Douglas A-26 Invader the Cuban government. On 15 April 1961, crewed by Cuban exiles, eight B-26s of the FAL ("Fuerza Aérea de Liberación") attacked three Cuban airfields, in an attempt to destroy FAR combat aircraft on the ground. On 17 April 1961, FAL B-26s supported the seaborne Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba. The conflict ended on 19 April, after the loss of nine FAL B-26s, 10 Cuban exiles and 4 American aircrew in combat. The FAR flew B-26Cs in the conflict, one of which was shot down by a CIA 'command ship' with the loss of 4 Cuban aircrew. The CIA contracted
CIA activities in Laos the PL into the larger Laotian society, the CIA had gained intelligence that the PL did not intend to abandon it's "radical" ideology and desire to overthrow the democratic government headed by the RLG. The CIA believed that the PL desired instead to establish a Communist government via subversive political and covert actions as opposed to overt military actions. Nevertheless, the CIA feared that the PL was more than willing to revert to the overt use of force if their new tactics were unsuccessful. An example of this subversion is demonstrated in the cable stating, "PL propagandists and terrorists continued