LETTER TO J. WALTER YEAGLEY FROM LAWRENCE R. HOUSTON RE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT, FLORIDA UNITED STATES V. ROLANDO MASFERRER, ET AL

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
0005308745
Release Decision: 
RIFPUB
Original Classification: 
U
Document Page Count: 
5
Document Creation Date: 
June 22, 2015
Document Release Date: 
December 10, 2008
Sequence Number: 
Case Number: 
F-2009-00016
Publication Date: 
October 20, 1967
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PDF icon DOC_0005308745.pdf614.85 KB
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TCJ a NAM - DIVISION , BUILDING ROOM Pv t; #1 ft F. ev fo q-: SIGNATURE Q COMMENT' = D APPROVAL NECESSARY ACTION-' PER GCN RSAT{bNt { :AS REQtttSTEC Q `SEE ME',,' NOTE AND RETURN:', DNOTE ANt F{t.E'., DRECOMMENDATIOlt CALF" ;Q- QYOU11'IIigORi1A#IO8 ~ANSWEROR ACKNOWL ED6E%ON OR BEFORE PREPARE REPLY FOR; THE SIGNATURE OF REMARKS awry. FROM: NAME. ' `; BUILDING lk ROOM efkTc DATE APPROVED FOR RELEASED DATE: 12-03-2008 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20505 October 20, 1967 The Honorable J. Walter Yeagley Assistant Attorney General Internal Security Division Department of Justice Washington, D. C. 20530 RE: United States District Court Southern District, Florida United States v. Rolando Masferrer, et al I would like to call to your attention the following situations which may identify a relationship between those persons involved in the Masferrer trial set for November 6, 1967, in Miami and those persons named by James Garrison, the District Attorney in New Orleans, Louisiana, in his so-called investigation of the conspiracy to assassinate President Kennedy. Mr. Garrison has speculated that the actual assassination of President Kennedy was accomplished by seven unnamed Cubans who had formerly worked for CIA. This false allegation is completely contrary to the conclusions reached by the Warren Commission to Investigate the Assassination of President Kennedy. It should be noted, however, that Mr. Garrison has in the course of his investigation continuously attacked the Central Intelligence Agency and has used charges which reflect those themes used primarily by the Soviet propaganda outlets when they attack CIA. Mr. Garrison in his most vehement denunciation of CIA, which appeared in the October 1967 issue of Playboy Magazine, made reference to several persons who previously had been associated with CIA. Several of these same people are known to have been associated with the defendants and counsel in the Masferrer case. A Cuban by the name of Eladio del Valle, who was murdered in Miami on February 22, 1967, is reported by Garrison to have paid David Ferrie $1, 500 each time he flew a mission to deliver weapons to Cuba. Ferrie also died on February 22, 1967, in New Orleans however, and Garrison has named him as a conspirator with Oswald and Clay Shaw. Since Garrison has claimed that Ferrie and Oswald worked for CIA, there is an oblique inference that del Valle also was associated with the Agency. Del Valle did not work for CIA. There is reason to believe however that he was closely associated with Masferrer and may in fact have been murdered because of a trip he made to Haiti in which he could have alerted President duValier of the impending Masferrer invasion. There are also reports that Gino Negretti, the defense counsel for Masferrer, Father Georges and Rene Juares Leon, was involved with del Valle. Garrison has stated he has lost a valuable witness because of del Valle's death. Another situation which follows the same pattern of developing information for use in publicly embarrassing CIA involves an author by the name of Robert K. Brown, who is affiliated with Panther Publications, P.O. Box 369, 1219 Walnut Street, Boulder, Colorado 80301, and who has been making inquiries in and around the Miami area since July 1967. Mr. Brown has indicated that his purpose in looking into CIA activities in the Miami area is to protect the United States Government from the inefficiency of CIA. Mr. Brown is a friend of Martin F. X. Casey, one of the defendants with Masferrer. An FBI report of September 22, 1967, states that Robert K. Brown plans to hire an attorney to defend those persons being tried for conspiracy to invade Haiti. Casey has been associated with Gerald Patrick Hemming, Jr., who was the head of an independent guerrilla organization called INTERPEN which ran a training facility in 1962 at No Name Key, Florida. Also associated with Hemming and Casey in this endeavor was Joe Garman, who was arrested on January 2, 1967, with Casey and Masferrer although he was not indicted. Hemming did approach James Garrison on July 8, 1967, on the pretext that he was writing a magazine article and that he was currently living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. An individual by the name of Lawrence J. Laborde, who had been employed in 1961 by CIA but fired in 1962, telephoned the CIA office in New Orleans on May 11, 1967, and stated that he feared Garrison would subpoena him to testify before the grand jury. Laborde offered to leave the United States if CIA wanted him to in view of his past association with CIA. Laborde was told by the New Orleans office that CIA was in no position to advise him about his personal conduct since we considered it in all likelihood a provocation by Garrison to embarrass CIA and make publicity out of an attempt to remove potential witnesses from Garrison's jurisdiction. Laborde again approached the CIA New Orleans office on September 27, 1967, asking for additional instructions. This latter approach was also considered to be a provocation. Laborde has been seen in Miami and is known to have been associated with Hemming and Martin Casey. Laborde's son talked with Garrison and discussed his father's former relationship with CIA in July 1967. Laborde's previous association with Robert K. Brown goes back to June 1962 when Brown wrote an article for the Denver Post which was also highly critical of CIA and identified certain operational assets, particularly those maritime vessels with which Laborde had been familiar. Martin Casey had a picture of Brown and himself on a vessel called Tejana III which was the vessel Laborde was captain of in 1961. Garrison in his October Playboy interview also refers to a Howard Kenneth Davis. Davis is a Miami resident also previously involved with INTERPEN and Hemming. Davis has also been associated since 1962 with Robert K. Brown. In summary, while we have only speculation to go on at this time, we feel that due-, to the interrelationship of people who have been involved in Cuban operations-whether CIA-sponsored or independently-sponsored refugee groups -it would appear that Garrison's entire effort is designed to use any means of publicity to give further support to his investigation. Since Masferrer and other defendants announced at the time, of their arrest that they were given the green light by CIA for their, invasion of Haiti, we. can assume that this will form a basis for their defense. It is also worth noting that to date the counsel for the defendants have not filed any motions on behalf of their clients. It appears to be significant that Garrison is willing to postpone the trial of Clay Shaw in New Orleans until February 1968 which would then give him additional time, to take advantage of the adverse publicity generated from the Masferrer trial in Miami. Sincerely, Lawrence R. Houston General Counsel cc: Mr. Nathaniel E. Kossack First Assistant, Criminal Division Department of Justice Washington, D. C. 20530