Miguel Casas Saez: From Chicago to Tampa 11/63?

[Nathaniel Heidenheimer]

Burton Hersh, in his new book, Bobby and J. Edgar, writes of "a seemingly hapless 'Cuban agent referrd to as Miguel Casas Saez" who " had reportedly

gravitated to Tampa ahead of the next attempt on Kennedy's life" This was AFTER he and three others had been "siezed but not arrested" as part of the

November 2nd plot in Chicago. Hersh does not give a source for this allegation about this figure Saez.

In SWHT Larry Hancock also mentions a Miguel Casas Saez:

The WH/Cuban and CI (Counter-intelligence) divisions of the CIA also seem to have been greatly interested in pursuing leads to

conspiracy if they pointed to Cuba and Castro. Over the next year, first in Mexico City and then elsewhere, various CIA reports

would identify possible Castro agents who might have associated with Oswald or in some elements of a conspiracy. They generated

reports on Miguel Casas Saes (described as a Cuban "gangster" and an agent of Castro G2)... (p. 294)

Does anyone know the precise origin that these alegations re: Saez were made? Were they, in fact, from the Mexico City station of the CIA? Also,Larry,does

the designation "WH/Cuban" refer to a part of the CIA that nominally answered to the Bobby Kennedy and not CIA headquarters, nominally?

Also does anyone know WHEN this story about Saez was first made known to Hoover? Was it before or after Hoover had directed his agents in Dallas to confine thier efforts to gathering evidence of a single shooter?

This reference to an alleged Miguel Casas Saez stands out in Hersh's book, because he is certainly not posing an over all "Castro-connection" to the assassination. Yet he seems to accept the movement of Saez from Chicago to Tampa as at least partly a sign the "Hoover had fair warning" about the structure of the hit that would was planned in Chicago, then Tampa, and then finally executed in Dallas.

Is there any evidence that such a Miguel Casas Saez actually existed, or was it simply part of disinformation by one group within the CIA, as part of what Peter Dale Scott calls "phase one" (blame it on Castro) of the conspiracy.

[James Richards]

Nathaniel,

Miguel Casas Saez was also known as Angel Dominguez Martinez.

James

Edited June 15, 2007 by James Richards

[Larry Hancock]

First, the easy answer, WH designates the Western Hemisphere focused segment of the Agency (vs. European/Soviet etc).

Definitely Agency and not Bobby, virtually all the names we normally are interested in as far as CIA staff were

under the Western Hemisphere umbrella.

I'll be fascinated to find if Hersh found a solid source for the names of those taken into custody in Chicago (not arrested

actually, no record of charges unless he has located something in the Chicago PD files, a possiblity of course). That would

be really big news.

I recall looking into the intel sources on Saez and everything I could find pointed towards Morales AM/MOT organization...which

I certainly belive was feeding in bogus data to point certain people towards Castro at that point. I have recently come across

documents showing that Barker and Sturgis had shown up on a list that caused them to be investigated as Castro agents during

the last half of 1963....no sign of that having any truth at all. But possibly convenient.

This is a very interesting area for study though because there are suggestions that Hoover may have had far more serious warning

of plots in action than we have known in the past...in any event, Hersh has approached Lancer and he will likely be speaking in Dallas in November.

I'll certainly be looking into his Saez information in detail and will report back to the forum on it.

-- Larry

[Nathaniel Heidenheimer]

Thanks James and Larry. Will look into that other name.

Just to be sure I didn't take Hersh out of context, here is the preceeding paragraph:

Trafficante normally spoke wiout a lot of passion, but that didn't mean it was a good idea to discount what he said. His reputaion

rested partly on rumors that he had engineered the extermination of the dreaded Albert Anastasia. Aleman passed trafficante's

threat (on JFK's life) along to his FBI handlers at the Miami Rield Office. Hoover had fair warning.

By November 1963, the structure of the attempt on JFK the Mob had in mind was very clearly prefigured. A scheduled November2

presidential visit to Chicago was abruptly canceled when officals discovered that "there were four men in town who planned an

assassination attempt from one of the overpasses from O'Hare into town. They were siezed but apparently not arrested." One of the

men, a seeminly hapless "Cuban agent referred to as Miguel Casas Saez," had reportedly gravitated to Tampa ahead of of the next

attempt on Kennedy's life (p.420).

[Thomas Graves]

[...]

By November 1963, the structure of the attempt on JFK the Mob had in mind was very clearly prefigured. A scheduled November2 presidential visit to Chicago was abruptly canceled when officials discovered that "there were four men in town who planned an assassination attempt from one of the overpasses from O'Hare into town. (emphasis added) They were seized but apparently not arrested." One of the men, a seemingly hapless "Cuban agent referred to as Miguel Casas Saez," had reportedly gravitated to Tampa ahead of of the next attempt on Kennedy's life (p.420).

_______________________________

A planned assassination attempt on JFK from an overpass. Hmm... Now that sounds familiar....

--Thomas

_______________________________

Edited June 15, 2007 by Thomas Graves

[Larry Hancock]

Nathaniel, does he give any reference or citation to the Chicago incident. We need to know if he

is writing from all the JFK literature about the Bolden information on Chicago or if Hersh has original

sources -- the Bolden material certainly does not name Miguel Casas Saez and if he has connected

that to another name that is mentioned then I hope he has an end note on it.

-- thanks for looking, Larry

Thanks James and Larry. Will look into that other name.

