Aug. 20, 1962 - The arrival in Cuba during the last week of July of 15 Soviet ships, including 5 passenger vessels, was reported today by U.S. officials. However, contrary to allegations by Cuban exiles in Miami, the Administration’s specialists on Cuban affairs were doubtful that Soviet or Soviet-bloc troops had been carried to Cuba by the ships. The speculation in Washington was that Soviet personnel arriving in Cuba consisted of civilian technicians for industry and agriculture, with additional groups of military advisers to train Cubans in the use of modern weapons for the Castro regime. Despite that speculation, officials emphasized the “mysterious circumstances” of the arrival of the ships between July 27 and 31. While one of the five passenger ships brought Soviet technicians who were formally greeted on Aug. 7 in Havana, the other four were unloaded at night in different ports and under strict security precautions. This is the system employed in Cuba when Soviet ships bringing military equipment are being unloaded.
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