Cryptonym: AMFAUNA

104-10308-10120: AMFAUNA PROJECT

This memo on the AMFAUNA project states "This was an on-island SW/OWVL net which provided primarily military, political and economic reporting and supported Miami-based infiltration/exfiltration operations." It goes on to describe several informant reports on suspected plots to assassinate Fidel Castro.

104-10070-10079: OPERATIONAL REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF OPERATION

This is a lengthy review of the AMFAUNA operation. Page 3 includes the detail "Except for AMFAUNA-4, all of the above-mentioned cutouts are women. Two of his [AMFAUNA-1] support agents, including his mail drop, are also women."

David Kaiser, The Road to Dallas, p. 303

"In late July (1963) the CIA was also monitoring an assassination plot involving car bombs by a network code-named AMFAUNA. A 'key figure' in AMFAUNA was CIA agent David Cabeza, who was subsequently linked to John Martino, who Loran Hall had also reported to be interested in car bombs...See Jacob D. Esterline to Deputy Director of Plans, February 4, 1967, CIA-DDP Files, Box 7, folder 1. On Cabeza and Martino see HSCA Memorandum, October 4, 1977, Box 63/2548."

1993.07.20.15:50:50:400600: LORAN EUGENE HALL, 1959-1977 (OS/SAG FILE FOR HSCA REVIEW)

Oct. 1963 - Loran Hall wrote a long statement for publication explaining how a right-wing "fascist" offered him $50,000 to kill JFK on this date. He turned him down, and cooperated with Jim Garrison. Garrison wrote an approving note on Hall's cooperation.

180-10118-10115: 180-10118-10115

Oct. 1963 - At Loran Hall's 10/77 deposition, he said that the $50,000 to kill JFK was offered by a man named "Jack" who ran a trucking firm in Dallas or Houston. The meeting was held at the office of Texas oil man Lester Logue (who wanted to run men into Cuba and form a government-in-exile, with a representative from H. L. Hunt's office and Hall as the military part of the operation), told "Jack" he wanted no part of it. Hall said he said the same thing. Page 13: On 11/22/63, when Hall heard JFK had been shot, he called his friend Mildred Hyatt because he believed he needed to establish an alibi. Page 22-23: Jerry Cohen and Larry Schiller were reporters at the LA Times, told Hall the Garrison proceedings were a "railroad job" and not to testify - he did anyway. pp. 23-25: The CIA wrote Hall was not an employee, had no security duty to the CIA, and was free to testify. Hall had a contact at the CIA, and called him, couldn't remember his name - and testified after being immunized. pp. 26-27: Hall got $30K from Sam Giancana - he doesn't know where it came from. pp. 31-34: went on an operation with Rip Robertson somewhere in the 1962-63 period, calls himself a "jackal of the CIA" - meaning he did its bidding without knowing what was going on. p. 38: Omitted telling Garrison about Bayo-Pawley affair because he never asked about it. p. 39: In 1963, Hall was radical right-wing, almost every meeting he went to had someone saying he wanted to blow Kennedy's head off.

Jeffrey H. Caulfield, General Walker and the Murder of President Kennedy, p. 599

"(Loran) Hall's relationship with (Gen. Edwin Walker, H. L. Hunt, Dan Smoot, and Col. William Potter Gale) defies any explanation other than the fact that Hall's false claim about being at Sylvia Odio's apartment was made at the direction of the Walker operation in order to quash the Odio allegation, an allegation that has long been considered by some as the most compelling piece of evidence uncovered by the Warren Commission of a conspiracy in the assassination of President Kennedy. If the Warren Commission had established that Oswald was at Odio's with two anti-Castro Cubans, they would have had to consider that Oswald was actually a phony Communist, and the entire Warren Commission premise of Oswald as a lone Communist gunman might have unraveled."

104-10290-10308: CABLE: REQUEST FOR TRACES

10/23/63: Cable from Mexico City to Director: Slugline DYVOUR PBRUMEN AMFAUNA: REF WAVE 5791 (IN 39688): "Traces Rene Ricard Fregco, aka Rene Fresco Ricard, born HAVA 8 Aug 1918. Name legally changed in Cuba from Rene Fresco Picardy to Rene Picardy Fresco and recorded in his Mexican immigration booklet 6 Nov 1961. (HBFINCH) entered Mexico 21 February (unintelligible)...(Mexican Government files) close associate 26 July group, involved arms procurement (LIFEAT B/2). Traveled to HAVA 13 May 1960 (LIFIRE B/2). Applied PBPRIME (U.S.) visa 7 Nov 61. SUBJ said in HAVA 1959-1961, turned down job with Proctor & Gamble Puerto Rico, due insufficient pay. Connected with Eagle Pencil CO subsidiary MEXI. Was planning dept 8 Nov 61 for home office, Danrupy (?) CONN for training (HBFINCH). Close friend LITAMIL-3 (Ricardo Vidal Dominguez), presently Gerente Dulces Duval...L-3 claims no leftist tendencies. SUBJ compadre Fofo and Orquidea Guitterrez. C/S Comment: Requested traces Rene Picard."

104-10093-10359: CABLE REQUESTING ADVICE IF ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN.

11/07/63 (possibly 17): Cable from Mexico City to Director: CITE MEXI 6818: Slugline RYBAT DYVOUR PBRUMEN AMFAUNA: REF WAVE 7069 (IN 54181): "1. MEXI can do thru LIELEGANT (probably Rodolfo Echeverria, Mexican lawyer and Presidential adviser in charge of the Mexican DFS - Treasury Dept. intelligence, father of President Luis Echeverria) who knows Guillermo Ibarra. 2. Advise if MEXI should take action. C/S Comment: Advise whether MEXI assets could arrange have invitation extended AMFAUNA-25 attend insurance congress or come MEXI for past congress conversations with participants."