The Miami Herald
Friday, January 22, 1999

Group seeks files on downed planes

    After meeting with a prosecutor with the U.S. attorney's office in Miami, Brothers to the Rescue members on Thursday again called on the Clinton administration to release classified documents regarding the 1996 Cuban air force attack on two of the organization's planes.
    "We have waited long enough to receive answers, and we've gotten no response," said Jose Basulto, president of the volunteer group that combs the Florida Straits in search of Cuban refugees. "We need to know what truly happened that day. We are in pursuit of truth and justice."
    Four of the organization's pilots were killed Feb. 24, 1996, when Cuban MiGs shot down their planes in the Straits. Basulto has maintained the attack was a predetermined crime by the Castro regime, with the Knowledge of U.S. authorities.
    For three years, Basulto has sought detailed information on a range of issues, including reports of Cuban warnings and the deployment of U.S. interceptors that day.
    Citing national security concerns, the U.S. government has denied Basulto detailed responses.