Oswald's Escorts: The Garrison Files

[Gene Kelly]

On 11/27/2022 at 2:11 PM, David Boylan said:

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.

 

Thanks David ... Carlos Hernandez remains a person of interest for me.  It seems the plotters exfiltrated the heavy hitters (i.e., Paladins) to Costa Rica, to take them out of the picture and away from official scrutiny.  It's telling that by 1967, Hernandez was no longer involved in exile activities, and almost ironic that he simply ended up working for the Miami Herald as an accounting clerk.  Any port in a storm, I guess ... he just faded into anonymity. 

This is an interesting thread, as it gets at the "heart" of the ground-level plotters and perpetrators and helps to put in perspective just who Oswald really was, and what he was up to.  I am a big fan of your work ... you and Larry are doing the heavy lifting needed to unearth the "who's who" of the story. 

Gene

[David Boylan]

Thanks for the encouragement, Gene.

This might be relevant to this thread. https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=155433#relPageId=7

Manuel Artime's (AMBIDDY-1) house was broken into around 2/1/65. One of the items stolen was a 300 Magnum scoped rifle that was given to Artime by his friend Frank Fiorini/Sturgis. Frank had "AMBIDDY-1, Leader of Revolution, Frank Fiorini" engraved on the rifle. I'd sure love to know the provenance of that rifle.

The report is by AMCLATTER-1 (Bernard Barker). The AMWORLD security chief is Mole. 

It's amazing how much Sturgis got around. He's got members of the Miami PD calling him, Mole calling him, closely working with Barker...And the two stayed close up until Watergate. Maybe Haldeman was right when he brought up "that whole Bay of Pigs thing."

Oh, and Hernandez was close friends with Artime (bodyguard) and Barker. He and Barker used to drive around Miami together.

Edited December 5, 2022 by David Boylan

[Gene Kelly]

Carlos Hernandez remains my favorite for Oswald's companion ... 

[Ron Bulman]

3 hours ago, Gene Kelly said:

Carlos Hernandez remains my favorite for Oswald's companion ... 

Demonstrably so, thanks to David.

[Paul Brancato]

14 hours ago, Gene Kelly said:

Carlos Hernandez remains my favorite for Oswald's companion ... 

especially cogent is the cyst over his left eye, as that suffices for descriptions I formerly thought pointed at David Morales as the escort. 

[Sandy Larsen]

1 hour ago, Paul Brancato said:

15 hours ago, Gene Kelly said:

Carlos Hernandez remains my favorite for Oswald's companion ... 

especially cogent is the cyst over his left eye, as that suffices for descriptions I formerly thought pointed at David Morales as the escort.

 

I also suspected the escort was Morales. He was heavy set and had a scar in his left eyebrow. But then Larry Hancock said the following (on the David Morales thread):

Just for reference, in a later discussion with Dick Russell, McKewon stated that he actually recognized the individual with Oswald and that was one of the things that made him cautious.  He recognized him as someone who had been a Castro supporter and someone he had seen during his time smuggling weapons into Castro's forces prior to the overthrow of Batista.

I asked Larry if he thought that would rule out David Morales, and he said yes.

Then there's the escort's Cuban accent, which it appears Morales did not have (as far as could tell). At the time I thought that maybe Morales just faked an accent, as needed.

Finally, Larry noted that Morales engaged in military ops, not so much spy type ops.

So what I'm getting at is that Carlos Hernandez is beginning to look like a better choice.

 

[Gene Kelly]

Paul

I would imagine that Morales was too visible in the CIA JMWAVE hierarchy (and too smart) to allow himself to be seen with Oswald.  He was certainly associated with the bad actors in this assassination story ... but he died young (at 52 years of age) in May 1978.  He was a big intimidating individual, but he was considered to be an officer, and held a GS 15 rating which is pretty senior in government service.  He was a section or branch chief, if I read his limited files correctly ... so I doubt that he would directly accompany a low-level dangle like Oswald.   I often wonder if there was a cleanup operation going on by then, as the HSCA was unfolding, as Morales was considered to be a loose cannon (especially when drinking).    

