(roa-t0i24-410400 ’ tn 7 : : sot - ' . ‘ , ue ‘ wo, a - . ry (\ : . f 4 —_——_——s M ; ar  @ePRET Cbbe'ed Laws ere regarding anti-CASTRO 8 : of the report ass . Sy) Attached 1s a: study activities in the United States. {° yy i J.
14-00000 j 1 OATE TRANSMITTAL SLIP BUILDING The attached is a retype of thermofax copy of a report entitled Anti-Castro Activities in the U.S: (dated 1/15/60). al BUILDING EXTENSION FORM HO D4] REPLACES FORM 36-8 @ 1FEB 55S WHICH MAY BE USED. APPROVED FOR RELEASE 1993 CIA HISTORICAL REVIEY PROGRAM
14-00000 ANTI-CASTRO ACTIVITIES IN THE UNITED STATES (Summary) 15 January 1960
14-00000 Sitar 1. ANTI-CASTRO ACTIVITIES Ih THE UNITED STATES Efforts of Cuban exiles based in the United States since the fall of Batista and the assumption of power by the Castro regime on 1 January 1959 have been characterized by continu- ally shifting alliances aimed at securing for their leaders a paramount position in any successor government in their homeland. Programs have been enunciated by individual leaders, organization lists drawn up, and funds solicited. Consider- able propaganda has been published, and leaflets attacking Castro have been dropped over Cuba periodically. _ Some mili- tary and paramilitary training has been undertaken, particularly in the Dominican Republic where a force ranging from a claimed $0 men to several thousand has been training for the past nine months. Some exiles claim to have armed followers in Cuba as well as a larger number of sympathizers. There has been one abortive invasion attempt. These efforts have been weakened, however, by rivalries between the more prominent exiles for leadership of any for-. mal anti-Castro movement established, and their failure to agree on any program. Their activities also have been affected by the fact that most of the exiles were connected either actively or passively with the Batista regime. They recognize, although they do not always admit this, that Batista's rule is still too unpopular with the mass of Cubans for them to engage in a successful effort to overthrow Castro unless they are supported by a force far larger than any can command at present. ns These rivalries plus Castro's followers' long training in revolutionary methods appear to have enabled Castro to learn the plans of most of the alliances formed thus far well before they are put into action. Nevertheless there has been, and continues to be, a general recognition by most of the more prominent exiles that they must unite if they are to succeed in removing the present re- gime. The most important potential leaders of any such move- ment to emerge so far are listed below under separate headings.
14-00000 A. General Jose Eleuterio PEDRAZA y Cabrera When mention is made of military measures to eliminate the Castro regime attention inevitably focuses on General Jose Eleuterio PEDRAZA y Cabrera. While opinions differ as to his suitability for the role of leader of a military attack on the Castro forces, he is regarded by the most prominent and most active exile leaders in the United States as the only military leader in a position to take effective action in the field against Castro. The forces at his disposal in the Dominican Republic, the loyalties he can command within’ Cuba, and the help he can set from exiles in the United States have been variously estimated from a mere handful to several thousand. He, himself, has stated in a memorandum to a prominent American businessman that he hoped he could count on a force of 2,000, led by 100 former Officers and Non-Commissioned officers of Cuban origin. The remainder of his force would be made up of Spaniards, Yugoslavs, Germans, and perhaps a few Dominicans. ( PEDRAZA has expressed his willingness to work with General Martin DIAZ Tamayo and Colonel Ramon BARQUIN and would wel- come their cooperation but he has never hinted that he would turn over leadership of his forces to either. Former Castro supporter Francisco RODRIGUEZ Couceiro, who claims to have been one of the prime organizers of two anti-Castro groupings The Anti-Communist Crusade (CRAC) and The Christian Democratic Action (ADC) has backed PEDRAZA as the military leader of_any expedition which should be launched against Fidel Castro. Rodriguez claims to have visited the General late in October 1959 and to have reached an agreement whereby Pedraza committed himself to clean up his force of men in the Dominican Republic and put them under the direc- tion and control of the ADC. Rodriguez asserts that the agreement provides for the elimination of all but Cuban nationals from the forces in the Dominican Republic under Pedraza. Fabio FREYRE, a wealthy young Cuban--who also claims to be the founder of the ADC--has made known his connections with Pedraza and claims to have drawn up points of agreement with him. G3) Freyre has stated that General PEDRAZA is the
