Home/ Resources / Projects / CIA Cryptonyms / bigram: SL / cryptonym: SLFAT-1

Cryptonym: SLFAT-1

Return to Main Crypts Page

Definition:
DGI officer, Ramon Cesar Cuenca Montato, G-2 chief of Matanzas Province.
Status:
Documented
Discussion:
104-10143-10216, p. 3: This dispatch in April 1971 cited Cuenca's 201 number as 201-328945. A cable in June, 1976, mentioning SLFAT-1, listed 201-0328945 and two other 201 numbers. This was Cuenca's 201 number. The other two 201 numbers were 201-0801134 (DGI officer, Santiago Diaz Paz) and 201-0300985 (Luis Clemente Posada, who had the cryptonym of WKSCARLET-3, among others).
Sources:

104-10072-10235: MEMBERS OF THE CUBAN EMBASSY IN MEXICO CITY

05/22/62: Field Information Report: Country: Cuba/Mexico: Place & Date Acq.: Mexico, Mexico City (15 May 1962): "Source: Member (F) of the Cuban Embassy staff in Mexico City. Appraisal of Content: 2...2. Ramon Cesar Cuenca Montoto, Commercial Attache of the Cuban Embassy, is also the head of the Cuban G-2 in Mexico and is considered to be the most important man in the Embassy. He is dangerous and a hard-core Communist. Cuenca handles most of the Embassy money received from Cuba. He is very close to Lechuga and Lechuga consults him regularly. At the present time Cuenca is on a trip in south-east Mexico making contacts. Cuenca's wife, Gloria Ferrer Meneses de Cuenca, also has relations living in the United States. Cuenca works very closely with Mexican and Spanish Communists in Mexico..." Also see 104-10276-10070 for an excerpted version, which cites AMSTOKE-1 as the source, as well as 1994.05.09.10:58:41:570005 - Reel 17, Folder Q - MANUEL VEQA PEREZ - p. 252 for the folder containing the redacted version of the excerpt.

104-10512-10046: CABLE: ON 16 SEP 62 AMSAIL-1 MET RAMON CESAR CUENCA MONTOTO AT CUENCAS

09/19/62: Cable from Mexico City to Director and JMWAVE (Ousler Acting): "1. On 16 Sep 62 AMSAIL-1 met Ramon Cesar Cuenca Montoto at Cuenca's home and obtained his agreement in principle to cooperate. Meeting arranged by (FNU) Rossell Comas, good friend of Cuenca's and LIMASK, who unaware A-1's previous contacts with Cuenca's wife Gloria. Apparently no security problems. 2. Initial conversation revolved around role USA and USSR in Latin America. Cuenca concurred that basically the question of USSR Vs USA in Cuba. Said this part of world American stamping ground. Said even Mexico inclined accept this. A-1 this an entree, saying AMBUD aware Cuenca not commie and assumed thus willing help his country. Cuenca agreed he could help but said had problems. Said had two brothers and parents and seriously-ill father-in-law in Cuba. Seemed relieved when A-1 said: A. Could ask Asylum these persons through local Latin American ambassadors MEXI and who have promised assist such cases; B. Could vouch for Cuenca after fall Fidel. Cuenca said he aware A-1 had this power. Cuenca said could delay departure for Cuba 3 or 4 weeks pretext straightening out remaining office details. 3. Next meeting scheduled Cuenca's house 2200 hours 17 Sep...Cuenca seems be thinking in terms of AMSTOKE-1 type action, i.e. helping in actions against Cuban Embassy Mexico for several weeks and then jumping publicly. A-1 does not believe provocation since Cuenca's wife present at meeting and since Cuenca would have to fanatic indeed to provoke her also...5. Request HQs comments by PRITY cable. Please assign crypto."

