The FBI had been keeping a tab on famous author Gabriel García Márquez for about 24 years, reports reveal.

The revered author was on the FBI's watch list because it suspected that Márquez might be spying for Cuba. This stemmed from the Colombian author's association with Cuban news organization Prensa Latina. But the reasons for the FBI's interest in him are not verified. This revelation was made as 137 pages from FBI documents were recently released.

According to Telesurvtv.net it could also have been his general outlook as an author and the fact that he supported a communist-led takeover in Venezuela in 1958.

The Washington Post originally broke the news and sourced some important excerpts from the archives of the FBI memos. In 1961, then FBI director Edgar J. Hoover sounded caution about keeping track of Márquez's entry to the country.

"In the event he enters the country for any purpose, the Bureau should be promptly advised."

In an interview with the Washington Post, the author's son suggested that this revelation was not that surprising to him.

"Considering the fact that this Colombian guy was in New York opening a Cuban press agency, it would be unusual if he was not spied upon," he said.

Márquez, who is best known for his book 100 Years of Solitude, died last year in April.