24: Pig in a Poke

According to the CIA Bay of Pigs History, the new president was handed a pig in a poke by the previous administration. As early as November 15th, a CIA briefing statement regarding the Cuban situation was prepared for the newly elected president. It stated that the CIA’s “original concept is now seen to be unachievable in the face of the controls Castro has instituted. There will not be the internal unrest earlier believed possible, nor will the defenses permit the type of strike first planned.” 

The CIA then told Kennedy that its “second concept (1,500-3,000 man force to secure a beach with airstrip) is also now seen to be unachievable, except as a joint Agency/DOD action. Our Guatemala experience demonstrates we cannot staff nor otherwise timely create the base and lift needed.” Within the next half-a-year, this seemingly doomed scenario, was transformed into “the Zapata Plan and the Bay of Pigs operation.”1 During the development, Pawley's friend in State, Thomas Mann, would contemplate the use of a former Pawley
associate in China and Guatemala, Ambassador Whiting Willauer (photo), for a key role.   

In the interim, the jockeying for leadership and unity continued while pressure mounted for an invasion. A memorandum sent to Rubio Padilla and Fabio Freyre from Silvio Cardenas (CIA pseudonym Alligator and cryptonym AMBLAB-1) claimed unity among MAR, MIR, AC, BOAC and Rescate which “is waiting for Varona’s O.K. to support also Dr. J.A. Rubio Padilla for the presidency. The corresponding document of unification has not been signed yet on account of some troubles that the groups have had in the last days. They will sign shortly.” The memo also recommended that Radio Diario de la Marina should change its half-hour broadcast time to begin at 9:30 p.m. because “this would enable more people specifically in the interior to hear it.” Alligator’s memo also urged “that the date of the invasion should take place as soon as possible...everyday that goes by helps the Communist government get better organized.”2

There were also concerns about the loyalties of certain individuals who were trying to join various groups. One example is a “Memo from Fabio Freyre concerning William Bishop who claims to be a member of The Cross Movement and is attempting to join counterrevolutionary forces through Father Posada in Miami. Passed FI, Reports, and PA.” There also were concerns about a pilot who may be a G-2 agent, a labor leader who inexplicably freely traveled between the U.S. and Cuba, and a man who wants to head the Cuban Navy after the invasion.3

Richard Nixon’s loss of his presidential bid to John Fitzgerald Kennedy meant Pawley was no longer in the position of power that he had previously enjoyed under Presidents Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower. However, Pawley moved quickly to befriend the new president through his Florida ally, Senator George Smathers, according to a memo from Esterline.4

JFK's Special Group was divided over overt and covert activities. Ironically for Pawley, who had helped establish the FRD group of Cuban exiles, his associate of many decades, Ambassador Whiting Willauer, was among those being considered for leadership of the Bay of Pigs invasion. Both men had been involved in the formation of Civil Air Transport after World War II and then in the Arbenz coup in Guatemala.

“When Mr. Mann suggested that Ambassador Willauer might also assume responsibility for contacts with the FRD, [CIA’s] Mr. Dulles rejected this out of hand, emphasizing that this liaison must be done covertly, and that it must be done by the Agency. There apparently was unanimous agreement that Mr. Pawley not be given any official status with the U.S. Government.5

The 5412 Group recommended that the “group composed of Mssrs. Dulles, Gray, Douglas and Merchant should continue and intensify its general supervision of the covert operation and provide the Agency with general guidance in the operation.” It also was “of the opinion that it would be extremely useful to request Mr. Pawley as an immediate mission to call on [Argentine] President Frondizi in a private capacity” to garner his opinion “with respect to the present situation in Cuba.6

The CIA felt comfortable with the choice of “Willauer because of his long term association as Executive Vice-President, President, and Vice Chairman of the Board of Civil Air Transport (CAT)” but there was internecine bickering over chain of command. Willauer felt he should be “chairman” with Tracy Barnes serving as his “executive director” but Col. King envisioned Barnes as being further down the chain of command behind Bissell, King and Esterline. Some grew to regret the choice of Barnes who seemed to have a great deal more to say than was warranted by his knowledge and understanding of the planned action.7

Ike expressed that he “does not share the State Department concern about ‘shooting from the hip’ as he thinks that we should be prepared to take more chances and be more aggressive.” Dillon replied that “Mr. Pawley’s view [is] that the FRD may have been too far to the left and perhaps it should be broadened to include more conservatives.” The President remained persistent, returning a third time to what was on his mind. He declared that he “liked Pawley for the job but knew that some felt that he was too impetuous.” Dillon said the group would “discuss a name and report back to the President.”8

A month later Livingston Merchant related to Andrew Goodpaster a conversation he had with the President after the morning’s National Security Council meeting. The President “had been much impressed by what Bill Pawley had reported to him two days ago concerning his visit to Argentina and Peru.” Ike “agreed with Pawley that there should be no formal meeting of the OAS on Cuba. I interjected that to circumvent the OAS entirely needed careful thought [because many Latin American leaders feared “Castroist left-wing movements” in their countries].” President Eisenhower expressed that he understood the concerns of the OAS members.9

Pawley’s mission was critical because President Eisenhower “wanted to break relations with the Castro Government before January 20 and hoped that Frondizi and Prado would persuade other Latin American government leaders to act with the U.S.” so the decision would not fall on the young incoming President.10

In addition to his mission for the President, Pawley was keeping tabs on the admission to the U.S. of Francisco Cajigas, a former government official under Batista. Pawley and Esterline also shared multiple pages in Spanish concerning Daniel Humberto Tarafa Machado, an Accion Cubana member11 whom Pawley met with on December 20, 1960. Tarafa was “President of the Sugar Cane Planters Association of Central Vertientes—Camaguey Cuba. And he is the owner of a sugar cane farm.” He also “has additional land that is used to fatten cattle and milk cows.” His background included “personal contact with Fidel in Habana, before Fidel went into exile to prepare the landing in Oriente, he was also in contact personally with Emilio Ochoa and Roberto Varona (Tony’s brother) during the Batista regime.”

Pawley stated that the way Tarafa “explains it, during this period of time, he always had trouble with the Communists and their infiltration during the days of the revolution. I asked him about Hubert Matos and his descriptive answer was that he had no use for him.” Tony Varona “knows Matos well and considers him a very dangerous man. He spoke highly of Higinio Diaz (Nino) but admits he that he does not know him personally.”

