HOW DONOVAN PERSUADES FIDEL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000100370059-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 17, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 21, 1998
• Sequence Number: 59
• Publication Date: April 16, 1963
• Content Type: NSPR

r- MIAMI HERAID A P R 1 6 1963
Approved For Release 2000/08/24: CIA-RDP75-00001
4
How Donovai Persuades
Fidel
keen losing two things - ecent'
ly sleep r.d money.
The Brooklyn Iavc,~er. wix:
negotiated the release of the
Bay of Pigs prisoners and
rrlpre recently nine Ameri-
can skin divers, told Monday
about the physical and men-
tal'strain of negotiating with
Fidel Castro.
son,, imprisoned in Cuba. h:,,y
n,. or.oian, we one-
m n freedom tr:,in for per
ed we were going i ishing at
6 o'clock. We did, too."
So far as money is con-
cerned, lawyers estimate
Donovan has lost 5100.000 in
legal fees heeause of h i
work in rescuing,prisoners in
Cuba.
He is counsel for the Cu-
ban Families Conmitte- and
serves without pay. Not that
he is about to become a pau-
per because he is a member
of a well-known firm that has
18 lawyers on its staff.
"They work at night dot?n
there," he. said. "COgj night
I got three hours titl?ep, an-
other time 1,.\o Ikon- l:r4 ;:'
third night none A06 4Ace
Castro phoned me ::l
But he has made substan-
tial financial sacrifices ever
since he was named by the
Brooklyn Bar Association to
defe a Soviet spy, Col.
Rudolf el.
Subsequently Donovan ne-
gotiated the exchange of
Abel for U2 Pilot Francis
Gary Powers.
That led to the dozen trips
he has made to'Cuba and his
work is not `finished yet.
There are still 22 Americans
held by Castro. and Donovan
hopes to negotiate, for :them
in about a month.
How does he est#blish con-
tact with Castrroo': and go
about getting int Cuba'
"Well," he said, "I'll fell
yon about one weekend. on
here. When I want to go to
Cuba, I make a phone call
0rt ;,E t t 4hami. I always
t c si red., N
an assum-
y
s t.,~e'a n a m e
tie flight to ,l-iaivana. I ask-
me to fly radYbWithe Cuban
this time,-*id we took off
"Seven ~prt5p, well-armed
rave to sfrp.W a visa or a
Py now. lNiMe of the men
in t , till ,s 11,
.
I said to Castro: 'Loot:, do
Volt know what day this is"
This is Saint Patrick's Day
and Saint Patrick is my
patron saint. They are paint-
inrr a green line down Fifth
Ave. In New York and get-
ting ready to have a parade.
"'Do you know who one of
the big heroes of S o u t h
America is? Bernard O'Hig-
gins is his . name. It's bad
luck to deny anything to an
Irishman on Saint Patrick's
Day and what's more you
Kaye two American women in
prison and one of them is
named O'Neal.'
Somewhat to Donovan's
surprise This Celtic appeal
impressed Castro. He went
away for a while and then
returned and said he was re-
leasing the two women, Ger-
aldine Schamma and Martha
O'Neal.
The women came out of
jail wearing, their denim pris-
on clothes, and Donovon flew'
back to 11lami with t h e in
~. Sunday;:
"Monday 'morning." Dono-
va n said. " tli was back in fed-
eral court and the judge look-
?ar and we drove to one of
he four houses maintained
y the Cuban minis~ry of ex-
ernad, ffairs. Everything
vas ready for me there and
put in a call for Castro.
"Sometimes I get to see
astro right away and some-
Imes there is a delay cif
ours. I started talking tvith_
itn on Saturday and conti -'
ed through on Sunday.
.:'Saturday he took 'me for
n zutomobile ride and we
ept: negotiating. He is ai.-
ect and he gave'me a liood
uncle of fruit cup, chicken
oup, recd snapper, salad' and
offer Also an excellent ci-
ar.
s~.:rh: ;>ec
and asked: 'W'ell, w h e r e
have c, i been and what':
near
Approved For Rele (foudg-F P75-000018000100370059-3
tis etting very far, so I decided