Gene

[David Boylan]

36 minutes ago, Sandy Larsen said:

 

I also suspected the escort was Morales. He was heavy set and had a scar in his left eyebrow. But then Larry Hancock said the following (on the David Morales thread):

Just for reference, in a later discussion with Dick Russell, McKewon stated that he actually recognized the individual with Oswald and that was one of the things that made him cautious.  He recognized him as someone who had been a Castro supporter and someone he had seen during his time smuggling weapons into Castro's forces prior to the overthrow of Batista.

I asked Larry if he thought that would rule out David Morales, and he said yes.

Then there's the escort's Cuban accent, which it appears Morales did not have (as far as could tell). At the time I thought that maybe Morales just faked an accent, as needed.

Finally, Larry noted that Morales engaged in military ops, not so much spy type ops.

So what I'm getting at is that Carlos Hernandez is beginning to look like a better choice.

 

Sandy,

McKeown was arrested along with Jorge Sotus. They were supplying arms to Castro. Artime, Hernandez, Izquierdo, and Rafael Quintero were all there as part of Artime's "Commandos Ruales" who were working with Castro during these days. McKeown would have recognized Hernandez from this encounter.

From The Wheaton Lead:

There remains an open question as to whether information shared among select Cuba Project mission cadre could have been related to the reported appearance of Cubans associating with Lee Oswald in Texas in the fall of 1963. As an example, in early 1961, Carlos Hernandez served on a handpicked infiltration team with Jorge Sotus. The two men, both early MRR members inside Cuba, spent considerable time together in advance of the mission. Sotus had been one of the founders of MRR inside Cuba along with Manual Artime. As a senior MRR military officer Sotus worked with an American (Robert McKeown) in smuggling arms into Cuba for the revolution against Batista. Sotus was among those charged with neutrality violations for the smuggling, when McKeown was arrested for his weapons dealings.

When Sotus managed to escape from prison on the Isle of Pines, he made his way to Miami and he too joined the CIA project. Both men had a lengthy history with MRR and with Artime and when a plan to insert Artime into Cuba to stimulate on-island resistance was developed, Sotus specifically requested Hernandez to be part of a select three-man team to be inserted into Cuba in advance of Artime's return. The Sotus/Hernandez relationship is especially interesting in that McKeown related that he had previously encountered the man who had accompanied Lee Oswald in a visit in which they attempted to buy weapons and a high caliber, scope-equipped rifle. He remembered that man as someone involved with his earlier weapons smuggling into Cuba, but could only recall a last name, "Hernandez".

 

.............................................

Manuel Artime Busa (crypt AMBIDDY-1) had been one of the Cuban exiles meeting with Senator John Kennedy as early as the Democratic Convention in July 1960; he became well acquainted with his brother Robert Kennedy. Artime became one of the more well-known Cuban exile political figures. Known widely inside Cuba for his anti-Batista activities, he became a highly symbolic figure in the American anti-Castro efforts. While the CIA would ultimately back away from the idea that a wide scale uprising against Castro was part of the plan for sending the Cuban Expeditionary Force on to the island at the Bay of Pigs, we now know that to be false. In fact, we know that their plans involved sending Artime into Cuba in advance, with special groups of pathfinders and scouts, to link up with active resistance groups on the island. A number of the personnel used in those infiltration teams, taken from the CIA's Guatemala camp, were as of January still under the command of Carl Jenkins. Others were taken from maritime operations teams (AMHAZE) which had been established at bases in the Florida Keys. One handpicked three-man infiltration team (Jorge Sotus, Carlos Hernandez and Jorge Giraud) staged out of Ramrod Key. [ xii ]

........................................................