14-00000 only Cuban general whom the constitutional army would follow. He adds that Pedraza was not closely identified with Batista's coming to power but when the Dictator needed help Pedraza was made head of the army. FREYRE believes that the Cubans do not hay¢ confidence in Martin DIAZ Tamayo nor in Ramon BARQUIN. ( | Dr. Emilio NUNEZ Portuondg, now resident in Washington, D.C., and one of the more prominent anti-Castro exiles, has consistently tried to align the various anti-Castro elements in the United States, Mexico, and Cuba behind General Pedraza. (5) Carlos MARQUEZ Sterling, who at the moment appears to be Pedraza's choice for provisional president, if efforts to unseat Castro succeed has supported the military role of the General. General Pedraza's service under Fulgencio Batista has left a bad taste in the mouths of many Cubans who hated the Batista dictatorship as vehemently as they now detest the Castro regime. There seems to be reasonable doubt that Dr. CUERVO-RUBIO, whom RODRIGUEZ Couceiro has claimed CRAC sup- ports as a presidential candidate, would support Pedraza. CUERVO-Rubio is reported to have stated that responsible opposition to Castro inside Cuba would be reluctant to asso- ciate with Pedraza and might join in the fight against him should he attempt an invasion. Some of these people have repeatedly expressed the fear that Castro might use such an invasion as a pretext to suppress all opposition. (7) Prom- inent Orthodox Party leader Antonio VARONA also is reported to be worried about the possibility of an invasion of Cuba by Pedraza, to whom he is bitterly opposed and has sworn that he and his followers would join with the Castro brothers in repelling any invasion led by Pedraza.(8) It is considered a distinct possibility that a Pedraza Led invasion would play imto Castro's hands, leaving internal opposition no alterna- tive but to join Castrg in a national effort to repel a Bastistiano invasion. ) It is known that FREYRE's ADC which supports Pedraza for military leader would welcome the assistance and the support of the former Chief of the Revolutionary Air Force Major Pedro Luis DIAZ-Lanz. However, DIAZ-Lanz has made it very evident that he wants no part in military affairs run by General Pedraza whom he categorizes as an enemy of SES
14-00000 Cuba along with Castro, Batista, Masferrer. (9) Recent evi- dence, however, indicates that there is a possibility that the former Chief of the Revolutionary Air Force may be reconsidering his previously inflexible attitude towards Pedraza. : B. Emilio NUNEZ Portuondo NUNEZ Portuondp, now residing in Washington, D.C., was one of the first to declare his candidacy for the leadership of an anti-Castro movement. A former politician, lawyer and diplomat Nunez was Cuba's delegate to the United Nations from 1952 until 1958. During this period he cooperated with the US delegation and was outspokenly critical of-the USSR. Most Cubans in the United States, and in those Latin American countries where he and his followers have solicited support for their anti-Castro activities are under the impression that he has some type of commitment with the US Government. Al- though he continues to be mentioned, along with Carlos MARQUEZ Sterling, as the most likely candidate for provisional president of a successor government to Castro, some sources have alleged that he would not make an effective president. (1) Nunez‘ announced aim is the overthrow of the Castro re- gime and its replacement by a civil government friendly to the US and excluding individuals associated with Batista. To this end he and his immediate followers have published a newsletter and periodically dropped leaflets over Cuba at- tacking Castro. They also have directed the paramilitary training of a small number of Cubans in Miami, some of whom subsequently participated in an abortive invasion of Cuba in August.(2) In addition Nunez and his followers have been in close contact with other leading exiles in the US. Dur- ing the fall of 1959 he and his adherents travelled to Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Argentina and Peru to solicit support for an anti-Castro movement. They also have attempted to organize units in Venezuela. There is no firm evidence that these efforts have suc- ceeded. However, Santiago REY's group in Mexico has supported nunez for provisional Rygsident if the efforts to overthrow Castro are successful. General Pedraza, in the Dominican Republic, has supported Nunez for president and Nunez in turn 4
