Yahoo! January 26, 2001
HAVANA, 25 (AP) - Cuba will declassify a series of secret documents about
the Bay of Pigs invasion this year for the 40th anniversary of the disastrous
invasion attempt by a group of CIA -trained exiles, a senior Cuban official
said.
"This will be the first time that an important group of documents
related to the Bay of Pigs is declassified in Cuba,'' said Jose Ramon Fernandez,
who headed the Cuban troops who battled more than 1,000 invaders for two days
beginning on April 17, 1961.
Fernandez, now a vice president in Cuba's governing Council of State, said
the documents would cover events leading up to the invasion, as well as its
consequences. He gave no further details.
Most invaders were taken prisoner and condemned to 30 years in prison. They
were later released in exchange for food from the United States.
Fernandez is organizing an academic conference about the invasion to be held
here March 22-24. Among those invited are Cuban and U.S. citizens, including
members of 2506 Brigade - the exile group that launched the invasion, Fernandez
said.
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