Evening star., 1961-05-21
By ROBERT BERRELLEZ
Associated Press staff Writer

by hObEhI bEhhELLEZ
Associated Press Staff Writer
MIAMI. May 2O.-Early the
morning of Saturday, April Is
the young scion of one of Cuba''
wealthiest families drove east
from Havana, en- route to g
week end at the beach resort
of Varadero.
He was unaware that miles
behind him in the Cuban CAPT.
tai the military airport and vi.
cinity was rocking with explo.
sionS caused by a dawn all
attack by invader planes.
Seemingly from nowhere ir
the highway behind him mate
rialized a sleek. tan-colored cal
clearly marked "G-2" on the
sides and back. The car bore
down on him swiftly and forced
him to the roadside.
While one officer covered him
with a gun. the other searched
the youths car. After a while
the searcher emerged with two
packs of American cigarettes
which he showed to the othel
officer. They nodded silently
and the youth was returned tc
Havana-and prison.
At about the same time ir
Havana, a man took his dos
for a stroll. At the neighbor.
hood coffee shop he stopped
to chat to the owner. Thi.
morning as in others past, anc
to amuse the owner, the mar
asked his dog, What do yot
think of Fidel?" This time, 6
man detached himself from
the counter, introduced him.
self as a Go agent and tool
him away.
rs Days in Prison
This was the beginning o.
what could be called one of the
largest roundupS Of human be,
ingS related to this reporter
who shared 25 days of i'm,
prisonment with them-with'
out formal charge.
The mass detentions, t.
continue for more than a week
were to result in ten knowr
deaths. scores Of injuries, TIVE
shootings and four miScar.
riageS.
Doctors were pulled ava,
from operating rooms for in,
generation. A well known
Havana lawyer, i'll with the n,
in prison, died Of pneumonia
despite repeated protests to tn,
prison commandant. The of,
ficial death certificate handec
to the family listed heart at,
tack" as the cause of death.
Troops Desecrate Church
In Camaguey, capital of thu
nations chief cattle growing
province, armed militiamer
moved into a church. They
disrupted Mass, took the chalict
from the altar and hurled tn,
consecrated host to the floor
The exact number Of Cuban
taken into custody throughou
the country in the week fol,
lowing the abortive mid-Apri
invasion by Fidel Castro
enemies may never be known
Estimates ranged from $50,
900 to a half million. A civilian
hired by Mai. Ramiro Valdez
secret police to make a list o
those imprisoned in the are;
Of his headquarters told us pri
vately he had heard official
refer to the figure of "oye
l47,500" arrests in HaVan;
alone.
Where do you put so man,
prisoners in a city of over
million?
Hundreds in Filthy Fort
In Havana. they were jammet
into the 17,o00-seat sport
palace and adjoining grounds
in La Blanquita theater, on
Of the worlds largest with seat
for some 5000: in a baseball
stadium, in schools, in home
long before seized by the gov
eminent, and in jails alread,
bulging with thousands o
political prisoners.
Thousands were still ther
when I was finally release,
May IL from ancient, filthy L
Cabana military fortress. TIL
deep. damp and bone-chillinI
vaults. built in 1910, were con
verted into the fortress prisol
in 1926.
The jail was meant to hol
TOO. In the first week in May
the check-off listed 1,80
names. When I left, the popu
lation was down to 1900.
I was, like everyone els
there. a numberless prisoner.
got there in almost the sam
way hundreds others did. N
effort at all.
On Monday, April II, wheI
the news of the invasion came
I raced about town in a ca
seeking out information an,
getting an eye-view of the NOR
sensitive military establish
ments. including the bay where
surprisingly, the entire Cubal
Navy-three frigates-were still
tied up.
I was to learn later the rea
son for this was that almos
the entire navy personnel wa
in La Cabana prison.
Stopped by Co. Men
Loaded with notes, I did no
get to the Associated Pres
lOffice until late in the after