INTELLIGENCE SLIPPED ON CUBA--BUT WHERE'S THE CRISIS?

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00498R000100180045-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 20, 2007
• Sequence Number: 45
• Publication Date: September 15, 1979
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2007/06/20: CIA-RDP99-00498R000100180045-6
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CHICAGO TRIB THE
15 SL: EE >:R 1979
STAT
' 's the. Crisis?
WASHINGTON - The rumpus over
the "discovery" of Soviet combat troops
in Cuba reveals more about the failings
of human nature than the world Com-
munist Plot. This is an overblown story
once considered for statehood after be-"i is like the local bordello that the mayor I
ing administered by an American gover- must rediscover every election season; !
nor. raid, and close down.
The United States botched the Cuban Some politicians like- to run against
situation 20 years ago, and the chances Cuba the way old Irish-American pois
i
t
he B
ear u
no
yet an Dur, what UO the thumpers propose doing
He must keep the Senate on a steady
old man. to get the Soviets out of Cuba - offer
cour-,e for ratification of SALT II, while them a nicer time in Miami?
reassuring senators that the U.S. intelli-:.' In the old days - from the first Nixon
gp term back - the U.S. intelligence com- No, it's more important, as Sam N~mn
once apparatus is functioning well mum points out, to find out what the role of
enough to spot dozing troops in Cuba ty monitored Cuba like a distrust-
ing wife checking on her husband. But the Soviet troops is. If they are there as
and missiles in the Soviet Union as. well. living Communist symbols to inspire the
So 2,000 to 3,000 Soviet troops are in somewhere along the line the scrutiny
Cuba and might have been there for a slipped a little. Cubans to carry out more Soviet mis-
As Sen. Sam Nunn of the Armed Serv- sions in Africa or even on the Arabian
decade or lonzer. So what else do you peninsula. then maybe we had better get
expect on this surrogate island? The ices Committee sees. it, no- satisfactory
explanation has yet been given as to tough with she Soviets in some special
So:-iets regard Cuba as a prize. They h
i
'
our
< t spot
ntelligence agencies didn
pay for it dearly by purchasing sugar at 5 a inflated prices from the-Cubans and sell- the Soviet troops until recently. He feels
ing them oil below world market prices. there aren't enough intelligence analysts
In return, the Soviets derive these ad- at work, and wonders why CIA Director
vantages; among others: Seeing Cuban Stansfield Turner refused to take funds
troops do Soviet work in Africa: listen- to hire 500 new intelligence analysts
ing to Castro regularly flail Uncle Sam next year, as authorized by Congress.
for the Third World's enjoyment; having ; The 500 will work for the Defense Intel-
access to. a nice. warm island, whereligence Agency instead.
Communist officials [from satellite: If our intelligence slipped a bit, anx-
countries; tool can come for holiday, candidates will make certain every-
y' " body knows about it. When Henry Kis-
and where Soviet military personnel can- ginger was secretary of state, he cut
show Cubans how to make mischief mil-- ` ?
it Congress off from receiving many intel-
an1y. All this is 90 miles from the ----- -
sionai eager heavers promptly' leaked
what Henry sent, making his adminis-
tration look bad. The good--guy- Carter-
c l a s s i f i e d material, and lo, what
happens? Leaks from Democrats that
reflect on the Democratic administration.
tion. -
For some American politicians, Cures
Sam Nunn laments the decline of the
quality of American intelligence and the
lessening of human intelligence activi-
ties by U.S. agents around the world.
He has this to say about colleagues.
who leak classified information for polit-
ical gain:
"I hope the senators who were so en-
ergetic in getting this information out
give the President some flexibility in
dealing with the Soviets and Cubans, }
both by increasing the defense budget {
atj_hy restoring our intelligence capa-
9 Los Angeles Times syndicats --? .
Approved For Release 2007/06/20: CIA-RDP99-00498R000100180045-6