14-00000 has promoted Pedraza as military leader since the spring of 1959. Nunez as recently as 14 December 1959 still claimed to be the leader of Pedraza's group but the General had previously asserted that he was disposed to work with both Nunez and Carlos MARQUE? yterling but he preferred the latter as interim president. 5 Another possible adherent of Nunez is Pedro DIAZ-Lanz, who is reported to have declared that he, and other with whom he is working, would consider Nunez acceptable if he should divorce himself from Trujillo. A step in this direc- tion was taken by Nunez at the end of December when, irritated by Trujillo's reluctance to permit a Pedraza invasion of Cuba from the Dominican Republic, he told Trujillo that he would take matters in his own hands if the action they had planned was not taken by 7 January. C. Carlos MARQUEZ Sterling Carlos MARQUEZ Sterling comes froma family with a dis- tinguished record in Cuban History. He was born in 1899 in Camaguay and received his education in Cuba, graduating from the University of Havana with a law degree in 1920. Three years later he became a professor at the University. It.was from the same Univeristy that he was removed in 1959 by Castro forces. MARQUEZ Sterling told American officials that Fidel Castro had been one of his students at the Univer- sity of Havana 1945-1947, and that Fidel had been reared in an atmosphere of hatred for the United States. His political career began while he was still in his teens and he was arrested and imprisoned for his activities in. the revolution of 1917. During the thirties he lived in Washington while his father was Ambassador. Later he re- entered politics and became Speaker of the House of Repre- sentatives. He had a hand in the establishment of the Ortodoxo Party in 1946. Previously Marquez had presided ‘over the drafting of the Constitution of 1940. A former Presidential candidate and a leader of the Partido del Pueblo Libre (PPL) which he established in July 1957, Marquez Sterling appears to enjoy the respect, if not necessarily the full confidence, of many leading Cuban exiles in the United States. (1) 5
14-00000 CRAC leaders asked him to accept the position oi Presi- dent of the government-in-exile but he was reluctant te do so because he feared for the safety of his son, still in Cuba. (2) Marquez has been in contact with most of the Cuban exile leaders in the United States and has had some discus- Sions with NUNEZ Portuondo,:-his chief rival for the presi- dency. syome sources maintain that Pedraza prefers him over Nunez. © It is believed that Marquez still has the support of the Ortrodoxo Party in Cuba. ( D. Pedro Luis DIAZ-Lanz fajor DIAZ-Lanz has gained considerable publicity for his break with Castro, his appearance before the Eastland Com- mittee and his spectacular leaflet dropping over Havana on 21 October 1959. His brother Marcos, who was Inspector General of the Revolutionary Air Force (FAR) joined him in Miami in July and the two were until December closely associated with Ricardo LORIE Valls, a former underground leader of the 26 July Movement. These three and a few other associates have professed to have vigorous plans to overthrow Castro but aside from the leaflet drop have not.performed any par- ticular actions of special importance. The Diaz-Lanz brothers broke with Lorie, who appeared to have been the most mature member of the group, for reasons which are not al all clear. (2) The small group about Diaz-Lanz in conversation with U.S. officials and private citizens has steadfastly refused to have anything to do with former Batista officials while they have stated their intention to take any measures to insure the downfall of Castro. '° In July 1959 Pedro DIAZ-Lanz stated that there is no connection whatsoever between the anti-Castro forces in Cuba and those in the United States. He regarded the followers of MASFERRER, Justo Luis POKO, former Mayor of Havana, Jose Luis PUJOL, NUNEZ Portuondo“and others as remnants of former dictatorships which yguid not be acceptable to the Counter- Revolution in Cuba. ¢ At the end of the year, however, Pedro DIAZ-Lanz was reported as being willing to support Nunez Portuondo if the latter would break with Trujillo. At the Same time Diaz-Lanz is reported to have qEtempted to obtain $50,000 from agents of Pedraza in Miami. ) If this attempt actually was made, it seems to indicate at last a willingness on the part of Diaz-Lanz to work with Pedraza, something he haé@ hitherto steadfastly refused to consider.
