104 10308 10127

1104-10308-10127 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

DISPATCH CLASSIFICATION SECRET

MICROFILMED JAN 20 1964 TO: Chief, Special Affairs Staff FROM: Chief of Station, JMWAVE (AKR SUBJECT: OPERATIONAL/TYPIC/AMFAUNA AMFAUNA-26 Progress Report for October, November and December 1963

Action Required: For Your Information Reference: UFGA-11700, dated 14 October 1963

Operational Developments:

  1. Seven SW messages were received from AMFAUNA-26 during the period, and two were sent to her. Two SW messages written by AMFAUNA-2 no. 34 and no. 36, have not been received and it is not known what has happened to them. It has been observed that mail to and from Cienfuegos is very slow and uncertain; SW message no. 10 sent to AMFAUNA-26 on 6 November did not reach her until 22 December.

  2. A continuing effort was made during the period to activate AMFAUNA-26's OWVL and medium speed radio systems. OWVL transmissions were begun on 16 October with message no. 1 warning AMFAUNA-26 of the arrest of AMFAUNA-14 the week before (see AMFAUNA-1 Progress Report for October, November and December 1963) and the fact that AMCUTLER-2 was under surveillance. AMFAUNA-26 was unable to receive this message. In her SW message no. 35 of 25 October, she reported that her radio set is calibrated in meters instead of kilocycles and she had been unable to find the correct frequency. JMWAVE then sent AMFAUNA-26 instructions for converting kilocycles to meters, and began transmitting dummy messages, giving AMFAUNA-26 a simple code for reporting by commercial telegram whether she was receiving them, and whether and with what books she was able to decipher.

  3. Two sets of deciphering materials had been sent to AMFAUNA-26. One package was buried by AMGLEN-9 in Pinar del Rio Province (see WAVE-5887 of 16 October 1963), and AMFAUNA-26 was informed of its location in OWVL message no. 1 of 16 October and SW message no. 10 of 6 November. A previous set of number groups had been sent to her by SW early in

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DATE TYPED: 9 Jan 1964 DATE DISPATCHED: JAN 15 1964

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CLASSIFICATION: SECRET UFGA-13428 19-6-50/3 19-6-50/3

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October. It now appears that AMFAUNA-26 never received either of these sets of groups. As of 22 November when AMFAUNA-26's sister Olga arrived in Mexico (see paragraph 5), AMFAUNA-26 already had in her possession: the letter containing the groups written in SW, but either had tried and failed to develop it, or had hesitated to try to do so, not knowing in what strength to use the reagent and erroneously thinking that this was a critical factor. As mentioned previously, AMFAUNA-26 did not receive SW message no. 10 until 22 December; on the following day she sent an open telegram to the son of AMFAUNA-32 in Miami, confirming her willing-ness to travel to Pinar del Rio and recover the material. It is not known whether she actually did so.

  1. It had been planned, once AMFAUNA-26 was receiving OWVL and her ability to recover caches confirmed, to have AMWEE-1 cache AMFAUNA-1' radio and to inform AMFAUNA-26 of its location by OWVL. Events did not permit this.

  2. AMFLORA-1 sent a telegram to his JMWAVE area accommodation address on 16 November 1963, reporting that his wife, the sister of AMFAUNA-26, was due to arrive in Mexico City on 20 November. Mexico City Station was so informed on 18 November (see WAVE-7762), but by the time confirmation arrived (MEXI-7031 of 23 November) the lady had already departed for Caracas. The oral messages which she brought from AMFAUNA-26 therefore did not reach JMWAVE until 20 December when HVCA- 10780 was received. This dispatch transmitted a typewritten note from AMFLORA-1's wife containing the following information:

a. AMFAUNA-26 had run out of developer pills. (In retrospect, this does not seem to be true, because AMFAUNA-26 was evidently able to develop SW message no. 10 which she received on 22 December (see paragraph 3). What AMFAUNA-26 had probably been trying to convey was that she was running very short of pills. AMFAUNA-1-does not remember how many he gave her, but the most probable number appears to be twelve.)

b. AMFAUNA-26 had been unable to develop the SW message containing her cipher groups, because she had not been told how to mix her reagent.

c. AMCUTLER-2 was very worried by the fact that AMFAUNA-14 had been telephoning her frequently, and was afraid that AMFAUNA-14 was betraying her to the DSE.

d. AMFAUNA-26 was uneasy about being left in Cuba without a responsible leader to report to.

e. AMFAUNA-26's cover was wearing very thin, due to indiscretions by AMFAUNA-31.