Just to be sure I didn't take Hersh out of context, here is the preceeding paragraph:

Trafficante normally spoke wiout a lot of passion, but that didn't mean it was a good idea to discount what he said. His reputaion

rested partly on rumors that he had engineered the extermination of the dreaded Albert Anastasia. Aleman passed trafficante's

threat (on JFK's life) along to his FBI handlers at the Miami Rield Office. Hoover had fair warning.

By November 1963, the structure of the attempt on JFK the Mob had in mind was very clearly prefigured. A scheduled November2

presidential visit to Chicago was abruptly canceled when officals discovered that "there were four men in town who planned an

assassination attempt from one of the overpasses from O'Hare into town. They were siezed but apparently not arrested." One of the

men, a seeminly hapless "Cuban agent referred to as Miguel Casas Saez," had reportedly gravitated to Tampa ahead of of the next

attempt on Kennedy's life (p.420).

[Nathaniel Heidenheimer]

Larry,

He only cites Ultimate Sacrifice p, 226.

[Larry Hancock]

Thanks Nathaniel, looks like that might be the hardcover first edition reference? If so it translates to page 247

in the second edition. In any event, looking at Lamar's primary reference, it is to the CIA document on

Saez which makes no specific mention of the Chicago JFK trip, only mentioning that Saez had been in Chicago.

Actually when push comes to shove it appears the CIA report was mirroring an INS memo that said he might

have been in Chicago. And indeed all the most suspicious and inflammatory reports about him as a Castro

agent do come from Morales' AMMOT intelligence network. Strangely the CIA does not seem to have, at the time

brought in the FBI on an alert that a dangerous Cuban intel agent was traveling through Miami, Chicago, New York,

etc. And eventually, even the broader base of CIA analysts seem to have become suspicious of the reports, refusing

to substantiate some of them....I would also note others including one that he showed up back in Cuba with large

quantities of American made t-shirts, jackets and shoes as suggesting that if anything he was more likely

into smuggling than assassination.

The CIA report does include the other name that James cited and at first I thought that might be a clue to something

new in that it would match one name recalled by Bolden in Chicago...but that was "Gonzalez" - so no match there.

At this point, unless we find something new or until I get to ask the author, it looks to me like this is perhaps

a generalization and that there is nothing specific (nor even credible) to tie Saez to the incident described by

Bolden in Chicago...which I do happen to think was real and significant in terms of showing that the FBI

was aware of some radical exiles that were indeed stalking JFK.

-- Larry

[James Richards]

Larry and Nathaniel,

Going off memory here, but wasn't there a CIA report from January of 1964 that identified Casas as being the guy who boarded the delayed Cubana Airlines flight out of Mexico City destined for Cuba on the evening of the assassination?

I also seem to remember a Canadian journalist who was on that flight reported such. His name was Alan Edmunds I believe. I can't find the relevant information in my notes so I apologize if I have this backwards.

James

Edited June 15, 2007 by James Richards

[Larry Hancock]

James, that is correct, it was a CIA report. However there are follow on reports inside the CIA that looked into

it and found it to be highly unlikely and actually question where the information originated.

Independent researchers who have looked into it also find schedule issues and other problems.

It's a lot like the story about luggage with Oswald's name found at the Mexico City airport...makes a very

interesting story but when you look for what's behind the smoke you find.........mirrors...grin.

-- Larry

[James Richards]

James, that is correct, it was a CIA report. However there are follow on reports inside the CIA that looked into

it and found it to be highly unlikely and actually question where the information originated.

Independent researchers who have looked into it also find schedule issues and other problems.

It's a lot like the story about luggage with Oswald's name found at the Mexico City airport...makes a very

interesting story but when you look for what's behind the smoke you find.........mirrors...grin.

-- Larry

Thanks, Larry.

Yes, it all sounded somewhat fantastic considering I couldn't locate any follow-up information that supported it.

You mentioned a 'Gonzalez' before, a name that Bolden remembered. Do you know if Gonzalez was a black Cuban?

James

[Larry Hancock]

James, Bolden heard Gonzalez mentioned as one of the suspects, apparently one of the two that got away.

He briefly saw the one individual taken into custody and described him as "swarthy and stocky", five foot nine or so, dark hair

in a crew cut.

-- Larry

[Robert Howard]

It has taken me awhile to realize how much 'fun' it must have been for certain people in 1963 and on? to have the kahoonas to plot something of the magnitude of the assassination of JFK realizing beforehand that any sleuthing would ultimately lead one to the endless list of names to wade through re individuals like Miguel Casas Saez.......But that is 'just my opinion'.........

See

MFF Bio page for the aformentioned

CASAS SAEZ, MIGUEL "ANGEL DOMINGUEZ MARTINEZ"

Sources: CIA 98; CIA 199; CIA 201; CIA 256-98, re-released as JFK 104-10015-10252, Lifton's pp. 147-149; CIA 275-681; CIA 279-683; CIA 306-701; CIA 340-712; CIA 491-201; CIA 510-199; CIA 979-927AX; CIA 1384-491B; Schweiker Report (30, 60-61)

Mary's

Comments: AKA "Miguelito". 22 or 23 years of age. 5' 10". Left Cuba Sept. 26, 1963, by boat. Entered U.S. from Cuba (via Puerto Rico) at Miami in Oct 1963; was in Dallas Nov. 22, 1963. Left through Laredo that day. FAR plane took him to Cuba. Another story is that he went to Havana from Dallas via Tijuana and Mexico City Nov. 22, 1963. This was reported to CIA by a "Scientist."

Geez wonder who the scientist was.......