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[32]those approved for the following specific activities:
[34]NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION
[35]Unauthorized Disclosure Subject to Criminal Sanctions
[37]\A TOP SECRET
[39](Security Classification)
[42]13-00000
[44]SssosuaonanngnNNNNNNgaqgagngynanengy
[46]NS
[48]UMMM LL VM lle lag
[50]TOP SECRET
[51]LL eeteededdddedddddddddaddididdé
[53]HH Glan, i oY
[55]COPYNO. i&
[56]SC NO. 00556/63
[58]9 December 1963
[60]DAILY
[62]/ SUMMARY -
[64]a.
[65]o
[67]CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
[69]|| THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS CODE WORD MATERIAL
[71]NOFORN
[73]Soo AAAAAAAAAARAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
[75](|
[77]TOP SECRET DINAR
[79]DAILY SUMMARY
[80]9 December 1963
[82]This summary of significant information has not been coordinated
[83]outside the Office of Current Intelligence. It does not representa
[84]complete coverage of all current reports received, nor does time
[85]permit the complete evaluation of all reports which are included.
[87]CONTENTS
[89]MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS:
[91]Three independent clandestine sources have reported on
[92]the unloading of military equipment from the Soviet vessel
[93]\Paee 1p” BAIKOV in Havana harbor on 19 or 20 November.
[94]Page 1)
[96]Soviet "coastal defense rockets" now belong to Cuban Army
[97]artillery forces, according to a recent speech by Raul
[98]Castro; however, ’Sovie s still appear to be involved in
[100]. the communications net which serves the cruise missile ~
[102]sys (Page 1) et
[103]FIDEL CASTRO'S SPEECH:
[105]In a 6-7 December speech devoted mainly to education, Cas-
[106]‘tro digressed to discuss the situation resulting from Vene-
[107]zuela's charge that the arms cache discovered on a Vene-
[108]zuelan beach last month had come from Cuba. Castro implied
[109]_that the arms had been planted by CIA and are being used.
[110]as a pretext for new action by the "imperialists and their
[111]lackeys" against Cuba. He expressed confidence that what-
[112]ever the result, the Cuban revolution will not be defeated.
[113](Page 2)
[115]CUBAN INTERNAL SITUATION:
[116]Faure Chomon Mediavilla is replacing Omar Fernandez as
[117]transportation minister; Major Jesus Montane Oropesa will
[118]be new communications minister. (Page 3)
[119]Geavy rainfall) has apparently caused damages to military.
[121]acilities in{ Pinar del Rio)Province and hampered travel
[122]in Qrienty ‘Province. ig (Page 4)
[124]a |
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[131]THE PRESIDENT'S ASSASSINATION:
[132]A Spanish-language daily in New York claims Madrid police
[133]are holding a self-confessed plotter against the late Presi-
[134]dent. (Page 4)
[136]INSURGENCY AND CIVIL UNREST:
[138]io
[139]A fire on a farm n Gardenas, Matanzas) Province, has de-
[140]stroyed one acre of ‘Gengauen)} (Page 4) 29
[142]An attempt has been nate A shoot the chief of the @urg in
[143](Velasco, Camaguey) Province. (Page 5)
[145]A militiaman arrested in Guantanamo on 3 December for sus-
[146]' pected counterrevolutionary activities has been freed,
[147](Page 5) 4
[150]The (DSE unit at Ciego de Avila) has captured one insurgent
[151]and Yeports the surrender of another; a resident of: FE
[152]has been arrested for cashing an out—of-circulation -
[153]dollar bill. (Page 5)
[155]Thirty-two people attempting to flee Cuba were captured by
[156]Cuban security forces on 8 December; this may be related to
[157]an earlier report which stated that an undetermined number
[158]of residents of Las Villas Province fled the country from
[159]an unknown point of embarkation. (Page 6)
[161]Several minor incidents of sabotage have been discovered
[162]on CUBANA aircraft. (Page 6).
[164]A DRE leader in Mexico City announced that 126 Cuban mili-
[165]tiamen were killed in a clash with guerrillas near Sancti
[167]. Spiritus, Las Villas Province. (Page 6)
[169]CUBAN_AIR FLIGHT CONNECTIONS:
[170](Spaia has approved regularly scheduled navana inari3 flights
[172]y CUBANA airlines, according to an intercepte message. .
[174](Page 7)
[176]SHIPPING SUPPORT FOR CUBA:
[177]The Argentine Government and the owners of the SS ANAMAR
[179]are determined that it will not take a cargo of Soviet-.
[180]purchased coffee to Cuba. (Page 7)
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[186]Dip
[188]13-00000 . an ;
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[192].
[194](cssosLonms: of
[196]The(Brazilian OAS dele at informed his government on 5
[197]December that several (OAS delegated, fave been impressed by
[198]the Cuban claim that the weapons found in Venezuela Last
[199]month had actually been planted there by the US. Apparently
[200]unaware that elaborate efforts had been made to erase all
[201]indications of the Cuban origin of the weapons, they wonder
[202]why Cuba would permit evidence of its involvement in send-_
[203]ing arms to Latin American guerrillas to be traceable to.
[204]Cuba. (Page 7)
[206](9)
[207]The Genezueian OAS ambassador)dispatched an urgent message
[208]to h foreign ministed ecember expressing misgivings
[209]as to the attitudes of a ee ners of the special. DAS) committee
[210]appointed to investigate Venezuela" s charges aga. nst the .