  1. In her SW message no. 29, which was received at JMWAVE on 21 October, AMFAUNA-26 reported that AMFAUNA-38 had been arrested on 7 September and taken to Santa Clara. At 0200 hours on the following morning, fourteen policemen came to AMFAUNA-26's house and searched it on the pretext of looking for a burglar. However, the only part of the house which they searched was the part inhabited by AMFAUNA-26.

  2. In her SW message no. 30, AMFAUNA-26 reported the full names of two individuals who had approached her sub-agents AMFAUNA-29 and AMFAUNA-31, claiming to be doing underground work against CASTRO. These persons are one Amable SANCHEZ Borroto and one Raul SIMON Delgado. While neither JMWAVE nor Headquarters (DIR-78835 of 30 October 1963) had any traces on these persons, JMWAVE has a carded reference to a sensitive source document which carries the full name of Amable SANCHEZ Borroto and the implication that he enjoys the confidence of the Cuban Government. Unfortunately, an error was made in typing the card, and the document is unrecoverable. In SW message no. 10, AMFAUNA-26 was told to be careful with the person.

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  1. On 12 October 1963, AMFAUNA-26 was in Havana where she saw AMCUTLER-2. About 23 or 24 October she was again in Havana and again saw AMCUTLER-2. On both occasions the problems posed by the arrest of AMFAUNA-14 were the prime topic of discussion.

  2. In outgoing SW message no. 9 of 30 September, AMFAUNA-26 had been asked to investigate a Cuban naval officer named Carlos *LOPEZ Avalos with a view to forming an opinion as to his political attitude. She reported in SW message no. 37 of 3 November that all reports on this individual were derogatory except for one given by AMLAME-5. This report reached AMFAUNA-26 via AMFAUNA-31 who got it from a man identified only as Ramon PEREZ who said that AMLAME-5 had told him that he had a contact to the Swiss Embassy, and that LOPEZ was already connected with people outside of Cuba and had recently performed a great service for the counterrevolution.

  3. When the arrest of AMCUTLER-2 became known to JMWAVE (see AMFAUNA-1 Progress Report for October, November and December 1963) the son of AMFAUNA-32 was asked to phone his mother in Cienfuegos and instruc her to tell AMFAUNA-26 to go into hiding. On 3 January the son reported completion of the call and said that his mother had told him that AMFAUNA-26 had been arrested on 29 December and taken to the Santa Clara prison.

  4. The reason for AMFAUNA-26's arrest remains obscure, or rather there are so many acceptable explanations that the problem is to select the right one. She could have been implicated by AMFAUNA-38, as would seem to be suggested by the fact that her house was searched immediately following AMFAUNA-38's arrest; if so, however, it is hard to explain why AMFAUNA-26 herself was not arrested until three and one-half months later. She could have been denounced by AMCUTLER-2 who was herself arrested two or three days before AMFAUNA-26's arrest; this seems unlikel in view of the fact that AMCUTLER-2 and AMFAUNA-26 are friends, that when AMCUTLER-2 reaches the point where she is ready to implicate other members of the AMFAUNA net she could be expected to begin with people who are not her friends, and that at least one such person (AMFAUNA-25) was known to be at liberty as recently as 4 January 1964, as were two of the cutouts between AMFAUNA-26 and AMCUTLER-2 (AMFAUNA-32 and AMFAUNA-33). AMCUTLER-2 is believed to have been under surveillance by the DSE, at least sporadically, between 12 and 24 October (see AMFAUNA-1 Progress Report for October, November, and December 1963), and AMFAUNA-26 could have been observed and identified when she visited AMCUTLER-2 during this period and marked for subsequent arrest and interrogation in connection with AMCUTLER-2's activities. AMFAUNA-26 could have made an attempt between 22 and 29 December to recover the cached cipher groups (see paragraph 3), and either been detected in the act or arrested while trying to contact AMCUTLER-2 on the same trip; in this case, however, it would seem that the DSE would not have transported her all the way back to Santa Clara but would have kept her in Havana for concurrent interrogation with AMCUTLER-2. The open telegram sent to the son of AMFAUNA-32 on 23 December was rather indiscreet and could have caused difficulties for the sender, but some of these difficulties ought in this case to have brushed off on AMFAUNA-32 herself, and as of 3 January 1964 she was still at liberty.