14-00000 E. Fabio FREYRE REE (ADC), which pes selected General Jose Pedraza as its mili- tary leader. Freyre says the ADC and Pedraza have drawn up the principal points of an agreement for the liberation of Cuba, which include the organization of commandos, sejiz- ing of the Isle of Pines to be used as an Operational base for the invading forces, Sabotage and various PSychological warfare techniques. Freyre's following in the U.S. is esti- mated at some 200, while those based in Cuba, under the leadership of Juan Antonio RUBIO Padilla, number about 350, including commandos, army Pilots and young officers. Freyre Claims that the Cuban people have no confidence in General Martin DIAZ Tamayo or Colonel BARQUIN. (2) Hence, it is as- Sumed that they are not among FREYRE's supporters- F. Dr. Francisco RODRIGUEZ Couceiro EE GUEL Couceiro Dr. Francisco RODRIGUEZ Couceiro claims to be the founder and leader of another ADC, former prior to Freyre's Organi- He and Julio LAURENT, all of whom were Batistianes, (> Rodrisuez Claims he asked Trujillo and General Pedraza for arms to defend the Isle of Pines once he had taken it but they turned him down. (6 Recently, however, Rodriguez stated that General Pedraza had Signed an agreement putting his men in the Dominican ig public and the Dominican anti-Castro radio under the ADC. Rodriguez also claims he has the promise of support in Guatemala. ‘ G. Orlando Eleno PIEDRA Negueruela EM Ne gueruela PIEDRA enjoys the distinction of being considered by the Castro regime as one of the principal war criminals in the United States. He served for 18 years in police work in Cuba and attained the position of Chief of the Department of Investigations until the fall of Batista. In the United States he has openly aveyed his former connections with and his loyalty to Batista. He has been associated for a time war
14-00000 with ex-Senator Rolando MASFERRER and Eduardo HERNANDEz, former Cuban Consul General in Miami in the Anti-Communist League, which has made two attempts to fly arms to Pinar del Rio, Cuba. In each case men connected with the actual flying of arms were arrested by U.S. officials. Some time ago Piedra incurred the wrath of Trujillo and he is not at all happy about the location of Pedraza § ef forts. Ne considers Pedraza a prisoner of Trujillo. ( ) Late in September 1959 Jose SUAREZ Nunez, a Cuban exile arrived in Miami to deliver instructions from Batista to Piedra to attempt to immediately consolidate the anti-Castro forces into a viable movement to overthrow the Castro government. Batista reminded Piedra that there should be no involvement with the Dominican Government and advised him that to the greatest extent possible groups should be cultivated which are now or might be expesyed to be looked upon with favor ‘ by the U.S. Government. ° Enrique FERNANDEZ Parajon, former Chief of the Secret Police under Batista was reported in January 1960 as endeavoring to merge a group under the leadership of Orlando PIEDRA with the ADC. He added that the PIEDRA group has three planes which they would like to use during the next 60 days to set fire to sugar cane fields by dropping incendiaries. However, FERNANDEZ bemoaned the fact that tight United States controls in Florida were hampering their activities. Fernandez said that he is in contact with Guatemalans and Nicaraguans and that he and Piedra are responsible for military operations. It was his opinion that Pedraza has only 80 men in the Dominican Republic. (4 H. Brigadier General Martin DIAZ Tamayo > General DIAZ Tamayo is a controversial figure, disliked by many Cubans because he represents top military leadership which in general way unpopular among civilians and lower military echelons, ) yet respected by his peers. 2 He is helc in contempt by Chomat, former legal counsel of crac, (3) but General Pedraza has indjgated that he would be willing to work with DIAZ Tamayo. DIAZ has a moderate following of Cuban ex-military men in Miami, where he now lives. He has discussed with Nunez Portuondo and Marquez Sterling thes) possibility of forming a coalition in support of them.
14-00000 1. Rolando MASFERRER Rojas Rolando MASFERRER Rojas, former Senator during the Batista regime has played an active but not significant role among the exiles in the United States or in Mexico. His spectacular activities, unreliability and obvious Op- portunism have discredited him with the leadership and rank and file of exiles as well as anti-Castro elements in Cuba. He is anathema to Nunez Portyondo, General Pedraza and Santiago Rey, in particular. 1 MASFERRER was accused by the Castro regime of having committed 70 my ders and of having absconded with 17 mil- lion dollars. He is remembered unfavorably by many Cubans as having been a member of the Communist Party from 1939- 1944; later he did an about-face and became an ardent and "professional" anti-Communist. He also is unpopular because of the activities indulged in by his own terrorisy “army,” known as the "Tigers" during the Batista regime. ) He has been described as a Jacobin, a demagogue, a tyrant and an extremist. For several years Senator MASFERRER enjoyed reviling the United States, its people and its policies. When anti-Communism became popular about 1950-51 and MASFERRER realized that this was a means of increasing,his prestige with Americans he became a friend of the US. J. Penetration of the Anti-Castro Movement Castro has bragged that his capture in Cuba last August of an arms-laden plane containing a group of anti-Castro (1) . militants was due to his having planted a spy in their midst. Earlier the Chief Investigator of Cuban Army Intelligence (Departamento de Investigaciones del Rjeroito Revolucionario - DIER) had admitted to the FBI that the Castro regime had sent a man to Miami with the express RyTPose of reporting on the activities of anti-Castro exiles. 2) During the summer one of the more active anti-Castro exiles in the Miami area was enticed back to Cuba where he was immediately thrown jn jail py agents of Castro's Police Intelligence (Departmento Teoniso de Investigaciones - DTI). The Cuban Revolutionary Air Force also is aligsed to have had between 40 and 50 paid informants in Miami. There have been numerous indications that Castro probably has been able to plant agents among the followers of most of the more prominent anti-Castro exiles in this country.
