COUNTERACTING
CASTRO PROPAGANDA
March 1961 (two documents)
Translation from Spanish of a Memorandum
by Dr. Luis Aguilar Leon
[Reference: Dade County OCB
file #153-D]
DATE: March 9, 1961
TO: THOMAS J. KELLY, Metropolitan Sheriff
FROM: LT. FRANK KAPPEL, Supervisor, Criminal Intelligence
SUBJECT: CUBAN COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY
ACTIVITIES, F.R.D. -
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Recent developments in the Cuban situation involving the
anti-Castro factions have prompted this Unit to investigate
certain rumors which could, if allowed to circulate, develop
into a crisis with catastrophic effects for the U.S.
position in Latin America.
The origin of these assertions is multiple and stems from
the not so secret struggle for power among the anti-Castro
groups closely connected with the Frente Revolucionario
Democratico.
It is also evident that the preparations for the ultimate
effort to overthrow the CASTRO regime have reached the final
stages. The only obstacle to this is the continuous
bickering of the groups over ideological and political
trivialities.
The main reason for this dissension is the formation of the
provisional government which will have to take actual
possession of part of the Cuban territory in order to gain
support and recognition from other governments.
Several Latin American countries which have broken
diplomatic relations
with CASTRO'S Cuba are willing to recognize a provisional
government opposed
to CASTRO. Nationalist China has agreed in principle
to do the same.
At present there are only three organizations which have
enough support both in exile and in Cuba to make their
weight felt in the negotiations
that have been taking place in New York and Washington
during the past week. The Frente Revolucionario
Democratico, M.R.P. and the 30th of November Movement are
the three organizations which sent representatives to a
preliminary meeting that took place in Washington on March
4, 1961.
The Frente Revolucionario Democratico is by far the best
organized, with an army, estimated to be 5,000 strong,
trained in guerrilla warfare. This organization is
formed by six anti-Castro groups and has received sanction
and financial backing from the U.S. Government since its
conception.
The power behind the scenes in this political crisis is a
C.I.A. agent known to the majority of the Cubans as Mr. B.,
an abbreviation of his name FRANK BENDER.
It is the consensus of every leader connected with the
counter-revolutionary activities that Mr. BENDER is the only
policy making contact they have with the Central
Intelligence Agency. Information received from
responsible leaders revealed that Mr. BENDER is a highly
qualified expert who is considered to have been responsible
for the reorganization of West Germany and the consequent
strengthening of German-American relations. After this
successful
mission, Mr. BENDER was transferred to Formosa where he
helped reorganize
Chiang Kai-Shek's government and army.
In June 1960, Mr. BENDER undertook the task of binding
together a few
of the most eligible anti-CASTRO groups into an organization
that could
not only oppose CASTRO politically, but count on a strong
nucleus of trained guerrillas for active opposition and
sabotage.
On June 22, 1960 five groups, after a conference in Mexico
City, formed the F.R.D. Immediately afterward, Mr.
BENDER met with representatives of the Frente in New York to
formulate plans for military training.
Mr. BENDER, according to the Cuban sources, has a flair for
cloak and
dagger meetings when dealing with emissaries from the
Frente. Mexico
City was selected on purpose to avoid drawing attention and
consequent denunciations from the CASTRO regime.
One of the Frente emissaries revealed that at the initial
meeting for
the formulation of military plans, Mr. BENDER introduced
himself as an industrialist from Pittsburgh. The
emissary had many contacts in that particular city and was
able to ascertain that Mr. BENDER had no connections
whatsoever with the firm he claimed to represent. This
is of course raised doubts as to Mr. B.'s intentions and
also irked the representative who felt somewhat slighted by
this approach.
Other sources have criticized Mr. BENDER's furtive ways of
calling for meetings in motels and other places that,
although safe security-wise, appear unsuitable to the
dignity of the Cubans.
It is evident that Mr. BENDER has not yet mastered the
complicated Latin mind and often irks the Cubans with his
no-nonsense attitude apparently acquired from his
experiences in West Germany. Most Cubans agree though,
that Mr. BENDER has been able, with the help of military
experts, to create one of the best trained guerrilla
contingents in the world.
