CASTRO TAKES HIS CASE TO U.S. PUBLIC

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81M00980R000600080049-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 24, 2004
• Sequence Number: 49
• Publication Date: June 14, 1978
• Content Type: NSPR

ARTICLE AAMOWbd For Release 2004i&/Q,?PM? 00980R0006Q0
ON FAG / - 14 June 1978
Kwe
sertions: that his. troops iiiiAngola had---!
aide&tbe-Katarigan, rebels:who:invad-, l
to tlmericar-ireport ers,= o-soug&t
to counter,:charger fovrcbarge: thease,
p
o
e:
First-'t6= two congressmen. and: fhenJ'l
Now he :was taking his; case, straight.
l
t
American
th
tradicted:;b U.S.offidals
vo1vementain the.Shaba-invasio Boa-a.~
sioned`:-Fidek-Castro had-been chap
lenget:by.the: White?HouseA~$pr weeks';;
he had heard his- denials: of Cuban.ia:
forceful; "ats tunes subduedk The- lang
uage: was- eloquent,, frequently impas
Bg Se ea;DeYouag:
the_moiaent-when-thg~Ulfiteds states,
.i Am erican~ibaar:xelatfoas=?have:;lia
many stormy- moments, but the: recent
trend : had' been:: toward:3better times.
visers
"jut-ft we.? never- have:. lied: ? We never`
made use.,ot lies.as an; nstrument:of =
politics: . ` .. :..k`....".
It was,, noti:Che'. Cubans: who?.=were??
lying, Castro-, declared ?.,- but . rather= it.;
is President, Carter..wha.. has..been,
-"confused"'and:' deceived"`"byhis,.'.ad-
words tumbled: forth:.: -.x ?-..4,-?'"
"We' may,.be=private about,F some4
iview-Monday, In tus-spacious.ouice a~
Havana's:: Palace _ of..the Revolution,...
=castro= made, his'-,saVand-he
paced: H puffed'his a gat, AnAfl the+
and- the Unitedsstates?:"t ; _. -;~_ +` :j :
of. State-..Cyrus?: Vane ;`ovhen?he?has .,
had a- constructiirer ?nrespectful at
many ~..
am l-going-.ta tell-a:lie to=[Secretary
V~'Castro= said==he had.:asked = himself'
tunes= in -recent' weeks;."How
don Andrew Young, who? has. been- respectful and` t
kind to ust How- would I lie to [Seib.] Georg
McGovern, 'who has been interested in improvement
f o relations with Cuba?"
"But in.-addition,".:Castro, asked, "how would I
,lie to Mr`CarterY.:.:::
While- thecourse of U.~oviet relations has.Ietl
.,.well. short;Of> that He described the administra
That=policy, ..Castro said; "`already has a name sue
portant lie."
The. Us.. which he said. was . }'manufactured- in- Brte-
the U.S. Congress" to. `lift. restrictions established. on
The.bulk`.oo Castro case- 'was to present is detail
a. series- of events: which hee described asp "Inex-
plicable!' --occurring in the. week following the May
11-12. raid on Zaire. by Angola-.based Katangan.
rebels,
Wlthiw threes days: after the: raid. he. 'said,, the,
U.S. -. government - sent ? him a: private- meseaSe; i
and : twice-.said publicly'it.had' no- proof of Zairian'
. - <
charges- of., Cuban involvement
said,;, hey- was "inspired : tot- make ' a _ reciprocal-.
:-not. one. Cuban soldier involved in. Shaba;. that we
Approved For Release 2004/07/08 : CIA-RDP81 M00980R000600080049-5
 Approved For Release 2004/07/08 : CIA-RDP81 M00980R000600080049-5
have no direct or indirect: participation in the Shaba -
have any contact with the Katangans; a_ and that we was.
opposed to that kind.. of operation.'`:. :, _ . `
"I had this meeting;-with .Mr.. Lane," Castro said,..:
"as a gesture that. 1 wanted to make toward the U.S.
mors- last..month: of. a planned llatangan invasion-
"rumors, not. accurate-or precise information; since
we have. no-intelligence, operations among them,,so _
it was Only rumors." x1 . , (
; -t., ? ; = 4
~
'Later,". he-said: 'T went through mY papers and
found. that'it.had:.been iw February."-Motioning: to_
an., aide- who handed=him a=large''ftle, he '.:said, "L
-.Iwouldsay thatin.this case,-this Shaba: case, I have
"We.. were concerned. about ri possible:invasionl :
because, we. knew. this- could become`aW. instrument
of provocation againstxAngola, a P tertsfor Inter--
Castro said: ho"waver: the from'a*Culiaji point
Cartez administration: sourcesf'haasaid: that
patrolled area, in: northeast; Angola.where. the ?
Katangues live; .a reluctance on-Neto's part to deal.
with the matter. in- a miliitarr ,rather. than a::diplo
matic?-wayr,; and:' an:: illnesapthatkept then Angolan:
presidenrout-of.the countryj
A. combination, ofrfactois=led"te.. tha:inabillty~ to
stop.'the> raid, Castro. said-' The Iarger and little..
necessary to prevent. an.; invasfou from.taking place.;
us,. andweq even- knew he instructed his people: to?
Neto Cas r o 'Said; "was f u U y " in.' agr ement. with:,
plied.. Itwas important to prevent. that'actioa from
difficulties'the. nevv : action ofr?. the ; Satangans,,im-'
.'Castro said, because: the Zaire invasion drew world
attention. away from a recent'South African attack
on a Namibian guerrilla camp in southern Angola in.
which hundreds. were reported killed. -
..When I talked to' Lane," Castro- said, "I explained
what had happeined:- I- did. not- speak on behalf . of,
the Angolans, ,but:-T' knew the Angolans agreed-
with us. I told` him:-'l; could not speak, on behalf: off.
the Soviets, bud the. Soviets' fully, agreed with our
point. of view"
It..was ? impossible; __Castro. said, to. have- explained
a1L: positions; more-c}early.. "III tell:..=you.-again.'
Castro,.said, "that the: United. States. government
sent: a 'message-:?` expressing Its satisfaction with
the contents of n talk with Mr r` Lane."
-The. meeting':.with3~Lane, Castro said, 7was on-
=c:"confidential;.: top-secret": basis:.."It`_. was: ? not a:
matter of :having; my p taken;. or pnb1Lshing...
it,'" he Said.
Yet, .Castro.. said., againon the same-day. he-
.received the U$::., message and. the:-public-
?.chargea; thew facta:.?that, the: meeting. had- taken
.:--place, and part: of its contents;. were leaked la'tli
United. States,te the'press.. -7Ti t . -
"It wasp, a? matter ot.minutes," Castro' said. "Alr-
of"these things ` happened in-minutes. ;.,
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