J. A. San Roman; Commander in Failed Bay of Pigs Invasion

Jose Alfredo San Roman, a commander of the Cuban exile invasion force that was defeated at the Bay of Pigs in 1961, has been found dead with a note near his side, police said.

Although the exact cause of death has not been determined, it appears to be a suicide, police spokesman George Reyes said.

San Roman, 58, was found dead in his home Sunday morning. An autopsy is pending.

“Apparently he had been depressed lately,” Reyes said.

In 1961, San Roman--a captain in the army of Fulgencio Batista, the former Cuban dictator overthrown by Fidel Castro--was one of the commanders of the 1,500 U.S.-trained and -equipped Cuban exiles on what turned out to be a disastrous attempt to invade Cuba and oust Castro.

The attempt by Brigade 2506 to land at the Bay of Pigs was trounced by Castro’s forces and U.S. participation in the affair proved a humiliating defeat for the Administration of President John F. Kennedy.

A member of the Veterans of the Brigade 2506, formed in Miami by survivors of the ill-fated invasion, said San Roman had long been depressed by the failure and Castro’s continued grip on Cuba.

“He has been depressed for a long time over the problem in Cuba,” said Jose Perdomo, who fought under San Roman at the Bay of Pigs.