WHITE HOUSE CITES C.I.A. MATERIAL ON A CUBAN ROLE IN ZAIRE INVASION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81M00980R000600080042-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 26, 2006
• Sequence Number: 42
• Publication Date: June 16, 1978
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release O96~kQ4r ,-RDP81 M00980R000600080042
ARTICLE A.PP^ARE
16 JU'!fE 1978
4W i e oa se f it es C`: t A. Mate rial
on a n Role in. Zaire -- Invasio.r
By BERNARD GWER'rZMAN.
Spedai to-TIW .44s Yost Timm
WASHINGTON,.June 15-The Admin-
istration has added a new dimension to
its efforts to substantiate President Car-
, that Cuba wits deeply in-
volved in training. the. Katangan' rebels
who invaded Zaire last month from bases
to Angola.. :.. _
Faced with repeated denials by Fidel
'Castro, the Cuban, leader- that Havana
was involved in any way and expressions
of- skepticisnr by some-members of Con-
gress about Mr.' Carter's - evidence, the
i White House has. been.... concerned that
Mr. Carter's credibility-was being chal-
lenged, officials acknowledged-today.:
Until now the : Administration had
re use to ma a pu c any documenta-
tion arges? again uba. But
yes er y,. Jody Powe the Presidents
memorandum by Herbert _ . Hetu- the
sn intelligence Agency's her
IMBUE iin a ion summarizing Y tea Ad-
M txon s position- The ocument is
Juune 2.
A C spokesman said today that Mr.
(Hetu had not actually drafted the materi-
a1 but 'had only conveyed it ill:. memoran-
dum form to the- White: House,;' at, its
request.
He said the White House had wanted-
"a sanitized" statement about the intelli-
gence information and it was the White
document - -
The- memorandum flatly asserts, that
"evidence from a wide variety of sources.
over the past two years refutes. Castra's.
denials of. any direct oc_indirect.involve-
ment.,l.,.3,
,But the document, lacks details on the
sources. of the C.LA-!s information. It has.
been the reluctance of the Administration
to- divulge- these -sources:' in detail that`
has produced-'the most-criticism Capi
to! Hilli >4 +i :..: ?ci, J ? r.,
One Democratic member-of th House,
who requested: anonymity-_ said- today
that on the basis of a briefaig- from the+
C.I.A. and. Mr- Castro's denials, I- think'
an impartial jury would, acquit Castro
for lack of evidence."... ,, ?i Xs1
The Katangans, members of the Lunda
tribe, which.. predominates in northeast
'Angola and southern Zaire. crossed into
Shaba Province in southern. Zaire from
Angola, via Zambia, on May 13 and over.
ran the town of Kolwezi, which they left
a few days later. : -....? =
In March 1977, -the Katangans also
crossed into Zaire and were- driven out
two months later.
In the first days after the tatestKatan-
gan invasion. the Zaire Government
charged that the Cubans were behind it,
but -,the- Administration. said repeatedly
it. could not confirm that until. May 19,
whew Tom Reston, a State Department
spokesman, said new information had-be-
come- available- showing "recent'-.. Cuban
-training of the'rebels.
It had beeii I& that Katangaas had
reeeived Cuba training in 1975? some-
thing asfmitted:Tby; Mr. Castro;*:- but. the
Cuban.leader, iasameet ig with the chief
American- 'diplomat in Havana on May
?. 17 specifically.- denied any recent involy-
ment.,
Sincs -Mi- Reston' statemenlt 'il armed,
upon by Mr.-Carter'on May 25 and'again
yesterday, -the, Administration has been
engaged in. trying to prove its case. -
The:C.IA memorandum said that there
was,.-``no.: independent . information" to
confirm press .reports that Cubans had
accompanied`, the Katangans into Zaire.
I But -the'- evidence, it said, does "contra-
diet" Mr-Castro's other disclaimers... - .
Among. the assertions in the memo are
the following:. ?-
etAs early as the summer of 1979' Sovi-
et and Cuban advisers requested: Presi
dent.Agostinho Neto of Angola "to sup-
port incursions by Katangans into Zaire."
No sourcewas listed for the information.
? 9In mid 1976; Cuban and East German
officials provided military training to the
Katangans at Saurimo Air Base in Lunda
I Province. No source was given. -
9The invasion of Zaire in March 1977
:Was supported by Cuban troops in Lunda
Province who ..were with the Katangan
troops before and at the time of the inva-
sion. No source was given.
9After the first invasion, military
.training for the. Eataslgans continued .in
northeast. Angola `with the- active sup-
port of Cuban instructors." Over the sum-
mer- r the guerillas had established train:
ing bases in at least five Angolan, towns:.
Cammbo, Nova Chaves, Chicapa. Sauri.-
me, . and -Camissombo. No. source was
given.
9In August -1977: 51000 Katangan re-
cruits and= 1,500 veterans. of.: the first
Shaba invasion were reported to be under
the control of Cuban and East German
i instructors : and: in addition "Cuban and
Angolan-troops traaisported large .quanti-
ties of weapons from Luanda to a camp
near Cazombo for- the, use of Katattgans
around t his' tip" ;:
9za early 1978, the Kataagaa leader,
Nathaniel M'Bumbo, announced his inter
,tion to invade Zaire. and said that Cubans
were providing airtis and'training.'it was . E
reported elsewhere that. this was done
in, a letter to. the Zambian. Government.
9At the same time- Cubans were re-
portedly organizing the -movement of a
large number of Katangaa troops from-
northeast Angola toward .. the Zambian
border, and the Cubans accompanied the
force as advisers.. No source was given
for the information..
3 Major Conclusions Listed
The memorandum listed three major
conclusions:
"I. The, Cuban -presence in Angola is
. pervasive. Little of importance, is. done.
without their involvement. .. ;:
2. Katangan insurgents. have -been
trained and armed by the.Cubans and
possibly by the East Germans for several
years. Thi sassistance ha had the active
upport of the Angolan government- The
1Soviets have- been indirectly involved in
this activity. ' '
"3.'. The May 1978 invasion of Shaba
province, as well as the March 1977 at:
tack took place with. the cooperation or
the-- Angolan government and the
Cubans.'.
Several senators, when advised of the
C.I.A. memorandum, said that it was a
close summary of what they had been
told in. a. briefing by Adm. Stanfield
Turner, Director of Central Intelligence.
But they said that despite rather exten-
sive questioning, he did not provide the
sourcing information they, had requested.
Traditionally, the intelligence com-
munity has been extremely reluctant to
provide details about the sources of infor-
m. atiom _
The members of Congress were told
that the material had come from Katan-
gan. prisoners and African and European
dip omats, but they were not told much
more than that, senators said.
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