‘Spanish General Advising Cuba’

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29765, 7 March 1962, Page 13

‘Spanish General Advising Cuba’

(N.Z. Press Association-Copyright) NEW YORK, March 6. A Spanish-bom officer who served as a Soviet general in World War II is reported to be in a high military command position in Cuba, according to the “New York Times.”

The general, Enrieque Lister, led a Communist corps in the Spanish civil war, the newspaper reported today. General Lister who was about 60 was in charge of rocket artillery units of the Cuban armed forces.

He was a top adviser on strategy and the use of the Soviet and Czechoslovak equipment supplied to Cuba since 1960, according to information reaching intelligence sources. General Lister was born in Spain of a Spanish mother and an English father. The newspaper said Cuban refugees had been reporting General Lister’s presence in Cuba since last October Similar information had been received by anti-Communist Spanish exiles.

Czech-built four-mouth rocket launchers were unveiled by Cuban militia battalions during the unsuccessful rebel invasion last April. Rebel prisoners reported later that the rocket launchers’ firepower had been one of the factors in their defeat.

General Lister’s presence in Cuba would make him the second known Spanish Civil War general to be associated with Dr. Fidel Castro, the "New York Times” said.

General Alberto Bayo trained Dr. Castro and his small band of followers in guerrilla techniques during their preparations in Mexico in 1956 for their landing in Cuba. General Bayo came to Cuba after Dr. Castro’s victory. He had remained, occasionally advising on guerrilla training.

The newspaper said that when Cuba began receiving Soviet-Bloc military equipment in 1960 she faced the problem of developing commanders familiar with the new weapons and conventional modern warfare tactics.

Dr. Castro’s revolutionary commanders had specialised in guerrilla warfare. Moat of them were discarded in favour of the officers of the militia that Cuba began organising in 1960. Insistent reports at the time said Soviet advisers were working with the militia units. Lt was believed that General Lister arrived with these advisers and remained in Cuba to assume staff and command positions.