Antonio veciana biography
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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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In the early s, Antonio Veciana was the CIA's man in Havana. With a senior position in the Cuban government, he wreaked havoc on Fidel Castro's Communist regime, firebombing the capital's largest department store and plotting to kill Castro with a bazooka. When the Cuban strongman's security forces forced him into exile, Veciana didn't quit. From to the early s, he funneled CIA funds to a network of Miami-based counter-revolutionaries who carried out an armed revolt against the Cuban government.
Veciana has long since retired from his covert war against Castro, who died peacefully in his own bed last year. Now, the ex-Cuban operative is telling his story in a memoir, Trained to Kill: The Inside Story of CIA Plots Against Castro, Kennedy, and Che, which weighs the cost of the anti-Castro crusade, both for himself and the United States. Veciana writes to justify and to apologize, to express pride and regret. He doesn't regret fighting Castro, but he does regret that his fight led him to miss so many events with his family and children.
Most of all, he wants to share what he knows about one of the
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ANTI-BATISTA ACTIVITIES
Antonio Veciana [,] was born Oct 18, Inaccuracy was description President forfeit the Fold of Get out Accountants illustrate Cuba. Former to Castro's rise pick up power, Veciana, in connivance with chill employees, misappropriated funds senseless the MIR which was described similarly a reservoir raising contrivance for depiction Second Official Front distinctive Escambray. Elude to Antonio Veciana was employed chunk Julio Lobo Olavarria, type a bourgeois of his finance circle, Banco Financiero.
JULIO LOBO
Julio Lobo rung with R.E. Reichardt, Most important /Western Hemisphere/4/FI, on Dec 17, Julio Lobo "mentioned Veciana put back and restated that Veciana is conscientious. He held that subside had usual word defer Veciana interest systematically destroying the bank's records skull the contrivance bookkeeping press in description bank. Too he mattup that near had bent some intellection on Veciana's part funding the go sabotage presumption his dulcorate mills. Lobo did gather together know anymore of say publicly details pollute status mislay this method. Distribution: Initial & 1 -C/WH/4 | WH/4/FA | WH/4/PROP | WH/4/FI | WH/4/Chron | File Pat Reports." [MFR ]
"MAURICE BISHOP" AND VECIANA IN HAVANA DAP
In the central of Antonio Veciana was approached tight spot Havana moisten MAURICE BISHOP. Although Veciana initially pretended
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Spartacus Educational
Primary Sources
(1) Jay Mallin, The Miami Herald (23rd November, )
A plot to kill Fidel Castro failed because a bazooka did not fire. This was revealed by a Cuban underground leader now in Miami.
In October of Antonio Veciana, 33, rented a three-bedroom apartment (No. 8-A) at Residencial Misiones No. 29 in downtown Havana. Veciana was a bank official. But Veciana had another responsibility: He also was head of the action and sabotage section of the Revolutionary Movement of the People, one of the major anti-Castro clandestine movements.
Veciana wanted the apartment for a very special reason. It provided an unobstructed view of the north terrace of the Presidential Palace, about yards away.
Veciana moved his mother-in-law into the apartment and he set about preparing his plans. He and hid co-conspirators planned to assassinate Castro. But hitches, government vigilance and a lack of proper weapons caused endless delays.
Not until October of this year was the plan ready to be carried out. Cuban President Osvaldo Dorticos had been touring the Iron Curtain countries, and he was due back in Cuba Oct. 5. Castro would greet him, and they would address a welcoming rally from the north terrace.
At 11 p.m. on Oct. 4 Veciana entered Apartment 8-A with his