Frank Sturgis

[Scott Kaiser]

Would anyone know if the famous photo taken of Frank Sturgis standing on a grave-mound in Cuba be that of the 166 executed Batista's soldiers? Thanks!

[Magda Hassan]

Might be a good question for James Richards.

[Scott Kaiser]

There's some talk about a mass grave of 75 in Santiago de Cuba where it's thought to be that Frank is standing, however, I can not find any official documentation regarding this, however, I did find a mass grave just outside of Havana near the municipality of Marianao, could that be where Sturgis is standing? If so, then, the information in this photo could be wrong. The mass killings of 166 men and the grave just outside of Havana near the municipality of Marianao happened in 1966. The only logical thing I can think of is Frank went back and infiltrated Castro's men. This is what they did in the Cubanos Unidos group, they would go to Cuba, and infiltrate Castro's government or soldiers. CU would participate in raids with SNFE, JURE and RECE.

[Tracy Riddle]

That's the story I've heard about that photo. Sturgis had to participate in killing Batista's men to prove his bona fides to Castro's people.

[Scott Kaiser]

That's the story I've heard about that photo. Sturgis had to participate in killing Batista's men to prove his bona fides to Castro's people.

Fidel and Raul Castro including Che Guevara held firing squad sessions all the time, however, the only [mass killings] recorded that I'm personally aware of is the 166 mass killings Fidel Castro ordered, if true, and there is no other mass killings recorded, then this means Frank Sturgis had infiltrated Cuba in 1966 and he was among Castro's soldiers. Could that be the reason for the photo as proof?

Some researchers have said Frank is standing on a mound of 71 Batista's assassinated soldiers, while others have said 75, the only information I was able to find to date was 166 mass killings which took place in 1966. Does anyone have anything that proves 71 or 75?

[Tracy Riddle]

The photo was apparently taken in 1959. This is from Canfield & Weberman's now-deleted Coup D'Etat website:

On January 15, 1959, the wire services carried a story that STURGIS, previously believed dead, was in Cuba. Evidence of this was a photograph of STURGIS standing on a mass grave of 59 of Rolando Masferrer's Tigres, machine gun in hand. The photograph gave the impression he had just massacred the Tigres in their stronghold of San Juan, Santiago de Cuba. Another CIA document stated: "Subject claims he is under orders of Raoul Castro and awaiting orders to begin training 1,000 militia members in SACU (Santiago, Cuba) area. Source (deleted) Appr 2. FC: Number may be exaggerated." [TDCS 3/383,32 1.6.59] Another document stated: "In charge of a separation center, training camp and staging area SACU area." [TDCS 3/384,56 1.15.59] On January 20, 1959, Vice Consul Bernard Femminella of the U.S. Consulate, Santiago De Cuba, advised that he was informed that an individual known as FRANK FIORINI was with the revolutionary forces in the vicinity of Santiago De Cuba. On January 30, 1959, the CIA received information STURGIS
had a falling out with Raoul Castro over incorporating Army officers in the training program. Reportedly left SACU for Havana, where he is working with Air Force Chief.
On January 30, 1959, the Legat, Mexico City sent a highly deleted cable to the Director of the FBI.
Subject: CHANGED (Deleted) IS - CUBA. ReBulets to Miami dated November 20, 1958, and December 5, 1959, in captioned matter; also Mexico letter to the Bureau dated January 26, 1959, in case entitled FRANK ANTHONY STURGIS aka -RA. The title of this case has been marked CHANGED to reflect the addition of the maternal surname of the subject (Deleted) Available details concerning these arrest were set forth in my letter of January 26, 1959, in the STURGIS case. The information is as follows. [page deleted 2-1499 NR 1.30.59]
STURGIS was the commander of the camp in San Juan, Santiago Province, Cuba, where the 59 men were killed. He gave the order to the firing squad. STURGIS claimed he needed permission to allow St. George to photograph a mass execution. STURGIS did not need permission to do anything at the base since he was the highest ranking officer there. St. George arrived too late, so STURGIS posed on the grave of the men he had sent to their death. This act of mass murder, and STURGIS' early gun running activity, was why Fidel Castro trusted him. STURGIS could never have admitted to ordering or approving this mass execution - not with the relatives of the victims living in Miami. This photograph linked STURGIS indelibly with Fidel Castro's revolution. It also linked the 26th of July Movement with mass murder.

