Cryptonym: LITAMIL-9
104-10176-10073: 201 FILE OF PROTECTABLE SOURCE.
1959-on: This large master file includes many important documents, including a photo of LITAMIL-9 with other Cuban officers is here. Included in this photo is Antonio Nunez Jiminez, head of INRA, and considered a key leader in Bill Harvey's memo on Efforts to Split the Castro regime - see 104-10102-10222. Another photo can be found at page 98, along with LITAMIL-9's identity as Luis Alberu Soeto. He is listed throughout as 201-329609. See 104-10110-10199, this 7/26/59 memo from William Harvey says that four different sources consider Alberu Souto to be anti-communist, but that a 8/25/59 Army source says REDACTED. Also see 104-10176-10075, p. 3 - he was born in 1915 in Oviedo, Spain; p. 80 - his sister-in-law (could it be Conchita Fernandez?, see p. 73 - office manager at INRA, 201-332858) was a secretary to Fidel Castro in 1965;
Bill Simpich, State Secret, Chapter 3: http://www.maryferrell.org/pages/State_Secret_Chapter3.html
The most important informant of all was LITAMIL-9, better known as Luis Alberu, a cultural attaché at the Cuban embassy. Bill Harvey himself was confident that Alberu was sufficiently anti-Communist. In 1962, Alberu was developed as an agent by Harvey’s people at Task Force W as part of its anti-Castro operation, Project JMATE. This was standard operating procedure - there was a contingent of officers from Headquarters’ Cuban division inside the Mexico City station. Alberu had contacts with the Spanish Communists in Mexico. He was later shared with the Mexico City station. As LITAMIL-9, Alberu was the principal agent used to identify faces in surveillance photos taken at the Cuban embassy between 1962 and 1965. In 1963, he knew everybody. Alberu was used for a variety of other tasks during the summer of 1963. Station officer Bob Shaw scheduled regular meetings in his car to meet with Alberu and discuss what was going on inside the embassy. Shaw would give Alberu batches of photos and ask him to identify who was depicted in them. Shaw testified that penetrations of the Cuban government were his central task in Mexico City. 104-10414-10355 quotes Shaw stating that LITAMIL-9 provided most of the photo IDs at the Cuban compound.
104-10185-10264 201 FILE OF PROTECTABLE SOURCE.
1962: 260 page file on LITAMIL-9. This particular document mentions Antonio Garcia/AMSTET-1 taking L-9 to the airport, memo created by "CKS" (Clyde K. Shryock, true name Tom Hazlett). (at p. 129): Conchita Fernandez is married to Alfredo Alberu. (at p. 136): 7/19/62 Memorandum for the Record by Tom Hazlett (pseudonyms Clyde K. Shryock and Bill Mannix) re report from LITAMIL-9: L-9 reports that his sister-in-law is Concha Fernandez - also known as "Conchita" - sister-in-law to Fidel Castro. She is married to his brother Alfredo. Alfredo is anti-Communist and Concha is non-Communist...on Carlos Lechuga, LITAMIL-9 believes that Lechuga will defect...on Teresa Proenza, LITAMIL-9 believes she is the "brains" ("cerebro") of the Embassy...on Ramon Sinobas, L-9 is disgusted ("le da asco") by him...on Silvia and Horacio Duran, L-9 said they were a dangerous couple to fool with as they apparently have access to President Lopez Mateos...Azcue is his best friend in the embassy...Azcue said if Cuba becomes a terrorist state he would leave the embassy...throughout the conversation, LITAMIL-3 did much to improve relations between LITAMIL-9 and Hazlett/Shryock.
104-10110-10198: REQUEST FOR INVESTIGATION AND (OR) NAME CHECK FORM
7/27/62 from Chief, CI Operational Approval Division to Deputy Director of Security, re Request for Investigation and/or Name Check: Re C-101331, TFW-Mexico agent. US government interest can be shown to him, not CIA interest. May be just coincidence, but same day as TFW/Exec sends memo out about Hemming the "noted" trainer. Richard Tansing is included in routing slip on Hemming: http://maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=12288#relPageId=3&tab=page Also see 104-10185-10265 - 11/27/62: "Maricarmen Olibarri, Spanish employee at the consulate, was with LITAMIL-9 and Proenza during part of the conversation of the Lechuga/AMLAW-3 scandal. Olibarri said that she was pretty sure that Silvia Duran had relations with Rogelio Rodriguez, former Cuban Attache in Mexico." May 1963: 1993.08.03.19:37:02:870033, page 6: Francisco Maiz Alberdi, who formerly tended the gate at the Cuban embassy in Mexico, told L-9 that Eusebio Azcue and his wife are returning to Mexico. Also see 104-10072-10228 - three more reports during May 1963.
