Enclosure to TA-2474 65 ‘ 5 April 1965 wanted to keep Cuba as a showplace in America to prove to the rest of America how bad Communisa was. This was one of the theorics making the rcunis in Washington, i.e., the horrible example. To ay surprise and to bis, there was tremendous applause. I've got that on tape too. I asked Artime if he was net @ traitor to his country. He told ne that a man who had been condemned to death and been in prison for two years was hard to deceive, which was not an answer. But it sounied very nice and I didn’t insist. Anyway, Artine at this time -- we're talking now on March 2k, 1965 -- I hear, has just completely dismantled his operation. Since the unpleasantness in Costa Rica - which supposedly had to do with some contraband activities that invoived the brother of President Orlich of Costa Rica hinselr, Artine’s group has been dismantled. Most of his people are now in- ‘volved in another operation developing around Miami and said to be backed by the CIA or the Pentagon -- I don’t know which. When I was in Miami in January and February 1965, I found that there were two groups of Americans handling Cubans. The CIA people who were handling one kind of Cubans and then the Pentagon, apparently, was waneuvering another group. I really don't know how guch truth there ig to this. I was told that the Pentagon people were at odds with CIA and that they vere going to try and get their own group of Cubans just to show CIA hew it should be done. Artime’s people have gone to @ sroup supposedly handled either by the Pentagon or by CIA. 43. There is another thing that I just found out in the last week. Most of the people who were getting checks from CIA through its different devices had been fired and that there was a panic arcual Miami. These people who had been living and bringing up ‘their families with CIA checks were suddenly left out in the cold. I don't know how much truth there is in this either. I don't know what Artimwe is doing now although I talked to a relative of one of Artiae's close associates who told me today that there is a very larse wove by the American Government inside of Cuba. In other words, the ideas of invasions or hit and run, and all that seem to be passe. Now the big thing is the assassination of Castro and the insurrection inside Cuba by people who are discontent, that is, the Castro followers the CIA has been able to reach. I understand there has been a tremendous amount of work done in the last two years by American agencies, and tremendous files compiled of who in Cuba could be counted upon at certain times for certain things. 1s, This is Cine end dandy and who knows, maybe tomorrow we will hear that Castro has been assassinated and that the CIA plan has already dose what it is expected to do. I have only public information ard am ' omy $ eo oe ae
not privy to any secrets either in the Azerican agencies or in the Cuban higher echelona -- so, I don't knew, I just hear rumors. 15. The next thing that kind of blew the air out of the Cuban exiles was the arrest of Menoyo of the Alpha 66, etc., group. Menoyo, in the opinion of wany Cubans, is a political gangster and a double=- deaier. He has the confidence only of his own small group of follovers. Menoyo, fros vhat I have been told, jumped the sun on: something else that was being prepared. His going into Cuba with three cther nen sounds pretty stupid unless Menoyo suspected or was told that the big inside push which is called Ia Onda Americana, the American Wave, was imminent, and he juaped the gun so that he could get lined up before anybody else and take over the government. In my book Menoyo is not terribly important and does not have much of a following. He hae a few nice guys, but they're on the fringe of being crackpots and dreamers, not bad, but mixed up in their winds and hungry for pover. They call themselves revolutionaries but instinctively fear anything that has a democratic process. They want to take Cuba at the point of a gun and keep it that way. So Menoyo's capture is another blow to the Cuban exiles. Even if they didn’: like him, they said, "If Menoyo opens up a beachhead in Cuba, ‘Viva Menoyo'! we will go and fight with hin!” 16. So we lave Mencyo in his peaceful prison in Havana and go to the last and saddest of the Cuban disasters in the exile movement -- that is the complete flop of the RECS, the Representa~ tion of Cuban Exiles. As you know, I was deeply involved in the formation of this organization because I believed it had @ chance. The quality of the wen behind this idea were top people, most of whom I knev hy first name, others I had srown up with. The central figure, Jose Bosch, head of the Bacardi Company, commands respect and is a patriot. However, RACE disintegrated a couple of wecks ago. It might interest you to kmow that on 9 Jun 64, a few weeks after the referendum was completed, I wrote a confidential, private letter to Dr. Ernesto Freyre, who was one of the five wen appointed py the committee and approved by a referendun of over 40 thousand Cubans. I told Dr. Freyre, ay old and personal friend, what, in ay opinion, they should do to make RECE successful. I told his that the first thing was to ignore Washington completely. I said, "I don't have anything against the Awericangs -~- but right now you head an organization that has the approval of 90% of the Cuban exiles. Use this moral support you have and try to create a real Cuban outfit. If you do, you'll get the backing of the Bacardi Company and the million dollars it offered at the start. se it judictously
