MEMO:MEETING WITH DR MANUEL ANTONIO VARONA ON 5 MAY IN NEW YORK CITY
Agency: CIA
Originator: CIA
From: DC/WH/4
To: THE RECORD
Document date: 5/6/60
Document type: PAPER-TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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CIA HISTO

CIA HISTORICAL REVIEW PROGRAM

6 May 1960

POTHOR LIDUM FOR THE RECORD

SEECT! Meeting with Dr. Manuel Antonto Verone on 5 May In New Tork C1ty,

1030 to 1315 hours

OSNERATE

Varona artired the evening of 1 Yay and regiaterod ne the st. Morien

Total.

After several uncuecesaful efforte to reach him tiera (because him plane

one late), I finally not him -t about 2330 bours and cheduled ~ meeting with hin

for the next soring. I not him in the lstoy of the hotel, ind we spant the bet

tor part of the nest three hours in a stroll around C. ntral lark and at lunch.

for the tirat hour or no Varons unloaded & maber of thoughta on the current

polition situations most of these we are already familinr with, but among the

points that he had to make vure some wiich my be new and which are covered below.

Varona was shocked over the 3enate Interml seourity Subcomitte's

choîce of Cal, UGALDE Carrillo to testliy before thei.

Varona desoribes tl:1s

person as an absolute var criminal who has no business appearing before any

official United States body.

he sara that he might resign hinsels to the faot

that In our donoeratio, perlimentory syntem of govertment suoh thinge can happil,

tbere in not the slightest possibility that the avarago batin Anorion could ever

understand that this sotion does not represent the thinking of the entire United

StAtes Government.

when I tried to exolain thia in terms of our traditional

repartion of powure betwen the isgislitive and ixecutive ironohes, the frot

that we nre in an eleotion year, and other extenuatin, sirouetances, Varona

mmonsod anarement that we have no core of a senie of conion vurpose hore in

thie country than we apparently do.

The Legislative Franch goes one dirsation

and the Exeoutive Brunch goes another and thare appoare to be little coordination

Icemen the two.

Varona was also quite unharpy about the mainl procedure shich trent-

ecion hnd riven him whon he ranghnd lice Fort the nipht before.

lie thought

that he hnd been handled in a ither discourteous miy and could not underatand

why ho man puced on micle and instruaçed to kiup Ila irencion and Naturalisation

Informed of nie address it all tiate.

¿ axpalned this arnaina irocedure to him

and emphasiand the tnot tint is wis sorothing that he laid on for only certain

noleot pooplo,

that It was

quiting through nountrins of rad tape in permitting

visitore auon "a Verona to nove round lie anuntry or aven to leavo: 1t and return

without the normal reninistr-elve diffloultire.

Thie nollified him, and from

that paint on I would any thne our convorarelon ma on a vory oordina plane.

SEGRET

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Hering just returned fros the Conference on Democreey and Freedon 1n

ernsas, Faron had : number of thouphis on thit, le consitered the cunferenee

a prent success fros the standpoine of the liberal ubana tito hail opposad uny

resolution approving the Castro regise.

te sald there was a strong nove nfoot to

yet over such a resolution but that he, anches fringo, dose lennolo insco and

othera vere able to keep such a resolution fron being passed.

Tre min suonsorg

of this, by the ray, vare mambore of the left wine of the lecion lenocr tiea of

Venesuale.

lie also sald that a number of •cople of 11b ral tendencies attonded

the meeting with pross nisconcertions concerring the mature of the Cretro regina

and that he and the other Cubans trit I mentioned vera able to convert a number

of these. Mmong them here Allende (mu) of Argentina and several othere whoa!

nance he has recorded. In other vords, sons good ulasion: r work mus done it the

Conferenoe. In toms of officirl rosulta, there wan. very little, He told ma

that the agenda ma not torribly mell worked out, that the people in attendanoé

it the Con'erence were of inny political hues ind that nothing of great interent

took place on the floor Itself but rither in private saucuses ind srall mestings

bohind the scenes. I'll mention sone of thie resulte of the Conference which are

•" Interest to un operationally in succoeding paragrapha.

propogand.

These are the followings

Castro e convrsion of forer nilitary bernoke into schoold. This .:

has been a tromendous propaganda gucosas for Castro.

to han managed

to soft-redal completnly the Inot thut he's built now barracke and that

the army 1s now bigger than 1t ever has been.

Tho latent miotrust or outright diallke of the United states in the

mindo of most latin Amerloana.

Castro hna been able to play this theme

backward and formed, opunly and troitly, with great success.

The apparent affinity of the United ¿intonl gonate for former supportere

of the Matiuta regane, This has hen touched on in an corlier paragrapão

PERSONN

Varons told mo that he planned do no to kland on 6 iny and retur to

Now Tork City on the righthor the morning of the ninth.

During these two or three

days in Miral he wanto to find an austnant, lla will return to lew lork in time

for the resting of othor Cuban o roaltion lenders, Inalulin? Justo Carrialo,

•Rosad and othere, and has no intention at tiln tims es coing to washington.