104-10093-10196: CABLE RE ASSESSMENT RELIABILITY
10/29/63, Mexico City to Director, MEXI 6696: "Suggest HQS contact LINOZZLE at Pentagon for assessment (of) reliability (of) 1959 report from Arturo Corona that LITAMIL-9 believed to be communist since this conflicts with numerous reports received from other sources more closely related to L-9. Station reluctant (to) contact Corona who now commanding (illegible) lest this flag interest in L-9. ODIBEX (Army) officers report they have little contact with Corona. Received (illegible) nothing of intel value from him in past. Believe any effort LCFLUTTER L-9 this time will result in loss of agent who, with impending retirement (of) LITAMIL-7, represents only penetration PBRUMEN/Cuban embassy and who showing increasing signs (of) strain of double existence...L-9 not likely ever develop into strong action agent owing to fear of compromise but serves as invaluable eyes and ears into target establishment. His data valuable basis for mounting more productive ops inside same target. Station has never detected any deception (on) his part. Even assuming L-9 had once been communist, which station does not assume, feel operation should be allowed (to) proceed as running in-place defector on same basis running hypothetical in-place Soviet embassy official who known CP member." (Note: Same discouragement about LCFLUTTER of L-9 was expressed on 10/26/63, even though "HQ has recently suggested". 104-10185-10266, p. 20. Entire document released but difficult to read: https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/104-10290-10386.pdf
11/4/63 meeting in car between Lawrence Barker/Robert Shaw and LITAMIL-9: "L-9 thinks Sylvia (Duran) is an intelligent girl. He thinks we might be able to gain her cooperation by getting a desirable male next to her - she is, according to L-9, 'a little putita'." Strong evidence that Duran was not a CIA agent or asset.
104-10185-10266: 201 FILE OF PROTECTABLE SOURCE. (continued)
(At p. 4 of 175) 11/16/63 interview of LITAMIL-9 aka "Senor Aguilar" by Lawrence Barker/Robert Shaw: "L-9 reported that on the afternoon of 16 November he was called by AMLEO-3 who wanted to see him on a matter of importance...L-9 was advised to keep away from A-3 who was believed to be in town in connection with his efforts to get his relatives out of Cuba." (at p. 5 of 175) "Teresa Proenza is suspicious of the American who has been contacting her about chances of going to Cuba. She said that he asked her how Fidel could be so foolish as to proclaim himself openly as a Marxist-Leninist and to state that President Kennedy is illiterate. Teresa thinks this man is some sort of provocateur. (He is the same man mentioned in the last L-9 CR)." (p. 4 of 175) In the previous L-9 interview on 11/4/63, the man was revealed as a "tall blond American" going to school in Mexico City. (p. 22 of 175). (At page 5): "(Raul Pereira) has been coming up on LIENVOY as a homosexual...LITAMIL-9 heard (Eusebio Azcue) say in the office, 'I've already started to fight, within a year I'll be a prisoner in the Cabana Fortress.' Said this on 18 Nov."
104-10528-10370: http://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/jfk/NARA-July2017/JFK-July_2017_Release-Formerly_released_in_part/104-10528-10370.pdf
11/23/63: Mexico City to Director, MEXI 7111, ref MEXI 7009: "Subj, wife and daughter left for Hava via Cubana 22 Nov. Batalla was told at clinic that group from Cuban embassy took subj away 22 Nov. LITAMIL-9 saw subj at airport, said he looked very ill, almost dead. L-9 Confirms subj has at least one son in USSR. C/S comment: Re possible recruitment of Roberto Arandin."
104-10404-10159: CABLE RE: REPORT ON CUBAN EMBASSY ATMOSPHERE AND SILVIA DURAN DEMEANOR
11/28/63, cable from R.L Easby (deputy chief, Alan White to Director, MEXI 7115: Neither LITAMIL-7 or LITAMIL-9 had any personal knowledge of Oswald's presence at the Cuban embassy at any time. (Identities are redacted, but revealed on the preceding page). MEXI-7065 indicates that LITAMIL-9 was first approached about Oswald on the night of 11/23/63: http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=54825&relPageId=2&search=%22he_has%20seen%20instructed%20report%22
104-10185-10266: 201 FILE OF PROTECTABLE SOURCE.
11/28/63 report: "LITAMIL-9 had nothing more to offer on the Kennedy assassination - was again shown a photo of Oswald - never saw the man. He said that there is not much talk around the Embassy about the killing - perhaps because no one is expected to approve of such a thing yet at the same time no one wants to make too much fuss about it for fear of being suspected as pro-American." (pp. 15-16) "Biru" was Azcue's roommate - he was surprised that Azcue was willing to return to Cuba and having to deal with "ration cards and other such inconveniences". (p. 19): Biru was sent to Mexico City by Che Guevara. (p. 20): If we were to ask LITAMIL-9 to be fluttered, we would lose his services no matter how diplomatically requested, and we would have no penetration in the embassy. Silvia Duran seemed quite pleased by her performance with the police. Also see 104-10180-10044, p. 158, 1/7/64 interview: "...Teresa Proenza may be hired back by the Embassy - Aparicio recently remarked to L-9: 'Surely they will re-hire her.' It is quite clear that Aparicio does not want her in his office again and he expressed the wish that if she were to be rehired she would work in the main embassy building..." Her personality file appears to be P-3696.
3AH74 (HSCA interview with Sylvia Duran): HSCA Report, Volume III
In her 1978 interview at the HSCA, Silvia Duran was able to identify photographs of Luis Alberu.