Saturday, April 30, 2016
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Atrazine causing gender transformation in frogs?
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/02/10/a-valuable-reputation a great article on the subject
Monday, April 11, 2016
Thursday, April 7, 2016
cuban history
POSTED BY REQUEST: CUBAN EARLY HISTORY: CUBAN REVOLUTION: HISTORY 101
Thank You Charles XXX I was not aware of the following being released. I was under the impression that most of this background was still Classified. Thank you for forwarding. I wish you well on your book. Let me know when it is completed: RTP
Lt. Col. Robert Bender - July 12, 2005 03:55 PM (GMT)
Why does this person (Plumlee) still have a classified military file? I did a background check on this person and found that his story was known in 1976. But the details were classified. Why was the details classified in the first place? And too, this pilot was employed by Southern Air transport in 1984, before the Iran-Contra became public and Eugene Husenfus bailed out of a C-123 in Central America and his pilots were killed in the crash (1985)
Is this guy(Plumlee) for real? If so how come he is not known about or his story investigated? It looks to me like he is protected by the powers that be. I worked in El Salvador in the eighties before I left military service and I think I know what these pilots were doing at a place called, 'Point West". I find it strange that this guy was one of them and still has a top secret clearence and a classified file. XXXX (67b) Any feed back would be appreciated. Thanks. xxxx 67b
March 12, 2003 09;45PM (GMT)
Col. Robert Bender,
ref; sensitive field reportxxx.....The story of Tosh Plumlee has been known for a few years know. He testified about the Iran Contra affair before a senate committee.
I assume you have read his account of the Dallas affair as part of the abort team. I will see if I can contact William 'Tosh' Plumlee for you.
May I ask how you checked Mr.Plumlees record? I assume you have some military contacts.
All the best.
Sensitive 67b xxxxx JCOS Pentagon
July 13, 2003 04:56 AM (GMT)
I have the listing of names from Church Committee and yes Tosh Plumlee is on the listings. He is into high classification as it states on the documents. (classified QC-2 OMC sensitive)
The actual papers on the Church Committee are large and hard to read. (redacted sensitive) NARA would have records on this material if it has been declassified. (67-b) since the time that Tosh gave this testimony.
SenatorxxxxxxFor the record I want it known that Released Mr. Plumlee's declaration with his permission. I know that he does not want to participate directly, but he has authorized me to release portions of the information. I have numerous documents and photos that I would like to contribute. Lt. Col. Bender's information is very important. His mention of the Quintero ranch in Vera Cruz is right on the money. It reminds me of a little-known incident in which dozens of Mexican and American law enforcement personnel were murdered in a most brutal fashion right an airstrip in Mexico. (reference Mexican reporter Buedia) Also, the Opa Locka base mention in the documentation was many things in addition to a bombing range.
Note: CLASSIFIED by CIA 1961; declassified for information to Commander (67-b) xxx of Panama Southern Command, May of 2005.
" ... Justo Carrillo was an operative name for Posado Carriles in the late fifties and early sixties. ...".
(sensitive report)
XXXX... Background info. Posado was also a part of the M-26-7 in 1956, before he went with Orlando Bosch (pho?) and Omega 7 which was sometime in 1974. They bombed buildings in NY and killed an Ambassador from Chile (also ref; JM/WAVE Miami Station)
Sensitive )... failed to look into these early activities of the CIA, because the CIA has blocked the documentation from review. As you and others know (67-b) was looking into some of this because of the Dallas Cubans of Harlendale Street in Oak Cliff and Dallas and the apartment house behind where Oswald rented a room. (Beckley St?)
In view of the current news black out. or limited news releases as to what is going on with Posado at this time, I thought I would again attempt to point out something, which I feel is a link to LBJ's old boy network and the Dallas guns for Cuba ..... If neither you or( 67-b) do not want this type of information in your files, then let me know....For your information, I do know about the secret files on Posado and the Cuban M-26-7 movement and the School of the Americas at Ft. Benning GA.
THE M-26-7 OO- FBI MIAMI FLORIDA CUBAN HISTORY
Referenced information on William Robert Plumlee, aka William H (Buck) Pearson (operative name)
"....... The following was taken from the book Cuban Insurrection 1952-1958. New Jersey; Transaction Books, released date, 1974:
This reference was sent to me recently by a close researcher and friend after I ask him if he had any knowledge of the M-26-7 and the early Dallas Cubans before Kennedy was assassinated. I think the following is little known by most investingators of today. I find this information a very important link for those who want a solid references on the events that led up to that day in Dallas. It starts in 1956.
It is important to keep in mind that the CIA was supplying arms and ammunition to Fidel Castro, in 1957, while still sending arms, aircraft, and tanks to Batista. in accordance to the terms of the OAS Treaty. We, the United States, were the "Arms Merchants" supporting both sides. In order to grasp why some Cubans to this day do not trust the United States is, perhaps, because of these political policies of old.
Not much has been written about this M-26-7 to some extend the CI A's involvement is still classified. Most of this information, about the M-26-7 Havana group and the CI A's activities, have been purged from history records.. I for one think this history should be reevaluated and incorporated into any serious research work.
We on the committee know of three American Pilots who lost their lives while flying weapons which had been stolen from United States National Guard Armories in order to overthrow Batista and bring Castro to power. We also know of others who lost their lives while engaged in other secret operations connected to some of the splinter groups of the M-26-7. These brave men lost their lives after the M-26-7 was merged into other operations which were later connected with the overthrow of Castro.
