By José Luis Méndez Méndez* / Special contribution for *Resumen Latinoamericano*
Cuban authorities were pioneers in ensuring the safety of air traffic in the Caribbean region and Latin America, spearheading the signing of agreements to protect the free movement of civil aircraft. At a time when cooperation and collaboration to combat piracy and terrorism were novel concepts in the area, Cuba took the initiative to secure firm, lasting agreements aimed at halting international criminal activity in the region.
This responsible move by Cuba was acknowledged by the CIA in one of its periodic reports, which noted that the signing of these agreements was the most significant development regarding cooperation against terrorism and aerial piracy in the Caribbean between 1970 and 1976. Agreements were signed in 1973 with Canada, the United States, Venezuela, and Mexico: with Canada and the United States on February 15, and with Venezuela and Mexico on June 6.
The agreement with the United States did not survive, however, due to the indifferent and complicit attitude of U.S. authorities toward anti-Cuban terrorists based on their soil—perpetrators of dozens of acts and plots of terror against Cuban interests and citizens, most notably the vile downing of the Cuban civilian airliner. The agreement was terminated on April 15, 1977. On June 6, 1976—months before the plane was brought down—Cuban leader Fidel Castro had warned that the agreement could be rendered void if U.S. authorities continued to tolerate such terrorist activities. The second paragraph of the signed agreement stated: Each party shall proceed to severely punish, in accordance with its laws, any person who henceforth—within that party’s territory—conspires to promote, promotes, prepares, directs, or takes part in an expedition that, from its territory or any other location, carries out such acts (or others equally illegal) within the territory of the other party.
Before, during, and after the bilateral agreement was annulled, this provision remained a dead letter for U.S. agencies. On July 22, 1974, a similar agreement was signed with Colombia. Six years later—during the final year of President Jimmy Carter’s administration—the so-called Mariel boatlift took place, bringing more than 120,000 Cubans to Florida’s shores; they had sought to emigrate via a prolonged maritime bridge in search of supposedly new and better horizons. However, reality prevailed over fantasy, and many of the migrants decided to return using a wide variety of methods—many of them highly dangerous, such as illicit hijackings—a scourge that Cuban authorities decisively resolved.
Shooting down planes in mid-flight was an objective long devised and tested by Orlando Bosch and his hired gunmen during the 1970s. The assassin sought to commit an act of terror that would have significant impact—one that could not be downplayed and would draw attention to his goal of overthrowing the Revolution through criminal means; it was a paradox for a pediatrician turned into a murderer of the worst kind.
He claimed to recall how, in the Cuban city of Santa Clara—where he had practiced as a pediatrician—he had planted a bomb in a local shoe store, sending shoes flying through the air due to the explosive’s blast; yet, while satisfied, he admitted that such small-scale actions were insufficient and that acts of greater magnitude were required. The late Bosch was a fanatic and an extremist bordering on the pathological—a fact evidenced by his background and criminal record, which reveal marked traits of *Herostratism*: the pursuit of fame and celebrity through criminal acts. This stemmed from a profound need for recognition, born of his failed leadership in Cuba. This drive was manifest in his detonation of over eighty bombs within the United States over a two-year period, his notorious intent to assassinate Fidel Castro, and his obsession with bringing down aircraft in mid-flight. As U.S. authorities assessing his admission to the country observed, he was a criminal who employed lethal violence in pursuit of glory and notoriety; his goal was to become a legendary figure, even if doing so required involving and victimizing innocent people unconnected to his sinister schemes. He harbored these dark dreams when he founded *Poder Cubano* in 1968 and orchestrated the detonation of eighty bombs across various U.S. cities in a single year; he refined them while imprisoned in Marion, Illinois; and he acted upon them after striking a deal during the Nixon administration to secure his release in 1972, eventually escaping to put his plans into motion and turn them into reality.
A declassified secret FBI document dated November 1, 1976—which analyzes the background of the sabotage of the Cuban plane in Barbados—states that *Acción Cubana* (Cuban Action), an organization founded by Bosch in 1972, attempted a bombing attack against Bahamas Air at Miami International Airport on September 27, 1975. *Acción Cubana* was the name Orlando Bosch adopted to operate in Latin America after fleeing the United States; the group later evolved into CORU in June 1976. On November 30, 1975, a shocking report appeared in the New York weekly *Última Hora*, revealing a statement issued under the pseudonym “Ernesto” by an organization called *Poder Cubano-76* (Cuban Power-76). The text claimed responsibility for planting two time bombs on a Bahamas Air plane returning to the United States from Nassau. Fortunately, the deadly devices were discovered and defused minutes before sixty-two vacationers—mostly U.S. citizens—were set to board the aircraft for the return trip to Miami. Airline officials confirmed that the explosives had been rigged to detonate while the plane was in mid-flight. According to “Ernesto,” the action was a protest against the Bahamian government for revoking the fishing permits of Florida-based Cuban fishermen who harvested lobster.
The stated motive reveals the terrorists’ insanity. Bosch had confided his plan to another terrorist, Gaspar Jiménez Escobado, stating that it would serve as the catalyst to ensure their struggle to overthrow the Cuban government could not be silenced; he believed it would shake the existing order and capture the attention of the global public. It would also derail—or at least stall—any understanding between the United States and Cuba. Bosch argued that an event of such magnitude would terrify Latin American authorities; following the OAS agreement adopted in June 1975, these nations were free to decide unilaterally whether or not to re-establish relations with Havana, yet the terrorist believed the Cuban regime had to remain isolated. In an interview with the author, Carlos Rivero Collado—a member of the invasion force defeated at the Bay of Pigs—stated that it was common knowledge in Miami that “Ernesto” was the alias Orlando Bosch used in his terrorist activities. It was obvious that *Poder Cubano-76* was simply an updated version of the group that, under his leadership, had previously terrorized several U.S. states. At the time, Rivero could not conceive that anti-Cuban factions were capable of hatching such a plot; he refused to believe it. We debated the arguments passionately, standing at opposite poles of the discussion, but nearly a year later, with tears in his eyes, Carlos conceded that I was right. It was October 6, 1976. I recall him saying on one occasion: “I know the criminal, irresponsible nature of the terrorists based in the United States, but I find it hard to believe they would go so far as to blow up planes in mid-air.” We met again in January 1977 and revisited the subject. By then, terrorism in Miami had become more than just a headache for the authorities; all balance and control had been lost. The terrorists had become common criminals using what they had learned from the CIA to extort, murder adversaries, and fight for turf within the local mafia—chaos reigned. Carlos was leaning toward agreeing with me. The horrific act of terror revealed the murderous nature of its perpetrators; any lingering doubts about the lengths to which they would go in their plans were dispelled. They were not merely on the wrong side of history; they were psychopaths of the worst kind. Anti-Cuban terrorism was shaken to its very roots, and its future was definitively altered—though the Cuban people would still have to mourn further victims and demand an end to the injustice.
(*) Writer and university professor. He is the author of, among others, the books *Bajo las alas del Cóndor* (Under the Wings of the Condor), *La Operación Cóndor contra Cuba* (Operation Condor Against Cuba), and *Demócratas en la Casa Blanca y el terrorismo contra Cuba* (Democrats in the White House and Terrorism Against Cuba). He is a contributor to *Cubadebate* and *Resumen Latinoamericano*.
