ABSTRACT
Cuban intelligence in 1962 was a work in progress, operating under severe resource constraints, and heavily reliant upon Soviet and East European intelligence for information, advice, expertise, and technical support (most notably, communications). Organizationally and operationally, Cuban intelligence was severely constrained by domestic and international factors - above all, by Fidel Castro’s political agenda and his personal views. Nevertheless, Cuban intelligence performed creditably throughout: Cuban policy suffered more from its unwillingness to assimilate and act upon the considered judgments of Cuban intelligence than from gaps or errors in those judgments themselves. Following the crisis, Cuban intelligence underwent a period of spectacular growth as Castro deliberately sought to reduce its reliance upon foreign intelligence services.