[Scott Kaiser]

The photo was apparently taken in 1959. This is from Canfield & Weberman's now-deleted Coup D'Etat website:

On January 15, 1959, the wire services carried a story that STURGIS, previously believed dead, was in Cuba. Evidence of this was a photograph of STURGIS standing on a mass grave of 59 of Rolando Masferrer's Tigres, machine gun in hand. The photograph gave the impression he had just massacred the Tigres in their stronghold of San Juan, Santiago de Cuba. Another CIA document stated: "Subject claims he is under orders of Raoul Castro and awaiting orders to begin training 1,000 militia members in SACU (Santiago, Cuba) area. Source (deleted) Appr 2. FC: Number may be exaggerated." [TDCS 3/383,32 1.6.59] Another document stated: "In charge of a separation center, training camp and staging area SACU area." [TDCS 3/384,56 1.15.59] On January 20, 1959, Vice Consul Bernard Femminella of the U.S. Consulate, Santiago De Cuba, advised that he was informed that an individual known as FRANK FIORINI was with the revolutionary forces in the vicinity of Santiago De Cuba. On January 30, 1959, the CIA received information STURGIS had a falling out with Raoul Castro over incorporating Army officers in the training program. Reportedly left SACU for Havana, where he is working with Air Force Chief.

On January 30, 1959, the Legat, Mexico City sent a highly deleted cable to the Director of the FBI.

Subject: CHANGED (Deleted) IS - CUBA. ReBulets to Miami dated November 20, 1958, and December 5, 1959, in captioned matter; also Mexico letter to the Bureau dated January 26, 1959, in case entitled FRANK ANTHONY STURGIS aka -RA. The title of this case has been marked CHANGED to reflect the addition of the maternal surname of the subject (Deleted) Available details concerning these arrest were set forth in my letter of January 26, 1959, in the STURGIS case. The information is as follows. [page deleted 2-1499 NR 1.30.59]

STURGIS was the commander of the camp in San Juan, Santiago Province, Cuba, where the 59 men were killed. He gave the order to the firing squad. STURGIS claimed he needed permission to allow St. George to photograph a mass execution. STURGIS did not need permission to do anything at the base since he was the highest ranking officer there. St. George arrived too late, so STURGIS posed on the grave of the men he had sent to their death. This act of mass murder, and STURGIS' early gun running activity, was why Fidel Castro trusted him. STURGIS could never have admitted to ordering or approving this mass execution - not with the relatives of the victims living in Miami. This photograph linked STURGIS indelibly with Fidel Castro's revolution. It also linked the 26th of July Movement with mass murder.

Linking Sturgis to M-26-7 is not difficult after discovering that Fidel Castro ordered Frank Sturgis to partake in the kidnapping of Juan Manuel Fangio. Fangio's kidnappers had never been revealed. We now know that Sturgis was involved in this operation in 1957. In 1958, pastor Victor Toranzo was called to appear in the mountains of Cuba to be the spiritual leader over Fidel Castro and all his men where Mr. Toranzo would hold prayer meetings with all the groups. Mr. Toranzo held a meetings in Miami to make known the revolutionary group to sympathizers in Miami.

Pastor Toranzo was like a second father to me. Mr. Toranzo while in Miami called the meeting to order in the presence of Fidel Castro and Frank Sturgis.

Now that I've read your entire post above, I wonder if there are any documents that indicate the following?

"Subject claims he is under orders of Raoul Castro and awaiting orders to begin training 1,000 militia members in SACU (Santiago, Cuba) area. Source (deleted) Appr 2. FC: Number may be exaggerated." [TDCS 3/383,32 1.6.59] Another document stated: "In charge of a separation center, training camp and staging area SACU area." [TDCS 3/384,56 1.15.59] On January 20, 1959, Vice Consul Bernard Femminella of the U.S. Consulate, Santiago De Cuba, advised that he was informed that an individual known as FRANK FIORINI was with the revolutionary forces in the vicinity of Santiago De Cuba. On January 30, 1959, the CIA received information STURGIS had a falling out with Raoul Castro over incorporating Army officers in the training program. Reportedly left SACU for Havana, where he is working with Air Force Chief."

Does that information of what I just read above indicate the following?

On January 15, 1959, the wire services carried a story that STURGIS, previously believed dead, was in Cuba. Evidence of this was a photograph of STURGIS standing on a mass grave of 59 of Rolando Masferrer's Tigres, machine gun in hand. The photograph gave the impression he had just massacred the Tigres in their stronghold of San Juan, Santiago de Cuba. Another CIA document stated:

Is there some other report(s) that indicates a [mass killing?]

[Scott Kaiser]

Would there be a reason why Frank Sturgis always emphasized on what his definition of Operation 40 was? I sometimes always wondered why Frank would spend more time on telling that story while exclaiming some of your own who were suspected of being "double agents," then on any other part of the story.

[Tracy Riddle]

Here's the Sturgis chapter saved on another website:
http://www.whatsnextreport.com/uploads/2...turgis.pdf

I would have to Google to see if I could find anything about wire services articles about Sturgis in 1959.

[Scott Kaiser]

Here's the Sturgis chapter saved on another website:
http://www.whatsnextreport.com/uploads/2...turgis.pdf

I would have to Google to see if I could find anything about wire services articles about Sturgis in 1959.

Yep, there's a lot there on Frank, you just gotta love AJ's work, he includes everyone.