TURNER SAYS 'BREAKTHROUGH' CONFIRMED SOVIET PRESENCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00498R000100180030-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 21, 2007
• Sequence Number: 30
• Publication Date: October 6, 1979
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2007/09/21 : CIA-RDP99-00498R000100180030-2
ARTICLE APPEI' .r.D THE LNLI 1MUKE SUN STAT
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Washington--Adm.: Stanfield Turner, In early September, officials said the
director of central . intelligence, giving'.?"' unit had been in Cuba since the mid-1970's
fresh ,details. on the Soyiet brigade in or longer.
Cuba. ' said , yesterday"in r"intelligence Admiral Turner offered fuller explana.
breakthrough" in August gave the united Lion on the question of when, and whether,
States 'persuasive evidence that Russian-.Russian combat troops indeed left Cuba
troops were back on the island' and in a..~ after the 1962 missile crisis. ' -
combat formation. He said the evidence is that all those In
Addressing the AMsoclation of Former':--:combat units departed in the 1963-1964
Intelligence Officers, he described 'the' :'period. '
Soviet outfit as consisting of three In- In his speech, President Carter said
fantry battalions, a tank battalion and the:: ' there, were 20,000 Soviet military men in
normal artillery, antiaircraft' and anti-'??;:Cuba at the time of the 1962 crisis and
tank guns and support of such a unit. It; "most of them were also withdrawn (like
has been said, to number 2,000- to 3,000;-':.~ the. 'missiles{ and we monitored their
men. departure." Those' remaining, he said,
Admiral Turner did not elaborate *on ." were thought to be advising and training
the' "Intelligence'. breakthrough" that :;:: Cubans and doing Intelligence work..
finally produced what the administration '. This assessment left some questions be-
accepted as "persuasive evidence.. The' T; ause of a briefing by the then-defense
modifer "persuasive" was applied first by: ;,'secretary, Robert S. McNamara, in Febru-
President Carter.' In his Monday. night= ` ary 1863.
speech. Earlier, officials bad simply said " ? At that time, hie, McNamara said there
the combat brigade was there--its pres-
ence "confirmed:' .. = ':=. were our combat forces, roughly each
The intelligence chief said the'delec:y the size of a reinforced battalion" in Cuba.
There were other technicians and advisers
tion process was greatly-.alded by'repro?. ,associated with air units and training
cessing old data stored. in computers and:,.::
once thought irrelevant -By 1978, he'saidCubans to use patrol craft and coastal de-
: fence equipment, he said.::
there was 'strong suspicion?. the Russians
were reintroducing combat troops 'into' _Mr: McNamara put the combat person.
Cuba, and after the August 'conclusions"";- nel at that time at about 5,000, which he
were reached, it was accepted that the' ~'= ? said comprised a "very, very small force:" i
:formation had. been there at Ieast slnce', and said there were about 12,000 other
1918, .. ? : , _y Russian military men then In Cuba.
Approved For Release 2007/09/21: CIA-RDP99-00498R000100180030-2