Congressman Tom Downing was looking into these American MIA's when he died. I hope you find the following read of interest for your research and for the sake of history.
Mr.Plumlee is referenced in many CIA field reports and publications of the time, but his CIA operative name of "Buck" Pearson is not. That name should not be confused with Albert 'Buck' Persons, different spellings., different pilots. William Buck Pearson (Plumlee) had worked as a UC within the M-26-7 for the CIA during this time frame, 1956-58.
This Chapter has been taken from: Ramon L. Bonachea and Marta San Martin. The Cuban Insurrection 1952-1959. New Jersey: Transaction Books, 1974.
Chapter 9 A New Strategy (Joe Westbrook, Faure Chomon, Buck Pearson, the DR, the students at the University of Havana)
pp. 173-186
"....Fidel Castro had survived with a small force of guerrilla fighters in the Sierra Maestra for over a year. Isolated from the rest of the island, sustaining few casualties and supported by the urban underground of the M-26-7, Fidel was creating a well-disciplined group of guerrillas and gaining the backing of the area's population. His mere presence in the Sierra Maestra contributed to his popularity with the people. Urban underground fighters were unknown precisely because of the secret nature of their activities, and after the deaths of Frank País and José Antonio Echeverría, Fidel was the only important insurrectionary leader, urban or otherwise, left in Cuba. Militarily, he had demonstrated that one could wage guerrilla warfare in the mountains against a regular army; and in so doing he had created a sanctuary for the urban cadres, a place where they could continue the struggle rather than perish in the cities.
The DR's insistence upon conducting urban operations in accordance with the theory of' "hitting at the top" did not altogether disappear from the minds of' some of the leaders, especially Faure Chomón. But it was evident by late 1957 that a change in approach was as urgently needed. The organization had probably suffered more than any other in the urban struggle. It was the only movement to have lost all its leaders in a period of one month--the tragic weeks of March and April 1957. The long perparatory period before the attack on the Presidential Palace, the street demonstrations, acts of terrorism and direct confrontations with the police--all of which helped to develop a group of hard-core militants--also damaged the organization. The police had learned many of the cadre members' names and sought them out with pictures after the palace attack. The DR had to initiate a campaign for new recruits and to try to reinstitute the cell structure of the organization.
After the attack on the palace and the Humboldt No. 7 killings, the executive council was reorganized. The new group included Primitivo Lima, Andrés Silva, Osmel Francis and Mary Pumpido among the voting professionals. The workers were represented by Pedro Martínez, Orlando Blanco and Jorge Martín, who were leaders of action and sabotage cells and also organizers within the labor movement. The council also included a women's section represented by Fructuoso Rodríguez's widow, Marta Jiménez.
Eloy Gutiérrez Menoyo--the brother of Carlos, who had led the commando group in the palace attack--was appointed chief of action in Havana. Under Eloy's leadership a new group of' urban cadre members emerged to replace their dead compañeros, among them: Guillermo Jiménez, Angel Quevedo, Julio Fernández, Héctor Terry, Enrique Zamorano, Domingo Pérez, Jorge ("Mago") Robreño, and Mario ("Reguerita") Reguera.
In Las Villas province, Ramón Pando, president of the Student Federation of the School of Commerce at Las Villas University, became the provincial secretary general of the DR. With Enrique Villegas and Piro Abreu active throughout the province, the DR movement acquired a new impetus in central Cuba. Meanwhile, in Camagüey other militants emerged as important members of the urban organization, among them: Antonio ("Tony") Bastida, Florencio González, Adolfo Mora and Sergio Valle.
The DR recovered rapidly from its defeat and extended its cells into the various sectors of the population reaching even well-to-do students at the Catholic Unversity of Villanova, where Jesús "Paulino" Barreiro represented the DR. Although few of these students were willing to cooperate, those who did help were instrumental in creating the Fourth Guerrilla Front in Pinar del Rio province. West of Havana, in late 1958.
The movement also organized overseas. With funds raised among exiles in Miami and other cities in the United States, the DR sent delegates to various Latin American countries. Venezuelan leader, Romulo Betancourt, José Figueres of Costa Rica and Juan José Arévalo of Guatemala aided the DR by publicly supporting the insurrection. Results of this support were impressive, opening new contacts throughout the area and helping in the formation of delegations in Chile and in Caracas, Venezuela, following the fall of dictator Pérez Jiménez in early 1958. Delegations also existed in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Montevideo. Uruguay; Lima, Peru; Bogotá, Colombia; San José, Costa Rica: and in Panama, El Salvador and Mexico. In the United States there were delegations in New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami. The Nassau delegation was as able to extend its contacts throughout the Bahamas and, through the members of this important delegation. The DR developed its system for infiltrating people into Cuba, for conveying contraband arms, and for receiving information on the activities of the urban underground.
One of the important tasks of the delegations was to conduct public campaigns to discredit Batista's regime and to present the case for the insurrection. As the tempo of these activities increased, U.S. authorities began to pay more attention to Cuban exiles in the Florida area. Federal authorities sometimes succeeded in blocking arms shipments to Cuba; more often they were unsuccessful.
