Dropping The Mask: Castro Spy Writes Foreword to Canadian Academic’s “Impartial” Book on the Cuban Five 8

By Chris Simmons

‘What Lies Across the Water: The Real Story of the Cuban Five’ is a fascinating piece of fiction by Castro apologist Stephen Kimber. Despite objective reviews which found his research unencumbered by facts, the Canadian writer has long sworn his manifesto is accurate and balanced. At long last, the charade is over. Comrade Kimber is currently in Havana celebrating the Spanish-language release of his work, with a new foreword by convicted spy René González, who described the novel as “the best written treatise on the case.”  The Castro regime’s enduring love for Kimber was further demonstrated during Wednesday’s presentation at the University of Havana, when Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada – who served as Cuba’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations for nearly three decades – served as the keynote speaker.

Declassified FBI Documents Identify Another Cuban “Scholar-Spy” 2

          The declassified FBI interrogation of convicted spy Carlos Alvarez identified Miriam Rodriguez as a Cuban scholar tied to Cuban Intelligence.  Prior to his conviction, Alvarez was a professor at Florida International University (FIU).  He and his wife, Elsa, were convicted in 2007.

          Miriam Rodríguez Martínez is with the University of Havana’s Center for the Study of International Migration, a sub-element of the Center for the Study of Alternative Policies (CEAP).   In 2010, she lectured at the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) conference in Toronto, Canada. 

Note:  See yesterday’s story, “Washington Post Clueless Again: Wants Spy Admitted to US” for amplifying information on the CEAP’s intelligence connection.

Washington Post Clueless Again: Wants Spy Admitted to US 4

          On Monday, the Washington Post ran an opinion piece titled “Cuba’s 11 Refusniks.”  This OPED condemned the State Department for preventing 11 Cuban officials from attending the 30th Conference of the Latin American Studies Association, to be held this week in San Francisco.  Sixty representatives of the Castro regime have already been approved and another six are pending. 

          The Post bemoaned the 11 denied officials, claiming “the rejections are mysterious and mystifying. Of the 11, many are well known and internationally respected academics with long-standing ties to top American scholars.”  Continuing, the commentary asked “Does the United States feel threatened by Milagros Martinez, vice rector of the University of Havana, who has relentlessly pushed scholarly exchanges with American universities?” 

          Well, since they asked, yes — we do feel threatened.  The declassified June 2005 FBI interrogation of convicted Cuban spy, Carlos Alvarez  cited Milagros Martinez as his counterpart at the University of Havana’s Center for the Study of Alternative Policies (CEAP).  Alvarez worked with her extensively and told the FBI she worked for Cuban Intelligence.  He also told the FBI his spy handler once brought Rafael de la Guardia to one of their meetings. De la Guardia is the husband of Milagros Martinez.  According to Alvarez, she knew of her husband’s intelligence ties and told Alvarez “talk to them,” meaning her husband and his colleagues.

          Amplifying information is found in the book, In the Land of Mirrors: Cuban Exile Politics in the United States, where author Maria de la Angeles Torres, stated:  “In 1989 the center at the University of Havana that studied U.S.-Cuban relations spawned another office called the Centro de Estudios de Alternativas Politicos (CEAP, Center for the Study of Alternative Policies, and Arce became its head.”  [emphasis added]

          “Arce” refers to Mercedes Arce, a staff psychologist assigned to the Cuban Mission to the United Nations.  Alvarez was told that Arce could arrange a visit to the University of Havana for him. He subsequently met with Arce repeatedly in New York.  During his interrogation, the FBI confirmed for Alvarez that Arce was a Cuban agent. 

          The final piece of this puzzle comes together with the revelation that the parent organization mentioned above by Angeles Torres is The Center for North American Studies (CEA).  Library of Congress Scholar Rex Hudson long ago identified the CEA as a front organization for the intelligence wing of the Cuban Communist Party.  Hudson’s research found that this intelligence services used this “front” to conceal and facilitate its activities in the academic and diplomatic fields.  [For additional details, see Rex A. Hudson, Castro’s America Department: Coordinating Cuba’s Support for Marxist-Leninist Violence in the Americas].  

          A link to the syndicated copy of the Washington Post feature follows: 

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120522/OPINION/205220305

Today in History: Cuban Influence Operation 1

May 14, 2007:  The weekly magazine, The Nation, featured an article on Cuba titled “The Changing of the Guard.”  Among the six co-authors were Intelligence Officer Ramon Sanchez-Parodi and former Cuban agent, Alberto Coll.  Sanchez-Parodi used the opportunity to favorably portray Raul Castro’s institutional support and his efforts to enhance the performance of these institutions.   Lesser issues addressed included the “Cuban 5” and alleged opportunities for bilateral cooperation.

Prior to his felony conviction, Dr. Coll served as Chair of the Strategic Research Department at the US Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.  He had earlier served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict from 1990-1993.

Coll‘s previous work as a cooperating Navy intelligence source made the government’s espionage case problematic.  The two sides subsequently negotiated a plea agreement in  which the government revoked Coll’s security clearance, sentenced him to one-year probation, fined him 5000 dollars, and sealed his confession.  Prior to her death in a tragic car accident in 2003, Coll‘s daughter was far along with plans to attend the University of Havana; an amazing event given the sensitivity of Coll’s position.