Attachment 14

U.S. GOVERNMENT SOURCE CREATED AND DISSEMINATED FALSE INFORMATION ON BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE’S (BTTR) INTENTIONS FOR FEBRUARY 24, 1996

A week before the incident, this false information was circulated within U.S. government agencies to recruit their help. The FAA in Miami and Customs radar officials were briefed and told that BTTR intended to make “a political statement” on Feb 24, 1996, thus justifying and facilitating the special monitoring, documenting and handling of the BTTR flights on that day i. SEADS has also acknowledged having been briefed. These agencies, involved under false pretenses, unwittingly provided their help to a plan whose real intent was to terminate BTTR by shooting down all three aircraft.

Department of State officials passed this false information on without disclosing its origin, which BTTR believes to include the FBI and Juan Pablo Roque, double agent for Cuba and the FBI.

These preparations to document the shootdown were necessary to later avoid any possible blame or embarrassment to the U.S. The material thus developed was later used in a March 2, 1996 damage control meeting in New York of representatives from the U.S. and Cuban government to contrive an explanation for the action, which was foiled by Castro’s failure to shoot down all BTTR aircraft. At that meeting the Cubans were told by the U.S. “what happened that day”.

Footnote:

i. ICAO Report-Report of Investigation Regarding the Shooting Down of Two US Registered Private Civil Aircraft by Cuban Military Aircraft on 24 February 1996, dated June 1996.

Major Jeffrey Houlihan’s testimony, Tab D, Issue II.

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