In order to achieve this, Mr. BENDER and his assistant Mr.
[E Howard] HUNT, have isolated the troops from their
leaders, who, in theory, were
to assume command after the training had been
completed. The Frente
had selected COL. EDUARDO MARTIN ELENA as military
coordinator for the volunteers who were recruited in Miami
and then sent to the training camps in the mountains of
Guatemala. COL. HAWKINS and a nucleus of U.S. Officers
and Non-Coms were in charge of training in the F.R.D. camps.
Most of the responsible leaders of the F.R.D. agree that the
military
figures selected to command the troops lack fighting
experience and are
unsuitable for effective leadership in the field. On
the other hand,
they emphasize the necessity of Cuban leadership for morale
purposes, which
is said o have suffered lately because of the aforementioned
situation.
It has been learned that a request by the six leaders of the
Frente to spend Christmas with the troops in the training
camps was turned down with a flimsy excuse. This
request was made on December 22, 1960 and was vetoed by Mr.
BENDER who stated that the means of transportation were not
adequate, meaning that the aircraft to be used was not
safe. The Cubans took this for what it was meant to
be: an attempt to keep the political branch away from the
troops.
The troops had been carefully screened to prevent
infiltration of Castro agents on one hand and individuals
deeply involved with the BATISTA regime on the other.
The location of the camps has been a closely guarded secret
with only a recent disclosure of the whereabouts of the
depot located near the Pacific Coast of Guatemala.
Both the number of camps and men are a matter of speculation
among Cubans because no one is allowed to leave the training
camps after arrival.
The efforts to keep the Army away from the aspirations of
the political leaders created a vacuum between the Cuban
military command based in Miami and the troops in training
in the Guatemalan mountains. The situation
deteriorated toward the end of January when COL. MARTIN
ELENA and his staff resigned in protest.
The only leader who had free access to the camps was MANUEL
ARTIME BUESA [photo left] of the M.R.R. who stayed for
considerable time among the troops. This favoritism
aroused considerable resentment among the other leaders of
the Frente who accused ARTIME of trying to captivate Mr.
BENDER's favors.
A hastily arranged visit to the camps permitted the Frente
leaders to
have a brief contact with the troops due to the impatience
that had develop
after their training had been completed. The visit
received wide publicity and a number of photographs taken in
the camps were released to the press.
On January 25, 1961 Mr. BENDER called for an executive
meeting to be held at his residence at 8:00 PM. All
the Frente leaders had been invited as this was to be
decisive meeting.
At 8:00
PM, DR. MANUEL A. DE VARONA [photo left] of the Rescate
Revolucionario Democratico, DR. MANUEL ARTIME BUESA of the
Movement of Revolutionary Recovery, DR. JUSTO CARRILLO of
the Agrupacion Montecristi and RICARDO R. SARDINA of
the Sugar Growers Association, arrived at Mr. BENDER's
residence and learned
from DR. ARTIME that the meeting had been canceled.
DR. ARTIME revealed
that he had the key to the apartment and the four decided to
hold the meeting
just the same.
At 9:00 PM DR. JOSE RASCO [photo left] of the Christian
Democratic Movement
appeared and stated that he had been invited to a meeting
for 9:00 PM.
The difference in time surprised those present who received
a greater surprise
when at 10:00 PM MANUEL COVO, leader of A.A.A. arrived and
revealed that
Mr. BENDER had invited him for that exact time.
This schedule left the Cubans baffled and they concluded
that Mr. BENDER intended to play one against the other for
reasons unknown.
The morale of the Cuban leaders and, consequently, that of
most other
Cubans involved in the struggle to overthrow Castro, has
suffered considerably because of the lack of comprehension,
mistrust and disregard for national pride on the part of the
American agents in charge of this operation.
The prevalent feeling among Cubans is that the United States
wants to
eliminate Castro because of the threat he poses to the
Western Hemisphere
but does not give the impression that it is willing to
correct the mistakes
which helped bring Castro to power. They add that they
are grateful
for the material and financial help received but they also
believe that they
are entitled to a greater participation in the policy-making
stages of the
operations. While Mr. BENDER's intentions are
considered above-board
his attitude towards the Cubans draws nothing but
criticism. The main
reason for the criticism stems from the fact that most of
Mr. BENDER's actions
are guided by personal preferences and frequent allusions to
the economic
help he is granting the Cuban revolutionaries. A
statement to that
effect has been made by Mr. BENDER to DR. LUIS AGUILAR LEON
during an interview
that took place last summer.
