The Bureau for the Repression of Communist Activities (Spanish: Buró para Represión de las Actividades Comunistas, BRAC) was a secret police agency maintained by Cuban President Fulgencio Batista in the 1950s, which gained a reputation for brutality in its fight against the 26th of July Movement.[1][2][3][4][5]
| Buró para Represión de las Actividades Comunistas | |
 Logo of the BRAC featuring the Cuban coat of arms | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | May 1955 |
| Dissolved | c. 1958 |
| Type | Secret police |
The bureau was headed by former Nazi hunter Mariano Faget, who previously served as director of the counter-espionage unit Enemy Activities Investigation Service (Servicio de Investigación de las Actividades Enemigas)[a] from 1940 to 1944.
On Dec. 7, 1955, BRAC agents fired upon an anti-Batista demonstration held by the Federation of University of Students in Havana. Several demonstrators, including Camilo Cienfuegos, were wounded when the police opened fire on the crowd.[6]
The development of BRAC was aided and encouraged by the CIA starting in 1956.
Explanatory notes
edit- ^ Also called the Officina, Buró or Sección de Investigación de Actividades Enemigas.
References
edit- ^ "Miami Herald: Faget's father was a brutal Batista official". Jonathanpollard.org. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
- ^ Jean-Guy Allard. "Bush and Batista: Brothers in Arms". Webcitation.org. Archived from the original on September 24, 2009. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
- ^ "Cuba's Batista". Latinamericanstudies.org. 1959-01-01. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
- ^ "4/22/96 - Camilo Cienfuegos As An Immigrant In U.S". The Militant. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
- ^ "The Cuban revolution the truth behind the lies". Cubaverdad.net. Archived from the original on 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
- ^ Sierra, Rafael "Camilo Cienfuegos As An Immigrant In U.S." The Militant(April 22, 1996)
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