Cuban Power
Encyclopedia
Cuban Power, also known as El Poder Cubano or United Cuban Power was an Anti-Castro terrorist group that conducted bombings against Cuban targets and states and entities they felt to be sympathetic to the Castro regime through early and mid-1968.
, and allegedly worked with the CIA to aid the anti-Communist underground in Cuba and had even been sent to the Congo to help anti-Communist forces in 1964.
On August 13 police raided a Johnsonburg, New Jersey
farm seizing a half ton of dynamite
, automatic weapons and ammunition
, as well as a uniform of one of the guerrilla groups involved in the Bay of Pigs Invasion
. Michael A. DeCarolis, 32, was arrested.
A federal grand jury handed down an indictment for nine Cuban exiles on Thursday, October 10 in Miami. They were arrested and charged the next day. The testimony of Navarette was reportedly key to breaking the case. Three of the exiles, Orlando Bosch
, Jose Diaz Morejon and Barbaro Balan Garcia were charged with the Sept. 16 shooting of the Polanika. Bosch was also charged with making terroristic threats in a June 6 cable sent to Prime Minister Harold Wilson
, Francisco Franco
and President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz
of Mexico threatening to blow up their countries ships if they continued to trade with Cuba. The six other were indicted for conspiracy
to violate the neutrality laws of the US. J. Edgar Hoover
announced this was the group connected with the bombings, but none were charged with crimes relating to the bombing. The other six were Aimee Miranda Cruz, Andres Jorge Gonzalez Gonzalez, Marco Rodríguez Ramos, Paulino Mariono Gutierrez Vidal, Jorge Luis Gutierrez Ulla and Jesus Dominguez Benitez.
A second arrest of nine other exiles took place in New York on October 23. The nine arrested in New York were indicted for arson
, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and Illegal possession of weapons and explosives. According to the indictment the bombing were only the first phase of their plot. They planned to seize arms from the 16th Infantry armory
in Brooklyn and use them for an assassination and bombing campaign that would have included the assassination of Ambassador Dr. Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada
. Those arrested included Oscar Avecedo, Gabriel Abay (both veterans of the Bay of Pigs), Guillermo Miguel, Arturo Rodríguez Vives, Jose Rodone, Ivan Acosta, Ramiro Cortés
, Edgar Rives and Carlos Fernández
.
Two final members of the group were arrested in Miami October 28 and charged with carrying out the groups bombings in California, Juan Garcia Cardenas and Hector Cornillot
List of Attacks
- January 9, 1968: A packaged mailed by Cuban Power in New York exploded in a HavanaHavanaHavana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
post officePost officeA post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, injuring five postal workers.
- January 25: two parcels sent by Cuban Power exploded in Miami. The bombs were sent to All Cargo Transport, Inc., Servicios Especialados and Tiger Garage. The first two were businesses which mailed food and clothing from Cuban exiles to the island through third countries. The latter was an American owned small business with no apparent connection to Cuba. A police office, Sgt. Russel Leasburg was cut by flying glass when investigating one of the packages. A communiquéCommuniqueA communiqué is a brief report or statement released by a public agency.Communiqué may also refer to:* Communiqué , a rock band* Communiqué , 1979* Communiqué , 1987...
by the group warned that other bombs would be directed at people that did business with the Castro regime.
- February 8: the British consulate in Miami was bombed. Cuban Power was suspected.
- April 22: the Mexican consulate and the Spanish National Tourist OfficeTourism in SpainTourism in Spain was developed during the last years of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship, when the country became a popular place for summer holidays, especially for tourists from the British Isles, France, Central Europe and Scandinavia. In 2007, Spain became the second most visited country of the...
in New York are bombed. A reproduction of the Cuban flag bearing the words "Cuban Power" is found at the Spanish office and a "Cuban Power" sign is left outside the Mexican one
- May 26: the home of the Mexican consul general Rafael Reyes Spindola, the Pan American Club and Les Violins restaurant are bombed in Miami.
