le seizure by Cuban authorities of
this group in Cuba. Be identified t!JarcJ.ano Belo, also
known as - Guajir~; as being among . this greup. Bosch confided
the group had been taken by th~ boat "'.Jolly Roger'' to a
point off the coast at Cabanas,.. Pinar del Rio Province,
where they were transported by skiff to .the shore at which
point they were apparently apprellended. ·
On March .22, 1961, Inspector Willis Smithson
of the United States Border Patrol, Miami, advised that on
March 11, . 1961, the ''Jolly Roger" was reported in the
Florida Keys with Angus K •. McNair, Jr. , and eight unnamed
Cubans on board. ·en Marcil 12, 1961, the ''Jolly Roger" was
reported in the Key West, - Florida~ area ·w ith Elid~o C. Sur~
y Goichoheca, Cuban alien, on board.. On March 19, 1961, the
''Jolly Roger" arrived at the l,,ower Matacombe [Cey near Key West
and as of March 22, 1961, it was at this location llaving
· loaded-eight · 5S-gallon fuel drums on board. Captain
Enriq.u e Rodriguez Ibanez of the 0 Jolly Roger 0 h~s been
· ordered to report to the immigration and Naturalization
Service at Miami.
On .March ~l,
1961, the Central Intelligence Agency (
advised the captured group could pc>ssibly be an independent ·
operation of . the Frente Revolucionario Democra.tico, an
·. anti•Castro unity. organization, but that Central :itntelligence /....
Agency had no operational interest. in this, matter and it is
in p<>ssession of no knowledge regardilllf the "Mercury." tr<) ('f{U.j
. . FOr your ad.di tlonal information, the first f;Ouree . ~
mentioned in this letter advised . that Gilberto Betancourt -
was arrested in 1957 by · tbe . B~tista goverrunent on.a bOmbin~
e.A,~)~~~
I)
:j
O..A-$9, ~ L'2./,2."J/q.,
f tYU/i . 11":ut, ~z.~ "1h,s/cu_
I
!' ' .'

NW 54027 Docld:32301048 Page 3

 \
. . .
.I .~• ·'
·- 't
t / •·•

...
i ·_.. ·.· .•
'

:);~
I ·.·

I.JI"

NW 54027 Docld:32301048 Page 4

 . : ..·

-..·. ?~ ·;·
0 SE~l)
: ...
. ,, ·,· .

PAGE TWO
AN AMERICAN IDENTIFIED AS_ _ """9"_..~....,,.,.,_......,-
LADEN
MOTOR LAUNCH, BOAT IDENTIFIED S QUOTE MERCURY END QUOTE,
ACCORDING TO ARTICLE, ANNOUNCEMENT OF CAPTURE THIS GROUP
FOLLOWED REPORTS THAT "REBEL FORCES HAVE STARTED MAJOR
BUILDUP IN HILLS OF PINAR DEL RIO PROVINCE WHERE SUBSTANTIAL
NUMB RS WERE AWAI TING ARRIVAL OF ARMS• THIS. MORNING , ANGUS
~· . • - • 91 ·<

_K. , MC NAI~,""£~...~L,._£_a~.L. . ~.? ADVISED HIS SON, ANGUS MC NAIR,

JR,, HAD BEEN ARRESTED_ BY C BAN AUTHORITIES YESTERDAY IN
. '
S)AT LOADED WITH GUNS, M SAID HIS SON HAD RECENTLY
u I JI et ' - C11t,... l?l~:;
EEEN ASSOCIATED WITH FRAN IORINI, "'liJ'JfO"""fS AMt'RT'c""A"ff'ADVENTURER
AND SELF DASH PROFESSED LEADER OF GROUP ANTI DASH CASTRO
INDIVIDUALS, MC NAIR LAST SAW SON MARCH FOUR LAST WHEN SON
,.
..---7j' ANNOUNCED LEAVING FOR CUBA. FOR INFO BUREAU, MC' NAIR, SR. . . I
It1-..~
S ACCOUNTANT IN Ml_AMI LAW FIRM . IN WHICH SENA!..9]...~~. _...~_.. f2~f:
1
~ _,,_.,_ , . . ., f#i.
MAI~ER.S.., OF FLA,, IS. INACTIVE ME_MB~~· LAS~J_G.H:f·j'MM SEVEN ~· -
~ . ,...-'
'IWO SIX DASH S REPORTED THAT ORLANDO ost'H, WHO IS CIVILIAN
. ~· . - ~,.'""""'""'"~------

DE:~!~I! ..2I.J:!,!E,B,,,.J1L_MI _AMI DISCLOSED HAD J,UST LEARNED OF

SEIZURE BY CUBAN AUTHORITIES OF AN MIRR GROUP IN CUBA. HE
IDENTIFIED MARCfANO BELO,_· AKA GUAJIFA, AS AMONG THIS GROUP.
>· ..:::: "" I f • .,. __

BOSCH CONFIDED THIS GROUP HAD BEEN TAKEN ON BOAT QUOTE

END PAGE TWO

...

NW 54027 Docld:32301048 Page 5

 l .. · .

