MURDER OF ARACELIO IGLESIAS, COMMUNIST LEADER OF DOCK WORKERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R002100020008-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 21, 1999
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: November 22, 1948
• Content Type: REPORT

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Approved For Release 1999/09/08 ? IA-RDP82-00457R00)4Q00
CON; E ,
CLASSIFICATION s .T
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY
SUBJECT
25X1A6a
PLACE
ACQUIRE
Murder of Araoelio Iglesias, Communist 'leader of
Dock Workers
DATE DISTR. 22 November 1948
NO. OF PAGES 2
1. Aracelio Iglesias, Cut-an negro Communist labor leader who was assassinated
on 17 October, re^ortediy planned to desert the`Tirtid.o Sodialista copular
ban Communist Party) to join the Action Re.luoianaria Guiteras (ARG).
25X1A6a Comment. The ;cabana press of 18-19 October reported, that Iglesias
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was seriously wounaoe while av ending a dock syndicate meeting on the
morning of 17 October. The shooting occurred while Iglesias was discussing
with syndicate members his plans for a. visit to Mini stry of labor the
following day. Held in connection witti" the shooting were Alberto Gomez,
Rafael Emilio Soler Puig. and others. Iglesias died early on 18 October,
and newspapers attributed the killing to differences between the Cofinista
faction--the Comision Obrera 'lacional Independiente (CONI) of Angel t ofini',
head of the anti-Communist Confederaoion de Traba jadores de Cuba (CTC)--and
the Lasarista faction--Communist followers of Lasaro Pena, leader of the
Communist CTC.
the death of Iglesias, who was leader of the Communist
CTC, was brought about by anti-Communists, rather than by the PSP. Iglesias
recently was in disagreement with the political line of Blas Roca, Secretary
General of the PSP, who announced in August 1948 that the PSP would have to
become more militant and remain in direct and open opposition to the forces
which sought to destroy :lt.
3. Source asserts that if Iglesias had deserted the PSP to enter the ranks of
the ARC, he would have taken with him a large personal following of the
Communist CTC, and his powerful influence among the dock workers thereafter
would be lost to the FRP,. It also would have been equally lost to the
Comisfon Obrera !aoional del ?'artido Revolucionario Cubano (CON-FRC), whose
leader is Senator Eusebio lAijal. The'ARG allegedly has relations with CON!,
and as a result of Igles:las' switch, the Communist Federation 0brera "aritima
Naoional (F0'Q) of the old CTC would be controlled by CONI. This would have
been a severe blow to the CON, which now controls the anti-Communist FO N--
the FOMN of the new CTC-.-through Gilberto Goliath, a CON member of the Executive
25X1A6a Committee of the CTC.Comment. Iglesias had indirect conversations
with officials of CONI a2 and reoortedly was on the point of taking his
entire organization out of Comunist control and placing it under the juris-
diction of Cofino. )
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 Approved For Release 1999/09/08 : 7A-RDP82-00457R002100020008-2
CE I"TRtsL MILLI CT,10- AGENCY
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4s, Another reason for 1glesfae' intended switch from the PSP-CTC to the ARC?-CONI
was concerned with financial irregularities. PSP officials reportedly told
Iglesias, who had taken large ease of money from his own syndicate, that they
did not intend to bring any charges against him if he returned the money,
since they considered the offense to be a political one rather than a criminal
one. Honever, Iglesias did not trust them %nd intended to give back the money
which belonged to the syndicate in exchange for the syndicate's promise to
f5 *6him to leave the organization and not to take any action against him.
5. the )Iglesias killing was actually the work of CON. Soler
Puag, one of the leaders, and others held for the murder, are members of the
"Priga.das Talu", the shoe): troops of the CON.
Approved For Release 1999/09/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R002100020008-2