- May 30: WNDT Channel 13WNETWNET, channel 13 is a non-commercial educational public television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey. With its signal covering the New York metropolitan area, WNET is a primary station of the Public Broadcasting Service and a primary provider of PBS programming...
in New York was bombed.
- May 30: Japanese freighter Asaku Maru bombed in Tamba, Florida. The ship sustained $100,000 in damage.
- June 21: the Spanish National Tourist Office in New York is bombed a second time at 4:10AM. The blast destroyed the front windows, as well as the windows of two neighboring offices. Mimeographed circulars of the Declaration of principles of Cuban Power were found at the site.
- July 4: a bomb is left in a bed of ivyIvyIvy, plural ivies is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and across central-southern Asia east to Japan and Taiwan.-Description:On level ground they...
adjoining the CanadianTourism in CanadaAs a prosperous nation, Canada has a large domestic and foreign tourism industry. The second largest country in the world, Canada's incredible geographical variety is a significant tourist attractor...
and Australian tourist officesTourism in AustraliaTourism is an important industry for the Australian economy. In the financial year 2009/10, the tourism industry represented 2.6% of Australia's GDP at a value of approximately A$34 billion to the national economy. Domestic tourism is a significant part of the tourism industry, and was...
in New York.
- July 7: the Japanese National Tourist OfficeTourism in JapanTourism in Japan attracted 8.3 million foreign visitors in 2008, slightly more than Singapore and Ireland. Japan has 16 World Heritage Sites, including Himeji Castle and Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto . Kyoto receives over 30 million tourists annually...
in Rockefeller CenterRockefeller CenterRockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
is bombed, blowing out the front glass windows. Two passersby were injured: Shirley Schwabe, 42, got glass splinter in her eye, and her daughter, Nancy, 16, suffered lacerations on her foot.
- July 9: a bomb placed on the fourth floor fire escape of a building next to the Yugoslav and Cuban UN Missions in New York exploded at 1AM. Every window on the Yugoslav mission was shattered and the Cuban mission received minor damages. An eight inch deep, two foot square hole is left in the private residence adjoining the fire escape.
- July 14: Chicago branch of the Mexican National Tourist OfficeTourism in MexicoTourism in Mexico is a very large industry. Mexico is the number one destination for foreign tourists within the Latin America region and number two destination in the Americas, ranking worldwide in the tenth place in terms of the international tourist arrivals, with more than 22.6 million visitors...
is bombed.
- July 15: a bomb was discovered and dismantled in front of the French National Tourist OfficeTourism in FranceFrance attracted 78.95 million foreign tourists in 2010, making it the most popular tourist destination in the world. France offers mountain ranges, coastlines such as in Brittany or along the Mediterranean Sea, cities with a rich cultural heritage, châteaux like Versailles, and vineyards...
at Rockefeller Center, New York.
- July 16: a bomb is placed outside the office of the Mexican consulate and airline, Aeronaves de Mexico in Newark, New JerseyNewark, New JerseyNewark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. Police find and dismantle it before it explodes.
- July 19: within seventeen minutes bombs exploded at the Mexican National Tourist Council in Beverly HillsBeverly Hills, CaliforniaBeverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
, the Mexican Travel Agency, Air FranceAir FranceAir France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
, and the Shell Oil buildingShell Oil CompanyShell Oil Company is the United States-based subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, a multinational oil company of Anglo Dutch origins, which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 22,000 Shell employees are based in the U.S. The head office in the U.S. is in Houston, Texas...
in Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Two hours later Japan AirlinesJapan Airlinesis an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...
is bombed. Red, white and blue "Unite Cuban Power" stickers were found at each location.
- July 26: Chicago branch of the Mexican National Tourist OfficeTourism in MexicoTourism in Mexico is a very large industry. Mexico is the number one destination for foreign tourists within the Latin America region and number two destination in the Americas, ranking worldwide in the tenth place in terms of the international tourist arrivals, with more than 22.6 million visitors...
is bombed a second time. A "Cuban Power Unite!" sticker and a two-page handwritten letter are recovered at the site. Meanwhile, another anti-Castro group, the Secret Anti-Communist Army claimed responsibility for the Mexican, Spanish and Canadian bombings, while Movimento Nacional de Coalicion Cubana claimed responsibility for the French and Newark Mexican bombs.
