Truth, Justice, Memory and the Fraunces Tavern bombing at 50 and Brothers to the Rescue shoot down at 29
Press conference on January 24, 2025, the 50th anniversary of the Fraunces Tavern bombing at the site of the attack in NYC to remember, and continue to demand justice. Joe Connor addresses journalists. On the right flier advertising February 24th vigil by families of the four martyrs.
Twenty one years, and one month separate two terrorist acts linked to Havana that each killed four innocent Americans.
On January 24, 1975, the Havana-backed Puerto Rican terrorist group Armed Forces for National Liberation (FALN) carried out a bombing attack at lunch time at the Fraunces Tavern in New York City that claimed the lives of Alejandro Berger, 28; Frank Connor, 33; James Gezork ,32; and Harold Sherburne, 66; and injured more than fifty others. The FALN’s bombmaker William Morales, a fugitive from U.S. justice, is harbored today in Cuba by the communist dictatorship.
On February 24, 1996, four human-rights activists searching for rafters on the Florida Straits were murdered by agents of the Cuban dictatorship in international airspace. Madeleine Albright, then secretary of state, presented irrefutable evidence to the international community of Cuba’s responsibility for this terrorist act. President Bill Clinton called it a “flagrant violation of international law.” Mario de la Peña, 24; Carlos Costa and Pablo Morales, both 29; and Armando Alejandro Jr., 45, were members of the humanitarian organization Brothers to the Rescue. Their two small Cessna aircraft were pulverized by Cuban missiles. Their bodies were never recovered.
President Barack Obama commuted the sentence of the unrepentant Puerto Rican terrorist Oscar Lopez Rivera in January 2017. Lopez Rivera headed the FALN at the time of the Fraunces Tavern bombing.
The President also commuted the sentence of Gerardo Hernández in December 2014, the unrepentant Cuban spy found guilty of murder conspiracy for providing information to Havana that led to to the shootdown and killing four innocents in international airspace by Cuban warplanes.
Those advocating to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, including President Obama, have sought to downplay or ignore these crimes of terror against Americans, and other nationalities.
However, those directly impacted by these acts of terror continue to demand justice, accountability, and engage in acts of remembrance.
On January 24, 2025, the 50th anniversary of the Fraunces Tavern attack, friends, families, and investigators gathered at the site of the attack to remember the dead, and continue to demand justice.
On February 24, 2025, the 29th anniversary of the Brothers to the Rescue shootdown friends, and families of the four martyrs will again gather at the main fountain at Florida International University for a moment of silence at 3:15pm.
On February 24, 2021, one year prior to her death, Ambassador Madeleine K. Albright wrote in a tweet: “25 years ago today, in an act of pure cowardice, the Castro regime shot down four pilots of Brothers To The Rescue. My thoughts are with the families of these heroes and all who still yearn for change in Cuba”. (https://twitter.com/madeleine/status/1364605438189318149). This tweet echoed the statements and actions then Secretary of State Albright made in February 1996 when she released transcripts of the Cuban pilots engaged in the attack that demonstrated that they knew the Brothers to the Rescue planes to be unarmed, and the glee when they destroyed the planes, and killed the four men.
“I was struck by the joy of these pilots in committing coldblooded murder,″ Albright said as she released the transcripts. “Frankly, this is not `cojones. This is cowardice.″
Later, the actual audio of the attack was released.
The current Administration, with its America First agenda, has prioritized the lives of Americans held hostage abroad, and calling out terrorism against Americans.
President Donald J. Trump on June 16, 2017 announced a tightening of sanctions on the Cuban dictatorship and delivered the following message to the Cuban dictatorship in which he referenced the Brothers to the Rescue shoot down.
“To the Cuban Government, I say: Put an end to the abuse of dissidents; release the political prisoners; stop jailing innocent people; open yourselves to political and economic freedoms; return the fugitives from American justice, including the return of the cop-killer Joanne Chesimard; and finally, hand over the Cuban military criminals who shot down and killed four brave members of Brothers to the Rescue who were in unarmed, small, slow civilian planes. Those victims included Mario de la Peña, Jr., and Carlos Costa. We are honored to be joined today by Mario’s parents Miriam and Mario and Carlos’s sister Mirta. Where are you? Huh? Those are great, great parents who love their children so much. What they’ve done is just an incredible, incredible thing. What they represent—they did not die in vain—what they represent to everybody, and especially to the Cuban people. So your children did not die in vain, believe me. So to the Castro regime, I repeat: The harboring of criminals and fugitives will end. You have no choice. It will end.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on January 24, 2025 remembered the Fraunces Tavern bombing victims, and the Cuban dictatorship’s continued harboring and support of terrorists, including FALN bomber William Morales in a statement published by the State Department.
“Today, we solemnly commemorate the 50th anniversary of the tragic bombing at Fraunces Tavern in Manhattan. On January 24, 1975, the Puerto Rican terrorist group Armed Forces for National Liberation (FALN) carried out a terrorist bombing attack that claimed the lives of four innocent individuals and injured more than fifty others. As we reflect on this somber day, we honor the memory of those who perished in the explosion: Alejandro Berger, Frank Connor, James Gezork, and Harold Sherburne. Their untimely deaths remind us of the devastating impact of terrorism and the enduring pain it inflicts on families and communities. The Fraunces Tavern bombing was a stark reminder of the threats posed by terrorist ideologies and the lengths to which some will go to advance their causes. In the aftermath of the bombing, our nation came together to support the victims and their families, demonstrating the resilience and unity that define the American spirit. The FBI and other agencies worked tirelessly to capture William Morales, one of the key figures in the FALN, in an attempt to bring him to justice. Morales escaped from prison in the United States, fleeing to Mexico, eventually making his way to Cuba, where Dictator Fidel Castro granted him safe haven. To this day, Cuba continues harboring him and other wanted U.S. fugitives and terrorists. Today, we commemorate the lives lost on that tragic day. We must also recommit ourselves to demanding that wanted U.S. fugitives under the Cuban regime’s protection be brought to justice. We owe the victims and the American people our unwavering commitment to holding the Cuban regime accountable.”
You can learn more about these two terrible events by purchasing Shattered Lives: Overcoming the Fraunces Tavern Terror (2018) and Seagull One: The Amazing True Story of Brothers to the Rescue (2010), books written by thos directly impacted. You can also watch the recently released documentary Shattered Lives, based on the book by the same name.
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