'El Mexicano'

[Francesca Akhtar]

I found a memo in the HSCA segragated collection which says that a man thought to be 'El Mexicano' was the head of the training camp at Lake Ponchartrain and also accompanied LHO to Mexico City.

Does anyone know who this might be?

The document is here:

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...amp;relPageId=2

The document refers to Bernardo de Torres at the top and so I don't kno whether this info was gained from him- is hard to tell as the document is handwritten notes made by an investigator and the handwriting difficult to read in places but interesting.

[James Richards]

I found a memo in the HSCA segragated collection which says that a man thought to be 'El Mexicano' was the head of the training camp at Lake Ponchartrain and also accompanied LHO to Mexico City.

Does anyone know who this might be? (Francesca Akhtar)

Hi Francesca,

I would suggest researching a guy named Francisco Rodriguez Tamayo.

Cheers,

James

[Francesca Akhtar]

Thanks James, I will look into him.

[Robert Howard]

Thanks James, I will look into him.

I think James is, as usual correct. See

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...bsPageId=237769

TAMAYO. Francisco Rodriguez

a/k/a El Mexicano

Formerly with FAYCO

Fuerzas Armades y Civiles Anti-Communistas

[Francesca Akhtar]

Thanks Robert, I hadn't seen that doc. I just found one on the cuban exile site saying that Eladio Del Valle was also a member of the Fuerzas Armades y Civiles Anti-Communistas:

http://cuban-exile.com/doc_376-400/doc0400.html

[Robert Howard]

Thanks Robert, I hadn't seen that doc. I just found one on the cuban exile site saying that Eladio Del Valle was also a member of the Fuerzas Armades y Civiles Anti-Communistas:

http://cuban-exile.com/doc_376-400/doc0400.html

That is a very intriguing group, wouldn't you say?

Good Work, on the thread. Francesca.

[Francesca Akhtar]

Yes I was very interested to see Del Valle's name there, another link to Ferrie, Shaw etc also if this guy Tamayo was at Lake Pontchartrain and escorted LHO to Mexico City.

I haven't heard of the other members of the group before but I'm not an expert on the cubans - maybe ames R would know if any of them are connected in any greater detail to the JFK case.

[Larry Hancock]

One caution Francesca, and I suspect James will agree...

Following names and leads introduced by de Torres will take you in lots of circles. You will

find some real names for sure but the probablity is good that many of them are

diversions and time wasters. Something that Garrison learned way to late. As a matter

of fact Garrison clearly came to regret having so much of his Cuban investigations

neutralized in that fashion.

-- Larry

I found a memo in the HSCA segragated collection which says that a man thought to be 'El Mexicano' was the head of the training camp at Lake Ponchartrain and also accompanied LHO to Mexico City.

Does anyone know who this might be? (Francesca Akhtar)

Hi Francesca,

I would suggest researching a guy named Francisco Rodriguez Tamayo.

Cheers,

James

[Francesca Akhtar]

One caution Francesca, and I suspect James will agree...

Following names and leads introduced by de Torres will take you in lots of circles. You will

find some real names for sure but the probablity is good that many of them are

diversions and time wasters. Something that Garrison learned way to late. As a matter

of fact Garrison clearly came to regret having so much of his Cuban investigations

neutralized in that fashion.

-- Larry

Thanks for the warning Larry, good point. Yes I remeber DeTorres leading Garrison in circles. I still find it hard to believe sometimes that he actually took him on as an investigator at one point. Then again I think Garrison was too trusting at times and so trusted the wrong people.

Does your research lead you to think that Francisco Rodriguez Tamayo (why is it cubans always have three names?!) is a valid name as regards connections to the assassination?

Edited July 3, 2006 by Francesca Akhtar

[Larry Hancock]

It is a valid name and it is also valid in terms of "Mexicano".

Having said that, it doesn't seem to lead anywhere I can follow but James

may have more on it than I could develop.

The story of how Garrison got involved with de Torres in the first place seems

to be pretty complex but aside from leading him in circles de Torres remarks

to the media seem to be part of what led Garrison into going to the press well

before he was prepared. And of course once Garrison was known to be investigating

Cuban exiles in Miami as well as New Orleans.....wasn't likely he was going

to get much except possibly anonymous leads from that point on.

One caution Francesca, and I suspect James will agree...

Following names and leads introduced by de Torres will take you in lots of circles. You will

find some real names for sure but the probablity is good that many of them are

diversions and time wasters. Something that Garrison learned way to late. As a matter

of fact Garrison clearly came to regret having so much of his Cuban investigations

neutralized in that fashion.

-- Larry

Thanks for the warning Larry, good point. Yes I remeber DeTorres leading Garrison in circles. I still find it hard to believe sometimes that he actually took him on as an investigator at one point. Then again I think Garrison was too trusting at times and so trusted the wrong people.

