The Mammoth Book of Conspiracies by Jon E. Lewis Page B

record prepared by Sheffield Edwards on 14 May 1962 states: “No monies were ever paid to Roselli and Giancana. Maheu was paid part of his expense money during the periods that he was in Miami.” (Giancana is “Gold.”)
O’Connell was introduced (in true name) to Roselli as an employee of Maheu, the explanation being that O’Connell would handle the case for Maheu, because Maheu was too busy to work on it full time himself. No one else in the Office of Security was made witting of the operation at this time. Edwards himself did not meet Roselli until the summer of 1962.
At this point, about the second half of September, Shef Edwards told Bissell that he had a friend, a private investigator, who had a contact who in turn had other contacts through whom syndicate elements in Cuba could be reached. These syndicate elements in Cuba would be willing to take on such an operation. As of the latter part of September 1960, Edwards, O’Connell, and Bissell were the only ones in the Agency who knew of a plan against Castro involving U.S. gangster elements. Edwards states that Richard Helms was not informed of the plan, because Cuba was being handled by Bissell at that time.
With Bissell present, Edwards briefed the Director (Allen Dulles) and the DDCI (General Cabell) on the existence of a plan involving members of the syndicate. The discussion was circumspect; Edwards deliberately avoided the use of any “bad words.” The descriptive term used was “intelligence operation.” Edwards is quite sure that the DCI and the DDCI clearly understood the nature of the operation he was discussing. He recalls describing the channel as being “from A to B to C.” As he then envisioned it, “A” was Maheu, “B” was Roselli, and “C” was the principal in Cuba. Edwards recalls that Mr. Dulles merely nodded, presumably in understanding and approval. Certainly, there was no opposition. Edwards states that, while there was no formal approval as such, he felt that he clearly had tacit approval to use his own judgment. Bissell committed $150,000 for the support of the operation [...] in the Fontainbleau Hotel. “Gold” said he had a man, whom he identified only as “Joe,” who would serve as courier to Cuba and make arrangements there. Maheu pointed out “Gold” to O’Connell from a distance, but O’Connell never met with either “Gold” or “Joe.” He did, however, learn their true identities. As Office of Security memorandum to the DDCI of 24 June 1966 places the time as “several weeks later.” O’Connell is now uncertain as to whether it was on this first visit to Miami or on a subsequent one that he and Maheu learned the true identities of the two men. Maheu and O’Connell were staying at separate hotels. Maheu phoned O’Connell one Sunday morning and called his attention to the Parade supplement in one of that morning’s Miami newspapers. It carried an article on the Cosa Nostra, with pictures of prominent members. The man Maheu and O’Connell knew as “Sam Gold” appeared as Mom Salvatore (Sam) Giancana, a Chicago-based gangster. “Joe, the courier” (who was never identified to either Maheu or O’Connell in any other way) turned out to be Santos Trafficante, the Cosa Nostra chieftain in Cuba.
At that time the gambling casinos were still operating in Cuba, and Trafficante was making regular trips between Miami and Havana on syndicate business. (The casinos were closed and gambling was banned effective 7 January 1959. On 13 January 1959, Castro announced that the casinos would be permitted to reopen for tourists and foreigners but that Cubans would be barred. The cabinet on 17 February 1959 authorized reopening the casinos for the tourist trade. Time magazine for 2 March 1959 announced that the casinos had been reopened the previous week. The New York Times issue of 30 September 1961 announced that the last of the casinos still running had been closed.) Trafficante was to make the arrangements with one of