[211]Castro regime. _ Page 8) ‘i
[213]In relation. to the investigation of the Yenézuelan) arms
[214]’ cache, the (Brazilian IES to the @as) has been instructed
[215]not. to show "sympathy or excessive Gaderstanding in rela-:
[216]tion to Cuba." (Page 9)
[217]SOVIET-CUBAN RELATIONS:
[218]| A clandestine source has reported, possibly as a current
[219]rumor, that Fidel Castro visited Moscow around 15 November;
[220]there "is no current evidence that he made any public appear —
[221]ances in Cuba around that date. (Page 9)
[222]BLOC ECONOMIC RELATIONS:
[224]Five Polish merchantmen have been assigned to Cuban run.
[225](Page 10) -
[227]The Soviet -made AN-12 transport has landed in Cuba. (Page 10)
[228]NON-BLOC RELATIONS: _ .
[229]The Moroccan foreign minister has received a Cuban "good-
[230]will" mission for the second time; local expectation is”
[231]that formal relations will be re-established shortly.
[232]po _ (Page 11)
[234]i)
[235]The President of (Dahomey Heclined an invitation to attend
[236]the l January anniversary celebration in Cuba. (Page 11)
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[250]CUBAN. SUPPORT OF EXTERNAL SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES:
[252]ore
[253]The Chilean acnencaiad Venezieid) is convinced of the
[255]accuracy of (Venezuelan charges of Cuban subversion.
[256](Page 11) il
[257]There is an additional report on the use of a Cuban trans-
[259]port plane to supply pro-Castro groups in Venezuela with
[260]weapons. (Page 12)
[262]Cuban Chargé Lasalle in Bolivia is reportedly supplying
[263]weapons to the leftist section of the governing party,
[265]as the serious political crisis there becomes more in-
[267]tense. (Page 12)
[268]A clandestine source has reported that two Cubans are
[269]with a. group of Peruvian leftists currently hiding in
[271]Bolivia, and that Castro has agreed to provide.money and
[272]guerrilla training for a rival group. (Page 12)
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[280], t
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[286]MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS:
[288]Three independent clandestine sources have reported the
[289]unloading of military equipment from a Soviet cargo vessel,
[290]probably the METALLURG BAIKOV, on 19 or 20 November. This
[291]vessel was suspected of carrying a military cargo long before
[292]its arrival in Cuba. (See Daily Summary of 12 November.) It
[293]carried what was probably the eighth full military cargo to
[294]arrive in Cuba since the 1962 missile crisis. One source, a
[295]retired civil engineer whose reporting has been factual and
[297]. in most instances based on personal observation, reported that
[299]the METALLURG BAIKOV unloaded "large quantities of arms and
[300]military equipment" in Havana on 20 November and left the next
[301]day. Another source reported that Havana longshoremen had
[302]stated that a Soviet ship, which they did not identify, had
[303]unloaded arms at Regla Wharf, Havana, on 20 November. A third
[304]source, an educated Cuban of Western Kuropean extraction who
[306]_is a resident of Havana, reported that tanks were among the
[307]‘equipment unloaded from a Soviet vessél that arrived in Havana
[309]on 19 November. The three sources are probably referring to
[310]the same shipment. If the report on the delivery of tanks is
[311]true, this would be the second consecutive reported shipment
[313]of armored vehicles to Cuba. The ORENBURG reportedly delivered
[314]some 45 tanks on 23 or 24 October. (See Daily Summaries of 28
[315]and 29 October.) It has previously been reported that another
[316]probable military shipment, the ninth, is now en route aboard
[317]the SLUTSK. (See Daily Summary of 3 December.) (CIA TDCS-DB-
[318]ara 288, 6 December , SECHET NO FOREIGN DISSEM/CONTROLLED DIS-
[319]SEM) -
[321]The Soviet “coastal defense rockets" now belong to the
[322]Cuban Army artillery forces, according to a recent speech by
[323]Raul Castro. Cubans probably have been training in cruise
[324]missile operations since last spring, and the rotation and
[325]withdrawal of some Soviet naval personnel in September suggested
[326]that the cruise missile system was turned over to the Cubans
[327]at that time? (4 Soviet communications net) which probably serves
[328]the cruise missile system remains active, however, indicating
[329]that some degree of Soviet involvement continues. (CIA FBIS,
[331]14 November, UNCLASSIFIED and NSA 2/-/CURUNYR16-63 , 28 August,
[332]1963, SECRET KIMBO) 9
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[338]13-00000
[340]TOP SECRET DINAR |
[342]FIDEL CASTRO'S SPEECH:
[344]Fidel Castro's speech of the night of 6-7 December was
[345]on the occasion of the graduation of women teachers for the
[346]literacy campaign, He devoted most of the 99 minutes to a
[347]discussion of the development of local education in Cuba, At
[348]one point, however, he made a moderately long digression to
[349]discuss Venezuela and the situation raised by Venezuela's dis-—
[350]covery last month of a large cache of weapons, some of which
[351]have been traced to Cuba.
