Cryptonym: AMULAR
AMULAR's contacts Rubio Padilla and Silvio Cardenas were leading lights in the anti-Castro Accion Democratica Christiana (ADC) group in Cuba. (See the notes for AMBLAB-1).
The CIA went to great lengths to hide AMULAR's identity, and avoided answering it by merging their response to this request to the response for it with the ID of Bernard Reichardt (Ken Crosby) 104-10061-10115, p. 28.
AMULAR also had close ties to the BOAC group in Cuba - see below.
104-10061-10115; LIST OF NAMES RE KENNEDY ASSASSINATION INVESTIGATION
Marginalia on this HSCA document created by the CIA employees indicates that either AMULAR or CITASTE was affiliated with the BOAC - the Bloque de Organizaciones Anticomunista.
104-10049-10344: CONTACT WITH ANTI-CASTRO GROUP IN CUBA
1/15/60: AMULAR was acquainted with QDDALE (William D. Pawley) and was friends with Mr. Silvio Cardenas - AMULAR could handle the monitoring of Cardenas' group.
1994.05.18.13:23:17:130005: Reel 55, Folder L - WILLIAM D. PAWLEY
2/5/60 memo from Deputy Chief, WHD Rudy Gomez to Mr. Berman, Assistant to the DCI: "Pawley reported that on 21 February that Fabio Freyre (a reliable Cuban contact) had obtained independent confirmation of Diaz Tamayo's report from his friend Lt. Col. Sanchez Mosquera." Colonel Angel Sanchez was active in the early 60s and considered as a possible commander for the anti-Castro ground forces.
104-10265-10090: CABLE: CONTACTED CARDENAS EVENING 15 FEBRUARY. CARDENAS ASKED FOLLOWING
2/16/60: After "Silvio Cardenas Avenal sent word 13 Feb QDDALE (William D. Pawley) he urgently needed contact our rep per arrangement discussed with Olien (Havana station chief James Noel) at HQs. HQs requests contact be made and results cabled...AMULAR contacted Cardenas evening 15 February. Cardenas asked following message be sent to QDDALE...Varona interested in "joining junta", Trujillo broadcasts refer to Pedraza as "head of invasion forces",...This report already sent to QDDALE via diplomatic pouch to Fabre in Miami..."
104-10265-10086: CABLE: ON 25 FEB ( ) MET WITH CARDENAS, RIVERO AND RUBIO PADILLA AT REQUEST
2/27/60, cable from Havana to Director: "On Feb 25 AMULAR met with Cardenas, Rivero, and Rubio Padilla at request of Cardenas...Rubio Padilla upset over fact has received no acknowledgement of messages sent through AMULAR channel. Specifically desires know why Trujillo broadcasts have been renewed after QDDALE (William D. Pawley) assured they would be discontinued...(Padilla wanted to leave Cuba by yacht and meet Pawley at Cayo Sal, would have to dodge Cuban naval patrols) Rubio Padilla asked AMULAR if he could help. AMULAR replied he had no facility for clandestine exfiltration."
104-10265-10082: CABLE: TWO MESSAGES FOR RUBIO FROM
3/11/60, two messages for Rubio from QDDALE (William D. Pawley) just recd HQS and will be sent priority pouch 14 March for delivery from AMULAR. 104-10265-10080: 3/14/60 Robert Reynolds memo re meeting with Pawley in his office in MIami. Pawley urged to keep Rubio Padilla in Cuba as long as possible. "I turned over to Pawley a couple of messages from Cardenas which Dave Morales had brought over from Habana with him. The essence of these messages: When are you going to answer our earlier correspondence?...104-10265-10079 - Pawley's source is described as "Fabio Freyre?, thru QDDALE, 3/14/60"
104-10265-10078: CABLE: FOLLOWING IS SUMMARY 9 MARCH REPLY TO RUBIO, WHICH BEING
3/14/60 memo from WH/4 Martha Tharpe to Havana: Re QDDALE's (William D. Pawley) nine page letter to Rubio, steps that "could be taken (include)...penetrating the Secretariat of Bishops to neutralize work (of) these gentlemen. For example, I have suggested doing this to Oriente Archbishop, using Monsignor Angel Hernandez...we must begin organizing the youth into groups for sabotage."
4/1/60: At a meeting at Pawley's home in Miami, "there was considerable discussion as to who should be the nominal leaders of this government in exile, with Pawley pushing in particular for Dr. Rubio Padilla and the Agency's representatives supporting Dr. Antonio Varona...Col. King pointed out that over and above a bond issue which will be floated in the name of the government in exile with Mr. Pawley's help, that donations are being made by private citizens and corporations." Two pages later, Tracy Barnes expressed concern about Pawley and the "extremely conservative" people working with Pawley...officers "discussed the pros and cons of cutting off the communications channel between Pawley and the Rubio groups into Cuba - a channel which was provided by the Agency's communications facility...whether it was political expediency or conviction that Pawley could actually do some good, the relationship among Pawley, Chief (J.C. King) WH Division, and Chief, WH/4 (Jack Esterline) continued throughout the course of the Bay of Pigs operation."
