Word: ransoms
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...Ransom & Tribute...
...that point. Attorney General Kennedy ordered a "staff study" to find out if the ransom could be raised from food and drug companies (a quick check had shown that voluntary contributions from citizens might bring nothing). Assured that the goods could be obtained, he set a Christmas deadline for the exchange...
Progress in winning pledges for ransom contributions was charted on a large wall graph in Oberdorfer's office. The American Red Cross agreed to act as middleman in the exchange. Justice Department officials approached the trade associations of drug, medical and food industries. Five officials of the American Pharmaceutical Association came to Washington, saw the Attorney General. Referring to the Bay of Pigs fiasco. Bobby said, "My brother made a mistake." and implied that the prisoner exchange would be one way of rectifying...
...Call, One Million. To transport the goods from manufacturers to Cuba, ten airlines, ten railroads, one shipping firm and a group of truckers chipped in with equipment and manpower-tax deductible at out-of-pocket cost. Even then, with the full ransom in hand or pledged, and with fast transportation assured, the whole effort almost fell apart. For Castro insisted on ironclad guarantees that he could collect cash for any goods not delivered, once the prisoners were set free. This meant a $53 million performance bond. Katzenbach flew to Montreal to seek such a bond from the Royal Bank...
After Castro had finally inspected the 20% down payment of ransom goods carried to Cuba in the freighter African Pilot, the exchange began. Suddenly Castro stopped the release of the last three planeloads of prisoners, recalled that he had not been paid $2,900,000 in cash for the release of 60 prisoners last spring. With just one telephone call, Robert Kennedy got a $1,000,000 pledge from an unidentified donor-a fund-raising feat that should qualify him for the chairmanship of the United Arab-Jewish Appeal. The sponsoring committee pledged the rest, Clay borrowed cash against...