Pawley continued “Tarafa is being ushered by two young Cubans Robledo & Arman de Montes, both boys impressed me very well and there is no doubt in my mind that young Montes is a great friend of this Country and what it stands for.” Pawley recommended that “Tarafa should be investigated rapidly. He is getting to see a lot of people, he talks a good program to start the thing rolling, but what I consider dangerous it’s that he is starting to visit places; for example today he has gone to the Key West base to be introduced to an officer. That [Tarafa] comes on the plane from Habana.” Pawley was disturbed about his ability to move “around freely. About one month and a half ago we asked Alligator all possible information on this group, because young Puig (Dr. Enrique Arango’s son-in-law) had been here trying to get the necessary help.”12

As a man who never wasted the Christmas to New Year’s holiday week on leisure, William Pawley flew back from Latin America with Edna, and then met with Dulles and Gates a day prior to his briefing of the President on December 28, 1960. “Eisenhower then phoned Dean Rusk, Kennedy’s secretary of State-designate, who was occupying an office at State for carryover briefings, and arranged an appointment for me properly to inform the incoming administration. That afternoon, I met first with Rusk and then with Allen Dulles. The former refrained from questions or comments, the responsibility not yet being his, but listened attentively. I also briefed Secretary of Defense Gates, Under Secretary of State Livingston Merchant (Herter being out of town), and Ambassador Willauer, our able former ambassador to Honduras, who had played such a valuable role in our Guatemalan operation. I summarized Frondizi’s and Prado’s analysis of the situation.”13

In December, Henry Holland held a fundraising meeting for the FRD. It was attended by leaders from sugar, oil, mining, communications and other companies. During the gathering, an attendee suggested “that the U.S. Navy should blow up a ship in Levisa Bay in order to force the shutdown of the nickel plant at Nicaro which formerly had been owned and operated by the U.S. Government.”14

Esterline also had concerns about how the CIA’s information was being interpreted by the Special Group at the White House and the quality of the information C. Tracy Barnes was delivering. Esterline “was quite forceful in his opinion that the Agency’s representatives at such high level meetings [as the Special Group] should have been someone like either himself or Col. Jack Hawkins.” Esterline’s main criticism of Barnes was that he would burden people with volumes of information that some found repetitious ad nauseam and which contained inappropriate informal language, such as, “It has been a little while since we have had an internal DDP hoe down on your project.”15

As the covert operation became more focused, new individuals were brought into it, including Colonel L.K. White, Deputy Director for Support; Richard Helms, Chief of Operations for DDP; Emmett Echols, Director of Personnel; John Warner, Legislative Counsel; and William A. Tidwell, Jr. appointed January 1, 1961, to Chief of Office of Operations in Miami who had been in the office of Robert Amory, Jr., Deputy Director of Intelligence office.16

In addition, “David A. Phillips became Chief of the WH/4 Propaganda Activity. Phillips had done propaganda work for the Agency at the time of the Guatemala activity, but subsequently retired and had been in private business in Havana.” In his new role, Phillips would frequently travel from Washington, DC “to Miami and New York, and Phillips himself coordinated CIA covert broadcasting with Henry Loomis, Director of USIA’s Voice of America.”

Factionalism spilled over into the radio propaganda effort after just one announcer was selected to rouse support. To placate the various exile groups, the concept of rotating airtime on WRUL for each faction was proposed.17

The concerns of leadership spread beyond the government. In early January 1961, Michael Haider, a Vice President at Standard Oil of New Jersey’s Latin America operations who had attended Henry Holland’s corporate fundraiser for the Cuban exiles’ anti-Castro efforts, sent a letter to J.C. King expressing concern that leftists would take over after Fidel. His concerns were specifically with a group formed in Miami that included “Manola Ray, Aureliano Sanchez Arango, Rufo Lopez Fresquet, Dr. Raul Chibas among others.”18

According to phone records maintained by Henry Holland’s secretary, he phoned Pawley a total of 21 times during 1961, a number surpassed only by his calls to Colonel J.C. King (28 times), Rodman Rockefeller (25 times) and by calls to two close business associates. Pawley and Holland had not seen eye-to-eye on tactics seven years earlier when Arbenz was overthrown in Guatemala.19

Haider had good reason to worry about his oil company’s future in Cuba where it was viewed “as an economic-political target as well as a sabotage target. When the U.S. refineries operating in Cuba refused Castro’s order to process Soviet crude oil, WH/4 began to think in terms of disrupting the flow of this crude to Cuba by pressuring Onassis and other independent shipping operators to refuse to carry Soviet oil.”20

Another major target of sabotage was, of course, communications and the microwave network on the island of Cuba. But there were restrictions as late as February 1961—“attacks should be limited to the Cuban operated net with ‘hands off RCA and Dumont systems, which are to remain intact for later consideration.’”21 Surely, Castro would be overthrown soon.

Pawley was so entrenched in planning the overthrow of Fidel Castro that on January 6, 1961, a CIA Routing and Record Sheet contained a handwritten note stating: “These are messages via the Rubio Padilla/Pawley group. One is copy of program newly formed coalition of 20 groups of which PA has copies. Another is interesting bit on Carlos Prío.” The attachment was a mid-December letter from Alligator to Fabio Freyre in Palm Beach, Florida.22

On January 16, 1961, a JMWAVE memo using Pawley’s cryptonym and case number, QDDALE 201-77378, contained news of a luncheon at which Guillermo Alonso Pujol and Diaz Tamayo discussed steps toward unification of all separate anti-Castro elements. Although there were favorable comments about AMIRON there was criticism of Varona and a “strong position against MRP and Ray. Diaz took same position, described Ray as a Fidelismo sin Fidel.” The memo also noted “Rubio Padilla group raised fund of $200,000 as payoff to press to attack [REDACTED] through Bender Group.”23 Complicating matters was a problem Diaz Tamayo had brought to Pawley’s attention a month earlier—a Castro G-2 agent had joined the FRD. “WAVE alerted to above info with request AMOTS [CIA security team] be alerted to possible provocation.”24

Shortly thereafter, Pawley was given detailed instructions on obtaining information from a confidential informant with the code name R-1—“Pawley’s Recording Device”—newly repaired so he could continue to tape conversations with visitors to his office and pass on verbatim comments to the CIA and others with a need to know.25

Five days later a conference was held at a “JMWAVE area office” which was attended by “Dr. Antonio Maceo, Dr. Cuervo Rubio, Dr. Jose Antonio Rubio Padilla, and Fabio Freyre. Dr. Maceo is a leading member of the FRD. The other individuals cited by true name are Cuban associates of [REDACTED].” The “other individuals” had previously been identified as associates of Pawley. It appears that the Argentine Ambassador to Cuba may have been at the meeting and stated his country’s concerns “that Cuba and Castro are a great danger to the hemisphere and it is solidly with the Cuban exile movement as represented by the other participants.” Argentina’s “government has not publicly supported the exile movement, since local circumstance make a public position difficult.”26

On January 30, 1961, William Pawley “submitted to [United States Secretary of State Dean] Rusk a list of names of outstanding Cubans who might be considered in trying to fill the principal positions in a provisional government.’ He also asserted that “‘a group of reactionaries would be totally unacceptable,’ and also warned that ‘a leftist provisional government’ would alienate our Latin American friends who opposed socialistic measures.” He specifically added a postscript questioning a widely rumored belief that the Kennedy Administration would name Jose Miro Cardona to “the presidency of a provisional government. In my judgment, this would be a great error.” Pawley was upset that the JFK administration “for reasons best known to itself, went right ahead and selected him to be its liaison between Washington and the Cuban Community in the United States.”27

A week later, Pawley and Esterline and other agency officials reviewed “the list of names presently being considered for the reorganization of the FRD. Please pass this on to WH/4/PA when you finished it. Also attached is a thermofax copy of letter to Justo Carrillo [sometimes spelled with one “r”] and Manuel Antonio de Varona from Dr. Ricardo Rafael Sardina. With thermofaxed copies of newspaper article regarding Carrillo and Varona.”28

Four days later, the nation’s newspapers were filled with Pawley’s September testimony before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee detailing Pawley’s three-hour attempt 13-months back on December 9, 1958, to get Batista to step aside and how it had been thwarted by Roy Rubottom who “would not allow him to tell Batista that the U.S. government approved the proposal.” According to a UPI report “Pawley was unaware that six days later the U.S. Ambassador to Cuba advised Batista that the U.S. had lost confidence in him, according to Jay Sourwine the counsel to the Senate committee.” The UPI clipping would be circulated within the CIA.29