According to AGUILAR's signed statements, Mr. BENDER's reply
to a request for arms aid an economic help to support the
underground forces of his movement was almost cynical.
Mr. BENDER is quoted as saying, "I can disband the Frente in
ten minutes, all I have to do is withdraw my
checkbook". This was to emphasize that only the Frente
was the recipient of direct economic aid while all other
anti-Castro groups would receive moral support,
encouragement, and some arms if and when his military
advisors approved the destination and reception.
(Attached is a translation of AGUILAR LEON's statement.)
Mr. BENDER's attitude has prompted most Cubans who come in
contact with him to refer to him as the "Proconsul".
Another cause for friction
and consequent disillusionment is a singular arrangement,
devised by Mr.
BENDER's advisers, to man the vessels that supply the
underground forces
in Cuba. During an interview with the Chief of Naval
Operations of
the Cuban Navy in exile, COMMANDER RENATO DIAZ, the writer
has learned that
the morale of the Cuban crews that man the supply vessels in
at a low ebb.
According to COMMANDER DIAZ, the U.S. agents in charge of
the operation have put the Cuban officers and men under the
command of mercenary captains contracted on a yearly basis
of $20,000.00. The captains are foreign nationals and
consider themselves as domesticated pirates in contrast to
the Cubans who view the operation as a sacred mission to
liberate their country from a tyrant.
In addition the captains bypass the Cuban executive officers
when they come in contact with the non-Cuban personnel
working on the vessels. A segregated mess exists for
the Cuban crew while the non-Cuban crew members eat in the
officers mess.
COMMANDER DIAZ cited an incident that occurred very recently
when a non-Cuban crew member pushed aside the Cuban cook
who, on orders from the captain, refused to allow the
crewman to help himself to a beer. According to
COMMANDER DIAZ no disciplinary action was taken against the
crewmen.
A recent decision to open a recruiting office for additional
volunteers has created alarm and resentment among most
Cubans who are concerned with the repercussions that such a
decision can have inside Cuba.
Towards the end of February a C.I.A. - sponsored recruiting
office opened at 1045 S.W. 27th Avenue and was staffed with
individuals of dubious morality and character. The
person in charge of the office is ROBERTO CARDENAS, former
commander of the military airport in Camaguey under HUBERT
[Huber] MATOS. CARDENAS left Camaguey after MATOS'
arrest and asked for political asylum in the United
States. At his arrival he alleged that he knew the
circumstances of CAMILO CIENFUEGO's assassination but he
offered no corroborating evidence to support his
allegations.
CARDENAS employs DR. ANTONIO LAMAS as medical examiner for
the recruits, who are required to pass a physical
examination prior to being accepted. DR. LAMAS is
married to the daughter of FULGENCIO BATISTA and was
rewarded by BATISTA with the directorship of the Insane
Asylum of Havana.
Among CARDENAS' close associations is HUMBERTO TRUEBA former
mayor of
San Cristobal and reputed to be a Castro spy. TRUEBA's
name appeared
on a list containing the names of Castro agents operating in
Miami.
This list was allegedly stolen from the Cuban Consulate last
October.
TRUEBA participated in the leaflet-dropping incident which
took place
in Aruba, Netherlands W. Indies in November 1959.
TRUEBA has been
a TRUJILLO agent in Miami and although he denied any
participation in the
leaflet-dropping meant for MARACAIBO, VENEZUELA, the writer
found an original
copy of the leaflet signed by TRUEBA among papers seized
from Chafardet URBINA.
CHAFARDET URBINA was a Venezuelan agent working for
TRUJILLO. (See cases
#56442-B, 12-3-59 and #17374-C, 3-30-60.)
Among the recruits who reached the training depot were the
vitriolic editor of ROLANDO MASFERRER's newspaper, CEFERINO
PEREZ CARRIL and CANDIDO MORA, a BATISTA henchman accused of
the murder of his own brother.
