Document type: PAPER-TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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176-10036-10055

JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION FORM

AGENCY : NARA

RECORD NUMBER : 176-10036-10055

RECORD SERIES : National Security Files

AGENCY FILE NUMBER :

ORIGINATOR : CIA

FROM : CIA

TO : DOS

TITLE : Cuba: Estimate of Agricultural Destruction

DATE : 10/9/1963

PAGES : 4

SUBJECTS :

DOCUMENT TYPE :

CLASSIFICATION :

RESTRICTIONS :

CURRENT STATUS :

DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 9/10/2000

OPENING CRITERIA :

COMMENTS : National Security Files, Box 50: Cuba Subjects: Hurricane Flora

Assistance 10/7/63-10/18/1963. Box 1

annet

134+74-58E167AN

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SANITIZED IK:O! OSU"

18754

VV

EUW 002

PP RUEPWW

DE RUEPCR 571 10/21132

P 1021127

1953 0CT 10

FM DA

INFO WHITE HOUSE

19

P 101510Z ZEX :

50

FM CIA WASHDC

TO RUEHC/DEPT STATE

RUEPDA/ACSI DA

RUEAHQ/AFSSO USAF

RUECW/ CNO

RUEPDA/JCS

RUEAHQ/DIA

RUECTDD/DIRNSA

BT

CONGADENTIAL FOR DIR 18R, XPLT BR, DNI, CLIC, CREF C312.

CITE TD/00-K-3,277,461

ADVANCE TELETYPE DISSEMINATION (COMPLETE) OF 00-K-3,277,461. NORMAL

DSSEMINATION WILL FOLLOW. THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION.

COUNTRY

: CUBA

SUBJECT

: ESTIMATE OF AGRICULTURAL DESTRUCTION DUE TO

HURRICANE FLORA

DATE OF INFO : 9 OCT 63 AND EARLIER

PLACE ACQUIRED:

S

DATE ACQUIRED: 9 OCT 63 AND EARLIER

NECET'ED

Cilia

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PAGE 2 RUEPIA SIX CONFIDENTIAL

SOURCE: CUBAN NATIONAL, PRESENTLY LIVING IN THE U.S.

SOURCE HAS BEEN AN AGRICULTURAN ENGINEER FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND

WAS EMPLOYED BY THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FOR OVER 15 YEARS. DURING THE BATISTA REGIME, AS WELL

• AS TWO

YEARS UNDER THE CASTRO REGIME, HE WAS DEPUTY CHIEF OF PLANS AND

PROGRAMS IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE. HE IS VERY FAMILIAR

WITH THE AGRICULTURAL AREA IN ORIENTE, AND HAS PROVIDED EXCELLENT

INFORMATION ONCUBAN AGRICULTURE NUMEROUS TIMES IN THE PAST. HE

IS CONSIDERED AN AUTHORITY IN THIS FIELD.

(THIS REPORT WAS DEVELOPED BY AN AFNIN AIR FORCE REPRESENTATIVE

ASSIGNED TO THE OFFICE OF PREPARATION.

• 1o BASED ON MY EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN THE CUBAN AGRICULTURAL

FIELD, AND HAVING WITNESSED DAMAGE TO CUBAN AGRICULTURE BY PAST

HURRICANES, I ESTIMATE THAT THE HURRICANE FLORA, PROBABLY

DESTROYED CLOSE TO 50 PER CENT OF CUBA'S AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

FOR THIS YEAR, AND WILL HAVE A SERIOUS EFFECT ON NEXT YEARS'S

PRODUCTION. THE AREA WHERE THE HURRICANE WAS STATIONARY FOR

SEVERAL DAYS, IS THE PRINCIPAL GRAIN BELT IN CUBA.

2• ABOUT 50 TO 6D PER CENT OF CUBA'S RICE IS GROWN IN

ORIENTE, IN THE AREA OF MANZANILLO. A CUBAN VARIETY OF RICE, KNOWN

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PAGE 3 RUEPIA 3IX CONFIDENTIAL

AS ZAYAS BAZAN (OR HONDURAS)

IS PLANTED IN THIS AREA AND HAS A

PECULIAR CHARACTERISTIC. THE

STEM OF THIS RICE IS VERY WEAK,

AND ALWAYS BENDS WHEN THE FULL HEAD IS FORMED, ABOUT A MONTH

BEFORE HARVEST. THIS VARIETY OF RICE IS HARVESTED, STARTING

ABOUT 15 NOVEMBER, SO I ASSUME THAT MOST OF IT IS NOW DOWN.

BECAUSE OF THIS CHARACTERISTIC THE RICE HAD TO BE HARVESTED BY

HAND, OR U•S• MACHINERY MODIFIED, SINCE THE RICE HEADS HAD TO

BE PICKED. FROM THE GROUND. IT WAS ALSONECESSARY TO DRAIN THE

WATER OFF THE RICE A MONTH TO SIX WEEKS BEFORE HARVEST, SO THAT

THE HEADS WOULD NOT GERMINATE AND ROT IN THE WATER. DUE TO THE •

EXTREME FLOODING DURING THE RECENT HURRICANE AND THE FACT THAT

THE RICE WAS ALMOST READY FOR HARVEST, I ESTIMATE THAT THE ENTIRE

CROP WILL BE LOST•

3. MOST OF THE BEANS CONSUMED IN CUBA ARE GROWN IN THE

HOLGUIN AREA. BEAN PLANTS CAN NOT STAND TOO MUCH FLOODING, OR

EXCESSIVE WINDS. I AM REASONABLY SURE THAT NOST OF THE BEAN CROP

WILL BE LOST.

4. HOLGUIN WAS ALSOTHE

CENTER FOR CORN EXPERIMENTATION.

THE CORNDLLI SEED COMPANY ESTABLISHED A LARGE EXPERIMENTAL FARM

NEAR HOLGUIN, PRIOR TO THE CASTRO REGIME, WHICH WAS TAKEN OVER

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• PAGE 4 RUEPIA 3IX CONFIDENTIAL

AND CONTINUED TO BE OPERATED BY THE CASTRO GOVERNMENT• ONE

THOUSAND ACRES OF LAND WERE USED TO RAISE HYBRID SEED CORN FOR

THE ENTIRE ISLAND. THE CORN IS ALMOST MATURE AT THIS TIME OF

YEAR. THE HURRICANE, WHICH REMAINED IN THAT AREA FOR ALMOST

FOUR DAYS, PROBABLY DESTROYED THE ENTIRE CORN CROP, AND OF MORE.

SERIOUS CONSEQUENCE, THE SEED CROP FOR NEXT YEAR. END OF REPORT.

GP-1.

BT

CONFIDENTIAL'

NNNNM

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