Uruguayan passports, arrived in Prague, together with six other Cubans, names not presently known, at 2205 Zulu 1 April 1965 aboard Aerolineas Cubana flight 9880 from Havana, via Gander, Newfoundland.
They were immediately taken under unusual conditions of security to a house at 407 Ulbrechtstr, not far from the airport. This is known to be a safe house operated by STASI, the East German State Security Service, and heretofore has been made available only for East German and Soviet activities. This would tend to confirm Soviet involvement in Guevara’s operation.
Guevara and Dreke, traveling as Benítez and Milían, have reservations on Czechoslovak Air flight 2332 Prague/Cairo/Dar es Salaam 2300 3 April 1965.
Respectfully submitted,
Sanford T. Felter
SANFORD T. FELTER
COLONEL, GSC, U.S. ARMY
As the President was reading it, Mr. Finton reached into his pocket and handed a carbon copy of the memorandum to the Director of the CIA.
“Thank you,” the President said to Mr. Finton when he had finished reading the memorandum. “And thank Colonel Felter.”
“Yes, Mr. President,” Mr. Finton said.
“You got anything for Felter?” the President asked when he saw that the Director of the CIA had finished reading his copy of the memorandum.
“No, sir,” the director said.
“Thank you,” the President said to Finton, dismissing him.
The President waited until the door closed.
“Well, do you still have doubts that Guevara is going to the Congo?” he asked.
“This would seem to suggest, if this can be relied on, Mr. President, that Guevara is going at least to Dar es Salaam,” the Director said.
“Maybe you know something I don’t,” the President said. “Why do you think, since he’s already been to Dar es Salaam as Che Guevara, that he’s going back there with a phony name, on a phony passport, via Prague?”
“I just don’t know, Mr. President,” the Director said.
“Yeah,” the President said. “That’s what I thought.”
[ FIVE ]
SECRET
URGENT
FROM: CIA LANGLEY 2 APRIL 1965 1310 GMT
TO: STATION CHIEFS:
ALGIERS, ALGERIA
BERLIN, GERMANY
CAIRO, EGYPT
DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA
MONTREAL, CANADA
PARIS, FRANCE
PRAGUE, CZECHOSLOVAKIA
VIENNA, AUSTRIA
SUBJECT: POSSIBLE MOVEMENT OF ERNESTO “CHE” GUEVERA AND OTHERS REFERENCE MY 03/5788 SUBJECT AS ABOVE.
INASMUCH AS THERE HAS BEEN ZERO RESPONSE TO REFERENCED MESSAGE, THE DIRECTOR PERSONALLY SENDS THE FOLLOWING FOR THE GENERAL INFORMATION OF ALL CONCERNED:
GUEVERA AND DREKE AND OTHERS ARE IN PRAGUE, SPECIFICALLY AT 407 ULBRECHTSTR.
THEREFORE, ATTEMPTED SURVEILLANCE AT GANDER, BERLIN, ALGIERS AND VIENNA MAY BE DISCONTINUED.
IT IS STRONGLY SUGGESTED THAT STATION CHIEF PRAGUE OBTAIN PASSAGE ABOARD CZECHOSLAVAK AIR FLIGHT 2332 DEPARTING PRAGUE 2300 3 MARCH 1965, ON WHICH GUEVERA, DREKE, AND POSSIBLY OTHERS WILL TRAVEL TO DAR ES SALAAM ON URUGUAYAN PASSPORTS. STATION CHIEF CAIRO SIMILARLY SHOULD SURVEILLE CAIRO/DAR ES SALAAM LEG OF THIS FLIGHT.
IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT STATION CHIEF DAR ES SALAAM MEET THE AIRCRAFT AND, PRESUMING PRAGUE AND CAIRO PERSONNEL ARE ABOARD, WITH THEIR ASSISTANCE ATTEMPT TO KEEP GUEVERA, DREKE, AND POSSIBLY OTHERS UNDER SURVEILLANCE.
ALL CONCERNED ARE REMINDED IT IS THE FUNCTION OF THE AGENCY TO DEVELOP AND DELIVER INTELLIGENCE OF THIS NATURE, NOT RECEIVE IT FROM OTHERS.
CONFIRMING OR DISPROVING REPORTS PLUS ANY OTHER INTEL THAT CAN BE GENERATED IN RE MOVEMENT OR LOCATION OF GUEVARA AND/DREKE WILL BE TRANSMITTED BY THE MOST EXPEDITIOUS MEANS, INCLUDING SATELLITE, TO CIA LANGLEY EYES ONLY DIRECTOR CIA AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR /ADMIN.
FOR THE DIRECTOR
O’CONNOR ASST DIR/ADMIN
SECRET
[ SIX ]
TOP SECRET
Central Intelligence Agency Langley, Virginia
FROM: Assistant Director For Administration
FROM: 4 April 1965 1530 GMT
SUBJECT: Guevara, Ernesto (Memorandum #69.)
TO: The President
Copy TO: Mr. Sanford T. Felter
Counselor To The President
Room 637, The Executive Office
Building
Washington, D.C.
By Officer Courier
The Director believed The President would find the CIA generated intelligence reported herein of interest. In compliance with Presidential Memorandum to The Director, Subject: “Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara,” dated 14 December 1964, the following information is being furnished to Colonel Felter. (Reliability Scale Five).
Follows verbatim satellite transmitted message from James M. Foster, CIA Station Chief, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania:
TOP SECRET
1445 GREENWICH 4 APRIL 1965
FROM STATION CHIEF, DAR ES SALAAM
TO (EYES ONLY) DIRECTOR, CIA, LANGLEY (EYES ONLY) DEPDIR ADMIN, CIA LANGLEY
TWO INDIVIDUALS BEARING URUGUAYAN PASSPORTS AND MEETING DESCRIPTION OF GUEVERA/BENÍTEZ AND DREKE/MILÍAN (YOUR 03/5788) ARRIVED DAR ES SALAAM ABOARD CZECHOSLOVAK AIR FLIGHT 2332 1550 4 APRIL 1965. TOGETHER WITH SIX OTHERS THEY WERE OFFLOADED UNDER CONDITIONS OF UNUSUAL SECURITY AND TRUCKED TO A FARM IN THE VICINITY OF MOROGORO, APPROXIMATELY 75 MILES WEST OF DAR ES SALAAM.
THE SITE IS UNDER SURVEILLANCE. INITIAL INFORMATION INDICATES THE NOW DESERTED FARM, OWNED BY WHITES WHO HAVE LEFT THE COUNTRY, WAS RENTED BY AN EAST GERMAN FIRM BELIEVED TO BE CONTROLLED BY STASI. PROVINCIAL TANZANIAN POLICE HAVE ESTABLISHED ROAD BLOCKS ON NATIONAL ROUTE A7.
INASMUCH AS THIS STATION IS PREPARED TO MAINTAIN AROUND