Johnson With Fidel

[Chilean Johnson Owner 0]

I'm sure I'm not the first one to have seen this pic but....there is a book at our local bookstore about Fidel Castro. Can't remember the title but basically his life in pictures. There is one picture of him and two of his pals in "the Sietra Madre" mountains, circa 1957.

Fidel has a bolt gun with a scope. The fellow on his right is displaying a Johnson 1941.

I know that pics of Johnsons have been seen from Cuba. I have always understood they were provided to the rebels by the CIA.

Do the dates jive here???? I am going by memory on the dates but I can check again.

Thanks!

[Bob Lamoreaux 0]

That photo has been around awhile, my first recollection of it appeared in GUNS Magazine in the late '50s in an article entitled "Where Castro Gets His Guns" by Bill Edwards (I think). Castro is holding what was identified as an FN Mauser-action bolt action rifle, probably in .30-06. The "Castro" guns may have been from CIA "fronts" -- there is some dispute about this. If so, it was a tremendous intelligence failure on the part of the CIA. More likely, these were purchased from surplus arms dealers from Winfield/Interarmco inventories. There seems no doubt that anti-Castro groups such as Alpha 66 were supplied by CIA "fronts" with Johnson rifles. BTW, there is one photo of a "squad" of Castro rebels going in a line, down a hill, one member of the "squad" carrying a '41 JLMG -- probably a re-activated DEWAT. Hope this helps.