Cryptonym: AMTABBY-15
Taylor Branch and George Crile, III "The Kennedy Vendetta", Harper's (1975).
"In Washington, during the investigation into the CIA's handling of the invasion, (Rip) Robertson appeared as a witness and talked at length with Robert Kennedy. He told his Cuban commandos that Kennedy was all right, which they took as a high compliment, since Robertson hated all politicians...Ramon Orozco, one of his commandos, remembers what the paramilitary operations were like: "After the Bay of Pigs...I was on one of his teams, but he controlled many teams and many operations. And everything was good through 1963. Our team made more than seven big war missions. Some of them were huge: the attack on the Texaco refinery, the Russian ships in Oriente province, a big lumber yard, the Patrice Lumumba sulfuric acid plant in Santa Lucia, and the diesel plant in Casilda...at the end of December, 1961, (Orozco and other commandos) sought to escape in a rubber boat where Rip and (Rolando Martinez, one of the Watergate burglars) waited for them...Rip loaded a rubber boat with rockets and recoilless rifles, ordered another commando, Nestor Izquierdo, to get in with him, and then motored up and down the coast looking for signs of his men. He was back on Martinez' ship when Orozco called him from the shore...(Robertson's) superiors became so angry that they resorted to ordering the Cuban boat captains not to allow him to board the intermediary ships that took the teams to the shore...Rip Robertson and his paramilitary cowboys (later) joined in the (Vietnam) effort and helped run the Phoenix program."
Fabian Escalante, The Secret War (Ocean Press, 1995) https://archive.org/stream/FabianEscalanteSecretWarCubaCIA/Fabian%20Escalante%20Secret%20War%20Cuba%20CIA_djvu.txt
(114-115): "(By) the final months of 1961...a study of the Cuban scene led (CIA) to the false belief that the most favorable territories for the uprising (included) intricate mountain ranges which could harbor a strong and well-supplied guerrilla nucleus, distant from urban centers, scarce means of communication, and a rural population sufficiently backward culturally and politically to be easily susceptible to indoctrination by agents...one of the CIA's priorities was the reorganization of the internal front. The counterrevolutionary groups and bands were structures that already existed and should be used...William Harvey met with several of these agents during the early days of 1962, to personally instruct them in the tasks they were to carry out. These included Manuel Guillot Castellanos (AMBRONC-5), Julio Hernandez Rojo (AMOT-99), Esteban Marquez Novo (probably AMBANTY-1, head of what was called AMCOBRA in 1962, Felix Rodriguez (present for Che's death), Eugenio Martinez (the Watergate burglar), Clemente Inclan Werner, Luis Hernandez Rocha (AMHINT-53), Miguel and Ramon Orozco, Alberto del Busto, Pedro Cameron and Manuel del Valle...Guillot, Marquez Novo, Fernandez Rocha, Cameron and Del Valle would be infiltrated into Cuba to organize the counterrevolution, while the rest would take charge of marine supply. Of all of them, the greatest hope was placed in Guillot Castellanos." (pp. 145-146); ...agents Miguel Orozco Crespo and Pedro Vera Ortiz were arrested in the Malas Aguas Farm in the municipality of Vinales in Pinar del Rio province. After his capture, Orozco Crespo said he had conducted 25 similar special missions against Cuba in 1962 , and that his chiefs in Florida were CIA officers, "Rip" Robertson and Robert Wall. (William "Rip" Robertson was one of the Americans who landed with the mercenary brigade of Playa Girón, on April 17, 1961 ). He also said that he had recruited people for Alpha-66 and participated in the training of these forces.
104-10104-10050: RAMON OROZCO CRESPO
October 1962: Reference comes from routing sheet for Ramon Orozco Crespo (201-282573): "Subject has two brothers: One was in prison at time Subject was recruited by the other (Miguel - AMTABBY-15) who was leader of a commando group prepared for Bay of Pigs. In October 1962 just prior to November 1962 capture of second brother, Subject had been fired for disciplinary reasons. Was taken back until October 1963 when terminated as group disbanded. Picked up as frogman by AMWORLD in February 1964 from which he resigned in Nicaragua in July 1964. After capture of second brother file reflects Subject too emotional and unstable for paramilitary work."