[353]Castro stated that, while "the imperialists and their
[354]lackeys" charge that Cuba is promoting subversion in Vene-
[355]zuela, rebellion and subversion cannot be promoted from with-
[356]out. The Venezuelan revolution, he maintained, stems from
[357]the Venezuelan people's own disgust with their government and
[358]with its permitting the "imperialists" to plunder Venezuela's
[359]wealth and resources. If subversion could, in fact, be promoted
[360]from the outside, why, he asked, have all the resources of im-
[361]perialism failed to subvert the Cuban Government? -
[363]Betancourt, "that miserable lackey," is trying to incite
[364]the United States to take military action against Cuba, Castro
[365]charged, As a pretext the Venezuelans say they have discovered
[366]arms from Cuba on the Venezuelan coast, Castro stated.’ "Some
[367]of the arms," he said, "are said to have borne an effaced Cuban
[368]seal, and other arms are said to be bazookas, recoilless cannon,
[369]mortars, But Cuban mortars perchance? No!. Yankee mortars?
[370]Yankee bazookas! Yankee recoilless cannon! Arms which we did
[371]not manufacture; arms which we did not buy!" Castro then went
[372]on, without specifically denying that the weapons had come from
[373]Cuba, by implying that the CIA. had obtained Cuban arms from
[374]Cuban deserters and that it would not be difficult to plant
[375]these weapons in Venezuela. (Here he is obviously referring
[376]to the Belgian-made light rifles and submachineguns which have
[377]been identified as among those shipped to Cuba in 1959 and
[378]1960.) With respect to the US-made mortars, bazookas, and re-
[379]coilless. rifles, Castro challenged the OAS investigating com-
[380]mittee to "investigate thoroughly," make laboratory tests,
[381]trace the serial numbers, and then "they will be able to reach
[382]only one conclusion: that they belong to the CIA,"
[384]Castro then attempted to show the "brazenness" and in-
[385]consistency of those who would use the Venezuelan arms cache
[386]as a pretext to invade or to blockade Cuba when for more than
[387]four years the very same kind of stthversive activity as is
[388]now being charged to Cuba has been perpetrated against Cuba--
[389]without any hemispheric attempt to punish the aggressors.
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[399]FIDEL CASTRO'S SPEECH - cont'd
[401]"Things have changed quite a bit," Castro declared, "to
[402]attack or to blockade Cuba now would not be easy; we can de-
[403]fend ourselves;. we are calm; we know what we have to defend
[404]ourselves with." Then, in an implied reference to the Soviet
[405]shipment of strategic missiles to Cuba last year, Castro de-
[406]clared: "When we hear some of these lackeys of imperialism
[407]talking so calmly about invading Cuba, when it has been only
[408]one year since the October crisis, they are once more proving
[409]us right and are once more justifying Cuba's taking defensive
[410]measures; this talk led to the October crisis." Castro then
[411]declared that "these men are so deceived by their own propaganda
[412]that...they cannot conceive of what any invader would meet here."
[413]A war against Cuba, he said, "would not end while there was a
[414]single mercenary soldier. treading on our soil."
[416]Castro then returned briefly to his views as to how peace
[417]can be assured in the Caribbean, "Whatever they want to dis-
[418]cuss with Cuba," he said, "let them come and discuss honestly
[419]with Cuba; because we have stated the indispensable prerequisites
[420]for a peaceful atmosphere...in the Caribbean." Thus far, how-
[421]ever, "they have answered with aggressions on top of aggressions."
[422]This course, he said, "is doomed to failure." (CIA FBIS Havana,
[423]7 December, OFFICIAL USE ONLY)
[425]CUBAN INTERNAL SITUATION:
[427]A shake-up in the Cuban cabinet has moved Faure Chomon
[428]Mediavilla to the post of transportation minister; he succeeds
[429]Capt. Omar Fernandez, whose ministry was recently under attack
[430]by Castro for alleged inefficiencies and “vices." Major Jesus
[431]Montane Oropesa is replacing Chomon as communications minister.
[433]Chomon, who served as Castro's first ambassador to the
[434]Soviet Union, took over as communications minister in March
[435]1962. He is currently a member of the National Directorate
[436]of PURS. Fernandez, his predecessor, is reportedly moving to
[437]an unspecified position in the Ministry of Industries under
[438]Che Guevara..
[440]Montane took part in the attack on the Moncada Barracks
[441]in 1953 and followed. Castro to exile in Mexico. He took part
[442]in the GRANMA expedition of 1956 when he was captured and in-
[443]prisoned. After the revolution, he reportedly received only
[444]a minor post. in the government because he had talked too much
[445]in prison. His most recent post, dating from at least August
[446]1962, has been as number two man in the Tourism Institute
[447](INIT). He is said to be an ardent Marxist-Leninist, who.
