Nestor Izquierdo
 Nestor Izquierdo     (spook) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 20, 1936 |
| Died | June 10, 1979 (Age 43) |
| Member of | Brigade 2506 |
Bay of Pigs, may have been spotter for JFK assassination in Dallas | |
Nestor (Tont) Izquierdo Diaz took part in the Bay of Pigs as a member of Brigade 2506, and is believed to have been involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Early Life
He was a close friend of Manuel Artime and with him he was part of the Rural Commands at the beginning of the Cuban revolution, sending in small guerilla forces, planning to instigate a counter-revolution.
Nestor Izquierdo's first mission was prior to the Bay of Pigs invasion. Together with several companions, he parachuted into the foothills of the Sierra Maestra, in the eastern province of Cuba. The group, once settled on land, managed to gather together a good number of peasants whom they prepared to wait for the invasion. When the failure of the effort was obvious, Izquierdo dispersed the group and crossed the Guantánamo base from where he returned to the United States[1]. During these incidents, he met an American officer from the Guantánamo base. This friendship. presumably Naval Intelligence officer Harold Finney (see below) would last until the day of his death.
He went into exile: Mexico first, Miami later. In 1960 he entered the Guatemalan camps where the 2506 Brigade was trained.
JFK Assassination
John Simkin writes that: "It is believed that Nestor Izquierdo was involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Independently of each other, James Richards and Gerry Hemming have claimed that Izquierdo was involved with the events in Dealey Plaza. Specifically, his role being the Dal-Tex spotter."[2]
1970s
In 1977, he was arrested at San Antonio International Airport in Texas for allegedly falsely declaring he was a U.S. citizen after arriving on a flight from Mexico City. He had entered Mexico under false identity, and returned to the United States. He said he was not working for the CIA when he went to Mexico. He was arrested when additional papers were discovered in his luggage during a search when customs officials became suspicious of his statement he was a citizen.[3]
In his motion to reduce Izquierdo's bond from an initial $250,000, his attorney Roy Barrera said the Cuban's CIA superior, retired Naval Intelligence officer Harold Finney would vouch for his client.
First Asst. U.S. Attorney. John M. Pinckney III said one of three Cubans held in connection with an attack on a Cuban diplomat in Veracruz apparently escaped from a Mexico City jail jail at the same time Izquierdo was there.[3]
In 1979 he was with group of more than 30 brigade members who moved to Nicaragua to to train Somoza's National Guard units. Nestor and Nicaraguan Major Danilo Vargas formed the paratroop corps to fight more efficiently against the socialist Sandinista Front. They did not limit themselves to training however, accompanying those who had been their students in combat.
That is how on July 10, 1979, on take-off from an improvised airfield with a cargo of arms and personnel destined for another war front, the cargo which was not tied down, shifted and caused the plane to crash. Nestor Izquierdo was killed.[4]