As Pawley had done in the previous decade when he sent handwritten notes to his friend and fellow Virginia estate holder General George C. Marshall, Pawley on occasion dropped a note to CIA Western Hemisphere Chief Colonel J.C. King in Oakton, Virginia. One topic was the semantics of “revolution.” The Frente was using a recruitment document that “a number of young men [were] refusing to sign because they do not like the word ‘revolution’ in the document. Most of the Cubans we find are sick of the word ‘revolution’. They are trying to get back to some form of stable government and are not interested in revolutionary movements.” Pawley’s niece, Anita Pawley, signed the note “Bill” on his behalf. The two pages Pawley attached were a sign up form in Spanish titled “Movilizacion Especial.”30

Over at the FBI, there were internal discussions of Pawley’s now public comments about the “Communist Threat to the United States.” Cartha DeLoach sent a memo to John P. Mohr, the Assistant to the FBI Director for Administrative Affairs calling attention to Pawley’s assertion “that ‘if we labor under the illusion or hope that our Latin American neighbors are going to like us, I think we are lost.’” DeLoach wanted “this memorandum and its enclosures be forwarded to the Domestic Intelligence Division for action.”31

Two days later The Palm Beach Post continued its series of articles on what was happening in Cuba under Fidel Castro and the “Cuban anti-Reds now living in exile” who see “Cuba as a base for communist infiltration of Latin America.” The article contained an interview by Jack Ledden of William Pawley who spelled out what he considered a blunder of U.S. foreign policy. “A decision was made, and a very unwise one, and announced to the world that we would supply no further arms to Batista’s government, nor would we supply them to Castro. This policy condemned the Batista government to defeat, because the entire hemisphere, but more important, the Cuban army, knew Batista was finished in the eyes of the American government.”

Pawley reiterated that early on he had notified Roy Rubottom and William Wieland that if Castro was permitted by them “to come to power you are going to have more trouble than you have ever seen in your life.” But Rubottom would not allow Pawley “to guarantee the U.S. government had given tacit approval to the plan” for Batista to step down so that a buffer government could be established to block Castro. Instead, nearly a week later, Rubottom got ownership of the concept by ordering U.S. Ambassador to Cuba Earl E.T. Smith to tell Batista that the “U.S. government had lost confidence in his ability to keep peace and that to avoid bloodshed the best thing that could happen would be for him to leave the country.”

According to The Palm Beach Post, “Gen. Tabernilla confirmed Pawley’s opinion, declaring the day the U.S. shut off aid to Batista, Cuban people shifted to support Castro.” The paper said the next article in its series would focus on “How exiled Cubans plan to organize for a counter attack on Castro”32 something that was far from a secret to Floridians and Cubans in the state and on their native island.

On February 20, 1961, The Washington Post covered Pawley’s charges against members of the State Department under Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy and pointed out that “some of Pawley’s targets still are in Government.” In addition to Wieland who seemed to serve “the ‘cause of our enemies’” either intentionally or out of stupidity, Pawley mentioned James E. Webb, the newly named space administrator who as Under Secretary of State “frustrated Pawley’s attempts to help Chinese Nationalists in 1949 and 1951.”33

Spruille Braden, whose name also came up in Pawley’s testimony, commented from his home in New York regarding Pawley’s allegations that he was cozy with communist sympathizers. “Pawley makes one true statement: That I blocked his appointment as Ambassador to Argentina.” Another object of Pawley’s accusations, Michanowsky, said he had “never been a Communist” and questioned the reliability of such charges when one of the facts used to build a case against him is his involvement as an editor on a Manchuria publication in 1934 despite being 14 years of age at the time. “In their defamatory zeal, the persons responsible for such material even forgot to check my age.” He disputed Pawley’s assertion that “I ‘arranged’ to have Mr. Gustavo Duran employed by Mr. Spruille Braden is equally untrue. I met Mr. Duran only quite some time after he had become Mr. Braden’s assistant.’” Braden further stated that although he had served in the Spanish republican army in 1950 he was never “‘a Communist’” as the late Senator Joseph McCarthy had once charged. The Evening Star noted that Duran “has been in the Congo for the last six months with the U.N. mission there and was unavailable for immediate comment.”34

Another newspaper arriving on the FBI’s Washington desk that February 20th was The Washington Daily News, which reported that “The Senate Sub-committee to Investigate Internal Security, headed by Sen. James O. Eastland (D., Miss.) released Mr. Pawley’s testimony without comment.” It also questioned why Pawley took Rubottom’s comment as the final word on dealing with Batista when Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, although sick, was available by phone. It also had some response to the junta leaders that Pawley had mentioned in his testimony. Pawley’s list had included Col. Barquin, Col. Borbonet who was still in Cuba, “Pepin

Bosch of the Bacardi family who helped finance Fidel, and one other that he had forgotten at the time of his testimony.” The article noted that another disillusioned Castro follower, Manuel Ray, doubted “‘if Col. Barquin would like to have joined any movement in which Gen. Diaz Tamayo’” was part of because “‘Gen. Tamayo had sentenced Col. Barquin to prison for Batista. Later Gen. Tamayo went to jail too, for plotting against the boss.’”

Pawley’s assertion that he knew Castro was a communist as far back as the Bogotázo in 1948 was questioned by “Jules du Bois, Latin American expert for the Chicago Tribune and chairman of the Inter-American Press Association’s press freedom committee.” He asserted “‘Mr. Pawley has evidently changed his mind. When I saw him at Miami Airport in January 1958 on his way to the Dominican Republic, he said he didn’t think Castro was going to be good for Cuba, but said then he didn’t think he was a communist.’”

The Washington Daily News on February 20, 1961 reported that Wieland had raised Pawley’s ire because the Organization of American States had broken relations with Trujillo. In addition to Wieland, Pawley also criticized President Kennedy’s new Assistant Secretary of State, Tom Mann, a career diplomat for being a “personal friend of Venezuela’s President Betancourt” who Pawley in his testimony had said was “dangerous.”

The newspaper stated that Betancourt had been the target of an assassination attempt by Trujillo and quoted Pawley, who may still have “considerable bauxite holdings in the Dominican Republic,” as saying the situation under Trujillo “‘is not all black.’” Financial enrichment influenced a different view, “‘today it is a beautiful little country that has accomplished more for its people in short time than any other country,’ says Mr. Pawley.”35

If newly elected President Kennedy read any of the Washington newspapers that day, it did not move him to recall Ambassador Rubottom from Argentina.36 The FBI, on the other hand, focused anew on Pawley’s disparaging testimony that now was public knowledge.37

By the end of the month, Senator Keating, a Republican from New York, would call for hearings to dig deeper into Pawley’s allegations. Keating found Pawley’s testimony “‘a shocking commentary on the conduct of U.S. Foreign Policy in Latin America and elsewhere during the last two decades’” that calls into question “‘many high ranking government officials, some of whom are still serving in government posts.’” Keating wanted testimony from Wieland, Braden, Rubottom, and Webb. Believing that Fidel’s “days are numbered” Keating declared that the U.S. could “avoid another Castro by presenting a full case history on his rise to power.”

