Brothers to the Rescue's Press Release

June 28, 1996

U.S. OPTS TO REMAIN SILENT PRIOR TO SHOOTDOWN OF BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE PLANES ON FEBRUARY 24, 1996.

  1. UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT KNEW AND HAVE STATED THAT THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT WAS IN A PARTICULARLY ROUGH MOOD ONE WEEK BEFORE THE SHOOTDOWN OF THE BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE PLANES; YET THEY DID NOT WARN BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE.
  2. ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE SHOOTDOWN THE STATE DEPT. AND THE F.A.A. ADVISED VARIOUS RADAR TRACKING ENTITIES TO MONITOR BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE FOR PURPOSES OF ENFORCEMENT. WITH THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION THAT THEY HAD, IT IS ALARMING THAT THEY WERE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT POSSIBLE VIOLATIONS THAN IN THE SAFETY OF SEVEN U.S. CITIZENS AND ONE LEGAL RESIDENT.
  3. ON THE DAY OF THE SHOOTDOWN, VARIOUS RADAR FACILITIES NOTED THAT THERE WERE MiGS IN THE AIR PRIOR TO BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE TAKE-OF. YET, NON OF THESE ENTITIES MADE AN ATTEMPT TO CONTACT OR WARN BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE AS THEY HAVE DONE IN THE PAST ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS.
  4. A CUSTOMS RADAR CONTROL SPECIALIST TESTIFIED AT JOSE BASULTO'S HEARING THAT THERE IS A STANDING ORDER THAT IN THE EVENT CUBAN MiGS SHOULD PASS NORTH OF A LINE APPROXIMATELY EQUIVALENT TO CUBA'S 12-MILES TERRITORIAL LIMIT, U.S. INTERCEPTOR JETS WILL BE LAUNCHED TO PROTECT AMERICAN INTERESTS.
  5. THE CUSTOM'S SPECIALIST FURTHER TESTIFIED THAT HE AND OTHER RADAR FACILITIES VIEWED AND TRACKED CUBAN MiGS FLYING OVER AND AMONG THE BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE AIRCRAFT IN INTERNATIONAL AIRSPACE.
  6. WHEN THIS CUSTOMS RADAR SPECIALIST DID NOT SEE ANY U.S. AIRFORCE RESPONSE, HE INMEDIATELY CALLED S.E.A.D.S. (SOUTH EAST AIR DEFENSE SECTOR) - WHAT HE STATED IS THE EQUIVALLENT OF A 911 CALL. HE WAS TOLD BY S.E.A.D.S. "NOT TO WORRY, THAT THEY WERE HANDLING IT".
  7. ALL RADAR EVIDENCE RECEIVED SHOWS THAT NO AIRFORCE RESPONSE WAS TAKEN BY THE U.S., AND IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE THE NORMAL STANDARD PROCEDURE WAS NOT FOLLOWED AND CARRIED OUT. IN ADDITION, IT IS INCONCEIVABLE THAT NO ATTEMPT TO CONTACT BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE WAS MADE IN ORDER TO ALERT THEM OF THE POSSIBLE ATTACK WHICH RESULTED IN LOSS OF LIVES.
  8. CUSTOMS AND OTHER AUTHORITIES HAVE FREQUENTLY CONTACTED BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE HANGAR BASE FOR MANY DIFFERENT IN-FLIGHT QUESTIONS THEY MAY HAVE HAD. IN THIS INSTANCE, THEY OPTED FOR SILENCE.

BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE WOULD LIKE TO ASK THE U.S. GOVERNMENT THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:

WHY?

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Copyright © 1996 Brothers to Rescue, Inc.