◆ SpookStack

reconnaissance or light bombing missions. 107/* But the report claimed that there was at that time a shortage of pilots available for these aircraft and in fact, stated: The Cuban Rebel Air Force (CRAF) con- tinues to be a highly disorganized force, with very little operational capability. The arrest of some 20 CRAF officers in May stripped the Air Force of its most qualified pilots, including nine that were jet-qualified.••. Although the Cuban Naval Air (CNA) was abolished and integrated with the CRAF, this will not increase the CRAF's capability. Thirteen (13) naval pilots, who were trained at Pensacola during the past seven years were told that because of this training and their orientation, they were no long- er part of the armed forces •.• Total personnel strength of the CRAF remains unknown. After the arrest in May of some 20 CRAF officers and some 20 enlisted men, the CRAF reportedly had remaining, 4 USAF jet qualified pilots, an unknown number of assimilated transport pilots from Cubana Civil Airlines, and CRAF qualified B-26, transport, and light aircraft pilots. 109/ The canard that Cuban airmen would prove to be an unreliable and undependable factor in any air op- erations that Castro might mount made little or no * A report by an ad hoc USIB Committee showed the 1960 inventory for FAR as 14 Sea Furies, 13 B-26's, and 7 T-33's. It also showed 6 "TBM-38." Presumably this was a typographical error for TBM-3S, an aircraft which, had it been operational, would have been of great concern to JMATE planners because of the threat it represented to shipping. 108/ - 86 -