104-10231-10339: CABLE: ROCHE TOLD HE ONE OF ORIGINAL MEMBERS CASTRO G-2

03/04/63: Cable to Director and JMWAVE: "1. Roche told AMBUD-8 he one of original members Castro G-2 into which he recruited Miguel Brugueras, whose pseudo was Gerardo. (RIOD-prepared press expose late Jan identified Brugueras as Gerardo who authored documents found in Lima crash). Roche mentioned Brugueras dept to Castroism and face he close to Che Guevara and Ramiro Valdez; but feels he smart enough not summarily dismiss recruitment proposition. Roche wants phone Brugueras and identify self by G-2 pseudo 'El Cojo' for pitch. 2. Roche knows of three penetrations of CRC. One is Nino Diaz Pardino, deputy, who former owner OFW Clube los 700 in Santiago, Cuba. Roche forgot his name but G-2 pseudo is 'El Guajiro.' Has scar on stomach. Other two are man and wife whose escape to Florida in small boat earlier this year covered in press. 3. Roche also identified Wilkin as G-2 chief whose pseudo is Santiago. Said that Guadencio Interian who travels as DIP courier is actually important officer transmitting directions from Ramon Cesar Cuenca of Cuban Embassy MEXI..."

104-10231-10332: MARIA ANTONIETTA FERRER DIAZ

8/30/63 memo by PW Alice B. Caponong states that Gloria Ferrer Meneses married to man 20 years younger, Ramon Cuenca, G-2 chief of Matanzas Province. She just arrived in Miami.

104-10186-10302: INFORMATION REPORT: RAMON CESAR CUENCA

06/26/64: Field Information Report: Country: Cuba. Place & Date Acq.: Washington, D.C., May 1964: "Source: A former Cuban IS officer who served with the Cuban Intelligence Service until April 1964. Headquarters Comment: The following report is one of a series containing personality information provided by the source and includes supplemental information from the records of this Agency. Ramon Cesar Cuenca is the chief of the Illegal Department for Central America, including Mexico and Panama, for the Direccion General de Inteligencia (DGI - General Directorate of Intelligence). In approximately September or October 1963 Cuenca went to Poland and was replaced in the Illegal Department by pseudonym 'Mike.' From December 1963 until February 1964 Cuenca was in Mexico and while there had interviews with Roberto Castellanos of the El Salvador Communist Party. Headquarters Comment: 1. The records of this Agency reveal no additional identifiable information on Ramon Cesar Cuenca aside from that which was passed in the above referenced CSCI." The source was AMMUG-1 (Vladimir Lahera Rodriguez) who had recently defected to the U.S.

104-10186-10299: INFORMATION REPORT: RAMON CESAR CUENCA MONTOTO

7/1/64: AMMUG-1 id's Cuenca as chief of Central American section of the "Illegal Department" of DGI. https://www.maryferrell.org/php/crypsuedit.php?type=crypt&id=SLFAT-1#

124-10207-10459: No Title

7/8/64 DGI flowchart located on this page.  Manuel Pineiro aka "Redbeard" listed as Director. Cuenca's department can be found on the second item from the left, in the Illegal Department's Central America section. See pp. 9-10 of 19, 7/8/64; the "Illegal Department" is responsible for promotion and direction of revolutionary activity, including guerrilla warfare. The department consists of agents of all nationalities whose activities and connections with Cuba are kept secret. This department recruits the agents, arranges for their training, and handles them - they stay abroad, none of them are known to be stationed in the US. There are three sections, Cuenca is chief of the Central America section. p. 12: "In debriefing foreign visitors, the department often works through ICAP, which makes arrangements for many visits to Cuba; in many instances, the visitors supply information unwittingly and are never aware that they are in contact with Cuban intelligence." See page 18 for more history of DGI.

104-10408-10143: CONTACT REPORT: REPORT ON MEETING WITH AMMUG-1 AND REVIEW OF CUBAN MUGBOOKS VOL 1

04/13/71: Dispatch from COS, WH/Miami to Chief, Western Hemisphere Division: Subject: TYPIC/DGI-DSE Officials Known to AMMUG-1: ..."Ramon Cesar Cuenca Montato (201-328945). AMMUG-1 identified Cuenca as being DGI..."

