9 March 19€ 
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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SURCAARY 
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Opposition elements are 
though reports of government 
maintaining their campaign 
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scigures of supplies intended 
against the Castry government 
for opposition forces vin 
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“through a variety 
of activi-' 
that 
anti-Castro operations: 
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Sabotage attempts against | there 
have been considerably 
sugar cane have been reported 
. 
Castro's 4 
speech, 
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burned. 
A source who recently 
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acelivered at ceremonies mark- 
_ 
 . 
escaped from Cuba said that an 
ing the first anniversary of 
ss’ Opposition group has detailed 
the explosion of 
an 
ammuni- 
plans ,for 
the sabotage 
2: 
tion ship in Havana harbor with 
,Cuban” 
il refineries 
around 
a large number of casualties, 
Havana. 
, 
j; blamed the United States for 
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all activity against 
his re- 
rime and taunted the anti-Cas-~ 
Fighting is continuing in 
tro exiles for not attempting 
the Escambray Mountains, 
al- 
to invade Cuba and reistorce 
- 
SANITIZED COPY, 
9 Mar 61 
WEEKLY REVIEW 
Page 9 of 28 
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the RTE TP bands, » which he 
Claimed are being “mopped up" 
in Les Villas and Criente 
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' provinces. 
He ridiculed at-~- 
tempts to supply opposition. 
forces by means of air drops 
. 
gnd said that the regime had 
. Captured all such materiel and 
‘and diplomats could view it 
>>, gad “decide ta whom it belongs 
who intervenes in affairs’ | 
dvessing the ‘first Latin Ameri-~ 
workers’ con- 
-. 
ference in Havana on 4 March, 
frankly ‘exhorted the delegates 
Lollow the Cuban example 
*‘-agrarian reform in their own. 
gountries--a statement sharp—- 
Ly contrasting with the Cas- 
* 
regime's recent protest2- 
'. .. tions to other Latin American 
..t governments that the Cuban rev- 
OLution would not be "exported" 
¢o their countries. 
~w 
would soon exbibit:itiia Havana 
. 
that foreign newspapermen’ 
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY 
| hone and abroad, inasmuch:.as, 
. Cuba's circular note of 
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. 
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late February welcoming Latin 
| American efforts to mediate 
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differences between the United 
States and Cuba elicited a re- 
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sponse from the Frondizi govern- 
ment jin Argentina announcing ita. 
intentisu to send special. envoys 
- 
to Havana and Washington ‘in 
sree 
order to seek means of easing... 
tension between the two coun- 
tries. This action was prob- 
°°...’ 
ably intended as a gesture to, 
impress public opinion both at <*>. 
. 
among the large Latin American 
countries, Argentina has been 
‘the strongest critic of Cuba 
=. 
and has supported only multi- 
lateral consideration of the 
| Cuban problem. Argentina as well 
a3 most other. Latin American 
i 
countries criticized a recent 
=. 
Ecuadorean mediation offer in- 
||: 
spired mainly by prop: ‘ganda mo= 
tives. 
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. 
Cuba declined. 
the 
offer on 
March, 
pasing its action on the asser- 
tion that the US "does not want 
— 
to sit down and talk" about its 
differences with Cuba or reduce 
hemisphere tensions, as Castro . 
charged in his 4 March speech. 
SANITIZED COPY 
WEERLY REVIEW ° 
Page 10 of 28 
9 Mar 621 
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10 March 1961 
: 
SUBJECT: Is Time on Our Side in Cuba? 
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1. We continue to hold to the view, last expressed 
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in a memorandum to you on 27 Janvery, that Castro remins 
firmly in contro2 of Cuba anf that his position is, if 
anything, likely to grow stronger rather than veaker as 
time goes on.” 
2. fo be sure, the regine’s once overvhelming popular 
support has greatly diminiched in recent months 
and various instances ef guerrilla opposition, aabdotage, 
and economic dislocation have orizen to plague it. 
However, 
we see no signs ¢hat such dovelirecnts portend any serious 
threat to regime which ty nov hes established 
formidable 
f 
structure of control over the datly lives of the Cuban people. 
The militia is absorbing experience, training, and new veapons 
. 
ce 
“mis was also one of the principal conclusions of our last 
formal essessment of the Cuban situation, SHITE 85-3-60, 
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"Prospects for the Castro Regime,” 8 Decenber 1960. 
by 
Sane 26 
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and is becoming @ pervasive instrument for internal security, 
though the fully effective portion of it is likely to be 
mich emller numerically than its rimored gross size of 
200,000 or more. 
Internal opposition, though widespread, 
still appears to lack sufficient organized strength, 
equipment and cohesion to provide a scrious challenge. 
Yoreuver, Cuba's economic difficulties will probably not 
become great enough to jeopardize the regim, This year's 
sugar crop will probably 
te cf normal size. In any event 
the Sino-Soviet Bloc can be depenied on to provide such assistance 
3. The prospects for effective international action 
against Cuba remain poor, even though Castro's appeal and 
prestige have declined 
throughout Latin America 
since 1959. 
Most of the governments in the OAS ave opposed to 
Castro on one accomt or enother, but, with the exception of 
six vhich bave no relaticas with Guba,” there is extrem 
reluctance or umvillingnese to participate 
collective action 
on the Cuba problem. 
‘The hands «ptt policiss of Brezil, Chile, 
and Mexico are of considereble tefluence in this respect. 
