Cryptonym: AMTEE-5
According to a memo by Lewis D. Nicklas in June of 1963, AMTEE-5 was involved in transporting Orlando Oshana Chomar Mamlok to and from a meeting with Nicklas. Also, the meeting itself was held in AMTEE-5's car and Chomar was informed "that AMTEE-5 would contact him once a week, in order to maintain contact with him in the future."
104-10169-10165: CABLE: ON 20 JULY WAVE IN CONTACT WITH GARCIA, SUBJ OF REF
07/29/61, Cable from JMWAVE to Director (Zamka acting): Page 2: ..."5. Garcia says his function in Duque org is limited to operations, security and propaganda. A letter to Mr. Paul Bethel, local USIA rep, from a Captain Edwin P. Le May, a local yacht broker, characterizes Garcia as an opportunist and a Batista man who is pushing Duque into the limelight for his own personal ends. 6. Le May letter states that Garcia organized the sin for Batista in 1933. This confirmed by PRQ info given WAVE by Garcia who states he was in the Cuban Army from 1935 to 45 for this purpose. Le May also states that Garcia employed by ODOATH (U.S. Navy) intel service at GTMO and a business partner of Batista. 7. WAVE traces Le May reveal he yacht broker in touch with AMTEE-1 and AMCASK-1. Local FBI races requested. Copy of Le May letter sent to Mr. William McHale of Senator Smathers office by Le May. Tone of letter suggests that Le May is contact between Duque group and U.S. thru Bethel..."
124-90154-10197: FBI INTERVIEW
11/23/62, FBI interview of Captain Edwin Le May by SA Paul A. Scranton on 11/19/62: "Captain Edwin P. Le May, 530 Biscayne Boulevard, advised he was a General Ship Agent and is head of the firm Captain Edwin P. LeMay and Associates at the same address. He advised he is intimately acquainted with the affairs of the vessel 'WAPPEN VON HAMBURG. aka EMPRESS OF BAHAMAS' as he had been ship agent for the charterers of this vessel until November 16, 1962, and is still acting as ship agent for the German owners of the vessel..." Page 2: ..."He advised that one person who was interested in a gambling operation aboard the ship was Mike McLaney, who had formerly run the Casino at the Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba, and who had also run the casino on Cat Cay for Roland McCann. He said McLaney had the reputation for being an honest gambler and of refusing to do business with any gangsters or hoodlums..."
124-90154-10197: FBI INTERVIEW
12/03/62, FBI interview of Captain Edwin Le May by SA Paul A. Scranton on 11/29/62: ...."Le May stated that in connection with the proposed gambling venture aboard the ship that the names of Santo Trafficante and Meyer and Jake Lansky have come up. He advised that about five days previously he had been aboard the vessel and had noticed the Captain with a group of about five men whom he did not know. During this visit he overheard a crew member state that Lansky was taking the Captain out to lunch and had heard another crew member say that Meyer was with Derber. Le May stated he assumed from this that the people aboard ship visiting the Captain were Meyer and Jake Lansky, but that he did not know this for fact. Le May stated he had heard also that Santo Trafficante was to 'bankroll' the gambling operation for the ship. Le May stated he had talked with Captain Rolf Heese of the 'WAPPEN VON HAMBURG' about rumors that 'gangsters and hoodlums' were interested in the gambling aboard ship and Le May said the Captain also advised Le May that multi-millionaire Huntington Hartford had just completed a trip aboard the vessel as a special guest. Le May stated he had advised the Captain to be very careful in his dealings aboard ship so that the ship would not run into difficultly with government enforcement agencies. Le May stated he had learned that a slot machine concession-aire by the name of Stein was trying to get the concession for slot machines aboard the vessel but that he did not succeed. Le May also stated that Mike McLaney had been approached to handle the gambling aboard the vessel but that no definite plans had been completed as of this time...Le May stated he had also learned from Kelly that a Dr. Santiago, who is a Cuban married to a Venezuelan woman and is connected with a bank on Miami Beach, has some connection with the financing of the vessel."