Such was the outcry raised by responsible Cubans that the
office had to suspend operations for a few days after
Under-Secretary MORALES CARRION
was contacted by telephone. The recruiting has resumed
and individuals
like SILITO TABERNILLA, [Esteban] VENTURA, [Rolando]
MASFERRER et al have
applied for enlistment. It is easy to imagine the
anti-American propaganda
barrage that FIDEL CASTRO will unleash against the United
States in general
and the Frente in particular when his agents furnish him
with the available
information.
The mention of the names of TABERNILLA, VENTURA, AND
MASFERRER as members of a liberating army would be
sufficient to send back to the Castro ranks many a defector.
At this point, it will be necessary to emphasize that this
report is the product of several interviews with highly
placed members of the Frente including most of the leaders
and represents their views. For obvious reasons the
writer has not attempted to contact the U.S. agency
involved.
It would also be necessary to emphasize that this report is
the product of several interviews with highly placed members
of the Frente including
most of the leaders and represents their views. For
obvious reasons
the writer has not attempted to contact the U.S. agency
involved.
It would also be necessary to emphasize the gravity of the
situation and the future repercussions that this state of
affairs can create both in Cuba and Latin America.
FIDEL CASTRO's anti-American propaganda has made deep
inroads in the minds of Latin Americans. Propaganda
tours have been arranged
to correct this situation but it is evident that such
propaganda has to
be conducted by Latins who have easier access to the minds
of their compatriots. At present the majority of
Cubans eligible to help in this important campaign feel
very disillusioned if not angry toward the United States
because they believe they are being exploited in their
plea to free their country from the tyranny of FIDEL
CASTRO.
Respectfully submitted,
A.L. TARABOCHIA
Intelligence Agent
LT. FRANK KAPPEL, Supervisor
Criminal Intelligence
[document
2]
TRANSLATION FROM SPANISH OF A
MEMORANDUM
BY DR. LUIS AGUILAR LEON
Every time that there was an attempt to talk or plan the
unity, the biggest worry of every representative of the
groups has been the personal position of every one of them,
the possibilities that the unity would open to their
aspiration and the bigger or smaller remuneration's and side
benefits that they could obtain. In addition, there is
total absence of political vision. Representatives of
the groups in exile who should support and present the
forces that fight in Cuba have managed to become directors
and guides of those who daily risk everything in the fight
against Communism. From there they have adopted false
positions of leaders that do not exist outside the
newspapers of Miami or plans for the future which do not
include the true voice of the popular aspirations and last,
there has been without doubt, a weakness in regard to the
promises or the reality of economical help from the
U.S. This help which was to be destined to strengthen
and enlarge an apparatus of fight, political and military,
has been converted in arbiter of disputes, in monopoly of
wealth in lieu of aspirations. Many a fighting group
has been threatened openly to be left outside of the
American help if it did not accept this or that point.
And many worthy professional man has silenced his criticism
and censure for fear that his opinion would cause the
cessation of this help. In reality, there were cases
like Anit VILLAREAL who was fired from the offices of the
Frente and left without any means of livelihood because she
happened to disagree with the policies of the movement to
whom she belonged.
The fault of the Americans: Speaking of Americans, I have to
clarify immediately that I refer to those in charge of the
Cuban situation - specifically, Mr. Frank BENDER and his
minor associates in Miami, like Mr. [Bernard] BARKER.
It is the personal opinion of the writer that the personal
intervention
of Mr. BENDER in the conflict of the groups in exile has
been the cause
of major dissension's and it has caused conflicts, delays
and obstacles
that a serene and impartial performance would have
avoided. Far from
utilizing his privileged position of donor of material, of
economic subsistence
to unite and enlarge anti-CASTRO forces, Mr. BENDER almost
from the beginning, decided on a policy of preferences
through a system of not listening to anyone
else except those who for some reason he conceded his
preference by a method
of supporting some against others or of encouraging those
more than these. The result of this erratic and
incomprehensible policy in a problem as serious as that of
Cuba is well described in the picture of the exiles in the
first section of this report. Not even Mr.
