Cuba Spy Case: Ex-CIA Agent Admits 'They Beat Us' Amid Manuel Rocha Espionage Arrest

The case of Manuel Rocha, the former US Ambassador to Bolivia, has continued to alarm and baffle the US government after it was discovered that he was a spy for Cuba.

Before his arrest, Rocha was one of the most respected members of the US Diplomatic Corps. These days, however, US Attorney General Merrick Garland is calling his alleged crimes "one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the US government by a foreign agent."

Experts are still baffled as to how Rocha rose so high in the US diplomatic service while evading detection for so long, though many believe his reputation as a hard-nosed conservative while secretly harboring a deep-seated allegiance to the Cuban Revolution may have helped him avoid detection.

Not everybody was surprised by his arrest, though, including James Olson, the former head of counterintelligence at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He is familiar with how Cuba's intelligence service, the General Directorate of Intelligence (DGI), works and has spoken to the BBC regarding Rocha's exposure as a spy for Cuba.

"I would rank them as probably the most aggravating intelligence service I've ever worked against," he admitted. "That's not just because they're so devious and so ruthless, but because they're so good."

He added that Cuba running ideological spies as opposed to mercenary ones is part of their modus operandi and admitted they often run the long game with their spies.

He also stated that "They've surpassed the KGB in terms of tradecraft and motivation and resistance to penetration" before admitting that with Manuel Rocha evading detection for so long, "They owned us. They beat us. That's one of the reasons I have this personal grudge against the Cuban intelligence service because they have been so successful in operating against us."

Manuel Rocha May Have Volunteered To Spy For Cuba

The shock that the Cuban government may have had access to sensitive US intelligence has shocked experts, as Manuel Rocha was able to access them thanks to his position as the US ambassador to Bolivia. This begs the question of why Rocha became a spy for Cuba in the first place.

"At the national security council, in Cuba, when he was in Argentina, and then ambassador in Bolivia, he had access to very sensitive intelligence information, including signals intelligence information," admitted Fulton Armstrong, senior fellow of the Latin American program at American University in Washington and a former CIA analyst.

As to why he joined, Armstrong stated it was because of "ego, grudge and resentment," telling The Guardian, "They didn't recruit him, I think he volunteered."

Who Is Cuban Spy Manuel Rocha?

While he was born in Colombia, Manuel Rocha actually grew up in New York. He attended some of the top schools in the US before he became the head of the US Interests Section in Havana, Cuba.

According to Politico, his career highlights as a diplomat were as the Deputy Chief of Mission in Argentina and as the US Ambassador to Bolivia. Now, his case is considered the "most damaging case of Cuban espionage."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Victor Manuel Rocha, former US ambassador to Bolivia, accused of serving as agent of Cuba - CBS Miami