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CONTINUED CONTROL 
17 April 1961 
No, 00355/62 
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‘Content 
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Cubs The Castro regime has reacted with alarm to the 
bombing of three Cuban airfields on 15 April--mobilizing the 
200,000-man Revolutionary Militia and making charges at the 
‘UN General Assembly of "direct US aggression."" This alarm 
seems to derive not only from .ie actual military damage but 
also from the new indication of mounting disaffection in Cuba's 
ie 
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regular military forces.. The events of 15 April will further re- fi 
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duce the air force's already low combat potential, at least until 
ai 
the return to Cuba of air force personnel now being trained in 
bloc countries. 
Castro now must rely even more heavily upon 
the Revolutionary Militia on the assumption that it is the only po- 
., uutically dependable military arm of his government. 
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*The anti-Castro Cuban Revolutionary Council has announced 
that an invasion of Cuba has been carried out by Cuban liberation 
forces. A Cuban radio station reports that an invasion force land- 
ed in the.central Cuban province of Matanzas and that militia 
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forces there have calied for 
(Information a 
as of 0400 EST) 
OF 
17 Apr 61 
DAILY BRIEF 
ti 
17 Apr 61 
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN Page 1 
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FOREIGN 
NATIONALS 
16 April 1961 
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CONTINUED CONTROL 
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‘Copy No. 117 
SUPPLEMENT 
TO THE CURRENT INTELLIGENCE DIGEST 
: 
Office of Current Intelligence 
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 
This document contains classified information affecting the national 
security of the United States within the meaning of the espionage 
laws, US Code Title 18, Sections 793, 794, and 798, The law prohibits 
— 
its, transmission or the revelation of its contents in any manner to 
an unauthorized person, as well as its use in any manner prejudicial 
to the safety cr interest of the United States or for the benefit of any 
foreign government to the detriment of the United States, 
i 
Y 
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Y 
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con 
per
Cuba 
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(As ‘of 0430) Castro forces 
have suffered "considerable cas~- 
ualties" and loss of several 
coastal points in southern Las 
Villas 
‘unit 
‘of the attacking forces had 
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penetrated inland to the. Laguna 
del Tesoro on the Matanzas pro-. 
vincial boundary. 
station monitored by US press 
agencies issued an appeal for 
ambulances, 
“because there are 
many injured in Jaguey Grande," 
a town in Matanzas some 20 niles 
from the coast. Although the 
' 
anti-Castro Revolutionary Council 
claims that the 17 April land- 
ings were intended largely to 
facilitate action by larger 
forces already within Cuba, 
there has as. yet been no infor-~ 
mation’ 
} _ 
of any significant action | 
in support of the landing forces. 
Pro-Castro groups elsewhere 
in Latin America were quick to 
react to the outbreak of fight-. 
ing in Cuba. 
Mobs stoned USIA 
offices in Buenos Aires and the 
_ 
ofzices of an American airline 
in the Chilean capital on 17° 
April. 
Aati-US demonstrations 
also ocgurred in at least six 
other Latin American cities on. 
the same day, and more demon- 
strations are scheduled. 
“In 
18 Apr 61 
A Cuban radio. 
LATIN AMERICA 
Bogota, demonstrators were dis- 
persed by gunfire in front of 
the US Embassy. a 
: 
Former Ecuadorean 
Interior Minister Araujo, ade 
dressing a pro-Castro rally in 
Quito on 17 April, called for 
volunteers to go to Cuba "to 
— 
fight Yankee imperialism," Mexi- 
can ex-President Cardenas an-~ 
nounced that he will go to Cuba 
ity with the Castro regime, 
A Soviet Government state- 
ment on 18 April said that con- 
tinuation of the invasion of Cuba | 
"may have the gravest consequences 
for world peace." The statement 
declared that the USSR “reserves 
the right to take all measures, 
.with all states, to render the 
| necessary assistance to the Repub- 
lic of Cuba if the armed inter- 
ference in the affairs of the 
Cuban peoples 
is not stopped," 
The Soviet Government expressed 
the hope that the US Government 
of Cuba could “endanger the peace- 
ful life of the population of the 
United States itself.” The state~- 
tion of the Cuban situation by 
the UN General Assembly, 
Sources:;| 
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE DIGEST 
Supplement 
MIAMI, 
‘Page 1 
a 
as a personal gesture of solidar-~ 
would understand that the invasion 
ment demanded immediate considera- 
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39 Apri). 1063 
NO’ 
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CONZINUED CONTROL 
Copy 
, 
W 
This docurnent coutains classified inor 
afiecthing the 
national 
security of the United States within tha meaning of the esnlonage 
laws, US Code Tite 18, Sections 7953, 14, and 
"Tne law provihits 
its trarismission or the revelation of its contents jn any manner to 
an unauthorized person, as well esits use in any onenner prejudicial 
to the safety cr interest of the sabes 3 States or for the heneht of any 
Contont UNCLASSIFIED 
Ye 
, 
foreign gevernracit te She 
of Che 
States 
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, 
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F 
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Cubs 
Fidol Castro's 
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foxees, 
supported by air, tants, ond_ 
artillery, 
are hittine -hard 
against the anti-Casivo 
ers in southern Las Villas 
Province, 
and the next day or 
‘two will be critical ones, 
According to a report from ons 
observer, Sovijet-type MiG air~ 
craft ware used against th 
ETO landings: forces. 