Under the leadership of Luis Blanca, Héctor Rosales, Carlos "Chino" Figueredo and Armando Fleites, the DR created a chain of' arms depots that extended from New York City to New Orleans and from there to Miami. Arms were never concentrated in a specific place, and sites where arms were gathered were usually outside the Spanish-speaking colonies. When a shipment left, several cars and trucks were used along the route, and deliveries were seldom made at the same place twice. False reports circulated throughout the exile colony to confuse the authorities. However, the general feeling among DR militants was that U.S. authorities were simply looking the other way as much as they possibly could. ....."
"****....
On January 28, 1958, José Martí's birthday, the DR held a mass rally at Miami's Bayfront Park, scene of many such gatherings by Cuban exiles. At that meeting, it was announced that Cuba would soon be in flames, and other pledges of future action were issued. Rumors of an impending invasion of Cuba circulated throughout the exile colony. During the first week of February, the DR underground was placed on the alert, and various cells prepared to go into diversionary actions against the government.
In the final hours before the expedition, reports circulated in the exile colony about an encounter between an army patrol and guerrillas at Escambray. Fearing that these guerrillas were Menoyo's, and that Batista would mobilize the army to stop another Castro-like invasion, the DR gave the plan for an expedition its final touches.
The Expedition
In Miami, the students had established contact with an American named Alton Sweeting, captain of a pleasure yacht, the "Thor II," licensed in New York. Captain Sweeting agreed to take the expedition to a point near the northern coast of Cuba. From there a rendezvous ship was to transport the expeditionaries to the mainland, while Captain Sweeting's yacht would be refueled for the trip back to Miami.
(ref; Plumlee is also reference as being on board this verse. found in the book Deadly Secrets by Wm Turner and Warren Hickle)
A few hours before departure, the authorities raided several places where students usually gathered around Miami. They failed to make any arrests, but they did succeed in letting everyone know that they had to move immediately. To confuse the authorities, the expeditionaries selected the most conspicuous place of departure, the Miami River. There, very close to the MacArthur Causeway which links Miami with Miami Beach, the Cubans gathered and boarded the "Thor II." renamed "Escapade." The decision was made to carry five tons of arms, thus reducing the number of expeditionaries to 15 men and one woman (Esther Martín). With its cargo the "Escapade" quietly cruised out of Miami.
The expedition was as a complete success, and coordination between the exiles and the urban cadres was excellent. Captain Sweeting's cruiser anchored at Raccoon Cay off the northern coast of Cuba, and the expeditionaries \Acre transported further by a fishing boat, the "San Rafael." From the moment "Escapade" touched Raccoon Cay, Gustavo ("Tavo") Machin'' was responsible for the operation. Close to the coast they boarded a third small craft, the "Yaloven," which carried men and supplies to the fishing village of Santa Rita, close to the port of Nuevitas, in Camaguey province. On February 8, 1958,12 the DR's small expeditionary force landed and rapidly moved inland toward the capital of' Camaguey province where they remained hidden for a day, in groups of two and three at various underground headquarters.
The expedition's cargo was at this point divided between arms to he transported to the DR's underground in Havana, and arms suitable for mountain fighting. Antonio ("Tony") Bastida, manager of a transport fleet of' trucks, was in charge of delivering the arms in Havana. The urban underground received 33 Thompsons, a .50 caliber machine gun, two .55 caliber anti-tank rifles, one shotgun, two .30 caliber machine guns, one M-3, two M-1s, a Winchester rifle, one Browning automatic rifle, 300 rounds of ammunition for the anti-tank rifles, 2,000 capsules (30.06mm) and ammunition for .45 caliber pistols, and hand grenades. The would-be guerrilla fighters carried 50 Italian carbines, two "Stern" submachine guns, one Thompson, two M-3s, two Springfield rifles, one Garand rifle, one M-1, five semi-automatic Remington rifles with telescopic sights, and 20,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibers.
(ref; Plumlee 1958-59 FBI files Sutor Case Cincinnati Ohio Weapons removed from National Guard Armory)
The route leading from Camaguey to the Banao area in the Escambray Mountains (190 kilometers) had been traced by urban cadres. All along the \Nay cadre members met the expeditionaries to render reports on the area they were still to cover, and to pinpoint army positions. The urban cadre members-among them Ramon Pando and Piro Abreu, student leaders in Las Villas province-took supplies to the expeditionaries and sometimes added men to the group. Dr. Manuel Sori Marin was also very helpful in finding means of transportation for the expeditionaries.
On February 13, the expeditionaries reached the Banao area in the subregion of the Trinidad-Sancti-Spiritus mountains, to the southeast of Santa Clara, Las Villas' capital, and the next day the group reached the Cangalito hills- At 7 AM on February 15, they arrived at Cacahual, a small guerrilla camp flanked by two hills, where Gutierrez Menoyo, William Morgan and other guerrillas awaited the group. With Castro's experience at Alegria de Pio in mind, the expeditionaries place two observers on the hills surrounding Cacahual. Two days later, the observers alerted the camp to five army scouts approaching Cacahual~ an ambush disposed of' three of the five soldiers, but the rest escaped. Fearing the arrival of' army reinforceincrits the expeditionarics broke camp.
