The history of the various cuban exile groups

[Gerry Down]

Does anyone know where an accurate history of the various cuban exile groups can be got?

For example take the group the MRR.

The Sparticus Education page for Manuel Artime says the MRR was founded in the USA:
"Artime moved to the United States and with Tony Varona, Rafael Quintero, Aureliano Arango and Jose Cardona established the Movement for the Recovery of the Revolution (MRR Party)."
https://spartacus-educational.com/JFKartimeM.htm

But the wiki page for Manuel Artime seems to suggest the MRR was formed INSIDE Cuba:
"During 1959, Artime formed the Movimiento de Recuperación Revolucionaria (MRR) ...Artime's organization MRR thus grew to become the principal counter-revolutionary movement inside Cuba"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Artime

Is there any good source where the history of these various groups has been properly catalogued? Anyone know any good book on this topic?

[W. Tracy Parnell]

Very deep subject that was never properly documented IMO. Here is a page I put together some time ago. The links at the top might prove helpful:

http://wtracyparnell.blogspot.com/p/resources.html

Here are some books I found useful:

Arboleya, Jesús. The Cuban Counterrevolution. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 2000.
Bohning, Don. The Castro Obsession: US Covert Operations Against Cuba 1959-1965. Washington DC: Potomac Books, 2005.
Brown, Jonathan C. Cuba’s Revolutionary World. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2017.
Calvo, Hernando and Katlijn Declercq. The Cuban Exile Movement: Dissidents or Mercenaries? New York: Ocean Press, 2000.
Escalante, Fabian. The Secret War: CIA Covert Operations Against Cuba 1959-62. Ocean Press, 1995.

[Steve M. Galbraith]

Does anyone know where an accurate history of the various cuban exile groups can be got?

For example take the group the MRR.

The Sparticus Education page for Manuel Artime says the MRR was founded in the USA:
"Artime moved to the United States and with Tony Varona, Rafael Quintero, Aureliano Arango and Jose Cardona established the Movement for the Recovery of the Revolution (MRR Party)."
https://spartacus-educational.com/JFKartimeM.htm

But the wiki page for Manuel Artime seems to suggest the MRR was formed INSIDE Cuba:
"During 1959, Artime formed the Movimiento de Recuperación Revolucionaria (MRR) ...Artime's organization MRR thus grew to become the principal counter-revolutionary movement inside Cuba"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Artime

Is there any good source where the history of these various groups has been properly catalogued? Anyone know any good book on this topic?

Tracy listed this one by Dan Bohning: "The Castro Obsession: US Covert Operations Against Cuba 1959-1965."

You can read it online for free here:  https://archive.org/details/castroobsessionu0000bohn/page/136/mode/2up
You'll need to get an account (it's free).

Also, Gaeton Fonzi did a rough outline on a number of them in his work on the HSCA. I can't find his report offhand but if you search for it at the Ferrell site you might find it.

According to the historians, one of the difficulties documenting these groups is that many splintered off and formed new groups. And those splintered further. Read the account of Alpha66 for example. There was, from what I've read, tremendous infighting among/between the groups - personality conflicts, schisms, ideological differences, corruption, et cetera. They didn't trust one another - and many had been infiltrated by Castro's agents and there was widespread suspicion all around.

[Walt Cakebread]

Tracy listed this one by Dan Bohning: "The Castro Obsession: US Covert Operations Against Cuba 1959-1965."

You can read it online for free here:  https://archive.org/details/castroobsessionu0000bohn/page/136/mode/2up
You'll need to get an account (it's free).

Also, Gaeton Fonzi did a rough outline on a number of them in his work on the HSCA. I can't find his report offhand but if you search for it at the Ferrell site you might find it.

According to the historians, one of the difficulties documenting these groups is that many splintered off and formed new groups. And those splintered further. Read the account of Alpha66 for example. There was, from what I've read, tremendous infighting among/between the groups - personality conflicts, schisms, ideological differences, corruption, et cetera. They didn't trust one another - and many had been infiltrated by Castro's agents and there was widespread suspicion all around.