BENDER's personal work,
the instrument created by him and through his mediation the
organism which
has received the entire support and the backing of the
powerful forces which
Mr. BENDER represents has succeeded, after nine months of
existence, according to the DIARIO DE LA MARINA last week,
"Unite all the Cubans against their own will". In the
so-called "Frente Democratico Revolucionario", the crises
have followed upon crises. The defections have
disturbed them. The public arguments have reduced it
and nothing positive has been done
so far as politics, ideology, propaganda or unity, without
mentioning military force, about which we will speak later.
Notes Concerning Mr. BENDER: What I have said above
regarding Frank BENDER implies an indictment that deserves
to be clarified. Let's begin by saying that we
consider just as responsible for the errors and mistakes
made by BENDER those who accorded to just one man the
destiny of the Cuban case, turning him automatically into a
supreme force and dreamier of all problems. Having
said this , let us go on to express some personal of all
problems. Having said this, let us go on to express
some personal experiences which need to sustain my thesis
concerning Mr. Frank BENDER's actions.
In July 1960, the exile situation was very different.
The Frente Revolucionario Democratico had just been
constituted and there were hardly any persons or
revolutionary organizations which were not within it, or
which,
at least, did not expect to enter at the proper
moment. The "Frente"
had announced that it was constituted by a group intended to
integrate all
the forces that opposed Fidel CASTRO. Within the
Frente, the organization which appeared to be more powerful
because of its nucleus of young fighters having come from
the rebel army itself was the Movimiento de Recuperacion
Revolucionaria. In that same month of July, in an
absurd and incomprehensible form, the MRR entered into a
crisis. Its delegate at the front, Manuel ARTIME
BUESA, decided to constitute his own organization and expel
the other three members of the executive committee, the
three commanders who had founded the Movimiento. In
view of the planed crisis, BENDER was consulted and he
recommended that nothing be done, that no public declaration
be formulated, and that he would take care of the ARTIME
situation. On July 25, 1960, ARTIME made a public
statement revealing the expulsion of the three commanders
and setting himself up in a separate movement. In
trying to speak with BENDER to find out why ARTIME was
permitted to express his version of the situation,
BENDER said that it was a question of supporting ARTIME and
leaving to Commandante LORIE. These were his words to
Commander Antonio
Michel YABOR, and when the latter reasoned that the movement
was weakened,
that the cause against Fidel CASTRO was going to suffer a
blow, that there
was no moral or principle for the expulsion of a companion
like Comandante
LORIE, Mr. BENDER only replied, "In matters of politics,
there is no moral".
The result of Mr. BENDER's intervention far from being
conciliatory, far
from attempting to avoid the breakup of the Frente caused
quite the contrary.
Mr. BENDER encouraged ARTIME in his attitude. He tried
to split up
even more the component of the MRR and succeeded in
separating from the
Frente a strong group of fighters against Fidel CASTRO who
would fight on
their own. This action was backed simply by his
personnel in Miami,
especially Mr. BARKER, about whom exists a declaration in
the MRR files signed
by the person to whom Mr. BARKER tried to employ for,
according to his own
phraseology, "the destruction of commanders Antonio MICHEL
and Nino DIAZ
[HIGINIO "Nino"DIAZ ANE]. Since then, and now I speak
only by references
made, Mr. BENDER's partiality for Mr. ARTIME, his refusal to
receive or hear
the reasons of other revolutionary groups which were
becoming cohesive in
exile, his imposition of the Frente at all costs and without
alternative,
his lack of political sense in hampering the Frente, are
well known by all
those in exile. Three months after the division of the
MRR, Dr. Aureliano
SANCHEZ ARANGO withdrew from the Frente Democratico
Revolucionario.
After this, the door was closed to the group of Manolo RAY,
important persons
of political prestige who might have strengthened the
standing of the organism
were blackballed and lastly a month ago within the Frente
itself there has
been a new division represented on one side by a group
calling themselves
Grupo Generacional and on the other side by Dr. Antonio de
VARONA and Dr.
Justo CARRILLO. The public argument, harsh and bitter,
has reduced
even more, the prestige of the Frente as an organism
spearheading the fight
against Communism. In the meantime, we had an
interview with Mr. BENDER.
