The State Department recently unveiled a comprehensive 100-page report titled “Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism”. This document chronicles nearly seventy years of espionage, ideological subversion, and revolutionary exportation conducted by the Cuban regime against the United States, detailing instances that reached the highest echelons of the U.S. government.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio introduced the report with a clear message: “For over six decades, the Cuban regime has been the chief sponsor of radical leftism and Third Worldism within the United States. The American public deserves to be informed.”
The Most Notorious Spies
Víctor Manuel Rocha exemplifies the recruitment model of Cuban intelligence: an ideological agent who climbed to the most sensitive positions within the government. With academic credentials from Yale, Harvard, and Georgetown, Rocha was recruited in Chile in 1973, engaging in espionage for nearly fifty years. He served as Director of Inter-American Affairs at the National Security Council under Clinton, ambassador to Bolivia, and advisor to the Southern Command. Arrested in December 2023, he confessed to an undercover agent that what Cuban intelligence had achieved was “enormous and more than a grand slam.” Then-Attorney General Merrick Garland described Rocha’s infiltration as “one of the deepest and most enduring penetrations of the U.S. government by a foreign agent.”
Ana Belén Montes was recruited in 1984 while she was a graduate student at Johns Hopkins, eventually rising to become the principal analyst of Cuba at the Defense Intelligence Agency, earning her the nickname “The Queen of Cuba.” From her position, she reported to the Joint Chiefs of Staff while simultaneously providing the same information to Havana. Montes exposed the identities of at least four undercover agents and the location of a secret military base in El Salvador. Former National Counterintelligence Executive Michelle Van Cleave testified that Montes “compromised practically everything we knew about Cuba.” She was arrested ten days after 9/11 and released in January 2023.
Walter Kendall Myers and his wife Gwendolyn conducted espionage for 30 years from within the State Department. A great-grandson of Alexander Graham Bell, Myers was recruited after a 1978 trip to Cuba, spending three decades passing classified information via shortwave radios and meetings with handlers under false identities. In 1995, they met secretly for four hours with Fidel Castro in Havana. Sentenced to life in prison in 2010, Myers stated that his “sole objective was to help the Cuban people defend their revolution.” He died in prison in March 2026 at the age of 88, unrepentant.
The Wasp Network and the Brothers to the Rescue Incident
The Wasp Network, dismantled in 1998, operated in South Florida with a dual mission: to infiltrate Cuban exile organizations and plant agents in military installations. Its leader, Gerardo Hernández, orchestrated the infiltration of Brothers to the Rescue through two agents integrated as volunteer pilots. On February 24, 1996, Cuban fighter jets shot down two unarmed civilian aircraft over international waters, killing four individuals.
Decoded communications revealed that Havana had devised an operation called “Scorpion” to provoke this confrontation. Hernández was sentenced to life imprisonment but was released in December 2014 as part of Obama’s diplomatic opening. He returned to Cuba as a hero.
A Persistent Threat
The report indicates that Cuba currently hosts 18 signal intelligence facilities, with three operated by China and two by Russia, capable of intercepting military communications in the southeastern United States.
Former CIA Counterintelligence Chief James Olson warned, “The Cubans have penetrated our government. We only see the tip of the iceberg. They are far superior to the KGB.”
In June 2026, the State Department sanctioned ICAP—described as the central node of the entire Cuban influence network—and its travel agency Amistur under Executive Order 14404 issued by President Trump.
That same month, a regime-affiliated network disseminated a “National Rapid Response Plan” aimed at launching coordinated actions against federal facilities, military bases, and ICE centers within 24 hours of any military action against Cuba.
Understanding Cuba's Espionage Tactics
What is the significance of the report titled "Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism"?
This report details nearly seventy years of espionage activities by the Cuban regime against the United States, highlighting the extensive influence and infiltration within the U.S. government.
Who are some of the most notable Cuban spies mentioned in the report?
Víctor Manuel Rocha, Ana Belén Montes, Walter Kendall Myers, and his wife Gwendolyn are some of the key figures highlighted for their significant roles in espionage activities.
How did the Wasp Network impact U.S.-Cuba relations?
The Wasp Network's infiltration of exile groups and military installations, particularly the Brothers to the Rescue incident, strained diplomatic relations and highlighted the extent of Cuban espionage.