[448]preaches it at every opportunity. (UPI 63, 6 December, UN-
[449]CLASSIFIED; background information: SECRET)
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[455]13-00000
[456]TOP SECRET DINAR
[458]CUBAN INTERNAL SITUATION - cont'd
[460], Intercepted’ fuban military messages of 7 December. indicate
[461]_ that serious (rai damage. has occurredyin both (Pinar del Rio i0
[462]nd Oriente )provinces. (Five unidentified)military units in
[463](9 (Pinar del Rio jreported the extent of damage to their defensive
[464]ortificationsS and fac lities, yin messages to the operations
[465]officer, apparently at| fourth army headquartors)in( Pinar del (O
[466]Ho) More than half Bee ot most or been destroyed, the
[467]shelters and command pos at most_of the units reporting
[468]had suffered serious damage, and. division headquarter eported
[469]that, while its facilities were still in good condition; the
[470]roads leading to it will have to be repaire Meanwhile, in 24
[471](o Oriente pr ovince? intercepts indicate that (torrential rainfall
[472]had caused the Givers to flood making, travel difficult and
[473]had forced the Closing of the (Baracoa) airport. (USN-856,
[474]2/SL{CUMYR302-63, 8 December, SECRET KIMBO) 949
[476]THE PRESIDENT'S ASSASSINATION: -
[478]The Reuters correspondent in Madrid has advised the US
[479]Embassy that he has been queried by a New York client about
[480]an 8 December El Tiempo report that Spanish police have de-—
[481]tained a Cuban national--45-year-old Enrique Pascual: Ruedolo
[482]Gongora, alleged to have arrived in Spain via an IBERIA flight
[483]from New York on 23 November--in connection with a plot against
[484]the late President Kennedy. Local police have confirmed deten-
[485]tion of Ruedolo. However, they claim that he arrived in Spain
[486]on 29 November and to the best of their knowledge has abso-
[487]lutely no connection with the assassination. They maintain
[488]that he was expelled from the United States for undetermined
[489]reasons and is being held because he has been unable to -
[490]arrange onward travel to Cuba. CAS is pursuing the matter
[491]in Madrid. (Am Emb Madrid, 1155,7 December, CONFIDENTIAL)
[493]INSURGENCY AND CIVIL UNREST: 0
[494]i
[496]A fire on 6 December on a farm near (Cardenas Matanzas )
[498]Province, des royed approximately. one acr £ fhenequen zu Thi
[499]chief of the atands as Bureau of Public Order ( oP) in orned
[500]\© (Havana)in an he fire,
[502]‘supposed to be sabotage," was put out by the(Cardenas \fire
[504]' December intercepted message o(Ga
[505]4 department. - (USM 603) ASU RNAS -89, 8 December, SECRET
[507]' KIMBO)
[511]TOP SECRET DINAR
[512]Zzpl
[515]Sos . TOP SECRET DINAR
[517]INSURGENCY AND CIVIL UNREST - cont'd 9
[519]—— . 2!
[521]© On 6 December the (Department of State Security (DSE)) unit
[522]in Moron) informed | rovincial h quarters in Camaguey) that on
[523]5 D&cember "they tried to shoot Wown the chief of the’ e n
[525](9 (Vv Velasco .), .he escaped unharmed. Full details will be sent by“?
[526]etter > The message did not indicate to whom "they" referred.
[527]om, 603 9, 2/10 922-63, 6 December, SECRET KIMBO)
[529]Ghe militiaman who was arrested in Guantanamo on 3
[530]December for suspected counterrevolutionary_activities (see 24.
[531]a Summary ,o6 December) has meen headg Sector E Nenaauarters
[533]ayari Brriba) informed(First Arfiy¥ headquarters) in San-
[534]iotiseo on 5 December that teban Mendez Almaguer and Vose
[535]Joirét Aria, both identified as natives of Quijada, were re-
[536]ased by the DS -_The reason for their release was not given.
[537](isn. and? 2/iRL epi R197-63, 6 December, SECRET KIMBO)
[539]Pane (ie unit at Ciego de Avila has captured one insur
[540]gent and Feports the surrender of dnother.0 On 6 December
[541]SE provincial headquarters) in Camaguey was informed that
[542]the nsurgent Demetrio Armas Izquierdo was “captured near
[543]Jatibonico. The message stated that Armas "was reportedly
[544]active in the Havana, Matanzas, and Santa Clara areas, and
[545]most recently in Camaguey. He belonged to an insurgent band
[546]led by one Carlo." The same message reported the surrender
[547]of Edmundo Almeida (see Daily Summary, 5 December), “previously
[548]associated with the bands of Juan Aiberto ," to the DSE unit
[549]at Jatibonico. |
[550]In addition, on 7 Decesber (Ciego de Avila reported the
[551]arrest of Jesus Marquez, a 39-yedr-old resident of Jucaro.
[552]Marquez is said to have cashed an gout of circulation 50-dollar
[554]11, which he received from the US on 4 Decembe 963."
