James Richards Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 There has been a bit of discussion of late regarding Diaz Garcia and his possible role in the assassination of JFK. I thought forum members might be interested in how his death and the wounding of Cuesta was reported. This comes from the Miami News, May 31, 1966. The photo below shows Ramon Font (left), Tony Cuesta and his wife Carmen just after Cuesta's return to the US. FWIW. James ***************** 'Exiles' Mission: Kill Castro By MARY LOUISE WILKINSON Two Miami exiles who were killed after landing near a heavily populated Havana suburb were on a mission to assassinate Fidel Castro, the Cuban government claimed today. The incident occurred late Sunday near the Comodoro Yacht Club in suburban Miramar, when Commandos L, a Miami-based action group, put Sandalio Herminio Diaz and Armando Romero ashore from a 23-foot boat, the Cuban communiqué said. Tony Cuesta, 39 - year - old group leader, and Eugenio Zaldivar Xiques were captured after being seriously wounded in a gunfight 10 miles off the coast. Two other crewmen, listed only as "Guillermo" and "Roberto" (alias Cara Vieja), were missing - and presumed drowned. In Miami, where Cuesta has lived since 1960, his wife said she had no further information about the fate of her husband. "I hope and pray he is all right," said Mrs. Cuesta. "But regardless of what happens, we must continue the fight against Castro. I knew before he set out that the operation was risky." According to the Cuban Interior Ministry communiqué Commandos L launched the infiltration attempt from Marathon. The Castro officials made their usual claim that the group was sponsored by the American government. "The objective, according to the prisoners' confession, was to assassinate the prime minister in order to create conditions favorable for an imperialist aggression," the communiqué claimed. Government-controlled newspapers in Havana carried pictures of material allegedly seized from the boat, including hand grenades, plastic explosives, submachine guns and anti-Castro leaflets. The infiltration try came immediately after Castro announced an island-wide combat alert against "imperialist aggressors" following a series of incidents at the U. S. Naval Base at Guantanamo in which an armed Cuban soldier was shot and killed. Last year, Commandos L teamed up with the Cuban Referendum in Exile (RECE), sponsored by rum millionaire Jose M. Bosch, to carry out a series of attacks against Cuba. However, Ernesto Freyre, of RECE, denied knowledge of the Sunday raid, stating, "I am sorry but there is nothing I can say." In November, the two groups joined with the 30th of November Movement here to strafe a police station on the Havana waterfront. Three years ago, Cuesta led a Commandos L raid against the Russian freighter Baku in a Cuban port which prompted a Soviet protest note to Washington. Sunday's infiltration attempt came on the heels of a claim by the Second Front of the Escambray-Alpha 66 that they raided a naval past at Tarara Beach, same 20 miles east of Havana, on May 19 and slipped back to a "secret Caribbean base" without losing men or equipment. Despite the latest failure, exile activists here appeared to intensify plans for future anti-Castro action. Manuel Antonio de Varona, former Cuban prime minister and head of the Rescate movement, flew here from his exile home in New York to coordinate plans for an action group merger that reportedly included the Second Front. Varona, who served briefly as head of the now-defunct Cuban Revolutionary Council, said, "We must not give Castro a breather. There should be well-coordinated actions from outside to encourage the people inside to work toward overthrow of the dictator." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simkin Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 Great posting James. A little bit of background information on this case. Cuesta was a successful businessman in Havana. He was opposed to the government of Fidel Castro and moved to the United States where he helped to establish two anti-Castro exile groups: Alpha 66 and Commandos Liberty. He worked closely with Eddie Bayo, who was later involved in Operation Tilt. Some people believe that Cuesta was involved in the assassination of JFK. Like most anti-Castro terrorists, Cuesta was determined not to be taken alive. When it became clear that there was no way out he attempted suicide by setting off a grenade, which blinded him and blew off his right hand. Cuesta spent a long time in hospital as a result of his serious injuries. It was during this time that Cuesta realised he had been set up. It was obviously in the interests of the people who organized the assassination of JFK to get rid of all those who knew what had taken place. In 1978 President Jimmy Carter arranged for a group of imprisoned exiles to be released. This included Cuesta. Just before