The teletype of Keating’s announcement was distributed on February 28th within the FBI to Parsons, Belmont, DeLoach, and Donahoe and placed in the FBI’s Pawley File (62-79985).38

Pawley’s testimony triggered Lt. Gen. (R.A.) Carlos van der Becke of Buenos Aires to send a letter and copies of his 1956 book “Destruction of Slander” and Silvano Santander’s “Technique of Treason.” Van der Becke requested a copy of Spruille Braden’s response to Pawley’s testimony’ stating that “the new elements of judgment now at my disposal, there is no doubt that Heinrich Jurges is author of Spruille Braden’s deception in his press conference on September 18, 1945, in Buenos Aires.”39

Carlos van der Becke also sent a letter to the President of the Senate Judiciary Committee, noting that he was motivated by Pawley’s testimony to notify the Committee that a letter to Eisenhower purportedly signed by van der Becke “is the work of a forger, well known to the authorities in Argentina, Germany, his native country, and Uruguay. At this moment he is before the Landgericht of Bonn for falsifying documents, fraud etc. We are referring to the

Communist Heinrich Jurges who came from Chile to the Argentine at the end of 1935 ... lived in Montevideo from September 1943 to July 27, 1946. During the majority of this time the communist Silvano Santander was in that city.”40

Pawley’s testimony did not stand well with everyone. The head of the Associated Press Bureau in Washington received a letter from an American who lived in South America. He referred to Pawley as the “HAMbassador” and called his charges against Braden “what rot!”41

That same month, Esterline, Pawley and others were focused on “the second stage of the Conspiracy within the FRD to destroy the Executive Committee.” A handwritten note was attached to the February 20th memorandum. “Most probably because of the length of time in making decision over the crisis in FRD, the group of Posada, Rivero, Artime, Rasco etc have started again.”

Allegedly “Jose I. Rivero is out to destroy Sardina” and “has also started to call young civilians that were to enroll in FRD for training, urging them not to do it. He promises that he has a secret pact with Col. Sanchez Mosquero” whom Father Posada mentioned as “the next chief of the Army of the F.R.D.” and “Pure Catholic like Artime, he believes that people did not understand what the “Teoria Generacional” [Generational Theory] meant. Father Posada defends the point that there is a generation of Catholics that have to carry the burden of this effort.” Meantime, “Artime is holding conferences with well known Batistianos in Guatemala” and “it is also well known that he has received considerable sums of money from people like ‘Lin Arroyo’ (former Ambassador to Washington under Batista” who “is supposed to have given him $50,000 (Fifty Thousands) and there was more money for him if FRD officially voted a general amnesty for Batista’s ministers.” A breach of security also may have occurred.42

Recruiting began to overwhelm the JMWAVE team, and an urgent note stated: “It is advisable to increase the number of office workers in the new recruiting office.” Moreover, physical exams necessitated two more doctors as well as electrical lighting—“past night they had to use matches to finish days work.” Moral was waning, too. “Apparently training started with great enthusiasm, but in the past four or five days it has slumped considerably.” The men “are willing to be sent to the camps (infantry) if necessary—but what they don’t want is to stand” around watching” other people do the fighting. My cousin Leopoldo Aguilera Jr. is in this group.” There was one other urgent need.” Extra crews for the Air Force are going to be necessary.”43

Having founded the Flying Tigers, Pawley was keenly aware of the importance of air support during the Bay of Pigs invasion. His concerns were slowly addressed by those overseeing the project at the CIA Task Force Headquarters which initially “did not include an integral air staff section, although air activity was a continuing and essential requirement throughout the operation.”

Eventually, the CIA established the project’s “forward operating base in Miami, Florida, with a satellite communications center for relay of communications between Headquarters and the field and facilities in the Florida Keys for launching boat operations to Cuba.” Moreover, “the former Opa Locka Naval Air Station” was utilized for storage of arms and munitions and for originating ‘black’ [covert] passenger flights to Guatemala with Cuban recruits.” There in the southwestern part of the country, the CIA established “infantry training” and “an air base.” Similar operations were set up in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua and training temporarily was conducted at Belle Chase Naval Ammunition Depot, New Orleans just prior to the invasion.

Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida panhandle was utilized for logistical flights to Guatemala and Nicaragua.44

There were several concerns about the air coverage, including the ability to disguise the U.S. air campaign and the efficacy of the flights if they were launched too far away—a round- trip “would take better than six hours from Central America” leaving the B-26’s with “only forty-five minutes of action for bombing and air cover over” the Cuban beachhead.

A tentative launch date of March 1st was settled upon, “but this proved impossible to meet. For one thing, it took some time to organize the quarrelsome exiles in New York and Miami”—"the target date kept slipping until it finally came firm as April 17.”45

FOOTNOTES:

1 CIA Official Bay of Pigs History. Page 149.

2 NARA 1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ 11/15/1960 Memorandum. To: Dr. Rubio Padilla and Fabio. From: Alligator. Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Pages 120 & 121 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

>> Alligator may have served as Pawley’s communications channel into Cuba, separate from the CIA’s channel. (Note: In addition to Silvio Cardenas, the name Domingo G. Silverio also has been linked to Alligator in the Mary Ferrell Foundation Cryptonym Database.)

NARA 1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ 11/16/1960 Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Pages 213 & 214 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

>> This Pawley memo from the next day provides further evidence of the inner group “troubles.”

    STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

1. Dr. Jose Raimundo Andreu, who is in town now and is very close friend of Dr. Cuervo, has been in close contact with him lately and Dr. Andreu has taken as a duty to advise Varona properly ...

2. There is a group ...

3. We have in town General Quirino Uria ...

4. Tonight, there is going to be a meeting of 300 young Army officers who were in Santo Domingo with Pedraza and they are going to be available, if considered advisable to join the general FRD ... they should not be Subjected to the moral browbeat that most of them get from Goudie and Oscar Diaz, who, we understand, are Aureliano Sanchez Arango’s appointees. It is reported that a lot of people who have wanted to join the FRD in the camps have run into a lot of arguments with these two men and the consensus of opinion is that they do more harm than good. It might be advisable to consider the removal of Goudie and Diaz from the positions that they hold now in the military.

5. We have in town, and I have talked to him, Major Ceferino Rodriguez ...

6. Dr. Maceo has insisted again on his request of about a month ago for visas for: Dr. Manuel de Jesus Rodriguez y Rodriguez, his wife ... son ... and daughter-in-law ... he is sure that the Government will jail him any day now.

   [Handwritten Note]

23 Feb 1961: No action was taken on paragraph 6 prior to 3 Jan 1961. It is slightly late now & Mr. R. says nothing 2-EL, can be done about it at this late date – File with [REDACTED] material.

3 RIF 1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ 11/18/1960 Memorandum for the Record “Subject: Materials Received from [REDACTED] on 3 November 1960. Distribution 1—201-77378.” From [REDACTED] WH/4/Reports. Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Page 218 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

The following items were obtained from [REDACTED] on 3 November 1960. Disposition of each item is indicated in the list:

c. Memo from Fabio Freyre concerning William Bishop who claims to be a member of The Cross Movement and is attempting to join counterrevolutionary forces through Father Posada in Miami. Passed FI, Reports, and PA.

Other items Pawley forwarded had to do with power attorney Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and “letters from Jose Ignacio RIVERO, Frank Roddson, Jr. (his real name is Father Luis POSADA), and Raul (last name unknown) to Reverend Father Rubino in Colegio de Belen, Habana, Cuba.”

