LETTER TO ROBERT SIMMONS FROM BURTON L. HUTCHINGS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91B00135R000701310035-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: January 4, 2017
• Document Release Date: April 15, 2008
• Sequence Number: 35
• Publication Date: May 27, 1983
• Content Type: LETTER

Approved For Release 2008/04/15: CIA-RDP91 B001 35R000701310035-3
I CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Office of External Affairs
Mr. Robert Simmons, Staff Director
Select Committee on Intelligence
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
At the hearing on collection in Central
America on 25 May,' Senator Goldwater asked
for some information on the Cuban involvement
in Central America. The attached is in
response to that request.
Burton L. Hutchings
Chief, Legislative Liaison Divison
Enclosure
Distribution:
Original - Addressee
1 - OEXA Record
1 - OEXA Chrono
DDI: 27 May 83
OEXA 83-1221/B
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time. Although`we'occasionally get reports of a handful of Cuban
not. had an official presence in these countries.since:that
Honduras, and El . Salvador. were severed in 1960-61,:,'and Cuba has
1.' Cuba's diplomatic:. and consular ties with. Guatemala
guerrilla groups in Central America, we have had none recently
and believe there is currently`no Cuban presence, official or
.military or Para-military personnel serving as advisers with
unofficial, in any,, of these.three countries.
consular ties were cut in May 1981 (diplomatic relations were
'broken in 1961). The Castro regime, however'does'.have a quasi-'
official presence in San Jose in the form of a small branch
office of Prensa Latina,the:.Cuban government' news agency that
2. Cuba.has had nonofficial presence in Costa Rica since
Cubans,
The ottice probably as 'only a
perhaps, only -one,,and,several local employle,es.
3. ' We estimate' that. there are some
currently in.Nicaragua of'which:
7,000'.to.:8jQOO Cubans
1, 500"to'2, 000 are: military and security,personnel
serving.';: the Nicaraguan security establishment as
advisors and trainers;
2,000 are teachers for. primary-andsecondary,schools;
2,000 are',construction workers involved inroad
:building, housing,.const.ruction, and-work on various.
military facilities;
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-- and 1,500 to 2,000 are involved in a variety of fields
such as public health, communications, agriculture,
political organization, and propaganda.
Cuba, of course, also has a diplomatic and consular mission in
Managua as well as a Prensa Latina office.
4. We know of no Cuban combat units in Central America.
The Cuban Interior Ministry has some personnel of its Special
Troops serving with Nicaraguan units in the field trying to
suppress the anti-Sandinista guerrillas. The Special Troops are
patterned after our own Green Berets, are skilled in the use of a
'variety of weapons and in hand-to-hand combat, and are generally
employed in small teams instructing and advising foreign military
and paramilitary units. In Cuba, they are also used as Swat
Teams when disgruntled Cubans take over foreign diplomatic
missions in Havana.
This memorandum is classified SECRET
in its entirety. 25X1
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