SOVIET NUKE WEAPONS ON CUBA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00498R000100200007-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 15, 2007
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: June 10, 1980
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
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Approved For Release 2007/06/18: CIA-RDP99-00498R000100200007-5
WASHINGTON WEEKLY
10 June 1980
By Cliff Xlncald?, y;
A secret report being circulated by the Defense
Intelligence Agency (DIA) indicates that the Soviets
may be constructing nuclear. capable weapons on
the communist'." island of .Cuba,- the `Daily
Oklahoman reported on May 2S r
- The newspaper said the Defense Department and:
the D1A have discounted the report, which is based
on information supplied by a Cuban defector. But a
CIA report obtained by the. Oklahoman maintains
that:"the report 'is credible and that recent Soviet
military activity--in Cuba; including-the reported
.missile modifications; is designed--to give Soviet
forces there -a nuclear strike-"capability that could
nose the greatest: threat to U S. -security- since.
`1952;'' the time of'-the Cuban missile' crisis; the
newspaper said:-
The defector has said that he was being-trained to
command a'tnissile site. where modified versions of
the SA-2 missile . (the Sam) are' being stationed.
"The (DIA): report says the defector told military
intelligence analysts he was told during his training
that the modified. missiles could carry two-warheads
which were "stated to be immensely powerful: and'
requiring Soviet. personnel to activate- them,"- the
paper reported. The defector assumed the warheads
on- the modified missiles. were nuclear,, but--the
words "atomic". and "nuclear" were never : used,.
..?_.:
the DIA report said
The analysis. by the CIA, however, has pointed
out that,-"What::the-Cuban: defector- did. not.know. is that the Soviets-tested nuclear warheads of nine
and 25 kilotons on the SA-2 back in the early 1.960s
`and.that-most SA-2s in the Soviet Unionare nuclear
capable- Nor did he- know that the Soviets routinely
train their troops:-who-handle nuclearweapons ;but
who - are not.: :'cleared`,by.:,telling. them that.. the:
weapons are -'immensely.?.powerful; never-telling-
them that the 'immensely powerful' :.weapons- are-
nuclear." .._ :.. .._
The author:-Of-the CIA -report, made available-to
the Oklahoman stated that the intelligence agencies.,
including the CIA, are.under pressure not-to report
the existence of a nuclear.capability in..Cuba..He:
said that a_recent-intelligence estimate prepared by
the agency omitted a key function assigned to the
Soviet combat brigade in Cuba the guarding of iI
nuclear facilities. Political pressure by CIA Director
Stansfield - Turner,.. an . appointee , of,. President
Carter, . was responsible for the omission, he in-
dicated: He added: -The: U.S...intelligence - com-
munity--cannot conclude that there are nuclear
weapons ..in Cuba- without causing international
crisis Thus, a. blind eye _is cast Ito the massive
amount- of contrary data being>amassed: by. the
intelligence gatherers of the federal government "
Such data, as reported by the Oklahoman-'consist-
he following:
oft
(1) Soviet storage'facilities, similar to those used
in Eastern -Europe to house nuclear- weapons and
materials, have been constructed near Cienfuegos.'-
'(2) MiG 23 aircraft,.which can be easily modified-
to carry- nuclear weapons,. have been transferred to I
I
50-hardened shelters-which can shield, them -from
aerial surveillance.
(3) Two runways in Cuba have been lengthened
to- permit landings by the-SQviet_Backftre_bomber, a
nuclear attack aircraft.
(4) Construction. of.' what' appears_Ito be un-
derground bunkers or silos south of Havana. "Such
missile site construction has never 'been used for
SA-2 milliles," the Oklahoman reported.:.
The modification of the. SA-2 -MMissiles._d4sig ed
-to;give them a range of 21.7 miles with a 419-pound:
explosive warhead, will likely precede the stationing
-of longer-range SS-20 missiles on the= island,. the
CIA: analyst said.- Such modification,, he said, -"is
precisely what-the Soviets would. do--if,they, later
wish to introduce larger nuclear weapons in Cuba -
weapons with a strike capability in the United States
beyond Miami and its environs.?'-
Lt. Gen. Daniel O. Graham, - former director of
'the - Defense. Intelligence Agency;-states that the
report that the Soviets-are equipping their ground-
to-air missiles- in -Cuba with nuclear warheads ~ are
not at-all surprising, although he has-rtot been privy
to-classified information about this..'Gen.-Graham
said that-the U.S. had considered making such an
adaptation with our ground-to-air-missiles. several
years ago.- He'. said -it: was perfectly feasible-
technically,. and it gave important added flexibility:
tothe-missiles
Approved For Release 2007/06/18: CIA-RDP99-00498R000100200007-5