POLITICAL MANEUVERS IN CUBA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R002300420010-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 20, 1999
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: February 10, 1949
• Content Type: REPORT

CLASSIFICATION X)NM&NTIAL
Sanitized - Apd or Release CIA-RDP82-00457R0023
REPORT NO.
INFORMATI WEPWrIn Nn_
C4UNM culs
ACT Political : in melba
25X1A6a
1. Aspr fm Gabs indicate that a clash wd.ets between President thrlos
Prig 3ocarraa WA Ouillermo llonso Pujol, Vice President, owing to` the
latterts Gunton to booms President of Qsba. Pujol is supported in his
ambition by former associates of Prio-who are dissatisfied because only
the Inno Me o33que has been profiting freer graft under the present regime.
In aw .!`tart to counteract this movement, Prio reportedly plans to eliminate
the pofltbili#y of opposition by combining the Cuban Revolutionary Party, the
i'epublte n Party, and the Liberal Party, and by cutting potential opponents
In an - graft.
2. 4ooo ag to Leputr Manuel Homero Ptdilla, who maintain liaison between
Setath ices, anuel Ale an in Mari, ?lorida, and the Union Insurrecoional
hwrv lucians!ta (UIR) in Cuba, Pujoland Aleman are working together to
amt President Pico from office in order to elevate Pujol to the presidency.
25X1 X6 1k-President fianon Gruu San Martin is another member of the, combination.
Courant. Pujol told Deputy Rolando Ussferrer, a member of the
25X1X6 Republican Partly, that Aleman has no political sense but is useful because
of tam financial assistance.)
3. After a visit with Senator *leman in Miami, Inspector Lands of the Alban
Ministry of the Treasury asserted that certain activities involving the
amraggling of arms were being developed in the United States among Senator
Aleman, ]Lee President Pujol, ex-0eneral Games Games,, an officer in the
Cuban Armor during the time of Batista, ex .Oenerml Hernandez Nardo, former
Chief of the Cuban National Police, and ex-Oenerel Pranoieco Tabernii a.
Pinanaial backing of thsUe maggling activities, at least in part, vas to
be supplied by the Dominican Republic. According to the Cuban Consul in
New Orleans, four torpedo vessels have been purchased by these alleged
smugglers. Ianda asserted that the combination was associating with Trujillo
for the double purpose of financial gain and of embarrassing the Prio regime
by strengtbsnilgg Dominican military power.
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4t. An it ividual ramd 4r noelos, who has been a frequent visitor of kleman
in fl- aa., is In char a of a defamation campaign against General Genevevo pares
fags, This campaign his been undertaken by kler n and ex-Generals GUXRes
Go"* and T5bernilla to weaken the position of the %ray through the creation
of unrest and confusion, eventually,, they hope, causing the resignation of
President Prior. in this event, Vice President Pujol would then assume the
presidency of Cuba.
Vice President Pu.jol, who financed part of Maeferrer's election c~fl ;~st
~
:assorted to Wasferrer that contrary to reports he was cooperating with President
Frio, He claimed that as a result of this cooperation the Republican Party
would no share in the graft in the same measure as Prio's clique.
6, Orlando Puente, administrator of the Presidential Secretariat, stated to
source that Pu3ol is now working wholeheartedly with Prio. Pujol has assured
Frio that he will not resign his position as President of the Republican Party.
? it was stated further that during January 1949, Deferrer, as yell as 'other
Republicans, would begin to receive concessions from the government which
would consist of tgtellaii~ and shares in the distribution of lottery tickets,
8. Governor Macao of Oriente Province, also a Republican, use assured by President
Prio that he would be the beneficiary of botsllas and lottery money in the near
future.
9. Source states that during the latter part of Eieoeniber 1948 it was evident
that President Prio and his brother Francisco "Paco" Prio, who is regarded
as the brains in the Prio combination, decided to eliminate all opposition
or the possibility of opposition by closely combining the Cuban Revolutionary
Party, the fepublican Party, and the Liberal Party. The plan involves the
distribution of government revenue, obtained from the lottery, customs, the
'two per cent tax, and the tax on utilities. In this way, President Prio inter eX1 A6a
to obtain the allegiance of the leaders of the three parties. Comment,
A number of items appeared in the Habana press from 21 December through
28 Lecember dieolosing an apparently new combination of Cuban political parties,
The implication ins made that the Lemc itic Party would combine with the
Republican arty,, of which Vice President Pujol is the National President. The
present administrative party, which is known as the Autenticon, consists of
the Cuban Revolutionary Party and the Republican Party,)
l0c During a luncheon on 25 December, Antonio Prio, present Winister of the
Treasury and also a bother of the President, delivered a large number of
jobs directly to the Vice President in order to further cement Priors
..-"lotions with Pujd1
lie As a resalt of representations made by Francisco Prio, Senator Suarez Rues
25X1X6 President of the Liberal Party, has placed the Liberal Party at the disposal
of the Autentiooe, cent. Recently, an item appeared In the press
stating that Senator Suarez Rivas would not present a Liberal candidate for
) yor of the City of Iiabara in the election of 3950, One of the candidates
for 3Ikyor of Habana in the election of 1950 is Antonio Prio, $uares Rivas'
intention to enter no Liberal Party candidate is a move to strengthen Antonio
Pr1o'e chances for election, Under the present system, Antonio Prio not
be nominated by the ini.cipal Assembly of the Cuban Revolutionary Party, which
is controlled by Antonio Fernandez ihcho, a henchman of Senator Allman. Post
of the delegates to the Municipal Assembly of the Cuban Revolutionary Party
were elected to their posts through funds supplied by Senator Allman. In
order to obtain the nomination Antonio Frio must have the support of Aleman,
which is' not likely, or he will have to buy Alsaan r s -delegates. Offers have
been made to Allman to join with the Price in the creation of a single political
.party. )
12. Deputy i+ksferrer stated that the object of President Prio is to create a
system similar to that in Mexico, where all candidates for office are selected
from within the faotirrne of one revolutionary party, Priors intention is 4
eliminate all party limes. All political parties will be invited to join
except the Partido Socialists Popular (MP-Cuban Caamcurist Party) and the
Cuban People's Party of Eduardo Chibaee Maaferrer asserted that ex-President
Ii
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a1t,encio Patista. wi. A be in the ecinbimtiona 1aefmrrer also anticipated
iat 4lesan wiU not Five his wholehssrtmd support but will tacitly
cooperntea ::?asferrer be. .avod that the entire Prio movement to combine
the parties was undertaken beaatuse Prio we awre that Almon Pujol vas
a tt ampttng to oust him as President in order to assume the presidency biaaelf r
4. Q 11,11 HIPME 1., 1; 110% Lw~
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