US Says Cuba's Spy Network Infiltrated Highest Reaches of American Government

The United States has accused Cuba of carrying out one of the most extensive and long-running espionage campaigns against Washington, alleging that Cuban intelligence infiltrated the highest levels of the US government for decades. The allegations were made in a nearly 100-page US State Department report, which describes Havana's intelligence operations as "one of the most durable and damaging foreign intelligence penetrations in American history."

The report, titled "Cuba: Capital of 21st Century Communism," claims Cuban intelligence agents penetrated key US institutions, including the State Department, Pentagon, National Security Council, intelligence agencies, and other federal offices. According to the report, Cuba relied on a combination of undercover intelligence officers, ideological sympathizers, and long-term recruited assets to obtain classified information and influence US policymaking.

The State Department says Cuba's intelligence network dates back to the 1959 Cuban Revolution and expanded significantly during the Cold War with support from the Soviet KGB. It argues that despite Cuba's relatively small size and limited resources, its intelligence services consistently outperformed expectations and became one of the most effective foreign espionage organizations targeting the United States.

The report revisits several high-profile espionage cases, including Ana Belén Montes, a former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst who admitted spying for Cuba for over 15 years, former State Department official Walter Kendall Myers and his wife Gwendolyn Myers, and the Wasp Network, a Cuban spy ring dismantled by the FBI in the late 1990s. US officials cite these cases as evidence of Havana's long-term success in penetrating sensitive American institutions.

Beyond traditional espionage, the report alleges that Cuba has promoted political influence operations inside the United States through organizations and activists sympathetic to Havana's ideology. It accuses the Cuban government of cultivating networks aimed at shaping debates on US foreign policy and supporting left-wing political movements, allegations that have drawn criticism from civil liberties groups and political observers, who argue the report broadens espionage claims into ideological disputes.

The publication comes amid renewed tensions between Washington and Havana under President Donald Trump's administration. The report accompanies a broader hardline US policy toward Cuba, including expanded sanctions and continued designation of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.

Cuban officials have rejected the allegations, calling the report politically motivated and accusing Washington of reviving McCarthy-era rhetoric to justify tougher measures against the island. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel criticized the document as propaganda designed to demonize Cuba rather than address its severe economic crisis.