RIF 1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ 11/18/1960 Handwritten note. To: William Pawley. Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Pages 216 & 217 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

1. It has been brought to our attention that a Compania Cubana de Aviacion pilot named Rene Nunez Berro [added by someone else Verlo], who is serving as Courier for one of the underground groups is a G-2 agent. It is understood that said group knows nothing about this.
2. The Cuban Navy Mayor that is organizing the Cuban navymen group is named Pons Goizueta. He represented the Cuban navy under Fidel in the Junta Interamericana de Defensa in Washington, D.C. He is quoted as saying that he is backed by the U.S. Navy and that his duty is to organize the crew that will man the ships that will eventually invade Cuba. He is supposed to have enough money to pay the following wages: Bachelor $175 monthly – married with one child an additional $50...two children $125 ... mother or mother-in-law $75. He is also offering warehouse merchandise to be delivered in Cuba and has offered to solve visa problems for certain families. He is not supposed to have personal ambitions, but to the ones to whom he has offered these services he has confessed his wish to become the head of the Cuban Navy ...  
3. Ruben Orta Pino—Labour leader, was in this country for a long while, went back to Cuba not long ago and now is coming back to work again.

                This should be closely investigated, its very strange to see a labour leader that is able to move so freely.

RIF 1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ 11/23/1960 Memorandum “Subject Rene Nunez Verlo & Ruben Orta Pina.”. To: Chief, WH/4—Mr. Esterline. From: Chief, WH/4/CI [REDACTED]. Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Pages 212 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

The Jose Andreu, friend of Dr. Cuervo, may be identical with Jose Raimundo Andreu, (201-286,702) born 1898, former Senator from Las Villas ... The Martinez-Fraga mentioned may be identical with Pedro Julio Martinez-Fraga y Fernandez (201-276,850) former Ambassador to the United States, well known to Jerry Droller. This file and that of Andreu was not fully reviewed.

4 RIF 1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ 11/18/1960 Memorandum. To: C/WH/4/FI. From: Jacob D. Esterline, Chief WH/4. Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Pages 115 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

For PA: You should be aware of and somewhat interested in the fact that [REDACTED] has established a new (and according to him productive) channel to president Elect Kennedy through George Smathers. According to [REDACTED] Smathers conversations with the President Elect have lead [REDACTED] now to take the position that he should not go along with the Department of State and have the dictator step down. It appears that Mr. Kennedy may take a considerably more conservative approach than many in the Department and “the fun house.”

Attachment:

QDDALE Correspondence

5 CIA Official History of the Bay of Pigs. Page 169.

6 Memorandum “Meeting with President Eisenhower, White House, Washington, November 29, 1960 11 a.m. by Gordon Gray.” Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958-1960, Volume VI: Cuba. Page 1141. 

7 CIA Official History of the Bay of Pigs. Pages 173, 177 & 174.

>> Following the Bay of Pigs, the CIA set up Pacific Corporation, a front for other CIA fronts: Air America, Southern Air Transport, Civil Air Transport, Pacific Engineering, and Thai Pacific Services, Company. 

>> Pacific Corporation was presided over by W. Hugh L. Grundy. One of its directors was General Charles Cabell, CIA Deputy Director who was dismissed, along with CIA Director Allen Dulles, by John Kennedy after the Bay of Pigs fiasco. General Cabell had pleaded with JFK to provide air cover for the exiles but JFK denied the request. His brother Earle was Mayor of Dallas the day JFK was shot,

>> Pacific Corporation's vice president, James Bastian, was a law partner of one of the directors of the Ed Ball-William Pawley directed Florida National Bank, and the bank's headquarters building housed Bastian's law firm.

>> Pacific Corporation's Civil Air Transport was an offshoot of Pawley's and General Chennault's Flying Tigers.

8 Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958-1960, Volume VI: Cuba. Page 1131.

9 Memorandum [Drafted by Merchant] “Conversation, White House, Washington, December 29, 1960 10:30-10:38 a.m. Participants, The President, Brig. Gen. Andrew J. Goodpaster, White House Staff Secretary and Livingston T. Merchant, Under Secretary for Political Affairs.” Foreign Relations, 1958-1960, Volume VI, page 1141.

Following the National Security Council meeting this morning, the President asked me to come in his office. He said he wanted to talk to me about Cuba and stated in this connection that he had been much impressed by what Bill Pawley had reported to him two days ago concerning his visit to Argentina and Peru. He asked if I had seen him, and I told him I had done so yesterday and that we were giving hard thought to his report.

The President said that he agreed with Pawley that there should be no formal meeting of the OAS on Cuba. I interjected that to circumvent the OAS entirely needed careful thought [because many Latin American leaders feared “Castroist left-wing movements” in their countries].

10 Memorandum [Drafted by Merchant] “Conversation, White House, Washington, December 29, 1960 10:30-10:38 a.m.” Foreign Relations, 1958-1960, Volume VI. Page 1189.

NARA 157-10007-10251 ~ 12/28/1960 Memorandum for the Record “Subjects: Minutes of Special Meeting, 28 December 1960; Present: Merchant; Douglas; Gray and Dulles.

11 RIF 1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ 12/6/1960 CIA Memorandum “Subject: Report from [REDACTED].” From: C/WH/4/F1 Jacob D. Esterline. Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Pages 175 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

>> Attached is a thermofax copy of a report concerning Humberto Tarafa from [REDACTED]. [Multiple pages in Spanish].

12/ 6/1960 Memorandum “subj: Report from Wm. D. Pawley.” Subjects: Pawley, W.; Tarafa, H. To: CIA Component. From CIA Employee.

12/6/1960 Memorandum “Report from Pawley.” Subjects: Tarafa, H.

12/6/1960. Memorandum “Material for possible use in discussion with Mr. Pawley.” Subjects: Pawley, W.; Cajigas, F. From: [None]. To: Chief, WHD.

12 RIF 1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ 12/21/1960 Handwritten note from Pawley. “Subject: Humberto Tarafa.” Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Page 210 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

The man is the President of the Sugar Cane Planters Association of Central Vertientes – Camaguey Cuba. And he is the owner of a sugar cane farm... where he has additional land that is used to fatten cattle and milk cows ... he has quite a revolutionary background. He was in personal contact with Fidel in Habana, before Fidel went into exile to prepare the landing in Oriente, he was also in contact personally with Emilio Ochoa and Roberto Varona (Tony’s brother) during the Batista regime.

According to him, he was very active in sabotage in Camaguey before the overthrow of Batista.

The way he explains it, during this period of time, he always had trouble with the Communists and their infiltration during the days of the revolution. I asked him about Hubert Matos and his descriptive answer was that he had no use for him. Tony knowledge he knows Matos well and considers him a very dangerous man. He spoke highly of Higinio Diaz (Nino) but admits he that he does not know him personally.

He claims that he has been working in the underground since early 1959...his visit to this Country is to get the right contact that will furnish him the necessary things to put the plan of Accion Cubana to work... he refused him because he did not like Artime’s proposal or ideology. He has been interviewed by the F.B.I. and by one of our Associates through an interpreter ... Tarafa is being ushered by two young Cubans Robledo & Arman de Montes, both boys impressed me very well and there is no doubt in my mind that young Montes is a great friend of this Country and what it stands for.

I believe this man Tarafa should be investigated rapidly. He is getting to see a lot of people, he talks a good program to start the thing rolling, but what I consider dangerous it’s that he is starting to visit places; for example today he has gone to the Key West base to be introduced to an officer. That comes on the plane from Habana.

