pri VIED; Monday, Auyw U,
tor the Record
0
IME: TATUS: COMPLETED
BRIEFING
CAPITOL
DIAZ-BALART.HTTNHN. MENENDfcZ.
DOWN INCTDENT
HOLE
BRIEFER SUPPORT SUPPORT SUPPORT
1briefing was held to inform interested member* of the Intelligence Community's decision lo provide
Inienwiomii' vil Aviation Organization (ICAO) investigatorsape of inadvertent collection ofBrothers-to-lhc-Rescue (BTI'R) planes shot down by CubanIhe lead
briefer. Overall, the briefing went well though Rep Ros-Lchtinen wa* unsatisfied wttn IBe 1
(SUPPORTING-TEXT]
' ^1 pnforlunalely. members arrived expecting toesponse to allegations (telephoned to them this morningialhi Herald reportcrl thai the US Governmentape of Raul Castro personally ordenng thef the BTTR aircraft. In particular. Ros-Lehtincn arrived angry (and left the samehe wu sure lhat information was being withheld. She did not believe that it wasoincidence that the Miami newspaper reportertory that morning and we were there lo brief them on new information that afternoon. Diaz-Balart tried to calm downhtincn. asking her to listen to our story first.
members were told that the purpose of the briefing was to discuss new information being passed
FOP RELEASE DATE: 5
ihe ICAO. The ICAO investigators were being provided wiih both the tapc/iranscnpt of the MiGthe recent tape/transcript ofTR conversation.howj fcame toTTR tape and
| gpajcj thai due to the special circumstances surrounding thepecial waiver had been
]In responseuestion from Mi
' Mated that these were all the tapes IMI
.there was little interest in the substance of the BTTKhe briefing focused more on the
Raul aiieganon* und whether or not any other tapes existed. During the Raul discussion, thel [briefer staled that on ihe tape of the MiG pilot conversation, there is an unidentified military official who gives thio snoot. There was speculation that this could be Raul. Ros-Lehunen demanded to know why she was not told in the previous briefing on the MiG tape that this possibility existed. Doyen replied thai unui today's press allegations that Raul gave the order, this possibility was never considered II wis highly unlikely that this was Raul, hut we did not know for sure.
5.
is Raul Caslro
responseuestion from Mcnendcz,| ^greed to try tooice analysis of Ihe tape to see if it
ks Ros-Lehtincn and Deutsch left. Meneodez and Diaz-Balart stayed to ask for press guidance. They were dSnartbey could say thai:
he US government was working with the ICAO inveunuiiun
he US government had provided all of the tapes and transcripts it has relating to Ihe shootdown to the investigators to review.
- they (the Congressmen) had requested that the tapes be examined again to sec if Kaul Castro is on them Menendez and Diaz-Balan were appreciative of (he briefing
Office-
Dislribulion:CA
Summary' Text:
K-llow-up Action Hi in.:
l )
Original document.
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