Cryptonym: CAPRICE-1
Brian Latell, Castro's Secrets, p. 111
"Clever, charming, and gregariously persuasive, Roche (AMNIP-1) was a born street operative and was soon cutting to the DGI's quick...an agent, known as CAPRICE-1, was pitched by Roche in 1964 and formally enlisted several years later."
104-10506-10022: MEMO ON TELEPHONE CONVERSATION
18 October 1976, Memorandum for the Record about ()CAPRICE-1: On 11/22/63, Marta, the wife of Oscar (Mendoza), asks the gardener Llagostera to remind him that he has forgotten some of the "candy". This same memo records that in 1964, CAPRICE-1 met with AMNIP-1 to discuss becoming a defector.
These ZRKNICK notes refer to "18 October 1976 - memo on Concepcion - ()CAPRICE-1". This would indicate that Oscar Concepcion Mendoza is probably CAPRICE-1, but it is not certain. The note says in pertinent part: "A full report via Candi (probably in secret writing) was requested on the reaction of the GUSANOS (Cuban exiles) and the Republicans to Kennedy's death." It then states: "For information on CANDI and a possible identification of CANDI, refer to the Cuban teltaps. The taps show that the wife (Marta) of a known DGI officer (Oscar CONCEPCION Mendoza) made the following statement: Tell Llagostera to tell Oscar not to forget the candy. This statement is decidedly non-sequitur in light of the conversation."
LA Division Work File/ pdf PDF version: 107K NARA Record Number: 104-10506-10029 LEE HARVEY OSWALD
June 1977 memo by Latin American Division on Lee Harvey Oswald: "Pertinent information from findings: 201-740221 - Gilberto Nolasco ALVARADO Ugarte - ALVARADO walked-in to the US Embassy, Mexico City on 26 November 1963 and claimed that he had seen members of the Cuban embassy, including ()CAPRICE-1, pass $6,500 to Oswald on 18 September 1963 for the purpose of killing someone."
104-10017-10081: TRAVELER NEEDS ASSISTANCE THRU CUSTOMS IN MEXICO; PLANS TO INTERROGATE ALVARADO.
Declaration of Alvarado to the Mexican police in late November, 1963: Alvarado saw two men exit a taxi, "one a negro, tall, of about 1 meter 82 centimeters tall, a thin man, but strong, with bulging eyes, high cheek bones, thick lips, reddish kinky hair, and wearing a brown suit...(the other was a Canadian man.) Alvarado went towards the restroom, and saw on the stairs "a very powerful looking individual, dark in color, tall, wearing white rimmed glasses. The man worked in the Cuban embassy, because ALVARADO had seen him there before. He saw him give the red haired Negro a package which appeared to contain money. Upon coming out of the rest room, he saw the Negro, the Canadian and the North American were having a heated conversation. He noticed that the Negro had a very visible scar on the right side of his chin and that he was counting money and giving it to the North American. ALVARADO heard them counting to the sum of $6500."
104-10186-10249: INFORMATION REPORT: OSCAR CONCEPCION MENDOZA
This information, obtained on 11/4/63, describes Concepcion as "white, five foot, eight inches tall, 150 pounds, and has brown hair." The previous page adds that he has a "thin build". That does not jibe with the above statement of "a very powerful looking individuals, dark in color, tall". Was Concepcion ever described by Alvarado as one of the men passing the $6500? Or could the red haired Negro or someone else be ()CAPRICE-1? The red-haired Negro is known to be Ernesto Andres Armona Ramos, commercial attache in 1962-63 before his replacement by Guillermo Ruiz. (Gus Russo, et al., Brothers in Arms, p. 403). Also see: http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=108326&relPageId=3&search=armona