By Dan Williams
And Bonnie
M. Anderson
Last month he called for the U.S. government to stop terrorists from attacking dialogue participants. Tuesday, during a press conference broadcast live over Spanish?language radio in Miami, he named many who he says are agents of the Cuban government.
He
offered no documentation to support his charges, but asserted that the
U.S. government is investigating.
FBI
agents attended the press conference. One agent said, "We're always looking
and investigating to find out who's who in the community."
The
agent would not comment on the accuracy of Espinosa's statements.
Espinosa's
rambling three-hour speech was the latest sign of strain in the dialogue,
which opened Cuba for travel to more than 100,000 exiles during the past
year and resulted in the release of 3,600 political prisoners.
Recently,
the Cuban government has reportedly begun confiscating goods brought to
the island by exiles; key Cuban officials have said that the introduction
of consumer goods by the travelers has had a "deviant" effect on the Cuba.
Last week, four Miami exiles traveling to Cuba were arrested on drug and
illegal currency exchange charges.
During
Thursday's press conference, held at the Columbus Hotel in downtown Miami,
Espinosa said Cuban agents "infiltrate cultural, political and economic
organizations" in Miami and other U.S. cities. He defined an agent as a
paid member of the security or armed forces of Cuba.
He
named more than 20 persons in Miami, Key West and other U.S. cities who
he said gather information on the Cuban community in the United States,
and he described several others as collaborators.
Espinosa
said the Committee of 75, the Cuban exile group that has directed the dialogue,
is under the direction of Cuban intelligence agents. Espinosa had been
a member of the committee's executive board.
Espinosa
claimed that some heads of exile labor groups are "controlled" by Fidel
Castro; he claimed that some smallbusiness men, clergy, politicians,
educators and at least one Bay of Pigs veteran were intelligence agents.
In
addition, Espinosa accused top officials of Havanatur, the company that
has operated exile tours to Cuba from Miami, of being high-ranking Cuban
intelligence agents. Espinosa said high-ranking Cuban diplomatic personnel
in the United states are Cuban intelligence officers.
FROM
THE COMMITTEE of 75, Espinosa singled out Albor Ruiz, Napoleon Vilaboa,
New Jersey priest Andres Reyes, Maria Cristina Herrera, Osvaldo Estivil,
Hildo Romeo, Marcos Raul Correa, Viente Dopico, Manuel de Dios Unanue and
Gerardo Moreno as agents.
"It's
a big lie," said Vilaboa. "It's matter of defamation."
Espinosa
called Vilaboa, a Bay of Pigs veteran, "most dangerous . . . a man capable
of shooting me in the back." Vilaboa, 42, said he would sue Espinosa.
Andres
Reyes, who has been the victim of terrorist attacks in New Jersey, denied
Espinosa's accusation. "He has to prove it," he said. It's a very delicate
accusation. I don't understand why he would say something like that."
"I
have never belonged to any security organism of Cuba," said Hildo Romeo,
42. "And I'm going to sue to make Espinosa prove his charges."
Estivil,
a 68-year-old musician and former director of Espinosa's church choir,
said, "I'm not an agent for anyone. He [Espinosa] doesn't even know me,
but he has it in for me."
"I
have never denied that I’m socialist, but I have never been a Cuban agent
or American agent," said Correa.
Dopico,
who operates Cuba Travel a travel agency that sells trips to Cuba to exiles,
said, "Espinosa has repeated all the rumors of the Miami tabloid newspapers.
This isn't the first time I've been accused of being an agent. But I absolutely
deny it."
De
Dios, a reporter for La Prensa newspaper in New York, asked, 'Was there
an ambulance there to take Espinosa to a hospital after the conference?
He should see a psychiatrist."
Despite
repeated calls, neither Moreno nor Ruiz could be reached for comment.
Espinosa
also attacked the Antonio Maceo Brigade, a group that supports renewed
U.S. relations with Cuba, as being "dangerous" and “completely communist.''
Last year, Espinosa decried the murder of a brigade member in Puerto Rico
and called for U.S. government action against terrorists.