'
..:<'
.... . ~ · ,~· ~ ..
.·
~ ., .D r\_)'. \. :; '
• • .,. .1 . ...., ~·~ '"to

11r-v1t'.'i.,1i:[l
_. ,_ , .. ... ~~'- -
A'' ~S>~
.it ~;l,,i·Y
... ', ~L ~ \
Tl~~K ·
~ ~... ..,....,
FOH. . .CE
'
' .'

~-,·-: 7.lz.?l1-Lr22£~
K ,~;~::_;j,sz IN FULL ---:---..-.;. ' ' "; ' -.

0 r;.r·; ;- ' r ~-
;scu:Ji.;.)t N Pt\HT
1·
tfl'·-· _-. · v~ _.... ..--"·
~,

PAGE THREE 0 TO'fAL OfN'Y~~ . .

JOLLY ROGER END QUOTE TO POINT ,"©FF COAST AT CABANAS, PINAR
1r
DEL RIO PROVINCE, WHERE THEY i WERE TRANSPORTED IN SKIFF TO
SHORE, :WHERE THEY WERE AP~fo'~~NTLY APPREHENDED. TODAY .]!!!-,-·
.
INSPECTOR WILLIS SMITHSOJ•l; U. s. BORDER PATROL, MJ.A·M'I";..-""· .~~,,,.,,,/~"!!/~
I ,,,,...-$' ~-

ADVISED THAT ON MARCH E'L EVEtLAST, JOLLY..,,Ro·c·fR' WAS REPORTED

IN FLA. KEYS WITH ANG1ts Kl&c NA-rR~~, AND
. ' ' . ~~~~~-
EIGHT UNNAMED CUBANS

GJ BOARD. ON MARCH TWE_L ~ L'-A 5)' J~LL _ ROGER REPORTE~~-~-,1/~ .

1
~-y WEST AREA WITH ~- ~. ~D!~~~-;' G0I _GH~.~~~ClIBAN ~=:!c::_
ALIEN,_ON BOARD. ON MARCH NINETEEN, JOLLY ROGER ARRIVED
/

LOWER MATACOMBE KEY, NEAR KEY WEST, AND AS OF TODAY STILL

1HERE HAVING LOAD~_D EIGH FIFT~~E G~L~J~ !_U~~UMS ON
OOARD. _CAP~~~!~RI~~-- ... J..~~R~~E!;~~~~:oF JOLLY ROGER WAS
ffiDERED REPORT INS, I~MI. [xESTERDAY, CIA ADVISED GROUP
CAPTURED COULD BE INDEPENDENT OPERATION OF FRENTE REVOLUCION'ARI0

DEMOCRATICO, AN ANTI DASH CASTRO UNITY ORGANIZATION, BUT

Th{AT CIA HAD NO OPERATIONAL INTEREST IN THIS .MATTER AND THEY

ARE IN POSSESSION NO KNOWLEDG~ RE ~UOTE MERCURY END QUOTE.](~)~IA}

· MM FOUR NINE TWO DASH S HAS ADVISED THAT GILBERTO BETANCOURT
WAS ARRESTED IN FlFTYSEVEN BY BATISTA GOVT. 0N A BOMBING
CHARGE AND THAT FILES OF BUREAU FOR REPRESSION COMMUNIST

END PAGE THREE

'1
SEC~

NW 54027 Docid:32301048 Page 6

 ... •· . \
\

. ... . .
...
.~
I

.. . ·-. . ..,,,.
"'('
' ~·

- .J>

.. . ' ( ~ . ~ ·..··
.. '
PAGE FOUR
ACTIVITIES IN CUBA PRIOR OVERTHROW BATISTA GOVT. REFLECTS
BE!ANCOURT WAS MEMBER OF POPULAR SOCIALIST PARTY, CUBA
\,

COMMUNIST PARTY. ALSO, BETANGOURT WAS AMONG PARTY OF

'
NINETYONE CASTRO INSPIRED CUBANS WHO INVADED PANAMA IN
' !

APRIL FIFTYNINE. MM FOUR NINE T.WG DASH S ALSO ADVISED

lliAT ONE FRANCISCO •. ~ ,,
~ARCIA WAS CAPT. OF BOAT USED BY CUBAN
r: ....,

INVADERS OF PANAMA, BUT NOT KNOWN IF HE IS IDENTICAL TO

I - ,

FRANCISCO GARCIA CAPTURED IN CUBA INSTANT CASE. MARCIANO

E£LO MARTINEZ WAS ON BOARD JOLLY ROGER SEPT. LAST WHEN
V• S. BORDER PATROL STOPPED BOAT DURING PRACTICE RUN.
MIAMI ATTEMPTING LOCA.TE ORLANDO BOSCH FOR COMPLETE FACTS,
BUT WILL NOT CONDUCT FURTHER INVESTIGATION PURSUANT
INSTRUCTIONS BUREAU SET FORTH IN REFERENCED BULET TO AG.
MIAMI WILL SUBMIT LETTERHEAD MEMO SUITABLE DISSEMINATION
FOLLOWING INTERVIEW BOSCH.
END AND ACK PLS
\ _;J~/
py~·
WA 6-41 PM OK F B I WANMSL
1llJ DISC
/

SEC~

I NW 54027 Docld: 32301048 Page 7 ..