If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. ;f/ TERRORISTIC ACTIVITY ~ errorism In the Miami Area HEARINGS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE THE J ADMINISTRATION OF THE INTERNAL SECURITY ACT AND OTHER INTERNAL SECURITY LAWS ), OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY UN1_ED STATES SENATE NINETY-FOURTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION --'-i , ,",. ,",""" ,.~,:,",:,,,.. r.; ~1 -"::'!'IPART 8 ) ~,\~,. ',,:,>:,~t,>ti''''''>I~''''':~;~ ~ . • ~ " " -' '<Il.". til t.. .. ,_.' ..-.... e:J l.h;.n i MAY 6, \1976 'J,: ..n Printed for the use of the Committee on .the Judiciary ", i ' i.i~·1 .. U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 72-383 WASHINGTON: 1976 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. G,overnment Printing Office ------Washington, D.C. 20402 - Pri'ce 75 cents r ThU. I, • ml.lmum 'h"" .f $'1.00 f" m.ll "'" ~ '~h rrERRORISM IN THE MIAMI AREA COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY THURSDAY, MAY 6, 1976 JAMES O. EASTLAND, Mississippi, Ohalrman U.S. SENATE, JOHN L. McCLELLAN, Arkansas ROMAN L. HRUSKA, Nebraska PHILIP A. HART, Michigan HIRAM L. FONG, Hawaii SUBCOMMITTEE To INVESTIGATE THE EDWARD M. KENNEDY, Massachusetts HUGH SCOTT, Pennsylvania ADMINISTRATION OF THE INTERNAL SEOURITY AOT BIRCH BAYH, Indiana. STROM THURMOND, South Carolina AND OTHER INTERNAL SEOURITY LAWS QUENTIN N. BURDICK, North Dakota CHARLES McC. MATHIAS, JR., Maryland OF THE CmIMITl'EE ON THE J UDIOIARY', ROBERT C. BYRD, West Virginia WILLIAM L. SCOTT, Virginia JOHN V. TUNNEY, California. Washington, D.O. JAMES ABOUREZK, South Dakota. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 :40 a.m., in room 2300 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Senator James O. Eastland, SUBCOMMITTEE To INVESTIGATE THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE INTERNAL chairman, presidin~. SECURITY ACT AND OTHER INTERNAL SECUBITY LAWS Also present: RIchard L. Schultz, chief counsel, and Alfonso L. JAMES O. EASTLAND, Mlcsisslppl, Ohalrman Tarabochia, chief investigator. JOHN L. McCLELLAN, Arkansas STROM THURMOND, South Carolina The CHAIRMAN. Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you're BIRCH BAYH, Indiana WILLIAM L. SCOTT, Virginia about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, RICHARD L. SCHULTZ, Ohler Oounsel so help you God 9 CAROLINE M. COURBOIS, Assistant to the Ohler 00un80Z Mr. DIAz. I do. ALFONSO L. TARABOCHIA, Oh~1 Inucstlgator Lieutenant LYONS. I do. ROBERT J. SHORT, Senior Inuestlgator MARY E. DOOLEY, Research Director The CHAmMAN. Counsel, would you please proceed with the DAVID MARTIN, Senior, Analvst questioning~ TESTIMONY OF LT. THOMAS LYONS AND DE'rECTIVE RAUL J'. DIAZ RESOLUTION Mr. SOHULTZ. J..ieutenant Lyons, may we have your full name for the record~ . ReBo.lved by the lrn:t~T1wl Soourity Subcommittee' of the Senate Oom;rmttee. on the JudWW/i'!f, That the testimony of Lt. Thomas Lyons Lieutenant LYONS. Thomas Lyons. and DetectIve Raul J. Diaz, t!1ken in executive session on May 6 1976 Mr. SOHULTZ. And where are you employed ~ . be printed and made public. ' , Lieutenant LYONS. Employed by the Dade County PublIc Safety Department. JAMES O. EASTLAND, ';'.';II'·'~ Mr. SOHULTZ. How long have you been so employed ~ Oha:iJrnwn. Apprqved August 4, 197'6. ~ ~ ..., Lieutena.nt LYONS. For 9% years. • Mr. SOHULTZ. Mr. Diaz, would you state your full name for the (II) I ~ tIr••. , record, please ~ : .. " .Ii: ' Mr. DIAz. Raul J. Diaz. So, <'i Mr. SOHULTZ. And where are you employed ~ ~ t. Mr. DIAZ. By the Dade County Public Safety Department. i .. ,~ Mr. SOHULTZ. How long have you been s<? employed ~ ,~ ", (if. Mr. DIAZ. I have been employed there smr.e January 19~1. \ \It Mr. SOHULTZ. In what section of the department of publIc safety do h you wot'k~ .!!Mli.,' ," .. ¥r. DIAZ. Out of the organized crime bureau, terrorist and security ~ umt. ".! Mr. SCHULTZ. Do you work under the direction of LIeutenant "'. Lyons? .,; " .'f.~ (607) , ~ 11 608 609 Mr. DIAz. Yes, sir; I do. Mr. SOHULTZ. Lieutenant, I know you have an opening statement national natnre. It is our belief that many of the terroristic acts which and .we'll ask that you proceed at your own pace at this point. occur in Dade County have no relation at all to our community other LIe~tenant LYONS. I wou~d like to express my thanks to t,he sub­ than that they occur here. We believe that many bombings, homicides cOlmr~Ittee.f0r the opportumty to appear and make a presentation of and other violent crimes are in furtherance of political aims which do my vIews.m regard to the terrorist activities in the Miami area. not inV'olve the United States and, more specifically, Dade Oounty. ApproxImately 450,000 Ouban-Americans reside within the Dade Our vulnerability for the terroristic type acts is based primarily on Oounty area. They are ~n industrious and hardworking people who two factors, the first being 'Our geographic location, closeness