D.C. ATTORNEY PLAYED VITAL ROLE IN HAVANA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000100380084-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 17, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 7, 2000
• Sequence Number: 84
• Publication Date: December 26, 1962
• Content Type: NSPR

kSHINGTON STAR DEC 2 n 196)
Approved For Release 2000/06/13 reliklePigi
CPYRGHT
4 CPYRGHT
.Attorney PlayeA
Vital Role 61yFt1ravana
By JERRY O'LEARY, JR.
Star Staff Writer,
A young Washingten lawyer)
today described hoW be Par-
leyed with Fidel Castro on th
day the? Bay of Pigs prisonerA
were released before issuing the-
order for unloading of the ran-
som ship M Havana.
elit,
E. Bar 'ett Puttyrnap, JI:eer-
so red Court of Appeale
judge E. Barrett prettyipan,, 1,
a member af the'Taw firm o
Hogan and Hartson. He came
into the prisoner-release nego-
tiations two weeks ago and was
a key man in Havana for Jame
B. Donovan and the Cuban
Families Committee.
In an exclusive interview with
The Star, Mr. Prettyman dis-
closed the reason for his unex
pected flight from Havana t
Homestead Air Force Base, Fla
with the fifth planeload o
prisoners on Christmas Eve, Mr.
Prettyman said his mission' was
to obtain permission from
United States authorities foie
the families of the freed pris-
oners to leave Cuba on the
ransom ship SS African Pilot
-(The African Pilot was sched-
uled to depart Havana today for
Port Everglades, Fla. with 1,000
women and children, relatives
of the released prisoners. Na
ad males were permitted te
1 e Red Cuba.)
Mr. Prettyman said this
appy task was a total sur-
prise to him. His primary
purpose for going to Havana
was to help explain what sup-
wer U.L 4. buiui the
and the complicated trans-
portation problem that 'had
necessitated the loading' of
some supplies in which the
Cubans liaa expressed no" in.
terest.
"The ship was not to be un-
loaded until the word came
from me," said Mr. Prettyman.
"About 5 p.m. on Sunday, we
were satisfied that Castro was
keeping his word and Cuban
stevedores began unloading the
ship."
It was just about that time
that Premier Castro allowed
the first of four planes to de- .
part with full loads of prison-
ers. T he airlift was completed
next day.
Mr. Prettyman gave this ac-
cmint of his role in the tense,
last-minute arrangements for
the exchange of the 1,113
Cuban rebels for an estimated4
$53 million in American medi-
cal supplies and foods:
"With other members of the
Red Cross and Cuban Faretiliee
Committee, I flew to Cuba earVt
Saturday (Dec. 22) on a plan,
carrying some of the supplies
and we landed at San Antonio
de los Banos military airfield
about 6:30 a.m. Until florally
noon, I worked in a little office
at the air base with a Cithan
girl using a duplicating ma-
chine to make extra copies of
the invoices and going over the
invoices with Dr. Lorlard
lt
Scheele.
Then I heard stionting
outside and I saw Faded stand-
ing near one of "Mir planes.
There was a crowd around
him and he was talking with
Dr. Scheele (Leonard Sc ele,
former United States Sur eon
General). I walked over to
them and Dr, Scheele in-
troduced me tei, Fidel. Hi
handshake was firm and his
manner was formal.
Wait for Ship
ati
"There was no bantefing.
We talked through an inter?
-
preter, a Maj. Rene Vallejo.
The major and Mr. Castro
wore military uniforms like our
Army fatigues, with visor caps
and side-arms."
, At this stage, Mr. Prettyeban
I said, the conversation was sole-
ly about the operation. Ile said
Fidel wanted to know ow
many Planes had arrived, t
was being unloaded from
and when the ship would
port.
Approved For P),
sa asit old
can Pilot W ldn* 'be in urn],
p.m. and he proved right. He
iso said he knew who I was,
'though I had not figured
ublicly in the matter up 'til
aen."
Some of the prisoners al-
eady had arrived from the
10 of Pines about 10:30 a.m.
three transport planes with
uban insignia, Mr, Prettyman
id. The plane, however, tax-
d to the other side of the
eld and the men were placed
some kind of a compound,
r. Prettyman declared.
"I told Castro he could apprea
ate that there had to be good
i h gestures on both sides,"
r.. Prettyman recalled. "We
anted the prisoners released
ore the ship was unloaded.
said the ship wasn't to be
loaded until word came' from
e and the ship was 40 Miles
A y .
"Fidel said he would get me
car right away. I saideit was
t just a matter of lily' being
ere, and repeated that some
the prisoners should be n-
asal. ,He said it would be
?dered to happen at 5 o'clock."
