European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 11, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Growing dissatisfaction with communist Rule leads to aps amps daring escape Pilot of Flim pomp Gonzslez Center made the daring flight with his wife Marla de la Cavazzana her son Eduardo Lara Cavazzana and 31  Larry Rohter the new York times in late december at a ceremony in Havana German Pompa Gonzalez was awarded a medal for Quot exemplary service Quot to the cuban revolution for his performance As a helicopter Pilot. Sunday morning he sat in the living room of his sister in Law s modest House in a Miami suburb a wanted Man Back in his Homeland but a hero to thousands of cuban exiles in Miami Pompa s journey to Freedom began Friday Jan. 3, at Dawn when he awoke dressed quietly in the uniform of cubans National airline being careful not to Wake fellow Crew members still asleep in a staff dormitory and boarded the russian made Mi-8 helicopter in which he normally ferried tourists around Cuba. Three hours later after picking up his wife and 32 More relatives and friends in a pasture and flying 200 Miles across the Florida Strait he landed his Craft at Tamami executive Airport South of Miami and kissed american soil. Quot we were flying barely two Yards above the water and there was always the danger that Castro a radar would detect us and Force us Down Quot said Pompa 27, a lieutenant in the cuban air Force with two years of combat service in Angola. Quot nevertheless i Felt a tremendous sense of equilibrium and Calm. I knew that one Way or another it would soon be Over Quot after requesting political Asylum Pompa and All but one passenger were released from an immigration and naturalization service detention Center Jan. 4 to the custody of relatives. Cubans Are treated differently from other nationalities like haitians and will be eligible for Legal residency in the United states in another year. Sunday morning Pompa and 13 other relatives including his brother Gustavo and various cousins awoke in opa Locka in the two bedroom House of his wife a sister Mery Diaz a former political prisoner who arrived in Florida two years ago. There he Learned to his distress of news reports from Havana saying that the cuban government was demanding the return of both the helicopter and its Pilot. In addition there were new uncertainties. Quot we need to put a roof of our own Over our Heads Quot Pompa said. A How do we find jobs who s going to give us orientation on How you live Here Quot Diaz s House is normally Home to five people but was tilled to overflowing sunday morning. Its principal decorations Are a few religious pictures and a pair of Small television sets. Pompa s wife Maria de la Cavazzana emphasized that neither her sister nor their parents who remain in Cuba and whose House is now reported to be under surveillance knew of the escape plan in Advance. Pompa said it was his wife who initiated the idea of a mass escape by helicopter the first of its kind since fide Castro took Power in Cuba in january 1959, because of her growing dissatisfaction with life under communist Rule. A she was the planner and i was the instrument Quot he said. Quot i lived Lor Many years cherishing the revolution Quot said the 44-year-old Cavazzana who has four children from a previous marriage. Quot i loved it and worked for it and sacrificed for it but the cuban people have no rights any More and nothing to eat or enjoy As diversions before too Long Cuba police and . Customs officers stand guard around the helicopter that flew 34 cubans to Freedom. A we were flying barely two Yards above the water and there was always the danger that Castro s radar would detect us and Force us Down. Nevertheless x Felt a tremendous sense of. Calm. I knew that one Way or another it would soon be  German Pompa Gonzalez going to be thrown Back to the conditions it was in when Christopher Columbus discovered  As Pompa s brother and 20-year-old Stepson Emilio an automobile Mechanic examined a car parked in front of the House another sister in Law who had not seen Cavazzana since she left Cuba As a former political prisoner entered and embraced her. Quot girl you look Good considering whal you be just been through Quot she said Quot and Why should t i a Cavazzana retorted. Quot now we can begin to live. Now my grandchildren Are going to know what it is like to say what they want to celebrate Christmas and new year s and the three Kings Day to buy a soft drink or a bicycle when they want. In Cuba there s no Freedom there s  sustained for Many years by billions of dollars of subsidies from the soviet Union that have been gradually Cut off Over the last five years the cuban Economy has gone into a tailspin. Food and fuel have Long been rationed but on Jan. 1, the government imposed new restrictions on the consumption of gasoline and electricity which has meant cutbacks on bus routes store hours television programming and other aspects of the daily routine. Tractors Are already being replaced by oxen pulling plows and Donkey taxis Are a familiar sight. Some 750,000 bicycles have been imported from China to replace taxis and buses. Castro has warned cubans that they must be prepared for a total Energy cutoff for which Cuba has a grim sounding contingency plan called Quot option  Quot Zero Energy Zero electricity Zero transport Quot explained an official. At the same time Castro alarmed by events in the soviet Union has vowed never to implement the policies of perestroika and glasnost that brought about