◆ SpookStack

repeat to the other Cuban pilots the problems that had come up concerning the identification of the drop zone. 28/ Success of the November drop, notwithstanding, airdrop operations on the whole were a dismal failure. Of 68 missions between September 1960 and March 1961, only seven of the drops put supplies as intended in the hands of the guerrillas who were operating in various parts of Cuba. Ferrer took umbrage with the charge that the basic reason. for the failure of the air drops was the inability of the air crews to find the proper drop zones, or that they were less than brave in pushing on through difficult situations. This is a subjective matter and some of the American personnel involved in the air operations still believe that some of the , Cubans discharged their cargoes into the sea at the first opportunity and spent the time "tooling" around until the fuel gauges indicated that it was time to return to the base. Regardless of the question of courage or cowardice, Ferrer was entirely justified in his criticism of the failure to provide for direct contact between the air - 117 -