178-10002-10473: OPERATION MONGOOSE - SABOTAGE ACTIONS
10/11/62 memo by Chief, TFW William Harvey to Brigadier General Edward Lansdale: "This memorandum is in response to the Special Group (Augmented) stated desire for more aggressive sabotage action...Major sabotage targets: Attached is a list of the key industrial and communications targets in Cuba...When attacks against specific targets are considered feasible, specific operations proposals will be submitted or approval. At the same time, we are re-training our present available sabotage/raider group of approximately 25 men." On the list "Sabotage Targets in Order of Economic Importance in Cuba", #9 was the Nicaro Nickel Plant "attack coolant tower - power house and coolant pump house", and #18 was the Matahambre Copper Mine in Santa Lucia - "attack cable tramway (4000 kw) electric generator and unloading stipple".
202-10001-10211: PHASE II OPERATION MONGOOSE
Nicaro Nickel Plant - formerly redacted it is now revealed, along with Matahambre Mine - Santa Lucia and other sites that were sabotage targets for the CIA during this early-60s era. (MFF is missing the earlier page to this document, but it may be at the National Archives within the 21 page original filing.)
James G. Blight, Cuba on the Brink, p. 153 (Pantheon Books, 1993). https://books.google.com/books?id=GDo1CdsGZ8IC&pg=PA153&lpg=PA153&dq=%22occupying+cayo+romano,+on+the+northern+coast%22&source=bl&ots=abBN6kObWa&sig=Wcbcd17jlh2rH4A1cgl0LXG6xIg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjy6vv82t_fAhXuFjQIHQCPAL4Q6AEwAHoECAAQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22occupying%20cayo%20romano%2C%20on%20the%20northern%20coast%22&f=false
"On October 14th (1962), a ship from the CIA departed for Cuba carrying an exfiltration team headed by the chief of the group for infiltration operations at CIA, Miguel Orozco. They landed in Pinar del Rio, with the mission of blowing up the Matahambre mines. Later on this team was arrested...Miguel Orozco said that, at that moment, the CIA had undertaken a plan which required the recruitment of Cubans. It had two purposes: First, occupying Cayo Romano, on the northern coast of Cuba, in order to establish a provisional counterrevolutionary government - the Miro Cardona government; and, second, to launch an attack, using counterrevolutionary Cuban troops, against Puerto Carbezas, to create the pretext that the revolutionary government was taking revenge on (Nicaraguan president Luis) Somoza (Debayle) for the assistance that he had lent to the Bay of Pigs invasion."
104-10308-10171: AMTABBY OPERATION
A major paramilitary operation consisting of numerous sabotage operations against on-island targets in Cuba. At least some of these operations were reviewed and approved by the Special Group (Augmented). "Part of the AMTABBY net was wrapped up by Castro in 11/2/62, at which time AMTABBY-15 and AMTABBY-23 were captured. Castro claimed that AMTABBY-15 was the CIA's principal agent in Cuba." For minor sabotage operations, no OK from JFK was necessary. For MONGOOSE-size major operations, presidential approval was required. "Part of the AMTABBY net was wrapped up by Castro on (handwritten: 11/2/62), at which time AMTABBY-15 and AMTABBY-23 were captured. Castro claimed that AMTABBY-15 was the CIA's principal agent in Cuba...While the Cubans were unaware of the name MONGOOSE, they did refer to the operation AMTABBY-15 was involved in as Operation CUPID (handwritten note: How did AMTABBY-15 know this?) The Cubans were also aware of Robert Wall and were led to believe that he was a close friend of Robert Kennedy. (Typed note: Is this true? -- Handwritten note: No.) AMTABBY-15 also told the Cubans and was told (by whom?) that all sabotage plans were to be on a small scale and were not to compromise President Kennedy (a note on this memo says 'What can we say?') AMTABBY-15 went on to say that all large operations i.e. MONGOOSE/CUPID needed the approval of President Kennedy - how he knew this is unknown????"
FBI letterhead memo, 11/15/62: An article in El Mundo, 11/15/62, entitled "Chief of Saboteurs Arrested Upon Arrival from United States", had another headline stating "Four Hundred Miners Would Have Died If The Terrorist Plan Had Succeeded". "According to this article, the Cuban State Security Department had disclosed the arrest of Miguel Angel Orozco Crespo and two groups of saboteurs who had landed clandestinely in Cuba under the direction of the (CIA) to carry out acts of sabotage and espionage. The saboteurs were ordered to destroy the mines at Matahambre and Nicaro and other major industrial installations in Cuba...Orozco Crespo, a former lieutenant in the Batista Army, left no doubt of the sinister plans of the United States to commit criminal acts in Cuba." See 104-10104-10050, p. 3: "It should be noted for the record that since August 1967 the Agency has conducted no infiltration operations."