United States consistently underestimates Cuban intelligence, sources say
March 18, 2024 5 Comments
AGENTS OF THE CUBAN government have “penetrated virtually every segment of the United States national security structure,” enabling Havana to share actionable intelligence with Russia and China, according to a new report. Citing former United States and Cuban intelligence officers, The Wall Street Journal said on Saturday that Washington’s counter- intelligence efforts are no match for Cuba and its intelligence service, the Dirección de Inteligencia (DI). The DI is “the best damn intelligence service in the world” for cultivating agents, according to Brian Latell, a retired CIA analyst who served as the U.S. Intelligence Community’s National Intelligence Officer for Latin America. Latell told The Wall Street Journal that the Dirección de Inteligencia bears the imprint of Fidel Castro himself, who took a personal interest in running the service during his reign.
Among the strengths of the Cuban intelligence service is its ability to recruit Americans who are motivated by ideological reasons, rather than by financial gain. The Cubans have historically approached Americans at a young age, usually at universities in the United States or other countries in the Americas. They cultivate those relationships by employing strategic patience that pays off many years —even decades— later. By recruiting ideological sympathizers, the Cubans rarely need to pay their agents large amounts of money, as the cases of Defense Intelligence Agency analyst Ana Belén Montes and State Department diplomat Manuel Rocha suggest. Many Cuban agents enter military service in the United States, which means they acquire Secret or Top-Secret clearances. Others are instructed to penetrate anti-communist groups of Cuban-Americans in southern Florida, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The U.S. counterintelligence strategy prioritizes Russia and China, which means that Cuban intelligence operations are treated as “an afterthought,” claims the paper. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), America’s primary counterintelligence agency, dedicates relatively few resources to investigating Cuban intelligence. Its efforts are chronically “understaffed and outmatched” by Havana, according to former counterintelligence officers who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. The paper notes that the FBI is often aware of several dozen cases of “actual or potential” Cuban agents operating in the U.S. However, it routinely lacks the requisite resources to investigate them.
► Author: Ian Allen | Date: 18 March 2024 | Permalink
intelNews.org 
Shameful disgrace !
It’s possible, that the American attitude towards Cuba stems from the feeling that it is a third world country, poor and lacking significant resources which is stuck in the early 20th century and is going nowhere. .
This is a shameful disregard for American law enforcement. The Cubans must have studied well in the espionage schools of USSR and have continuously perfected their espionage skills during fifty years of hatred and rivalry against the “eternal capitalist imperialist enemy” overseas
The view from Europe is: At the end of the day it’s arrogance by the Americans. Cubans aren’t going to let them back in after the Bay of Pigs. I’ve been to Cuba four times – every 10 years or so – and that attitude towards the US hasn’t changed one iota. And this article proves the Cuban memories are long.
I believe China has set up a listening post in Cuba where they have electronic devices to home in on certain targets in Florida. Hey, Cuba has some of the best doctors . I don’t understand that the US does business with other Communist countries but can’t get over the BoP debacle.
It is a failure of the American character that Americans have no inkling that their attitudes to Cuba are raw, old fashioned imperialism, dressed up as anti-communism. Add to that the continuing Monroe Doctrine “send in the Marines” banano-sugar colonialism [1].
Also there is a history of Mafia influence over Cuba. American policy up to 1958 was to back the American Mafia’s politically and economically powerful position in Cuba. The Mafia, in turn, acted as enforcers of US Government interests.
It is no wonder some Americans, with a bit of ideological conscience, are vulnerable to recognizing this. Some then give Cuba information. The Soviets, Russians and now China (all of whom did or do benefit from Lourdes Cuba SIGINT base [2]) in turn exploit America’s neo-colonial attitudes.
Americans have no difficulty in maintaining their ongoing “manifest destiny” in permanently owning their Guantanamo Bay colony. It was taken by force from the old Spanish Empire in 1898 – 126 years ago – would you believe.
[1] See reference to Cuba here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_Wars
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lourdes_SIGINT_station
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_Naval_Base
The best punishment for Cubans is to make them live in Cuba.