- July 30: British consulate in Los Angeles is bombed. A red, white and blue "United Cuban Power" sticker is found at the scene.
- August 3: the street level offices of the Bank of Tokyo Trust Company at the Waldorf-Astoria HotelWaldorf-Astoria HotelThe Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury hotel in New York. It has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first, designed by architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a...
were bombed at 3:05AM. The blast destroyed furniture, three glass plate-glass windows, two sets of double doors with 3 inch thick glass, and the windows at a Trans World AirlinesTrans World AirlinesTrans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
office across the street. Damage was estimated at $40,000. A man identifying himself as Arturo Rodriguez Vives, spokesman for Cuban Power contacted the New York PostNew York PostThe New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
claiming that an attack on a tourist office of consulate was imminent.
- August 7: a nightwatchman found a bomb with a "Cuban Power" sticker on it at a travel agency at Wilshire BoulevardWilshire BoulevardWilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
, Beverly Hills.
- August 8: the British cargo ship Caribbean Venture hit an underwater mine in Biscayne BayBiscayne BayBiscayne Bay is a lagoon that is approximately 35 miles long and up to 8 miles wide located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida, United States. It is usually divided for purposes of discussion and analysis into three parts: North Bay, Central Bay, and South Bay. Its area is...
, Miami. Cuban Power claims responsibility.
- August 17: a Mexican airline office in Miami is bombed.
- September 16: the Polish freighter Polanika was shot at while docked at Dodge IslandDodge IslandDodge Island is an artificial island in downtown Miami, Florida, United States. It contains the neighboorhood of Port of Miami and the port Port of Miami, the largest cruise ship port on earth....
, Miami.
- October 16: a bomb exploded at the Los Angeles offices of the Socialist Workers PartySocialist Workers Party (United States)The Socialist Workers Party is a far-left political organization in the United States. The group places a priority on "solidarity work" to aid strikes and is strongly supportive of Cuba...
and the Young Socialist AllianceYoung Socialist AllianceThe Young Socialist Alliance was a Trotskyist youth group of the Socialist Workers Party in the United States of America. It was founded in 1960, although it had roots going back several years earlier. It was dissolved in 1992...
. A red white and blue "Cuban Power" sticker was found at the scene.
- October 23: Three sticks of dynamite tied together and a "Unite: Cuban Power" sticker were found at the SWP headquarters in Los Angeles. An anonymous caller had warned police
Arrests and prosecution
Police made their first arrest in connection with Cuban Power when they arrested Ricardo Morales Navarrette on February 14. Navarette was a veteran of the Bay of Pigs InvasionBay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The invasion was launched in April 1961, less than three months...
, and allegedly worked with the CIA to aid the anti-Communist underground in Cuba and had even been sent to the Congo to help anti-Communist forces in 1964.
On August 13 police raided a Johnsonburg, New Jersey
Johnsonburg, New Jersey
Johnsonburg is an unincorporated area within Frelinghuysen Township in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 07846...
farm seizing a half ton of dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
, automatic weapons and ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
, as well as a uniform of one of the guerrilla groups involved in the Bay of Pigs Invasion
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The invasion was launched in April 1961, less than three months...
. Michael A. DeCarolis, 32, was arrested.
A federal grand jury handed down an indictment for nine Cuban exiles on Thursday, October 10 in Miami. They were arrested and charged the next day. The testimony of Navarette was reportedly key to breaking the case. Three of the exiles, Orlando Bosch
Orlando Bosch
Orlando Bosch Ávila was a Cuban exile militant, former Central Intelligence Agency-backed operative, and head of Coordination of United Revolutionary Organizations, which the FBI has described as "an anti-Castro terrorist umbrella organization". Former U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh called...
