MEMO RE EUGENIO ROLANDO MARTINEZ WORK FOR THE CIA AS A BOAT CAPTAIN INFILTRATING CLANDESTINE GROUPS INTO CUBA.

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 00611582
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: October 23, 2023
• Document Release Date: August 10, 2023
• Case Number: F-2021-00923
• Publication Date: July 11, 1973

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Approved for Release: 2023/03/28 C00611582
11 July 1973
MEMORANDUM
1. Mr. Eugenio Rolando Martinez, a maritime specialist,
was recruited by CIA in the early 1960's to work as a boat
captain handling the infiltration of clandestine groups into
Cuba. His employment in this capacity continued through 1969.
The maritime effort was liquidated during the first half of
1970. In view of his distinguished service, Mr. Martinez was
kept on the payroll at full salary through July 1971 with the
understanding that he direct his efforts toward acquiring a
real estate agent's license (his preference) and finding him-
self gainful employment within this period. He was given a
minimum requirement to report to CIA any attempts of local.
exile groups to mount illegal penetrations against Cuba from
the U.S. By July 1971 Mr. Martinez had obtained a real estate
license and had found employment with Bernard Darker, a local
real estate broker. Since isir. Martinez had successfully
reported on activities of the exile groups, he was retained as
an informant for an additional year at S100 a month. During
the period July 1971 through May 1972 he was met on the
average of once a month connected with the
Miami office, and of some value on
exile groups. When Mr. Martinez was told by one of his CIA
contacts in July 1971 that he was being reduced to an informant,
he protested strongly saying that he did not want to leave
the field of clandestine endeavor, was bored with the real
estate business and had to find something more interesting to
do. It was pointed out to Mr. Martinez that there was nothing
available for him in CIA, that he had been handled com-
passionately and that he should pursue a new life. He appeared
to accept this.
2. After Mr. Martinez' release from full duty in the
Summer of 1970 he was met by a CIA officer four or five times.
On one of these occasions Mr. Martinez reported information
concerning i _/Hr. Jacob
Esterline, which precipitated a meeting between M. Martinez
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
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and Mr. Esterlinc to clarify the matter. .As it turned out
Mr. Martinez' report dealt with an overt CIA official.
During this meeting the name Howard Hunt came up casually.
Mr. Martinez noted that Mr. Hunt had been on vacation and
had seen Bernard Barker. On 17 March 1972 Mr. Hunt's name
again. Came to the attention of Mr. Esterline which resulted
in another meeting with Mr. Martinez during which Mr. ESterline
questioned Mr. Martinez sharply about his total knowledge
of Mr. Hunt and Mr. Hunt's activities in Miami. Mr. Martinez
spelled out what in retrospect appears to be a cover story
that Mr. Hunt was in and out of Miami several times in
connection with business deals he was trying to develop in
Nicaragua in which Manuel Artime and Bernard Barker appeared
to have some participation. During this meeting Mr. Martinez
asked Mr. Esterline whether he .was aware of all activities in
which CIA was engaged in the South Florida area. Mr. Esterline
said .he was. Mr. Esterline suggested that Mr. Hartinez might.
have become aware of the fact that Some of his maritime
colleagues were engaging in a training exercise during this
period in the Keys. Mr. Martinez replied that this is not
what he meant but would not elaborate further. This bothered .
Mr. Esterline to the extent that he sent a private and con-
fidential message to CIA Headquarters asking whether Mr.
Howard Hunt was in fact an employee of the White House and
what his activities might be in the Miami area. Mr. Esterline
.received word back which confirmed. that Mr. Hunt worked for
the White House, was undoubtedly in Miami on White House
business of no concern to the Miami CIA office and in which
that office should not become involved. Finding this somewhat
disturbing, 'Mr. Esterline had Mr. Martinez prepare in his
own handwriting a summary of his knowledge of Mr. Hunt's
activities in the Miami area to confirm Mr. Martinez' past
remarks. This paper, now in possession of the Miami CIA office,
constituted a cover story for Mr. Hunt's activities. The
matter was not pursued further and the normal monthly meetings
with Mr. Martinez continued through May 1972. After a S April
1972 memorandum from Mr. Martinez, there was no further mention
of Mr. Hunt.
3. On 18 June 1972 Miami Station officers reconstructed
as much as possible of Mr. Martinez' activities from SApril
through 17 June, to note anything unusual in his conduct. .
Nothing definitive surfaced. Mr. Martinez ha'd been seen by
CIA officials twice since April; once in Na
meeting on 0 June 1972. On 20 June
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a former Miami Station maritime asset who was terminated 0:0(3)
31 August 1972, informed Mr. Esterline that he and a 0:0(6)
business friend, had been contacted
frantically by the daughter or wife of Mr. Martinez requesting
immediate assistance in getting Hr. Martinez' car out of the
airport parking garage since it contained deeply compromising
material which had to be removed befOre the FBI got to it. Hr. 0:0(3)
Esterline told that under no circumstances
0:0)
should he become involved in this matter and relayed the
information to CIA Headquarters and the Miami Field Office.
A decision was made by CIA Headquarters to pass this informa-
tion to the FBI at the Headquarters level. At Mr. Esterline's (b)(3),
request Mr. obtained a description of the 0:0)
automobile and its location in the garage. A faulty description
prevented immediate location of the car. On the basis of a
corrected description the FBI on 19 June found and impounded
the car which in fact did contain a number of old documents
relating to maritime operations in the early 1960's and a note-
book copies of which were made available to the Miami Station
by the FBI. In further coordination' With the FBI Hr. Esterline
confirmed that Bernard Barker had been a CIA employee and
that Mr. Martinez, who was well known to the FBI to have been
a CIA employee, was no longer an active employee but was
maintained as an informant. Mr. Esterline advised the FBI .
that there might be one or two telephone numbers in Mr.
Martinez' notebook relating to the Miami Station inasmuch as
Mr. Martinez had been provided a means of effecting emergency
contact with the Station. The FBI said it would be alert
to this possibility and accepted Mr. Esterline's statement
that the Station had been totally unaware of Mr. Martinez'
secret relations with Mr. Hunt. The FBI promised to avoid
disclosure of the fact that CIA had been instrumental in
helping them locate Mr. Martinez' car because of the problems
it could create for the source who had reported the matter to
CIA.
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