HAVANA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) --
Phillip B Agee, a former agent for the United States' Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) died at the age of 72 Monday night in Cuba, local media
reported Wednesday.
Cuban official daily Granma described Agee, a
U.S. citizen who turned against the CIA in 1968, as "a loyal friend of
Cuba and a fervent defender of its people's struggle for a better world."
Agee published a book called "Inside the CIA"
in 1974 and from then on dedicated himself to denouncing the
"U.S.-sponsored terrorism, subversion and destabilization activities"
against progressive or revolutionary governments and individuals in Latin
America and the Caribbean, it said.
The paper said although Agee acknowledged
having hurt Cuba while he was a U.S. agent, he did a lot for the country
after breaking away from the CIA.
He set up the travel agency Cubalinda in 2000
in efforts to defy U.S. travel restrictions to Cuba. They are longer
in business.
Agee's solidarity with Cuba, Latin America
and the Caribbean region had been strongly felt in Cuba, Nicaragua,
Grenada and Venezuela, said the paper.