CUBAN PARTICIPATION IN REVOLUTIONARY ACTIVITIES IN CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL AMERICA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R002400130004-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 22, 1999
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: March 3, 1949
• Content Type: REPORT

CLASSIFICATION ~`~~'~~
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COUNTRY Luba.
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SUBJECT Cuban Participation in Revolutionary .~etivities
in Caribbean and. Central ~nerca
25X1A6
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PLAC E
ACC~UIRE
DATE 4F I
SOURCE
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The following- summary of Cuban participation in recent revolutionary-" ~`-~"-~-~"-___
ac tw~.ty i:n tie C2ribbean a.nd Central ~Snerica is drawn entirely from
reports received from Cuba, ~e7.though much of it has been previously
reported, it is presented again here in order to give a.s complete acvount
ors possible of this activity from: the Cuban point of view, ~e-a~.tempt
is-made. to evaluate either source or content.
1. fSn 18 ~fc~bo'ber 1947,. a meeting of Cuban and ~lenezuelan revolutionaries was
laelel in Miami for the purpose.-of renewing an attempt against the Dominican
Republic. It was saidthat about ~1~000~000 would. be necessary to renew the
attempt. It ws.s thought that Manolo Castro' who was active .n the attempt
against the Lomiraiean lepublic in the summer of 194`7 but. wlio since has been
assassinated,, would be the head of the entire organization, with Roland
l~iasferrer cif tYze Mo~r~.miento S~ocia~.sta Reva~ucionario (Tt~"R)` in charge of
the troops? Meetings were held in Miami, but they were informal in nature.
The persons participating were Dominicans, Venezuelans, ~.ibans a.nd ~.mericans,
it was dec:~des~ at tl~s time to postpone the actual- attempt until after the
Cuban elections of June 194? In. the meantime' aid was to be given to
support the presidential candidacy of C~; rlos Yrio ~.ocarras o.f Cu'ba*
It soon became apparent that an attempt against the Dominican Republic
would. prove unwise because of many factors. The principle reason was
the military prepara._tions th~~t Presaxlent Trujillo has been sponsoring
since the ;fall of 1.94"7. ~ factor inf changing the field of oper2tions from
the Dominican Republic to-the Central Qsmerican dictatorships was the
necessity .for the revolutionists to'find a new place to store the arms
that had b~~En ccnf,scated f:rorn the L~min.c~n revolutionists ~~~' :~G7~'7.
General Geneveva Perez. Tiamera, Chief of Staff ~of the Cuban army, did. not
want them .in Cuba.
s;3n 30 actol~er 1947, it was ascertained that gufemia Verna-ndez had severed
his. friendship with ~.olando i~lasferrer and his connection with the IUISR.
These two :indv.~duas had dominated the group at Cayo Confites, Oriente
Province i;n Cuban and ga.ine~~. military control .from ,Juan Rodriguez and
other ~omi~nicans as yell as the-tither nationalities- repro ed. The dispute
was over commission on arms purchased 'for the revolut' ~,,, Juan
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Rodriguez reportedly lost the confidence of the re volutinna,ry elements
residing in Cuba. but was ;till persona grata with the revolutionary
leaders..- Eufemio Fernancd.ez and Juan Bosch therefore emerged. as leaders
of any new revolutionary acti~rity which might be undertaken.
Qn 17 Qci;ober 1847 it wa.s ascertained thct the arms confiscated by General
Genevevo Jerez Lamers would be returned. to the revolutionists under an
interpretation of the Cuban law. The title to most of the armament was
ui the name of Juan Rodriguez. Information was first received an 2 October
197 that; the revolutiani.sts were attempting; to obtain a safe haven for the
armamorzt then in Cuba,. Far this purpose., IUtanolo Castro had gone to Venezuela
'lout apparently had been unsuccessful in his efforts to find a storage place
f
r~r the s~rms ~ . .
(3n 4 November 147 information was received that :~ufemio Fernandez
,
follovring, his differences with ;i+~asferrer~ had separately reached an under-
stan~;ing with General Perezliamcra concerning; the arms,. They would be
turned. o~~~~' ~ the Cuban ~,x?my Chief of Staff to Fernandez if he could find
a place for. them outside Cuba..