  5. Information received from HULAKE-1 on 8 January 1964 indicates that a general roundup began in Cienfuegos on 26 December, possibly in connection with a suspected plot against the life of Fidel CASTRO, and that at least seventeen persons had been taken. One of these persons appears to be AMLAME-5. To the best of JMWAVE's knowledge, neither AMFAUNA-26 nor AMLAME-5 had been involved in any plot against the life of Fidel CASTRO, but both could have been high on a general suspect list. The only known factor common to both AMLAME-5 and AMFAUNA-26 is the Ramon *PEREZ mentioned in paragraph 9. AMLAME-5 evidently was extraordinarily indiscreet when he talked with this man. ANFAUNA-31 has also spoken with him, and according to the oral message brought out by AMFAUNA-26's sister (see paragraph 5-e) AMFAUNA-31 has been habitually indiscreet. Ramon PEREZ was thus in a position to denounce both AMLAME-5 and AMFAUNA-26. If so, AMFAUNA-31 also ought to have been implicated, and it is perhaps significant in this connection that, of all of

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CONTINUATION OF DISPATCH CLASSIFICATION: SECRET DISPATCH SYMBOL AND NUMBER: UFGA-13428

AMFAUNA-26's sub-agents, AMFAUNA-31 is the only one believed to be in hiding as of 3 January (see WAVE-9940 of 4 January).

  1. There has been no previous mention of Ramon PEREZ in the AMFAUNA operational reporting, and JMWAVE has no identifiable traces on him. AMFAUNA-1 was asked about him on 6 January, and produced the following information which he had obtained from Antonio Remigio *ESTRADA Diaz (born October 1939, Cienfuegos now residing at 1425 S.W. 5th St., Apt. 10, Miami and a former collaborator of the AMFAUNA net in Cienfuegos. Ramon PEREZ is an employee of the Consolidado de Transporte, lives on Calle Arguelles in Cienfuegos between Prado and Gacel, and has a son, name unknown, who drives a taxi.

  2. On 5 and 6 January 1964, warning messages were sent to AMFAUNAS 29, 30, 31 and 33 by Antonio Remigio ESTRADA Diaz and by AMFAUNA-1 (see WAVE-0045 of 7 January 1964).

Production:

  1. The following reports were made:

UFG-3918 Loading of a Ship at La Isabela with trailers Carrying 40- foot Long Covered Objects

UFG-3941 Relocation of Radar Installations & Other Activities at the Cienfuegos Surface-to-Air Missile Site, Las Villas Province

UFG-3947 Installation of an unusual Light at Cifuentes SAM Missile Assembly Base, Las Villas Province; Dress, Habits, & Expected Departure of Soviets at Cifuentes

UFG-3948 Increase in the Number of Tanks & Soviet Personnel at the Sagua la Grande SAM Missile Site; Relocation of a Sagua la Grande Soviet Headquarters

UFG-3974 Departure of Soviets from the Remedios Area; Movement of Trucks, Guns, & Soviet Personnel in Las Villas Province

UFG-3998 Military Defense Measures at Cayo Loco, Las Villas Province

UFG-4088 Arrival of Unexplained Vehicles at Las Auras, Cienfuegos & Dismantling of that Base

UFG-4141 Cuban Military Occupation of Former Soviet Camps Near Yaguaja & at Fincas La Puntilla, La Bajada, & Rojas

UFG-4180 Removal of Some Equipment & Personnel from the Soviet Base at Itabo, Las Villas Province

UFG-4266 Field Comment Only

UFG-4272 Alleged Transfer of all Cuban Militiamen to the Central Army. New Defense Measures Along the Southern Coast of Las Villas Province

Expenses:

  1. Three separate remittances each of $270.00 or a total of $810.00 were sent to AMFAUNA-26 during this period. By previous agree- ment one quarter of the money was to be given to AMFAUNA-32 and three-quarters was to be retained by AMFAUNA-26. The first two remittances were sent to AMFAUNA-32 by her son, and each was acknowledged by telegram. The third remittance, at the telegraphed request of AMFAUNA-26, was sent to AMFLORA-1 in Caracas. Evidently his wife came to some arrangement with AMFAUNA-26 before she left Cuba.

Future Plans:

  1. Communication will be maintained with AMFAUNA-33, first by telephone and later if possible by clandestine means, for the purpose of

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learning the status and whereabouts of affected members of the AMFAUNA- 26 group. As soon as the situation has crystallized the whereabouts of burned agents learned, and secure communications established, an attempt will be made to exfiltrate endangered personnel.

End of Dispatch

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