[104-10164-10002.pdf — page 18]
# CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCYThis material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title18, USC Secs 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-LCOUNTRY CubaREPORT NO. 00- B-3/6133SUBJECT Possible Rocket Launching Site in Oriente ProvinceDATE DISTR. 4 JUL 61NO. PAGES 1REFERENCESDATE OF INFO. Late May 1960PLACE & DATE ACQ. Late May 1960THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATIONSOURCE: US citizen, a pathologist who has recently returned from Cuba where he spent five years in charge of rice production and associated research on a large rice plantation at Jabote near the Camaguey/Oriente border.1. Just prior to my departure from Cuba on 26 May 60 I talked with a Vice President of one of Cuba's larger railroads. He occasionally goes on inspection tours of the railroad's facilities, and had just returned from an inspection of the company's spur lines in the Sierra Maestra region of Oriente province. He was accompanied at all times by a Cuban Army officer.2. One of the spur lines in the Sierra Maestra ran into a restricted area. In this area my friend observed under construction numerous large concrete slabs, immediately adjacent to which were very tall towers of metal framework and wire construction. He says that these were not TV or radio antenna-type towers. From his very limited knowledge of the subject, i.e., the few pictures he has seen in magazines and newspapers of rocket launching sites, he said that these towers appeared similar to steel structures he has seen in pictures of rocket launching bases. He asked his Cuban Army escort what purpose the construction was to serve, and was told "It is not a good idea to ask too many questions where lightning might strike".3. The concrete construction work was being handled by Mexican technicians.4. Batista's construction of large storage tanks "for pure water" on Cayo Largo is widely known in Cuba, but few accept the fact that the storage tanks are for water. It is the consensus that these tanks are for fuel storage and will serve as a refueling base for submarines. I have flown over Cayo Largo and seen these tanks from the air. They do not look like water storage tanks to me.5. I have heard that the tenth floor of the Havana Hilton is reserved for the Soviets. While staying there just prior to my departure from Cuba I noticed the elevators never stopped on the tenth floor. I inquired of the elevator boys, the desk clerks, and even the assistant manager, why the tenth floor wasn't open to guests. I was told that there were no guests on the tenth floor, that it was not completed, and was unaccustomed to guests. We sent our laundry away by laundry we returned to us with several pairs of shorts which did not belong to us. The laundry is marked by room number at the Seville Biltmore and the shorts stamped in white shorts was a tenth floor number.C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L701-389 865![INFORMATION REPORT] INFORMATION REPORT*ALL NFORMATION ACQUIRED BY OSINT. Dissemination limited to full time employees of CIA within State and Defense. to the intelligence communitiesupporting staffs. Not to be disseminated to consultants. external projects or those personnel on short term active duty accepting individuals who are normally full time employees of 1'14. ADI: DBI: State or defense unless the written permission of the originating office has been obtained through the Assistant Director for Central Reference. CIA*