US exercises diverted from Cuba

President Carter and the Defense Department have diverted US Navy ships from landing exercises in the Caribbean to safeguard Cuban refugees sailing for Florida, Monitor correspondent John Cooley reports.

Five Navy ships intended for amphibious landing maneuvers at the US base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were ordered to assist the US Coast Guard to "save human lives and ensure maritime safety during the unprecedented emergency caused by the flood of refugees leaving Cuba," a Pentagon spokesman said.