[555]a Gant 603, mee /R138-63, 6 December and 2/YJ sad R140-63,
[556]Decembe GprMBo)
[558]. An undetermined number of residents of Vegas de Palmas,
[559]San Antonio de las Veultas and Agiada de Moya, Las Villas
[560]Province, recently fled the country from an unknown point of
[561]‘embarkation.:.*'Central Army headquarters in Santa Clara)in-
[562]formed’ Gavana) that the persons from Vegas de Palmas had been
[563]identified as: Lucina Manso, Rodobaldo Monteagua, and
[564]} Moises Monson Garit, an ex-private in the revolutionary armed
[565]' forces. , Also mentione escapees were Feliz Perez, Inoes
[566]Lima. usn ges atee R301-63, 8 December, SECRET KIMBO)
[570]TOP SECRET DINAR
[572]24 Py
[574]13-00000
[576](9 (Camaguey) informed avana) that a
[578]TOP SECRET DINAR
[580]INSURGENCY AND CIVIL UNREST - cont'd
[582]In possible connection with the preceding item, 32
[583]people attempting to flee Cuba were captured by Cuban 2
[584]security forces on_8 December. (Fitth Army Headquarters )in
[586]3) aritime patrol of the
[587]coastal-vigilance observation post captured a boat carrying
[588]32 individuals in the area of Cayo Mariquibay, north of La
[589]Bahia de Punta Alegre. On the boat, which had. left Caibarien
[590]three days earlier, government agents found Cuban and YS
[591]monies as well as personal belongings. (USN 56, 2/3L/C0M -
[592]R303-63, 9 December, SECRET KIMBO) FJ
[594]A trained clandestine source who is a civil aviation
[595]expert with the Cuban Ministry of Transportation reports that
[596]several minor incidents of sabotage have been discovered on
[597]CUBANA aircraft. On 15 November a CUBANA IL-14 made a
[598]round-trip flight from Rancho Boyeros Airport to Nueva Gerona
[599]without a storage battery. The source comments that serious
[600]trouble would have resulted if one engine had stopped or had
[601]been feathered while en route. This incident may be related
[602]to various acts of subtle sabotage against CUBANA aircraft,
[603]such as stuffing exhaust tubes with rags or obstructing car-
[604]buretor intakes. . ,
[606]_ In addition, the source reports that a CUBANA Britannia
[607]aircraft was sabotaged by Algerian personnel during a recent
[609]' flight to Algiers. The hydraulic line was fractured forcing
[611]the crew to use manual controls to lower the landing gear for
[612]a stop in Madrid. (CIA IN 75941, 8 December, SECRET NO FOREIGN
[613]DISSEM/CONTROLLED DISSEM) . .
[615]Press dispatches from Mexico City report that a leader
[616]of the Revolutionary Students Directorate (DRE) announced
[617]that 126 Cuban militiamen had been killed in a clash with
[619]‘guerrillas 12 miles south of Sancti Spiritus, Las Villas
[621]Province. Angel Gonzales said that "belated underground
[622]reports. just received" indicated that the clash took place
[624]in mid-September when a guerrilla force ambushed a militia
[625]unit and killed 11 militiamen. The guerrilla forces lost 18
[626]men, including Negro. guerrilla leader Andre Startabull and
[627]three captains identified as Carlos Roca, Julio Garcia, and
[628]Sergio Perez. The Castro regime then sent 5,000 men sup-
[629]ported by tanks, mortars,.and helicopters to destroy the
[630]guerrillas. After two weeks of fighting, the entire guerrilla
[631]unit was destroyed but not until-115 other militiamen had been
[632]killed. There is no confirmation from COMINT or other sources
[633]of any action of the. magnitude reported by the DRE, (AP+131,
[634]Mexico City, 7 December, UNCLASSIFIED)
[638]TOP SECRET DINAR
[640]connections are vital to
[642]‘TOP SECRET DINAR
[644]CUBAN AIR. os CONNECTIONS:
[646]-@pain) tas approved regularly scheduled mavana fiades) flights
[647]by CUBANA airlines, according to an intercepted mesSage of 7 De-
[648]cember. It was previously reported that th Gpanish Government
[649]was unwilling to reduce it ese flights becausé it believes the
[651]Goain: however, the (Foreign Ministry )24
[652]said it wore limit Jor p bts to Havana-WMadridg-Havana with-
[653]out stops i lgiers) or aus) and would refuseddlanding to
[654]Soviet-built ANA aircraft.(O (See Daily Summary of 18 November.)
[655]It has also been reported that) CUBANA is assured of capacit
[657]passenger loads for the Havana -{lladrid) service and plans. to pool 24
[659]vis (sara) from all of Western~ Europe )for delivery to Havana
[661]via Madrid) thus assuring full payloads both ways. (See Daily
[662]Sum: qf 4 December.) (NSA 2X/O{QOP/T211-63, 8 December,
[663]SECRET SABRE; Background information: Q*| NO FOREIGN DISSEM)
[665]SHIPPING SUPPORT FOR CUBA:
[667]Argentina is reportedly attempting to stop one of its ships--
[668]the SS ANAMAR--from delivering a cargo of coffee to Cuba, despite
[669]the fact that there are currntly no legal. restrictions against
[670]Argentine ships calling anywhere in the world. The ANAMAR left
[671]Brazil on 1 November with a cargo of Brazilian coffee, purchased
[672]by the USSR and destined for Cuba. (See Daily Summary of 8 No-
[673]vember.) The Argentine Foreign Ministry informed US Embassy of-
[674]ficials that it was determined to’ prevent the ANAMAR from going
[676]_to Cuba because of potential unfavorable press reaction. Argen-
[678]tina wants to avoid legal and financial entanglements in the mat-
[679]ter; however, it is determined to stop the ship and is reportedly
[680]even considering some type of provocation which would force the
[681]ship to put into Puerto Rico. The owners of the ANAMAR are
[682]equally adamant that the ship will not go to Cuba; reportedly
[684]they had agreed to ship coffee from Brazil to some Central Amer-
[686]ican country to pay some back bills, and were only informed later
[687]that the shipment would go to Cuba. According to the owners, the
[688]ship is now lying off the coast of Brazil awaiting resolution
[690]of the problem. The owners reportedly stated they will sink the
[691]ship rather than go to Cuba. (Am Emb Buenos Aires 1017, 4 Decen-
[692]ber, CONFIDENTIAL)
[694]29 (oas) DEVELOPMENTS: :
[695]0% 06
[699](ree OAS delegate Penna Marinho) reported to his gov- 24
[700]ernm from (Washingto on 5 December that several (OAS delegates
[701]have been impressed byjthe Cuban claim that the weapons found in
[703]‘Venezuela last month had actually been planted there by the
[705]United States.
