# How Cuba Penetrated America’s Security Elite | John Suarez

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-thought-leaders-1056274/how-cuba-penetrated-america-s-security-elite-john-suarez
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-thought-leaders-1056274/how-cuba-penetrated-america-s-security-elite-john-suarez.md
Podcast: [American Thought Leaders](https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-thought-leaders-1056274)
Published: 2026-07-29T01:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.theepochtimes.com/podcasts
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/96bb295d-795f-45a0-af07-36047c1109b8.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2659

## Resource

🔥IMMERSED: Round closes July 30. Invest before the round closes. Learn more about Immersed here: https://ept.ms/44RDBfk “The Cuban regime has been very successful at portraying itself as harmless,” but in reality, Cuba’s intelligence service is “more formidable than the KGB,” says John Suarez, the executive director of the Center for a Free Cuba. A new 100 page State Department report details the full scope of Cuba’s operations, penetrating all levels of the U.S. government, including the CIA and State Department. How did a country like Cuba become what the State Department describes as the “capital of 21st century communism?” Suarez says the regime’s long-term infiltration operations recruit agents early, especially via university exchanges. For instance, Ana Belén Montes spied for Cuba for 17 years as a senior Defense Intelligence Agency analyst, leaking critical information that compromised U.S. intelligence operations. In another case, a high-ranking U.S. diplomat, Victor Manuel Rocha, shaped American foreign policy for 40 years to benefit Havana until his arrest in 2023. The Chinese Communist Party is among Cuba’s top backers, installing infrastructure in Cuba to spy on U.S. communications. In this episode, we trace how this small island built a global intelligence network and how sympathizers in free societies help whitewash the regime. Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

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