NSC BRIEFING (394TH), THURSDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 1959 WITH ATTACHED DOCUMENT TITLED

Created: 2/12/1959

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

CIA HISTORICAL REVIEW PROGRAM P

RELEASE

TOR TBS RECORD

SUBJECT 1 MSC Briefing-th) Thursday,9 1. The following Items were prepared",

deleted text not relevant

TA BAY DP DC1-Utla America forleutea

lUOrU ur riu^fta introduction to policy discussion. Ue followed text

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BRIEFING

February9

AMERICA

I. Cuban situation still basically unstable. A. Govt is ineffectual.

1. Fidel Castro, nominally chief of armed forces, has neither assumed nor delegated his power.

Provisional President Urrutia is weak.

capable cabinet members, increasingly exasperated,

may yet resign, which would seriously woaken public confidence

public statements reveal strong antagonism to Govt facing mounting problems demanding decisive action.

Spreading labor unrest will, if continued, threaton vital sugar harvest now under way. Govt position is that management should in allcases give in to labor demands,

Unemployment reaching serious proportions.

Communists now operating freely.

University in chaos with students purging faculty.

Other political groups waiting opportunity to gain upper hand over Castro's now dominantf July Movement.

II. Castro, riding popular anti-dictator wave, becoming involved in plots against other govts.

A. Thinks of himself as the new Latin American liberator.

Ho exploits latent anti-US feeling by charging us supports dictators.

Be and Venezuelan leaders evidently agree that every aid short of arood intervention should bo given to anti-dictator revolutionaries.

In recent public speeches in Caracas, Castro included Puorto Rico aoong countries to be "liberated."

weak regime in Haiti may be first target.

1. Hainan opposition leader Dejole now in Cuba broadcasting to Haiti that "liberation is near."

Republic is Castro's primary target.

Theear dictatorship is very strong military position, but Trujillo is nervous.

Anti-Trujillo exiles including some Commies now organizing

in Cuba, Venezuela, and US.

regime in Nicaraguaarget.

opponents of Stroossner regime in Paraguay reportedly

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