Anti-hijacking agreement

On 15 February 1973 the United States and Cuba signed an anti-hijacking agreement that stipulated that aircraft hijackers were to be either criminally prosecuted or extradited. Over the course of eight weeks, the Swiss ambassador to Cuba, Alfred Fischli, and his successor Silvio Masnata negotiated the exchange of messages between the two countries.

The agreement was concluded against the backdrop of aircraft hijackings that were becoming increasingly frequent. Between 1968 and 1972, 325 aircraft had been hijacked, 173 of which were diverted to Cuba. The agreement was preceded by numerous attempts to negotiate, with Switzerland acting as a mediator.

Cuba saw the agreement as a step towards a rapprochement with the United States, an interpretation that was firmly rejected by US President Richard Nixon.

Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland:

dodis.ch/33715 (de)

dodis.ch/33716 (fr)

dodis.ch/33734 (de)

dodis.ch/33736 (fr)

dodis.ch/33743 (de)

dodis.ch/34508 (de)