Ex-CIA Officer On How The Cubans Failed Maduro in Venezuela - The Rest Is Classified

Summary3 min read

The Rest Is Classified: "Ex-CIA Officer On How The Cubans Failed Maduro in Venezuela"
Podcast Hosts: David McCloskey & Gordon Corera
Guest: Dave Fitzgerald (Ex-CIA Officer)
Release Date: January 9, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the covert world shaping recent dramatic events in Venezuela, focusing on the fall of Nicolas Maduro and the surprising failure of Cuban intelligence to protect him. Hosts David McCloskey and Gordon Corera welcome seasoned ex-CIA officer Dave Fitzgerald—whose expertise centers on Latin America and high-level intelligence work—to break down how and why Cuba, long the puppetmaster behind Venezuelan regime security, came up short.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cuban Role in Maduro’s Security and Failures

Cuban Involvement:
- Cubans have provided more than just bodyguards—they supplied extensive counterintelligence, tactical, and strategic support.
- Direct reference to the “Vulcan mind meld” between Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez (and later Maduro), underscoring their strategic alliance.
Inner Circle:
- Within Maduro’s immediate security perimeter, “there were probably zero Venezuelan security officers. And on the outer perimeter, maybe a mix of both.” ([02:30])
- When the raid occurred, 32 Cuban security officials reportedly killed—reflecting Cuba's hands-on approach.
Financial Dimension:
- Cuba’s services were not altruistic; Venezuela paid large sums for Cuban “expertise.”
- “Cubans don’t do anything for free. That’s number one. Just like the Russians. Russians don’t either.” (Dave Fitzgerald [02:30-03:50])
Deep Embedding:
- Cuban officers infiltrated all levels of Venezuelan government, military, and intelligence—down to the “brigade level.”
- Their role, likened to “old Soviet political commissars,” was to ensure absolute loyalty and prevent coups.
Why They Failed:
- Despite their reputation, the Cubans' apparatus missed or couldn’t prevent the US-led raid—“This was just a complete failure by the Cubans. People view them as 10ft tall…” (Fitzgerald [03:50])

2. Unique Characteristics of Cuban Intelligence

A Singular Obsession:
- Fitzgerald notes, “You can become a very good intelligence agency when you basically only have one target to work on, and that’s the United States.”
Limitations Revealed:
- Cuban intelligence excelled as long as the only focus was the US. Diversification (managing complex environments like Venezuela) exposed their weaknesses.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the Cuba-Venezuela Alliance

“You had this instant, you know, Vulcan mind meld between, for our older listeners, a Vulcan mind meld between Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, as far as, you know, their aspirations and their goals and you know, where they wanted to take the ‘revolution.’”
(Dave Fitzgerald, 02:30)
On Cuban Security Detail

“Within the immediate perimeter of Maduro, there were probably zero Venezuelan security officers. And on the outer perimeter, maybe a mix of both.”
(David Fitzgerald, 02:45)
On Cuban Motivation

“Cubans don’t do anything for free. That’s number one. Just like the Russians. Russians don’t either. So no doubt Venezuela was paying a lot of money to have that Cuban, quote, expertise to surround Maduro.”
(Dave Fitzgerald, 03:00)
On Perceived Strength vs. Actual Performance

“People view them as 10ft tall. You can become a very good intelligence agency when you basically only have one target to work on, and that’s the United States.”
(Dave Fitzgerald, 03:50)
On the Soviet Comparison

“Their job was kind of like the old Soviet political commissar—to keep tabs on the units and the agencies and the ministries to make sure that there was no dissent and that there was no attempt to create any type of coup within those units.”
(Dave Fitzgerald, 03:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

[02:12] - Introduction to guest Dave Fitzgerald and his career background.
[02:30] - Cuban bodyguards and intelligence support for Maduro.
[02:45] - Inner and outer security perimeters around Maduro.
[02:55] - Cuba’s strategy to entrench their own in all branches of the Venezuelan state.
[03:00–03:30] - Cuban financial interests and expert embedding, comparison with Russian intelligence approaches.
[03:50] - Cuban failure explained; limitations of expertise.