Fernandez asked President Romula I~etancourt of Venezuela to store the arms`
Betancourt would not provide asylum, as he said there was a di vision of
interests in the ranks of the revolutionists in Cuba.. Fernandez and F'osch
therefore decided that they would assist the anti-Calderon c?-.use in Costa .
Rica? CQSts $~,ca. wa.s selected because it was a. weak country without an army
anC1 only ~~ small national police force, R+fost of the other pepple associated
with the ;former Dominican revpluti,onary attempt were not in sympathy with
this undertaking bees-use the government of Costa #tica was regarded as
demoGx?~tic and liberal,
Qn 2 Janu~2-004578002400130004-5X1 A2g
~ENTP:~I} IN'i'~LBIGENCE .AGENCY`
24, Frequent references have been made to the activities of. Eufemio Fernandez
and Juan Busch in Cuba, The important influence of Eufemio I'ernandez
lies in the fact that it was he who gained control of the. arms confiscated
after the :revolutionary attempt of 1947. In some manner, by making these
arms available to the Central ~merica.n revolutionists, he beearne an
important Cuban figure in the movement.
25t Juan BoscYi has long''been a.sGociatecl with the Fiominican Fcevalutionary Party,
It wa.s natural,"after the failure of the attempt against the Dominican
Republic in 194'7 that Bosch would continue to be interested. This was
particularly true because of his known influence with Carlos Prio 5:ocarras
and. with Homulo T3etancourt of ~'enez~xela, Bosch has had the reputation of
being an in~ellectual~ an author, and a liberal, However, it has been
frequently reported that both Eufemio Fernandez and Juan Bosch ha ve only one
interest in Central American revolutionary activities, This interest is
purely monetary.. ~ Boseb. is re~ard.ed, in revolutionary circles in Cuba, as
a Professional pure and. simple, Fernandez also has never had high motrives
and Y1as no_c~irect interest in the ideological affairs of the Central .American
and Caribbean revolutionists,
26~ since the origin of the new movement in revolutionary activities on 19 October
l~4'7, the interest of Eufemio Fernandez and Juan Bosch ~ta.s varied... Early in 3,
the game, when Venezuela appeared to be of importance to the movement, Bosch
was re~arr~ad as a discredited figure in that country However, both Bosch
and. ~ufem~,o~Fernandez-from time to time undertook travel which was obviously
eont~e~ted with the revolutionary movement in Central and youth .~,merica.
~~~-Fer~iande~ and Bosch in Habana met with Cruz ~].onso, active throughout the
revOlutioriary movei~erit, on 3. February 1848 upon their return from Venezuela
4a? ~ "June 1948 Cruz' ~l.onso, Juan Bosch, Pompeyo ~]..fau, and Eufemio Fernandez
traveled io Guatemala, fiw~n~; this period-there was-more concrete evidence
that the i~entral .American revolutionary Junta was solidifying?
2~, It wasalso reported that r.:ufemio Fernandez apparently undertook to engage
iri limited recru%ting for the revolutionists of Central Jd,merica, although
he does not ap~ea:r to have been successful. Eufemio Fernandez also traveled
to Centro:L American'countries, as well as Mexico, for the .purpose of making
contacts ~Nith Costa Rican and Guatemalan revolutionists,
28, Iri the spring of 191+$, Eufemio Fernandez began to develop ideas that he wished
to be a pohiticiariz or not succeeding in this, that he would like to obtain
an important position with the administration taking office in October-1948.
Wisely, he hitched his wagon to the star of ~Ca.rlos Yrio Socarras and. during
.the spring, summer, and early fall of 1948, Eufemio Fernandez was only
intermittently activ+? in the affairs of the revolutionists, When the time
came for positions to be handed out, he was not offered the post of Chief
of 'the Nationa:I`Police of Cuba, which is the position he has always desired,
29,. Foll.owin~ the overthrow of President Dtomulo Gallegos of STenezuela, Fernandez
realized that tfiis'meant the end of a. successful revolutionary movement in
Central :~merica. He thereafter accepted the ~ate#,~ of Chief of -the Secret Police,,ejc
"~~.nce his. appointment as Chief of the Secret Police, he allegedly has been
engaged in in rigues which will results he hopes, in the elimination of the
present Ghef of the National Polices Jose ~Jlanuel ~Carames*
30, Three factors stand out however in the important part that :Eufemio Fernandez
can. play in C1zba. First of all,. he has an organization in Cuba consisting of
P,omincans,-Costa ~ticans, and Venezuelans, as well. as some Cubans, who
operate in Cuba on behalf of the revolutionary movements of the Caribbean
and Central .America.. Second., it was. he who appears to have been selected by
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 Approved For Release 1999/09/09 : GIA-RDP82-004578002400130004-1
Ct7NFII~;;kd~L
N".l~t,~L IRT~LLIGENCE :~.GENCY
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Prio late i.n 1948 to travel to Central-America to inform the leaders of the
revolution~~ry Junta that they could expect no aid from'Presid.ent Prio until
the leader" settled their differences. Third, Eufemio Fernandez-went to Central
~nerica from where he returned on 16 January 1949 on an official mission of
the Junta. ftis travel to Costa F~ica was in order to discuss plans of attack
which it was hoped would result in the restoration to office of the presidents
of Latin American ~epubiics who had recently been deprived of their positions.
