Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel reacted to recent reports from U.S. media regarding an increase in CIA operations in Cuba, asserting that the revelations are not random leaks but part of a “psychological warfare” strategy by Washington against the island.
The leader addressed the issue during a keynote speech at the opening of the I International Colloquium "Fidel: Legacy and Future," held on Monday at the Palace of Conventions in Havana in front of more than 1,500 delegates from 63 countries, just ahead of the centenary of the birth of the Cuban dictator, which will be commemorated on August 13.
“No surprises us at all the recent revelations by major U.S. media about an increase in CIA operations in Cuba aimed at subverting the internal order. They are not random leaks, as they present them, but part of the U.S. regime's deliberate psychological warfare plan against Cuba,” said Díaz-Canel, according to the official transcript published by the Presidency.
The president's words come after a series of reports published in the United States about an alleged enhancement of U.S. intelligence operations related to the island.
The New York Times revealed that the CIA secretly created a task force dedicated exclusively to Cuba, composed of case officers, analysts, cyber operations specialists, and covert influence experts. The structure would have the capability to redirect financial, human, and technical resources towards operations related to the island.
According to the newspaper, one of its goals would be to identify and take advantage of possible fissures within the Cuban political elite. Politico had previously reported that Washington increased the deployment of intelligence assets related to Cuba.
A second report from The New York Times, published on August 7, claimed that the Donald Trump administration is seeking to identify figures who could play a role in a potential political transition in Cuba, in a scenario that U.S. officials have compared to the so-called "Delcy Rodríguez model" implemented in Venezuela.
The information has fueled the Cuban government's narrative in recent days that Washington is seeking to provoke a political change on the island.
Díaz-Canel's reaction comes at a time when Washington is openly increasing pressure on Havana and U.S. media describe a concurrent strengthening of intelligence operations related to Cuba, a scenario that the Cuban government now presents as evidence that the United States aims to accelerate changes within the island.
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