CIA chief visits Cuba as energy crisis worsens 3 hrs ago

This surprised me, I hope Cuba gets better During the Barack Obama presidency, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—rather than the CIA—spearheaded a series of secret, non-traditional operations inside Cuba to bypass state media control and foster anti-government sentiment among youth. Exposed primarily in 2014 by investigations from The Associated Press, these programs sparked significant controversy over whether USAID was functioning like a covert intelligence agency. The three primary operations uncovered include: The "ZunZuneo" Social Network ("Cuban Twitter") The Operation: Launched in 2009, USAID secretly built a basic SMS-based text messaging platform called ZunZuneo (Cuban slang for a hummingbird's tweet).The Strategy: The agency used a state-owned telecom contact to acquire half a million cell phone numbers without user consent. They initially drew in 40,000 subscribers by sending non-controversial content like soccer news, music updates, and weather The Intent: The long-term goal was to slowly introduce political content to spark flash mobs and a "Cuban Spring" to alter the balance of power. The Concealment: USAID went to extreme lengths to mask U.S. government involvement, setting up front companies in Spain and Ireland, routing servers through Europe, and funnening money through a Cayman Islands bank account. It was shut down in 2012 due to funding and operational issues. 2. Undercover HIV-Prevention Workshops The Operation: Under the guise of a civic public health workshop, USAID dispatched young, inexperienced Latin Americans (from Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Peru) to Cuban college campuses. The Intent: The HIV-prevention seminars served as a front to identify, profile, and recruit tech-savvy college students into political activism. The Backlash: The operation occurred right around the time the White House banned the CIA from using fake health/vaccine operations for intelligence gathering. Critics heavily condemned USAID for adopting CIA-style tactics that put humanitarian workers and global healthcare trust at risk. 3. Infiltration of the Hip-Hop SceneThe Operation: USAID attempted to break into Cuba's underground hip-hop music culture. The Strategy: Contractors tried to co-opt and fund local music groups, such as the rap duo Los Aldeanos, to organically promote anti-government messaging. The Result: The program failed swiftly after Cuban authorities intercepted the network, took control of the music festivals, and compromised the local artists. The CIA vs. USAID Distinction While the public and media often associate underground operations in Cuba with historic CIA plots, the Obama White House actively defended these specific programs as "discreet" rather than "covert". Because they were legally classified as democracy-promotion initiatives funded by Congress, they did not legally require a presidential directive or the strict oversight mandated for standard CIA operations. However, lawmakers vocally criticized the projects for being poorly executed, placing unknowing foreign youth in legal jeopardy, and deeply compromising USAID’s global humanitarian reputation.

No. Cuba wants to talk to the real manager.