Sergio Aracha Smith

[Ron Bulman]

I didn't find a thread on the forum about him although he has been mentioned a few times.

First, from "The Man Who Knew Too Much" by Dick Russell.  Pg. 183.  Under two dictatorships (Batista and Prio), prior to Castro, this Spanish-Irish lawyer had served as Cuba's consul to several countries.  Going into exile in New Orleans in 1961 he and Ferrie had set up together the Cuban Democratic Liberation Front.  Aracha-Smith was also an associate of Guy Bannister, was reported to have made a number of trips to Mexico in 1962 and 1963, and, some ten months before the Kennedy assassination, moved to Texas - where he often commuted between Houston and Dallas."  I've wondered before how a Cuban came to be named Smith.  I've never read anything about his parents or where he grew up.  Any info on that would be appreciated, by me at least.  I guess there probably a few Irish Smith's scattered around the world, Jones's too. 

On Pg. 378 of someone would Have Talked it says "SAS went to college in Texas...he went into exile in 1960, traveling to the U.S.  via New York, then on to New Orleans, and later to Miami where he was appointed by Antonio Verona as the New Orleans delegate of the Frente." 

There is more in both of these books on Sergio but by far the most I've seen is from Destiny Betrayed.  From it;

Pgs. 14-15.  Aracha had served as a Cuban consul in various outposts in South America, Europe and the far East under Batista.  He then worked public relations for American businesses in Latin America...  He even paid a visit to the Rockefeller founded International House, a body meant to encourage international trade and globalization.  In 1959 Aracha decided to leave Cuba.  He landed at the Alvin Callender Naval air Base in Belle Chase, Louisiana.  Two Navy jets ferried the former diplomat , his family, and furnishings into the USA.  An Office of Naval intelligence reserve officer - and friend of Guy Bannister and Clay Shaw - Guy Johnson, arranged the drop off.  Miro and Varona had served a Prime Minister of Cuba.  All three men would become involved with the Eisenhower originated Bay of Pigs invasion."

pg. 86.  "along with SAS, Ferrie was part of the Cia training and  preparations for the Bay of Pigs."

pg. 96.  "Nagell...in Miami...checking on an alleged relationship between former Cuban congressman Eladio Del Valle and...SAS.  He was also checking on an associate of Aracha's friend David Ferrie.

pg. 97.  "Carlos Quiroga... (r.e. - polygraph)  When he replied he was trying to infiltrate Oswald's group, the machine indicated deception.  he was also being deceptive when he said that he only talked to Oswald once, and that Oswald did not know SAS or Guy Bannister."

pg. 105.  "Novel met Aracha in a New Orleans hotel room on the recommendation of Ed Butler*… Aracha wanted Novel, and electronics wizard, to put on a new Orleans based telethon exposing alleged atrocities by Castro in Cuba.  … Aracha invited him to a second meeting.  This time it was at Bannister's office in the Balter Building.  This time the two were joined by Bannister and a Mr. Phillips from Washington.  … "authors Lisa Pease and William Davey have concluded that this was David Phillips".  … "Ferrie told a CAP colleague that the equipment for the training there was coming from both the State Department and CIA through Sergio Aracha Smith."

pg. 106.  "The memo closes with "the training camp was entirely Agency controlled and the training was conducted by Agency personnel."  The author, who seems to have a close understanding of what went on there,  was David Phillips.  the memorandum appears to have been written for James Angleton."  …  "Novel said that Aracha Smith was always in contact with Miami."

pg. 108.  "*Ed Butler, who participated in a (broadcasted and taped) debate with Oswald that summer.  …  He was also the man who referred Novel to SAS."

pg. 109.  "Regis Kennedy was the FBI representative to the Friends of Democratic Cuba,... which appears created by Bannister and SAS."

pg. 110.  "Garrison had information that the FDC was really an undercover operation done in conjunction with the CIA and FBI to ship equipment and persons in and out of Cuba."

pg. 112.  "Campbell told the author "Bannister was a bagman for the CIA and was running guns to Alpha 66 in Miami."  …  "Former Bannister investigator Vernon Gerdes...had seen Oswald an Ferrie together with Bannister.  …  Another Bannister gumshoe, Jack Martin, said he was introduced to Oswald by Ferrie in Bannister's office.  With Ferrie at the time was Sergio Aracha Smith."

pg. 177.  From FBI interview.  "Ferrie also said he knew SAS and his anti Castro group from their stay in the Balter Building.  But he never knew the group or Aracha Smith from 544 Camp Street."

pg. 182.  "Garrison tried to question Aracha Smith in Dallas.  He sent Alcock and Gurvich … he said he would only talk to them if Dallas policemen were present.  Garrison rejected that condition. … Garrison telegraphed an arrest warrant to Dallas for Aracha Smith's role in the Schlumberger bunker raid in Houma.  he was arrested then released on a $1500 bond. Garrison then sent extradition papers, which Texas Governor John Connally refused to sign.

pg. 253.  "At ten in the evening , the two officers and Aracha met Alcock and Gurvich … Aracha requested (Dallas assistant DA) Bill Alexander be present.  …  The following Monday , the Dallas police now arranged a meeting between (Hugh) Aynesworth and Aracha.  … Aracha now replied that although he knew Ferrie, he was never friendly with him.  …  He said he never heard of Gordon Novel."  

pg. 272.  "Aracha denied he knew Ferrie at first.  … This was humorously contradicted when his wife told reporters that Ferrie had been at their house the day of the invasion."

pg. 329.  "To top this all off, in a summary of an interview that Bob Buras did with Fruge, the former state trooper casually interrupted the investigator and asked him if the committee had discovered "that diagrams of the sewer system in Dealy Plaza were found in Aracha Smith's apartment in Dallas."

