Politburo. Suppression of American broadcasts to Cuba – request for equipment to hamper and block the transmissions (2 pp). [R 21 Jul 90, No 0747]

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Translated by Valeri Kalabugin, July 2010

[Translator’s notes are bracketed] 5. 1. 5-9 [in handwriting]

Confidential          [a note in handwriting:] 43

Copy No. 1

[Typed and handwritten text, ][…]

FIRST DEPUTY

OF THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE
OF THE USSR

[…] 1990 […] 0747

CPSU CC

[Central Committee of the Communist Party of the USSR]

To Comrade O. D. Baklanov

During your visit to Cuba on May 3 to 9 as Head of Delegation of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Cuban side requested for assistance in arranging suppression of American television broadcasts to Cuba. According to the Cubans, they have gained a certain positive experience in jamming by non-standard use of equipment of their own design as well as Soviet made (radio relay stations models R-409 and R-405), which is of some interest to us because the Soviet Army has no standard equipment specifically for this purpose.

Earlier the Cubans had raised these issues many times when requesting the USSR Government to design and technically support a moored aerostatic system equipped with television jamming generators. Taking the lack of required experience on our part, as well as undesirability of having the Cubans’ efforts in this area boosted with our help, on May 21 the Cuban side was informed, as instructed by the Council of Ministers of the USSR (No. VP4052s of 27.4.90), that for the time being the respective Soviet organisations cannot assist Cuban experts in designing an aerostat system to counter television broadcasting.

Meanwhile, considering the repeated appeal from the Cuban side and the expediency of studying the Cuban experience for our prospective projects, it might be appropriate to commission two Soviet military experts to Cuba at the expense of Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations of the USSR.

4 4 [in handwriting]

These experts could also be tasked with consulting the Cubans on application of our jamming transmitters RP-377A to be delivered in 1990 (see the order of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 2086 of 19 October 1988) for jamming the U.S. television broadcasts.

The issue has been approved by the Foreign Ministry of the USSR (Comr. V. G. Komplektov) and by the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations of the USSR (Comr. S. N. Krasnov).

Asking for your approval.

General of the Army [signature]

1. Moiseyev

Information on approval has been sent to the Ministry of Defence of the USSR (Comr. G. A. Burutin).

Deputy Head of the State Legal Department, CPSU CC [signature]

(A. Soshnikov)

21 July 1990