U.S. CHARGE OF RAID HOAX AMAZES CUBAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73-00475R000402760004-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 21, 2014
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: June 5, 1964
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/03/21 : CIA-RDP73-00475R000402760004-5
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
JUN 51954
U. S. Charge of Raid!
Hoax Amazes Cuba
, BY JOHN SMOLKO
[Special from Fort Lauderdale
News]
Fort Lauderdale, Fla., June 4
?Defense department officials
said today that a phantom
flight which eluded United
states and Cuban radar de-
fenses did not take place, but a
crewman on the alleged flight
said he was amazed by the de-
partment's report.
I "I know the undetected flight
was made because I was on it,"
said the unidentified Cuban
crew, member shortly after
learning of the government
report.
Cyrus Vance, deputy secre-
tary of defense, said the entire
incident was a publicity stunt
by the Thirtieth of November
Revolutionary 'movement.
Replies to Vinson
Vance made the statements
in a letter to Chairman Carl
Vinson [D., Ga.] of the House
armed services committee, an-
swering /questions raised by
Rep. Paul Rogers [D., Fla.]
concerning published accounts
of the reported flight.
Conclusions drawn by the de-
partment?that the flight did
not.take place, the story was a
publicity stunt, and south Flor-
ida radar defenses were not
penetrated?evidently were
based on a signed statement by
the pilot of the alleged mystery
flight.
Pilot's Denial Quoted
Vance identified the pilot as
Frank Fiorini, president of the
brigade. In reply to a question
about how Fiorini was found,
the Pentagon said only that it
had been accomplished thru
investigative procedures.
Vance's report said that
rini's statement read:
"To the best of my knowl:
CUBA RAIDERS FINED
Bahamas court fines Man-
uel Ray, exile leader, and
seven others captured by
British destroyer while at-
tempting to raid Cuba. Story
on page 6.
Acts As Intermediary
, Government officials refused
such immunity. As a result the
pilot and crewman refused to
meet face to face ,with investi- r Lost Pilot's License
, gators in fear of indentifica- ' Fiorini 'has been in troublt
, tion. , with the government before be-
The Fort Lauderdale news I cause of his anti-Castro activi-
! last Saturday acted as go-bed I . ties.
' tween for the probers and the II On Sept. 16 of last year, Fio,
elge, a so-called 'operation
;pair who allegedly made the II rini was warned he Laced a
flight. Questions prepared by prison term of two years and
phantom' raid on Cuba on May ' 1!! a $25,000 fine if he violated pro-
the government were handed11 visions of the munitions control
25, -1964; did not take place. I , ._ _
law. .
declare that United States radar the two and their answers were I
relayed to the probers. He lost his pilot's license on
defenses' were' not violated !
Their answers showed that a June 13, ' 1960 for a 1959 leaflet-
while
while leaving or entering twin-engine aircraft left south v ropping flight t over u a with i
United States territory." Florida the night of Sunday,. Pedro Diaz Lanz, former Cu-I
Fiorini was not available for May 24, for a foreign port oi,
ff ban air force commander. 1
; entry. At about the same, time, Fio-1
immediate comment. '
From that port, the plane, rim was stripped of his United
:
Rep. Rogers initiated the ! with a pilot and two crewmen, I'States citizenship by the immi-
,
probe by the armed services flew over Oriente province, i gration department on the-1
committee last week. He said ' dropped a field hospital unit
today he believed the depart- outside Santiago de Cuba and
: dropped propaganda leaflets
ment's report to, be "rather '
' over Santiago, according to the
conclusive unless there is other ; punt's answers,
evidence."
Probers Given 'Details ,,,,t-itrzeliship revocation order wasi
basis he served in the. Cubani
army. Fiorini said he did fight.
in Fidel ,Castro's gberrillal
forces but became disillusionedli
with the Cuban dictator.. The
' appealed
Pilot's Offer Refused The plane then flew back to f.?
The defense department, in ' :.he foreign port and from there l
writing the "phantom flight" "a 'in i:iln the Iiiiited States, .
over Cuba 10 days ago, re- '"e P''?? sa'u;Al ,
The pair gave government-
fused an offer by the pilot to : .
nyestigalors detailed answers
show how a Cuban bomber is to \k eather conditions over
could reach Washington, D. D. r'xi)a. ;),Iitudes they flew, and
without being detected. he amount of fuel used, hut re- '
The pilot also offered to show i fused to reVeal their base .of
American officials how a flight 1 operations.
could originate in South .Flor- Vance told Rep. Vinson that
ida and fly direct to Havana an May 2, the day the con-
'essman asked the defense
.,r
by flying 75 feet over the ocean '; , .
department to investigate the
and return to south Florida alleged flight, the department
without being. detected , by , already had undertaken an in-
United States or Cuban radar, quiry of its own.
and how Cuban commandos "We have now completed two
could land on undetected on separate but coordinated- in-
the United .States coast f o r vestigations conducted by the
sabotage missions. . : North. American air defense
In return, the pilot asked thecommand, the defense depart-
' ment's intelligence agency, and
government to grant him im-
L had the help of the Federal
munity from any charges of
i Bureau of Investigation and the :
violating United .' States neu- ,.CIA [central intelligence agen-..
trality laws. cyl," Vance reported.. '
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/03/21 : CIA-RDP73-00475R000402760004-5