 

One of the earliest 1963 AMWORLD recruits was Carlos "Batea" Hernandez Sanchez (Cuban Brigade trainee 2523). Carlos was personally close to Artime, having been a member of Artime's "Commandos Rurales" in Cuba, along with Nestor Izquierdo and Rafael Quintero. Hernandez was a black belt in judo and a sharpshooter. It was his expertise in judo and his friendship with Artime that had led Artime to request Hernandez as his personal bodyguard while traveling in Latin America early in 1960. Carlos had also been one of the first volunteers for the CIA's Cuba project - receiving training as part of a small number of exiles to be inserted into Cuba. Their mission would be to join on-island resistance groups, stimulating guerrilla activities and triggering a counter-revolution against the Castro regime.

Carlos Hernandez began his CIA paramilitary training under Carl Jenkins at the CIA's Panama camp (JMRYE). Training included infantry combat, guerrilla operations, and sabotage as well as radio communications. Following training in Panama, Hernandez was moved into an advanced group, ultimately receiving special training in the use of explosives and infiltration skills, at a CIA camp operated outside Belle Chasse, Louisiana (JMMOVE). [ xvi ] A number of the earliest Cuban exile volunteers went through Panama training and moved on to Belle Chase - that list includes Nestor Izquierdo, Carlos Hernandez, Victor Espinosa Hernandez, Jorge Giraud, and Frank Bernardino. Those individuals were then "sheep dipped" as malcontents and officially taken out of the program - instead they were actually moved into safe houses and then into Cuba infiltration missions (AMHINT, AMHAZE, etc.) managed out of the CIA's base in the Florida Keys (JMFIG). [ xvii ]

[Sandy Larsen]

1 hour ago, David Boylan said:

Sandy,

McKeown was arrested along with Jorge Sotus. They were supplying arms to Castro. Artime, Hernandez, Izquierdo, and Rafael Quintero were all there as part of Artime's "Commandos Ruales" who were working with Castro during these days. McKeown would have recognized Hernandez from this encounter.

From The Wheaton Lead:

There remains an open question as to whether information shared among select Cuba Project mission cadre could have been related to the reported appearance of Cubans associating with Lee Oswald in Texas in the fall of 1963. As an example, in early 1961, Carlos Hernandez served on a handpicked infiltration team with Jorge Sotus. The two men, both early MRR members inside Cuba, spent considerable time together in advance of the mission. Sotus had been one of the founders of MRR inside Cuba along with Manual Artime. As a senior MRR military officer Sotus worked with an American (Robert McKeown) in smuggling arms into Cuba for the revolution against Batista. Sotus was among those charged with neutrality violations for the smuggling, when McKeown was arrested for his weapons dealings.

When Sotus managed to escape from prison on the Isle of Pines, he made his way to Miami and he too joined the CIA project. Both men had a lengthy history with MRR and with Artime and when a plan to insert Artime into Cuba to stimulate on-island resistance was developed, Sotus specifically requested Hernandez to be part of a select three-man team to be inserted into Cuba in advance of Artime's return. The Sotus/Hernandez relationship is especially interesting in that McKeown related that he had previously encountered the man who had accompanied Lee Oswald in a visit in which they attempted to buy weapons and a high caliber, scope-equipped rifle. He remembered that man as someone involved with his earlier weapons smuggling into Cuba, but could only recall a last name, "Hernandez".

 

.............................................

Manuel Artime Busa (crypt AMBIDDY-1) had been one of the Cuban exiles meeting with Senator John Kennedy as early as the Democratic Convention in July 1960; he became well acquainted with his brother Robert Kennedy. Artime became one of the more well-known Cuban exile political figures. Known widely inside Cuba for his anti-Batista activities, he became a highly symbolic figure in the American anti-Castro efforts. While the CIA would ultimately back away from the idea that a wide scale uprising against Castro was part of the plan for sending the Cuban Expeditionary Force on to the island at the Bay of Pigs, we now know that to be false. In fact, we know that their plans involved sending Artime into Cuba in advance, with special groups of pathfinders and scouts, to link up with active resistance groups on the island. A number of the personnel used in those infiltration teams, taken from the CIA's Guatemala camp, were as of January still under the command of Carl Jenkins. Others were taken from maritime operations teams (AMHAZE) which had been established at bases in the Florida Keys. One handpicked three-man infiltration team (Jorge Sotus, Carlos Hernandez and Jorge Giraud) staged out of Ramrod Key. [ xii ]

........................................................

