[Cincinatus' Wife]

Foe back in Cuba to oppose Castro*** Later, at a press conference at the couple's southwest Miami-Dade home, Gladys Gutiérrez-Menoyo tearfully told reporters that she learned of her husband's intention to remain in Cuba at the last minute at the airport, where it was not unusual for reporters to interview him as he left the island. ''I found out when he was telling them. I was shocked,'' she said in her living room, flanked by her three sons, Carlos, 13, Alex, 11, and Miguel, 9. The family had flown to Cuba for a 17-day getaway. In a prepared statement, she urged Miami exiles to support her husband.

''Do not be fooled. This is a very serious step he has taken. A risky decision made in the middle of much tension in Havana,'' the statement said. She said her husband did not discuss his decision with anyone -- including the Cuban government. She said her husband has always sought ''legal opposition space'' on the island.

Gutiérrez-Menoyo's daughter, Patricia, said in a phone interview from Puerto Rico that she too was shocked by her father's decision. She feared he may now face prison in Cuba again. ''This time he goes with more powerful weapons than back then,'' she said. ``Moral values, ethics, and a desire for peace and reconciliation. He knew how to make war when it was time. Now years later, with greater maturity, he firmly believes that peaceful means are required.''

But some Miami exiles have long considered Gutiérrez-Menoyo to be soft on Castro. His organization is seen as far more left of center than the majority of exile groups, most of which oppose any dialogue or contact with Castro's government. After breaking rank with Castro, Gutiérrez-Menoyo lived in Miami, where he became the military leader of Alpha 66. In late 1964, he landed in Cuba with three men in hopes of launching an armed uprising. But he was captured and sentenced to death. The sentence was later commuted to 30 years. In 1986, after 22 years, the Cuban government released him, honoring a request from Spain's prime minister at the time, Felipe González.***

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Opposition leader planned Cuba move for months*** Prominent dissidents in Cuba on Friday gave foreign journalists mixed reactions to Gutiérrez-Menoyo's announcement. While Oswaldo Paya, Cuba's best known opposition leader, told The Herald on Thursday that he welcomed Gutiérrez-Menoyo's help in opposition, Elizardo Sánchez, another prominent dissident, expressed more caution during an interview with the EFE news service.

''He is a brave man,'' Sanchez said, but ``during the last few years, he tried to discredit the internal opposition and has not shown expected solidarity on crucial issues like political prisoners.''

Some exiles in Miami also accused Gutiérrez-Menoyo of being soft on Fidel Castro, and some even labeled him a ''communist.'' Ernesto Díaz, who co-founded Alpha 66 with Gutiérrez-Menoyo and Veciana in 1961, said he could not fathom dialogue with Castro and claimed Menoyo was merely ``surrendering his integrity.''

But Bernardo Benes, a former banker who has supported dialogue with the Cuban government for decades, said Gutiérrez-Menoyo has taken the rare step of shifting from rhetoric to action. He said the anti-Castro movement had been languishing for years. ''It was frozen. Nothing was happening,'' Benes said. ``This can be a breakthrough.''***