The Miami News
June 19, 1963

Blunders Hex Attempt Of Exiles To Bomb Havana

By MARY LOUISE WILKINSON
Reporter of The Miami News

A comedy of errors foiled the attempts of five Cuban exiles who planned to fly from Miami on a bombing mission over Havana.

A fouled-up time schedule brought U. S. customs officials to the scene before the plane could be loaded with the bombing explosives, the pilot of the ill-fated mission said today.

Evelio Alpizar Perez, 3625 NW 11th St., said when he arrived at a South Dade rendevous piloting a twin-engine Beech-craft Saturday night there was no one there to meet him.

"I took off from the Fort Lauderdale airport to meet the other four on an unpaved road in the Krome Avenue farm area," said Alpizar.

Alpizar said he circled the remote spot for 55 minutes until he spotted a car driven by Sam Benton, Miami private investigator who allegedly was coming to take pictures.

After landing on the narrow road, he and Benton waited 20 minutes for the truck carrying the explosives to arrive, he said.

The Customs authorities got there before his companion raiders - Carlos Eduardo Hernandez Sanchez, Rene Jose Espinosa Hernandez, Miguel Alvarez and Victor Espinosa Hernandez.

Taken into custody, the five Cubans were released after the Justice Department contacted U.S. Attorney Edith House who planned to press charges for violation of the Mutual Security Act. Benton was questioned and released.

"Nothing is going to happen to them unless I receive instructions from Washington," Miss House stated.

Alpizar, who said he was a first lieutenant in the Cuban air force who fled Jan. 1, 1959, said he had piloted 78 other trips into Cuba.

"This time my instructions were to fly to Havana, reaching there about 8:30 p.m. Saturday," he said. "We were to return to this country only if we couldn't land somewhere else."

Seized by Customs agents were the plane, a 5-foot aerial bomb, 300 sticks of dynamite, 55 gallons of highly explosive napalm, 150 rounds of plastic explosives, carbines and pistols.

Alpizar disclaimed all knowledge of the target and of how the operation was financed.

"I was just the pilot," he stated.

In the past he has ferried over 100 people on Castro's wanted list to freedom and has made incursion over the island to drop arms and propaganda papers, he said.