104-10178-10001: POSADA, LUIS CLEMENTE

00/05/76: Cable to Director: Slugline REAM CKTOP SGCHART: "1. 19 May 'El Universal' article with 'Nueva Prensa Latino Americana' and Felix Martinez Suarez byline 'KGB y DGI Operanen un Edificio Cercan a la Embajada Castrista' lists SLFAT-1 as the DGI head in Cuban Embassy in Caracas. Article claims same unidentified source as ref article and says SLFAT-1 is international 'key man.' Article contains passport picture of SLFAT-1 and purported clandestine photograph of Soviet ambassador Kasimirov, Cuban ambassador Hernandez, Cuban press attache Gomez, former Soviet minister counselor Kazantsev, SLTAUNT-1 and Luis Lazo of 'Prensa Latina' meeting in SLFAT-1's apartment near the Cuban Embassy. 2. Photograph noted above is copy of photo that DAO Colonel Roach obtained last week from unidentified member of MKSCARLET-3's investigations group. Apparently WKSCARLET-3; or, more likely, one of his subordinates, is Martinez's source for Cuban information. 3. Article goes on to call the letter bombs that the Cuban Embassy and 'Erotur' received recently as a dis-information ploy by Cubans. Also lists an 'Operation Canal' (Panama) as a plan to move Venezuela away from the US in which Soviet Union is also involved. Article says that Cubans are mobilizing 'Prensa Latina' now to influence Venezuelan elections on 1976 and again names Soviet ambassador as KGB head in Venezuela. 4. Station pouching copy of article to HQs. 5. File: 75-120-28: 201-0294757."

104-10178-10001: POSADA, LUIS CLEMENTE

00/06/76: Cable to Director: Slugline REAM TRACE: "1. DAO Colonel Roach told COS on 1 June that an unidentified DAO contact claims to have bug (now inactive due battery failure) in apartment of SLFAT-1. Roach told that, before failing, bug revealed that one Santiago Rodriguez had come to Caracas to investigate disclosures of Cubans in local Caracas press. 2. (REDACTION) has no Santiago Rodriguez listed in Cuban machine runs but ref, para 2A notes one Santiago Diaz arrived Caracas 13 May 1976 from Mexico to see Cuban ambassador Hernandez. Cuban machine runs on a Santiago Diaz Paz (201-0801134) list him as DGI officer who has served in London, Lima and Geneva. Request HQs traces Santiago Rodriguez. 3. Station suspects Roach's source is WKSCARLET-3 who has lately been active in a private investigations company with substantial monetary backing. Station plans reactivate contact with WKSCARLET-3, which previously dropped due security reasons, and investigate his knowledge of anti-Cuban operations in Venezuela. 4. File: 201-0801134: 201-0328945: 201-0300985."

104-10054-10021: DGI OPERATIONS IN MEXICO

Re October 1963: "Cuban objectives in Mexico are strongly influenced by the fact that Mexico is the only country with which Cuba maintains diplomatic relations and as such is invaluable as an operations base into other Latin American areas...DGI activities in Mexico come under the jurisdiction of Pedro Farinas Diaz, whose pseudonym is 'Otoniel'. He is the head of the DGI headquarters department of legal centers (Departamento Centros Legales), known as the MS Department, which administers all DGI overseas offices...The DGI Mexico office is headed by a senior officer who acts as chief of intelligence. The position was held in 1963, until October, by Manuel Vega Perez whose pseudonym is 'Marcos'; his successor was Alfredo Mirabal Diaz, whose pseudonym is 'Eulogio'. Other DGI officers known to have been assigned to the embassy overseas office at some period are Jose Antonio Nico Garcia Lara, a commercial attache; Rogelio Rodrigues Lopez, pseudonyms Casimiro and Jose Antonio, who in 1963-1964 was in charge of operations in Central America - second secretary; Oresto Guillermo Ruiz Perez (AMAUTO-1), the commercial counselor; and Ramon Cesar Cuenca Montoto, who in 1964 was the head of the Central American Section of the Illegal Department at headquarters. The

Contributors:
Gavin McDonald • Bill Simpich

© Mary Ferrell Foundation. All Rights Reserved. |Site Map |MFF Policies |Contact Us