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as Cuba may need to stay eflost. 
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FOR THE BOARD OF MATIONAL ESTIMATES: 
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SHERMAN 
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March 1961 
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Declassificd by 
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date ...... ernen APR 1976. 
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY. 
OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE 
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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY 
CUBA 
The Castro regime continues 
3 to expand its ties with the 
Sino-Soviet bloc. 
At least 
two Cuban delegations are travel- 
ing in the bloc on official 
missions, One, headed by Trans-~ 
port Minister Camacho, held 
talks with transport officials 
in East Germany and Czecho-_ 
slovakia and’ then went on to. 
the 
Education Minister Armando 
Hart left Havana in mid-March 
with a cultural delegation for 
a 45-day tour of Czechoslovakia, 
East Germany, Poland, the Soviet 
Union, and Communist China. A 
government-sponsored Cuban bal- 
let troupe is performing in 
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Czechoslovakia following appear- 
‘ances in Communist China, North 
Korea, and other bloc countries, 
and in Havana President Dorticos 
on 16 March inaugurated a pic- 
torial exhibition of Chinese 
Communist "economic achieve- 
nents 
The Cuban Navy is to acquire 
two "destroyers" from the Soviet 
Union in late April, ‘according 
to a usually reliable Cuban na- 
tional, who added that the crews 
would consist mainly of Soviet 
nationals until a sufficient 
number of Cubans were trained 
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to take over. Extensive training 
- would probably be necessary, 
Mar 
since Castro has drastically 
purged the navy's regular officer 
corps. Cuba has no destroyers 
at present, 
its largest vessels 
being in the patrol escort class. 
The Castro government is known 
to have been seeking to purchase 
high-speed coast guard craft 
Since Jul; '959, and the “de-~ 
stroyers" referred to may actu- 
ally be =" patrol vessels. 
Cuban action against the US 
Naval Base at Guantanamo. 
A 
16 March report stated that 
many Cuban workers at the base 
are convinced that their govern- 
ment will soon prohibit all 
Cuban employees from working 
there. 
Such a possibility | 
appears remote, however, since 
the American dollars received 
by 
Cuban employees 
provide 
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Castro with badly needed foreign 
exchange. 
Government military tri- 
bunals will deal harshly with 
the 381 insurgents who the gov- 
ernment claims were captured by 
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its forces in the Sierra Escambray 
area of central Cuba. The trials 
are expected to begin shortly 
in Santa Clara, capital oz Las 
Villas Province, 
There are con~ 
tinuing indications that anti- 
Castro forces are still operate 
ing in the Escambray region, how- 
ever, 
as well as in other parts _ 
of the island. On 21 March, Cuban 
officials announced the capture 
of four Cubans and one American 
after they had landed in Pinar 
Rio Province. 
WEERLY REVIEW 
10 of 28 
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March of the establishment of 
the anti-Castro "Revolutionary 
_ 
Council," headud by former 
‘Premier Jose Miro Cardona, sig- 
* Mals the coalescence--at least 
On an interim basis.--of many 
Cuban exile groups, and their 
action may presage more vig- 
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY 
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4 The announcement on 21 
| is pressing 
for action on Cuba's 
charges of:'US “agtression" and 
predicting an imminent US~backed 
invasion of Cuba, 
Bloc support 
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for the Cuban claims seems as- 
sured, and bloc radio trans—- 
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mitters are echoing the Cuban 
charges, 
Most Latin American 
members give little weight to 
and effective exile activ 
i Cuba's anti-US charges, 
Tuis 
ity against Castro, 
In the UN General Assembly, -Bisbe on 20 March, may delay a 
fact, along with the death of 
Cuban permanent UN delegate 
Foreign Minister Raul Roa arain 
full airing of the Cuban con- 
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CENTRAL INTZLLIGENCE AGENCY 
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CUBA 
REPORTNO, TOCS~3/469,975 
AIRTRAST 
ALERT FoR 
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DATE DISTR. 
‘30 MARSH 1961 
PRECEDENCE 
ROUTINE 
CATEOF 
MARTH 1961 
REFERENCES 
IN 27410 
> 
4, 
INFO, 
PLACE & 
961) 
DATE ACQ. 
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uarion SOURCE 
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1, THE CUPAT 
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FOR 
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STATIONED ALTERATELY IN CAMP LIBERTAD AND PLAYA BARACOA, WHEN IN CAMP LIBERTAD, 
as 
IT IS PARKED BESIDE THR HANGAR NEXT TO TH: HELICOPTER USED BY PIDEL CASTRO. THE 
Poe 
"PIOO TURQUINO", WHICH IS SIMILAR TO THE JOST AIRPIAVE "SIERRA MAESTAA", IS EQUIPPED 
WITH AUXILIAR( FUEL TNIKS AND IS STATICIED AT 
INTERSECTION OF RUNAAY #3 AND 
THE NORTH-SOUTH RUNWAY AT TICE SAN ANTONIO PZ LOS BANOS AIR BASE, 
JT IS PARKS NEAR 
A TOWER FORTIFIFO WITH 
(SOURCE CCMIENT: 
IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THESE 
PLANES ARE KETT IV READINESS HERELY 
SUSPICYON AWAY PRCH THE 
PLANE PAINTS. 
WEITE,AND BLUE, WHICH IS USED NCRYMALLY 
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