At this point there were 29 guerrillas marching in two separate groups. Fourteen guerrillas followed an old peasant guide named Cadenas, among them \Acre Rolando Cubela, Gustavo ("Tavo") Machin, Dario Pedrosa, Alberto Mora and Efren Mur. The other group included, among others, Eduardo Garcia Lavandero, Rodriguez Loeches, Chomon, Luis Blanca, Armando Fleites, Alberto Blanco, Menoyo, Ivan Rodriguez, Ramon Pando, Oscar Ruiz and William Morgan. ( Morgan sometimes references as being Plumlee)
The second group of guerrillas marched toward the west and into the mountain chain called Guamuhaya. On February 19, the guerrillas camped at a place where they were to meet the rest of' the expeditionaries. Some of the DR men were to separate from the main group and return to the cities to wage urban guerrilla warfare. Ramon Pando and Alberto Blanco decided not to wait for the rest and were led out of' the mountains by Leonardo Bombino and a guide named Faustinito. They "ere intercepted by an army patrol, and Ramon Pando was captured, but the others managed to escape. Pando was later assassinated by order of army Lieutenant Froilan Perez. I I
The two groups reunited at the Michelena forests, and the remaining 27 men tried to escape the area and tile pursuing army. They marched until 4 PM on February 19, when they camped at the forest of' "La Diana." Soon army troops approached along a path in the forest: at 4:45 PM the DR combatants ambushed them, in a 15-minute encounter killing 14 and wounding 16 soldiers." For the next 13 hours the guerrillas, led by Leonardo Bombino, marched along ravines until they managed to escape from the army. On February 24, safe from the army's pursuit, the DR leaders A rote a manifesto which they signed on the 25th.
The Manifesto of Escambray
The DR's manifesto set forth the objectives of the struggle by announcing that its strategy would be to conduct simultaneous urban and rural guerrilla A warfare against Batista. The DR would fight for the re-establishment of the Constitution of 1940, and to open the way for a social revolution. Revolutionary unity was essential for the victory of the insurrection, and the DR proposed that a "party of the revolution" be organized after Batista's overthrow. That party would gather "the real fighters who daily risk their lives fighting the dictatorship," and would guarantee that the constitution and the laws were fulfilled. The need for violence was reaffirmed, for peace could only come through the waging of war. The pillars of the future revolution were to be education, administrative honesty, agrarian reform and industrialization. Internationally, the DR supported the formation of a federation of' Caribbean republics, an initial step toward the organization of a confederation of American republics.
The insurrectionary struggle against Batista, maintained the DR, was but the continuation of the country's historical struggle for independence since the nineteenth century. the DR viewed the insurrection as inspired by Jose Marti's ideas, the nationalism of Antonio ("Tony") Guiteras and the democratic principles of Jose Antonio Echeverria. The DR's fight was not only against Batista's regime, but also against -those who only a few years ago supported the Nazis on conquered land of Europe," a direct reference to the Communists, who -today are playing Batista's game as vulgar puppets." The caste of old and young politicians would be swept away by the insurrection as a fundamental requisite of social therapy.
On February 27, the guerrillas reached the mountains to the south of Santa Clara, close to the cities of Placetas, Cabaiguan, Santa Clara and Guayos. At a peak called Tres Cruces, Chomon, Alberto Blanco, Rosendo Yero, Rodriguez Loeches, Garcia Lavandero and Luis Blanca began their journey back into the urban struggle. They were led by the peasant guide Bombino and another peasant named Raul Rosa.
Although the DR had suffered severe casualties in the urban struggle, the theory of "hitting at the top" had not been discarded completely. Faure Chomon, Rodriguez Loeches and Eduardo Garcia Lavandero continued to urge the DR to strike at the dictator. These men had been molded in the urban insurrection, men from the cities, whose insurrectionary outlook was directly connected with struggle in the center of power, Havana.
Consequently, when Rodriguez Loeches left his companeros to seek help in the cities close to the Escambray Mountains, he felt "a sense of relief and security," since as an urban fighter he felt "secure in my own environment." In Sancti-Spiritus, Loeches established contact with Piro Abreu through a lawyer, Emilio Morata. Abreu provided the insurrectionists with a car and with an experienced driver, Carlos Brunet. On the evening of March 3, the group met at Fomentos with plans to reach the city of Placetas, and then move by bus to Havana.
As their car approached the city of' Placetas on the Central Highway, an army jeep and a car from the Servicio de Inteligencia Militar (SIM) closed the road to check on all cars. The DR militants sped through the SIM's barricade as the army's car sped after them. Suddenly, Brunet stopped the car; as the soldiers stepped out of theirs, Brunet started the car again and the SIM agents opened fire. The men succeeded in escaping Placetas, heading east toward the city of Cabaiguan. Along the way, the driver refused to continue what he viewed as a suicide mission; the car was stopped and Brunet and Rosendo Yero stayed behind while Alberto Blanco took the driver's seat.
In minutes, the car approached the city of Cabaiguan where an army patrol was waiting, signaling for them to stop. The soldiers "had all kind of weapons," and as Blanco sped through the army's barricade "shots rang out," and "pieces of glasses flew all over."" Garcia Lavandero fired his M-3 rifle behind the driver while Chomon, fired from the other window as the car went through the army's blockade and into the city. Miraculously, they escaped with Garcia Lavandero suffering only a minor wound in the shoulder. After a daring escape from Cabaiguan and several days of hiding with peasants, the group established contact with the urban underground again and reached Havana. Despite their brush with death they "decidedly felt more secure in the llano (plain)."" Once in Havana, Chomon, met with Faustino P6rez to discuss the feasibility of a general strike.