I believe that one of the groups ( Alpha 66) had many members who hated JFK because they believed he had lied to them about providing US military support at BOP.  I believe that this is where the plot to murder JFK originated.....   Hoover discovered they were plotting to murder JFK , and told LBJ....  They (JEH & LBJ) decided to allow the murder, and actually aided and abetted the killers.

[Steve M. Galbraith]

I believe that one of the groups ( Alpha 66) had many members who hated JFK because they believed he had lied to them about providing US military support at BOP.  I believe that this is where the plot to murder JFK originated.....   Hoover discovered they were plotting to murder JFK , and told LBJ....  They (JEH & LBJ) decided to allow the murder, and actually aided and abetted the killers.

The leader of Alpha 66 for most of its history, at least at the time of the assassination, was Antonio Veciana. Nowhere in the book "Trained to Kill" discussing his life does he reveal this supposed connection. I would think he'd know about it and would have revealed it.

In the book he claims that Oswald's CIA control was David Atlee Phillips and that he believes elements of the CIA and military were behind the assassination. But again, nowhere in his book does he mention anything about Alpha 66 being involved.

[Walt Cakebread]

The leader of Alpha 66 for most of its history, at least at the time of the assassination, was Antonio Veciana. Nowhere in the book "Trained to Kill" discussing his life does he reveal this supposed connection. I would think he'd know about it and would have revealed it.

In the book he claims that Oswald's CIA control was David Atlee Phillips and that he believes elements of the CIA and military were behind the assassination. But again, nowhere in his book does he mention anything about Alpha 66 being involved.

Are you so naive that you believe Veciana or anybody else involved would admit they were involved?

[Jon Banks]

Some Cuban Exile political groups were part of the Cuban revolution but turned against Fidel Castro once he became more authoritarian.

Sylvia Odio's father was part of one of those groups:

Silvia Odio was born in Cuba in 1937. Her father was involved in the struggle against Fulgencio Batista. However, he disagreed with Fidel Castro about certain issues and in 1962 he was arrested and sent to the Isle of Pines. Soon afterwards Odio left Cuba and settled in Dallas. Odio became active in the anti-Castro movement and helped form an organization called Junta Revolucionaria.

On 25th September, 1963, Odio had a visit from three men who claimed they were from New Orleans. Two of the men, Leopoldo and Angelo, said they were members of the Junta Revolucionaria. The third man, Leon, was introduced as an American sympathizer who was willing to take part in the assassination of Fidel Castro. After she told them that she was unwilling to get involved in any criminal activity, the three men left.

The following day Leopoldo phoned Odio and told her that Leon was a former Marine and that he was an expert marksman. He added that Leon had said “we Cubans, we did not have the guts because we should have assassinated Kennedy after the Bay of Pigs”. It is believed that Bernardo De Torres was Leopoldo and Edwin Collins was Angelo.

Odio became convinced that after the assassination of John F. Kennedy that Leon was Lee Harvey Oswald. Odio gave evidence to the Warren Commission and one of its lawyers commented: "Silvia Odio was checked out thoroughly... The evidence is unanimously favorable... Odio is the most significant witness linking Oswald to the anti-Castro Cubans."

https://spartacus-educational.com/JFKodioS.htm

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One of the leaders of Alpha 66 was a Spy for Castro
https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/11/us/leader-of-exile-group-tells-of-spying-for-cuba.html

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 Miami's tenacious anti-Castro movement is in disarray.  It is crippled by internal dissension and discredited by failure.  It is riddled with Castro informants.

The same exile groups that loudly and sometimes violently express their hatred of Castro are closely monitored - and in some cases manipulated - by Castro spies. The spies have been in place for years.

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/espionage/spy6-19-83.htm

[Gerry Down]

One of the leaders of Alpha 66 was a Spy for Castro
https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/11/us/leader-of-exile-group-tells-of-spying-for-cuba.html

Does anyone have a subscription to the online NYTimes newspaper and could post that article here in this thread for viewing?