In 1964, British Leyland, with the support of the British government, made a deal with Cuba to sell them 400 Leyland Olympic buses. This brought a sharp rebuke from Washington, and caused a rift between the two allies.

Britain decided to go ahead with the sale. It couldn't find a western ship to transport the buses due to the embargo, and then turned to an East German shipping company for a vessel.

What happened next is an incident that some say is an act of sabotage.

The ship carrying the bus, the MV Magdeburg, collided with the Yamashiro Maru, a Japanese ship that was entering the waters of the Thames.

The MV Magdeburg never made it out of London, and many of the 42 buses were lost or damaged. There are accusations that the collision was an act of sabotage by the CIA.

00:00 Introduction
02:33 Part I Row with USA over Bus Deal
06:28 Part II The sinking of the MV Magdeburg and the CIA consipracy
08:03 Images of the shipping accident in October, 1964
10:41 Roster 42 of Buses on the Magdeburg - what happened to the vehicles
10:58 Conclusion

Hear the full story. You decide.

This is the Cuban Bus Crisis of 1964!

#buses #leylandbus #transport #documentary #cuba #britishhistory #usuk