October 11, 1962

By WILLIAM TUCKER

Cuban exile commandos declared "war" today on all shipping to Cuba and boldly announced that raids like that in which 20 Russians and Cuban militia were killed this week will be repeated.

Antonio Veciana, 35-year-old leader of "Alpha 66," the Puerto Rico-based commando group, said his fighters will attack any and all vessels taking supplies to Castro - not just those from Iron Curtain countries.

In, a previous raid, the commandos attacked a British vessel anchored off Cuba as well as two Cuban boats.

Veciana, a certified public accountant, said his force of 30 men killed "no fewer" than, 20 Russians and Cubans in a raid on a Cuban north coast fishing village Monday night.

He said the commandos suffered five casualties but declined to say if any were killed.

One news agency questioned whether an actual landing had been made by the raiders, saying it could not be confirmed by Cuban sources in Miami. The agency said these sources knew only that one small boat had shelled the Cuban coast.

The Castro government has made no mention of the Alpha 66 Raid on the village of Isbella de Sagua 150 miles east of Havana.

But significantly, Fidel Castro left his capital that night for an extensive period. He did not show up the next day for a scheduled meeting with James B. Donovan, New York attorney negotiating for the release of the Cuban invasion captives.

Veciana, in a broadcast from San Juan, said his commandos raided a camp of Cuban soldiers and Russian "technicians" and battled them for two hours. They captured weapons, supplies and flags which Veciana promised to exhibit later.

The raiders were believed to have used two converted PT boats in the attack.

"We are an action group, not political," said a spokesman for Alpha 66 in Miami. "The first thing is to liberate Cuba, and then talk about politics."

The name of the group itself means action, the spokesman said. Alpha denotes "we will be the first to return to

Cuba" and 66 "is a swinging number," he said.

He added that the group has no connection with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and drums up its own financing by mail. The commandos talked the Riverside post office station here into giving them box 66.

Alpha said it would make at least three more raids on Cuba in coming weeks.