The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1963-06-18
WASHINGTON. June II :


For the first time in four
months there has been low
level u S. reconnaissance flight
over Cuba and it's causing
sharp controversy among top
advisers of the President.
They are widely split over
whether he should or should ,ot
announce that Russia has with
drawn some of its combat
troops.
Aerial pilots obtained by the
Air Force reconnaissance
planes show that at least one of
the four main camps occupied
by Soviet combat units has been
evacuated. Beyond that nothing
positive is known about tn e
whereabouts of these troops.
There is no information to in
dictate that they have left Cuba
as implied by a vague state
ment transmitted to the State
Department by the Soviet en-
baSsy.
Similarly, there is nothing to
confirm or refute the emphatic
assertions of Cuban refugees
that the Russian forces are still
IN Cuba, and have been moved
to another and heavily camou-
flaged camp site.
Secretary Dean Rusk. Nc
George Bundy, special whit e
House assistant or foreign af-
fairs. and other inner council
advisers want the President to
accept the loW-level aerial
photos and Russian embassy's
statement as satisfactory evil
dence that co m b a t elements
have been shipped out of Cuba.
This group favors the Presi-
dents announcing this before
embarking on his trip to Europe
next week.
They feel it would give his
highly debatable junket much
needed shot in the arm both at
home and abroad.
Also, Rusk, Rundy and DR..
Walt RostoW, head of the State
Departments Policy Planning
Council, are credited with adj
vocating policy of increasing
contacts with the Castro regime
In their opinion, an announce
ment tn a t Russian combat
forces have been withdrawn
from Cuba would aid such a
policy.
THE COLD REALITIES - IN
telhgence authorities, both mill
tary ard civilian, are vigorous
~ opposed to an official pro
nouncement that Soviet fighting
forces have been pulled out of
Cuba.
They forcefully point out there
is no hard information" to sup
port such a claim.
Previous unhappy experiences
with aerial photography are cit
ed by these intelligence *
perts. They are hluntly recalling
the painful fact that U-2 recon-
Nuisance flights failed utter
ly to detect the arrival of So
Wet nuclear rockets and com
bat units in Cuba last summer
and fall.
/ Also that to this day, there is
no positive information On h e
exact number of Russian troops
in Cuba.
President Kennedy is telling
congressional leaders that he
estimates the number at around
5000. Intelligence officials, OF
the basis of reports from refu
gees and other sources, put the
figure as high as $4,000.
This claim is strongly sup
ported by Russian army tables
OF organization and equipment
Last weeks loW-level recon
naissance flight was the first
since February 9. There have
been some high-level CU-2l over
flights at irregular periods. Al
these flights have been m a d {
only on the personal authorize
ton of the President.
The latest loW-level reconnais
sance mission followed on the
heels of a U2 flight that was
! ordered after the Russian EN-
bassy implied tn at combat
orc had been withdrawn
Aerial photos obtained by the
| high-level flight were irconclu-
sive, and the loW-level over
flightWas ordered.
STRANGE RANSOM ~ 7 h e
Senate Internal Security Sub
committee is investigating a re-
port that the Kennedy admins
tration allowed isotopes to be
shipped to Cuba as part Of The
ransom for the Bay of Pigs
prisoners. The isotopes reputed-
ly were included in the medical
supplies turned over to the Cas-
tro Communist dictatorship. The
S ena e &C, .gmlttee wants to
know who approved the export
of these isotopes and why
Uruguay, which has received
more than $88 million in aid
from the U. S, - $58.7 million
in economic aid and $29.5 mil
lion in military aid NV is trying
| to sell rice to Red Cuba. A Gu