104-10236-10303: MFR: MEETING WITH ORLANDO OSHANA CHOMAR MAMLOK
06/18/63: Memo for the record from Lewis D. Nicklas: Reference: Memo from Alice B. Caponong/PW, dated 11 June 1963: "1. On 17 June AMTEE-5 was instructed to call at the residence of Orlando Oshana Chomar Mamlok, 135 S.W. 16th Avenue, Apartment #6, pick up Chomar and drive him in AMTEE-5's car, to the parking lot behind the Hot Shoppe Restaurant on the corner of Dixie Highway and Bird Road, where the undersigned would meet them. AMTEE-5 and Chomar arrived at the meeting site at 1445 hours. The purpose of this meeting was to censure Chomar for using Lewis D. Nicklas' fictitious name as a reference at the Cuban Refugee Center and for divulging the information mentioned in memorandum of reference. 2. Chomar was reminded that he signed a 'Secrecy Agreement'...He was also reminded that he was told not to reveal the names of any of the U.S. officials who contacted him since his arrival in the U.S. He was told that he had committed a breach of security...b. He applied for this assistance at the Cuban Refugee Center where he was interviewed by an American lady named Alex Ramos. He said that Ramos told him that he had to make a sworn statement in order to apply for assistance from the Refugee Center...5. Chomar promised not to use Nicklas' fictitious name again and that he would not divulge his past connection with the U.S. Government to anyone. He was told not to use the P.O. Box he was given in the past because this box has been cancelled. He was told that AMTEE-5 would contact him once a week in order to maintain contact with him in the future. 6. The meeting ended at approximately 1515 hours. No surveillance was noted during the course of the meeting which was held in AMTEE-5's car. After the meeting, Nicklas left AMTEE-5's car and when Chomar and AMTEE-5 departed, Nicklas walked to his car which was parked at the other end of the parking lot and left the meeting site. 7. On 18 June AMTEE-5 called to advise that Chomar was very angry when he left the meeting..."
11/25/64: Cable from JMWAVE to WH/SA 8: Slugline INTEL TYPIC: "SUPDATA: AMTEE-5 who spoke with Emil Ernest Behre on 16 Nov 64. Local KUSODA (CIA Office of Security) office has extensive file on Behre. Reliability questionable...Source: Competent American observer and yachtsman with good contacts in fishing circles. This information was obtained from Emil Ernest Behre." Pages 3-4: Field Information Report: "1. On 16 Nov 64 Emil Ernest Behre, an American 'soldier of fortune', said that the Junta Revolucionaria Cubana (JURE, Cuban Revolutionary Junta), a Cuban exile group which meets at the Toledo restaurant, 204 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, was planning a small operation to Cuba within the next week. Behre said there was a good possibility that he would accompany the mission as a photographer. He said the leader of the group is 'Alex', owner of the Toledo restaurant. (Field Comment: 'Alex' is probably identical to Alex Aixala Pertierra, co-owner of the Toledo restaurant and also described as owner of the International Boat and Yacht Builders, INC., 280 SW North River Drive, Miami. A 27-foot catamaran, CT 1208 D, registered to this firm, was involved in Manuel Ray Rivero's abortive attempt to reach Cuba in June 64). 2. According to Behre, JURE has several boats at its disposal, and uses the International Boat and Yacht Builders, INC. as a front for its activities. While the 'paper' owner and director of the firm is Luis Echenique, Aixala actually issues the orders. Among the boats owned by Aixala is a 27-foot five-inch catamaran powered by twin 100-horse power Volvo engines, bearing registration FL 4115 F...The FL-4115 F was lent to Behre by Aixala to be used at his discretion. Aixala said the boat was too hot to be used for operations at the moment...3. Aixala told Behre that he has complete access to C-compound explosives and uses it on 'missions.'"...