The DR Guerrilla Front
(Cont) Cuban Insurrection 1952-1958. New Jersey; Transaction Books, released date, 1974:
Thank You Charles XXX I was not aware of the following being released. I was under the impression that most of this background was still Classified. Thank you for forwarding. I wish you well on your book. Let me know when it is completed: RTP
Lt. Col. Robert Bender - July 12, 2005 03:55 PM (GMT)
Why does this person (Plumlee) still have a classified military file? I did a background check on this person and found that his story was known in 1976. But the details were classified. Why was the details classified in the first place? And too, this pilot was employed by Southern Air transport in 1984, before the Iran-Contra became public and Eugene Husenfus bailed out of a C-123 in Central America and his pilots were killed in the crash (1985)
Is this guy(Plumlee) for real? If so how come he is not known about or his story investigated? It looks to me like he is protected by the powers that be. I worked in El Salvador in the eighties before I left military service and I think I know what these pilots were doing at a place called, 'Point West". I find it strange that this guy was one of them and still has a top secret clearence and a classified file. XXXX (67b) Any feed back would be appreciated. Thanks. xxxx 67b
March 12, 2003 09;45PM (GMT)
Col. Robert Bender,
ref; sensitive field reportxxx.....The story of Tosh Plumlee has been known for a few years know. He testified about the Iran Contra affair before a senate committee.
I assume you have read his account of the Dallas affair as part of the abort team. I will see if I can contact William 'Tosh' Plumlee for you.
May I ask how you checked Mr.Plumlees record? I assume you have some military contacts.
All the best.
Sensitive 67b xxxxx JCOS Pentagon
July 13, 2003 04:56 AM (GMT)
I have the listing of names from Church Committee and yes Tosh Plumlee is on the listings. He is into high classification as it states on the documents. (classified QC-2 OMC sensitive)
The actual papers on the Church Committee are large and hard to read. (redacted sensitive) NARA would have records on this material if it has been declassified. (67-b) since the time that Tosh gave this testimony.
SenatorxxxxxxFor the record I want it known that Released Mr. Plumlee's declaration with his permission. I know that he does not want to participate directly, but he has authorized me to release portions of the information. I have numerous documents and photos that I would like to contribute. Lt. Col. Bender's information is very important. His mention of the Quintero ranch in Vera Cruz is right on the money. It reminds me of a little-known incident in which dozens of Mexican and American law enforcement personnel were murdered in a most brutal fashion right an airstrip in Mexico. (reference Mexican reporter Buedia) Also, the Opa Locka base mention in the documentation was many things in addition to a bombing range.
Note: CLASSIFIED by CIA 1961; declassified for information to Commander (67-b) xxx of Panama Southern Command, May of 2005.
" ... Justo Carrillo was an operative name for Posado Carriles in the late fifties and early sixties. ...".
(sensitive report)
XXXX... Background info. Posado was also a part of the M-26-7 in 1956, before he went with Orlando Bosch (pho?) and Omega 7 which was sometime in 1974. They bombed buildings in NY and killed an Ambassador from Chile (also ref; JM/WAVE Miami Station)
Sensitive )... failed to look into these early activities of the CIA, because the CIA has blocked the documentation from review. As you and others know (67-b) was looking into some of this because of the Dallas Cubans of Harlendale Street in Oak Cliff and Dallas and the apartment house behind where Oswald rented a room. (Beckley St?)
In view of the current news black out. or limited news releases as to what is going on with Posado at this time, I thought I would again attempt to point out something, which I feel is a link to LBJ's old boy network and the Dallas guns for Cuba ..... If neither you or( 67-b) do not want this type of information in your files, then let me know....For your information, I do know about the secret files on Posado and the Cuban M-26-7 movement and the School of the Americas at Ft. Benning GA.
THE M-26-7 OO- FBI MIAMI FLORIDA CUBAN HISTORY
Referenced information on William Robert Plumlee, aka William H (Buck) Pearson (operative name)
"....... The following was taken from the book Cuban Insurrection 1952-1958. New Jersey; Transaction Books, released date, 1974:
This reference was sent to me recently by a close researcher and friend after I ask him if he had any knowledge of the M-26-7 and the early Dallas Cubans before Kennedy was assassinated. I think the following is little known by most investingators of today. I find this information a very important link for those who want a solid references on the events that led up to that day in Dallas. It starts in 1956.
It is important to keep in mind that the CIA was supplying arms and ammunition to Fidel Castro, in 1957, while still sending arms, aircraft, and tanks to Batista. in accordance to the terms of the OAS Treaty. We, the United States, were the "Arms Merchants" supporting both sides. In order to grasp why some Cubans to this day do not trust the United States is, perhaps, because of these political policies of old.
Not much has been written about this M-26-7 to some extend the CI A's involvement is still classified. Most of this information, about the M-26-7 Havana group and the CI A's activities, have been purged from history records.. I for one think this history should be reevaluated and incorporated into any serious research work.
We on the committee know of three American Pilots who lost their lives while flying weapons which had been stolen from United States National Guard Armories in order to overthrow Batista and bring Castro to power. We also know of others who lost their lives while engaged in other secret operations connected to some of the splinter groups of the M-26-7. These brave men lost their lives after the M-26-7 was merged into other operations which were later connected with the overthrow of Castro.
