Former Cuban Diplomat Reunites with Ex-CIA Officer Who Helped Him Escape to the U.S.

On the program A Fondo on AméricaTeVe, Héctor G. Aguililla embraced Dale Bendler, who had helped him flee Spain with his wife and children, eluding agents of the Cuban dictatorship trying to capture him and send him back to the island.

At the time of his defection, Aguililla, now 71, was in transit in Madrid on his way to a new diplomatic post in Madagascar when he decided to break with the Castro regime and seek protection from U.S. authorities. Bendler, a legendary and decorated CIA officer, took on the case and succeeded in getting the family safely to Frankfurt, Germany. Two weeks later, Aguililla, his wife Miriam, and their children, Maitelis and Héctor Eduardo, aged 13 and 10, arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., aboard a U.S. Air Force plane.

On the program, hosted by Juan Manuel Cao, Aguililla was joined by Miriam, his son Héctor, and two of his grandchildren. Bendler attended with his wife Sandra, whom he met while heading the CIA station in Angola.

Aguililla and Bendler crossed paths during one of the most tense confrontations of the Cold War, both having been part of covert operations across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

At the end of the program, Aguililla and Bendler appealed to members of Cuban intelligence and the regime's repressive apparatus to take historical responsibility in defense of the Cuban people. Miriam Aguililla commented emotionally that, contrary to the derogatory image the Castro regime has painted of the CIA, its officers display a profound sense of humanity.