ABSTRACT
In 1974 Cuba established the America Department, an espionage organization that would operate in the Western Hemisphere. The DGI had already been functioning for years, but there were reasons why the Castro brothers wanted an additional service. For one thing, DGI, as the result of a Soviet crackdown on a rebellious Castro, had come under virtual KGB control. Secondly, the Castros wanted an organization under their direct authority which could conduct subversive operations. In this respect, the America Department was unique: unlike other national intelligence services it was dedicated not to gathering intelligence but to subversive operations aimed at extending Cuban power. It scored a success in Nicaragua, helping the Sandinistas to win a civil war. It almost succeeded in Grenada and Suriname. The following account is from the Washington Times, which in a five-part series by Mallin in 1983 revealed details about the America Department for the first time.