If this man is on the level, someone should talk to him and listen to his story ... If the man is not clear something should be done about his moving around freely. About one month and a half ago we asked Alligator all possible information on this group, because young Puig (Dr. Enrique Arango’s son-in-law) had been here trying to get the necessary help.

13 Pawley, Russia Is Winning, Chapter 22.

14 CIA Official History of the Bay of Pigs. Pages 182 and 184.

>> Attending were VP Michael Haider for “Latin America of Standard Oil of New Jersey, the Chairman of the Cuban- American Sugar Company, President of American Sugar Domino Refining Company, President American & Foreign Power, Chairman Freeport Sulphur Company, reps from Texaco, IT&T and other companies.”

15 CIA Official History of the Bay of Pigs. Page 188.

16 CIA Official History of the Bay of Pigs. Page 195.

17 CIA Official History of the Bay of Pigs. Pages 211 & 212.

Among those who worked on Phillips’s Political and Psychological Section in WH/4, were William Kent, John Isaminger, Philip A. Toomey, Earnest I Harrison, Paul Oberst, and Michael J. Maney.

18 CIA Official History of the Bay of Pigs. Page 184.

19 Bill Holland, son of Henry Holland, Email to David Price Cannon (Pawleyinfo@aol.com) October 1, 2016 at 11:40:43 AM EDT

Hi again, David—

My dad's comment about Pawley's functioning smoothly as part of the team on "the Guatemalan assignment" is interesting in light of the fact that, during a confrontation with Allen Dulles over the issue of whether or not to replace the planes that Arbenz had shot down, Pawley must have vigorously opposed my father's emphatic insistence that replacing the planes would expose our role in the coup and reinforce the perception of the US as the "bully from the North." My father, who opposed the entire scheme from the moment he was clued in about it, probably felt it was his last chance to shut down the entire subversion. But Dulles prevailed, and Ike opted for replacing the planes, planes that Pawley—in order to by-pass red tape—"generously" agreed to pay for out of his own pocket.

According to phone records maintained by my father's secretary, Pops phoned Pawley a total of 21 times during 1961, a number surpassed only by his calls to Col. J.C. King (28 times), Rodman Rockefeller (25 times) and by calls to two close business associates. [Rodman was Nelson Rockefeller’s son involved in Latin American business activities.]

According to {Anthony] Carrozza, "Pawley shared his Dominican mine and oil interests with prominent people, including Assistant Secretary of State Henry Holland, who helped negotiate a contract between Alcoa and the Dominican Republic." This involvement drew the ire of columnist Drew Pearson, who revealed that my father was "on Pawley's payroll as a 'mining consultant'; thus, Holland avoided having to register as a foreign agent.'"

Attending the meeting of corporate execs with Allen Dulles in December, 1960 were Thomas Kempner; Don Kendall, soon to be CEO of Pepsi, and [economist and Latin Trade expert] Henry Balgooyen, chairman of the Cuban-American Sugar Company. There was also someone representing the King Ranch, which had lost major holdings in Cuba as a result of the revolution. I'm attaching an article from the Miami Herald that references the meeting. (see last few paras).

In any event, my father and Pawley were sufficiently close that when my father's assets were frozen upon his death while his Will went into probate, Pawley stepped forward to cover my brother's tuition at Yale. It's possible he also paid for my tuition at a private day school.

... [speculative sentence about Sturgis]

Cheers for now, Bill Holland

-----Original Message-----

From: Bill Holland. To: pawleyinfo. Sent: Wed, Apr 20, 2016 10:05 AM Subject: Pawley

FYI- You might be interested to know that Pawley paid for my and my brother's educations after our father, Henry F. Holland, died in June '62.

Pops was Asst. Secretary of State for Latin American Affairs under Eisenhower and lobbied against replacing planes lost during PBSUCCESS. Pawley was there at the meeting along with Allen Dulles, and they prevailed over my dad's objections with Pawley actually paying for the new planes.

Later as corp. attorney, Pops stayed in close touch with Col. J.C. King and met with corp. execs plotting the Bay of Pigs and did legal work for Pawley when he was negotiating mining rights in the Dominican Republic.

Best, 

Bill Holland

<Pawley Rec.jpg>  <Ike's response.jpg>   <Miami Herald article.docx>

20 CIA Official History of the Bay of Pigs. Page 236. 21 CIA Official History of the Bay of Pigs. Page 237.

22 1/6/1961 CIA Routing and Record Sheet “Attached Letter dated December 18, 1960 addressed to Fabio Freyre, 415 Sea Spray Ave. Palm Beach, Florida from Alligator.” Pawley File. Pages 209 & 210 of 227. Mary Ferrell Foundation website: www.maryferrell.org

Fiallo:

Last night the Nino Conde came to me with a wealth of detail about the various conversations he had with you ...

Already there are 20 groups which have signed the Unity Pact ... I cannot send the names of these 20 groups until the end of this week inasmuch as Dr. Tito, who is in charge of handling the names, has not been able to do it to date ... the Ray group has not—he who thinks that he has opened the eyes of people and groups here.

About the five million dollars we should like to invest them since we could be short of them the next time. For this we would like to have them delivered to my oldest sister ... I could tell to whom they should be turned over, depending on the best rate of exchange ...

... and we hope, God willing, to embrace you here very soon. 

Alligator

23 RIF 1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ 1/16/1961 Cable Message “QDDALE 201-77378.” To: [REDACTED and Bell]. From: WAVE. Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Page 130 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website: MaryFerrell.org

[Also Pawley File. Page 206 of 227.]

.Guillermo Alonso Pujol invited Diaz Tamayo to luncheon 15 Jan. Pujol said luncheon one of a series of steps toward unification all separate elements ... Spoke favorably of AMIRON, but was critical of Varona. Took strong position against MRP and Ray. Diaz took same position, described Ray as a Fidelismo sin Fidel.

CS Comment: Rubio Padilla group raised fund of $200,000 as payoff to press to attack [REDACTED] through Bender Group

1/16/1961 Cable “William Pawley’s comments on Rubio Padilla group.” Subjects: Pawley, W.; Padilla, R.

1/16/1961 Cable “Comments based on discreet inquiry by Wm. D. Pawley.” Subjects: Pawley, W.; Padilla, R. From: [CIA] WAVE.

1/16/1961 Cable “Pawley’s comments on various anti-Castro Cubans.” Subjects: Rivero; Pujol. To: Director. From [CIA] Chief of Station, WAVE.

24 NARA 104-10177-10257 ~ Morales Navariete, Ricardo Anibel.

25 1/21/1961 Memorandum “Detailed instructions given to Pawley for obtaining required info from Confidential Informant R-1.” Subjects: Pawley, William; Informant R-1.

1/31/1961 Synopsis “Adjustment and repair effected to Confidential Informant R-1 (Pawley’s recording device).” Subjects: Pawley.

26 RRIF 1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ 2/17/1961 Dispatch. “Subject: Discussions between [REDACTED] and Identity of Reference A. To: [REDACTED]. From: Chief WH Division. Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Page 127 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

2/16/1961 Dispatch “Discussions held on 26 January 1961.” To: Chief of Station. From: [CIA] Chief, WH Division. Subjects: Pawley, W.; Station assets; Argentinian.

His government realizes that Cuba and Castro are a great danger to the hemisphere and it is solidly with the Cuban exile movement as represented by the other participants ... His government has not publicly supported the exile movement, since local circumstance make a public position difficult.

