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Cryptonym: AMTRUNK-13

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Definition:
Unknown identity. Close friend of AMTRUNK-19 (probably Jose Alberto Semidey Isalgue, cousin of Miguel Diaz Isalgue) [AMICE-14/AMSTALK-1], and Cubana pilot).
Status:
Unknown
Discussion:
AMTRUNK-13 was 42 years old in January 1964, and had been a commercial airline pilot for most of his life. AMTRUNK-13 was from Havana, and was active in the 26th of July underground during the battle with Batista, for power and control over Cuba in the late 1950's. In addition, AMTRUNK-13 was exposed to AMTRUNK-16 as "Maximo."

A FBI interview of Emilio Caballero Castillo at Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, in December of 1964, mentioned a Maximo (LNU), from the Rebel Army. It is possible that this may have been AMTRUNK-13, given that some members of the AMTRUNK network had Rebel Army backgrounds.

A dispatch in January of 1964 stated that AMTRUNK-13 would "attempt to set up contact with Commandante Rene de los Santos Ponce, who is reportedly stationed in Las Villas Province with a unit of 'Lucha Contra Bandidos', an anti-counterrevolutionary force. AMTRUNK-13 and de los Santos are friends from boyhood, and, for a period of 6 or 7 years, de los Santos worked as an apprentice plumber for AMTRUNK-13's father and lived in their home. AMTRUNK-13 and de los Santos also worked together in the 26th of July underground in Havana."
Sources:

104-10309-10008: DISPATCH: TYPIC/OPERATIONAL PROGRESS REPORT AMTRUNK TEAM, PERIOD 1-30 SEPTEMBER 1963

10/18/63: Dispatch from COS, JMWAVE to Chief, Special Affairs Staff: Page 4: "4. PROJECTED PLANS: During the month of October, it is planned to process and debrief the two new candidates for infiltration, AMTRUNK-13 and -14, to prepare them to begin FI and tradecraft training during the latter part of the month..."

104-10215-10221: DISPATCH: AMTRUNK PROGRESS REPORT, PERIOD 1-30 NOVEMBER 1963

12/17/63: Dispatch from COS, JMWAVE to Chief, Special Affairs Staff: Page 2: ..."The other radio operator, AMAGREE-1, would begin tradecraft training with AMTRUNK-13 in early December to prepare for a January infiltration..."

https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2022/104-10216-10148.pdf

01/22/64: Dispatch from COS, JMWAVE to Chief, Special Affairs Staff: Page 3: "F. AMTRUNK-13 will attempt the recruitment of Jose Alberto Semidey Isalgue (probably AMTRUNK-19), a close friend of AMTRUNK-13's for 18 years and a first cousin of AMICE-14. The following is a short biographical sketch of SEMIDEY:...He and AMTRUNK-13 graduated from the second class of (REDACTION) in 1942...Because of the close former friendship between AMTRUNK-13 and Semidey and because of reports from AMICE-14's family which indicate that Semidey has become disenchanted with the Castro regime, both AMTRUNK-13 and AMICE-14 consider Semidey a prime candidate for recruitment. G. If Semidey should be out of the country on a flying trip at the time of infiltration, AMTRUNK-13 will attempt to set up contact with Commandante Rene de los Santos Ponce, who is reportedly stationed in Las Villas Province with a unit of 'Lucha Contra Bandidos', an anti-counterrevolutionary force. AMTRUNK-13 and de los Santos are friends from boyhood, and, for a period of 6 or 7 years, de los Santos worked as an apprentice plumber for AMTRUNK-13's father and lived in their home. AMTRUNK-13 and de los Santos also worked together in the 26th of July underground in Havana....B. AMTRUNK-13: AMTRUNK-13 is a 42 year-old Cuban citizen who has been a commercial airline pilot for most of his life. He is a high school graduate. In early 1959, AMTRUNK-13 was named (REDACTION), one of the major Cuban airlines. He defected in December (REDACTION) while still in that post. He is a native of Havana who was active in the 26th of July underground in that city from early 1957. While later in exile in the United States, AMTRUNK-13 made two clandestine flights into the Sierra Maestras during the war against Batista, the last bringing (REDACTION) for his first (REDACTION) in December 1958." - - - Page 12: "J. Agent Personnel Exposed to AMTRUNK-16:...AMTRUNK-13 as 'Maximo'..."