Mr. Prettyman said he and
. Scheele in,ade it elem to
e Premier hoW dOrripliated
difficultA tasklt lad been
assemble ana. transport the
smantitiel of supplies In
st two weelv, time.
:
At about. 1':3O, he said. Mr.
onovan and ..,nett.l-iingtap at-:
may John MIari arrived at
ritTil-1101-' The discussion
ntinued., until Mr. Donovan
d he Wanted to talk to CaStro
,private. Mr. Prettyman said
bearded Cuban leader and
Broolelyn lawyer went off
a side with the inter-
,
Delay Causes Fear
ilrn the private 4ontab
as over, Fidel SiSked If we'd
ad lunch," Mr. prettyrna,n re
ted. "We ate' in a Cuban
Ulcers club and then were
riven to the dock hi two
uhan Army privates in an old
ldsmobile. It was nearly 11
in, when we got to the Afri-
an Pilot because the drivers
re not sure where it was."
went aboard and talked to
apt, Alfred Boer= and then 1
-ent to a phone to do some more
ecking. It was nearly 5
'clock when Fidel arrived at
e dock. He came in the first
ar of a four-car motorcade.
e rode in front with the
river, the next two cars were
de by side and the fourth car
arne along behind."
The men in the other cars,
Tr. Prettyman said, were
military persbnnel." When
eel travels, the car lights are
ab
e-,01orce des slow doe' for
.op-.sons, the lawyer said.
CPYRGHT
"I introduced Castro to the
captain," he said. "and we
talked about how long it would
take to unload? Fidel said it
would be completed in 24 hoUrs.
The captain emphasized the
importance of doing it carefully
because much of the materiale
was fragile.
Gives Green Light
"At that point, we were satis-
Ned that the bargain Would be
kept .and authorized them". to
start unloading. The first
planeload of prisoners left at
about the same time."
eIt was about this time, Mr.
ettyman said, that he re-
dived about the rarest invita-
on an American can get these
days?an offer to take a tour
f Havana with Fidel Castro.
"I was standing on the deck
with Maj. Vallejo while Fidel
posed for some pictures with.
America,n Red Cross personnel
sri I idly asked where Ernest
Hemingway's house was," Mr.
ePiettyman said. "He pointed to
a spot on the skyline and asked
if I'd like to see it. I said I ex-
peeted Mr. Donovan to come by
and that I'd better wait.
"Maj. Vallejo left for a
minute and then came back
and said Fidel wanted to take
ma himself. You just don't say
'No' to something, like that.
Fidel had the captain, Dr.
Scheele and the Associated
Press pool reporter in his car
and I got into the second one
with five military men.
"It took us half an hour to:
drive through Havana to theH
Hemingway hoin. The gate of
the fence was closed. Wo stood I
on the steps of the one-storyi
house and talked while they
sent for Hemirr-way's CHretaker
to let us in.'
"Everything Is as he left it.1
The house stands on a hill and
from one window you can sea
the sea. The caretaker showed
us every room and every knick-
knack. We saw the board
Hemingway kept under his bed
for his sore back and the table
in his bedroom whore he
Et4'44
a old type-
131 is chest high
, n,
writer there.
CPYRGHT
Approved For Release 2000/06/13 : CIA-RDP75-00001R000100380084-4
Questioned on Author
"All of us, even Castro. asked
questions about Hemingway.
The caretaker obviously had
adored Hemingway and told us
all about his routine., Fidel be-
came much more relaxed in
the author's home and began
speaking M English for the
first time.
"Castro talked about Hem-
ingway's habits arid said he
had known him in earlier
times but had net seen him
toward the end of , his stay in
Cuba. He seemed tadmire the
man more than his writings.
"We looked at Hemingway's
mementoes?an ivory figurine
of an elephant, a piece of a
meteorite, his paintings. a
Karsh photo of the author and
letchilarions cartoon, apparently
referring to "The Old Man an
the Sea." It showed Heming-
way snarling with a line in the
water attached to the caraass
of a fish.
"I examined his books and
he had them in every room but
the kitchen. I was struck by
the oddness of the collection.
They ranged over subjects from
star - gazing to submarines.
They all seemed well worn. In
the kitchen, there was a TV
set and the caretaker said
Hemingway used to come in
to make bets with his, servants
on the fights."
"Castro seemed tired when
we were in the kitchen and
he sat on a stool while we all
leaned against the icebox and
agaipst the walls to continue
the conversation. I asked Fidel
if he had an opinion about
Hemingway's death. He said
he thought Hemingway had
been a very sick man.
"The caretaker said Heming-
way had called about five days
? before his death and said he
was not well. The man said
Hemingway told him he'd al-
ways have a job.
"Fidel said Mrs. Hemingway
had asked permission to take
away some a her husband's
pictures and b()Ol