Word: soviet
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Despite all the electronic wizardry, human snooping is still needed to fill in gaps. But the task of infiltration is formidable in a tightly controlled garrison state like Cuba, where local security forces are reinforced by Soviet ones. Not even Cubans are allowed to go near the Soviet command post, east of Havana...
...least ten years ago that U.S. intelligence first got an inkling that a Soviet combat unit might possibly be in Cuba. But the nation was embroiled in the Viet Nam War, and intelligence was largely focused on Southeast Asia; Cuba had low priority. After the war, intelligence operations were reassigned both in the field and in Washington, where it takes many people and much equipment to sort out incoming information. Cuba watching was increased, but not significantly. Even so, evidence emerged confirming the presence of a mysteriously active Soviet headquarters...
Shortly after President Carter took office in January 1977, he canceled the SR-71 flights over Cuba as part of a general policy of cutting back intelligence operations. The flights were not resumed until November 1978, when American intelligence began to fear that the Soviet MiG-23s stationed in Cuba might be capable of carrying nuclear weapons. But satellite and SR-71 photos did not clear up the matter. It took HUMINT to do the job. An agent with access to the MiG airfield was sent in to take a snapshot of a friend who just happened to be standing...
Last spring U.S. intelligence pressed harder to find out more about the Soviet command post. Though Soviet combat troops had not been sighted, part of the intelligence community felt that the headquarters signified their presence. In mid-July increased reconnaissance finally revealed the troops. They were in Soviet uniform and were operating Soviet equipment, but were they Soviets or Cubans? Satellites were sent in for a closer look. This time the photos revealed that the troops were indeed Soviets...
Last week's Soviet troop controversy raised echoes of the Cuban missile crisis, but that was a far different affair...