the fall of president Mikhail s Gorbachev and the collapse of the soviet Union saying that Cuba would rather drown in a sea of blood than embrace capitalism. Cavazzana said that a personal turning Point came Wilh october s communist party Congress which party officials and the state controlled press had hinted might bring some political and economic change. But when Castro made it Clear that he had no intention of instituting any such change and called for greater sacrifices and renewed revolutionary ardor the populace Felt a sense of betrayal and disgust she said Quot everybody was wailing waiting waiting for the Congress thinking they would put things in order a she said Quot but things Only got worse. When the new Laws came Down they just tightened the system Quot she said the family s plan to flee Cuba began about three months ago when her 24-year-old daughter Inova Lara a Model Quot came to me and said a Mommy i can t stand it Here any More. I m going Over in a Salt and in a taking my child with. I ii me. That Prospect Cavazzana said alarmed her. More than 2,000 cubans Success Luly crossed the Florida Straits to Freedom aboard rafts inner tubes and Small boats last year but Many More Are believed to have drowned died of exposure or been eaten by Sharks As they drifted on the sea. Cavazzana said she made her daughter swear not to leave Cuba on a raft promising to organize a mass detection that would take he entire family to the United states but when it came time to approach her Husland with the idea she confessed she Felt some nervousness Quot he liked the system and had always been what they Call a revolutionary  she said Quot but i began to talk to him about conditions and planted the idea of leaving and tie did not oppose  Pompa it turned out had also grown disenchanted with the Castro regime and wanted a new life. Quot the reservations i had about leaving were practical because this was a difficult thing after All Quot he explained sunday morning As Cavazzana sat in his Lap her arms around him Quot but i told her not to worry that i would find a plane and get All of us out Quot Friday s flight he said was actually the third attempt to Fly the group out of Cuba. On dec. 30, he said the group Rode a bus from Havana to the Beach resort of Paradero where he works but the escape had to be cancelled when Pompa discovered that a Luse had Boon removed from the helicopter apparently to disable it. Then on new year s Day Pompa discovered that the helicopter he flies had been shifted to Havana for festivities associated with the anniversary of Castro a Assumption of Power. He worried then Hal his plan to escape had been uncovered but said that the rest of the group remained optimistic Quot we had a lot of Luck and we Are grateful to god Lor that Quot Cavazzana said. Quot to were a Large group but there were no informers among us. And we were also fortunate to Tiave the Means to get out i think of Poicon of the cuban people would like to do the same but it is not easy to escape Quot Cuba after Castro who will take Over Fidel Castro has ruled Cuba for 32 year by Anne Marie of Connor Cox news service until recently it had been considered a foregone conclusion that cuban defense minister Raul Castro would become the country s Leader in the event of the death of his powerful 65-year-old brother Fidel. But since the fall of East bloc communism threw Cuba into crisis diplomats say that scenario is now in doubt even if a single person could hold the one party system together they say it would probably not be Fidel s a charismatic brother publicly cuban officials Point out that Raul Castro 60, is next in line in the Chain of Power though they Stop Welt Short of endorsing his Ascendance Quot we Are not trying to create a family dynasty nor do we believe Hal that is the answer Quot said Deputy foreign minister Ramon Sanchez Parodi. When asked if Fidel a brother would succeed him privately cuban officials say that a Post Castro state might Well be ruled Coah Tion style even if a single Leader is named no one seems to believe he will be Able to Wield the personal Power of Fidel diplomats with an Eye on the deepening economic crisis say even the Best Laid plans Lor Cuba s future May be put aside if profound changes sweep Cuba with or without Fidel Quot once he s gone All bets Are off Quot said one Diplomat. Cuban american National foundation Leader Jorge Mas Canosa and several other exile leaders would like to step in and run a Post Castro Cuba Bui even hard line anti communist cuban exiles like Felix Rodriguez the Iasi Cia agent to see guerrilla Leader Che Guevara alive express doubts that this will happen he thinks exiles will got their Chance Down the Road alter they have invested time and Money in Cuba. Analysts say Hal it is More Likely that Post Castro Cuba will follow the Eastern european example and be led by cubans who weathered the communist system a new 25-member politburo emerged from the fourth party Congress in october Wilh a crop of younger officials representing sectors where the stale is trying to expand its influence some older revolutionary veterans were dumped including Raul Castro s wife Vilna Espin and mercurial culture minister Armando Farl notable new members of the politburo include Carlos Aldana 49 Purl ideologue who Heads department of revolutionary orientation this key negotiator of the Angola peace talks is viewed by Many continued on Page 16 Page 14 b the stars and stripes saturday january 11, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 15