September 30, 1966

The Cuban Armed Forces Ministry announced Thursday that a plane "apparently from the United States" attempted a bombing raid on the north coast port of Nuevitas early Thursday.

In Miami, the exile Insurrectional Movement for Revolutionary Recovery (MIRR), headed by Dr. Orlando Bosch, claimed credit for the raid. It said it had been aided by members of Commandos L, another anti-Castro group. The MIRR said details would be announced today.

The communiqué broadcast over Cuba Radio said the plane came from the north, dropped one bomb intended for a thermoelectric plant. It claimed the bomb fell 500 meters from the plant and caused no casualties or material damage.

It further added that the plane dropped two other bombs at nearby Puerto Tarafa, intended for warehouses but claimed the bombs did not explode.

Late Thursday, there was no indication who made the attack.

Nuevitas is in Camaguey Province, some 350 miles east of Havana, and is an important sugar port:

Bosch and the MIRR have had numerous clashes with U.S. authorities because of their militant activities. Bosch and three companions were acquitted by a U.S. District Court Jury in Orlando last June on charges of plotting to export bombs for a raid on Cuba. Bosch and another companion still have a federal court trial pending in Miami on extortion charges. And an Oct. 3 Circuit Court trial is scheduled in Naples for Bosch and two other exiles on a charge of carrying a carload of aerial bombs.

The raid Thursday is the first reported anti-Castro action since May 30 when three Cuban exile groups attempted a joint action near Havana.

The exile launch was sunk, four of the men were killed and two captured. The Cuban Representation in Exile (RECE), Commandos L and the Nov. 30 Movement acknowledged the raid had been attempted by their men.