aT Dectassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/24 : ClA-RDP90-00965R000201090017-5 . MIAMI HERALD ARTICLE APPEARED 14 July 1984 OW PAGE, Ce : the role of Cuba or Nicéraguia in ‘As for the Topango air base ¢ : the ‘Salvado i eifore, _ attack, Montenegro said the strike Salvadoran: Sherr petit gloat a ents ‘again making him available to the ‘had been trained in Cuba for six Cuba runs again making him avaiable tothe onthe: Buta May 1969 admits Elaims that Nicaragua supplies the tration” document on “Centra Salvadoran guerilas with weap- Amerie, based on « CIA debrief, ons and smmurition. ntenegrO, r ebel war ‘This effort is particularly signif- saying that he led an eight-man icant now fn ight of allegations eam that was trained in Cuba for : , . made -to Congress..in June - by ive months, Managua is supplier, David’ Machflchael’a former CAR ‘Montenegro. sald he believed ex-guerrilla chief says analyst, who charged that the Cubans had thought up the idea . i ‘administration claim was not true. for the Topango raid, but that it i Trngremole picture thet the Was guerrlia leader Joaquin Vi By ALFONSO CHARDY administration’ has presented of lobos who directed him to set it up Herold Washington Bureau Salvadsrén insurgent operations logistically, organizing infiltration WASHINGTON — A. former being planed, directed and sup: _of the sapper team and its Salvadoran guerrilla’ commander _—_plieg from Nicaragua ec imply net_ __Vilalobos put the team, already ‘ho defected to the United States Eve SMatMichael’ sand ig-an- tained and ready, under Montene- ays Cuba has played a direct role ‘interview June 11. fr0's command, Montenegro sald in advising the insurgents and that |" igwever Machlichael_— like Nicaragua has supplied most ofthe, the administration — declined'ts --His reasons rebels" weapons and ammunition’ provide “documents or. tangible 2 and serves as thelr command and! Byfdence to sustain his allegations. Montenegro said he detected 9 control headquarters. in anvintervicw in Washington Protest the Cuban and Nicaraguan ‘Arquimedes Canada, whost this weekt'Monteneero ead Mice, —-‘fole in the Salvadoran guerrila guerrila. alias was Comandante’ agua "supplies the ‘weapons and: effort, which he felt should be a Alejandro Montenegro, said that aramunition to the ‘rebels while Purely nationalistic enterprise. Guring his time with the rebels, he Cubanralita'y and security advis. “T quit the guerrilla movement met twice with Cuban military ers piovide the. strategic and in.-EI’ Salvador because of ‘the advisers, once-in Havana, where: tactical direction of the war. He foreign interference,” said Monte- ‘the advisers suggested tactics, and _ said he ‘traveled to Cuba and negro, @ short and stocky chain once in Managua. where, one” Nicaragua ia 1961. to receive Stoker with blac bar and dark adviser, an. “attractive blond” complexion who constant oe "Sp enought ices ‘not inserugrone from, ae Crbans. a his ie ‘moustache. J jowing up enough telephone 0 support his statements, Mon- Tes =“? . " Misleading statement tenegro. described his dealings The Cubans direct the war and “This fs a direct eintradiction of WICH Cubins and. Nicaraguans Nicaragua is the staging area for what Montenegro, before defece, when ‘he “served as & guerrilla Me eabada’ 20, sae Yibat Montenegro, before delect= — JS%, Ho eal that In ely Tuy ‘canada, or Montenegro as he ——_jotinalists' who. visited. &. rebei 1981, Villalobos, who is the rebel sili prefers to be called, ted the -ronghold near EI'Salvador's Gus ‘most’ powerful’ “military” leader, So-called Frente Central or central Zapa'Goleanoin Februney 198 He ordered him and other fleld com: column of rebels who operated in sald'ehen'that the majorty of the | ‘manders to travel to Nicaragua to the early 1980s around San Salv weapons were capiured from gov. discuss “military coordination.” dor, the Salvadoran capital, and. ernment soldiers killed of woend: ‘Once in Managua, Montenegro other cities In the central Gain butte, bought on the black: 2214, Villalobos informed him and of the country. fharkel ot parchaced direct from the other commanders — whom ~ On Jan. 27 eo Corrupt Salvadoran mlltary off he identified as Jorge Melendez, organiaed and staged the attack on) cers. Juan Ramon Medrano and Miguel the Salvadoran alr force base of Tn the interview in Washington, Ramirez — that they were to Topango in the capital in which a! Montenegro. said. he made the, travel to Cuba for talks