[1]14-00000
[3]104-10103-10108) ~ | 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 |
[5]; 14 February 1977
[6]MEMORANDUM
[7]SUBJECT: Nestor Antonio MORENO. Lopez ((AMICE-27)| (201-312091)
[9]1. MORENO was’ born on 25 August 1921 in Havana, Cuba.
[10]His father was a Cuban Senator (1940-44) and the Cuban Minister
[11]of Public Works (1944). MORENO became a lawyer and continued
[12]to live in comfortable circumstances. He became involved in
[13]the anti-BATISTA movement, apparently in the late 1950's, and
[14]‘ultimately in the 26th of July Movement. After the revolution,
[15]one of his clients was Camilo CIENFUEGOS. In Miami after
[16]defection, he was associated with the JURE.
[18]2. MORENO's specific activities in the anti-BATISTA
[19]movement were not reported and apparently were unexceptional.
[20]-A point worth noting about his activities before defection is
[21]his acquaintance with Tad SZULC, at least by 1959, and with
[22]Jorge VOLSKY. MORENO's background as.a lawyer did not prepare
[23]him for active revolutionary involvement. When he defected in
[24]April 1961, therefore, he associated with anti-CASTRO exiles,
[25]particularly VOLSKY, but did not become actively. involved. .
[26]He was assessed in 1963 as being unfriendly to CIA.
[28]3. About February 1963 MORENO and Enrique CAYADO Ribera
[29]‘reportedly collaborated in the formulation of an operational
[30]plan to overthrow the Castro government. They discussed it
[31]with Jorge VOLSKY, who then passed it to Tad SZULC. VOLSKY
[32]and SZULC apparently conspired to have the plan presented to
[33]the "political authorities" (Robert HURWITCH and the KENNEDY
[34]Administration) in Washington in order to by-pass the dis-
[36]SECRET
[37]. ae
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[41]SECiET
[43]trusted "operational authorities" (the CIA). (VOLSKY
[44]originally took full credit for the plan, called "Leonardo
[45]Plan," which eventually became known as the AMTRUNK Operation.)
[46]4. The Leonardo Plan was well thought—out and caught the
[47]fancy of the KENNEDY Administration. HURWITCH bought it to
[48]the CIA with the blessings of the Department of State. Thus,.
[49]from the very beginning, SZULC, VOLSKY, and MORENO, each of
[50]whom had outside interests to some degree in conflict with
[51]AMTRUNK, were involved in AMTRUNK policy and planning meetings.
[53]Moreover, all three were to some degree antipathetic to the
[55]_ Agency for various reasons and were difficult or impossible
[57]to control.
[58]5. MORENO's indiscretions were a serious problem that
[59]limited his effectiveness as a direct participant in the AMTRUNK
[61]Operation by arousing the concern of other participants. While
[63]the Station attempted to cut out VOLSKY and SZULC after the
[65]initial policy discussions in Washington, VOLSKY always remained
[66]involved to some degree and kept SZULC fully informed. Under
[67]the circumstances, the censure of MORENO for talking to SZULC
[68]was just an attempt to plug one of many leaks. The fact is
[70]that MORENO, SZULC, and VOLSKY believed they had an inside
[72]' track in Washington because of their contacts there and all
[74]three disliked following Agency instructions that conflicted
[75]with their own diverse interests. However, because JMWAVE |
[76]Station and/AMICE-14 (Miguel A. DIAZ Isalgue)| objected to
[77]MORENO's continued involvement in the AMTRUNK Operation after
[79]learning of his free talk with SZULC and others, the Station
[81]Seeney
[83]14-0000
[85]SLORET
[87]terminated MORENO' s involvement in the sensitive aspects
[88]of AMTRUNK in November 1963.
[90]6. Since MORENO was one of the original authors of
[92]AMTRUNK and already disliked the Agency, one can imagine his
[94]- feelings at that juncture. He sulked, refused at first to
[95]take a position on the Rebel Army Radio Program, and caused
[96]problems in general. By January 1964 MORENO was actually
[97]interferring in the AMTRUNK Operation [(by giving demoralizing,
[98]conflicting information to AMTRUNK-9, for example) and
[99]attempting to debrief returnees on behalf of VOLSKY and SZULC.
[100]MORENO was fired, therefore, by RABEL on{Station instructions,
[101]from the Rebel Army Radio Program in February 1964 and) termin-
[102]ated by the Station as of 5 March,
[104]7. [shortty after his termination, MORENO, using VOLSKY
[105]as an intermediary, approached Mr. G. Harvey SUMM with a
[106]proposal similar to the Leonardo Plan. The/COS met with SUMM
[107]on 1 April 1964 and advised him how to put off MORENO. | |
[109]8. In August or September 1964, MORENO left Miami and
[110]took a position as a Spanish- language professor in South
[111]Carolina.
[113]CONCLUSION:
[115]MORENO apparently was a sincere anti-CASTRO revolutionary,
[116]but his dislike for and distrust of the Agency, which was
[117]undoubtedly stimulated ‘by SZULC and VOLKSY, made his involve-
[118]ment in AMTRUNK a liability to the security of the operation.
[120]It appears that MORENO, like many Cubans of the upper middie
[122]14-0000
[124]RET
[126]class, had little sense of security. It is obvious that he
[127]trusted SZULC and VOLSKY far beyond what normal prudence
[128]would dictate. He probably was not a CASTRO agent, but he
[129]did help leak operational details and general plans to
[130]people who helped to spread the information more widely and
[132]who, themselves, were not trustworthy.
[134]LAD/JEK Tas Force 1977 }aPey
[136]See
[138]Copy filed: 201-312091