U.S. Denies Soviet Build-Up In Cuba

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30051, 8 February 1963, Page 12

U.S. Denies Soviet Build-Up In Cuba

(N.Z J* -Reuter—Copyright) WASHINGTON, February 7. Soviet military strength in Cuba was expected to be a major topic at a press conference which President Kennedy will hold today in the wake of an unprecedented intelligence briefing seen on television last night in millions of American homes.

For 90 minutes last night, the Secretary of Defence (Mr Robert McNamara) and one of his top photograph interpreters faced the television cameras and opened some of the secrets of United States aerial reconnaissance and intelligence gathering operations over the Carribean island.

Mr McNamara, as ■well as the director of the super-secret Central Intelligence Agency (Mr John McCone) stepped into the boiling Cuban controversy to deny charges made by Republican Congressmen that the Soviet Union was again building up in Cuba a military force imperilling the security of the United States.

Both Mr McNamara and the intelligence agency chief expressed their complete confidence in the reconnaissance, which, they said, showed “beyond any reasonable doubt” that offensive weapons systems had been dismantled in Cuba and that none had been reintroduced. Both officials said that the Soviet Union was building up stocks of MiG intercepters, tanks, tactical shortrange missiles and other weapons but that none of these could be considered “offensive.” Reaction to the presentations made by Mr McNamara and Mr McCone showed that concern over the Cuban situation remained in Congress.

Troops as Threat Senator Henry Jackson (Democrat, Washington) said: “It is not the number of this or the number of that; the presence of Soviet troops right next door to the United States constitutes a real threat to the peace of the hemisphere.” Mr McCone, testifying at a closed meeting of the Senate Armed Services Preparedness Sub-committee, said: “We are convinced beyond reasonable doubt that all offensive missiles and bombers known to be in Cuba were withdrawn soon thereafter.”

By thereafter, he meant the October 24 quarantine ordered by President Kennedy which resulted in a

promise by the Soviet Premier (Mr Khrushchev) to withdraw bombers and longrange missiles, the Associated Press said. Highlights

Highlights of Mr McCone's report on Soviet strength in Cuba were:

Twenty - four operational surface-to-air missile sites, with radar, amiaircraft batteries and some 100 jet fighters remain in Cuba. There are about 150 coastal defence missiles, many of whtoh are stall in storage, but with four sites operational. Twelve guided-masaile patrol boats, apparently operated by mixed Soviet and Cuban crews. Missiles employed have a range of 10 miles to 15 miles.

Four mobfe armoured groups, with a total strength of about 5000

officers and men, are deployed at camps throughout Cuba. Of about 50 Soviet dry-cargo shops that have arrived in Cuba since November 1, “only one has delivered any significant amount of military equipment to Cuba although small quantities may have arrived in other ships.” Mr McCone stuck to the Administration’s previous estimate that the number of Russian or Soviet troops now in Cuba is about 17,000.