 

One of the earliest 1963 AMWORLD recruits was Carlos "Batea" Hernandez Sanchez (Cuban Brigade trainee 2523). Carlos was personally close to Artime, having been a member of Artime's "Commandos Rurales" in Cuba, along with Nestor Izquierdo and Rafael Quintero. Hernandez was a black belt in judo and a sharpshooter. It was his expertise in judo and his friendship with Artime that had led Artime to request Hernandez as his personal bodyguard while traveling in Latin America early in 1960. Carlos had also been one of the first volunteers for the CIA's Cuba project - receiving training as part of a small number of exiles to be inserted into Cuba. Their mission would be to join on-island resistance groups, stimulating guerrilla activities and triggering a counter-revolution against the Castro regime.

Carlos Hernandez began his CIA paramilitary training under Carl Jenkins at the CIA's Panama camp (JMRYE). Training included infantry combat, guerrilla operations, and sabotage as well as radio communications. Following training in Panama, Hernandez was moved into an advanced group, ultimately receiving special training in the use of explosives and infiltration skills, at a CIA camp operated outside Belle Chasse, Louisiana (JMMOVE). [ xvi ] A number of the earliest Cuban exile volunteers went through Panama training and moved on to Belle Chase - that list includes Nestor Izquierdo, Carlos Hernandez, Victor Espinosa Hernandez, Jorge Giraud, and Frank Bernardino. Those individuals were then "sheep dipped" as malcontents and officially taken out of the program - instead they were actually moved into safe houses and then into Cuba infiltration missions (AMHINT, AMHAZE, etc.) managed out of the CIA's base in the Florida Keys (JMFIG). [ xvii ]

 

Wow, great catch David!

I think that pretty much settles the question, at least for the McKeown case. Carlos Hernandez was Oswald's escort.

 

[Sandy Larsen]

4 minutes ago, Sandy Larsen said:

Wow, great catch David!

I think that pretty much settles the question, at least for the McKeown case. Carlos Hernandez was Oswald's escort.

 

Well, then, who is Victor Hernandez? Gene said earlier that a Victor Hernandez accompanied Oswald at McKeown's place. Is Victor an alias?

 

[Larry Hancock]

David will provide the full scoop on Victor I'm sure...but basically he was a friend and fellow fighter along with Carlos and others from the Cuba Project on.  He had actually been on one of the student assassination teams going after Batista administrative leaders during the revolution. If you have SWHT you will find an exploration of Victor in one of the appendices... He trained with Carlos and in 1963 worked with him in the abortive bombing mission staged off the McClaney property outside New Orleans.  At one time he was a candidate for the Hernandez with McClaney but I'm pretty comfortable that at this point we have dialed that down to Carlos....the possibility remains that one or both may have been at Odios but I'll leave that to David.

[David Boylan]

Larry and I presented on some of this for Lancer. I'll post some of it here.

Victor Espinosa Hernandez' CIA Profile (AMHINT-24)

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by David Boylan

[David Boylan]

[David Boylan]

[David Boylan]

Who Was Victor Espinosa Hernandez?

• Was a close friend of Rolando Cubela

• Considered himself a “playboy”

• Papucho translates to “Hottie”

• Trained with Carlos Hernandez in the “camps”

• He and Carlos were close friends. Went on two raids with him

• Trained in Panama and Guatemala. Most likely with Carl Jenkins  and Rocky Farnsworth (was a member of the “Cadre”)

• Was a close friend of Mike McLaney

• Trained Manuel Artime in Panama on demolition techniques. He didn’t like him

• Knew Norman Rothman. Friends with his son Cappy Rothman

• Leader of the Lake Pontchartrain bombing attempt

• Was at JMMOVE training Nino Diaz troops prior to the BOP

Edited December 5, 2022 by David Boylan