Airfields
in South Florida
1959
[Reference:
OCB Dade County, Florida file #49800-B]
DATE: OCTOBER 26, 1959
TO: THOMAS J. KELLY,
Metropolitan Sheriff
FROM: FRANK KAPPEL, Supervisor,
Criminal Intelligence
SUBJECT: INVESTIGATION OF ALLEGED PROPAGANDA LEAFLETS
Thursday, October 22, 1959, news was received via radio,
television and
newspaper that FIDEL CASTRO had made a statement that
leaflet dropping
airplanes over Havana had caused near riot and that they
were Miami
based planes.
Contact was immediately made with MR. FRANK WATTERSON of the
United
States State Department and with various agents of the
F.B.I. who are
assigned to Latin American affairs. MR. WATTERSON
stated he had
received no word from Washington relative to an
investigation and
obviously CASTRO had not filed a formal complaint, therefore
he planned
no immediate action.
The statement from the F.B.I. representatives was exactly as
MR.
WATTERSON'S with one addition; that even thought they are
not actively
engaged in an investigation, they would appreciate any
Intelligence
information which this Department may obtain.
Discussions with agents of the Customs Department and Border
Patrol
resulted in a unanimous decision that the mere
transportation and
dropping of propaganda leaflets was not a violation.
It was then
resolved the normal vigilance would (based on past
experience) be
retained on known and more popular airstrips to assure that
no
contraband was being flown out.
KAPPEL received a phone call Saturday, October 24, 1959 from
Officer on
the Day, Chief BULLOCK. Chief BULLOCK stated,
according to
newspaper reports the Sheriff was to receive a request from
Governor
LEROY COLLINS pertaining to CASTRO'S allegations. It
was then
decided some plan should be formulated to obtain data for
the Sheriff's
reply to Governor Collins.
A meeting was scheduled for 1:30 PM, October 24, 1959 in
Chief
BULLOCK'S office at the Arena. In attendance at the
meeting were
Chief BULLOCK, Captain O'CONNOR and Lieutenant BILLBROUGH of
the
Detective Division, TYLER WINTON and HERB WALSH of the
Border Patrol,
KAPPEL and TARABOCHIA of the Intelligence Unit. It was
again
declared that no violation of the law exists in the dropping
of
propaganda leaflets. The final decision was to prepare
a list of
airstrips that could be used for leaflet dropping missions;
attempt to
contact the owners and ascertain the extent of use of the
strip, and
who is authorized to use the strip. This information
is to be
evalutated by intelligence, and a list of fields divided
into districts
and submitted to the Patrol and Traffic Division with the
request that
uniform officers make periodic checks of these strips while
on routine
patrol.
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Page 2
Officers will be instructed to arrest for any and all
violations;
possession of contraband; trespassing; improper license
tags;
impersonating officers etc. It is quite evident this
plan is
merely a harassment and the presence of uniform cars and
officers a
deterrent. Uniform officers will be advised that the
Intelligence
Unit is on call twenty-four hours a day with information, or
to assist
with advice or course of action to be taken.
Below are listed the known landing fields and some pertinent
facts pertaining to same:
Miami International Airport and North in Dade County
#1 Miami International Airport, LeJeune Road and 20th
Street Both large and small planes can fly to and from
this location generally
without interference if they comply with control tower
regulations.
#2 Chalk's Flying Service, Mac Arthur Causeway
Seaplanes, commercial, hauling to nearby islands.
#3 Amelia Erheart and Southfield of Navy and Marine
Corps, East 8th Avenue and 52 Street,
Hialeah, Eastward to N.W.
27th Avenue. Good field; could be used;
#4 Marine corps Air Station (former) N.W. 135 Street
and LeJeune Road and 37th to 57th Avenues.
Good field; could be used;
particularly the western portion.
#5 Biscayne Seaplane Base Inc., 11295 Biscayne
Boulevard.
Primarily private planes.
#6 Craves Tract, East of Biscayne Boulevard on N.E.
139th Street Tow planes for aerial signs.
#7 197th Street and 7/10 of mile East of the Boulevard
Very good conditions,
planes occasionally land here; nature of operation unknown.
South of Miami International Airport
#8 Tamiami Airport, s.w. 8th Street and 17th Avenue
Good field, will handle
multiple engine aircraft and
known to have been used
in the past for illegal operations.
#9 Areo Country Club, formerly Brown's Airport, S.W.
104 Street and 74 Ave.
Primarily private aircraft.
#10 Richmond Air Base, Richmond Drive and S.W. 117
Avenue.
Information was obtained that several weeks ago the U.S.
Border Patrol
requested F.A.A. to radar track an unidentified plane
approaching this
field. Results not known.
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Page 3
#11 Private Field, approximately 1 mile North of Quail
Drive in line with S.W. 167 Avenue.
Reported to
belong to the Pope family, no other information obtained.
#12 B. & T. Farms and Pitts Aero Service, Grossman
Drive and
S.W. 187 Avenue Curtis Pitts and Jim Holland operators;
dusters and
private planes, two hangers. Border Patrolman Phillips
took alien
from plane.
#13 Princeton Farms, Quail Roost Drive and S.W. 167th
Avenue
Crop dusters and
private; good isolated strip, 2000 foot runway.
#14 Private Field, ½ mile West of Goulds
Operated by
Charles Burr, Crop dusters.
#15 Homestead Air Force Base.