leaving the country, Cuesta asked to see General Fabian Escalante, the head of Cuba's G-2 Spy Agency. Cuesta told Escalante that he had been involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He also named Herminio Diaz Garcia and Eladio del Valle as being involved in the conspiracy. Cuesta asked Escalante not to make this information "made public because I am returning to my family in Miami - and this could be very dangerous." Cuesta returned to Miami and died in 1994. The following year, Wayne Smith, chief of the Centre for International Policy in Washington, arranged a meeting on the assassination of John F. Kennedy, in Nassau, Bahamas. Others in attendance were: Gaeton Fonzi, Dick Russell, Noel Twyman, Anthony Summers, Peter Dale Scott, Jeremy Gunn, John Judge, Andy Kolis, Peter Kornbluh, Mary and Ray LaFontaine, Jim Lesar, John Newman, Alan Rogers, Russ Swickard, Ed Sherry, and Gordon Winslow. Some high-level Cuban officials attended the conference. This included Fabian Escalante, Carlos Lechuga, former Cuban diplomat, and Arturo Rodriguez, a State Security official. Escalante revealed details of Cuesta's confession. Eladio del Valle was murdered on 22nd February, 1967. He had been shot in the heart. He died only hours after his friend, David Ferrie. Diego Gonzales Tendera, a close friend, later claimed de Valle was murdered because of his involvement in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. If we could find out who killed Eladio del Valle, we would discover the name of the person who was in charge of the clean-up operation. I believe this man is still alive and living in exile. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKcuesto.htm http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKgarciaH.htm http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKeladio.htm This is what Fabian Escalante told the JFK Historians Conference on 7th December, 1995. Eladio Del Valle worked for two police services - military intelligence and the traditional police. He was in charge of narcotics. He was also a legislature in the government - a representative. He was from a little town from the south of Havana. He was a captain in the merchant marines. In 1958 he was doing business dealings with Santos Trafficante in a little coastal town south of Havana. There he brought in contraband whose destination was Santos Trafficante. When the revolution triumphed, he went to Miami. Eladio Del Valle went to Miami. He settled in Miami, we don't know the address and he allied himself with Rolando Masferrer and other Batista supporters and they formed an organization called the Anti Communist Cuban Liberation Movement. From that moment on, Eladio was involved in many project against Cuba. But as I told you yesterday, we managed to penetrate this organization. And we came to know of a lot of projects, efforts, for an invasion of Cuba in secret. In order to provide arms to internal rebel groups, they needed David Ferrie as the pilot on these flights. In 1962 Eladio Del Valle tried to infiltrate Cuba with a commando group of 22 men but their boat had an English key - a little island. In the middle of 1962. Of course, we knew this. I tell you about this, because one of our agents who was one of the people helping to bring this group to Cuba, was a man of very little education. They talked English on many occasions on this little island with Eladio Del Valle told this person, on many occasions, that Kennedy must be killed to solve the Cuban problem. After that we had another piece of information on Eladio Del Valle. This was offered to us by Tony Cuesta. He told us that Eladio Del Valle was one of the people involved in the assassination plot against Kennedy. As you know, he was taken prisoner and he was very thankful to be taken back - he was blind. He asked that this information not be public. I am only saying it here, because he is already dead. It is finished. We didn't have any other kind of information to give. There are some things you must respect. He gave us this information and in 1978 we didn't know if it was true or not. In 1978, we were not aware of the participation of Eladio Del Valle. We didn't know who he was. Remember that I explained to you yesterday that when the Select Committee when they came to Havana - they didn't give us any specific information. They just came to question us. We didn't know the relationships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Richards Posted November 6, 2004 Author Share Posted November 6, 2004 Eladio del Valle was murdered on 22nd February, 1967. He had been shot in the heart. He died only hours after his friend, David Ferrie. Diego Gonzales Tendera, a close friend, later claimed de Valle was murdered because of his involvement in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. If we could find out who killed Eladio del Valle, we would discover the name of the person who was in charge of the clean-up operation. I believe this man is still alive and living in exile. [ <{POST_SNAPBACK}> IMO, the individual in question is Bernardo De Torres; and he is still alive. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simkin Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 IMO, the individual in question is Bernardo De Torres; and he is still alive. I am glad you said that and not me. I believe he is a regular visitor to this forum. I hope he considers himself retired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Richards Posted November 6, 2004 Author Share Posted November 6, 2004 (edited) I am glad you said that and not me. I believe he is a regular visitor to this forum. I hope he considers himself retired. (John Simkin) John, He and his slimy minions monitor all the forums and the various related publications. If I feel the boom lowering, I'll sweet talk Ryan Crowe into some personal protection. James Edited November 6, 2004 by James Richards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Cox Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 be brave, fellows, there's still freedom of speech or did that vanish over the last hours? I've had flu and been in an angry Nyquil fog since the election. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Richards Posted November 6, 2004 Author Share Posted November 6, 2004 Getting away from that scumbag De Torres for a moment and back to Tony Cuesta, the following is an extract from the personal papers of Tom Dunkin. It is regarding Tony Cuesta's release from prison. The photograph below is Cuesta and his wife Carmen. Note that Cuesta's left hand is missing. Pretty ballsy character. James ******************** October 21, 1978. The chartered Eastern Airlines jet was scheduled to leave Havana at 2PM for the flight to Miami, but, to my surprise, we did not head straight for the airport. General Enio Leyva drove Eugenio Zaldivar and me through the Havana traffic. He was a surprisingly high-level escort for two men who had been languishing in prison for a dozen years. I nudged Eugenio. "Tell me what you see," I whispered. "Tell me what streets we are driving through." As Eugenio described the points of the passing landscape, I realized we were heading in the direction of the government offices. Why were they not taking us directly to the airport? I thought I knew the answer. There was someone who wanted to meet with me before I left Cuba. The same man who 12 years ago refused permission for the operation that probably would have saved my sight now wanted to see me–even though I couldn't see him. "Let's stop a minute here. Let's walk a second," General Leyva said softly. I was assisted out of the car. Holding my right hand against Eugenio's shoulder, using him as my eyes, I followed the general into an office building. When I felt the rara cool breeze of central air conditioning, I knew with certainty where we were. I knew who wanted to meet with me before I flew away to exile. I nudged Eugenio, as if to say, "Just you wait." We were led to a comfortable room and seated on a deep-pile sofa. Someone thrust a huge cigar into my hand and lit it for me; someone else brought me a glass of scotch on the rocks. The treatment as well as the liquor was dizzying. I steeled myself. Suddenly I heard General Leyva stand up quickly as someone entered the room. Instinctively, following the good manners taught to me by my parents, I stood also. General Leyva muttered the words, "El Comandante en jefe." Then I heard the voice of my enemy–not pouring forth the shrill, angry demagoguery for which he is infamous. He had engaged the charming, charismatic side of his personality. He spoke in a low, soft, sweet, gentle tone. If he had not chosen politics, he could have been a hit on Broadway, capitalizing upon his melodious voice. Now I was forced by circumstances to shake the hand of the one man in the whole world whom I most wanted to kill. Nothing could blind my memories. In the eternal darkness of my mind I could conjure an image of the man. I could see the bushy beard that so complimented his appearance, hiding a weak, receding chin. He was 6'3 ½" tall, a giant as far as most Cubans go. I stiffened my spine, taking advantage of the phenomenon that had always galled him. I was a half inch taller. I knew that he was studying me, too, measuring the effects of prison upon my will, moreso than my appearance. I kept my eyes closed, lest he see darkness behind the shaded lenses of my glasses. But I did not hide my left arm and the stump above the wrist. He knew I had lost the hand in a last attempt to kill him. And he knew that I would have sacrificed my entire being in exchange for the success of the mission. The only reason he had not executed me 12 years ago was his fear of my power as a martyr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Mauro Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 Getting away from that scumbag De Torres for a moment and back to Tony Cuesta, the following is an extract from the personal papers of Tom Dunkin. It is regarding Tony Cuesta's release from prison. The photograph below is Cuesta and his wife Carmen. Note that Cuesta's left hand is missing. Pretty ballsy character. James ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He's still a murderous aristocrat, and should've lost more than his hand and his eyesight, IMO. Thanks for the photo, James. It's always wise to be able to recognize and, "Know thine enemy..