Oswald's Escorts: The Garrison Files

[Gene Kelly]

Thanks all ... great stuff.  Carlos "Batea" Hernandez Sanchez has all of the right connections:

• JMWAVE and AMWORLD; BOP Brigade 2523
• Personal bodyguard for Artime
• Associated with Nestor Izquierdo and Rafael Quintero 
• Paramilitary with black belt in judo and a sharpshooter
• Began his CIA paramilitary training under Carl Jenkins at the CIA's Panama camp, later at CIA camp outside Belle Chasse, Louisiana
• "Sheep-dipped" as a malcontent and officially taken out of the program - but moved into safe houses and then into Cuba infiltration missions out of Florida Keys
• When Robert McKeown declined the weapons sales proposition, he recalled one of the two men from his gun running to Cuba, a man known by the name Hernandez
• DRE visitors in Dallas in October, where an unidentified speaker made hostile remarks about President Kennedy. After the speech, upon learning he had been taped, the speaker (who warned that he had a black belt) took the tape by force
• One of the AMWORLD recruits taken off of the grid in September 1963 - covertly exfiltrated "black" via an AKL ship called the Joanne and via a "chartered" DC-3 - only to reappear in January/February of 1964 in Nicaragua and Costa Rica.  

However, he doesn't appear to be "stocky" (or overweight) and its unclear if he has a scar over one eye.

Gene

[David Boylan]

He was stocky and had a "cyst" over his left eye:

 

Edited October 25, 2022 by David Boylan

[David Boylan]

Here's some more info on Del Valle.

https://isgp-studies.com/miscellaneous/death_list/data/1967_04_30_National_Inquirer_del_Valle_ties_to_Ferrie_Harold_Weisberg_archive.pdf

[Gene Kelly]

David:

Wow ... Carlos Hernandez certainly looks and sounds like our Oswald shepherd ... do you know what became of him?  Going further, was the objective of Oswald's escort to control him, and keep him in line (in essence, lead him along and set him up) ... or was it more collaborative and consensual?   I have a difficult time believing that Oswald was that naive. 

Gene

[Larry Hancock]

Gene, have you read either Red Bird Leads One and Two or Tipping Point, David and I cover Carlos and your questions in some detail in both (and how Oswald likely was manipulated..of course that is speculative...grin).  And no Oswald was not that naive, however he did have an agenda that exposed him to manipulation by multiple parties at different times.  David and I will be doing presentations on what was going on with him and his exposures in 1963 for the Lancer virtual conference...

[David Boylan]

Let me say that Paul has done a great job bringing this altogether for us to look at and hopefully make some progress on identifying some of LHO's escorts.

[Gene Kelly]

Larry

Truth is, I'm just now reading Red Bird Leads ... catching up (so to speak). I respect the work that you and David do; nothing is ever as it seems, and this story is more than 50 years old.  LHO was quite the enigma ... and he had a lot of experts manipulating him.  Calls to mind the comment about Tippitt ... poor dumb cop (by the taxi driver, Scroggins).  Someone exploited Oswald's agenda.

Gene

[Larry Hancock]

Great Gene, honestly I'm amazed at how much detail David has unearthed in the last couple of years that we could put into those works.  Let us know if you have any questions as you go on, message or email.

And "exploitation" is an excellent choice of words, more descriptive than what I have been using and I have to say the last few months of my own research revisit to Oswald have blown away the "box" I had mentally build in my mind in regard to Oswald.  New sources and an expanded view....then again I suppose that's the way it should be as we get more access to primary data.

Hope you enjoy the read!  Larry

[David Boylan]

On 10/25/2022 at 4:41 PM, Gene Kelly said:

David:

Wow ... Carlos Hernandez certainly looks and sounds like our Oswald shepherd ... do you know what became of him?  Going further, was the objective of Oswald's escort to control him, and keep him in line (in essence, lead him along and set him up) ... or was it more collaborative and consensual?   I have a difficult time believing that Oswald was that naive. 