#16 Barnes Field, 3 miles North of State Prison Camp
on Farmer Road
Crop dusting and
private; narrow with high tension wires close by.
#17 Sotille Private Field, South of Tucille Drive and
East of Tennessee Road
Small field; low;
flooded out now.
#18 South Dade Farms, 3 miles S.E. of Florida City
Crop dusting and
Gov3ernment Park plane; good width strip and isolated.
#19 Holley Dusting Service, 3 miles south of Florida
City on Tower Road.
Crop dusting,
soft wet ground; trees at end of runway.
#20 Brown's Strip, sawmill roads, 2 miles south of
Palm Drive
Crop dusting,
isolated, ½ mile or more long.
#21 Holley Dusting Service, 4 miles West of Holley
field on Tower Road on V.S. Highway 27
Crop dusting, ½
mile strip, isolated and Border Patrol worked a case here.
#22 Barnes Strip, in Everglades National Park, 7 miles
Southwest of the Holley field
located on U.S.
27.
Crop dusting;
private; 1/2 mile long; isolated.
#23 Iora Strip, 4 miles west of the Barnes Strip in
the Everglades National Park.
Crop dusting and
private; isolated.
#24 Hayes Strip, 3 miles Southwest of Barnes Strip in
the Everglades National Park.
Crop dusting;
private; wide
and ½ mile long; good smooth strip and could hold a DC-3
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Page 4
Person to contact for reliable South Dade information on
airstrips;
CLAUDE PINKSTON,
1511 N.E. 14th Street,
Homestead, Florida
phone number CI 7-2167.
Supplementary List Other Than Dade County
#1 Key Largo, Monroe County
#2 Immokalee,
Reported to be very good
possibility
#3 Upper Matecumbe Key
#4 Marathon, Monroe County
Gas and oil available.
#5 North Perry, West Hollywood
Has been used for illegal
operations.
#6 Davie, Broward County
#7 Ft. Lauderdale
Municipal Field
A similar list omitting the supplementary list is being
prepared and
sent to Chief LEPPIG with the recommendation that the
Uniform Division
follow through as aforementioned. Plotting maps are
being
prepared to assist in locating and spotting these airstrips.
At this point is may be well to mention that small single
engine
aircraft are the type most widely used in these leaflet
dropping
expeditions, and this type plane can take off and land on
any
semi-smooth area 75 to 100 yards long by 30 feet wide.
This makes
every open field, level, filled-spot and sparsely traveled
road a
potential "air-strip". Based on this, it is logically
impossible
to attempt to place County wide surveillance.
At approximately 8:50 PM, October 24, 1959, the Public
safety
Department complaint Desk received a call from a male
speaking with a
Spanish accent. The unknown person stated, "At 10:00
PM, an
aircraft will take off from an airfield on S.W. 8th Street
to drop
leaflets on Havana." and hung up.
Captain GALLAGHER, Detective Division proceeded to Tamiami
Airport
located on S.W. 8th Street and an investigation proved
negative.
Border Patrol was advised.
At approximately 10:00 PM, October 24, 1959 KAPPEL received
a telephone
call from Agent LEE STAFFORD of the F.B.I. STAFFORD
stated they
had just received a coded message from Washington
recommending an
investigation and submitting of reports of their
findings.
STAFFORD further stated they are appreciative of any
information that
would assist them in their investigation.
Page 5
KAPPEL received information that a meeting was being held
Sunday
October 25, 1959, 8:00 PM at the "Circulo Cubano" Building
90 N./W.
27th Avenue by the "26th of July Club of Miami." The
purpose of
the meeting is to discuss plans to condemn the persons
responsible for
the leaflet dropping. Information was also received
that
Anti-Castro groups would make an appearance in protest of
this meeting.
Captain LEE NAPIER, Miami Police Department was advised and
stated the
necessary precautions would be taken to prevent any
violence.
Agent TARABOCHIA, Intelligence Unit and Detective AL MOLINA,
Detective
Division were detailed to attend the above mentioned meeting
to gain
Intelligence information. Both TARABOCHIA and MOLINA
were
instructed by KAPPEL that their mission was strictly
Intelligence and
should any acts of violence occur, they were not to become
involved. Report of the information gained at the
meeting will be
submitted.
Following is a list of persons possibly responsible for much
of the leaflet dropping:
D.
VASQUEZ
JAMES
WEIGHMAN
GORDON
HOOVER
EVELIO OLPIZAR
GEORGE TREADWELL MANUEL ROJAS
BILLY
WINN
JAMES
SPINNING
ORLANDO IZQUIERDO CHARLES HORMEL
ARCADIO
REZ
RICARDO
LAURIE
JACK YOUNGBLOOD
WILLIAM SHERGALIS
HUGO
BAIR
R.
JAFFE
MARTIN
CAROL
F. LAZAR
PEDRO DIAZ LANZ
This list was compiled by the Intelligence Unit and members
of the
Border Patrol and is based on past cases either directly or
indirectly
implicating these persons.
A renewed effort is being made by the Intelligence Unit to
ascertain
the whereabouts and present activities of the
aforementioned.
All information is being forwarded to the Intelligence Unit
for
evaluation and close liaison is being maintained with
various federal
agencies for further developments.
Investigation will continue and reports will be submitted.
Respectfully submitted,
FRANK KAPPEL, Supervisor
Criminal Intelligence
End of Page
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1998-2014 Cuban Information Archives. All Rights
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