Nov. 15, 1962 - Premier Fidel Castro warned today that Cuba would shoot down U.S. planes if the aerial reconnaissance over Cuba continued. The warning was given in a letter to U Thant (right), Acting Secretary General of the U.N. No Cuban attacks on U.S. planes have been reported since a U-2 and its pilot, Air Force Major Rudolf Anderson Jr., were reported missing Oct. 27. Some Pentagon experts have indicated unofficially that the U-2 might have been brought down by Russian crews operating an advanced type of anti-aircraft missiles. At the request of Mr. Thant, Major Anderson’s body was returned to the U.S. for burial. U.S. sources did not comment on today’s threat from Castro. The threat came late in a week in which a deadlock developed in negotiations on verifying the dismantling and removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba.
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