Gene

Gene,

 

I realize that I never answered you about what happened to Hernandez. We know that he left the US "black" in the late November/early December time frame because the CIA was working with the INS to get his and another 9 Cuban exiles immigration status updated so that they could re-enter the US at a later date (I-512 form). There were two groups that "exfiltrated" to Costa Rica during this time period. One from Baltimore via The Joanne, the other via a DC-3. Hernandez was one of Rafael Quintero's commandos.

It looks like Hernandez was successful because by June of 1964 Henry Hecksher (Case officer for AMWORLD) and Desmond Fitzgerald were desperate(?) to get him back to Costa Rica/Nicaragua. By 1965 when the AMWORLD project was winding down, Tom Clines approached Quintero to ask if any of his guys were available for er, "additional projects." These guys would be on call as needed. Kind of like a "Have Gun, Will Travel" team. By 1967 he no longer was involved in exile activities. He worked for the Miami Herald as an accounting clerk.

 

[Benjamin Cole]

On 10/26/2022 at 2:02 AM, David Boylan said:

Here's some more info on Del Valle.

https://isgp-studies.com/miscellaneous/death_list/data/1967_04_30_National_Inquirer_del_Valle_ties_to_Ferrie_Harold_Weisberg_archive.pdf

The National Inquirer had a bad rap...but this story sure had a lot of insights. 

[Paul Jolliffe]

5 hours ago, Benjamin Cole said:

The National Inquirer had a bad rap...but this story sure had a lot of insights. 

Manuel Garcia Gonzales.

Hmm.

What does Paul Bleau have to say about him?

 

[Joe Bauer]

Maybe this is too simplistic in it's selective dot connecting premise

But one could reasonably consider that Oswald was being groomed for the "fall guy" role in a JFK elimination plot by the anti-Castro Cuban controlling U.S. intelligence community.

Oswald is taken to Sylvia Odio's apartment, visibly shown and identified by name. Later Leopoldo makes it a point to quote this loco gringo as saying the Cubans didn't have the guts to take out JFK to Ms. Odio.

Oswald is told to take a pot shot at Walker to prove he is a crazy, murder minded far right wing avenging communist sympathizer. His back yard photos hugely enhance this image.

Oswald makes a press covered spectacle of himself by handing out pro-Castro leaflets in broad daylight downtown New Orleans. A city brimming with thousands of hot headed  Castro hating exiles. Of course sparking a brawl with the exiles leader Bringeur.

Crazy illogical as a bull horn Marine recruitment drive in People's Park in Berkeley in 1969.

So, "they" tell Oswald he would be a hero to the Castro regime if he helps with the TXSBD shooting scenario.

But, in reality, Oswald of course knows all of his pro-Castro sheep dipping image is false.

He is actually a plant monitoring these JFK death wish Cubans and maybe even "thinks" the shooting will purposely fail. He immediately realizes he is the dumb fall guy and is now running for his life. 

Two days after 11,22,1963 he himself is eliminated. Closing the trap door with him taking the rap as JFK's lone nut killer forever.

What a sad, poor dupe story.

And I was always curious about Orestes Pena mentioning that Oswald puked soon after drinking some lemonade in his bar.

I wondered, did Oreste's brother purposely spike Oswald's lemonade with grill cleaner? Or some other toxic chemical?

 

Edited November 29, 2022 by Joe Bauer

[Paul Jolliffe]

41 minutes ago, Joe Bauer said:

Maybe this is too simplistic in it's selective dot connecting premise

But one could reasonably consider that Oswald was being groomed for the "fall guy" role in a JFK elimination plot by the anti-Castro Cuban controlling U.S. intelligence community.

Oswald is taken to Sylvia Odio's apartment, visibly shown and identified by name. Later Leopoldo makes it a point to quote this loco gringo as saying the Cubans didn't have the guts to take out JFK to Ms. Odio.

Oswald is told to take a pot shot at Walker to prove he is a crazy, murder minded far right wing avenging communist sympathizer. His back yard photos hugely enhance this image.