, Jose Diaz Morejon and Barbaro Balan Garcia were charged with the Sept. 16 shooting of the Polanika. Bosch was also charged with making terroristic threats in a June 6 cable sent to Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
, Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
and President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz
Gustavo Díaz Ordaz
Gustavo Díaz Ordaz Bolaños served as the President of Mexico from 1964 to 1970.- Political career :Díaz Ordaz was born in San Andrés Chalchícomula . His father, Ramón Díaz Ordaz Redonet, worked as an accountant, while his mother, Sabina Bolaños Cacho de Díaz Ordaz, worked as a school teacher...
of Mexico threatening to blow up their countries ships if they continued to trade with Cuba. The six other were indicted for conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
to violate the neutrality laws of the US. J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
announced this was the group connected with the bombings, but none were charged with crimes relating to the bombing. The other six were Aimee Miranda Cruz, Andres Jorge Gonzalez Gonzalez, Marco Rodríguez Ramos, Paulino Mariono Gutierrez Vidal, Jorge Luis Gutierrez Ulla and Jesus Dominguez Benitez.
A second arrest of nine other exiles took place in New York on October 23. The nine arrested in New York were indicted for arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and Illegal possession of weapons and explosives. According to the indictment the bombing were only the first phase of their plot. They planned to seize arms from the 16th Infantry armory
16th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 16th Infantry Regiment is a regiment in the United States Army.-Formation:The 34th Infantry Regiment and 11th Infantry Regiment consolidated into the 16th Infantry Regiment on 3 March 1869. The 11th Infantry's history prior to the consolidation is normally included with the 16th's.-U.S...
in Brooklyn and use them for an assassination and bombing campaign that would have included the assassination of Ambassador Dr. Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada
Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada
Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada is a Cuban statesman. He served as Cuba's Permanent Representative to the United Nations for nearly 30 years and later served as the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs, from 1992 to 1993...
. Those arrested included Oscar Avecedo, Gabriel Abay (both veterans of the Bay of Pigs), Guillermo Miguel, Arturo Rodríguez Vives, Jose Rodone, Ivan Acosta, Ramiro Cortés
Ramiro Cortés
Ramiro Cortés was an American composer.Cortés studied with Henry Cowell, Richard Donovan, Ingolf Dahl, Vittorio Giannini, Roger Sessions, Halsey Stevens, and, in Rome on a Fulbright Fellowship, with Goffredo Petrassi...
, Edgar Rives and Carlos Fernández
Carlos Fernández
Carlos Fernández may refer to:*Carlos Rafael Fernández, former Minister of Economy of Argentina*José Carlos Fernández González , Bolivian football player*José Carlos Fernández , Peruvian footballer...
.
Two final members of the group were arrested in Miami October 28 and charged with carrying out the groups bombings in California, Juan Garcia Cardenas and Hector Cornillot
See also
- Alpha 66Alpha 66Alpha 66 are an anti-communist terrorist organization, formed by Cuban exiles in Puerto Rico in 1961, in opposition to Fidel Castro. The founder and first leader, Nazario Sargen, was a former member of the 26th of July Movement organization led by Fidel Castro, suggesting that their politics may...
- Omega 7Omega 7Omega 7 was a small Cuban paramilitary group based in Florida and New York made up of Cuban exiles whose stated goal was to overthrow Fidel Castro. The group had less than 20 members....
- Coordination of United Revolutionary OrganizationsCoordination of United Revolutionary OrganizationsCoordination of United Revolutionary Organizations is an anti-Castro group founded by Cuban exiles Orlando Bosch, Luis Posada Carriles, Guillermo Novo Sampoll and Gaspar Jiménez Escobedo....
- Operation 40Operation 40Operation 40 was a Central Intelligence Agency-sponsored undercover operation in the early 1960s, which was active in the United States and the Caribbean , Central America, and Mexico. It was created by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in March 1960, after the January 1959 Cuban Revolution, and was...