Pseudonym: Praskin, Solomon
FBI 44-24016 Ruby HQ File, Section 35
Re 11/27/63 - Page 47 of 105: Translation of a handwritten letter in Spanish dated 11/27/63, stating: "Dearest Dad...It is known here that Rubenstein was here less than a year ago visiting a Mr. Pranski, owner of a shop dealing in tourist articles, located on Prado Street between Animas and Trocadero, opposite the Sevilla Biltmore." Page 39: Envelope indicates it was sent by "C. Rubio" in Marianao, a Havana suburb. The file does not indicate any search for C. Rubio. (Also see 124-10180-10290, p. 15 - an FBI letterhead memo on this subject and the letter are listed as serials 3357 and 3570) p. 37: Villa states that "Juan" was told by his son that "Pranski" was either "a Czech or a Pole who is supposedly a close friend of Fidel Castro. He stated the return address on the envelope was fictitious."
Commission Document 441 - FBI Clements Report of 18 Feb 1964 re: Ruby
Re 12/3/63: Evidio Bernardo Pereira Acosta, a former Bay of Pigs prisoner, told the FBI that he had a 12/3/63 letter signed by "Nico" and addressed to Carlos Marquez Sterling. He passed on the rumor about Ruby was "a friend and client of an individual named Praskin, who owns or manages a souvenir shop located on Prado between Animas and Trocadero Streets in front of the Savilla Hotel." Pereira doesn't know anything about Ruby or Praskin, but may have come into possession of this letter through "an individual associated with the Cuban Red Cross." (2/5/64 FBI interview of Pereira by SA Guy Shahan) On 5/8/64, Pereira was interviewed in Spanish and "he advised that he has no firsthand knowledge concerning the statement that Ruby was in Cuba and was in contact with Praskin...He exhibited the letter which was written in the Spanish language and dated December 3, 1963...the first paragraph reads as follows: "Notify the Pentagon of this information: Ruby - the murderer of Oswald - was in Havana a year ago. He is "a friend and client of an individual named Praskin - owner or manager of a tourist shop situated in Prado E, Animas y Trocadero Streets in front of the Savilla." He identified the author as his friend Fernando Garcia, with his address in Havana. He said Garcia was generally reliable, although he does not know if his friend was the original source. FBI 105-82555 Oswald HQ File, Section 155, p. 13
Re 12/21/63: "Mr. Carlos Villa, 1450 Coral Way, Miami, Florida, furnished the FBI on December 21, 1963 with a letter which had been furnished to a friend of his named Jose Antonio Juan. Mr. Juan had received the letter from his son living in Cuba. In the letter...the statement was made 'it is known here that Rubenstein was here little less than a year ago visiting a Mr. Pranski, owner of shop dealing in Tourist articles on Prado Street between Animas and Trocadero opposite the Sevilla Biltmore.' For your information this Bureau's investigation concerning Jack L. Ruby has developed no information that Ruby has ever been in Cuba except for one occasion in 1959 when he visited there briefly on a vacation trip. Ruby himself readily admits to this trip but has denied any other trips to Cuba or contacts with persons there." Letter from J. Edgar Hoover to Director, CIA, "by liaison".
104-10048-10163: information Received by AMSPELL by Jack Ruby in Cuba
12/28/63: Letter sent from a fictitious sender in Cuba to a fictitious recipient in Miami who worked with the AMSPELL/DRE. (p. 5 - translated from Spanish): The original article - dated 12/24 under the letterhead of a group called ARAC - Accion Revolucionaria Anti-Comunista) stated simply that "the killer of the late President Kennedy's assassin, Jack Rubenstein, has been found to be from a tourist office at the Savilla Hotel in Havana." 2/5/64 memo from JMWAVE chief to SAS chief. (p. 3): The actual recipient of the letter reported that "Solomon Pratkins owns a tourist store located across from the Sevilla Hotel, in Prado Street in Havana. Ruby was a habitual visitor at this store while he stayed in Havana in 1962 and 1963. Ruby flew to Havana from Mexico City." AMLUNCH-1 said that the name is not Pratkins but Praskin - who owns a home on Prado Street across from the Savilla Hotel. page 6: Based on this information, on 1/29/64, the DRE issued a press release on their letterhead is that Jack Ruby habitually visited a man named Solomon Praskin or Pratkins who ran a souvenir store in Havana in late 1962 or 1963. p. 3: AMLUNCH-1 told the FBI that the letter was sent by his sister-in-law Graziella Rubio y Rivero, and that she told him that the portion about Ruby's visit to Havana was hearsay on the part of his sister-in-law. AMLUNCH-1 said that the name is not Pratkins but Praskin - who owns a home on Prado Street across from the Savilla Hotel. AMLUNCH-1 said that the name is not Pratkins but Praskin - who owns a home on Prado Street across from the Savilla Hotel.