[709]TOP SECRET DINAR
[711]13-00000
[713].
[715]Wp
[717]o(, Senna Marinho)\went on, that if Cuba had actu
[719]TOP SECRET DINAR
[721]f
[723]“og
[725]@as )DEVELOPMENTS - cont'd
[727]ty gd
[729]These Giegates, Pénha Marinho) stated, “are wondering
[731]whether the €uban Government would be so stupid as to send
[733]to Venezuela arms with the inscription ‘Cuban Army’ and the
[735]insignia of Cuba engraved on them" as indicated by, the Vene-
[737]zuelan photographs shown at the as} These delegat s\ believe,
[738]) ly sent the arms
[740]o Venezuela it would first have removed any indication of
[742]their origin. This account indicates that the(Brazilian dele
[744]gate\and the others of whom he speaks are apparently unaware
[746]that’ considerable effort had, in fact, been made to erase all
[748]evidence of the Cuban origin of these arms. The 31 submachine
[750]guns found in the cache had their serial numbers and other
[752]identifying marks recently ground off. Venezuelan technicians,
[754]using a highly technical process, were able to raise the serial
[756]numbers and the Cuban shield on some of the weapons. In inde-
[758]. pendent tests, US technicians were able to raise the numbers
[760]and shields on three of these weapons. The numbers. correspond
[761]to those of weapons known to have been delivered to Cuba from
[762]Belgium in 1959 and 1960. Similarly, in the case of the 81
[763]light automatic rifles of Belgian manufacture found in the
[764]cache, all identifying marks had been obliterated. In this
[765]case, one-fourth inch of molten brazing alloy had been used
[767]to cover the places where the numbers had been ground off and
[768]it was not possible to restore the numbers. However, Venezuelan
[769]military authorities have noted that these weapons are unique
[770]to those manufactured expressly for the Cuban Government by
[771]Belgium's Fabrique Nationale in 1959, when Cuba ordered 22,500
[772]such weapons. (NSA 3/OABLD/T2041-63, 6 December, TOP SECRET
[773]DINAR; background data: FISECRET NO FOREIGN DISSEM)
[775]The(Veneniielan OAS delegate dispatched a "personal, urgent,
[776]and confidential" message to his Goreign minister.en 6 December
[777]expressing certain misgivings as to the attitudes’ 6f members
[779]of the special OAS\ fact-finding committee with respect to the
[780]Venezuelan charges’ against thec.Castro regime which the committee
[781]was named to investigate. Thé G@mbassador reported that he had
[782]just received "strictly confidential information" that the pre-
[783]vailing opinion within the committee is that it must investigate
[784]the entire subject of Cuban subversive activities in Venezuela,
[785]not limiting itself to the evidence on the Cuban origin of the
[786]arms cache found in Venezuela last month.
[790]TOP SECRET DINAR
[792]13-0000
[794]0
[796](Zip
[798]- attitude which migh
[800]TOP SECRET DINAR
[802]24
[803]as) DEVELOPMENTS : - t'd
[806]The committee members, the (ambassador )stated, insist
[807]that it is essential for the Venezuelan Government to "pre-
[808]sent proof of the general Cuban conspiracy" against the Vene-
[809]zuelan Governmen £ the case against Cuba is to be proven.
[810]The (Venezuelan ambassador )added that “one of the most important
[811]members| of the committee"’ had stated that the enezuelan evidence
[812]on the Cuban origin of the arms cache is not airtight and!lthat
[813]the arms could actually have been resold by Cuba to someone
[814]else some,years agocor stolen from Cuban arsenals.
[816]The Venezuela OAS ambassador\then stated that the editor
[817]of a "very important US magazine" had asked him in all serious-
[818]ness: on 6 December whether the arms could not have been planted
[819]in Venezuela by the CIA, as Castro has charged. The editor
[820]added that this question had been asked of him by "imp tant
[821]persons" with whom he had discussed the problem, The: Yene-
[822]zuelan ambassador) used this,to emphasize to his foreign: ne~ ob
[823]ister\ that he believes the [Venezuelan Government must not
[824]dismi$Ss this suspicion lightly.. He pointed out that important
[826]have pointed out( Venezuela's pvidence on the arms cache may
[827]provide "the fir opportunity" to confront. the threat ‘of
[828]Cuban subversion in the hemisphere. Thes ndividuals may be
[829]critical of the Venezuelan Government, the(ambassador \warned,
[830]if its sticks to its demand that the inve. igation b limited
[831]to the arms cache evidence. (NSA 3/0{VED, aye ee 7 December,
[832]TOP SECRET DINAR) qq
[834]persons in the United uela's pride in government and the press,
[836]The(Brazilian delégate )to the( OAS) was informed of his
[837]country' position on the investigation of the Venezuelan
[838]armg cache, according to a 2 December intercepted message.
