The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1963-11-08

have quietly doubled their jet
fighters and fighter bomberS on
the island while at tie same
time withdrawing around 5000
combat troops.
The latest W photographs.
show ng increased numbers of
Russian planes on or rear Cuban
airfields. have forced u S. in
teligence experts to raise their
estimates from $50 to more
than 3O0' Soviet planes in Cuba.
In sharp contrast to this sinis-
ter build-up, U. S. aerial survetl-
lance Of Russian troop camps
and departing ships has caused
the intelligence experts to re-
duce their estimates Of Soviet
military personnel on the island
from 1000 in July to approx
nrately 5000" by the end Of o.
tober.
This new CHA estimate, which,
is being holly challenged by
Army and Navy intelligence re-
ports that $4,000 Russian troops
have left Cuba since last years
missile crisis.
At the peak of the U. S.-Soviet
conformation. CHA put the Soviet
troop strength in Cuba at $1,000.
The Defense Intelligence Agency
estimated the Russians at be-
tween $4,000 and $4,000.
| With the Central Intelligence
Agency again in undisputed
command of all U. S. inteli-
gence on Cuba, the OLA now
takes the cautious position that
is is impossible to estimate the
number of Soviet troops still
there. The reason: Lack of hard
intelligence from inside Cuba.
To add to these conflicting es-
Inmates. reliable Cuban refugees
are warning that most of the
Russian troops have not left the
island but have only taken off
their uniforms. The refugees
most recent estimate is 1900.
THE NEW THREAT - The
surprise appearance Of more
Soviet jet fighters and fighter
bombers In Cuba has touched off
a new debate in the admins
tration's intelligence community
over W h e t her the additional
planes represent an offensive
threat.
One group of experts, co1npris-
ed mostly of intelligence officials
from the CHA and the State De
partment, stresses that the new
aerial build-up is defensive,
since most Of the planes are
Single-engine MIG-21's, 1875 and
| It's.
These intelligence experts EN-
phasize that the planes have an
out-and-hack range OF 300 miles,
which greatly limits their use as
bomberS against the U. S.
Another group, made up of in
tellgence experts from the three
military services, claims that a
build-up of this size presents an
offensive" threat.
These Pentagon veterans point
out that more than $50 Of the
Soviet jets could be converted
into 900 : mile range nuclear
bomberS in a matter of hours.
This offensive capability could
be attained by equipping the
MICS with additional fuel tanks
and a new-type A-bomb rack.
THE BIG MYSTERY - Still
unsolved is the growing mystery
surrounding heavy Soviet con-
struction in the mountainous
central region Of Cuba.
Cuban refugees say the Rus
sian technicianS are building
huge underground missile silos,
although no big rockets have so
far been sighted in the under
ground hideaways.
This finding is disputed by the
CHA. It's agents report that the
Russians are preparing large
underground storage facilities
with huge cement covers and air
vents on top and not missile
slloS.
Since neither the refugees nor
the CHA have penetrated the
silos, it is doubtful that the U. S.
will find out what Khrushchev
has in store for us until he de-
cides to lift the covers.
AS reported in a previous col
umn. CHA pilots are limited to
less than dozen high-level w
reconnaissance flights a month,
with none passing directly over
Cuba. Instead. the U-2s follow
the Cuban coasthne, staying over
international waters and out of
range Of more than 600 SAL
missiles that ring the island.
CUBAN FLASHES - Hurl.i-
cane Flora. which dashed Cuba
for five days in October, flooded
number Of the underground 81
los, according to Cuban refu-
gees. This God-directed storm
set back the Soviet's construc-
ton program by more than six
months Arthur Schlesinger,
Jr., one of President Kennedy's
top aides on Latin American at
fairs. is urging more contact
with the Castro government. He
=