Pedro Luis Diaz Lanz

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Pedro Luis Diaz (born on November 8, 1926 in Havana, Cuba) was Chief Air Force Commander under Fidel Castro.

In 1957, Diaz joined Castro in Santiago, Cuba. He was given the task of smuggling the weapons and ammunition from Costa Rica for Castro's army.

After the overthrow of the Cuban government by Castro in 1959, Diaz was given the position of Chief Air Force Commander as well as Castro's personal pilot. However, he became outraged when he learned of Castro's communist beliefs. After publicly criticizing him and the growing communist influence in the government, he was stripped of his command by Castro. Due to the demotion and the increasing threat of his safety by the government, Diaz decided to leave for the United States. He left on the night of June 29 from Cuba by navigating a sailboat to Florida.

In the United States, Diaz was interviewed by the Senate Internal Security subcommitee, where he gave out the first account of Fidel's planned move towards communism. Afterwards, he would join the CIA, and became a member of Operation 40, a group of CIA operatives who specialized in carrying out secret Anti-Castro assassinations and sabotages.