[839]The Foreign Ministry y)ipforned him that,he was to "avoid any
[841]t 86em to leave(Braz il)isolated in a posi-
[842]tion which could be interpreted. as one of sympathy or exces-
[843]sive understanding in relation to Cuba." On the other hand,
[844]he was instructed not to "openly state ‘the opinion that the
[845]matter falls exclusively under¢the competence of the Venezuelan
[846]security authorities." The (de legate was advised to delay his
[847]departure "until the situation is clarified." (NSA 5/0
[848]T206-63, 6 December, TOP SECRET DINAR)
[850]SOVIET-CUBAN RELATIONS:
[852]Fidel Castro may have been in Moscow about 15 November
[853]for talks with Premier Khrushchev, according to a civil
[854]aviation expert who is apparently passing on a rumor he
[855]heard in Cuba. The source reported as background that Castro
[856]has not appeared on Cuban TV and did not meet people he ap-
[857]parently would have met if he had been in Cuba.
[861]TOP SECRET DINAR
[863]13-00000
[865]TOP SECRET DINAR
[867]- SOVIET BLOC RELATIONS - cont'd
[869]There have been no reported Castro appearances around L5
[870]November. On 7 November he talked with a group of students
[871]at Havana University and on 19 November he reportedly visited
[872]a PURS meeting in Matanzas. However, between these two
[873]dates there is no current evidence that he appeared on Cuban
[874]radio or TV, and Hoy carried no reports of his personal appear-
[875]ances in Cuba. This does not, however, rule out the possibility
[876]that he was indeed in Cuba in "mid-November, (CIA IN 75946, &
[877]December, SECRET) |
[879]BLOC ECONOMIC RELATIONS:
[881]Warsaw has assigned five merchantmen with a capacity of
[882]44,000 tons tothe Cuban - Central American trade, according to
[883]anh announcement by Havana television. The ships, one of which
[884]is refrigerated, will be operated by CUBALCO-~-the Rostock-head-
[885]quartered joint company chartered by Poland, the GDR, Czecho-
[886]slovakia and Cuba to carry goods between Cuba and the northern
[887]satellites. In the words of Havana television, "the enterprise
[888]will be responsible for guaranteeing supplies to the first
[889]socialist country of America, thereby contributing to the
[890]defeat of the US economic. blockade against Cuba." (CIA/FBIS,
[892]7. December, UNCLASS TI TED) .
[894]24
[895]| Soviet(air “defense Jand Cuban esvat air voice) communica
[896]tions on 7 cember reflected the ival in Cuba of a Soviet-
[897]made AN-12.: (See Daily Summary, 6 December). The following
[898]day, Prensa ‘Latina announced that “the Cuban air force" had
[899]acquired a four-engine, turboprop craft with a 14,000-ton
[900]freight capacity for use in a service between Moscow and Havana.
[901]Prensa Latina said that the plane would be used to carry
[902]freight between the two. capitals and "three or four stops at
[903]cities not yet announced by the Cuban consolidated aviation
[904]enterprise."
[906]The references to the AN-12 being acquired by the "Cuban
[907]Air Force," followed by statements attributed to CUBANA offi-
[908]cials as to its future employment, raise confusion as to
[909]whether it is to be used primarily for military or civil air
[910]purposes. As pointed out previously, however (see Daily
[911]Summary of 3 December), the AN-12 can be used interchangeably
[912]in both types of service. Its employment in bringing mili-
[913]tary cargoes to Cuba from the Soviet Union would be hampered,
[914]however, by range factors which would require it to refuel
[915]at two or more nonbloc airports between Cuba and the USSR.
[916]At these airports the aircraft could be subject to cargo in-
[917]spections. | (USA-71, 2/DGACURUAYR-853-63, 7 December, SE-
[918]CRET KIMBO; CIA/FBIS, Havana, 54 cember, UNCLASSIFIED}
[921]‘TOP SECRET DINAR
[923]13-00000
[927]if
[929]TOP SECRET DINAR
[931]NON-BLOC RELATIONS:
[933]The Moroccan foreign minister has received a three-man
[934]Cuban "good-will" mission for the second time and the Istiqlal's
[935]Nation claims. that a resumption of formal diplomatic relations
[936]is imminent, according to the US Embassy in Rabat (see Daily
[938]. Summary for 29 November and 6 December). According to a semi-
[940]official account of the meeting, which took place on 4 December,
[941]the Cubans reasserted their desire to normalize relations and
[942]professed a lack of hostile intentions against the Moroccan .
[943]Government--which severed formal relations after Cuban "techni-
[944]cians" arrived in Algeria on 22 October. "Informed sources"
[945]in Rabat claim that the government is considering the Cuban
[946]demarché with "attention," The Nation explains that the Cubans
[947]now recognize that Morocco has not been the aggressor in the
[948]Algerian conflict and that they are "repentant" over their pre-
[949]cipitous action in aiding Ben Bella. (Am Emb Rabat, 866, 6 De-
[950]cember, LIMITED OFFICIAL USE)
[951]_ 19
[952]The President of (Dahomey )declined an invitation to attend
[953]the 1 January anniversary celebration in Cuba, according to an
[954]ntercepted(radiotelephong- onversation of 3 December. The
[955]Ganonean ambassador )in Paris, received the invitation from his
[956]an counterpart; however|’the president declined because he
[957]said it was “hardly possible" for him to be in Cuba in January.