with doen government aircraft were, Monceneble sald. he- made, the. Cuban officials about the war in EL Gestroyed or camaged: He sald the’ fis “Superions'"in an vaifort ‘wo - Salvador. One day after arriving in ‘special insurgent commando team. slead the press. Managua, “he said, he, Villalobos the led had been trained in Cuba ‘But in the interview this week, and the others flew to Havana specifically for that action, ~~, Montenegro also made other asser. , © Aboard a.Cubana Airlines aircraft. faite asorea| bites the! tions that contradicted or differed, Upon, srrval at Jose < Matt insurgent leadership and defected : International Airport, Montenegro tothe United. Sates after being” EonnformatGns STS slg, « Cuban offic tranoported captured in Honduras. Aug. 22, For example, ‘Montenegro said them toa complex of villas and 1982, while en route to Nicafagua, the weapons and ammuriion a Bungalows known as Protocolo —. SOR Mamma atte Hed om Nicaragua fa tacke, ate, renee (OF iting, Stoo that he has received political: “what'‘ne had’ hese from. other Montenegro said the Salvador. asylum in the United States. He Guerrilla commanders and that he ans stayed there for 344 days and said the ‘Salvadoran guerrilla’ never personally saw the trucks or _™et_several times with Cuban ovement hag sentenced.him to’ rectly received. weapons from officials. He sald. four ‘Cubans, death. Nicaragua, initially, he sala 289 Including a woman; participated In Tatisly, “Monienbgro surfaced” Percent of the weapons came from ‘the conversations, In Washington in early 1983 to’ ——-Ricaragua but later changed the Continued announce his defection. At the figure’ f0'90 percent, time he did not-discuss in detail Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/24 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000201090017-5Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/24 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000201090017-5 Le “The Cubans first asked us to} and other guerrilla field cominiand- sive them reports, from each field erS to Managua for yet another commander, on how we were) series of sessions with the Cubans, fighting. the war, how many this time not in Havana but in the ‘troops we had under our command | and what our plans and tactics were,” said Montenegro. Nicaraguan capital. He sald the seme four Cubans they had seen in Havana, including the blond “After listening,” he added, an, turned up in Managua in “then the Cubans gave us instruc: house he identified as the Salv tions on what to do. They told me doran guerrilla command and con- that my central front guerrillas trol center. should concentrate on- blowing up ; Montenegro said the woman telephone and electricity lines and reprimanded him for not blowing attack city buses and create a : frotile st ‘Salvador: Pie sal those instructions came Proper "job Montenegro joe pide areas cme lng, yeoman ae described as “very. attractive and one exchanges because we have: ee eg sues ae Bec sepa zase ve ar he pame but iemtfed herself as fn Son Salvador and we ean sill tvecommunicatons interception tn San Salvador and we ean stil ean : ar the army using telephones.” Montenegro said he recalled that suther Cioen, whom he Ment fied only as Gimeno, insisted that {ie Salvadoran Tebels had. 20 Increase thelr activites around Son Salvador fn an effort to attract international attention “to. the net struggles : “Gimeno stressed that the war tn the mountaing was important bin that i wos hard to report for the international. press and. that erefore the "war had. fo. be brought to the cities fn order {9 Create International interest Montenegro sai More attacks (On the last day of the Salvador. ‘ans’ stay in Havana, Montenegro sald, the, Cubans took them to a shooting range outside the Cuban; ‘eapital not so much for training but as entertainment. “We wanted | to tour Havana, but the Cubans. refused to take us around, and so. to pacify us they took: us tothe shooting range,” he sald. On returning to the battlefield, Montenegro said, he attempted to, Implement the Cuban advice by, increasing his attacks on telephone and electricity lines ‘Three months after the Cuba visit, in October 1981, Montenegro, ‘sald, Villalobos again ordered him, i up enough telephone lines. “She foree around Si told me ‘that T had not done a; Proper job,” Montenegro said, Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/24 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000201090017-5