3 MYSTERY SHIPS FOUND IN FLORIDA PORTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000100330004-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 1, 1999
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: November 1, 1963
• Content Type: NSPR

tVlr 1 "j,
'Sanitized -Approved For Release: CIA-RDP7
Mystery Ship
Found in Florida
CPYRGHT
By DOM BONAFEDE
Chef Latin Arrurica Correlpend.nt
ion off the south coast of
roar' del Rio Province. Cas.
ro boasted his forces cap-
ured the men 1. )m one boat
nd that he vvo;tld prove his
"airn by parading some of
horn on a tolccision show.
Tnur'sdat morning the Rrx
v:c found at the Port of
;rln, Beach with min empty
rart!:?s which ordinarily hold
\+? small launches,
Sc, CI a, Sp- ,,,h-spcakini;
L I cv, men-,hers .food on deck
,it ricclin,?tl it, speak to
Ii e ships that change colors
a d names were found alwig
1?' rida's snutheast coast
T ursdav following a Chat ;'r
h', Fill,`] ('assn, 'hat our is
uI nited t) the Central Iri-
ic ligeace Agency , 1'!'
The Rex, said l,y ('ast.'n to
t in the set' :c' of Ole CIA,
\ is located h, rthed at the
Fort of Palm BeadI'. A
s miler ci;+ft, the Leda, i as
LI `,'lied at Poll K\Crglades.
Ana it the ~"illero,
It to been icing Fort Pierce as
i home base hut its where
a outs Thursday were un-
In.\'n.
J. A. Belcher, Miami oil
Cunpany execuIf Ive, said
'I htrnday the 174-foot Re,
b'longs to him. but dented
t e vessel participated in
rids against the Cuban
c ,est.
"I'm it husine?s- man. ?, ! a
1 in Quixote, ? aid Belcher. A
n ember of the Belcher Oil
i I. family.
He said the Rex is operated
I,' the Seaiicy Shippin;;
C ,rp.. which he controls s p-
a ate from his oil company
a livitles.
* * *
IN AN accusing speech'
\ ednesday Ctening. Castro
d scribed the Rex as the
other ship" ish 'I
1; witched 1\to small
( '1. 21 in an in\ asioo ,.;., . a-
CPYRGHT
and are said to be actively
supporting it proposed mili-
tary operation against the
pro-Communist government.
Belcher said that for most
of the year he has leased the
Rex for electronic research
and oceanographic trips to
the international Division of
the Collins Radio Co., of Dal-
las, Tex.
I'; . , rnn~r'- tipan-
c , a 1~?rt conm,t;ls,r,t'
i n l : h.,. l ht'r,
. rnc;i,'. ~ 1 .'\,? (tilt. an\'
int ?r'" ,ir .
1- Uh do
opera=
T'Ite Leda flits [III, U.S. fla.-
hill harltnrn6l',ter r e t it r d c
show: it should 11i the. Nicar-
aguan flag.
n lien :u ii ;;,'nlrt! with the
Lc.l;i . `?!. is a fund:,
tyh;;,. 9hc ? h~,n;;cd 'clots all
,the line. Sometimes the 'hull
Uoli! ; Le Wile ?,vith a green
deck ,"tli.'m `,inns, ;' 'vas gray,
%l,y o- r. A I e v a n 41 e r
itr.... ;,., told hint the Rex had
u. ,. r lain w'thin Cuba's
o ater, and that
Ii-I no\.'r been engaged ift
it,-('a',Iro %tar ac(I-ities.
Thcir I- et i c e q ci`
rrflorlyd the air of mystery
?.+hich surrounded the ship.
An''!her rail official com-
]tte,Yer!, ..1,:, rrvhody just iyc-
nnrcr I!7al s1:1;1. imluding the
l 11,41 m s a' it ?;u;tm 'ni tie pco-
p!c.
Port Opera:ions Director J.
tiunn)' Inttdon s.iiil, "The Rex
whit's and goes at v'arioIIC
hitroat'.. 111 do"t ask any
question? aunt fill- >' don't vol-
untrar non information."
N i g h t Dockmaster Fred
Smith reported the ship was
out of port Oct. 21 and did
not return until Oct. 28.
BEL('HER said he bought
the Rex a year ago from the
Paragon Co., a Nicaraguan
concern, which formerly he-
looged to the ruling Somoza
family but has since changed
hands.
The Snrnort; Alt' RVOWed
meioses of thr ('astu rc.irr,e
Sanitized - Approved
FOIAb3b
ton t know if it has any
-, ei,ctwri \\itl; the ('IA: I
scr? how it could,.' rc-
'd i3e1;hcr.
A('CORI)IN(l to Castro,
l n(? ilex was employed by the
lambises, an
;ink-Castro action group
in Central America in
all t nI r, g l i n n.,tnc;,\'t?: yhe
ni of Oct. `l.
I hahlr exile sourr?e in
'our' ;ncml'ers of
W. 'anti' ratiott leant have
;,!,:,dy he:r;i ;:aed by Castro
P,;" Iha' !!tree irf the boat's
c:.... r:'''i-Ihct's were impris-
ourd. 1? believed the three
lain I', i;u crewmen are those
Castro o\ ill shrnv on TV.
According to the exile
1 Fource, a lone Castro plane
openerl its guns on the Rex,
which returned fire. The
plo"'- subsequently left the
sc. nr rind the Res. with on-
f it crew memi>pts Sn-
jur,?,1, tirvl.
, , .':ri . observers
),,',, I tl' sore never arty
('? I.);'o. i f i c i a l s around
NO rr; \'illero came In.
'i?r? I:IO :,,icaraguan
On deck ore plywood boxes
m;u ken' "high s oitage." Port
r;c;,In}ea ntaint+in there are
gun m-iiits under the ply-
it o?r:.
(';.,Ir.. >r-'ti cpun their ;it-
-I;- ,I in it wane their plane
tva: it's: %(;,-d Iuled \sith
r"".1 1,n hi,irl, t, in fruit
For Release : CIA-RDP75-00149R000100330004-4