A Disappearance...Revolution And The Family
a multi-family history project about our fathers who fought in the Cold War
Preparing for Raid on Cuba 1960 "Jay Hunter"
Photo by Andrew St. George 1960
Adventurous aviators slip past U.S. patrols, set out to bomb Cuba
Life Magazine, November 14, 1960
On Halloween night, a Beechcraft Bonanza, bearing identification number 4274-D, took off near Fort Pierce, Fla. into a raging thunderstorm. Next day the aircraft was reported both stolen and missing. It has not been found.
Four days later, after a period in which he was held a voluntary prisoner, Photographer Andrew St. George was able to reveal the fantastic story behind the flight.
It was a feat of derring-do against Cuba's Fidel Castro. Had it succeeded it surely would have given Castro new fuel for his strident attacks on the U.S.
Two men were aboard the plane, both Americans. One was a former U.S. military flier named Paul Hughes, 32, an adventurer who has been on every side of the Cuban fence. Once he smuggled arms to Castro and he flew jets in the Castro air force. Later he fell out with the Cuban and came to hate him--he told St. George, for giving him "a fist in my face." Since then, Hughes said, he has made many sneak flights to Cuba, stealing planes and gasoline, tossing 85-cent flares in Cuban cane fields. He had been barely evading the FBI and U.S. border patrol.
The second man was one Jay Hunter, an adventurer who hinted mysteriously at dark deeds in the Middle East and claimed to have been a U.S. Marine demolitions expert.
St. George, himself a veteran of the Cuban campaigns, learned what was afoot when a furtive phone call summoned him to "something big" in Miami. He was conducted to a darkened house and told that he would not be permitted to leave until the projected raid was under way. Then, to his astonishment, he was shown three 100-pound practice bombs in the charge of "Bombardier" Hunter.
The bombs were painted with the names of three young Americans executed by Castro last month (LIFE Oct. 31) after an abortive invasion of Cuba. The mission, called "Trick or Treat," was aimed to hit the Havana power plant. Molotov cocktails and leaflets identifying the raiders were also to be dropped. The plotters said this was meant as revenge and they "wanted the world to know about it" once it was safely launched.
Later, under strict surveillance, St. George was driven 120 miles north to Fort Pierce where he watched Hunter pack the bomb cases with black powder, gelatin, dynamite, scrap iron and homemade shotgun shell detonators.
Finally, near the field where the Beechcraft was parked, St. George was led away. "They had wanted heavy weather to get clear of the border patrol," he reported. "It was a wild night with rain coming in sheets. I think they got more weather than they bargained for."
The Disappeared had families. This page is one family's project presenting details of a deadly mission to Cuba in October 1960. Paul Joseph Hughes, a soldier in a secret war, disappeared on this mission with another man, known as "Jay Hunter."
To view other family projects; please see the links below
www.forgottenfamilies.com For many years, Sherry Sullivan sought information on her father's September, 1963 disappearance. This website tells her story. It is a resource for families looking for support from others who have lost loved ones in similar situations.
www.wingsofvalor.org Janet Ray Weininger has worked with families and others interested in preserving the dignity of "secret soldiers." Her father, Thomas "Pete" Ray was an American pilot who flew in the Bay of Pigs confrontation. He died in this secret war and it took years for his family to learn the true details of his service to his country and subsequent death.
To learn more about the mysterious life of Paul J. Hughes, click on documents below.
pdfdox/armydox1.pdf
pdfdox/armydox3.pdf
pdfdox/armydox2.pdf
pdfdox/milstatepaul1.pdf
pdfdox/statememo860.pdf
pdfdox/fbifingerprint1.pdf
Check out these webs for more information on U.S. Cuba relations and Cold War History
Zarba Flyer left by Hughes before mission
This page is work- in-progress. Please check back often for new material.
