Duration - 44:46
[a video about Cuba from the news collective Belly Of The Beast]

Why did the Cuban government shoot down two Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996?

Former Cuban intelligence agent René González, a member of the Cuban Five, says the group’s true purpose was not rescuing rafters.

In this exclusive interview with Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández, González recounts how he infiltrated Brothers to the Rescue, what he witnessed from the inside, and why he believes the indictment of Raúl Castro is a made-in-Miami pretext to justify an invasion.

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0:00 Introduction

1:00 Who is René González? Beyond the Cuban Five

2:14 How Cuba Recruits Intelligence Agents

3:08 Stealing a Plane to Infiltrate the Enemy

6:03 The Point of No Return

9:42 Arriving in the United States

10:44 The Mission: Infiltrating Anti-Castro Pilot Groups

12:11 What Was Brothers to the Rescue Really Doing?

17:39 The Secret Plans: Sabotage, Weapons and Destabilization

21:00 Provoking a Confrontation Between Cuba and the U.S.

23:32 The Lead-Up to the 1996 Shootdown

24:49 The Day of the Shootdown

27:59 Was Cuba Justified?

29:43 Raúl Castro's Indictment: Justice or Political Move?

33:22 Comparing the Cuban Five Trial to Raúl's Indictment

36:23 Did He Ever Feel Guilty? Empathy With the Enemy

37:44 Dismantling Terror Plots Against the U.S.

38:42 The Obama Normalization: A Moment of Hope

40:06 Cuba Then vs. Cuba Now

42:08 The Future of Cuba Belongs to the Young

44:18 Any Regrets?