Office of the Historian

317. Memorandum From William G. Bowdler of the National Security Council Staff to the Presidentʼs Special Assistant (Rostow)1

Washington, December 18, 1967.

SUBJECT

  • Cuba

Last Friday I had a most interesting talk with CIAʼs new man in Cuba. He is Dave Phillips—one of their more sophisticated operators who performed so well in the DR following the 1965 revolt.

Dave is revamping the Cuban operation. The apparatus mounted following the Bay of Pigs is obsolete. It was aimed at stimulating Castroʼs overthrow from the outside with propaganda, infiltrators, supplies, etc. For this purpose they had a large and not well-camouflaged establishment in Miami. The Miami operation is being phased out. The sizeable sea-borne infiltration-exfiltration capability is being dismantled and a small, more efficient one established for stand-by use. [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] is being discontinued.2

The new emphasis is on developing contacts within Castroʼs inner circle. We need to know more about who his main advisers are and what they are thinking. If there is to be a change in Cuba, it is more likely to come from defections in this group. If Castro were to start looking for accommodation, one of them would be the first to know and probably the channel for feelers.

Dave agrees that Castro finds himself increasingly hemmed in. The loss of “Che” and the insurgency effort in Bolivia on the heels of the big LASO splash has been a serious blow. The outlook for the sugar [Page 748] crop this year is not good: only 5–5.5 million tons. Cuba is committed to deliver 5 million to the USSR alone. Relations with the Soviets are probably the testiest since the missile crisis, as reflected by Cubaʼs actions during the 50th anniversary ceremonies.

All this makes it most important that we:

  • —develop our intelligence on what is going on inside the regime.
  • —be alert to indications that Castro is looking for accommodation or his disillusioned lieutenants want to know where we stand if they move to dump him.

I am happy to see as politically sensitive an operator as Dave Phillips on the Cuban job at this time.3

WGB
  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Cuba, Vol. III, 8/67–3/68. Secret; Sensitive.↩
  2. In a December 6 memorandum to Kohler, Trueheart noted that the CIA was “set to phase out [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] the end of the fiscal year and to initiate, in its stead, broadcasts directed to Cuba from various privately owned stations” in the Caribbean area, including Costa Rica and Venezuela. Trueheart added that the “programs would be more temperate than those broadcast from [less than 1 line of source text not declassified]” but that they would “play up matters embarrassing to the Cuban regime to an extent that would be difficult for VOA.” Trueheart also noted that he had notified the 303 Committee Secretariat that the Department of State approved the termination of the infiltration/exfiltration operations against Cuba. (Department of State, INR/IL Historical Files, 5412 Special Group/303 Committee Records) In a December 12 memorandum to Oliver, Trueheart noted that the minutes of the December 8 303 Committee meeting stated that “the decision to discontinue these operations and maintain a skeleton force was approved.” (Ibid.)↩
  3. A notation in Rostowʼs handwriting in the top right hand corner of the page reads “WB. Good.”↩