to the for the ~ost part have .mtegra~ed themselves into American society. Caribbean, Ouba, South a,nd Central America, the second being our In a relatIve.ly short,penod of tIme they have achieved great economic large Ouban-American population. vVeare aware that many criminal success and m so ~Olng h~v,,: helped stimulate Dade Oounty economy. conspiracies are ente-red into in the Dade County area which culminate ~he overwhelmmg ma]onty of the Oubans in M}ami are strontYly in terrorist type attacks in Latin American countries or international ~ntI-Oastro-:-~hat'~ >yhy they cam~ to ~~jami in the .first place. They ~re waters, directed against Ouban targets or targets which have, 'Or a.p­ a,Iso 1~'Y abIdmg cItIzens who, wIth mmor exceptIons, manifest their pear to have some relationship with Ouba. On the other side, there have OPl?osl.tI~m to Oastro in legal ways. However, there are a small number been terrorist attacks in Miami against prominent anti-Castro Cubans of ll~dlvlduals whose hatred of 9uban Premier Fidel Castro ·and com­ and there is also some evidence that key figures in certain of the anti­ mUlllsm has led them TIl? engage III extralegal act.ions and to violate the Castro terrorist organizations were in realIty Oastro infiltrators. htws of the country wInch g;ave theI?- sanctuary. These individuals nne Mr. SOHULTZ. At that point if I could interrupt, do you also have Dade County ·as a base for mternatlOnal terrorism against allied gOl'­ information that these terroristic activities are related to terrorist e~'nments ~f C;u?a, Cuban shipping, Communists, purported Oomnll'.­ activities occurring in other locations in the United States ~ lllS~, and mdlVlduals who take a stand against their terroristic type Lieutenant LYONS. Yes, sir; we do. tactICS. Mr. SOHULTZ. We will pursue that more specifically, but I wanted to Du:ring t~e years since Fidel Oastro's takeover of Ouba and most include that general aspect at this time. es~ecI~lly.slllce th~ Bay of r:i~s invasion, literally hundred~ of Cuban Would you proceed, please ~ oroamzatlOns, socIal aJ.?-d poh!lCal, have.evolved in DadE' County; how­ Lieutenant LYONS. As a local law enforcement agency, we have no ever, due to constant mfightmg and dlffE'ril1g political philosophies jurisdiction in these matt3rs. However, recognizing our responsibility no one group has beco~ne a Ul~ifyi~~ factor. A number of the militant to the community, the following steps have been taken. type woup~ havE' ca~'rl~d theIr 1"?llItancy to the point of engaging in The two largest law enforcement agencies in Dade Oounty, the Dade terrOI'lst a;~s both wIthm a?d w~thout the United States. These niili­ County Public Safety Department and the city of Miami Police De­ !ant t~pe bIOUp~, often ha.~g dIverse mE'mbership representing other partment, have a reciprocal working agreE'ment on all bombing "roup"" ~o.th SOCIal and mIlItant, have organizational stIllctures much investigations. No matter where the bombing occurs, whether in the gk; a mI]~tary government, containing positions such 'Us minister of city or in the county, detectives from both agencies respond as it is e .ense,. dIrector ?f pr~paganda, director of na,'al operations, chief our opinion that most such bombings have SOLIe common thread. of lI~t~l hgence, chIef of lllternal security. In October of 1975, an antiterrorist cool'iLinating committee con­ f MIlItan~ type groups organized on thE'se linE'S have been responsible sistintY of representatives from the Dade Ceounty Public Safety De­ ~r terrorls~ acts ~oth wi~hin and outside the United States. These partn~e'l1t, the city of Miami Police Department, the FBI, U.S. Ous­ groups receIve .thelr fun~lllg from sympathetic persons within the toms, Immigration and Naturalization, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Ou~::n commulllty who mUTor the activists' hatred for Fidel Oastro Tobacco and Firearms all met to coordinate on a supervisory level a FaIlu:g support for funding in these areas Q"roups have resorted t~ cooperative effort between all concerned law enforcement agencies on bom~lllgs and e~tortion in 'an effort to gath~rbsupport and additional J. terrorist type bombings with exchange of information and leads. This funding for theIr cause. At least one of the groups has gone so far as meeting laid the groundwork which resulted in the formation of an to sell bonds to free Cuba. fW antiterrorist target committee wherein input of intelligence matters Some .Cuban groups purporting to be involved in terroristic type ' .~ relating to terrorist typE' individuals and suspects in past bombings a~ts ag3:m~t the Ouban Government are no more or no less than out- t were, gathered together by all agencies. I1.,!!ht crlmlllal.s, feeding ~lpon the Cuban popUlation and diverting thn ~ The representatives on this second committee were street investiga­ collected funchng for thel~ own purposes.., tors who were closest to the problem and could more readily identify .