LETELIER WITNESS SAYS HE MADE HIM EASE TESTIMONY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000403680027-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 22, 2010
• Sequence Number: 27
• Publication Date: June 7, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/22 : CIA-RDP90-00552R000403680027-3
STAT
ARTICLE. APPEARED
ON PAGE X-3
-By JOE TRCNTO
Staff reporter ?
WASHINGTON Fearing death
from anti-Castro Cubans, a key gov-
ernment witness says he delibera-
tely tried to sound less believable in
the retrial of two Cuban nationalists
for, the -murder of Chilean leftist
Orlando Letelier.
t ".
The.retria'l ended May 30 with the
acquittal of Guillermo Novo Sam-
pol, 41,'-and Alvin Ross Diaz, 48.
They had . been serving life sen-
tences.
Ricardo Cete;'fiown ~liidiing
Under the Federal Witness Protec
tion Program;told the Sunday News
Jburnal that "I decided in order to
save my wife and, family I had to
sound less convincing. I cannot rely
on the government to protect me or
them. I was convinced the govern-
ment would not make their case and
they didn't." .-_ .) ,~.:r
In an interview, Canete, also,said
'the star. government ;,,witness,
Michael -,Vernon,. Townley-,-;coned
down his testimony.'
Letelier, the 44-year-old spokes-
man for the overthrown Allende
regime in Chile, was killed along
with an American;co-worker in a
,Washington; D.C:'car bombing pit
':Seat; 71,1976. E. Lawrence Barcella
-
an. assistant`U.S,:`attoihey *h0
prosecuted the case,: called it the
most. blatant at of terrorism In
United States history.
Barcella confirmed last week that
?"Rick.[Canete) made a terrible wit-
ness. He usually is a consummate
actor and he just wasn't this time." ,
Barcella also said that Townley,
serving a -plea-bargained 3-to-10-
year-sentence as the trigger man
and organizer of the Letelier killing,
"was just. not as -convincing as he',
was in the first- trial. They just.
didn't believe Mike." In that origi,
nal trial in January 1979 the defen-
dants were convicted.
Canete said it.was clear in Town-
ley's testimony at the second trial -
that."Mike isn't' happy about having
to spend time in jail when the guys
h t titi' d - :..,..& ,--
e
7 June 19#31
;W1IL:?I`1GTON :'1~';1S JOJit~1AIJ
Townley was not available for an '
interview.-Barcella, says that. rules
about.. government-protected - wit
-nesses in prison are so strict that no
interview was allowed.
"He just wasn't as sharp and I
know he is a sharp guy,"-Barcella
said about Townley. - "1 think he
understood that the politics of the
situation had changed. The Reagan
people had a lot of support in the
'
Cuban community.
One high official at the Justice
Department believes that it is only a
matter of time before the order
comes down for Barcella and. the
FBI to put the Letelier case "on the
shelf.". That official asked that his
name not be used.
"It is an embarrassment to prose-
cute and try to extradite officials of
a government you are trying to
improve relations with," the Justice .
Department attorney said. ?`-
Barcella says "the fact that we
.have : indicted three Chilean offi-
cials, and the Reagan Administra-
tion has lifted sanctiong that Carter
had put on that government for not.
?extradicting them, ` 'gives . 'the
impression the government, isn't
behind : this --prosecution .... 'The
Letelier .case is.a Jimmy Carter
human rights leftover."
. Barcella'said that while he was
not happy' about the acquittal of
Novo and 'Ross, "they were aides to
Townley in the plot. Those behind
the murder 'are still protected in
Chile by the government and still at
large."
He was referring to two indicted
Cuban Nationalists, whom he called
"more direct participants" in the
fatal bombing; and to-three indicted
Chilean secret police, officials who
.are protected from extradition fort
trial here by the Chilean govern-'
?3ment.
?The Cuban Nationalists, Virgilio
Paz Romero, 29, and Jose Dionisio
Suarez Esquivel, 42, received their
training in. explosives and.assassi-
nation from the CIA during the days
when anti-Castro activity was sanc-
tioned by the government.
The Sunday. 'News Journal
reported in February 1980 that
intelligence and law enforcement
officials in the United States, Chile
and South Africa believe the. men
have also been used in a dozen such
-political .assassinations ' in their,
countries.
A CIA-official, who helped train
the Cubans, said last week, "Look,
-when you implicate. the Chilean
secret police, you implicate our own
.-CIA. The Chileans - indicted=[Juan
.Manuel}-Contreras Sepulvelda, who
.headed , their: ; secret police and.
ordered the killing, recently partici-;
pated in security exercises with U.S '!
tintelligencew ,
,
:.:Barcella and -L. Carter Cornick,:
``f he FBI.agentin charge of. the Lete
her:_irive_tigationsay the?most:
humiliating'?aspect is-the fact that'
they had to. go.-to the CIA, "haft -in.
hand," as:=-Barcella put it,,.; and-;
,request the CIA. to volunteer infor-
mation about ,how much of. a. role's
..U.S.:uitelligeiice had in traintng.the_' -
Cubans and the Chileans. - ~?. - :'~~
"It is very possible the CIA lied_to ,
me and withheld information from
-me on these cases," Barcella said
after the- retrial. "Some.reporters_I
might suggest I took a dive on these.:,
But dammit, I have to have facts to
go into court and the CIA-can just'
about do anything they want"
Still wanted are Contreras Sepul-
velda,'and two agents of- DINA, the
Chilean' -: secret police,-. -j:Capt.
,Armando Fernandez Larios and Col.
Pedro Espinoza.
;Barcella has little hope of seeing;
? them tried. "My stock isn't too high
f over at. the State Department these
`days,".he says with a laugh,.refer--
.+ ring to the possibility, the men will 'J
be expatriated:=
- Canete.-was'a valuable;`witness-
of?
.-because as. a' founding member,
the Cuban-Nationalist.Movement in
"the United States, he infiltrated the
;,leadership of Omega 7...
e es
' Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/22: CIA-RDP90-00552R000403680027-3