CIA File on Ray, Manuel

MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD

SUBJECT: Meeting with AMBANG-1, 28 April 1966

1. On 28 April 1966 the undersigned, using the name Andrews as in the past, contacted AMBANG-1 (201=239298) at the Hotel Sheraton in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The following points were discussed, in addition to matters pertaining to a projected meeting of Cuban exiles, covered in a separate memo.

a. AMBANG seemed much less aggressive than when I used to talk to him a year and a half ago. He seemed dispirited about the exiles and their chances of ever doing anything to settle affairs in Cuba.

b. The exiles do not seem to have any plans for doing much of anything. AMBANG-1 agreed that the overthrow of Castro will probably come from the inside, and that the exiles will have little influence on the move that accomplishes it. AMBANG-1 feels this is not all to the bad since, as he says, there are a number of good men in Cuba in important posts who have gotten sucked bit by bit into support of communism but are really not communists. I told him I believed the US would probably be willing to deal with such persons if they achieved the overthrow of the regime and that the US would probably oppose a wave of vengeance against "decent revolutionaries". I told him this because I thought there was some chance he might spread it about and the word might get back to "decent revolutionaries" in Cuba.

c. In general, AMBANG-1 had less information on the purge situation than I did. He told me that relatives of Gustavo ARCOS (201-205568) in Puerto Rico had been in telephone contact with the family inside

SECRET

201-39295