124 90110 10083

124-90110-10083 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 JFK Assassination System Identification Form Date: 6/2/2015

Agency Information AGENCY: FBI RECORD NUMBER: 124-90110-10083 RECORD SERIES : HQ AGENCY FILE NUMBER: CR 105-89923-184

Document Information ORIGINATOR: FBI FROM: MM TO: HQ TITLE: DATE: 04/13/1961 PAGES: 3 SUBJECTS: CLIP JOSEPH RAYMOND MEROLA

DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION: Secret RESTRICTIONS: 1A; 4 CURRENT STATUS: Redact DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 08/06/1998

OPENING CRITERIA : INDEFINITE, APPROVAL OF CIA COMMENTS: TT

54-41 (Rev. 1-25-61)

Radio URGENT 4-13-61 4-17 PM SK TO DIRECTOR FROM SAC, MIAMI 131836 INTERNAL SECURITY-CUBA

Teletype

Tolson Parsons Mohr Belmont Callahan Conrad DeLoach Rosen Tavel Trotter W.C. Sullivan Tele. Room Ingram Gandy

CIA HAS NO OBJECTION TO LECLASSICCAT AND/OBONAHOE RELEASE OF CLANFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT. EXCEPTORRIES NRG. 2 Classims by Declassify on: VADR

IS-GUBA. BUFILES 105-89923, 137-6257,87-58729. APRIL 3 LAST MM 722 C FURNISHED FOLLOWING RE JOSEPH RAMEROLA, FORMER CI, NOW SUSPECT IN "UNSUBS (TWO) ARMED ROBBERY OF APPROXIMATELY $117,200 IN JEWELRY AND CASE, RESIDENCE OF EDITH, AND FRITZ DORIGO, HALLANDALE, FLORIDA, MARCH 20, 1961, ITSP, MAJOR THEFT, 00 MIAMI." MEROLA RECENTLY TOLD CI HE IS CONNECTED WITH CIA IN SOME CAPACITY IN WHICH HE CLAIMED TO HAVE ACCESS TO ALL FORMS EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION, BEING FURNISHED BY CIA TO SOME ANTI CASTRO GROUP. MEROLA CLAIMED CIA SENDS THIS EQUIPMENT TO MEROLAS HOME WHERE IT IS SUBSEQUENTLY PICKED UP BY BOAT FROM REAR MEROLA RESIDENCE CLAIMED HE IS REQUIRED HAVE CUBANS WHO OBTAIN GUNS SIGN RECEIPT FOR SAME. OPERATION TAKES PLACE UNDER COVER DARKNESS. CLA I MED TO HAVE TAKEN FROM EQUIPMENT SEVERAL AUTOMATICS EQUIPPED WITH SILENCERS. INFORMANT CLAIMS MEROLA IS ARMING THE OUTFIT" AND IS FURNISHING THESE WEAPONS TO VARIOUS HOODLUM ACQUAINTANCES FOR SUM $500 EACH. MEROLA EXHIBITED ONE SUCH AUTOMATIC TO CI AND DEMONSTRATED BY FIRING SHOT INTO AIR. CI "COULD NOT HEAR A THING." ON APRIL 5 JOHN NOBLE, COVERT CIA AGENT WORKING OPERATIONAL LEVEL, ADVISED DID NOT BELIEVE CIA HAD OPERATIONAL INTEREST IN MEROLA BUT WOULD CHECK.. ON APRIL 6 HE ADVISED CIA HAD NOT OPERATIONAL INTEREST IN MERORECON ON APRIL 7 JUSTIN Tel to Miami MICHA

4/1/61

CLIP Reshup 23-184 XEROX CAIMINAL INFORMANT APR 24 1961 TRANSPORTATION OF STOLEN PROPERTY

If the intelligence contained in the above message is to be disseminated outside the Bureau, it is suggested that it be suitably paraphrased in order to protect the Bureau's cryptographic systems.

4-41 (Rev. 1-25-61)

Radio

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Tolson Parsons Mohr Belmont Callahan Conrad DeLoach Evans Malone Rosen Tavel Trotter W.C. Sullivan Tele. Room Ingram Gandy

PAGE TWO: FROM SAC, MIAMI 131836

GLEICHAUF, OVERT CIA REPRESENTATIVE, MIAMI, ADVISED ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO HE WENT TO MEROLAS HOME AFTER MEROLA PESTERED HIM WITH PHONE CALLS OFFERING RENT PLANE OR HELICOPTER TO CLA FOR USE BY FRENTE REVOLUCIONARIO DEMOCRATICO, ANTI CASTRO ORGANIZATION UTILIZED BY CLIP. MEROLA SHOWED GLEICHAUF BOAT TERRY KNAUT" DOCKED BEHIND HIS HOME AND IMPLIED THIS WAS HIS BOAT AND IT HAD ALREADY BEEN USED BY FRENTE. MEROLA SEEMED EAGER GET OUT OF U. S. AND SUGGESTED CIA USE HIM ON SOME MISSION TO BRAZIL WHERE MEROLA PLANNED WORK OUT DEAL TO SHIP WHISKEY TO BRAZIL DUTY FREE THROUGH BRAZILIAN POLITICIAN. GLEICHAUF TOLD MEROLA HE WAS NOT INTERESTED. AFTER FURTHER CHECK, GLEICHAUF ADVISED MIAMI THIS BOAT HAS BEEN USED ON ONE OR MORE OPERATIONS BY FRENTE, BUT NOT LIKELY BE USED AGAIN BECAUSE IN BAD SHAPE. BOAT 63 FEET, BEARS REGISTRATION NUMBER 270404. GLEICHAUF STATED MEROLA NOT WORKING FOR CIA OR FRENTE SO FAR AS CAN DETERMINE. ON APRIL 5 DAVID GLASS, COVERT CIA AGENT, FURNISHED MIAMI LIST BOATS BEING USED IN VARIOUS OPERATIONS IN WHICH CIA HAS INTEREST. "TERRY KNOTT" ON THIS LIST. AFTER SEVERAL FUNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT VARONA PERSONALLY, ON APRIL 13 JORGE MORAN, SECRETARY TO MANUEL ANTONIO DE VARONA LOREDO, GENERAL COORDINATOR OF FRENTE, CONFIDENTIALLY ADVISED MEROLA IS WORKING ON THE BOAT "TERRY KNOTT" OWNED BY MOVIMIENTO DE RECUPERACION DE LA REVOLUCION, MRR, WHICH IS MEMBER ORGANIZATION OF FRENTE. MORAN STATED BOAT WAS OPERATED BY SANTIAGO BABUM APRIL 8 AND JOSE "PEPE" VARRIOLA WAS IN CHARGE OF "TERRY KNOTT

No locality

If the intelligence contained in the above message is to be disseminated outside the Bureau, it is suggested that it be suitably paraphrased in order to protect the Bureau's cryptographic systems.