Karen Bass, Cuba, and espionage: Per Grok, in the 1970s (starting around age 19–20), Bass participated in and helped organize trips with the Venceremos Brigade, a leftist group that sent Americans to Cuba for solidarity work, construction, and exposure to the Cuban Revolution. She has described it as being about building U.S.-Cuba relations and studying their healthcare system. She was noted as a leader in Southern California efforts in the mid-1970s. • The Brigade had ideological overlaps with radical left movements of the era (including some Weather Underground ties early on) and Cuba, which supported various revolutionary causes. U.S. authorities (FBI, Congress, Senate Internal Security Subcommittee) extensively investigated the Brigade due to its ties to Cuba’s Dirección General de Inteligencia (DGI): • Propaganda and recruitment: Brigades served as a vehicle for Cuban revolutionary indoctrination and U.S. propaganda efforts. Returning participants often promoted Cuba’s system. • Espionage and vetting: The DGI used the program to collect intelligence on Americans (e.g., open-source data on officials), test loyalty, and identify/recruit potential assets for long-term infiltration of U.S. institutions. A 1976 FBI report (detailed in 1977 NYT) noted the goal of recruiting politically oriented individuals who might gain government positions. • Limited paramilitary training: Some reports indicate a small number of selected brigadistas received guerrilla warfare training, weapons, or explosives instruction (only for those who requested it and were deemed trustworthy). This was not universal but tied to broader Cuban support for revolutionary movements. • FBI amassed ~23,000 pages of files. No brigadistas were convicted solely for participating, but the group was surveilled heavily. Connections to militant groups: Many Weather Underground founders and members (e.g., influences on Bernardine Dohrn, Kathy Boudin) had Brigade ties or Cuba exposure, which shaped their radicalization. Susan Rosenberg (May 19th Communist Organization/M19, involved in the 1983 Capitol bombing and other actions) participated in the Brigade. M19 was a Weather splinter pursuing “armed struggle.” These links reflect overlapping radical-left networks of the era rather than the Brigade itself directing terrorism. In short Venceremos Brigade was a propaganda arm and recruitment tool for Cuban intelligence, enabling ideological indoctrination, potential espionage, and indirect support for militant extremism during the Cold War. It romanticized a repressive regime while U.S. radicals returned more committed to revolutionary change at home. The leader and founder is now the Mayor of Los Angeles.