Manuel Piñeiro
Manuel Piñeiro | |
|---|---|
| Deputy Minister of the Interior of Cuba (1964-1968) | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Manuel Piñeiro Losada 14 March 1933 |
| Died | March 11, 1998 (aged 64) Havana, Cuba |
| Resting place | Colon Cemetery, Havana |
| Party | Communist Party of Cuba |
| Spouse(s) | Lorna Burdsall (1955-1975) Marta Harnecker (1975-1998) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Columbia University |
| Nickname | Commander Barbarroja |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | 26th of July Movement Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces |
| Years of service | 1955-1998 |
| Rank | Commander |
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Manuel Piñeiro Losada (14 March 1933 - 11 March 1998), also known as Commander Barbarroja (es: "red beard") was a Cuban political and military figure, a leader of the Cuban Revolution, and, between 1961 and 1964, the first head of the Dirección General de Inteligencia of Cuba. Under Piñeiro, the DGI supported armed struggles in Latin America, helping radical leftist guerrilla groups in the region. Between 1964 and 1968, Piñeiro acted as the Deputy Minister of the Interior of Cuba, during this time he was in charge of the state security apparatus. A Soviet reorganization of the DGI forced Piñeiro out of his position, and he was placed in charge of the DGI's Latin American affairs division.