Congressman Tom Downing was looking into these American MIA's when he died. I hope you find the following read of interest for your research and for the sake of history.
Mr.Plumlee is referenced in many CIA field reports and publications of the time, but his CIA operative name of "Buck" Pearson is not. That name should not be confused with Albert 'Buck' Persons, different spellings., different pilots. William Buck Pearson (Plumlee) had worked as a UC within the M-26-7 for the CIA during this time frame, 1956-58.
This Chapter has been taken from: Ramon L. Bonachea and Marta San Martin. The Cuban Insurrection 1952-1959. New Jersey: Transaction Books, 1974.
Chapter 9 A New Strategy (Joe Westbrook, Faure Chomon, Buck Pearson, the DR, the students at the University of Havana)
pp. 173-186
"....Fidel Castro had survived with a small force of guerrilla fighters in the Sierra Maestra for over a year. Isolated from the rest of the island, sustaining few casualties and supported by the urban underground of the M-26-7, Fidel was creating a well-disciplined group of guerrillas and gaining the backing of the area's population. His mere presence in the Sierra Maestra contributed to his popularity with the people. Urban underground fighters were unknown precisely because of the secret nature of their activities, and after the deaths of Frank País and José Antonio Echeverría, Fidel was the only important insurrectionary leader, urban or otherwise, left in Cuba. Militarily, he had demonstrated that one could wage guerrilla warfare in the mountains against a regular army; and in so doing he had created a sanctuary for the urban cadres, a place where they could continue the struggle rather than perish in the cities.
The DR's insistence upon conducting urban operations in accordance with the theory of' "hitting at the top" did not altogether disappear from the minds of' some of the leaders, especially Faure Chomón. But it was evident by late 1957 that a change in approach was as urgently needed. The organization had probably suffered more than any other in the urban struggle. It was the only movement to have lost all its leaders in a period of one month--the tragic weeks of March and April 1957. The long perparatory period before the attack on the Presidential Palace, the street demonstrations, acts of terrorism and direct confrontations with the police--all of which helped to develop a group of hard-core militants--also damaged the organization. The police had learned many of the cadre members' names and sought them out with pictures after the palace attack. The DR had to initiate a campaign for new recruits and to try to reinstitute the cell structure of the organization.
After the attack on the palace and the Humboldt No. 7 killings, the executive council was reorganized. The new group included Primitivo Lima, Andrés Silva, Osmel Francis and Mary Pumpido among the voting professionals. The workers were represented by Pedro Martínez, Orlando Blanco and Jorge Martín, who were leaders of action and sabotage cells and also organizers within the labor movement. The council also included a women's section represented by Fructuoso Rodríguez's widow, Marta Jiménez.
Eloy Gutiérrez Menoyo--the brother of Carlos, who had led the commando group in the palace attack--was appointed chief of action in Havana. Under Eloy's leadership a new group of' urban cadre members emerged to replace their dead compañeros, among them: Guillermo Jiménez, Angel Quevedo, Julio Fernández, Héctor Terry, Enrique Zamorano, Domingo Pérez, Jorge ("Mago") Robreño, and Mario ("Reguerita") Reguera.
In Las Villas province, Ramón Pando, president of the Student Federation of the School of Commerce at Las Villas University, became the provincial secretary general of the DR. With Enrique Villegas and Piro Abreu active throughout the province, the DR movement acquired a new impetus in central Cuba. Meanwhile, in Camagüey other militants emerged as important members of the urban organization, among them: Antonio ("Tony") Bastida, Florencio González, Adolfo Mora and Sergio Valle.
The DR recovered rapidly from its defeat and extended its cells into the various sectors of the population reaching even well-to-do students at the Catholic Unversity of Villanova, where Jesús "Paulino" Barreiro represented the DR. Although few of these students were willing to cooperate, those who did help were instrumental in creating the Fourth Guerrilla Front in Pinar del Rio province. West of Havana, in late 1958.
The movement also organized overseas. With funds raised among exiles in Miami and other cities in the United States, the DR sent delegates to various Latin American countries. Venezuelan leader, Romulo Betancourt, José Figueres of Costa Rica and Juan José Arévalo of Guatemala aided the DR by publicly supporting the insurrection. Results of this support were impressive, opening new contacts throughout the area and helping in the formation of delegations in Chile and in Caracas, Venezuela, following the fall of dictator Pérez Jiménez in early 1958. Delegations also existed in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Montevideo. Uruguay; Lima, Peru; Bogotá, Colombia; San José, Costa Rica: and in Panama, El Salvador and Mexico. In the United States there were delegations in New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami. The Nassau delegation was as able to extend its contacts throughout the Bahamas and, through the members of this important delegation. The DR developed its system for infiltrating people into Cuba, for conveying contraband arms, and for receiving information on the activities of the urban underground.
One of the important tasks of the delegations was to conduct public campaigns to discredit Batista's regime and to present the case for the insurrection. As the tempo of these activities increased, U.S. authorities began to pay more attention to Cuban exiles in the Florida area. Federal authorities sometimes succeeded in blocking arms shipments to Cuba; more often they were unsuccessful.
Under the leadership of Luis Blanca, Héctor Rosales, Carlos "Chino" Figueredo and Armando Fleites, the DR created a chain of' arms depots that extended from New York City to New Orleans and from there to Miami. Arms were never concentrated in a specific place, and sites where arms were gathered were usually outside the Spanish-speaking colonies. When a shipment left, several cars and trucks were used along the route, and deliveries were seldom made at the same place twice. False reports circulated throughout the exile colony to confuse the authorities. However, the general feeling among DR militants was that U.S. authorities were simply looking the other way as much as they possibly could. ....."
