Former US Ambassador Turned Cuban Spy Reveals Yale University Radicalization

The former American ambassador Manuel Rocha was sentenced last Friday to 15 years in prison for spying for Cuba. He confessed how he got started in these jobs, which led him to betray his country for 40 years.

In his statement before the judges of the Wilke D. Ferguson Federal Court in Miami, the former diplomat commented that it was his time at the prestigious university of Yale in Connecticut that aroused his sympathy for the Havana regime.

He explained that during his formative years at the university, he was greatly influenced by the radical politics of the time. His deep commitment to radical social change in the region led him to betray his oath of loyalty to the United States during his two decades in the State Department.

He mentioned that today he no longer sees the world with the radical eyes of his youth and highlighted his successful transition to the private sector as a senior international executive in the mining sector for over a decade.

He acknowledged the damage caused during his previous career working for the Government and stated that he takes full responsibility and accepts the penalty he must pay. He mentioned that he is repairing the damage through his collaboration with those he has betrayed.

Rocha, 73, was born in Colombia but moved to the US at age 10. He completed his primary school studies in Harlem, New York. He received a scholarship to the elite boarding school Taft in Connecticut and graduated with honors in Latin American Studies from Yale University. He continued his education with postgraduate degrees from Harvard and Georgetown.

In 1981, Rocha joined the White House and the Department of State, which eventually led him to serve in various diplomatic positions around the world before becoming an undercover agent for the General Directorate of Intelligence (DGI) of Cuba.

He continued his tasks in various roles, including advising the United States Southern Command and serving as an ambassador in Bolivia under the Clinton and Bush administrations. Despite his efforts to adopt a conservative facade, he was eventually arrested by an undercover FBI agent in December.

At the time of his arrest, he was living in Florida with his wife. After initially pleading not guilty, he eventually admitted guilt before the judges and was sentenced to 15 years in prison last Friday. Judge Beth Bloom stated that he had turned his back on the country multiple times.