Me would like :o hring hin wife and daughter to the staten un soon sa

ponsible but hopes he

ann lor life daughter to finder primary nohool, witch wall

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take until around 10 June, refore bringing her and the o her ever.

Ho 1a cleo

qulto concorned about the serpent, in old faully rotainer, those viar tas not yut

been lanuad leonuno of sore difMeuilios she pot into soveral yure igo ithout

being aware lit she me treating a United States, law.

This matter tan been

covered in an axchange of cables ind l recormend that de do satever la can for

the woman so sa to set the jarona family's mind at sase on thia pointe

Be luring our converstico farona mde a number of point mia may be or

malue in connection with our forthooning propaganda trogar.

•everal or our

vulnerabilitien I'm referred to in onr of the earlier sagrapha, and we should

do whatovar no oan to rentr ten. other point of interat was isronals feellag

Thia gentleman usod to be a vriter of editorials for

Plardo de La Marina, and ho has n1eo worked for Bohenia and station Chid.

Ho wan

pro-Batistant one time.

Varona has a very high rogard for his as a writer and

feels that he can be usaful 18 he vrites anonyuously or under a pen namo. Ho la

mont andous to bring him vut and will undoubtedly plan on using hin for propaganda

iriting 11 and when jabano gets out of Cuba, Concerning the Caracas Conference

nich just finished, Varona told me that the speech which caldera (I believe 1t

1o Rafael Caldera) do at the olosing seetion vas, in his or nords, "formidable",

a tremendous apoooh. Thie, for sous reason, has not beon publloled either in

Latin Amerion or hore in the Unitod States, according to Varona,

It would be

very good for un to do everything possible to sprind the word of Caldera throughout

the heraphere. Varon also anid that ¿duardo FREI Kontalva of Chile spoke

extremely vel? on the openine cay but that his-recrke were off-the-euff and there

probably 1e no written rooord of that Frol had to say.

9, Before leaving Caruoso, Varona organized a nuclous of a propaganda outlet

there.

He expeota to une Caros an a distribution center for propagand. through

out South Ameries und the Caribbean,

lie had a talk with Preaident Betancout

there nho approver thin notivity.

Betancourt told Varona henceforth to go direstly

to the Minister of tronsury, MAYORBE, so his offiolal contaoto

POLITIONE AGLOI

10, Vergne chutcuely haa a grent inny lew on the volitioni flold. Ha ha.

• representntive in Daraons, do I hare montloned, and ho hopes within the near

future to have his om mole in every aruntry of the hemisphere re agle-prop

espoo, ono of the nen that he expecte to use for this tyro Amalio FIAlLo, sha 10

Cho son that R

now In Mind and who had been montluned in cormuniortions to the fiold and in a

Ho's oxtronely roll oriented collelanily rod an exoollart openkore

only one mintnke in ile pulledent enreer, ndoordlug en Varons. Thus Mas In 1958,

vien he supported the 1den of eloationo undor cho batiste rogima. He hon sinoo.

meon the llelt and lu now conniderad auste relluble mid valunblo by Verona, mo

plona to mond hiu on a bow of babin Amrione

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Ile Varona told me thrt before leavine Cuba he una Able to organise a

complete untergraund movement of worle o ira not openly identified with the

Autentioo lovesent.

12, Concerning a site for a future Junta: Government Inexile, Directorio

or that have you, varona doubts thet Costa liica vill bo suitable. ¡elations

between "Pepe" figures and President chandl in rot as good no they would ham

to be l'or Figures to obtain the approval of schindl for such aotivitios.

would be no problen in hulding a noting or series of restinge of tlia group in

San Jose, but as a permanent site, it 19 douterul, in Varona'e opinion. (I

didn't bring up the corcapt of a governsent-imedle or any of the attendant

Jogad probiens, ao ve didn't discues this.

the sender-Cary croup to raise the point.)

19o then I asked him then what could be a letter permanent alte for the

direoting body, he said that Hexloo would be good, but the United states would

undoubtedly have to be the main casembly point for these prople.

He leans in favor of

baving Sanches join the Diraotorto, 1f I may all 1t that:

He did say that

Sanches, I1ke Rubio Fadilla, has to ke hardled with kid cloves.

For example,

Banohes should never attend a meeting, of Cubans and their inerion advisors,

•.lo Nr. Bender or MS. Cart, for the renson that to sanches Arongo thia would

appear to be servitude on the part of the Cubana towards the Aericane, Ind 18

at ary later date he had a difference of opinion with the other Cubens in the

group, he night charge them with being laokeya of the inerlosns.. ith this in

mind,

Varona recormended that ne talk to jancher trango soparataly before ho

bhen I gave Varona the letter Tro sun Antonio Rubio ladilla, ho saked

•ae what I thousht of Rubio.

In non-cormittra fashion I turned the queation around

to Varona hinself.

it this, he aniled and mused a long time ind then told me

that Rubio was a fine mun but that he hnd lost two sona who died of the num

1Ulneoa, that this ino made of him, If not a litter man, one who retains his

Independenoa to in extreme, This 1a 1:16 /sinoipal ohnerateriatio.

colitically,

ho la: ulto concervutivo but frao of any Involverent with the lutiato regio.