Oswald makes a press covered spectacle of himself by handing out pro-Castro leaflets in broad daylight downtown New Orleans. A city brimming with thousands of hot headed  Castro hating exiles. Of course sparking a brawl with the exiles leader Bringeur.

Crazy illogical as a bull horn Marine recruitment drive in People's Park in Berkeley in 1969.

So, "they" tell Oswald he would be a hero to the Castro regime if he helps with the TXSBD shooting scenario.

But, in reality, Oswald of course knows all of his pro-Castro sheep dipping image is false.

He is actually a plant monitoring these JFK death wish Cubans and maybe even "thinks" the shooting will purposely fail. He immediately realizes he is the dumb fall guy and is now running for his life. 

Two days after 11,22,1963 he himself is eliminated. Closing the trap door with him taking the rap as JFK's lone nut killer forever.

What a sad, poor dupe story.

And I was always curious about Orestes Pena mentioning that Oswald puked soon after drinking some lemonade in his bar.

I wondered. did Orestes brother spike Oswald's lemonade with grill cleaner? Or some other toxic chemical?

 

Joe,

A couple of things:

 I also think it is likely that our man "Oswald" really was at Sylvia Odio's apartment, although with precisely who is unknown. I have written before about the startling contrast between what was said in his immediate presence and what was said the next day about him during the infamous phone call to Sylvia Odio. ("Leopoldo" only mentioned "Oswald's" crazy intensity when he, "Oswald", was no longer in earshot. In other words, "Oswald" did not know that his Latin companions were eager to label him a potential assassin to Sylvia Odio.)

As to Orestes Pena and the incident in the Habana Bar in New Orleans, Pena claimed that "Oswald" was often accompanied at other times by a local FBI agent. The "lemonade" incident is well-known, but what is relatively unknown is that Pena himself was lead-piped in the head in 1968 when he was to meet Harold Weisberg to identify the FBI agent with "Oswald." Pena never made it to that meeting, and Weisberg was unable to ferret an identity from Pena later. 

As far as I know, Pena never said that Warren DeBrueys was the agent in question, but Weisberg strongly suspected it. 

So, your theory (which has been around a long time) that "Oswald's" drink was deliberately poisoned might be correct. After all, Pena and his buddies were staunch anti-Castro Cubans and they probably believed "Oswald" was a federal snitch/informant/source/etc. sent to spy on their activities. 

I think most people here probably agree with that theory. 

I do, anyway. 

 

[Bill Fite]

from the original article:

 

Quote

The driver wore a light tan zipper jacket found near the scene of the TIPPIT murder, Commission Exhibit 162. Craig said it was identical with the jacket worn by the driver.”

 

[David Boylan]

1 hour ago, Paul Jolliffe said:

Joe,

A couple of things:

 I also think it is likely that our man "Oswald" really was at Sylvia Odio's apartment, although with precisely who is unknown. I have written before about the startling contrast between what was said in his immediate presence and what was said the next day about him during the infamous phone call to Sylvia Odio. ("Leopoldo" only mentioned "Oswald's" crazy intensity when he, "Oswald", was no longer in earshot. In other words, "Oswald" did not know that his Latin companions were eager to label him a potential assassin to Sylvia Odio.)

As to Orestes Pena and the incident in the Habana Bar in New Orleans, Pena claimed that "Oswald" was often accompanied at other times by a local FBI agent. The "lemonade" incident is well-known, but what is relatively unknown is that Pena himself was lead-piped in the head in 1968 when he was to meet Harold Weisberg to identify the FBI agent with "Oswald." Pena never made it to that meeting, and Weisberg was unable to ferret an identity from Pena later. 

As far as I know, Pena never said that Warren DeBrueys was the agent in question, but Weisberg strongly suspected it. 

So, your theory (which has been around a long time) that "Oswald's" drink was deliberately poisoned might be correct. After all, Pena and his buddies were staunch anti-Castro Cubans and they probably believed "Oswald" was a federal snitch/informant/source/etc. sent to spy on their activities. 

I think most people here probably agree with that theory. 

I do, anyway. 

 

Paul,

We had a pretty good discussion on Pena here -