Evening star., 1961-04-21
CUBA


asked the White House to in
tercede with the International
Red Cross and Latin American
countries to prevail on Mr..
Castro against bloody reprisals
on prisoners.
Mr.. Miro Cardona, a thick
set man with buShy eyebrows
thinning gray hair and dark
trimmed spectacleS, met some
$50 newSpapermen. photogra-
pliers and cameramen in the
heavily guarded main ballroom
Of the Belmont-Plaza Hotel.
With him were half a dozen
other council leaders.
In Florida. exile sources re-
ported that from 500 to 1,5OO
fresh guerrillaS are sailing in
the direction OF Cuba.
The original force that struck
the Southern coast of Cuba
Monday has been variously
reported at from 500 to
1000 men. How many escaped
into the mountains is not
known.
Both sides admitted severe
casualties in the fighting.
Various roundabout reports
from Cuba have said from $50
to 500 prisoners we're taken by
Fidel Castro's forces.
Thousands Reported Dead
A British correspondent in
Havana said there were uncon-
firmed reports in the somber
capital that thousands were
killed on the invasion beach,
head about 100 miles southeast
Of the capital in Matanzas
Province.
The rebel radio on Swan
Island off the coast of Central
America asserted without con-
firmstion from any other source
that new but small landings al
ready had been made in Cuba
The Cuban radio charged
Mondays invaders arrived in
North American military
transports" escorted by yam
kee deStroyerS" after beins
trained by United States Off
GERS in Guatemala.
The insurgent army of lib
Grafton" in broadcast from
the interior in turn charged
that the Soviet Union. Red
China and Communist Czecho-
slovakia were actively aiding
the Fidel Castro forces.
A Havana radio commenta-
tor, speaking about President
Kennedy'S declaration that the
United States will not abandon
Cuba to the Communists.
called it the stupid declara-
tons Of an illiterate million
aire."
Is Americans Held
The Swiss Embassy in Ha-
vana said at least 1S Americans
had been rounded up but the
total might be twice that num-
ber.
Cuban broadcaStS said pris-
oners captured on the beach
told Of being trained and
brought to the beachhead in
North American transports"
Among the announced prisoners
is a son Of DR.. Jose Miro Car
dons. head of the rebel move
ment in the United States, Ha-
vana asserted.
The broadcast asserted not a
single invader succeeded in
fighting inland to linkup with
guerrillas. But the inSurgent
broadcast denied this. saying
the army Of liberation" is
firmly entrenched in the ES-
cambray Mountains of Central
Cuba.
Declaring the insurgents are
ready to fight on to victory,
the broadcast added:
The fight is hard. 1t is not
easy to defeat the traitors. who
are operating with the inter-
vention of Russia, China and
Czechoslovakia."
Will Show Prisoners
The Cubans planned to pa
rade some of the prisoners on
television. Among those they
said were captured is Jose Miro
Torres, son Of DR.. Miro Car
dona.
Reuters and the Italian EN-
baSSy in Havana reported the
capital quiet but a spokesman
for the Swiss Embassy de-
clared: Things are much worse
in Havana than you can imag-
inc"
The terror has begun against
Observation-Disclosures and I
have cabled my government for
permission to take drastic ac-
ton on the part OF Americans
in Cuba" said Swiss Counsellor
Gilbert de Dardel in a tele-
phone conversation with NBC
in New York.
Mr.. de Dardel said that most
news correspondents in Havana
are in prison or in hiding.
A spokesman for the Japa-
nese Embassy in Havana said
he had heard hundreds Of per-
sons were being rounded up for
questioning in the Cuban cap
ital.
How many invaders may
have made it into the noun
tains to join up with anti
Castro guerrillas is a matter
Of conjecture.
In support Of its claim that
the invasion was the work Of
Yankee mercenaries. Havana
Radio said prisoners told of
being flown from the United
States to Retalhuleu Camp in
Guatemala. The prisoners
were quoted as saying they we're
trained there by Is Yankee
army" instructors.
Retalhuleu is a camp in the