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Cryptonym: SLCAPRICE-1

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Definition:
SLCAPRICE-1 was Oscar Concepcion Mendoza, Cuban intelligence agent, stationed in the Cuban embassy. A memo by Felipe Acevedo in October of 1976 stated that S-1 was Oscar Concepcion Mendoza.
Status:
Documented
Discussion:
It was alleged by Nicaraguan intelligence source Gilberto Alvarado that Mendoza was one of the men who supposedly gave Oswald $6500 to kill JFK on September 18, 1963 at the Cuban Embassy, but Alvarado recanted his statement a week after the JFK assassination.
Sources:

Brian Latell, Castro's Secrets, p. 111

"Clever, charming, and gregariously persuasive, Roche (AMNIP-1) was a born street operative and was soon cutting to the DGI's quick...an agent, known as CAPRICE-1, was pitched by Roche in 1964 and formally enlisted several years later."

https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/2021/docid-32373928.pdf

10/18/76: Memorandum for the record from Felipe Acevedo: Subject: Oscar Concepcion Mendoza (SLCAPRICE-1): "The following information was uncovered during a review of Cuban operational files. It should be brought to the attention of C/LA/COG, and made a part of SLCAPRICE-1's official 201 file: a. A conversation from a telephone tap of the Cuban Embassy in Mexico City, 22 November 1963: Marta, Oscar's wife, tells Llagostera (Jose Llagostera Garcia, gardener at the Cuban Embassy in Mexico City and reportedly G-2) to tell Oscar that he forget some of the candy. Llagostera says that their plane will not arrive until 1615 hours. Marta is sending the candy to someone in Cuba and she doesn't want Oscar to forget it. Llagostera tells Marta that a good man died today. Marta replied really, who? Kennedy, says Llagostera. Marta laughs, tells Llagostera not to forget to tell Oscar about the candy. (Copy of tape is attached). b. From SLCAPRICE-1's 201 file: In 1964 AMNIP-1 (Miguel Roche Monroy - DGI defector) suggested to SLCAPRICE-1 that the latter meet with CIA to talk about ridding Cuba of Communism. S-1 was non-committal. S-1 met with Bob Shaw in 1964. S-1 was recruited by CIA in 1975. During a debriefing at that time, S-1 said that he reported to the DGI in 1964 AMNIP-1's recruitment pitch to him, but said that he did not mention Bob Shaw's name." - - - Page 3: "Note by Annie Goodpasture: 18 Feb 77. The attached transcript was from a LIFEAT tap of the home of Concepcion. The same call appears in a LIENVOY transcript which was from a tap on the Cuban Embassy office phone, copy attached in Spanish (347 in margin indicates call)."

104-10308-10279: THE FOLLOWING IS A RETYPED COPY ON AN ILLEGIBLE COPY IN TEH ZRNICK (1963) VOL 1 FILE

These ZRKNICK notes refer to "18 October 1976 - memo on Concepcion - ()CAPRICE-1". This would indicate that Oscar Concepcion Mendoza is probably CAPRICE-1, but it is not certain. The note says in pertinent part: "A full report via Candi (probably in secret writing) was requested on the reaction of the GUSANOS (Cuban exiles) and the Republicans to Kennedy's death." It then states: "For information on CANDI and a possible identification of CANDI, refer to the Cuban teltaps. The taps show that the wife (Marta) of a known DGI officer (Oscar CONCEPCION Mendoza) made the following statement: Tell Llagostera to tell Oscar not to forget the candy. This statement is decidedly non-sequitur in light of the conversation."

LA Division Work File/ pdf PDF version: 107K NARA Record Number: 104-10506-10029 LEE HARVEY OSWALD

June 1977 memo by Latin American Division on Lee Harvey Oswald: "Pertinent information from findings: 201-740221 - Gilberto Nolasco ALVARADO Ugarte - ALVARADO walked-in to the US Embassy, Mexico City on 26 November 1963 and claimed that he had seen members of the Cuban embassy, including ()CAPRICE-1, pass $6,500 to Oswald on 18 September 1963 for the purpose of killing someone."

104-10017-10081: TRAVELER NEEDS ASSISTANCE THRU CUSTOMS IN MEXICO; PLANS TO INTERROGATE ALVARADO.

Declaration of Alvarado to the Mexican police in late November, 1963: Alvarado saw two men exit a taxi, "one a negro, tall, of about 1 meter 82 centimeters tall, a thin man, but strong, with bulging eyes, high cheek bones, thick lips, reddish kinky hair, and wearing a brown suit...(the other was a Canadian man.) Alvarado went towards the restroom, and saw on the stairs "a very powerful looking individual, dark in color, tall, wearing white rimmed glasses. The man worked in the Cuban embassy, because ALVARADO had seen him there before. He saw him give the red haired Negro a package which appeared to contain money. Upon coming out of the rest room, he saw the Negro, the Canadian and the North American were having a heated conversation. He noticed that the Negro had a very visible scar on the right side of his chin and that he was counting money and giving it to the North American. ALVARADO heard them counting to the sum of $6500."

104-10186-10249: INFORMATION REPORT: OSCAR CONCEPCION MENDOZA

This information, obtained on 11/4/63, describes Concepcion as "white, five foot, eight inches tall, 150 pounds, and has brown hair." The previous page adds that he has a "thin build". That does not jibe with the above statement of "a very powerful looking individuals, dark in color, tall". Was Concepcion ever described by Alvarado as one of the men passing the $6500? Or could the red haired Negro or someone else be ()CAPRICE-1? The red-haired Negro is known to be Ernesto Andres Armona Ramos, commercial attache in 1962-63 before his replacement by Guillermo Ruiz. (Gus Russo, et al., Brothers in Arms, p. 403). Also see: http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=108326&relPageId=3&search=armona

1993.08.11.15:28:46:840006: ROCCA DEPOSITION MATERIALS

4/15/64 memo from David Slawson and William Coleman to J. Lee Rankin: "We know informally and through highly digested reports that the allegations of Mr. Alvarado, a Nicaraguan double agent formerly operating in Mexico, have been thoroughly investigated and established beyond a reasonable doubt as false. However, for the record, we should get a complete report from the agency involved. Both the FBI representative in Mexico City and the CIA representative there agree that the appropriate agency to do this would be the CIA."

Contributors:
Bill Simpich • MFF

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