[958]It is not clear if Qahomey) will designate an official representa-
[959]tive to the celebrationl? “(GCHQ, rea ¥6/12/1963, 6. December,
[960]SECRET SABRE) ~ OY
[962]CUBAN .SUPPORT OF EXTERNAL SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITY:
[965]The Chilean ambassador) in Genezuela informed his govern-
[966]ment, in an intercepted 2 December message, that he is con-
[967]vinced of the accuracy of the Venezuelan Government's charges
[968]of Cuban subversion in Venezuela. He pointed out that the
[969]heavy voting in Venezuela's 1 December national election dem-
[970]onstrates that the legal opposition in Venezuela is not impli-
[971]cated in the violence and terrorism. He also stated that the
[972]Castro regime is so thoroughly repudiated by Venezuelan pub-
[973]lic opinion that the Venezuelan Government has no need to use
[974]artificial. means to stimulate anti-Castro feeling there. The
[976](Chilean ambassador) pointed out that many Venezuelan Communists
[978]are in Cuba and from there "they permanently incite rebellion"
[979]in Venezuela and Cuban propaganda supports their efforts. (NSA
[981] 3/0/Z+CLD T104-63, 7 December, TOP SECRET DINAR NO FOREIGN
[982]' DISSEM q
[986]TOP SECRET DINAR
[988]13-00000 |
[989]7 . TOP SECRET DINAR
[991]CUBAN SUPPORT OF EXTERNAL SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITY - cont'd
[993]There is additional information on Cuban use of a DC~4
[994]aircraft allegedly to supply Venezuelan guerrillas with weapons
[995]‘through British Guiana. A clandestine source who is a civil
[996]‘aviation expert and affiliated with the Cuban Ministry of Trans-—
[997]'portation reports hearing rumors to the effect that the recently
[998]refurbished CUBANA DC-4 with CUBANA registry number CUT-785 has
[999]‘been issued a "Guiana license," presumably a license for operation
[1000]in British Guiana; and has been operated by military personnel.
[1002]He adds that "it is said that clandestine flights have been made
[1003]to Venezuela." The same source had previously reported the re-
[1004]ifurbishing of this plane and some others and indicated that extra
[1005]fuel tanks had been installed on them. (CIA DD/P IN 75942, 8 De-
[1006]cember, SECRET/CONTROLLED DISSEM/NO FOREIGN DISSEM)
[1008]-The Cubans are reportedly involved in the serious political
[1009]crisis now under way in Bolivia, where a split between President
[1010](Paz' section of the governing party and the leftist sector led
[1011]by Vice President: Lechin threatens serious civil disorder. Cuban
[1012]Chargé Lasalle has given two boxes of arms to leaders of the left
[1013]“ ‘section of the party for use in the Catavi-Siglo mining area, ac-
[1014]cording to information received by a clandestine source. The
[1015]source, a medium-level member of the left section of the govern-
[1016]ing party who has excellent contact with national leaders of
[1017]that section and who is apparently trusted by Lasalle, was given
[1018]this information. by a. Bolivian labor leader who added that he
[1019]had personally received the arms from Lasalle. The source re-
[1020]ports that the arms are of German origin and had been stored in
[1021]Lasalle's house in La Paz. (CIA DD/P La Paz, IN 76093, 8 December,
[1022]‘SECRET )
[1024]I Two unnamed Cubans are reportedly with a group of 18 members
[1025]of the Peruvian Army of National Liberation (ELN) who are cur-
[1026]rently hiding in Bolivia, according to.a usually reliable medium-
[1027]level member of the Peruvian Movement of the Revolutionary Left
[1028](MIR) who is in regular contact with MIR leaders. The members
[1029]of the ELN may have been returning from training in Cuba, since
[1030]several such groups from that movement have gone there in the
[1031]past. According to Gonzalo Fernandez Gasco, leader of the MIR,
[1032]his group will help them return to Peru by providing them with
[1033]+. the necessary documentation. In return, the weapons owned by
[1034]} tthe ELN--automatic weapons and "San Cristobal" carbines--will
[1035]' be turned over to the MIR, reportedly in accordance with an order
[1036]from Fidel Castro. Once the ELN youths are back in Peru, the MIR
[1037]will look after them and try to convert them. to the cause. The
[1038]object is to eliminate the ELN as a rival force.
[1040]| -12-
[1042]| .
[1043]TOP SECRET DINAR
[1045]13-00000 .
[1047]7 : | TOP SECRET DINAR
[1049]CUBAN SUPPORT OF EXTERNAL SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITY - cont'd
[1051]| Possibly related to this reported plan to upgrade the MIR
[1053]'is a report from the same source that Fernandez said on 6 December
[1054]that Castro recently sent money to the MIR leaders and offered
[1055]to train more of its members in Cuba. Fernandez said that in the
[1056]future, groups of MIR members will go alternatively to North Korea
[1057]/and to Cuba for guerrilla warfare training. (CIA Lima TDCS-3/566,+
[1058]662, 6 December, and TDCS-3/566,947, 8 December, SECRET NO FOREIGN
[1059]DISSEM) ;
[1063]TOP SECRET DINAR