104-10247-10363: CABLE: ASSURE THAT AMTRUNK-13, AND THRU HIM AMLASH-1, HAS SOME FAMILIARITY WITH DEMO BEING SENT PER REF

03/14/64: Cable from JMWAVE to Director: Slugline RYBAT TYPIC YOBITE AMTRUNK MHAPRON: "1. In order to assure that AMTRUNK-13, and thru him AMLASH-1 (Rolando Cubela Secades), has some familiarity with demo being sent per ref, Station plans give AMICE-14 (Miguel A. Diaz Isalgue) several days training so that he may pass on to A-10. 2. While ZORRO (a cache operation conducted by a four man team to provide weapons and explosives for Rolando Cubela inside Cuba) cache being readied per ref, AMTRUNK cache will be notified by omitting FALs and 7.62 ammo in order reduce size and weight for easier handling. C/S Comment: *Two separate caches will be placed support AMLASH during March."

104-10216-10112: DISPATCH: AMTRUNK PROGRESS REPORT, PERIOD 1 THROUGH 31 MARCH 1964

04/14/64: Dispatch from COS, JMWAVE to Chief, Special Affairs Staff: Page 2: ..."During the reporting period, false documentation for AMTRUNK-13's proposed trip to Mexico City was requested. Upon receipt of the false documentation, AMTRUNK-13 will be sent to Mexico City to await the opportunity to attempt to recruit the Subject of 201-356707. In addition, false documents have been requested for AMICE-14 (Miguel A. Diaz Isalgue) should his presence in Mexico City become necessary to cement AMTRUNK-13's recruitment pitch..."

104-10216-10110: DISPATCH: STATUS OF AMTRUNK MHAPRON RECRUITING EFFORTS

04/17/64: Dispatch from COS, JMWAVE to Chief, Special Affairs Staff: ..."3...The one notable exception is the attempt soon to be made to recruit Jose Alberto Semidey Isalgue, a Cubana pilot with considerable influence in civil and military aviation and the clandestine aspects thereof. To this effort, AMTRUNK-13, a close friend of Semidey for over 20 years, will be sent to Mexico City to seize the opportunity to throw Semidey a recruitment pitch during a Cubana turnaround flight. Discussions at JMWAVE between Lawrence F. Barker (Robert Shaw) of the MEXI Station and Irving N. Peggins have paved the way for AMTRUNK-13's handling and safehousing in Mexico City while he awaits his recruitment opportunity. Through the excellent cooperation of MEXI, MADR and OTTA Stations, JMWAVE has been able to maintain a precise log and to establish somewhat of a pattern of Semidey's flight schedule. By virtue of the fact that, during February and March, Semidey made four flights to Mexico City, it is presumed that AMTRUNK-13 should have the opportunity to recruit Semidey within two weeks of his (AMTRUNK-13's) arrival in MEXI. The false documents which show AMTRUNK-13 as a U.S. citizen nearly are completed and AMTRUNK-13 should be dispatched to MEXI within 10 days..." - - - 2022 release: https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2022/104-10216-10110.pdf

104-10247-10148: DISPATCH: AMTRUNK / OPERATIONAL PROGRESS REPORT FOR AMTRUNK OPERATION, PERIOD 1-30 APRIL 1964

05/11/64: Dispatch from COS, JMWAVE to Deputy Chief, WH/SA: "1. OPERATIONAL SECURITY: On 24 April AMTRUNK-13 was sent to Mexico City to attempt the recruitment of the Subject of 201-356707. A case of mistaken identity caused MEXI to doubt AMTRUNK-13's bona fides, and, after a frustrating five days in Mexico City, AMTRUNK-13 returned to the JMWAVE area with his mission unaccomplished. (See Refs for details)..."