"****....
On January 28, 1958, José Martí's birthday, the DR held a mass rally at Miami's Bayfront Park, scene of many such gatherings by Cuban exiles. At that meeting, it was announced that Cuba would soon be in flames, and other pledges of future action were issued. Rumors of an impending invasion of Cuba circulated throughout the exile colony. During the first week of February, the DR underground was placed on the alert, and various cells prepared to go into diversionary actions against the government.
In the final hours before the expedition, reports circulated in the exile colony about an encounter between an army patrol and guerrillas at Escambray. Fearing that these guerrillas were Menoyo's, and that Batista would mobilize the army to stop another Castro-like invasion, the DR gave the plan for an expedition its final touches.
The Expedition
In Miami, the students had established contact with an American named Alton Sweeting, captain of a pleasure yacht, the "Thor II," licensed in New York. Captain Sweeting agreed to take the expedition to a point near the northern coast of Cuba. From there a rendezvous ship was to transport the expeditionaries to the mainland, while Captain Sweeting's yacht would be refueled for the trip back to Miami.
(ref; Plumlee is also reference as being on board this verse. found in the book Deadly Secrets by Wm Turner and Warren Hickle)
A few hours before departure, the authorities raided several places where students usually gathered around Miami. They failed to make any arrests, but they did succeed in letting everyone know that they had to move immediately. To confuse the authorities, the expeditionaries selected the most conspicuous place of departure, the Miami River. There, very close to the MacArthur Causeway which links Miami with Miami Beach, the Cubans gathered and boarded the "Thor II." renamed "Escapade." The decision was made to carry five tons of arms, thus reducing the number of expeditionaries to 15 men and one woman (Esther Martín). With its cargo the "Escapade" quietly cruised out of Miami.
The expedition was as a complete success, and coordination between the exiles and the urban cadres was excellent. Captain Sweeting's cruiser anchored at Raccoon Cay off the northern coast of Cuba, and the expeditionaries \Acre transported further by a fishing boat, the "San Rafael." From the moment "Escapade" touched Raccoon Cay, Gustavo ("Tavo") Machin'' was responsible for the operation. Close to the coast they boarded a third small craft, the "Yaloven," which carried men and supplies to the fishing village of Santa Rita, close to the port of Nuevitas, in Camaguey province. On February 8, 1958,12 the DR's small expeditionary force landed and rapidly moved inland toward the capital of' Camaguey province where they remained hidden for a day, in groups of two and three at various underground headquarters.
The expedition's cargo was at this point divided between arms to he transported to the DR's underground in Havana, and arms suitable for mountain fighting. Antonio ("Tony") Bastida, manager of a transport fleet of' trucks, was in charge of delivering the arms in Havana. The urban underground received 33 Thompsons, a .50 caliber machine gun, two .55 caliber anti-tank rifles, one shotgun, two .30 caliber machine guns, one M-3, two M-1s, a Winchester rifle, one Browning automatic rifle, 300 rounds of ammunition for the anti-tank rifles, 2,000 capsules (30.06mm) and ammunition for .45 caliber pistols, and hand grenades. The would-be guerrilla fighters carried 50 Italian carbines, two "Stern" submachine guns, one Thompson, two M-3s, two Springfield rifles, one Garand rifle, one M-1, five semi-automatic Remington rifles with telescopic sights, and 20,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibers.
(ref; Plumlee 1958-59 FBI files Sutor Case Cincinnati Ohio Weapons removed from National Guard Armory)
The route leading from Camaguey to the Banao area in the Escambray Mountains (190 kilometers) had been traced by urban cadres. All along the \Nay cadre members met the expeditionaries to render reports on the area they were still to cover, and to pinpoint army positions. The urban cadre members-among them Ramon Pando and Piro Abreu, student leaders in Las Villas province-took supplies to the expeditionaries and sometimes added men to the group. Dr. Manuel Sori Marin was also very helpful in finding means of transportation for the expeditionaries.
On February 13, the expeditionaries reached the Banao area in the subregion of the Trinidad-Sancti-Spiritus mountains, to the southeast of Santa Clara, Las Villas' capital, and the next day the group reached the Cangalito hills- At 7 AM on February 15, they arrived at Cacahual, a small guerrilla camp flanked by two hills, where Gutierrez Menoyo, William Morgan and other guerrillas awaited the group. With Castro's experience at Alegria de Pio in mind, the expeditionaries place two observers on the hills surrounding Cacahual. Two days later, the observers alerted the camp to five army scouts approaching Cacahual~ an ambush disposed of' three of the five soldiers, but the rest escaped. Fearing the arrival of' army reinforceincrits the expeditionarics broke camp.
