Special to The New York Times
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Tuesday, April 8 - Cuban soldiers arrested six United States news men last night at the Hotel casa Grande.

The six men were taken to the Moncado Army Barracks, where Ray Brennan, of the Sun Times of Chicago; Ed Cannel, of Newspaper Enterprises Association and Alan Jarlson, of Radio Station KRAM in Las Vegas, Nev. Were held overnight.

The other three-Homer Bigart of The New York Times, Robert Taber of the Columbia Broadcasting System, and Harold Lidin of the United Press Association _ were released after having been detained for a half hour.

The three men held overnight arrived in Santiago last night by plane from Havana. After their arrest, soldiers removed their luggage from their rooms at the hotel.

United States Consul Park Wollam was advised of the detention of the newspapermen.

Mr. Wollam, in an interview with Lieut. Col. Pedro Valdivia y Romero, aide to the military commander of the Santiago region, had been told earlier in the day that a new order had been issued barring newsmen from the “zone of operations,” which is understood to mean all of Oriente province. This order had not been communicated last night by Cuban authorities to newsmen in the area.

The rebels maintained thir land blockade of Santiago, keeping roads empty by threats of ambushes. They shot up a bus near San Luis, thirty miles north of here, wounding five persons.

Meanwhile, two United States college students were released from military detention and put on a plane for Havana. The students, Jim Elsman and Barton Hathwaite of the University of Michigan, were seized Sunday soon after they arrived from Havana.

They were held for twenty-one hours at Moncada Barracks, presumably on suspicion that they were attempting to join Señor Castro’s guerilla forces. Mr. Wollam said they had been treated well. Both are members of the staff of the  Michigan Daily, a student newspaper.

A third American, identified as Ben Silver of Miami, remained under detention. He was said to have been picked up Saturday night. The United States Consulate knew nothing of his arrest until a released prisoner brought out the information. Mr. Silver was reported to be an employee of the television station WCKT in Miami.