104-10048-10170: TRANSLATION OF A MEMO SENT TO CARLOS MARQUEZ STERLING.
1/9/64 memo from John H. Sherwood (see 2022 release below), C/SAS/EDE, to James Angleton, Chief, CI Staff: "Attached is a translation of a memo sent to Carlos Marquez Sterling. Sterling gave a copy of the memo to AMTOUT-1, a SAS/EDE asset, who passed it on to us. The Brigadier of Giron, Sr. Evidio Pereira, who is in constant communication with Cuba...notify the Pentagon of this fact: Ruby the assassin of Oswald was in Havana a year ago. He is a friend and customer of a citizen named Praskin, owner or manager of a novelty shop for tourists...Pereira is probably Evidio D. Pereira Acosta, DPOB 12 March 1927...201-298242, member of Brigade 2506. There are no SAS traces on Praskin." - - - 2022 release: https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2022/104-10180-10020.pdf - - - Notice this same memo had: "Prepared by CI/SIG, Thomas Gregory" on bottom left hand side: https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2022/104-10048-10170.pdf Also see 104-10180-10020.
1993.07.27.17:00:38:780630: JACK L. RUBY LEE HARVEY OSWALD - VICTIM CIVIL RIGHSTS
1/9/64 memo from C/CI James Angleton to FBI liaison Sam Papich: "Reference is made to your memorandum of 7 January 1964...concerning a report of a visit to Cuba in early 1963 made by Jack L. Ruby...This agency has received a similar report from a source to the effect that Ruby was in Havana in late 1962 or in early 1963...according to this report Ruby was 'a friend of customer of a (Cuban) citizen named Praskin...' Angleton added that Evidio Pereira could verify the information and suggested that the FBI interview him.
104-10422-10062: A LETTER REGARDING ATTACHED WAVE 1283
1/30/64 cable WAVE 1283 SLUGLINE PRIORITY DIR: "29 January Blue Streak Edition Miami News carried following news item titled, "Ruby Visited Cuba - Exiles Say". Jack Ruby...has visited Castro's Cuba, exile group here charged today. Ruby flew from Mexico City to Havana latter part Dec. 62 on Havana flight, said spokesman for Cuban DRE. DRE is organization which first brought to light Marxist-Leninist leanings of President's accused slayer, Oswald, who debated with DRE members on New Orleans radio last August. Students said they first learned of Ruby's Havana visit several weeks ago, but delayed making any statement until complete check had been made with their sources on island...In preliminary hearing in Dallas doctor Walter Bromberg, psychiatrist appointed for Ruby, stated Ruby said he had been in China in Sept. 1959...Ruby stayed in Cuba about ten days...(Accion article states:) "There are proofs that man who killed late President Kennedy's assassin, Jack Rubenstein, owned tourist office at Hotel Sevilla Havana."
"(1/17/64 edition of Frank Capell's Herald of Freedom: Capell) stated that the information regarding Ruby's contact in Havana with one "Praskin" was received from (a reliable) source in the newspaper field..." John Marshall of the Miami Secret Service had received this information on 1/13/64 from Jose Antonio Lanusa/AMHINT-12, intelligence officer of the DRE. Lanusa said THAT his information was that Ruby and Pratkins shared the tourist office; Lanusa said that besides the ARAC letter, a second letter was sent about Ruby and Pratkins to a retired Cuban attorney, Carlos Valdes Fauli/AMLUNCH-1, who furnished it to Juan Manuel Salvat/AMHINT-2. Valdes Fauli said he got the information in the beginning of January from his sister Graziella Rubio of Marianao, a Havana suburb. (Also see CD 441, p. 52 of 74) Also see CD 441, p. 49 of 74, which states that "Praskin is a long-time Castro collaborator. He is a native Cuban married to an American girl. Praskin is involved in strip tease and party girls as a side line. The above information was received from Havana by one of the best informed men in the United States on Soviet and Cuban intelligence operations."