José E. Serrano: “I first want to join all Americans in expressing my condolences and pain to the families of the pilots who were shot by…”

“I first want to join all Americans in expressing my condolences and pain to the families of the pilots who were shot by the Cuban Air Force. This is a tragedy and we should all deeply regret the death of these pilots. I also believe that the Cuban Government should have dealt with this situation in a different way. The planes, if need be, could have been grounded and not destroyed. My purpose in speaking on this floor today, Mr. Speaker, is to try to reach a point of understanding where we can prevent these tragic issues from taking place in the future and to prevent what I believe is a confrontation that may be coming between the Cuban Government and our Government, perhaps a violent confrontation. The question that needs to be asked is what did our Government know about prior flights by Brothers to the Rescue into Cuban airspace and what did our Government do with this knowledge? I have the statement, which is public by now, by the Cuban Government that shows in order the documentation of violations of Cuban airspace by planes registered in the United States from May 1994 to the present.”