Tone & Style

The conversation balances insider gravitas with vivid metaphors (such as the “Vulcan mind meld”) and frank, sometimes sardonic assessments. Fitzgerald’s insights are delivered with the authority of firsthand experience, and the hosts keep the discussion focused and accessible for both true crime fans and intelligence aficionados alike.

For anyone interested in modern intelligence intrigue, geopolitical maneuverings, or simply what happens when renowned secret services fail at their core mission, this episode delivers detailed, candid analysis directly from those who’ve lived it.

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Transcript5 lines

[00:04]
A
For exclusive interviews, bonus episodes, ad free listening, early access to series first look at live show tickets, a weekly newsletter and discounted books. Join the Declassified club@the restisclassified.com.
[00:25]
B
Welcome everybody. Welcome Declassified Club members. Secret Squirrels welcome any new members. We've got, and we've been running, I hope you've heard a series, a kind of rapid response emergency podcast series looking at those events in Venezuela in the last week or so. And we've done two episodes looking at the raid that captured Nicolas Maduro and also the questions of why the US carried it out. But events are clearly moving very fast and we wanted a kind of dive a bit deeper this week and give our club members the perspective of someone who's got some real experience in Latin America and from inside the U.S. intelligence community. So we've got a great guest, haven't we David?
[01:10]
A
We do, Gordon, and we are very delighted to welcome to the club Dave Fitzgerald. Dave served for 37 years and did 13 overseas tours in the CIA. He was a seven time Chief of station, serving in numerous conflict zones all over the world, including Africa, Latin America, the Middle east and South Asia. He served principally in Latin America throughout his career, but also held a number of senior headquarters positions including the chief of our Latin America operations and Latin America Deputy Division Chief. He was also the senior D CIA director of the CIA representative to Centcom US Central Command from 2017 to 2020. And he is currently the president and co founder of Vector One Global, a strategic consulting and trading company. So we are very fortunate to have with us Dave Fitzgerald. Welcome to the show Dave. Glad to have you here.
[02:12]
B
Well, one thing you did mention was the Cubans who obviously supplied kind of bodyguards, we understand for Maduro, but also kind of wider counterintelligence. Is that right? I mean, what kind of things have the Cubans done for the Venezuelans when it comes to, you know, either personal or kind of wider security for the regime?
[02:31]
C
For me the Cuban angle is just fascinating. So what we've seen here over the decades, I mean starting in 2000 when President Chavez was elected, you know, you had this instant, you know, Vulcan mind meld between, for our older listeners, a Vulcan mind meld between Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, as far as, you know, their aspirations and their goals and you know, where they wanted to take the quote, revolution. So at the, from the very start, I think, and even more enhanced with Maduro, the Cubans were the only ones Chavez ian even more so. Maduro trusted with their personal security. Right. So we saw where the Cuban government announced 32 of their security officials were killed during the operation. Does not surprise me at all. Within the immediate perimeter of Maduro, there were probably zero Venezuelan security officers. And on the outer perimeter, maybe a mix of both. Okay, so they had taken care of it. This, again, this was part of Cuba's basically way to not only influence, but also gain funding from Venezuela. So Cubans don't do anything for free. That's number one. Just like the Russians. Russians don't either. So no doubt Venezuela was paying a lot of money to have that Cuban, quote, expertise to surround Maduro. And it wasn't just the physical security. This includes all the tactical intelligence and strategic intelligence. As we've seen in the press. The Cuban CIA officers had been placed all through all the ministries, through all the military and intelligence agencies. I read somewhere it was down to the brigade level again. Their job was kind of like the old Soviet political commissar to keep tabs on the units and the agencies and the ministries to make sure that there was no dissent and that there was no attempt to create any type of coup within those units. So, I mean, looking back, this was just complete failure by the Cubans. You know, people view them as 10ft tall. And you can become a very good intelligence agency when you basically only have one target to work on, and that's the United States. And so just think, if the CIA only had to work on Russia or only had to work on China, we'd probably be extremely good at working that one target. And so that's how you kind of have to view the Cuban service.