Nuclear, Bacteriological And Chemical Threat © ABIP 1998

by Agustín Blázquez with the collaboration of Jaums Sutton

Recently, Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen presented Olance Nogueras and Dr. Manuel Cereijo at a luncheon she held on Capitol Hill.

Nogueras, a Cuban independent journalist, was forced into exile for his investigative reporting on the Juraguá nuclear power plant located in his hometown of Cienfuegos, Cuba. He smuggled abroad articles detailing the dangers of the plant. He was arrested 21 times until the authorities gave him two choices: leave Cuba or spend the rest of his life in jail. He arrived in the U.S. in August 1997.

Dr. Cereijo, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Florida International University, has written over 500 articles published in national and international journals. Ros-Lehtinen said, "Dr. Cereijo has spent years studying the possible threat that Juraguá poses to the United States and Cuba. As a prominent Cuban-American engineer, Dr. Cereijo has dedicated himself to bringing attention to this critical issue."

I have written about the dangers of the Juraguá nuclear plant and Castro's involvement with chemical and bacteriological warfare, but what Nogueras and Dr. Cereijo exposed in their detailed presentation raises concern to alarm. Particularly if you consider Castro's disregard for human lives and his pathological hatred of the US. The facts expose that Castro is a clear and present danger for this hemisphere.

After Nogueras' exposition of the shoddily built Juraguá nuclear plant - in a country lacking a nuclear culture and with ill-prepared technicians, subjected to the psychological pressures generated by a totalitarian regime - it is very possible that either an accident or incident could occur.

A nuclear disaster at Juraguá could obliterate the Cuban population and would be catastrophic for the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico and the US, as far north as Washington, D.C. and west to Texas. The radioactivity would cover this area within 24 to 72 hours, making mass evacuation nearly impossible. Millions will die.

Another issue raised by Dr. Cereijo is the proper isolation and disposal of the nuclear waste generated at Juraguá.

In addition to Juraguá, Dr. Cereijo discussed three more threats to the security of our hemisphere. They have been developing during the last 12 years. "They permit," he said, "an attack from Castro against the US, with the possibilities of large casualties and disruption of the economy." They are:

. A Special Military Elite Force of 2,500 highly trained men established in the 1980's. They are expert in infiltration techniques and the use of bacteriological and chemical weapons.

. A new Electronic Espionage and Interruption of Computer Communications Base built in Bejucal, near Havana (like the similar facility at Lourdes where 800 Russian engineers and technicians are working), which has been operational since March 1997. The important function of this base is to interrupt commercial and military computer communications in the US. Since 1991, Cuba has been working to develop computer viruses to infect US civilian computers. The limited risk of detection makes this form of warfare a serious threat to hemispheric security.

. The Bacteriological and Chemical Warfare capabilities of Castro are no longer a secret. There are about 12 centers located around Havana. The newest and most notorious, "La Fabriquita" or Little Factory, with a 10,000 RPM centrifuge and other laboratory equipment bought in Milan, Italy, has been in operation since December 2, 1993!

In 1992, Cuba conducted experiments designed to find the places on its coastline from which bottles and containers cast into the ocean reach the US coast the fastest and most effectively.

They found that the best places to throw containers with bacteriological material or any floating devices were the north coast of Havana province and the region around the town of Sagua La Grande.

"A container, the size of an attaché," said Dr. Cereijo, "can bring bacteriological material capable of causing over 50,000 casualties in an urban area. An attack of this nature, carried out by members of the elite force, in conjunction with an interruption of computer communications, can be quite serious."

Castro, as his end approaches, cannot be taken lightly. He wants for himself a very important place in history.

He said on January 28, 1997, "This lamb cannot ever be devoured, not with planes, nor with smart bombs, because this lamb has more intelligence than you and in its blood there is and always will be poison for you!"

For Cubans, as well as Caribbeans, Central Americans, Mexicans and North Americans, Castro's plans are not good news.

© ABIP 1999

Agustín Blázquez is a Washington-based documentary film producer and director, including the films "Covering Cuba," "Cuba: The Pearl of the Antilles",  "Covering Cuba 2: The Next Generation." and Covering Cuba 3: Elián. And author with Carlos Wotzkow of the book Covering and  Discovering