104-10265-10327: MESSAGE FOR RUBIO VIA QDDALE
5/4/60 cable from Chief of Station, Habana to Chief, WHD, "Copies of Message sent to QDDALE for Delivery to Rubio: "Transmitted herewith for Headquarters' Information are copies of a message which was handed to AMULAR by his local contact for safe delivery to Rubio via the QDDALE channel. The original of this message was handcarried to (the USA) by Stanley Zamka/David Morales on 29 April 1960, and delivered to Patrick Karnley/Bernie Reichhardt." 104-10301-10004, p. 266; In view of Pawley's recalcitrance to work on the funding of the FRD, the DDP, the DDP/A, Chief WH/D, Chief WH/4 and others discussed the pros and cons of cutting off the communications channel between Pawley and the Rubio groups into Cuba - a channel which was provided by the Agency's communications facility. Chief, WH Division got the Agency to agree that the communications channel should be continued because it did provide a window into the activities of the Pawley group. Moreover, the Pawley group had a duplicate channel into Cuba (note: Alligator) and would not necessarily have been restricted by the denial of the Agency channel." Also see 104-10265-10320, 5/18/60: "Silvio has asked AMULAR forward foll msg to Rubio soonest: Articles published Sunday and Monday Miami News appear to us as possibly referring our group here. If so was it purposely leaked to paper there? Pepin and Oscar Rivero will have to go to Peru first (before the US). Hope leave there on 23 May. Aureliano Sanchez Arango is reported to have entered Ecuadorean Embassy. Silvio complained about long delay in receiving any messages from Rubio." Also see 104-10265-10316, 6/8/60, where Silvio Cardenas asked AMULAR to forward via channels a letter from "Father Posada" addressed to Jose Iguelo Rivera, exiled owner of the Diario de la Marina dated 5/31/60. "The letter was hand-carried by Walter H. Gebaide to Miami for delivery to FOB, Miami, and for passing to Rivero via the Karnley-QDDALE channel..." - if appropriate.
6/23/60 cable: "Alberto Diaz Masvidal, lawyer, returned Havana 18 June from two to three week trip to Miami, Mexico, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. Called on AMULAR who has known him both socially and in business sense for past ten years. Confided to AMULAR that he back in Cuba to do an economic analysis for "friends" who will use his report as part of anti-Castro economic campaign...AMULAR told Diaz there was little he could do (to) help with visas but if he would provide names and other pertinent data he would sound out his embassy friends."
104-10271-10268: CABLE: HQS CONCURS IN DESIRABILITY INCLUDING MANUEL RAY, FAUSTINO PEREZ
6/24/60: Bernie Reichardt (probably Ken M. Crosby) to Havana, JMASH: "Station received info thru AMULAR that Diaz (had met with eight former Castro officials)...group includes Faustino Perez and Roberto Agramonte..." Also see 104-10271-10144, ADR- FILE, 9/16/60, p. 3: "AMULAR - Diaz-Masvidal - 8 men group, Ray, Agramonte, F. Perez." Also see 124-90102-10214, 7/5/74, p. 5: Alberto Daiz-Masvidal Garcia was born in Cuba in 1924, was a student in the USA several times between 1953-1960. Worked at Inter-American Development Bank between 1960-1962 in Washington DC. Max Lesnick said he had known "of him" for many years.
6/26/60: BOAC is listed as one of the 5 major organizations, along with FRD, MRP, 30 November, and ACA led by the military chief abroad Eduardo Martin Elena. "Little is known about (the BOAC's) membership. One of the principal figures is said to be Gustavo Cuervo (Rubio - a relative of Rubio Padilla). The directors are for the most part in Miami...The bloc was also active at one time with well-edited conservative propaganda...The bloc gave the appearance of activity earlier this year. It laid claim to the Cayo Cruz ammunition dump explosion." Cuba109 Correspondence DOS 2006-03-22 Release, p. 81: "(On 6/26/60 the ammo depo) at Cayo Cruz on the south end of Habana bay blew up, producing a thunderous explosion that rocked the city. Casualties reportedly reached 4 dead and around 250 injured...the government handling of this explosion stands in marked contrast with explosion of the "La Coubre" early in March of this year...There has been no rush to blame the United States and turn this disaster into an anti-American propaganda piece...In comparison with the explosion of the "La Coubre", this was a much more powerful explosion..."1994.05.18.13:27:22:850005, p. 114: Ricardo Sardina, president of the BOAC, became a key FRD delegate in June 1960. 1994.05.13.15:50:29:650005, p. 239: Almost all of the members are ex-military, include Alonso Pujol and Cuervo Rubio.