14-00000 Why a SECRET PEDRAZA 93 1. Memorandum for Record: L_ WHD, and William Pauley, 9 Dec. 1959. Secret 2. DBF 36434, Nov. 4, 1959, Confidential zy 3. CUMWA)24, Sept. 24, 1959. Secret also WHD Memorandum 4. Memorandum for Record. Conversation of wf WHD with Pauley and Freyre, Nov. 30, 1959. secre 5. DBF 39015, December 8, 1959. Confidential a in 6. Memorandum for Record. Conversation between | WHD, and Wm. Pauley, 9 December 1959. Secret “7. COS Navana Tel. 3041 Dec. 16, 1959, IN-19840. Secret g. TDCS 3/423,188, 31 December 1959 9. FBI, Miami, November 6, 1959, File 201-259120 Emilio NUNEZ Portuondo 1. 201-45667 9. DBE-33000, 31 Aug 59 DBF-36517, 10 Nov 59, C 3. Ibidi- 24 (BUEN-5110, 30 Oct 59, S (HEPA, 9838, 10 Nov 59, S 22, 4. DBE-39015, 8 Dec 59 5. DBF-39016, 15 Dec 59 memo for Record. Desk file - 19-9-8 oe 6. (UMNA}65, 31 Dec 59 SECRET
14-00000 Gnd Carlos MARQUEZ Sterling DBF 34945, Oct. 8, 1959. Conf. DBF 35722, Oct. 29, 1959. Conf. Memorandum for Record, Dec. 9, 1959 Conv. and Wm. Pauley. Secret Memorandum of Conversation between two representatives of CIA and CARCIO, 16 Oct. 1959. Secret CS 3/411,429. 9 Sept. 59. Secret Pedro DIAZ-LANZ DBF 33664, Sept. 30, 1959. Conf. GAs, 9 Dec. 1959. Secret (uiv)-11, 10 Aug 1959. Secret DBF-28290, July 8, 1959. Confidential . 22 . (OMWA}65, 31 Dec. 1959. Secret PIEDRA DBF 34752, 30 Sept. 1959. Conf. Memorandum for Record by US Air Attache, Havana,. 26 Oct. 1959. Secret CS 3/415,258, 15 Oct. 1959. Secret ee (NAVA) 3141, 5 January 1960. Secret See also OO-B 3,138,850 re testimony by former attorney for Batista who states Trujillo bled Batista white and treated him like a dog. ADC Memo, 1 Dec. 59 of Memo - Pauley, Freyre Conv. 29 Nov. 59 SECRET . -?-
14-00000 -" SECRET ADC (Cont.) 3. DBE-35528, 21 Oct. 59 4. DBF-38863, 16 Dec. 59 5. DBF-35528, 21 Oct. 59 6. DBF-35528, 21 Oct. 59 7. DBF-37600, 30 Nov. 59 8. “DBF-35528, 21 Oct. .59 x . MASFERRER . L. US Army Attache, Mexico, R-248-59, Aug. 7, 1959, Secret 2. DBF-24112-in 201/42669 3. DBF-04112, 22 July 1959.. Conf. 2h 27, (6-% 4.’ (HEGA}589 from(COS Ciuiad Trujillo) 26 Aug. 1959. Secret DIAZ TAMAYO 03 1. (Tooma memo for record. 1 Dec. 59 Z. DBF-35722, 12 Oct. 59 ih 2 3. (UMWA-65, 31 Dec. 59 famed 4. Memorandum of conversation, Pauley, 9 Dec. 59 5. 201-22162 Penetration 1. Havana, Radio Progreso, 15 Aug. 59, FBIS, Unclas. 2. FBI Report, unnumbered, 21 Apr. 59, Desk File 19-5-1 SECRET -3-
14-00000 SECRET s, Penetration (Cont.) 22. 3. (NKHA-5666, 27 Nov. 59, S DBF-32667, 17 Sep. 59 4. DBF-23997, 18 May 59 5. Castro penetration file (ours) SECRET -4- 8 o