is still no’ infox= 
mation of a genera. Cuban up- 
. 
the battle ares, 
‘Yising, upon which anti-Castro 
forces that landed in Cubs on 
17 Avril presumably had counted 
Zor assistance, 
The Castxvo 
government continues to nain- 
tain silence on the situation 
THS 
is, however,. stepping up its 
moves to arrest actual]. or 
potential anti-Castro elements, 
‘the Castro government, 
broadcast stated that Castra'’s 
On 18 April the Cuban national 
radio network reported the ar- 
rest in Havana of the Roinan 
Cathoj.ic auxiliary hishop of 
Havana Province, Jong one of 
the most outspoken critics oF 
former Minister of Agriculture 
Humberto Sori Marin, who ai- 
legedly was involved in an as- 
sassination plot wgainst Fidel 
Castro, was wounded and cantursd 
by government forces, 
19 Apr G1 
} 
‘CURRENT 
IV 
CE DIGEST 
LATIN AMERICA 
Many Latin American polite 
leadars are sympathetic 
to tue antieCastro caus, and 
theve have been severnl anti- 
Castvo dencnstrations in 
Costa Rica, Panane, and 
bia, 
This sontinest is 
probably setlected in the com. 
ment by a Pavuvian Foreign 
official, 
said he 
was "privately delighted" with’ 
| eae action against Castro, 
Aq “ants.Communist grersilie. 
togion" repertadly was 
jin Guatemala on 18 
|. 
am announccinen* elaimed 
the oxpaniscation had: 40) men 
xeney to "help in the fight 
against the Communist 
zp Gaba," 
On balance, howsver, 
Castve and pro-Communist .gvoups 
iu Latin Anerica have beer 
avticulate, although almost 
iivays through relatively 
were pro-Castro demon: . 
“vations, of varying sizes 
frequentiy aimed against 
US Installations, 
4a most. 
matin American countries; 
the Comnutist and pro-Communist 
Girection of these efforts 
moui evident in Arpen~ 
tint, Chile, Colonia, Mexiao, 
end Venewnela, 
Ta Panama, 
several bindred Castro sym- 
arco said to have 
tried to enter the 
demeast~xate there, 
YFurthos 
demonstrations of "solidarity 
Cus," some possibly. 
nre likely, 
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(over) 
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on 17 April the Venezuelan 
the Cuban pross 
Chamber of Deputies unanimously 
sorvieo claims that "more than 
appraved a resolution condenning 
2,000 volunteers" wil). leave 
"armed intervention by a for- 
Moxico for Cuba to f3pht Sox 
eign country” in Cubs, 
This 
the Castro vegimns, 
followed approval of a simile: 
resolution in the Venezuelan 
Senute two days earlier, 
In 
| 
Chile, Communist and other 
Vs 
ie 
leftist grouns have been urged 
by the Cuban ambassador to 
' | Sources: CIA 
prepare strikes and wor! stop- 
3471755, 
1B 
pages in support of Castro, a 
PORT-AU-PRINCE 
33, 47 Apr 
tactic which way he employed 
by pro-Castzvo elements else- 
CARACAS and HAY 
“wedunteers" to help tia 
.. 
Castro forces ara being enroliad 
Brazil, Colombia, and Veno~ 
i | 
19 Apr 61 
CURRENY INTELLIGENCE DIGEST 
Page 21 
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