It is possible that Fernandes may temporarily leave his post a head of the
Secret Police in order to undertake these activities.
31,E Juan Bosch continues to be a significant figure in revolutionary activities
because of the influence that the Central American revolutionary leaders
think that Bosch has with President Prio of ~iba.. These leaders overlook size
hist~rica]. record of Prio a.s a double dealer who will not, .under any circum-
sta.nces, materially assist the revolutionists in Central America unless there
is sbmethr?~g for him tc gain, .Bosch may be expected to-play along with Frio
and gill probably d.o w~aatever Prio wishes him to do.
32~ Qn 21 June.1948, a Cuban, .~rmando I~ontero, who ha.d been living and working. in
Costa Pica for some period of tim~a, stated that there were-persistent reports
in Costa Rica that there. would be trouk~le in-the country soon, brou;~ht about
by an attack by an armed force from rlicaragua. This force was to consist. of
Nicaraguan troops and Costa- Ricans exiled in I~Tica.ragua< He also said that the
attack would occur on the Pacific side of Costa Rica and Nicaragua, utilizing
the Pan ~krnerica.n Pig}~~wa.y. 'phis report turned out to be substantiallg~ correct..
33. The first report .received in Cuba: that the Caribbean Legion would. ultimately
break up vras on 2 November 1948+ ~ufemio Fernandez said. at that time., that ~,~~
the Caribbean Legion leaders were ~'i~hting among themselsTes and that-the
Legion was beginning to split ups, This information confirmed reports
originating almost at the same- time, in Central Ame rica,
34~ There have-been intermittent meetings of leaders of the Central ,American and
Caribbean revolutionists in Nabana.. Ha-wever, the only meeting of real
significance known to have occurred in Cuba was on 7 November 1948.?.
luncheon meeting took place at the San Luis riotel which is owned or operated
by Cruz ~1.onso< Present among others at this meeting Cruz ~,].onso, Dominican ~
revolutian.ist; Colonel ~:osendo l~x~guello, Jr., Costa. Ttican; ~eing Pviaynardy ~'
(a.lso spelled hdanardy), Dominican exile who has mGde his home in Guantanamo,
Cuba; General .vas, who is va.riausly reported as t Dominican and Guatemalan;
Juan F3oscl~i; Comanda.nte Cara,. ex-Cuban army officer; Jimenez Gruyon (Grullon),
well--known Dominican revolutionary; Marcos feel Fiosa.rio, Domi_r:ican on the
Cuban government payroll; Daniel Ariartin, a Spaniard and. former fighter in the
Spanish Fce.pub]i.ca.n army; Captain Tercero, a. ~;osta. B,ican Airmy officer whose
name is believed to be fictitious.?; Pichirilo (fnu), Dominican mulatto in the
employ of Eufemio Fernandez; General Liszt, a Dominican. employed in the Cuban
Commerce Department; Colonel Calderon, a. Dominican who arri-~~ed in Cuba
~,~,2~ or 30 C>ctob~r a.nd was awaiting the arrival of ~oracio Rodriguez; and-three
~,merea.ns;, one of whom wa.s an .~mc~rican aviator named Nelson. The purpose of
this meet3.ng was to address C?rlos Prio S,ocarras for aid; This aid may. have
later materialized- after forces from Nicaragua. attacked Costa-Rica.
~~anunent, S~o far as is known, this material is still in or near 1~?ew
Orle2ns.
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