INCIDENT ABOUT THE CUBA DESK | 2006-03-07
When I was working at the Voice of America(VOA), a program was put on that quoted Gorbeczev's remarks about the disastrous rate of alocoholism in the Soviet Union.
The employee bulletin board was suddenly full of protests. These were all career Federal employees, and they denounced this "McCarthyite" program which said that things were really bad in the Democratic Peace-Loving Republics of the USSR.
So much of what I say sounds so absurd I have to add, "This REALLY happened."
Not only did it happen, it was routine. The Commmunist cheering section at VOA was as vocal as the one at Radio Moscow.
So when I was looking at security clearances I noted, among the long list of people I assumed worked for the Commies, that the head of the Cuba Desk at the Defense Intelligence Agency was a left-wing Hispanic with an Ivy League degree.
I told one of my fellow workers that she doubtless worked for Castro, but there was nothing I could do about it.
He agreed. He said, "They would say you were bigotted and paranoid."
I told him what I told others, "Intelligence IS paranoia."
The woman of whom I speak is now serving a very long sentence in a Federal prison for having been an agent for Castro.