CUBAN LEADERSHIP CRITICISM OF SOVIET FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC POLICIES

Created: 10/6/1967

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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StfAl CENTIAl INTic'UlOENCE ROUTINE

Intelligence Infonnation Cable

CUBA/USSR/UNITEDT IN AMERICA/MIDDLE EAST

SUeJECT CUBAN LEADERSHIP CRITICISM OF SOVIET FOREIGNPOLICIES

SOUBCE

(SUMMARY: DURING THE PAST YEAR THE CUBAN LEADERS HAVE BECOME MORE CRITICAL OF SOVIET FOREIGN POLICY TOWARD THE UNITED STATES AND LATIN AMERICA, TEE FAILURE OF THE USSR TO SUPPORT ITS ALLIES, THE LACK OF AID TO THE UAR DURING THE RECENT MIDDLE EAST CRISIS, AND THE SOVIET TENDENCY TO DRIFT AWAY FROM "TRUE COMMUNISM" IN ITS PRESENT INTERNAL POLICIES. HOWEVER, IN SPITE OF THIS CRITICAL ATTITUDE ON THE PART OF

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THE CUBAN LEADERSHIP, SOVIET ECONOMIC AID TO CUBA HAS REMAINED AT THE SAME LEVEL AS IN THE PAST, WHILE SOVIET MILITARY ASSISTANCE HAS INCREASED. END SUMMARY)

I. CUBAN LEADERS ARE CONVINCED THAT THE SOVIET UNION IS MOVING TOWARD A STATE OF MUTUAL CO-EXISTENCE WITH THE UNITED STATES AND THAT IN LINE WITH THIS POLICY THE USSR WILL NOT DO ANYTHING THAT WILL BRING IT IRECT CONFRONTATION WITH THE UNITED STATES. CUBA JUDGES THAT THE SOVIET WISE FOR COEXISTENCE IS THE MAIN REASON WHY THE USSR DOES NOT SUPPORT CJBAN SUBVERSIVE EFFORTS IN LATIN AMERICA. CUBA BELIEVES THAT THE USSR IS DELIBERATELY UNDERMINING THE GUERRILLA MOVEMENTS IN LATIN AMERICA BY ESTABLISHING CLOSER DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS AND INCREASING COMMERCIAL TRADE WITH VARIOUS LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES. IN THEIR CRITICISM THE CUBAN LEADERS ACCUSE THE USSR OFOREIGN POLICYUAL STANDARD. THEY GIVE AS AN EXAMPLE THE CASEBRAZIL, WHERE THE USSR IS SUIPORTING COMMUNIST PARTY EFFORTS TO TAKE OVER POLITICAL CONTROL OF THE GOVERNMENT WHILE AT THE SAMEVTIME IT ISREDIT OF ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS TO THE BRAZILIAN GOVERNMENT.

THE KIDDLE EAST CRISIS THE CASTRO REGIME HASCRITICAL OF THE USSR FOR NOT SUPPORTING ITS FRIENDS INCRISIS. THE CUBANS ACCUSE THE USSR OF HAVING BACKED DOWNCOMMITMENTS TO AID ITS ALLIES WHENEVER SOVIET ACTIONIRECT CONFRONTATION"WITH THE UNITED STATES. THESEE IN THE SOVIET LACK OF ACTION DURING THE RECENTCRISIS CONFIRMATION THAT THE USSR WILL NOT COME TO TEE-AIDIN CASE OF AN ATTACKOREIGN POWER. TEE.SOVIETIS AWARE OF THIS FEELING AMONG THE CUBAN LEADERS. REASON FOR THE VISIT OF SOVIET PREMIER ALEKSEYCUBA IN7 WAS TO PLACATE THE CUBAN LEADERS. CASTRO THAT THE USSR HAD BEEN PREPARED TO AID THE UARSTRUGGLE AGAINST ISRAEL BUT THAT BEFORE DISCUSSIONS OF SUCH

AID COULD BE HELD, FIELD MARSHAL AMIR, CHIEF OF THE UAR ARMED FORCES, HAD TOLD TEE USSR THAT THE UAR INTENDED TO STOP FIGHTING WITHIN SEVERAL DAYS.

CUBAN LEADERS OPENLY CRITICIZE THE INTERNAL POLICY OFIN THE USE OF INCENTIVE METHODS TO INCREASE FACTORY PRODUCTION

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AND TO IMPROVE THE WELL-BEING OF THE INDIVIDUAL. THE CUBANS CLAIM THAT THE SOVIET UNION IS MOVING AWAY FROM "TRUE COMMUNISM" AND IS INCORPORATING CAPITALISTIC METHODS IN ITS "REVISION" OF THE TRUEi!. THE CUBAN LEADERS CLAIM THAT CUBA IS MOVING TOWARD "TRUE COMMUNISM", POINTING TO CUBAN EXPERIMENTS IN "CONTROLLED COMMUNES" AS AN EXAMPLE OF CUBAN ACHIEVEMENTS IN THIS RESPECT (THERE THE PEOPLE WORK, EAT AND LIVE TOGETHER, THE CHILDREN ARE RAISEDHE STATE, AND NO MONEY IS USED BY THEM BECAUSE THE STATE CARES FORHEIR NEEDS) . THE CASTRO REGIME HAS ESTABLISHED SEVERAL "CONTROLLED COMMUNIS" THROUGHOUT CUBA ON AN EXPERIMENTAL BASIS. THE FIRST OF THESE WERE ESTABLISHED IN THE RURAL AREA OF PINAR DEL RIO PROVINCE. RECENTLY ONE HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED ON TEE ISLE OF PINES OCATION WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY HOUSED POLITICAL PRISONERS.)

SFITE OF THE OPEN CRITICISM BY THE CASTRO REGIME OFAND DOMESTIC POLICIES, NO REPRISALS HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY SOVIET ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE TO CUBA HAS NOT BEEN REDUCED; HAS ACTUALLY INCREASED AND THE RELATIONS BETWEEN THEIN THE USSR AND CUBA REMAIN FRIENDLY.

DISSEM: CINCSO, CINCLANT.

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Original document.

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