Evening star., 1959-12-01
Cuba Demands
Death Penalty
For American

HAVANA. Dec. / (AP).-A
military tribunal today ended
an 1s-hour trial Of two Amer
leans and 81 Cubans accused
Of conspiring to overthrow
Fidel Castro's revolutionary re-
gime. The court announced it
would not reach its verdict be-
fore tomorrow.
The prosecution demanded
the firing squad for Frank
Austin Young. a 38-year-old
commercial pilot who was born
in Indianapolis and makes his
home in Miami, and for Fer
nando Pruno Bertot. 24-year-
old Cuban and former student
at Columbia University in New
York.
Thirty-year prison sentences
were sought for IL others, in
cluding Peter John Lambton,
"a, a British-born naturalized
American Of Nassau. Bahamas.
The government said it would
accept lesser sentences or even
acquittal for the other defend
ants. Under new legal rules
recently promulgated by Prime
Minister CaStro's cabinet, the
prosecution as well as the de-
tense can appeal q verdict.
Another to 90 to Trial
A second tribunal was sched-
uled to begin hearing testimony
in Havana today against Raj
ael del Pine, SO. of Miami, q
naturalized American who once
supported Mr.. Castro, and FIVE
Cubans, all accused Of being
counter revolutionaries. The
death sentence is sought for
all six.
Mr.. Del Pine was captured
last July when he few q small
plane in from Florida and tried
to pick up Cubans seeking to
leave the country.
Mr.. Young, Mr.. Lambton and
their Cuban co-defendants were
captured during a clash with
Cuban troops during which one
soldier was killed.
Both Americans denied in
pre-trial statements that they
came to Cuba to plot against
he government. Mr.. Lambton
said he was on an assignment
to take pictures of counter
revolutionaries for an Ameri-
can company he identified as
the Independent Press Service.
Documents Introduced
Mr.. Young said he came to
Cuba to serve as Mr.. Lambton's
guide. Shown documents with
his signature as commander
Of group" he testified he had
only signed the papers to show
the Cubans how to draw up
orders. His Cuban attorney
said Mr.. Young knew no Span
ish and therefore could not
have led the group.
The two groups of cases are
the first to be handled by mill
tary tribunals since their re-
tnstatement. During the first
six months Of the Castro re-
gime. they sent about SIS per-
sons before firing squads.
Chants Of Ito the firing
squad wall" rang out at San
tiago last night after Prime
Minister Castro asked a crowd
Of 100000, What do you want
for counter-revolutionaries?"
Lashes at Wealthy
The bearded leader dashed
out at foreign interests and
Cuba's wealthy during a three
hour speech marking the third
anniversary of his revolution,
which began in Santiago.
"The dictatorship (of Full
gencio Batista) kept the army
to defend the great interests,
to defend foreign companies, %
he declared. The army exist
ed in Cuba to abuse unfortu-
mates"
The Prime Minister promised
the cheering crowd that for
eign monopolies shall not re-
turn"
Turning to the upper classes
from which he himself sprang
MIR. Castro repudiated those
rich CubanS who supported his
revolution. He termed their
support a disgrace and said, "it
would have been better If they
hadn't helped"
1t is the rich and privileged
class. he said, who spend all
their free time gossiping all
day on the telephone, going
from party to party, picnic to-
picnic, canasta game to canasta
game carrying out the counter
revolution.