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Curtis-Mathes plant


Steve Thomas

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FBI interview of Miranda by FBI SA Wallace Heitman on 3/26/63

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...p;relPageId=197

Jesus Miranda Llaveria, a Cuban refugee who presently resides at 5702 Victor St., Dallas and is employed at the Curtis-Mathes Plant in Dallas, stated he knew Antonio Arturo Hilario Navarro Aulet as they both were employed at the same factory.

Heitman interviewed Navarro on 2/26/63

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...p;relPageId=186

Navarro resided at 1721 Pratt St., Dallas

Curtis-Mathes was at 2220 Young St.

Antonio Crespi Larralde 2931 Pleasant Dr., Dallas was interviewed on 2/20/63 by Wallace Heitman.

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...p;relPageId=184

While he is presently an employee of the Republic Transcom Co., “Crespi stated that he was formerly employed by the Curtis-Mathes Manufacturing Company in Dallas and had there become aquainted with Antonio Navarro, who was and still is an employee of Curtis-Mathes. Crespi said that he and other Cuban refugees who are employed at this Company had often discussed political matters, particularly the political situation in Cuba.

Report of Wallace Heitman March 7, 1963

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...p;relPageId=179

“On September 13, 1962, Delfin Leyva (Avila), who resides at 2212 Kirby St. with his brother Francisco, above and is an employee of Curtis-Mathes…”

Francisco was also employed at Curtis-Mathes.

Unsigned FBI memo dated Miami, FL May 29, 1964

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...mp;relPageId=79 page 3

“On April 12, 1963, Francisco Leyva Avila, Dallas, Texas representative of the 30th of November Revolutionary Movement advised that the Dallas delegation had issued a declaration expressing disagreement with the official action of the United States Government in forbidding hit and run attacks on Cuba…”

FBI interview of Rodriguez by SA Wallace Heitman May 25, 1964

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...p;relPageId=222

Manuel Rodriguez Orcarberro voluntarily appeared and was interviewed at the office of the FBI in Dallas, Texas. He furnished his home address as 2311 Nicholson Street, Apartment D, home telephone WH 6-8429. He said he was employed at the Curtis Mathes Manufacturing Company, 2220 Young Street, Dallas, Texas.

Robert Harris in the alt.conspiracy.jfk newsgroup 9/24/96

Dick Russell, author "The Man Who Knew Too Much", established that the

house at 3126 Harlandale was rented for the refugees by a Manuel Orcaberro

Rodriguez. Rodriguez was cited in a Secret Service memo dated 11/24/63 by

an informant as,

"..known to be violently anti-President Kennedy.".

The report also established that Rodriguez was a serious enough threat to

the President to be placed on the Secret Service's "Protective Research"

list.

CE 2943 26H402

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...bsPageId=146509

Fr. Walter McChann was the chaplain of the Catholic Cuban Relief Committee. “The Committee contacted employers in an attempt to find places for Cubans to work.”

CD 205 p. 640

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...p;relPageId=643

FBI interview of L.C. Connell 11/29/63

“Mrs. C.L. Connell, 6949 Lake Shore Dr. Dallas, Texas advised she has been a voluntary assistant to the Catholic Cuban Relief Committee of Dallas, Texas for approximately the last year. “

I haven't found yet where the CCRC contacted Curtis-Mathes in particular, but this could conceivably put Sylvia Odio, McChann and Connell in the same circles as Rodriguez of Alpha 66 and SNFE and Avila of the 30th of November group.

Steve Thomas

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Steve,

In late 1962 and early 1963, three recruiting offices were set up in Dallas so that fit exiled Cubans could be trained for action against Castro.

The offices were at 3221 Hudnall and run by Bruno Martinez, 4619 Cole Manor and run by Antonio Crespi and at 2212 Kirby run by Francisco Leyva. Leyva was a qualified veterinarian.

There is no doubt that Orcarberrio knew Leyva as the more militant and motivated exiles who signed on were of much interest to him. Orcarberrio was also concerned about possible Castro agents trying to infiltrate the ranks.

Father McChann also knew Leyva as both men were part of a committee to assist in relocating refugees and to council those doing it tough. Along with McChann and Leyva, others on the committee were Francisco Guitierrez and Fernando Robaina.

Francisco Leyva below.

James

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Steve,

In late 1962 and early 1963, three recruiting offices were set up in Dallas so that fit exiled Cubans could be trained for action against Castro.

The offices were at 3221 Hudnall and run by Bruno Martinez, 4619 Cole Manor and run by Antonio Crespi and at 2212 Kirby run by Francisco Leyva. Leyva was a qualified veterinarian.

