EVALUATION OF REPORTS FURNISHED BY SENATOR KEATING (OGC/LC ROUTING OF 8 MARCH)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00429A000100100009-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 12, 2000
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: April 10, 1963
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2001/03/04 :EtRDP79T00429A,000100100009-9
10 April 1203
MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: Zvalu*tton of Reports iurniehscl by Senator
Keating (DOC/LC routing of 8 March)
(Note: The following reports, to which earlier memo-
randa have not addressed themselves, were contained in
a letter from Cuba dated 17 February, forwarded to
Senator Keating's office- under covering letter of 20
February:
1. Some Russians are in the Sacambray with the
Cuban resistance.
2. All cars heading to Bantle o or Baracoa are
searched by one Soviet and one militiaman.
3. Soviet forces in Cuba do their most dangerous
work under cover of darkness, transporting offensive
weapons. There are missile bases all over the island,
but the Russians have built prefabricated houses on
top of them so that they cannot be detected by the
U-2.)
25X1C
1, Since the begiftning of theear we h
ceived numerous r rts
rs of Soviet
25X1C so er-.vary ng from two to 34-And deserted from
their unit a. The area meet commonly cited in such
reports is the Sierra lscambray re:ton of southe
Las Villas province,
have also reported t v e so ere hove deserted
and joined **ti-Castro guerrillagroup?. There are
also unconfirmed reports that joint Cuban-Soviet
drives in the Rscambray have resulted in the capture
of several probable Soviet ATMs. We have no substan-
tiating evidence for such reports, but believe that
some level of desertion by Soviet soldiers is probable,
and that anti-Castro groups might well offer help.
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25X1C
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2. If these reports refer to the Soviet armored
camp at Santiago de las Vegas south of Sevens and the
military airfield at Playa Saracoa west of Havana, we
have no reports of the searching of vehicles in the
general vicinity, but it-vehicle check at the entrance
to such major military enstallations would be a nor-
mal security practice.
Onaatanamo Naval Base has received several re-
ports since mid-January of highway checkpoints in
astern Cuba. These would be pertinent if Senator
teatingts source refers to Santiago de Cuba west of
Guantanamo, and Baracoa on the north coast, almost
at the eastern tip. According to one report, Soviet
and Cuban personnel about 20 January set up six joint
checkpoints on the highway between Guantanamo and
Santiago, and local rumors said they were looking for
Soviet deserters. The reports reached the US press
about 12 lebruary.
3. There have been consistent reports to this
effect from sources whose bona fides cannot be
checked and who are not available for further in-
terrogation. There has been extensive construction
using prefabricated portions of buildings, and we do
know that some sensitive work is done at night--
such as the unloading of military cargoes from in-
coming Soviet ships. Unusually heavy truck traffic
also is often scheduled for night hours when highway
traffic is at its lowest.
There are, of course, "missile bases all over
the island,* and the lay observer, unless he is re-
porting to a trained interrogator with debriefing
aids, generally cannot distinguish between a surface-
to-atf or cruise missile and an offensive 'weapon.
We have established on several occasions recently
that what untrained observers reported as "small pre-
fabricated houses" were actually cruise-missile
crates.
Ve have seen no specific reports matching those
furnished by Senator Keating that missile launchers
or bases are being hidden in or under housing; most
2
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such reports allege that the equipment is hidden in
caves.
All sueh reports of concealed- weapons, of course,
cannot be disproved categorically without thorough on.
site inspection.
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STATI NTL
STATI NTL
TRANSMITTAL SLIP
DATE4 Aerii 1963
TO:
t14.eri
ROOM NO.
7 E 32
1 BUILDING
Hqs
REMARKS:
Attached are the most recent
reports furnished to us by Senator
Keating's office today. Would you
please work up some brief comments
so that I can report back to Senator
Keating? In addition, they now
have requested comments on the
material I forwarded to you under
routine slip dated .8 March 1963
-CI
1":2
1 eaar 7:114
74,14..C. /fiatior scre-
Atts.
FROM:
0 LC
ROOM NO. I BUILDING EXTENSION
7 D 07 1 Has 16.121
FORM NO .0 41
1 FEB 55 4 REPLACES FORM 36-8
WHICH MAY BE USED.
* GPO 1957-0-439445
(47)
STATI NTL
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