2/17/1961 Dispatch “Conversations with Pawley and Cubans.” To: Chief of Station. From: [CIA] C/WH Division. Subjects: Pawley, William.

27 Pawley, Russia Is Winning, Chapter 22.

28 NARA 1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ 2/7/1961 No. 23 Memorandum “Subject: Receipt of Material from [REDACTED].” To: C/WH/4/FI. From: Jacob D. Esterline C/WH/4. Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Page 127 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

29 John A. Goldsmith, “U.S. Mission to Block Castro,” Oakland Tribune, February 12, 1961.

February 17, 1961. Article – “Batista rejected caretaker regime”. Subjects: Pawley; Press clipping. From: [None]. To: [None].

30 NARA1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ 2/14/1961 Letter. To: Colonel J. C. King, “Frannewood House”, Miller Road, Oakton, Virginia. From: William Douglas Pawley, Miami. Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Page 114, 111 & 112 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

Dear J. C.:

I am sending you a copy of the documents that the “Frente” is using to sign up their people.

There are a number of young men refusing to sign because they do not like the word “revolution” in the document. Most of the Cubans we find are sick of the word “revolution”. They are trying to get back to some form of stable government and are not interested in revolutionary movements.

I think this is something you should look at carefully with a view to seeing if it could not be modified having this in mind.

With personal regards, I am

Sincerely yours,

Bill (signed by Anita Pawley) 

William D. Pawley

2/14/1961 Letter To: Col. J. C. King. From: William D. Pawley. Subjects: “Frente;” Pawley, WM D.

2/14/1961 Letter with Enclosure “Copy of the documents that the ‘Frente’ is using to sign up their people.” To: CIA employee. From: William D. Pawley. Subjects: Pawley, W.; Frente.

31 2/15/1961 Memorandum “Subject: Senate Internal Security Subcommittee ‘Communist Threat to the United States Through the Caribbean’–Part 10. To: Mr. Mohr. From: C.D. DeLoach.

32 NARA 1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ “Friday Batista Rejected Caretaker Regime.” By Jack Ledden. The Palm Beach Post, February 17, 1961. Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Page 80 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

33 “Pawley Charges Cuba Bungling.” By John A. Goldsmith. The Washington Post, February 20, 1961.

Pawley testified that Wieland had worked for him in Brazil and displayed tendencies which seemed to be “somewhat contrary” to the Nation’s best interests. When he found last year that Wieland was area officer for Latin America, Pawley said he took the case to Vice President Richard M. Nixon and to President Eisenhower. He said the State Department viewed his comments as “pressure” and declined to displace Wieland.

Pawley said he has no reason to believe that Wieland is a communist but feels that men of Wieland’s type are “serving the cause of our enemies ... He is either one of the most stupid men living or he is doing it intentionally.”

34 “Ex-Envoy Says Braden Was Fired After Charge of Aiding Latin Americans,” The Evening Star, February 20, 1961.

35 “Our Man in Havana, William D. Pawley.” By John T. O’Rourke. The Washington Daily News, February 20, 1961.

Pawley also praised Mann.

... Manuel Ray, another disillusioned Havana leader of Fidel’s 26th of July Movement also now in exile and plotting against Fidel remarks, “I doubt if Col. Barquin would like to have joined any movement in which Gen. Diaz Tamayo...had a part.” It seems Gen. Tamayo had sentenced Col. Barquin to prison for Batista. Later Gen. Tamayo went to jail too, for plotting against the boss.

... Col. Borbonnet [aka Borbonet] is still in Cuba.

All of these men were considered loyal to Fidel, except jailed Gen. Tamayo ...

Jules du Bois, Latin American expert for the Chicago Tribune and chairman of the Inter-American Press Association’s press freedom committee says: “Mr. Pawley has evidently changed his mind. When I saw him at Miami Airport in January 1958 on his way to the Dominican Republic, he said he didn’t think Castro was going to be good for Cuba, but said then he didn’t think he was a communist.”

In his Senate testimony, Mr. Pawley says he thought Fidel was a communist back in 1948 at the uprising in Bogotá, Colombia.

 >> Regarding the Dominican Republic:

“Understand, I’m not trying to evaluate Trujillo ... the situation there is not all black...today it is a beautiful little country that has accomplished more for its people in short time than any other country,” says Mr. Pawley.

Mr. Pawley is reported to have had considerable bauxite holdings in the Dominican Republic, and may still have them. Mr. Pawley’s brother, Ed, is a big sugar man there, who praises Trujillo.

36 “Embassy Row,” Time, February 24, 1961.

37 2/20/1961 Memorandum “Subject: Testimony of William D. Pawley Before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee September 2 & 8, 1960.” To: A.H. Belmont. From: S. B. Donahoe.

The purpose of the memorandum is to analyze testimony of William D. Pawley before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee in Executive Sessions on 9-2 & 8-60 regarding the “Communist Threat to the United States Through the Caribbean.” The record of these hearings is scheduled for release to the public Monday 2-20-61, and has already been commented on in the press in an article in the “Washington Daily News” dated 2-11-61 ...

Pawley’s comments regarding William A. Wieland add little to the Bureau’s knowledge ... Pawley felt that Wieland was not particularly useful to the U.S. in his position, but had no reason to believe Wieland a communist.

Pawley’s comments regarding Betancourt and Fidel Castro were based on his observations of their dangerousness obtained during Pawley’s service in Latin America as a State Department official ...

Pawley stated that he had attempted to arrange for defection of former Cuban dictator Batista prior to Batista’s overthrow by Castro forces. He noted that his failure was due to his inability to furnish U.S. government guarantees because of decisions reached by Roy Rubottom, then serving as Assistant Secretary of State and currently assigned as the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina.

... The only additional data furnished by him in this later appearance was details of his own personal plan for the establishment of a Latin American bank designed to assist South American countries in economic recovery.

3/2/1961 Press clipping “Ex-envoy Says Braden was Fired after Charge of Aiding Latin Reds.” Subjects: Press clipping; Pawley, William.

38 2/28/1961 “FBI distribution of Washington Capitol News Service UPI – 122 Teletype February 20, 1960.” To: Parsons, Belmont, DeLoach, Donahoe and for Pawley File (62-79985).

39 NARA 1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ 3/29/1961 Letter. To: William Pawley. From: Carlos von der Becke, Buenos Aires. Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Page 25 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

Dear Mr. Pawley:

...I was pleased to send you a copy of my book ... (Destruction of Slander), published on November 1956 in reply to the book ... (Technique of Treason) by Silvano Santander, which I also sent you ...

With the new elements of judgment now at my disposal, there is no doubt that Heinrich Jurges is author of Spruille Braden’s deception in his press conference on September18, 1945 in Buenos Aires...and my fictitious letter to General Eisenhower...

Could you send me a copy of Braden’s publication in reply to your testimony?

My quarrel with Santander will be over soon. I suppose that there will be no delay on the judge’s decision. I will keep you informed.

With the usual good wishes and a special Happy Easter to you and your wife...

“Von der Becke mentions mutual acquaintances William Sidney and Herbert Sorter, Norman Armour and General William H. Draper Jr., and John Griffiths.” Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Pages 29-36 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

Spanish original version of letter. Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Pages 37-72 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

3/13/1961 Letter “re the Von der Becke-Santander affair (original Spanish and translated copy).” To: Pawley. From: Von der Becke, Carlos. Subjects: Santander; Von der Becke.

3/13/1961 Letter. To: Ambassador Pawley. Subjects: Letter; Pawley, William.