Enclosure to lA-2i -65 5 April 1965 and create a strong, well-knit Cuban organization and don't ask anything from the Aoericans. Ask the Cuban people for contribu- tions; there are over a hundred thousand working in the U3. At $5.00 @ wonth, which they could easily pay, you vould have half a million dollars a nonth to vork with. You can do a lot with a half & million dollars a wonth.* But above all (I continue my letter from wenory), don’t go to Washington, just act as if the US Govern- ment did not exist. If somebody comes to the office and wants to know what you're doing, treat them courteously and give them all the information they want as far as the operation of the outfit. We are ' living in the US and I think that any American official is entitled to know what is going on. But-as far as our ow private plans for the liberation of Cuba, they belong to the Cubans at this time. Then, I told Dr. Freyre, if you do this, you will then be able to deal vith the US Government on a completely different basis, not vith your hat in your hand. But if you have the solid backing of half e sillion Cubans throughout the world you will command the respect not only of the American Government but also of the other countries of Latin America. I told his I thought the RECE should evolve into a govern- ment in exile because that would be the logical thing, and the only type of organization people would understand. What did they do? They scooted down to [atin America vith no support except their 4O thousand votes, they talked to people in latin America. Every- body promised thes the sky but with one condition -- that Uncle San approve. Then they went to Washington and found out that Uscie San did not approve. After nine wonths they blew up last veek and tarew in the towel. Two delegates resipned and the other tnree said that they would do some housekeeping until they saw what happtned. 17. Before leaving the RECE in its peaceful grave I think I should sention that I nad gone 311 through the process of tne referendum itself’, and after the RECS was formed I was tne delegate in los Angeles. After the referendum was completed I nelped get four other delegates so that we would have five delegates which like the delegations throughout their country, and in Mexico City, Caracas, etc., duplicated the original group of five. In Noveaber I resipned because I could not get answers to a list of questions -- ansvers for which I thousht I was justified in asking -- i.e., regarding its finances, activities, successes, prospects, etc. That takes care of the RECE. —_ 18. So now, we've reached the conent of truth. All these things have gene down the drain. During my recent visit. to Miami tnere vas one last hope which seemed still alive. J was told ceverai times by these people that there is something very, very big being vorked out
Enclesure to [A 5 5 April 1065 by the US agencies, that this wery, very big toning i8 imminent, that it is based exclusively on an internal uprising and perhaps the possibility of the assassiuation of Castro as a kickoff. Two days ago I received @ communication from a person who ie close to US Government people in Mismi, representatives of the State Depart- went, and also CIA people. He said that we should be patient, that the end is not far away and that the so-called Onda Apericana is going to solve the problem. In other words, whatever organization is working on the Cuban problies apparently is on the verge of giving the word to whomever is inside Cuba connected with thia operation. -I have little hope that this may be true. After five years, I have no reason to beleve that circusstances at this time are different than two or three years ago. Of course, I have to recognize that the Johnson administration is not the same as the Kennedy adainistra- tion, as witness the lack of hesitation in the Vietnam situation. It may interest you to know that a group of Cubans from RECE recently in Washington were told by important people in no uncertain terns that the Cuban problem is certainly not top drawer right now, but second, third or fourth. The top draver is Vietnam and that once Vietnaa is Solved one way or another, perusaps the Cuban situation would be moved up to the forefront, if no other area of the vorld flares up. 19. So,.this is the situation that brings us right dow to the point which I wanted to discuss with you in detail -- the formation or a Cuban Government in Exile as the only possible solution to move the Cuban situation off dead center, whether the US Government is willing at this time to help or not. We feel that the creation of a. Cuban Government in Exlle, if done right and has the woral authority and the solid backing of the Cuban exiles, could possibly create a situation where, without having to risk any American lives, the Cuban problem and the Communist threat in Cuba could be elisinated without danger of World War III, or escalation, or anybody dropping the famous bomb in New York or Washington. JI am going to tell you why a group of people, including myself, believe very strongly that this govern- ment in exile should be made as scon as possible, and as well as possidle. And the fact that if it vere a fait accompli it would create some drastic changes in the thinking of the State Department . regarding a Cuban Government in Exile. 20. The beginning of the idea of a government in exile started’ at an OAS meeting in Kashington in July 1964 when Dr. Prio and Dr. Marquez Sterling capitalized on their personal, old friendsnipa with the present Secretary of Suite of Brazil, Vasco Leitao Da Cunha, and also the ex-ambassador of Arsentina, Julio Aaoedo, to further