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanet Clark Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 Poor Tony Cuestra. Let me get this straight. He gets a bunch of Cuban anti-Castro mercenaries, including two future Watergate burglars, Eugenio Martininez and Virgilio Ganzales, to sneak into Castro's Cuba to extract an asset with information about Cuba's strategic arms situation. This was Operation Tilt? William Pawley. So after one (or more?) get killed on the commando raid inside Cuba, Tony Cuestra attempts suicide in Castro's prison and blinds himself. Before he gets out he tells General Francisco (sp) that he and Herminio Diaz Garcia were in on the JFK murder. Castro's government calls a press conference in the Bahamas in 1994 to give out this story, after Cuestra died...and Operation Tilt featured Torres and Gerry Hemmings, and was related to Alpha 66 programs and onrunning exile pressure activities RFK and JFK broke up in 1963.... Is that the story? Shanet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ecker Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 James, In the photo above of Cuesta with his wife, he looks like the man photographed in Dealey Plaza after the shooting who's wearing the hat with the fancy hatband. Often said to be Jim Braden, but Braden was under arrest at the time. I don't have the photo or I'd post it. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Richards Posted November 8, 2004 Author Share Posted November 8, 2004 (edited) Shanet, Tony Cuesta had his hand in the formation of both Alpha 66 and Commandos L. It was Eddie Bayo along with John Martino and William Pawley who ran Operation Tilt in the middle of 1963. That was the mission that was supposed to retrieve the Russians. The mission allegedly went wrong and lost its participants, 2 of which were future Watergate burglars Eugenio Martinez and Virgilio Gonzalez. In 1966, Tony Cuesta, Herminio Diaz Garcia and several others went on a mission into Cuba where Diaz Garcia and another man were killed and Cuesta was seriously wounded in a firefight. Cuesta was then jailed. On his release, he offered information to General Fabian Escalante (a man who he supposedly developed somewhat of a friendship) that both he and Herminio Diaz Garcia were involved in the assassination of JFK. After Cuesta's death, a gathering of researchers and Escalante met in Miami to discuss the information. In the photo above of Cuesta with his wife, he looks like the man photographed in Dealey Plaza after the shooting who's wearing the hat with the fancy hatband. Often said to be Jim Braden, but Braden was under arrest at the time. I don't have the photo or I'd post it. (Ron Ecker) Ron, There is some similarities but I don't believe it is. The best image I have of the Dealey Plaza mystery man is in this comparison below. James Edited November 8, 2004 by James Richards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wim Dankbaar Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 That's almost certainly Jim Braden/ Eugene Hale Brading Wim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simkin Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 Poor Tony Cuestra. Let me get this straight. He gets a bunch of Cuban anti-Castro mercenaries, including two future Watergate burglars, Eugenio Martininez and Virgilio Ganzales, to sneak into Castro's Cuba to extract an asset with information aboutCuba's strategic arms situation. This was Operation Tilt? William Pawley. So after one (or more?) get killed on the commando raid inside Cuba, Tony Cuestra attempts suicide in Castro's prison and blinds himself. Before he gets out he tells General Francisco (sp) that he and Herminio Diaz Garcia were in on the JFK murder. Castro's government calls a press conference in the Bahamas in 1994 to give out this story, after Cuestra died...and Operation Tilt featured Torres and Gerry Hemmings, and was related to Alpha 66 programs and onrunning exile pressure activities RFK and JFK broke up in 1963.... Is that the story? You will get the story if you follow the links I posted earlier. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKcuesto.htm http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKgarciaH.htm http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKeladio.htm It should be made clear that the Cuban government never issued a press conference on the case. Nor was Tony Cuesto tortured into a confession. Cuesto told his story to the Cubans for three main reasons: (1) He believed he had been set up by the CIA in order to get him removed as a witness. (2) He wanted to reward the Cubans for the medical treatment he had received. (3) He had become friendly with Fabian Escalante, the head of Cuba's G-2 Spy Agency. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKescalante.htm I would suggest you read the transcripts of the JFK Conference here: http://cuban-exile.com/doc_026-050/doc0027.html I also suggest you read Escalante’s book, The Secret War: CIA Covert Operations Against Cuba, 1959-62 (1995). He also wrote the introduction and commentary for CIA Targets Fidel: The Secret Assassination Report (1996). As far as I am aware Bernardo de Torres and Gerry Hemming did not take part in Operation Tilt. Although, as head of Interpen, Hemming probably knew something about the operation. By the way, I am trying to persuade Gerry Hemming to join the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Richards Posted November 8, 2004 Author Share Posted November 8, 2004 John, I think it is an interesting point that several of the Dallas participants may have been sent into hostile territory on virtual suicide missions. Cuesta and Diaz Garcia are examples; Felipe Vidal Santiago is another. Below is another article that appeared in the Miami News on March 16, 1966. This was about 2 months before Cuesta's mission. I post this as it may provide an insight into the mindset of the prominent anti-Castro players at this point in time. James ****************** Cuban Exiles Change Tactics Against Fidel By Mary Louise Wilkinson A Cuban exile organization here is talking of commando coordination to carry the freedom struggle to Fidel Castro's doorstep without violating U.S. neutrality laws. The Cuban Representation in Exile (RECE), created through an exile referendum sponsored by rum manufacturer Jose Bosch, has spread the word it will listen to all liberation plans. "We're aiming at coordinating men, money and equipment," said Ernesto Freyre, of RECE. "Political unity may by impossible but coordination of actions is perfectly feasible." Freyre, former member of the Families Committee which aided in the 1962 ransoming of Bay of Pigs invasion prisoners, said future military operations would be carried out without involving U.S.-registered boats of U.S. departure points. Early this month, the non-affiliated Second Front of the Escambray lost some $40,000 worth of arms and two U.S.-registered boats when they were stopped by the Coast Guard and Customs agents 42 miles off the Florida coast. Last November, RECE teamed up with Commandos L and the 30th of November groups to machinegun a Havana waterfront police station and hotel. The raiders, who came from "somewhere in the Caribbean," were not stopped by U.S. authorities. "Separate paths have led us nowhere," noted Tony Cuesta, of Commandos L which reportedly lost $57,000 worth of equipment to U.S. confiscation several years ago. "What we need today is a common strategy and a system of operations that doesn't involve the United States," said Cuesta, whose newly reorganized group now works closely with RECE. Today, the commando group has on its directive board Jose I. Rivero, former owner of the Diario de la Marina newspaper, and Dr. Jose Alvarez Diaz, exile economist whose studies have been published by the University of Miami. Commandos L is seeking to raise money by issuing "liberation bonds" picturing frogmen loading arms cases onto rubber rafts. RECE itself maintains a large mailing list of contributors here and abroad who send in monthly donations of a dollar or more. The commando group, with offices in New York, Washington, Puerto Rico and here, claims to have consulted American and Cuban exile lawyers to make sure future operations in no way violate the U.S. ban on Cuban raids. "We seek to nationalize the Cuban problem by removing it from the international orbit," said Cuesta. "No attacks on Russian shipping, no leaving from U.S. bases in American-register craft - just Cubans helping Cubans." Freyre added: "If a group has a plan and needs money, RECE wants to talk it over with them. So far, four action groups are coordinating activities through us. And we expect more." Both RECE and Commandos L spokesman said plans would concentrate on providing money and arms for fighters on the island, rather than "hit-and-run raids from Florida ports." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ecker Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 That's almost certainly Jim Braden/ Eugene Hale Brading So he was in two places at once? Is it your theory that while Jim Braden was under arrest, Eugene Hale Brading was free to walk around the plaza? Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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