There is no doubt that Orcarberrio knew Leyva as the more militant and motivated exiles who signed on were of much interest to him. Orcarberrio was also concerned about possible Castro agents trying to infiltrate the ranks.

Father McChann also knew Leyva as both men were part of a committee to assist in relocating refugees and to council those doing it tough. Along with McChann and Leyva, others on the committee were Francisco Guitierrez and Fernando Robaina.

Francisco Leyva below.

James

Hi James,

Is Antonio Crespi aka Nico Crespi? Nico was a Dallas friend and contact of Loran Hall. Maybe Gerry will know.

Dave

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Dave,

Hi James,

Is Antonio Crespi aka Nico Crespi? Nico was a Dallas friend and contact of Loran Hall. Maybe Gerry will know.

Dave

I think so. I'll go back and see if I can find that.

Navarro was interviewed on 2/26/63. In his FBI interview, he said that his cousins, Jorge Rodriguez and Juan Albareda were also employees at Curtis-Mathes.

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...p;relPageId=187

The reason I got started on this is because Manuel Rodriguez told the FBI that b-weekly meetings were held at 3126 Harlandale and that they were attended by up to 20 persons.

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...p;relPageId=222

I got to wondering if some of those people might not have come from the roster of Curtis-Mathes employees.

Steve Thomas

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Dave,

Hi James,

Is Antonio Crespi aka Nico Crespi? Nico was a Dallas friend and contact of Loran Hall. Maybe Gerry will know.

Dave

On 2/15/63, Dr. Carlos Taboada Millas, an employee of the VA Hospital, was interviewed by the FBI vis a vis Antonio Navarra and Navarro's attempt to bring two of his nephews to the United States. Taboada said the father of these two nephews was known by the name "Nico". "Nico" was known to be violently anti-Castro.

"Nico" was supposed to have been a former policeman at the University of Havana.

Navarro told Taboada that he was "an aquaintance and personal friend" of "Nico."

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...p;relPageId=183

In one breath, Navarro says that "Nico" is the father of his two nephews.

In the next breath, he says that he is a "personal friend" of Nico.

Were Crespi and Navarro brother-in-laws?

Was Crespi a former policeman?

Steve Thomas

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Steve,

Thanks much for the info.

I believe it was Crespi that Hall was with when they went to hassle Oswald when he was passing out leaflets.

I'm also working under the theory that Hall (Howard and Celio Castro-Alba) left the weapons (and medical supplies they picked from Guy Gabaldon's garage(?)) at Lester Logue's father's or father-in-law's house (I've seen both) to have John Masen convert them to full auto. They originally picked up the weapons from Clint Wheat in LA.

Maybe someone could tie this altogether - Hall's arrest in Dallas when he came back to pick up the weapons, snitching on Masen to either Hosty (FBI) or Coyle, the FBI and ATF investigation of Masen and the "Cubans", Masen's knowledge of a new invasion, Masen contacting Nonte to get the conversion kits, Ruby's mechanic (Darnell Whitaker?) getting in the car accident with a car full of weapons....

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Navarro was interviewed on 2/26/63. In his FBI interview, he said that his cousins, Jorge Rodriguez and Juan Albareda were also employees at Curtis-Mathes.

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...p;relPageId=187

Jorge Rodriguez Alvareda, an employee of Curtis-Mathes advised on July 3, 1963, he had been authorized in a letter from Osorio Davila Santana, Secretary General of this organization at Miami, Florida to proceed with the organization of a Dallas unit."

The organization ?

JURE

FBI Memo 5/28/64

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

In his FBI interview, Antonio Navarro told Heitman that he was well acquainted with Father McChann.

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/...p;relPageId=186

So, we've got JURE people, 30th of November people, Alpha 66 and SNFE people all working at that Curtis Mathes plant.

Steve Thomas

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teve,

Great find!

I think I've posted this before but it deserves a second look:

HSCA Testimony of Loran Hall. Pg. 60

Mr. Triplett. Just give us a very brief description of the purpose of the meeting and those people there.

Hr. Hall. We were wasting our time with the hit and run raids in Cuba. It was a waste of effort. We were losing too much equipment, too many boats to the Coast Guard, CIA, FBI, the whole stick. Not only did we have to worry about fighting the Cubans but we had to fight the American Government also. So rather than go through all that Logue and myself decided what we would try to do was form a government-in-exile, Cuban government-in-exile, try to get all the groups to come together under one group. In order to do that we had to have someone, some Cuban who would be accepted by all of the groups. That was my job in Dallas, I mean Miami. We tried to do that. We couldn’t get that accomplished. The groups wouldn’t agree to one president. So we decided what we would try to do was get $50,000 between Logue and his group, get enough equipment and enough boats so we could make our raid into Cuba, get boats from Cuba so we could have a line of logistics between the United States and Cuba, and in that way possibly we could have ---at a later date get someone who would be accepted by all the different groups, and if we could have gotten enough equipment and enough people involved was [sic] and could have formed a government-in-exile.

