Bill Simpich: What was Operation Stateside?

What was Operation Stateside?

Is the Trettin-Guitart relationship the best example of LHO as a Cuban asset?

Is Howard Brubaker a pseudo for Joannides?

Did Trettin work with Joannides?

Just what was Trettin’s group, the Cuban Operations Group?

Bill Simpich, 24 October, 2025

Here is a new name – Operation Stateside – “No. 30” was about COG deputy CI chief Carl Trettin (also was part of SAS/OS) and his handling of Sylvia Odio’s uncle Agustin Guitart.

Guitart’s wife was Helena Toro, described as a sister or very close relative of Sara del Toro, Sylvia’s mother.

The plan was to use Guitart as a cut-out in an FI operation in New Orleans, answering to SAS/OS.

He was to be used as a cut-out with his uncle Rene Guitart Rodriguez in Cuba.

Operation Stateside is described as intelligence operations against the Castro government. Other uses of Operation Stateside in other contexts:

1) It can be seen faintly handwritten on this 2017 release about a blacklisted Nazi contact in Havana dealing in chemical products, dated 11/22/63. However, “Operation Stateside” can be seen MUCH more clearly in its original iteration. Why?

2) We see another example of FBI conferring with CIA in a Feb. 1965 memo referring to JFK assassination suspect Homero Echevarria.

More examples in this cryptonym.

Is the Trettin-Guitart relationship the best example of LHO as a Cuban asset?

Carl E. Trettin 16 April, 1930 – 2 Jan., 2024

Carl Teels was the contact of Guitart – did Teels work with Joannides?

I do believe Carl Teels was the alias for Carl Trettin.

I know Trettin died recently – I do feel that Trettin’s relationship with Guitart may be the closest thing we have to showing the use of Oswald as a CIA asset. See this 8/5/63 letter between Carl Teels and Guitart, suggesting they meet when Teels is in New Orleans the week of August 12, 1963, as well as the write-up of the Carl Teels pseudo. LHO was arrested on August 9.

Is Howard Brubaker a pseudo for Joannides? Did Trettin work with Joannides?

A memo in April of 1967 entitled “Subject: Possible DRE Animus Towards President Kennedy” stated that Carl Trettin “knew Bringuier and was stationed in New Orleans at the time of the above incidents.” Should anyone suspect that the Howard Brubaker working with Trettin in the Cuban Operations Group may have been Joannides? Brubaker’s name was revealed for the first time in 2022.

Just what was Trettin’s group, the Cuban Operations Group?

That Cuban Operations Group (also including David Phillips, Paul Oberst and Margaret Forsythe) has always been a mysterious group for me.

Here’s a little background on Trettin’s Cuban Operations Group (COG)- David Phillips was apparently his boss, at least by 1967.

SB/O/PI Calvin Thomas wrote the original Possible DRE Animus to President Kennedy, 3/8/67 and was concerned about Luis Fernandez Rocha in particular. He was in Miami 62-Aug 63 and considered DRE people untrustworthy.

Arthur Dooley, 4/3/67 examines the memo about Possible DRE Animus to President Kennedy, and discusses the Cuban Operations Group (COG), four sources in particular: Oberst, Forsythe, Trettin, Howard Brubaker.

Who was Paul Oberst, COG/CA? In 61, he was WH/C/CA (covert action chief) – I believe Oberst is his real name. Does he have a pseudo? He was at PBSUCCESS, while Phillips was C/WH/4/Prop

Oberst wrote a most prescient memo before BoP...saying “muddy the waters in Dominican Republic during the pre-Cuba phase to stifle criticism, make the BoP appear to be an internal uprising…”

69 DC/WH/COG was Oberst – By 1970, Oberst was the WH/Historical Officer – gave high marks to Goodpasture’s MC History.

Margaret Forsythe, Cuban desk, thoroughly familiar with the DRE operation – she was WH/4/PA-PROP, like Tilton – she checked people out like Koch, Diaz Isalgue who was AMICE-14, 201-307337 and an AMTRUNK principal.

Carl Trettin, Deputy Chief of the Counterintelligence Branch of the COG who knew Bringuier and was stationed in New Orleans during the time of these incidents…worked with the AMCANOE group in ’64.

In this 2/28/68 memo, we can see the Agency getting more worried about Garrison. Phillips as C/WH/COG is plenty worried about Garrison. This undated memo shows Phillips was C/WH/COG in 1967. – this second memo showing this status is dated Oct. 67. Phillips thought SB/O/PI Calvin Thomas’ DRE memo showed “inadequate information and bias.” It was agreed, nevertheless, that the charges that James Garrison was then beginning to level at anti-Castro Cubans and the Agency necessitated careful checking.

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