Maybe Penn Jones was on to something with that sewer shooter thing after all, which I've previously found just too incredible.   

Edited July 9, 2018 by Ron Bulman

[Michael Clark]

I am looking for his Cryptonym.

[Ron Bulman]

I think I understand why Connally let the extradition papers go unsigned for the 90 days and thus expire.  Likely urged not to by his mentor LBJ among others.  But also juxtaposed.  Was the extradition opposed by those who had shot him as he never believed he was hit by CE 399 or the Warren Omission findings?  He might have liked to have seen justice in the crime, but not at the price of his own life.  So he carried more lead than was missing from the Magic, Pristine, Single bullet to his grave than was missing from it.

[James DiEugenio]

Isn't that really funny about Smith trying to deny he knew Ferrie?  

And then his wife blows it up by telling the press Ferrie was at their house the day of the Bay of Pigs invasion. 

BTW, I don't know if I left this in the second edition, but Smith actually had films of the Bay of Pigs he used to watch with Ferrie.

I mean do you know how high up the daisy chain he must have been to have those films?  The only other two guys I know of who would place that high up would be Artime and DeTorres.

[Steve Thomas]

4 hours ago, Ron Bulman said:

I didn't find a thread on the forum about him although he has been mentioned a few times.

 

Ron,

 

There's some stuff on Smith in the DPD Archives:

http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/image_index1.pdf

 

I like the line on page 4 of his affidavit where he says, "I am now sufficiently aware that Mr. Garrison is a dangerous man who would stop at nothing to achieve his ends, including the possibility of turning me over to pro-Castro agents, or directly, or indirectly, bringing about my death."

 

Steve Thomas

[Ron Ecker]

Arcacha. I assume that Smith was his mother's maiden name.

 

 

Edited July 9, 2018 by Ron Ecker

[Steve Thomas]

24 minutes ago, Ron Ecker said:

Arcacha. I assume that Smith was his mother's maiden name.

 

 

Ron,

 

You're right. I forgot that Cuba is a matronymic culture.

There's even more entries in the DPD Archives under Arcacho, Sergio.

 

Steve Thomas

[Ron Bulman]

Ron and Steve.  Thanks for the education, I'd never heard the term matronymic much less was I aware Cuba was such a culture.  So most Cuban surnames come from the mother?  I guess his mom was the Irish Smith then.  I didn't remember that he was a lawyer or that he went to school in Texas.  I wonder what school.  Why Texas?  Was mother Smith from there?  In any case I guess he was familiar with the state before he moved there in late 62' if he went to school there previously.  Maybe he had been to Dallas before.  As Phillips was from Fort Worth maybe they could discuss the area in relation to "opportunities".

[Ron Ecker]

2 hours ago, Ron Bulman said:

 So most Cuban surnames come from the mother?

It is common in Hispanic countries to have two surnames, the father's and the mother's. His father's surname was Arcacha. His mother's surname was Smith.

 

 

[Ron Bulman]

38 minutes ago, Ron Ecker said:

It is common in Hispanic countries to have two surnames, the father's and the mother's. His father's surname was Arcacha. His mother's surname was Smith.

 

 

Thanks again.  I did not know this (obviously?).

[Ron Bulman]

This second reading the first mention of Smith caught my attention.  About the ONI sending two Navy planes to pick up him, his family and bring them to a Navy base in Louisiana.  In 1959-60.  Somebody in intelligence wanted him then.  Before the Bay of Pigs.  Before JFK was elected.  Eisenhower, Nixon, Dulles...  Then he met Oswald in the summer of 63 in New Orleans, after he had moved to Dallas.  Aynesworth becoming involved in his defense is the cincher in his in his importance.

1959.  1967.  Garrison sends investigators to Dallas to interview Sergio.  Hugh Ayensworth , from the Dallas Morning News or Times Herald, on assignment in New Orleans returns to advise Mr. Smith.  Many here know Hugh.

 

 

[Steve Thomas]

44 minutes ago, Ron Bulman said:

Thanks again.  I did not know this (obviously?).

Ron,

 

That's why it's important to research a Cuban person like, say, Manuel Rodriguez Orcarberro under both Rodriguez, as well as Orcarberro.

If you go to the Mary Ferrell Foundation web site, and you do a search for Manuel Orcarberro, you get 8 document hits.

If you do a search for Manuel Rodriguez, you get 18 document hits.

If you look for Manuel Rodriguez, you pick up CD 853

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=11250

as well as this (CIA?) memo

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=30106&search=%22Manuel_Rodriguez%22#relPageId=4&tab=page

 

Steve Thomas

 

[Ron Bulman]

https://kennedysandking.com/john-f-kennedy-articles/hugh-aynesworth-refusing-a-conspiracy-is-his-life-s-work

[Ron Ecker]

To be clear, an Hispanic is addressed by his father's surname, not the mother's. It's Mr. Arcacha (or Mr. Arcacha Smith), not Mr. Smith.

If sources are referring to him as Mr. Smith, they are doing it incorrectly.

In fact it would be a personal insult to call him Mr. Smith, or any Hispanic by his mother's surname. To call him Mr. Smith implies that he didn't know who his father was. IOW it's like calling someone a bastard.

 

 

 

[Ron Bulman]

On ‎7‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 1:50 AM, Steve Thomas said:

Ron,

 

There's some stuff on Smith in the DPD Archives:

http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/image_index1.pdf

 

I like the line on page 4 of his affidavit where he says, "I am now sufficiently aware that Mr. Garrison is a dangerous man who would stop at nothing to achieve his ends, including the possibility of turning me over to pro-Castro agents, or directly, or indirectly, bringing about my death."

 

Steve Thomas

Steve, I was finally going to look and I can't get the link to work.