Mr. Triplett. So essentially are you saying this meeting was for the purpose of raising money to accomplish this task?

Mr. Hall. Yes.

Mr. Triplett. And your role in the meeting, you, Loran Hall, were there sort of as a promoter or the person to explain it. Is this what your purpose was for being there?

Mr. Hall. I think it was. I was there mostly because I was you might say the military part of the operation.

Mr. Triplett. At that meeting was a comment made regarding the killing of President Kennedy?

Mr. Hall. Yes, there was.

Mr. Triplett. Which one of these persons that you have described made the comment?

Mr. Hall. The man by the name of Jack that owned the trucking company.

Mr. Triplett. What exactly did Jack say and do?

Mr. Hall. What we were saying, was between the five of them, they could come up with $10,000 apiece, come up with $50,000, that would be enough money to get us started. And Jack jumped up, or whatever his name was, jumped up and threw either his billfold or checkbook or something on the table and said, xxxx, I will put $50,000 in right now if the rest of you will match it, and we will have Kennedy’s head blowed off because with Johnson in as President, he is a Texan and Texans take care of Texans.

[…..]

pg 83.

Mr. Triplett. What was your purpose for being in Dallas at that time? [March, 1963]

Mr. Hall. That is when I went to, I think that was the time that I went to Dallas, Texas to see Lester Logue concerning forming a government-in-exile, a Cuban government-in-exile, at which time he agreed that it would be a avenue that would be worth looking into, at which time he got me a ticket and I flew back to Miami and I started pursuing that avenue.

[…]

Mr. Triplett. What were you doing during the daytime?

Mr. Hall. Contacting various people, trying to make contact for equipment. Lester Logue, I went and seen Niko [Crespi] several times and I think on one occasion Dan Smoot, and I seen Robert Morris, and I went to the newspaper place and talked to “Poor Richard” or whatever his pen name was.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Weisberg interview of Hall Feb 1968.

Hall. [describing his two Cuban friends in Dallas. ] I remember one of them was kind of stout, real stout built and about, oh, I would say he was about 5’10” or 5’11”. – and the other one was short, he was probably 5’6”, small in stature and I know his dad owned a

Sugar plantation in Mexicalli.

[…]

Weisberg. Yeah.

Hall. And I went to see Keating [senator Keating], because I had sent Keating, that never did show – never came through because he never said a word about it.

Weisberg. Incidentally, and you may not want to talk about this it’s just curiosity, nothing directly to do with this- do you have any idea who was feeding Keating the stuff on the Cuban missile crisis?

Hall. Oh I have , I have a good idea who it was, I ah, I ah, don’t know for sure but I have a good idea – it was the CIA.

Pg 46.

Hall. Well, wait just a minute, it does in a way because we had talked, to uh, Duncan [Tom Duncan] and some of the other guys about going in and pulling a raid in Georgia out at Fort Benning where they carry all the , uh…

Weisberg. You mean to get some equipment.

Hall. Yeah, you know, you know, this is standard procedure, steal Army equipment. Hell, they’ve got it and we want it.

Weisberg. Well, there is reason to believe that it happened down in Texas.

Hall. Oh, we know it did.

Weisberg. Really?

Hall. Oh –haha.

Weisberg. Really know it happened, or is all you have is rumor.

Hall. We know..(laughter)

Weisberg. Care to tell me about it?

Hall. No, I don’t want to..

Weisberg. You know there were people involved…

Hall. I know quite a few people involved.

Weisberg. Did that stuff really get out?

Hall. Damn right it did.

Weisberg. Didn’t have anything to do with getting your boats in Dallas did it?

Hall. I’m not saying a word. (laughter) No, I can tell you that there was 250 VARS [sic] that got out.

[…]

Hall. They went to Majaris, from Majaris right, right into Cuba and they went to Oriente.

[…]

Hall. Yeah, do you know where Majaris Island is at?…Well it’s off Yucatan…there is an island called Majaris.

