Cryptonym: BOLA
A memo in December of 1963 by Alfonso Rodriguez (probably Earl Williamson) stated that "on 4 December 1963 I advised AMBANG/1 (Manuel Ray Rivero) that delivery of the C/4 is now scheduled for 20 December 1963 at 1600 hours." A-1 was not happy about the delay.
A dispatch on December 13, 1963, described the lengthy BOLA operation which began on November 21, 1963, and was completed on November 25th, with a cache being made at Roncador Cay by the Rex vessel. There was reinspection's of the cache in the following days.
Two cables on December 21, 1963, contained the slug BOLA II.
104-10269-10160: CACHE COMPLETED AT PRIMARY SITES
11/26/63: Cable from JMWAVE to Director: Slugline RYBAT TYPIC YOBITE BOLA: REF WAVE 7742 IN 63279): "Cache completed at primary site. Rex standing by south of area."
104-10171-10414: TELECON WAVE HAS SCHEDULED BOLA II FOR CACHE PICKUP 1600 HOURS LOCAL 20 DEC
12/03/63: Cable from JMWAVE to Director: Slugline RYBAT TYPIC YOBITE BOLA II: "Per Reuteman/Philbrook (Ted Shackley/probably Bruce Cheever) telecon WAVE has scheduled BOLA II for cache pickup 1600 hours local 20 Dec. Same primary and alternate sites. Will use Riptide and delay in area 46 hours as on BOLA I. C/S Comment: *Rex reports cache not picked up by other vessel."
104-10275-10003: MEMO, OPERATION BOLA 2
12/00/63: Memo from Alfonso Rodriguez (probably Earl Williamson), SAS/SO to Chief, Special Affairs Staff: AMBANG/1 Operation Bola #2: "1. On 4 December 1963 I advised AMBANG/1 (Manuel Ray Rivero) that delivery of the C/4 is now scheduled for 20 December 1963 at 1600 hours. AMBANG/1 was further advised that the rules of engagement for this rerun of Bola were to otherwise remain the same. 2. AMBANG/1 was not happy with this delay but I told him this was the best we could do given our commitments. 3. Arrangements were made to see AMBANG/1 in New York at 0903 on 6 December 1963."
104-10077-10421: DIRECTOR CABLE RE PLAN FOR MARITIME OP BOLA II
12/12/63: Cable from Director to JMWAVE: Slugline RYBAT TYPIC YOBITE BOLA II: REF: WAVE 8916 IN 78698: "Ref op approved. SAS Comment: *Plan for maritime Op BOLA II. Cache for AMBANG."
104-10274-10440: DISPATCH- MARITIME AFTER ACTION REPORT- OPERATION BOLA
12/13/63: Dispatch from COS, JMWAVE to Chief, Special Affairs Staff: "1. At 1410 hours on 21 November 1963 Rex departed the Port of Palm Beach for Operation BOLA. Rex proceeded to the Newfound Harbor area where the cache material and ammunition for the ship were loaded. 2. At 2000 hours 22 November Rex departed her Newfound Harbor anchorage and proceeding without incident to the primary cache site. Rex arrived at Roncador Cay on 25 November at 1200 hours. By 1400 hours the cache was completed, the site photographed (see Attachment) and Rex departed the area to the south for distance of ten miles keeping the island under radar surveillance at all times. 3. Rex remained on station ten miles south of Roncador Cay until 1000 hours on 27 November when, not having sighted any vessels approaching the cache site, Rex returned in order to inspect the cache. At 1200 hours Rex notified the Base that the cache had not been recovered. Upon orders from the Base Rex returned to her previous position south of Roncador Cay for an additional twenty-four hours and at 1800 hours on 28 November Rex returned to Roncador Cay to inspect the cache site. The cache, which was not recovered, was returned to Rex by her small boat crew for the trip to the Base. 4. Rex returned to Turtle Reef where at 2300 hours on 1 December Rex rendezvoused with the Base support boat and unloaded the cache material. Rex then returned to the Port of Palm Beach completing Operation BOLA."
104-10274-10437: CABLE- CACHE COMPLETED AT PRIMARY SITE, RIPTIDE STANDING BY SOUTH OF AREA
12/21/63: Cable from JMWAVE to Director: Slugline RYBAT TYPIC YOBITE BOLA II: REF WAVE 8916 (IN 78698): "Cache completed at primary site. Riptide standing by south of area."
12/21/63: Cable from JMWAVE to Director: Slugline RYBAT TYPIC YOBITE BOLA II: "Cache recovered by unidentified vessel observed on Riptide radar during night 20 December. Riptide enroute home base." Handwritten note at bottom of cable: "Peggy: Where is yellow copy. File AMBANG/1 (Manuel Ray Rivero)."