-DATE-
19600219
-YEAR-
1960
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
COMMENT
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
CASTRO GIVES REPLIES TO RADIO INTERVIEW
-PLACE-
HAVANA
-SOURCE-
HAVANA'S RADIO SALAS
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19600219
-TEXT-
CUBA

Feb. 19, 1960

CASTRO GIVES REPLIES TO RADIO INTERVIEW

(Editorial Report--E)  An interview with Cuban Premier Fidel Castro on
"Meet the Press" was intercepted in progress on Havana's Radio Sales at
0346 GMT Feb. 19.  The program appeared to have been in progress only a few
minutes.

At the point of interception, Castro was discussing a series of air raids
on Cuba, apparently reviewing past raids in preparation for a discussion of
the explosion of a plane over Cuba on Feb. 18, Castro claimed that all
evidence indicated that the explosion was caused by a bomb aboard the plane
which was to have been dropped on a sugar mill at which 266 persons were
working.  He went on to assert that the plane had come from Florida and
that the navigation maps, which had been recovered, showed the exact spots
from which the planes had taken off.

Dealing with the identify of the pilots, Castro produced documents which he
said were a U.S. passport and a flight record belonging to one of the
pilots.  He also produced credentials issued by the Utah civil defense
council which he said belonged to the same pilot.  He added that
[Unreadable text] papers were found but it could not be determined that
they belonged to the second person in the plane, who had not been
identified because of the mutilation of his person in the explosion.

Castro then produced maps which he said had routes marked to various
provinces in Cuba and pinpointed individual sugar mills.  He added that
there was no doubt that the persons in the plane had been systematically
attacking Cuban sugar mills.  Only small incendiary bombs had been used
previously, he declared, but now they are beginning to bomb mills with
explosive bombs.  It would be hard to say to what extent the indignation of
the people would have gone, he added, if the bomb had killed a dozen
workers.

After again asserting that Cuba had proof that this plane had come from the
United States and claiming that the president of the company which owned
the plane had admitted that it had taken off From Miami, Castro went on to
deal with Cuban-U.S. relations.  The air raids on Cuba, he said, were the
most important factor leading to the deterioration of relations between the
two countries.  Recalling charges that Cuba represents a danger to U.S.
security, Castro declared:  We are the ones who must fear for our security;
here you have the maps showing the point attacked or to be attacked.
-END-