The only thing that the MRR asked was armed aid and some
economic backing
destined only and exclusively for sending money to Cuba to
fully support
our clandestine apparatus to maintain here the necessary
personnel for communications
and arms shipments. Mr. BENDER's reply was clear - his
economic aid
was exclusively for the Frente ("I can disband the Frente in
10 minutes -
all I need is to withdraw my checkbook" were his
words.) For the others,
encouragement, moral support, friendship and some arms were
available only
if his military advisors approved the destination and
reception of said
arms. In his words, the MRR, the Ray Movement and
those others outside
the Frente would have to operate on their own and without
help. Unfortunately,
we were unable to convince Mr. BENDER nor were we able to
have a valid explanation
from him as to why a group, whose only fault was trying with
all its might
to fight the communist tyranny of Fidel CASTRO, was being
abandoned and weakened.
The separation of Commander Nino DIAZ [HIGINIO "Nino"DIAZ
ANE] of the MRR
was also encouraged and fomented by Mr. BENDER's assistants,
especially Mr.
BARKER, who according to Commandante DIAZ, made him promises
and offers to
reach certain positions or commands which would permit him
to take the war
to Cuba as was his wish.
The Military Apparatus: In the military aspect, one of the
most fundamentals in the fight against Fidel CASTRO, not
only identical but even greater errors have been
committed. On the one hand, Mr. BENDER has constantly
affirmed that the military instrument did not depend on the
Frente, that the Frente did not mean, nor was it
necessarily, the future provisional government, and on the
other that all the declarations made by the components of
the Frente,
all its political projections contradicted these
affirmations and permitted
the support of the thesis that those who were going to fight
and train in
the camp would do so in order to establish a provisional
government integrated
by the directors of the Frente, which prospect was certainly
not very encouraging
to many Cubans. To this is added the news that in some
camps the doors
have been opened to certain figures of the past regime who
distinguished
themselves by their criminal "exploits" against those who
fought BATISTA.
Naturally, this has also lessened the enthusiasm for
fighting by many compatriots.
The general staff of this army, whose names would throw some
light upon the
intentions of the military apparatus to be formed, remain a
mystery.
By such action, the only thing that has been accomplished is
that within
and outside of Cuba, all kinds of rumors are being
circulated about whom
these military figures are who will be charged to carry out
the invasion
plan, and generally these rumors, encouraged by Fidel CASTRO
propaganda,
have depicted an armed body charged more in punishing and
avenging the Fidelistas
and the patriots than in carrying democracy and justice to
Cuba. The
maneuvers, the conspiracies and the intrigue within the
Frente necessarily
were reflected in the camps. We know for a fact that
some four weeks
ago, several boys who escaped from the camps in order to
bring to the Frente
direct information about the arbitrariness and the attempts
at control which
had developed in their own camp. I do not think it
necessary to go
further into this matter in order to demonstrate the
nefarious effect which
such news has produced in all sections. That which
appears even more
serious is that said boys who brought this information said
they had proof
that some of the leaders of the Frente itself had much to do
with the conspiracies
in the camp.
Conclusion: This is the ominous picture of the Cuban groups
in exile. The lack of patriotism, the personal
ambitions and the nefarious influence of Mr. BENDER, have
given Fidel CASTRO the time necessary to increase his
strength and propaganda. Far from creating a united
front, far from uniting coherently the various groups, big
or small, that have something to bring to the fight, was the
policy followed was that of choosing a small handful and
then trying to impose them at all costs. Not even the
publication and formulation of a program of objectives has
been made, one that could put a stop to CASTRO's claim that
those who were against him are only interested in bringing
back the past. This report has been compiled with the
intention of bringing to the attention of whomever might be
interested, the urgency and desperate necessity to bring
forth a policy of high ideals destined
to fight CASTRO on all fronts and to show new ways for Latin
America, confused and weakened by the formidable propaganda
of the Communists and for the
absence of an ideology, firm and clean, that could attack
Communism not
only in the defensive but in a vigorous offensive of
material and spiritual values.
LUIS AGUILAR LEON
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