104-10247-10346: DISPATCH: AMTRUNK PROGRESS REPORT, PERIOD 1 THROUGH 30 JUNE 1964

07/14/64: Dispatch from COS, JMWAVE to Deputy Chief, WH/SA: "1. OPERATIONAL ACTIVITY: The most noteworthy development in the AMTRUNK project during the reporting period was AMTRUNK-13's successful initial discussion with AMTRUNK-19 in Mexico City, details of which are presented in the reference. AMTRUNK-19 was given a JMWAVE accommodation address and an open code to be used with a commercial telegram whereby he can provide advance notice of his flight schedule to the Free World. The next step is to meet AMTRUNK-19 where there is sufficient time to cement the recruitment, teach him a system of communications (S/W and/or OWVL), and levy specific MHAPRON (worldwide program for the penetration of the power centers and armed forces of the Cuban regime) and FI requirements upon him. Six AMTRUNKs completed 3 weeks of PM training on 5 June. These were: AMICE-14 (Miguel A. Diaz Isalgue), team leader; AMAGREE-1 and AMAKA-1, radio operators; AMTRUNK-13; and AMTRUNK-7 and -16, the team guides..."

104-10216-10273: DISPATCH: SUBJECT - PROGRESS REPORT FOR PERIOD 1-30 NOVEMBER 1964

12/10/64: Dispatch from COS, JMWAVE to Deputy Chief, WH/SA: "1. OPERATIONAL ACTIVITY: A. Preparations were underway in early November to dispatch AMTRUNK-13 to Madrid in mid-November to cement the recruitment of AMTRUNK-19. These plans fell through when the Madrid Station notified Headquarters and WAVE that their workload would not allow sufficient case officer time to handle AMTRUNK-13 in Madrid at this time. WAVE agreed to postpone AMTRUNK-13's trip to Madrid several weeks until Madrid Station's workload abated somewhat. B. The prospects of finalizing the recruitment of AMTRUNK-19 increased however with the receipt at WAVE of another open letter from AMTRUNK-19, this one mailed from Mexico City in mid-November. In AMTRUNK-19's first letter, mailed from Montreal in mid-October, he suggested using a friend in Mexico City as a cut-out to initiate a channel of communications between himself and AMTRUNK-13. In his second letter, AMTRUNK-19 stated that he had made the necessary arrangements with his friend in Mexico. Although WAVE, Headquarters and MEXI traces on AMTRUNK-19's friend, IDEN A, were fragmentary, Mexico Station stated that IDEN A was well-known to one of its Cuban assets who vouched for IDEN A's loyalties. WAVE intends to send an innocuous letter to AMTRUNK-19 in AMTRUNK-13's handwriting to keep the channel with A-19 alive. AMTRUNK-19 appears eager to see AMTRUNK-13 again and has stated in both letters that he has considerable information to discuss in detail. It is well realized that this open letter channel is far from ideal but it is hoped that in early January 1965 AMTRUNK-13 can re-contact AMTRUNK-19 and provide him with a system of S/W as well as debrief him thoroughly and levy FI and MHAPRON requirements upon him..." Page 4: "IDEN Sheet: IDEN A - (REDACTION)."

124-10280-10046:

12/15/64: Interview of Emilio Caballero Castillo by SA Wendell W. Hall, Jr.: Page 2: ..."Caballero stated that later there was a second group of men in a house located near Anasco, Puerto Rico. This group of men of about 15 to 20 persons was led by Roberto Pineda Escalante. These men awaited the return of the boat which left the Joyuda area and when the boat returned, they also left to an undetermined destination either in the Bahamas or the Dominican Republic. Cabellero was able to furnish the following names of the men who were with Pineda in Anasco, Puerto Rico: Angel Banos Sanchez; Reinol Gonzalez; Charles Paez, of the Rebel Army; Luis Garcia, Orlando (LNU), a negro from the Rebel Army; Pedro (LNU), a friend of Garcia; Maximo (LNU), from the Rebel Army; (FNU) Castillo."

104-10225-10009: CIA FILE ON ( )SHELL-5.

03/08/68: AMSTALK-1 Damage Report: ..."Indigenous Agent Personnel Exposed:...AMTRUNK-13 by true name..."

Contributors:
Gavin McDonald

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