Wasp Network film: What was left out watered down and muddled what would have been an interesting film https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 1/

Say their names: Armando Alejandre, Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales. Killed on February 24, 1996 with the active assistance of the Wasp Network.
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Olivier Assayas is a talented filmmaker who once made a powerful film about international terrorism that is worth seeing, unfortunately that film is not the 2019 film Wasp Network thats been correctly described as a "disappointingly muddled spy saga."
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This is one case where reality is much more dramatic and engaging then what appeared on the screen, because the film was based on misinformation provided by the Castro regime to portray the WASP network in a positive light, ... https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 4/

... and to do this non-violent movements Brothers to the Rescue, and the Democracy Movement had to libeled, their significance downplayed, and linked to violent groups with sketchy actors. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 5/

Meaning that at a time when a popular and broad based non-violent movement was gaining strength in the Cuban diaspora the film engages in an act of schizophrenia. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 6/

The main spies featured in the film Juan Pablo Roque and Rene Gonzalez infiltrate Brothers to the Rescue and the Democracy Movement and attempted to get close to their respective leaders Jose Basulto and Ramon Saul Sanchez. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 7/

We do not see Ramon Saul Sanchez in the film, although he is mentioned, but we do encounter a version of Jose Basulto that bears no resemblance to the man I've been acquainted with for over 25 years, and had the privilege to briefly interview. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 8/

The film repeats Castro regime falsehoods about both groups trying to link them to violent movements, but the reality is that they were collaborating with The King Center in the early 1990s and organized a non-violence teach in at @FIU. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 9/

Film includes footage of former Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina (now defenestrated) defending the shoot down of the 2 civilian planes in Feb 24, 1996 and towards the end Fidel Castro making the case for his regime engaging in espionage on U.S. soil. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 10/

The Wasp Network repeats the Castro regime's line that they were just spying on Cuban exile groups, and implies that there were only ten of them in the network. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 11/

The reality is that there were over 40 operatives, and they were also targeting American military bases, Congressional offices, and were engaging in active measures to manipulate elections. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 12/

The film lightly mentions the Ochoa Affair, and touches on its political aspect of liquidating General Arnaldo Ochoa, a popular general among the ranks, who was executed in 1989, but fails to mention Castro's extensive involvement in drug trafficking. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 13/

However it guts the film of what would have been powerful elements that would have provided clarity not to mention drama and pathos to the film and explained the overflight of Havana by Brothers to the Rescue ... https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 14/

but this would have necessitated putting on film the July 13, 1994 "13 de marzo" tugboat massacre when agents of the Castro regime sank a tugboat six miles off the coast of Havana and actively caused 37 men, women, and children to drown. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 15/

One year later on the anniversary of the killings, and with the bodies never recovered, a flotilla of exile boats tried to reach the spot where the tugboat rested with their remains to hold a service for the dead. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 16/

The lead boat Democracia had its hull crushed by Cuban government gunboats, and turned back. At that moment Brothers to the Rescue that had been flying overhead changed course & flew over Havana dropping the leaflets that read "Comrades No. Brothers." https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 17/

This outraged the Castro brothers and they began plotting their revenge which they carried out seven months later. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 18/

It would have been much more interesting to learn about the other activities carried out by the Wasp Network and what they were planning when captured by the FBI. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 19/

The network had planned to burn down a airport hangar, 1st terrorize then send a mail bomb to kill a CIA agent in Bal Harbour identified as Jesus Cruza Flor, & provided material intelligence that assisted in the shoot down of two civilian planes on Feb 24, 1996 killing 4. 20/

This came out during their trial. Gerardo Hernandez, the head of the network was convicted of murder conspiracy and espionage and condemned to a double life sentence. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 21/

This would have been a much more interesting and powerful film and not the muddled and confused propaganda film that is now playing on Netflix and is slow moving and unwatchable. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 22/

Worse yet, the film does not identify the four men killed in the shoot down or the persons who flew with Jose Basulto that day and made it back. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 23/

It also downplays and cleans up the communications of the Castro regime's pilots as they shot down the two planes, and attempts to portray Basulto in a negative light. A more accurate breakdown of what happened is available here. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 24/

The 3 planes did not over fly Havana and the 2 planes shot down did not enter Cuban airspace. The one plane that allegedly entered a mile into Cuba's airspace briefly while flying a search and rescue pattern with the other two planes that were farther out was Jose Basulto's. 25/

The film shows the MiGs flying by the Brothers to the Rescue planes which did not happen in real life. There was no warning. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 26/

Int'l organizations recognized that Armando Alejandre, Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales were murdered by agents of the Cuban government on Feb 24, 1996 when they were blown out of the sky by air-to-air missiles fired by a Cuban MiG. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 27/

This was a criminal conspiracy organized by an outlaw regime. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 28/

Remember and say their names: Armando Alejandre, Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales. Killed on February 24, 1996 with the active assistance of the Wasp Network. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 29/

In the meantime go see Assayas's 2010 film Carlos, that explores the life of a terrorist trained by the Castro regime, but give Wasp Network a pass. https://cubanexilequarter.blogspot.com/2020/06/wasp-network-film-what-was-left-out.html 30/