The article centers on General Rafael del Pino Díaz, a high-ranking Cuban military official who defected to the United States along with his family. He was the second-in-command of the Cuban Ministry of Defense's General Staff and had previously served as head of the Cuban Air Force.
General del Pino's escape to Key West, Florida, aboard a Cessna 402 is described as a significant intelligence victory for the US. He sought political asylum and is being questioned by the FBI. His defection is considered a sign of discontent among the Cuban elite.
The US government views this as their greatest intelligence success since Fidel Castro took power. It's anticipated that General del Pino can provide valuable information about Cuba's military capabilities, Soviet activities on the island, and the internal situation of the Castro regime. The Cuban government denounced his actions as a 'repugnant betrayal'.
The article mentions several other instances of Cuban defections, including Lieutenant Eduardo Guerra Jiménez (in a MiG-17), a spy in Miami, Lieutenant Colonel Joaquín Mouriño Pérez in Spain, and officials Luis Negrete and José Luis Llovio in Spain and Canada, respectively. These cases highlight a pattern of dissent and escape from Cuba.