At this point there were 29 guerrillas marching in two separate groups. Fourteen guerrillas followed an old peasant guide named Cadenas, among them \Acre Rolando Cubela, Gustavo ("Tavo") Machin, Dario Pedrosa, Alberto Mora and Efren Mur. The other group included, among others, Eduardo Garcia Lavandero, Rodriguez Loeches, Chomon, Luis Blanca, Armando Fleites, Alberto Blanco, Menoyo, Ivan Rodriguez, Ramon Pando, Oscar Ruiz and William Morgan. ( Morgan sometimes references as being Plumlee)
The second group of guerrillas marched toward the west and into the mountain chain called Guamuhaya. On February 19, the guerrillas camped at a place where they were to meet the rest of' the expeditionaries. Some of the DR men were to separate from the main group and return to the cities to wage urban guerrilla warfare. Ramon Pando and Alberto Blanco decided not to wait for the rest and were led out of' the mountains by Leonardo Bombino and a guide named Faustinito. They "ere intercepted by an army patrol, and Ramon Pando was captured, but the others managed to escape. Pando was later assassinated by order of army Lieutenant Froilan Perez. I I
The two groups reunited at the Michelena forests, and the remaining 27 men tried to escape the area and tile pursuing army. They marched until 4 PM on February 19, when they camped at the forest of' "La Diana." Soon army troops approached along a path in the forest: at 4:45 PM the DR combatants ambushed them, in a 15-minute encounter killing 14 and wounding 16 soldiers." For the next 13 hours the guerrillas, led by Leonardo Bombino, marched along ravines until they managed to escape from the army. On February 24, safe from the army's pursuit, the DR leaders A rote a manifesto which they signed on the 25th.
The Manifesto of Escambray
The DR's manifesto set forth the objectives of the struggle by announcing that its strategy would be to conduct simultaneous urban and rural guerrilla A warfare against Batista. The DR would fight for the re-establishment of the Constitution of 1940, and to open the way for a social revolution. Revolutionary unity was essential for the victory of the insurrection, and the DR proposed that a "party of the revolution" be organized after Batista's overthrow. That party would gather "the real fighters who daily risk their lives fighting the dictatorship," and would guarantee that the constitution and the laws were fulfilled. The need for violence was reaffirmed, for peace could only come through the waging of war. The pillars of the future revolution were to be education, administrative honesty, agrarian reform and industrialization. Internationally, the DR supported the formation of a federation of' Caribbean republics, an initial step toward the organization of a confederation of American republics.
The insurrectionary struggle against Batista, maintained the DR, was but the continuation of the country's historical struggle for independence since the nineteenth century. the DR viewed the insurrection as inspired by Jose Marti's ideas, the nationalism of Antonio ("Tony") Guiteras and the democratic principles of Jose Antonio Echeverria. The DR's fight was not only against Batista's regime, but also against -those who only a few years ago supported the Nazis on conquered land of Europe," a direct reference to the Communists, who -today are playing Batista's game as vulgar puppets." The caste of old and young politicians would be swept away by the insurrection as a fundamental requisite of social therapy.
On February 27, the guerrillas reached the mountains to the south of Santa Clara, close to the cities of Placetas, Cabaiguan, Santa Clara and Guayos. At a peak called Tres Cruces, Chomon, Alberto Blanco, Rosendo Yero, Rodriguez Loeches, Garcia Lavandero and Luis Blanca began their journey back into the urban struggle. They were led by the peasant guide Bombino and another peasant named Raul Rosa.
Although the DR had suffered severe casualties in the urban struggle, the theory of "hitting at the top" had not been discarded completely. Faure Chomon, Rodriguez Loeches and Eduardo Garcia Lavandero continued to urge the DR to strike at the dictator. These men had been molded in the urban insurrection, men from the cities, whose insurrectionary outlook was directly connected with struggle in the center of power, Havana.
Consequently, when Rodriguez Loeches left his companeros to seek help in the cities close to the Escambray Mountains, he felt "a sense of relief and security," since as an urban fighter he felt "secure in my own environment." In Sancti-Spiritus, Loeches established contact with Piro Abreu through a lawyer, Emilio Morata. Abreu provided the insurrectionists with a car and with an experienced driver, Carlos Brunet. On the evening of March 3, the group met at Fomentos with plans to reach the city of Placetas, and then move by bus to Havana.
As their car approached the city of' Placetas on the Central Highway, an army jeep and a car from the Servicio de Inteligencia Militar (SIM) closed the road to check on all cars. The DR militants sped through the SIM's barricade as the army's car sped after them. Suddenly, Brunet stopped the car; as the soldiers stepped out of theirs, Brunet started the car again and the SIM agents opened fire. The men succeeded in escaping Placetas, heading east toward the city of Cabaiguan. Along the way, the driver refused to continue what he viewed as a suicide mission; the car was stopped and Brunet and Rosendo Yero stayed behind while Alberto Blanco took the driver's seat.
In minutes, the car approached the city of Cabaiguan where an army patrol was waiting, signaling for them to stop. The soldiers "had all kind of weapons," and as Blanco sped through the army's barricade "shots rang out," and "pieces of glasses flew all over."" Garcia Lavandero fired his M-3 rifle behind the driver while Chomon, fired from the other window as the car went through the army's blockade and into the city. Miraculously, they escaped with Garcia Lavandero suffering only a minor wound in the shoulder. After a daring escape from Cabaiguan and several days of hiding with peasants, the group established contact with the urban underground again and reached Havana. Despite their brush with death they "decidedly felt more secure in the llano (plain)."" Once in Havana, Chomon, met with Faustino P6rez to discuss the feasibility of a general strike.
The DR Guerrilla Front
(Cont) Cuban Insurrection 1952-1958. New Jersey; Transaction Books, released date, 1974:
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