Pedro Luis Diaz Lanz
Encyclopedia
Pedro Luis Díaz Lanz was Chief of the Revolutionary Air Force of Cuba under Fidel Castro
, before and after the 1959 Cuban Revolution.
and Florida into Cuba by air.
After the Cuban Revolution on 1 January 1959, he was confirmed as head of the new Revolutionary Air Force as well as Castro's personal pilot. Within months, he became vocal about his opposition to the influence of communists on the new revolutionary government. On 29 June 1959, Fidel Castro relieved him of his post, and he left immediately by boat to Florida, with his second wife and 3 of his six children, and reportedly with Frank Sturgis
, a fellow anti-communist.
On 21 October 1959, one of his most notorious actions was flying a twin-engined bomber (variously reported as a B-25 or B-26) over Havana while dropping anti-communist leaflets, along with his brother Marcos Diaz Lanz. Diaz Lanz piloted and Marcos threw the leaflets down from an open bomb hatch. The unsuccessful gunfire from armed forces on the ground caused injuries and deaths, leading to unsubstantiated reports of bombs being dropped from the aircraft.
He was recruited by the CIA, and became a member of Operation 40
, a group of CIA operatives who specialized in carrying out secret Anti-Castro assassinations and sabotages.
Díaz committed suicide at the age of 81 in 2008 after years of poverty and depression with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
, before and after the 1959 Cuban Revolution.
Life in Cuba
In 1957, Pedro Díaz Lanz joined Fidel Castro's rebel group in Santiago, Cuba. He was employed as a commercial pilot with the airline Aerovías Q. He later acted as head of the Revolutionary Air Force, and during 1958 he smuggled weapons and ammunition from Costa RicaCosta Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and Florida into Cuba by air.
After the Cuban Revolution on 1 January 1959, he was confirmed as head of the new Revolutionary Air Force as well as Castro's personal pilot. Within months, he became vocal about his opposition to the influence of communists on the new revolutionary government. On 29 June 1959, Fidel Castro relieved him of his post, and he left immediately by boat to Florida, with his second wife and 3 of his six children, and reportedly with Frank Sturgis
Frank Sturgis
Frank Anthony Sturgis , born Frank Angelo Fiorini, was one of the Watergate burglars.-Early Life and Military Service:...
, a fellow anti-communist.
Life after Cuba
On 14 July 1959, Díaz was interviewed by the US Senate Internal Security subcommittee, where he gave out the first account of Fidel's planned move towards communism.On 21 October 1959, one of his most notorious actions was flying a twin-engined bomber (variously reported as a B-25 or B-26) over Havana while dropping anti-communist leaflets, along with his brother Marcos Diaz Lanz. Diaz Lanz piloted and Marcos threw the leaflets down from an open bomb hatch. The unsuccessful gunfire from armed forces on the ground caused injuries and deaths, leading to unsubstantiated reports of bombs being dropped from the aircraft.
He was recruited by the CIA, and became a member of Operation 40
Operation 40
Operation 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...
, a group of CIA operatives who specialized in carrying out secret Anti-Castro assassinations and sabotages.
Díaz committed suicide at the age of 81 in 2008 after years of poverty and depression with a gunshot wound to the chest.