Shetterly - The americano: fighting with castro for cubas freedom

Fighting with Castro for Cubas Freedom

Aran Shetterly

Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

Published by
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Post Office Box 2225
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27515-2225

a division of
Workman Publishing
225 Varick Street
New York, New York 10014

2007 by Aran Shetterly. All rights reserved.

Extract on page 117 from an article by Paul Brinkley-Rogers published in The Miami Herald on January 10, 1999, reprinted with permission of The Miami Herald.

Extract on pages 152 53 from an article by Herbert Matthews published in The New York Times Magazine on January 11, 1959, reprinted with permission of the authors son, Eric Matthews.

Extract on page 276 from an article by Martin Houseman reprinted from United Press International, Inc. (UPI), March 11, 1961. Copyright U.P.I. All rights reserved. License # UPI-9599-BKD.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

eISBN 978-1-56512-852-1

This book is for my family, whose love and support made the work possible. It is also for the men and women of the Second National Front of the Escambray, especially Eloy, Ramiro, Roger, Bibe, and Max, in hopes that their stories will be remembered.

THE REBELS

Second National Front of the Escambray (Segundo Frente Nacional del Escambray; SNFE)

William Alexander Morgan: Comandante. American from Toledo, Ohio; born April 19, 1928, in Cleveland; arrived in Cuba in early 1958; enlisted with SNFE and became Rebel hero

Eloy Gutirrez Menoyo (El Gallego): Comandante. Born 1934 in Madrid, Spain; moved to Cuba as a boy; founded SNFE; Morgans commander and close friend

Armando Fleites: Comandante. Doctor; ally of Menoyo

Lzaro Artola: Comandante. Affiliated with M-26-7

Miguelito de Camajuani: Close friend of Ramiro Lorenzo and Edel Montiel

Jess Carreras: Comandante. Close friend of Morgan

Ramiro Lorenzo: Capitn. Close friend of Morgan and Menoyo; orginally affiliated with M-26-7 (see below)

Max Lesnik: Chief propaganda officer in Havana; close to Menoyo

Edel Montiel: Capitn. One of first SNFE rebels to turn against Castro; later sought Morgans aid

Roger Redondo: Capitn. Confidant of Morgan and Menoyo

Roger Rodrguez: In charge of propaganda in Escambray; recruited Morgan to SNFE

Olga Mara Rodrguez Farias: Born in Santa Clara; student revolutionary, joined SNFE; married William Morgan

Felix Bibe Rafael Vzquez Robles: Young Rebel from Caunau; friend of Ramiro Lorenzo

26th of July Movement (Movimiento 26 de Julio; M-26-7)

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz: The Maximum leader of the Cuban Revolution; born Aug. 13, 1926, in Mayar Oriente Province; has led Cuba since Jan. 1, 1959

Camilo Cienfuegos: Comandante. Beloved by the Cuban people; died in plane crash Oct. 28, 1959

Ernesto Che Guevara de la Serna: Comandante. Born June 14, 1928, in Rosario, Argentina; only foreigner with rank of comandante other than Morgan. Killed October 9, 1967, in Bolivia, where he was trying to start a rebel movement

Juan Almeida: Comandante. Became head of Revolutionary Armed Forces after Rebel victory

Revolutionary Student Directorate (Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil; DRE)

Jos Antonio Echevarria: Leader of DRE; some say the only young Cuban to rival Castro in charisma; died in March 13, 1957, attack on Presidential Palace

Faure Chomn: Leader of DRE after March 13 attack; clashed with Menoyo and with Castro, but chose loyalty to Revolution

Ral Nieves: Capitn. Loyal to Chomn and Castro

THE OLD GUARD

Carlos Pro Socarrs: President of Cuba 1948 52; left Cuba and presidency when Batista staged coup in 1952

Fulgencio Batista y Zaldvar: Born 1901; son of a poor laborer; rose to power through military ranks; elected president of Cuba (1940 44), retired, then took back presidency through army coup March 10, 1952; ruled until Jan. 1, 1959, when he left Cuba under pressure from Rebels and U.S. government; died in Spain Aug. 6, 1973

Manuel Benitez: Head of Havana police department under Batista; later an FBI informant

Jos Eleuterio Pedraza: Army general under Batista; led Cuban counterrevolutionary effort from Dominican Republic during Trujillo Conspiracy in effort to win Cuba back from Castro

Esteban Ventura Novo: Head of Batistas secret police

THE AMERICANS

Dominick Bartone: Associate of Jimmy Hoffa and Meyer Lansky

Laura Bergquist: Journalist for Look magazine; interviewed Morgan during summer 1960

Paul Bethel: Press attach in U.S. Embassy in Havana; reported to CIA station chief Jim Noel

Philip Bonsal: The last American ambassador to Cuba

Michael Colin: Filmmaker, PR man, and opportunist in Cuba after Revolution; worked for Morgan and allegedly informed on him for CIA

Thomas Errion: FBI special agent; assigned to Morgan in Miami

James Haverty: Legal attach in U.S. Embassy in Havana; kept FBI and State Department abreast of developments in Cuba

Gerry Patrick Hemming: Ex-marine involved with Fidel Castro and Rebel cause; stayed in Cuba, befriended Morgan; appears to have provided information to U.S. Army Intelligence

Ernest Hemingway: Famous American author; friend of Herbert Matthews; longtime resident of Cuba

J. Edgar Hoover: Director of FBI 1924 72

Herbert Matthews: Career employee of New York Times with later focus on Latin America; at age 57, broke story that Castro, though reported to be dead, was still alive in Cuba

Frank Nelson: Bagman; freelancer for Dominican government, associate of Myer Lansky; claimed to have worked for CIA

Westbrook Pegler: Columnist-cum-FBI-informant, associated with J. Edgar Hoover

Clete Roberts: Journalist for NBC; film and television actor; interviewed Morgan in fall 1959

Leman L. Stafford Jr.: FBI special agent; assigned to Morgan in Miami

THE DOMINICANS

Rafael Lenidas Trujillo Molina: Dominican dictator 1930 61

Johnny Abbes Garca: Head of Dominican Military Intelligence Service

Father Ricardo Velazco Ordez: Spanish priest; worked for Trujillo

OTHERS

Carlos Menoyo (brother): Brother of Eloy Gutirrez Menoyo; died in attack on Presidential Palace, March 13, 1957

Carlos Menoyo (father): Father of Eloy Gutirrez Menoyo; Spanish Republican; took his family to Cuba in 1940s

Ellen May Theresa Bethel: Married Morgan in 1954 or 1955, divorced him in 1958 while he was in Cuba; mother of his children Anne and William Jr.

Jorge Lus Carro: