Pseudonym: Tigre, El
1/25/60 memo from FBI Director to SAC, Miami - Arthur Patton, Dade County Commissioner, advised that one of this police officers was offered $200,000 to kidnap one of the Masferrers, believe it was about Rolando Masferrer. Police officer went to Patton for advice; Patton went to Pawley; Pawley consulted CIA. Believe CIA officer Bernard Reichardt has already written report on this matter. See 124-90137-10181, where FBI director reported to CIA about this situation, citing a variety of sources.
6/30/61 Memorandum of Record by REDACTED of CIA: "Before (Norman) Rothman was tracked down (for crimes), he was reported by the FBI as traveling to Yucutan to seek a base of operations against the Castro government. In this enterprise he was joined by Eduardo (Teddy) Whitehouse Insua formerly of the Cuban Civil Aeronautic Association; ex-Colonel Orlando Piedra Negueruela, former member of BRAC and head of Cuba Bureau of Investigations; and Roberto Fernandea Miranda, brother-in-law of Batista and former commander of the presidential guards as well as president of the National Sports Association...Rothman has engaged in many exploits and deals with (Rolando Masferrer)."
4/29/63 FBI letterhead memo: "Rolando Masferrer Rojas, former Cuban Senator and leader of the notorious private army in Cuba, known as "the Tigers", during interview on another matter on April 29, 1963, advised that he was acquainted with Oscar Pino, whom he described as a Cuban exile living in the Miami area, who was very anxious to participate in military action against the present regime of Prime Minister Fidel Castro...Masferrer stated that Oscar Pino and a group associated with him had, at one time, taken military training at No Name Key, Florida, with Gerald Patrick Hemming, whom Masferrer described as an American soldier of fortune... Masferrer advised that Oscar Pino is known to Antonio Rojas, a relative of Masferrer and Masferrer's representative in Miami...Masferrer advised that he turned Pino down (in his request for guns and ammo) and also instructed Antonio Rojas in Miami not to give Pino any arms which may be in the Miami area and accessible to Rojas."
August-September 1963: Felix Rodriguez (p. 11; p. 50) was part of a group of young men who had served six months of training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina who were preparing for an invasion of Cuba, and unknowingly working with Rolando Masferrer and his cousin Antonio Rojas. Some of them allegedly believed they were working with Carlos Prio and Manuel Artime/AMBIDDY-1 (p. 14). Prominent among them was Jose Ramon Gonzalez (see 124-10291-10433, p. 137 - in Sept. 1962 both he and Oscar Pino were active with INTERPEN and Hemming; and p. 22 - Pino was running the No Name Key camp in Aug 63 and Hemming was jealous). The plan was to land in Cuba on August 16, but a few days earlier the FBI searched its headquarters and questioned Antonio Rojas. Others said they were recruited by Masferrer to invade Cuba, but upon arrival they learned the plan was to attack Haiti. (p. 81) The recruits had to go home without funds, felt they had been tricked, and blamed Masferrer (pp. 55-56).
7/2/70 FBI letterhead memo lists many of Masferrer's aliases, including El Tigre. This memo was issued after he failed to turn himself in after his appeal to a criminal conviction was denied.
Re 10/31/75: FBI letterhead memo re Rolando Masferrer Rojas - "On October 31, 1975, Masferrer was blown up by dynamite when he turned on the ignition of his vehicle. Some members of Masferrer's family admitted he had been engaged in extortion of the 'Cuban Mafia' and narcotics dealers in Miami and that retaliation was taken against him. The police and the Cuban exile community concurred in this information." 5/19/76 memo.
11/10/75 memo from Director (Steve Kuhn, liaison) to Miami (CI/4 Vernon H. Weimar): "In regard to Mayor Maurice Ferre's request for the FBI to contact CIA for a list of Cubans trained by CIA in demolitions, be advised that CIA Headquarters (CIAHQ) has determined it is impossible for CIA to provide any such information or to disclose such information in view of prohibitions of CIA to become involved in any law enforcement or internal security activities under the provisions of the National Security Act of 1947 and 1949. According to the CIA Office of General Counsel, who made the above determination, should investigation determine a bona fide and logical suspect, CIA may be asked for any pertinent holdings concerning that particular suspect." Captioned matter concerns the matter by bombing of controversial Cuban exile Rolando Masferrer Rojas (on 10/31/75).