Does your research lead you to think that Francisco Rodriguez Tamayo (why is it cubans always have three names?!) is a valid name as regards connections to the assassination?

[James Richards]

Francesca, Robert and Larry,

What I can tell you is that there was a real guy by the name of Francisco Rodriguez Tamayo and he did go by the alias 'El Mexicano'. Whether or not he had anything to do with Louisiana training camps or went to Mexico with Oswald, I have no idea.

Larry is right about De Torres though. He and his minions did float a lot of disinformation.

James

[James Richards]

Yes I was very interested to see Del Valle's name there, another link to Ferrie, Shaw etc also if this guy Tamayo was at Lake Pontchartrain and escorted LHO to Mexico City.

I haven't heard of the other members of the group before but I'm not an expert on the cubans - maybe ames R would know if any of them are connected in any greater detail to the JFK case.

Francesca,

I doubt any of those other guys on the list had anything to do with what happened in Dallas. A couple of them (Ramiro Rangel and Fernando Casanovas) ended up with a group called Commando 100. They trained Cuban exiles in things like explosives and sabotage but were always short of cash and I don't think they ever launched an attack inside Cuba.

Del Valle's group (FAYCA) were heavily involved with getting people out of Cuba. In 1965, they managed to get some 85 refugees safely to Miami. Things didn't always go so well, like in 1960 when 19 people were kidnapped by Castro's forces off Anguilla Cay in the Bahamas after Del Valle and his group got them that far. These folk were then put in Cuban prisons to serve long sentences.

BTW, I am not so sure that a connection actually existed between Ferrie and Del Valle.

James

[Francesca Akhtar]

Francesca,

I doubt any of those other guys on the list had anything to do with what happened in Dallas. A couple of them (Ramiro Rangel and Fernando Casanovas) ended up with a group called Commando 100. They trained Cuban exiles in things like explosives and sabotage but were always short of cash and I don't think they ever launched an attack inside Cuba.

Del Valle's group (FAYCA) were heavily involved with getting people out of Cuba. In 1965, they managed to get some 85 refugees safely to Miami. Things didn't always go so well, like in 1960 when 19 people were kidnapped by Castro's forces off Anguilla Cay in the Bahamas after Del Valle and his group got them that far. These folk were then put in Cuban prisons to serve long sentences.

BTW, I am not so sure that a connection actually existed between Ferrie and Del Valle.

James

Hi James,

thanks for the info again. Do you think then that the claim he was involved in the assassination not accurate?

[James Richards]

Hi James,

thanks for the info again. Do you think then that the claim he was involved in the assassination not accurate? (Francesca Akhtar)

Francesca,

I don't know if Del Valle was involved or not but I believe he was in a position to know who was. I think there were several people who were able to put two and two together after the fact; people like Manuel Artime.

Ferrie may have found himself in the same situation, having connections to people who were involved. I suspect that post assassination, there would have been many nervous folk wondering if they were going to be implicated. Groups like the Dallas chapter of Alpha 66 and the DRE especially vulnerable.

In fact, post assassination, several exiles went on raids into Cuba and ran head-on into some serious opposition. Felipe Vidal Santiago was killed in 1964. Herminio Diaz Garcia killed in 1966 and Tony Cuesta seriously injured and imprisoned off the same operation.

Victor Hernandez I believe passed the comment that it was like they were all being sent on suicide missions.

FWIW.

James

[Francesca Akhtar]

Hi James,

thanks for the info again. Do you think then that the claim he was involved in the assassination not accurate? (Francesca Akhtar)

Francesca,

I don't know if Del Valle was involved or not but I believe he was in a position to know who was. I think there were several people who were able to put two and two together after the fact; people like Manuel Artime.

Ferrie may have found himself in the same situation, having connections to people who were involved. I suspect that post assassination, there would have been many nervous folk wondering if they were going to be implicated. Groups like the Dallas chapter of Alpha 66 and the DRE especially vulnerable.

In fact, post assassination, several exiles went on raids into Cuba and ran head-on into some serious opposition. Felipe Vidal Santiago was killed in 1964. Herminio Diaz Garcia killed in 1966 and Tony Cuesta seriously injured and imprisoned off the same operation.

Victor Hernandez I believe passed the comment that it was like they were all being sent on suicide missions.

FWIW.

James

Hi James,

thanks fo rthe explanation I have become interested in the cubans lately ever since reading Gaeton Fonzi's book really - now I can't wait for Larry's. I think the problem is of course just because someone was a cuban exile doesn't mean they were involved in the assassination or just because they disliked kennedy. Its trying to sift through all the information, documents etc to find the real connections.