Nade pi man who takes to work alone and to le net inolined to en slong iith the...

Mll of the injorit

in alturtloie ilko the prasont one wiere nomoors of the

opposition to Cantro are trying to orpariue despito Internal polllion) difforonoos.

In connection with hin ontry at Idlowild on l May, Vurona salad Carr

for some holy when Cary called his Intor in the evonine.

Onro in turn rafurred

him to a rantlemon numed Leon Dannen whis isvae ne 17 lork Terrade cant and han

two telephones, :A 9ll4 and Lu 744da, Dernar tolsphonad Varom on the roring

• 3 May at Varona a hotal und voluntered to help varons with uny problons he

mahe have witt Innigration and Naturallantion. After I had expinined to

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FREO S

vant the spoolal procectire inrolved, Verona ant no furthur nood to talk to

Donnen.

However, i surgestasule creck "ith Carr to find out lor this man got

Into our operation.

The politienl part of our discussion vas to have followed a fort

which Mr. Droller and I worked out before I left.

It was to lnulude a sitionalo

for the present United States' position in Latin serica and me to cover such

¡tas ao his travel to nashington, but tis converantion iulokly took such = tura

that I mare a couple of on the pot changos.

For one thing, "arona la quite

fantllar with inited sesteal thinking on Cuba and la unhappy about It. in the

respoots I hare martlened earlor, but it leant he'm sochistlested enough to

understand the bayu and wherefores. One fairly important point wilch ra die cores.

however, conderred the Bender Carr group. I told Varona very frankly that certala

sotivition were not within my province but there was a group that i ma snare of,

hondod by t5. Carr (whose nane incidentally varona had mentioned to no firat)»

that this group was completely rollable and all intentioned and ild have the

proper contadts ith our goverment and that he should lave no reservations about

working with this group.

it this sane time, I gave Inrona my own emorgency

Colephone number, MS 8-0409, In case he should have any problama with Unitod States!

thorities such au INS.

ind I also discussed with him a numbor of figures or

importance in the Caribbean political situt lor Intelligance matterg shich an

American officinl woul have interest in.

The subjects that I "voided" wore

parantlitary and the question of conversion of sesos for dollaro.. He didn't.

bring up the point and wa tolked about so wany othor thing, thet I dedided to

leave this one for the attention of the jonder ferr group, he st dooked die

& good opportunity for them to help Varons out and thereby satablish that such

more rapport.

dB.

Varone told me that in the twelvo hours or so that held now been 1n

New York he hnd niready received an approach from susablo Mujal, the former

ohior of the CTC under Batista, Throuph a man named Alborto or /Ifrado cruz,

Mujol nont word that he recognized that any return to the statue zuo under Batita

1s now out of the uestion ad that he in willing to tury old dirforoncas and

work in ounplete harmony with such jeople ra Tony Vorons with the single oh cotive

of ridding Cuba of Fidel Castro.

Varona 10 not going to rojeot this proposal

out of hand but le roins to study it very onrefully in trik to some rf hie Cuben

aolleagues about. 1t.

In this conneotlong 1t le Intorestine to note thet Varona

and porhope othor Cubana may well be softoning tomede-the former "untouchable"

grouse or lAdlatoros no In the onue of Mujni and Ichaco, tho raitor that d

montlured elsentaro.

19°

We rin not eliaounn thia subjeat it erent lengel, in 1 lad very carofully

danun a line botren the cotlultion in milan 1 had a lenitaires interoit isn

United seatos Dovarmart orfloial and thone which onuld leat le handlod in con

unetlen min irivee mupe, Le, She durg lender arouy (090 goepan 170

invovora verona dad malitilna to no that he lind, an Venezuola, a friná ino mou

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walthy owner of a finos and that this friend had promised his the une of the

fince for such parallit sy training pur osen ra he miphe bara at sone liter dito.

The conversatien ild not cormit me to leun the san'o naso at the elms and I

ment don the polet her moraly is a lead for; onuible later follor up.

S10 PEDED

20•. Varone told u that he had lined up a lm rodlo operator in carego.

Verenole and that he wished to institute a radio schedule betwen a can in the

Mind area and the on in Veneaul, to five him communiention ith hla 150up

don there, This pattern mo established during the batista regin by the rebel

units, and it 1a destrable now, ascording to Varona, in view of the strodsou

communestim facilities betwen Caraces and the United States. I sugrosted

that me migit be ablo to help hin sot up the merioan and of thie not.

21.

then I brought up the point of establimhing staybehind commo with hia

people In Cuba to be in readiness in the event of a break in relation with the

United St7t08,

He is going to dome up with amos of

people to eould come to this country for three of four weeke for the necessary

«ono training and then no back in to sork tranamitters receivors and/or to

train others. I also promised Varona tint ve oould mko radio tranaritter

receivra available to him.

LOVER

22. I used the nune "Robert. Rogerg" with Varons.

In town, had seen me the preceding day and nao knows no na "Rogora" this looked

Iike the best s1100-

CHe-Reynolde

DO/WH/4

Dintribution:

Origo de 1 - 0/1.4/4,

= k11/4/10

2 = Mi/lohrono (Hono for the Reeord)

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