3/16/1961 Memorandum “Receipt of material from William Pawley.” Subjects: Pawley, W. From: CIA employee. To: CIA Component.

3/29/1961 Letter to Mr. Pawley. Subjects: Pawley, WM D. From: Carlos Von der Becke. To: William D. Pawley.

3/29/1961 Letter in Spanish “To Senor Presidente, on Communist Threat to the United States through the Caribbean”. Subjects: Pawley, Wm D; Santander, S; Der Becke, C. From: Carlos Von der Becke.

3/29/1961 Handwritten letter in Spanish, William D. Pawley. Subjects: Pawley, Wm D; White book.

3/29/1961 Letter from Buenos Aires, To Mr. President of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Subjects: William D. Pawley, Wm D. To: Senate Judiciary Committee. From: Carlos Von der Becke.

3/29/1961 Letter (original Spanish and translation) re Von der Becke accusation of forgery. Subjects: Pawley; Von der Becke. To: Pres, Senate Judiciary Cttee. From: Carlos Von der Becke

3/29/1961 Letter (original Spanish and translation) “re Von der Becke’s publications and legal actions.” To: Pawley Subjects: Pawley; Von der Becke. From: Von der Becke.

Additional correspondence between Von der Becke and Pawley in Spanish and with translations are dated: May 1, 13 & 20, 1961.

40 NARA 1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ 3/29/1961 Letter. To: President of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Washington, D.C. From: Lt. Gen. (R.A.) Carlos van der Becke, Buenos Aires. Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Page 26 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

Dear Senator:

I have the honor of writing to you motivated by recent publication “Communist threat to the United States through the Caribbean ... Testimony of William Pawley ...

... the letter in reference is the work of a forger, well known to the authorities in Argentina, Germany, his native country, and Uruguay. At this moment he is before the Landgericht of Bonn for falsifying documents, fraud etc. We are referring to the Communist Heinrich Jurges who came from Chile to the Argentine at the end of 1935...lived in Montevideo from September 1943 to July 27, 1946. During the majority of this time the communist Silvano Santander was in that city ...

41 3/1961 Letter. To: Head of A.P. Bureau, Washington, DC from “An American who lived in So. America, and knows what IS what.” In Pawley FBI File.

Dear Sir:

In today’s “Miami Herald”, a Staff Writer, Dom Bonafede, writes what W. Pawley, HAMbassador says about Spruille Braden AMbassador. Pawley says that Braden is somewhat tainted with Communistic Doctrine. WHAT ROT!!! ...

This Pawley knows no bounds, he is rotten thru and thru! He was a failure in real estate in Florida. He left for Cuba got close to Machado, the killer, the cruel dictator of Cuba. Pawley and his FAMILY are a conning, whoring, thieving and scheming gang! They delivered ricks instead of potatoes to the U.S. Navy in Guantanamo. They were in the scrap-ship-iron scandal in Haiti ...

... Then the Curtis Airplane Corp. sent Pawley to China. There he got next to Murderous Warlords and with them he made a fortune at the expense of many lives. After that, he found his way to the Parasitic Maharajas ...

Right now he is hugging Gen. Trujillo, in the Dominican ventures where he is partner of this cruel Dictator- Torturer ... Pawley’s machinations are known to all, so who helps Communists take over the world? BUMS and mercenary, greedy and unethical and crooked lowlifes like Pawleys are responsible ... SICK AT HEART AMERICAN.

42 NARA 1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ 2/20/1961 Memorandum “Subject: [REDACTED] Note re FRD Conspiracy and Handwritten note attached.” To: C/WH/4 PA. From: J. D. Esterline /C/WH/4. Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Pages 123-125 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

February 8th, 1961

The second stage of the Conspiracy within the FRD to destroy the Executive Committee and most probably the FRD altogether apparently has started already. Most probably because of the length of time in making decision over the crisis in FRD, the group of Posada, Rivero, Artime, Rasco etc have started again.

>> Part of the attachment to the memorandum also raised security concerns:

It is of great importance to be very careful with the files of the military general headquarters at the FRD. From very reliable sources we have it that Oscar Diaz following instructions from his superiors (Justo Carrillo) has gotten photostatic copies from certain documents and has even threaten publicly to hide the said files if necessary. Persons that have visited those headquarters lately have been instructed by Oscar Diaz to visit Carillo, Jose Miro Cardona and Manolo Ray, for instruction on how to act. It is very well known that Miro Cardona made quite a show yesterday when he visited the general headquarters to offer publicly his whole hearted support to Martin Elena and the rest of the general staff.

2/20/1961 Memorandum “William D. Pawley—Note re FRD conspiracy.” Subjects: Pawley, W.

2/20/1961 Memorandum. “Subjects: Memorandum; Pawley, William.”

43 NARA 1993.08.09.17:07:29:370007 ~ 2/23/1961 Handwritten Urgent Note. To: [Presumably Pawley]. Unsanitized CIA File of William Pawley. Pages 105, 106 & 113 of 267. Mary Ferrell Foundation website.

Two extra doctors are also necessary for the physical exams. The office has no electrical light and past night they had to use matches to finish days work. We are sending a great amount of men to register....

There is a great deal of talk that the special group that is being trained in the keys it’s going to be a waste of time and that this squad is not going to be used fully. Apparently training started with great enthusiasm, but in the past four or five days it has slumped considerably...they are willing to be sent to the camps (infantry)

if necessary – but what they don’t want is to stand...by and watch the other people do the fighting. My cousin Leopoldo Aguilera Jr. is in this group....

Extra crews for the Air Force are going to be necessary....

>> Coincidental to the mention of the needs for pilots a note in Pawley’s file from March 1st states that deserters have contacted Gustavo Alfonso an Ex-first Lt in Air Force during Machado regime.

2/27/1961 Memorandum “Receipt of material from Wm D. Pawley.” Subjects: Pawley, W. To: CIA component. From: CIA employee.

44 Clandestine Services History, page 2. http://www.foia.cia.gov

The undersigned served as Chief of the Paramilitary Staff Section. The line of command within C.I.A. Headquarters for control of the Cuban operation was from the Director of Central Intelligence, Mr. Allen Dulles, to Deputy Director (Plans), Mr. Richard M. Bissell, to the Chief, Western Hemisphere Division, Mr. J. C. King, to the Chief of the Task Force, Mr. Jacob D. Esterline.

a. ...

b. The Task Force Headquarters did not include an integral air staff section, although air activity was a continuing and essential requirement throughout the operation ... in October 1960, the Chief of the Air Section ... was placed under the direction of the Task Force Chief for matters concerning the project.

c. Major field activities as finally established included:

(1)  A forward operating base in Miami, Florida, with a satellite communications center for relay of communications between Headquarters and the field and facilities in the Florida Keys for launching boat operations to Cuba. Recruiting was handled by the Miami base.

(2)  A base at the former Opa Locka Naval Air Station, which was used for storage of arms and munitions and for originating “black” [covert] passenger flights to Guatemala with Cuban recruits.

(3)  An infantry training base and an air base in Southwestern Guatemala.

(4)  An air and staging base at Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua.

(5)  Air facilities at Elgin Air Force Base for logistical flights to Guatemala and Nicaragua.

(6)  A training base at Belle Chase Naval Ammunition Depot, New Orleans (used briefly in March and April, 1961).

45 Clandestine Services History. Pages 10 & 11. http://www.foia.cia.gov