[..] pg 73

Hall. …We had a hell of a deal set up – we were going to take all the, uh, we were going to take Prio Socarres to Guatemala and we were going to invade Cuba from Guatemala into Oriente, set up a 24 hour holding period and ask the United Nations to come in and help us and we were going to do this and Prio Soccares got…Yeah, and do you know what. The dirty lousy son of a bitch wouldn’t do it. Prio Soccares flat turned me down and I had the money, I had the ground and I had everything set up.

Weisberg. Did you have an army?

Hall. You bet.

-------------------------------

The Jack that owns the trucking company was most likely J.E Rose of the Rose Truck Line.

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Dave,

Hi James,

Is Antonio Crespi aka Nico Crespi? Nico was a Dallas friend and contact of Loran Hall. Maybe Gerry will know.

Dave

I'm going to say no.

In Mary Ferrell's database, she identifies them as two different people, and in A Farewell to Justice, Joan Mellen says that Nico Crespi was a Ford Motor salesman. Antonio Crespi was an employee of the Republic Transcom Co.

Steve Thomas

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Dave,

Hi James,

Is Antonio Crespi aka Nico Crespi? Nico was a Dallas friend and contact of Loran Hall. Maybe Gerry will know.

Dave

I'm going to say no.

In Mary Ferrell's database, she identifies them as two different people, and in A Farewell to Justice, Joan Mellen says that Nico Crespi was a Ford Motor salesman. Antonio Crespi was an employee of the Republic Transcom Co.

Steve Thomas

I think you are right, Steve.

As to the JURE connection and hence the Odio visit, it may be worth noting here that a man by the name of Jorge Volsky (Cuban citizen but of Polish origin) was solidly connected into the Cuban community both in Miami and Dallas via his position with the USIA office in Miami. He also had involvement with propaganda activities for the JURE.

Volsky also worked closely with Rogelio Cisneros.

The curious part is that Volsky was also in communication with JM/WAVE from February of 1963 to November of 1963. His case officer was a man by the name of Stanley Zamka. Stanley Zamka was an alias for David Morales.

James

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Jorge Rodriguez Alvareda, an employee of Curtis-Mathes advised on July 3, 1963, he had been authorized in a letter from Osorio Davila Santana, Secretary General of this organization at Miami, Florida to proceed with the organization of a Dallas unit."

The organization ?

JURE (Steve Thomas)

To add a bit more to this. In March of 1963, JURE created an Intel group within its organization which was designed to infiltrate JURE members into the various anti-Castro organizations as well as into agencies of the U.S. government.

Jose Aguiar Fernand was in charge of this operation. With the help of Jorge Volsky, he had by July of 1963 a comprehensive list of Agency assets. Volsky was also working with a Dr. Manuel Mendez to create a network of eyes and ears amongst the exile community. Dr. Mendez's Agency alias was Stanley Zamka who as stated before was indeed David Morales.

Morales knew who was working who and was in a perfect position to stage the visit with Sylvia Odio. I submit to understand how this aspect of the Oswald frame came together, Volsky and his connection to JM/WAVE is the key.

FWIW.

James

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Hi James,

Is Antonio Crespi aka Nico Crespi? Nico was a Dallas friend and contact of Loran Hall. Maybe Gerry will know.

Dave

Hi all,

I 'd be interested to know more about this Nico Crespi, I have not heard of him before. From the name I take it he is Italian, or at least of Italian descent? Was he connected to the mafia?

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  • 9 months later...
Steve,

In late 1962 and early 1963, three recruiting offices were set up in Dallas so that fit exiled Cubans could be trained for action against Castro.

The offices were at 3221 Hudnall and run by Bruno Martinez, 4619 Cole Manor and run by Antonio Crespi and at 2212 Kirby run by Francisco Leyva. Leyva was a qualified veterinarian.

There is no doubt that Orcarberrio knew Leyva as the more militant and motivated exiles who signed on were of much interest to him. Orcarberrio was also concerned about possible Castro agents trying to infiltrate the ranks.

Father McChann also knew Leyva as both men were part of a committee to assist in relocating refugees and to council those doing it tough. Along with McChann and Leyva, others on the committee were Francisco Guitierrez and Fernando Robaina.

Francisco Leyva below.

James

James, do you know which organization the recruiting offices were associated with? I believe the Parkland Cuban who had knowledge that Kennedy would be hit may be found among the people/groups under discussion here.

Fr McChann had said post-assassination that his first contact with SA Wally Heitman was to inform on this individual for extortion, among other egregious behaviors. I have searched high and low for a report on this by Heitman without luck. I do believe it would have been around the time these offices were being set up - though I could be wrong on that. When interviewed after the assassination, McChann could not recall the Cuban's name, but he surely knew it when he first contacted Heitman about him.

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