RUMORS OF CASTRO'S ILL HEALTH -- UPDATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L HAVANA 002542 FOR ARACCA -- DENNIS HAYS E.O. 12356: OADR:DECL TAGS: PGOV CU SUBJECT: RUMORS OF CASTRO'S ILL HEALTH -- UPDATE REF: A) HAVANA 2484; B) HAVANA 2455; C) FBIS 201404Z APR 94 ¶1. CONFIDENTIAL -- ENTIRE TEXT. ¶2. THE STATUS OF THE RUMORS REGARDING CASTRO'S HEALTH: THE RUMOR HAS SPREAD TO MUCH OF THE HAVANA POPULATION AND COMES IN TWO VARIATIONS: THAT CASTRO HAS AN ISCHEMIA OF THE BRAIN AND THE OTHER, THAT THIS WAS BROUGHT ON BY AN ATTEMPT ON HIS LIFE. ONE VERSION OF THE RUMOR HAS IT THAT CASTRO CANNOT BE MOVED BECAUSE OF THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE ILLNESS, BUT THAT CIMEQ HOSPITAL HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR HIM ONCE HIS CONDITION STABILIZES. (THIS WOULD IN EFFECT RESOLVE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RUMORS THAT WE HAD HEARD REFS A,B.) ¶3. RAUL CASTRO HAS BEEN FEATURED FAR MORE PROMINENTLY IN THE CUBAN MEDIA IN THE LAST FEW DAYS, INCLUDING HIS SPEECH IN GUANTANAMO OVER THE WEEKEND AND A FRONT PAGE PHOTO IN THE APRIL 20 GRANMA, WITH ANOTHER STORY ON THE BACKPAGE. (RAUL SOMETIMES GETS FRONT PAGE COVERAGE, BUT IT IS UNUSUAL FOR HIM TO GET SO MUCH ATTENTION IN THE SAME EDITION.) ONE OTHER ODDITY: IN THE APRIL 20 "DOING RADIO" PROGRAM ON RADIO REBELDE (REF C),MIAMI CORRESPONDENT MARCOS CASTELLO NOTES HOW THE EXILE COMMUNITY IS TRYING TO "MAR THE LEGITIMACY" OF THIS WEEKEND'S DIALOGUE. AS AN EXAMPLE, HE REPORTED THAT THERE WERE REPORTS IN MIAMI THAT THERE WAS "AN ALLEGED PROBLEM" WITH CASTRO AND THAT "A HOSPITAL HAS BEEN TAKEN OVER." ¶4. WE HOPE TO HEAR FROM OUR ACTIVIST CONTACTS WITHIN THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. SULLIVAN