page 20/YIPsier Times Yes, We Have No Havanas Marita Lorentz Tells Why She Did It By A.J. Weberman and Gabrielle Schang a long • boys with us. I was navigating, Fr-ank Marita Lorentz has had and her integray. history in the American Intelligence was helping. He was covering the guns community. After working for yearrs Marita, how long did have known with plastic. Then these two boys Frank Sturgis? for the CIA, the FBI, the Secret Ser- became ill because we were in a squall. I've known Frank since 1959. vice, the IRS and the Treasury Depart- No light, no radio contact, no ment she claims that there organisza- His...real name, what is his real... nothing. And they were just, they tions used her and that now she is a Frank Fiorini at that time I knew couldn't help cover the weapons. So him as. And he was in the Air Force Frank got annoyed and they went spy left out in the cold. under Fidel Castro. He was. She's perhaps best known for her overboard. In your opinion, is Frank Sturgis a affairs with Fidel Castro and And you believe that he threw them man who is capable fo murder? overboard? Venezuelan President Jiminez. Yes. Because of these links to polictical I tried to turn the boat, he stopped Capable of murdering a President? heavyweights both on the far right and me. And all these years I've heard He admitted to me he did. He par- those cries of those two boys. the far left, she has been portrayed by ticipated in it. the news media as a femme fatale- They were crying out for you to help Can you cite any examples of the them? Mata Hari type person. cruelty—for something that you will Marita recently made waves when They cried my code name, be able to—something you can she told the media that her long-time Alamonita...help me. remember, incidents that showed you You wanted to help? aquaintance and ex-Watergate burgier that he was a cool, cold blooded type friend Sturgis admitted to her that he Of course. .person who would be able to do such a What did Frank Sturgis say to you? participated in the 1963 assassination thing? "Keep the boat going straight, of the President, John F. Kennedy. Well combat, combat training, he This revelation has been met with straight, straight." And I turned the was my troop commander and during skepticism to say the least on the part wheel but he would'nt let me. my gun-running days he was So that's the firsthand impression of the American public and by talking navigating a boat at one time with a 4able to shed some that you have? to Marita we were load of weapons to take to an island in light on her character, her personality Yes. the Bahamas and we had two Cuban There's also certain curiosity on the part of the public about how Sturgis meeeting such a... became so close to Castro. How did he The first time? win Castro's confidence? His job was Yes, the first time. Head of Security was it not? I was with Fidel in the Havana Riviera Hotel. Fidel was closing down the gambling casinos. And I was there Yes, and he was in charge of the in uniform with Fidel and Frank edged gambling casinos in 1959. but 1 came over to me and said, "I'm with the to Cuba, the first time I met Fidel, U.S. Government." I was very Febuary 28, 1959, and he had been suspicious but he tried *to strike up a there years before • in the Sierra conversation. I said "Stay away from Miestra. me, Fidel is jealous. Don't talk to Frank Sturgis? me." You know, and he said, "I'm Fighting alongside Fidel. with the Embassy, can I help you?" What's the story about now Castro Did he think you were a prisoner in came to trust this man? the Havana Hilton or something? 1 really don't know that. That seems I guess so, he wanted to recruit me I to be...well...but he was high in the guess at that time. Air Force and I assume, and I think at Is that what eventually happened? one point Frank told me that he was Yes. bringing in guns to Fidel while he was Did he recruit you? in the Sierra Miestra. Yes. Can I tell you what I've read and you can tell me whether or not you heard Maybe we should find out the story the same thing or anything like that. I of how you met and fell in love with Fidel Castro and how you were even- PAM by Abu rerbuth tually recruited by Sturgis and how you changed your allegiance. My father is commander of an ocean liner, the M.S. Berlin, and we were going on a cruise to the West In- dies. Havana was the last stop. And Fidel, as he told me later standing on the balcony of the Havana Hilton, he saw the ship in the harbor and he took a launch and he boarded the passenger liner in the harbor, with about 35 men and I met him on board. Your father was a. German, is that right? Yes. How old were you at the time? 18, just 18. A little about your own background. Is it true that you are a second generation spy? I mean, were your father and mother involved in in- telligence work? My father and mother both worked for this government. Is it in fact an accident that you Marita Lorentz (left) and Gabrielle Schang (right) on Cable TV. became involved immediately in the top level of spying instead of working your way up the ladder? You've never heard he gained the trust and con- been irained or anything. fidence of Fidel Castro by executing at No, I wasn't trained. I fell in love, least 50 people.. in 1959, and then one thing led to That's true, I was told by Frank. It another and 1 joined the anti-Castro was part of his job while he was in the underground. mountains. Well Why did you decide to join the You don't think he was just brag- anti-Castro underground if you were ging about these things after your ex- in love with Fidel Castro? What hap- periences with him? pened? No, no. I was pregnant. How did you meet Frank Sturgis? By Castro? What were the circumstances of your Yes. by Fidel. and Fidel had left Havana and I was alone in the Hilton that—for him to do anything like that. and I was drugged and the child And he proved it to me afterwards. forceably was aborted. How? You were how many months The phone calls right after I was in pregnant? the United States, by calling me. Close to 7 months. I see. Who do you think is responsible for Sending me, send me telegrams to that forced abortion? call him back, and you know. Not Fidel, the people around Fidel. Now you mentioned a man named So the people around Fidel disap- Alex Rourke. Who is he briefly? Alex Rourke is the son of a New York judge—son in law of Sherman proved of your relationship? Billingsly, who was very close with-the Because I was not Cuban, I was an outsider, and Fidel was too close to FBI. He was a—he's a good person. Very good . person and he is now me. presumed deceased. You became very ill after this forced A lot of people around you, people abortion, correct? you've known from 1959 and onward Yes. You were shipped to New York by are now dead, are they not? Yes. Fidel to a hospital? Frank Fiorini intervened then with Were you ever asked to kill Castro Camilo Cienfuegos, Second in Com- by the FBI or the CIA through Sturgis mand, and arranged for my escape or anyone else? from Cuba, because I was left to die.. Both agencies. And I guess I do owe him my life, They did ask you to kill Castro? Yes. Frank Fiorini, Sturgis. Really. continued on p.20 In 1959, and then I came to New York and to Roosevelt Hospital and was immediately recruited. Did you ever accept that How did they go about this assignment? recruiting? I—went in once, I took out papers, Well they... these papers proved to be valuable First of all to which agency... documents. Aerial photographic views At the time both. of Cuba. Prospective missile sites. The both what? second time I was asked to kill Fidel. I FBI and CIA to... was driven to Miami with a load of How did they go about recruiting guns from New York and trained for you? three weeks in a safe house by Frank was recovering and I was to go to 1 Ferrini Sturgis. the office, the FBI office, so I did. With Alex Rourke, Frank Fiorini, and Trained, finally you were trained as an agent. I went to the FBI office and they said 1 was- con fined. that I was the only one who could get back into Cuba. I was t member of the What did that make you eligible 26th of July, 1 had toe keys to the for? To be an assassin or what? Havana Hilton and they asked me to Well, to-intensive training I guess re-enter Cuba to take whatever for three weeks and to poison Fidel.