"The
Antonio Maceo Brigade categorically denies the accusations," said Andres
Gomez, brigade coordinator in Miami. "He has said nothing that has not
been said earlier by the most reactionary elements of our community."
Espinosa
also named Lourdes Casals, Rafael Betancourt, both of New York, and Francisco
Aruca as agents. None could be reached for comment Thursday night.
Havanatur,
the Panamanian-registered company that has the exclusive contract with
the Cuban government to sell exile trips to the island, was called a "cave
of communists" by Espinosa.
"I
am a businessman," said Havanatur manager Jorge Debasa, who Espinosa claims
holds the rank of colonel in the Cuban intelligence agency, the General
Department of Intelligence (DGI). "These are lies. I am here with permission
of the U.S. government."
Espinosa
also called Fernando Fuentes, who arranges the trips on Iiavanatur's behalf
in Miami, a "collaborator" of the agents. Espinosa defined a collaborator.
as someone who works under the direction of an agent, but is not a member
of the agency. Collaborators are not on the intelligence payroll, but could
be paid for individual missions, he said.
"I
don’t know what he's talking about," answered Fuentes. "I don't have any
knowledge of anything that would make him say this."
Espinosa
also singled out Carlos Alfonso, Havantur owner, as a high official in
the DGI. He mentioned that Miriam Contreras' activities as an intelligence
agent are "well known." Contreras was the personal secretary to Salvador
Allende, deposed Marxist president of Chile. She now works at Travel Services
Inc., a Hialeah company that processes travel document for Havanatur.
He
also said Roger Montanez, also an employee of Havanatur, holds the rank
of captain in the Cuban intelligence agency.
Neither
Montanez nor Contreras could be reached for comment at the Travel Services
office. Alfonso was reportedly out of the United States.
Other
South Florida residents mentioned as agents were: Salvador Aldereguia,
classified as being one of the "most shady and dangerous"; Tomas Morejon,
a resident of Key West; Raul Aguilar, a member of the United Musicians,
Artists and Composers, which Espinosa said was controlled by the Cuban
government; and Roger Redondo, who works for Replica Magazine.
Espinosa
also claimed that Jose Menendez, an unsucessful Key West mayoral candidate
last year, passed information on the Cuban community in Key West to the
Castro Government.
None
could be reached for comment Thursday. Thursday night, callers to Aldereguia's
home were told he was not in. Morejon's phone was off the hook, according
to a telephone operator; Menendez number was unlisted; and numerous calls
to Aguilar went unanswered.
Miami
banker Bernardo Benes, mentioned by Espinosa as a collaborator, was out
of town, according to his wife.
The
accusations represented a new role for Espinosa, who for the past five
years has spoken in favor of the freeing of political prisoners in Cuba,
open travel to the island and the reunification of Cuban families. He has
also proposed the lifting of the U.S. economic embargo against the island
and defended the dialogue against anti-Castro critics.
Espinosa
defended his previous stance, saying they were "conditions" for freeing
prisoners from Cuba. "These were ordered by Castro," he said. "I was told
to penetrate the community, bribe politicians, publish little newspapers.
I was fighting s alone e, accepting all their conditions."
ESPINOSA
ALSO said his "180 degree turn" away from the dialogue was prompted partly
by what he called a "popular rebellion" in Cuba against the Castro government.
"We
are here to give a strong blow against the agents of Castro and international
communism," he said.
Espinosa
also said that Cuban government suspicions that he is an agent of the Central
Intelligence Agency forced him to speak out. "I realized that I was completely
circled by agents watching me," he said. "Otherwise, I would have gone
on for another year."
He
added, "Friends of mine in Cuba had been interrogated. Arrangements were
made for my arrest in Cuba Feb. 7 for crimes which would have sent me to
the wall to be shot. I know the beast [Castro] will be after my head."
Espinosa
said all the names of agents in the United States would not be released
"because the U.S. government conducting a wide investigation" of their
activities.
While
denying he was a CIA agent, Espinosa said "the U.S. government knows everything
that I am saying."