Trying to Destroy the Cuban Revolution
By Elio Delgado Legon
HAVANA TIMES – After almost seven years of the bloody dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, economically and militarily supported by the U.S. government, we saw the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in January 1959 with massive support from practically the entire people. Only those who were involved with the dictatorship did not support the revolutionary process.
As soon as the Revolution triumphed, all sorts of actions were undertaken to bring it to its knees. The first was accepting on U.S. territory all the war criminals, torturers and thieves who fled Cuba to evade justice. All these people were then used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to perform acts aimed at destroying the Revolution.
For 54 years they have tried unsuccessfully to turn back the wheel of history. Among the widely varied attempts, one consistent one has been the attempts to assassinate the leaders of the Revolution, principally its commander-in-chief, Fidel Castro, as expressed in over 600 assassination attempts.
Terrorism, in all its manifestations, was also present in those years and has cost the country more than three thousand lives as well as considerable material damage.
One of the variants used by the CIA was to create an armed opposition. They organized bands of insurgents which murdered peasants, teachers and young people working on the national literacy program. Workers’ militia battalions fought against those bands until they were completely eradicated.
Along with the bands of insurgents in the country, a brigade was trained and armed to invade Cuba with the aim of seizing part of its territory, and then asking for U.S. intervention, something that was already under preparation in nearby waters. How the story ended is well known: They were defeated in less than 72 hours at the Bay of Pigs.
On the economic front, the U.S. government has done everything in its power to destroy the Revolution. They set this goal from 1960 on. Lester Mallory, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs sent Roy R. Rubottom Jr., the then deputy secretary of state, a memorandum in which he states:
“The majority of Cubans support Castro (…) There is no effective political opposition (…) The only effective way to make him lose domestic support (for the government) is to incite the disenchantment and discouragement that is born of economic dissatisfaction and penury ( …) We must rapidly implement all the means at our disposal to weaken the economic life of the country (…) denying money and supplies to Cuba in order to reduce nominal and real wages and so provoke hunger, desperation and the overthrow of the government “.
And that has been the policy applied to Cuba ever since: an economic, commercial and financial blockade that has cost the country a billion dollars and that keeps getting stronger, despite the nearly unanimous condemnation of the UN General Assembly for the last 21 years.
Parallel to the blockade policy, acts of terrorism and sabotage attempts have continued, some of them as criminal as the introduction of the hemorrhagic dengue virus, which killed more than a hundred children, the introduction of plagues to destroy agriculture, and the African swine fever virus which wiped out pig breeding in the country.
Among the examples of terrorism carried out against Cuba we need only mention the midair bombing of a plane with 73 people on board, or the string of bombing attempts in Havana hotels.
It’s a list too endless to enumerate here, which forced Cuba to protect itself by infiltrating these terrorist groups with the aim of neutralizing their activities. However, in so doing, five Cubans were sentenced to long prison terms as if they were criminals while the criminals remain at large.
I have mentioned only a small part of the activities and the attempts that have been made in the course of 54 years to destroy the Cuban Revolution; quoting them all would take up too much space.
In recent years, attempts have continued to be made to create internal opposition, paid for from the United States, but the Cuban people stand firm in support of their Revolution and will defend it against all those who wish to destroy it from without or within.
Considering the decaying state of Cuban infrastructure, the thousands of collapsing buildings in Havana, the shrinking agricultural production, the steadily falling standard of living, and the constant emigration of the young and talented, …it is obvious the Cuban Revolution destroyed itself.
Thank you, Manuel, for an excellent post. The rants of Moses Patterson are a constant in the HT comments sections; they are always pro-imperialist and mostly–but not always–highly annoying.
What we should keep in mind is that a good boxing match requires well-matched boxers; and there is a certain pleasure in slugging it out with the slanders of the Cuban Revolution. The contest also makes the open HT forum function properly.
I just wish more articles like those of Elio Delgado could be submitted to HT for publication.
My very warm regards to you.
The word substitution occurs only in your mind.
I think it comes down to “which side are you on?” You are a pro-monopoly capitalism, anti-socialism ideologue. Nothing I, or anyone else might say will change that. End of this exchange.
Grady, direct me to a website where I can appropriately share my opinions regarding monopoly banks and the military-intelligence-industrial complex. Here at HT the topic is ‘little Cuba’. The definition of slander is “the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation”. Which part of my statement was false. Careful, Grady, lest you libel me.
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In my view, Moses, you are analogous to a man who lives in the same apartment complex as a large gang of criminal thugs, who murder people regularly and terrorize the neighborhood, filling it with extortion, profanity, drugs, prostitution, poverty and garbage. But all this man has the heart to do is rant against a little neighborhood dog, because it digs up the flowers and defecates on the lawn.
All your huffing and puffing, Moses, is against little Cuba, and not a word against the monopoly banks and military-intelligence-industrial complex of the US and EU. Care to explain that?
The US has around 700 military bases around the world, but not a word of criticism from Moses, the self-appointed slanderer of the Cuban leadership. The US creates and props up brutal dictatorships all over the world, and has done it for a century or more, but not a word of indignation from Moses.
I hope you keep reading, sir, and change your focus to creating a better world, before capitalism destroys what’s left of our beautiful natural inheritance, and perhaps even our species. That’s not likely to happen though, because you have more important things to do with your precious time and intelligence.
Yes Manuel.
Not only the Cuban Revolution, but ANY attempt to build something that goes against the US interests gets utterly destroyed by the CIA thugs, usually destroying democracy in the name of it: Iran ’53, Guatemala ’54, Brazil ’64, Chile ’73, and many others:
http://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/us-interventions-in-latin-american-021/
Elio, every time you use the words “Cuban Revolution, or “Revolution,” substitute the words “Castro Dictatorship” or “Dictatorship.”
There’s a rather simple solution to Cuba’s current woes. Legalize dissent.
Senor Delgado,en Cuba no existe Revolucion ;fue traicionada por Fidel Castro en 1961;declarando el caracter socialista de la Revolucion.-Fidel Castro es el gran traidor de la Revolucion.-Recuerde por que se creo el MRR(Movimiento de Recuperacion Revolucionaria).Entonces deberia ser ,tratar de destruir el castrismo ,que ha provocado mas de 10.000 victimas,mas de 2000000 de inmigrantes y una enfermedad cronica que padece el 90% de los cubanos ;”delirio de percecusion”,esta es una razon por la que muchas personas escriben como usted.-Reflexionar es de sabios.
Grady, it pleases me to see that you understand my comments are at least half-true. Keep reading and I am optimistic that with more information you will come to see the whole truth in them. Also, while I do not support your tranformationary utopia, I realize anything is possible. I will continue to keep on your toes.
Forgive me, Moses, but I think you are the “dinosaur,” and if history should ever remember your name, I believe it will only be to ridicule it. You mix your venom with better-tasting grains of half-truth, the method of all evil charlatans. You never have anything truly positive to say, either about Cuba or the US, and this wishful-thinking, pseudo-prophesy comment is no exception.
Even so, your counter-transformationary voice needs to be heard, to keep the rest of us on our toes, so to speak.
Change is coming to the United States and Canada, as well–socialist cooperative republican change. Hopefully it will come through non-violence, legality, persuasion and democratic work. This is, I believe, what we all should be moving toward.
The events of the Cuba revolution have long ago moved from current affairs, to history. What is to be done now? Refighting old battles that were lost or won decades ago serves no purpose. Continuing conflict serves no good purpose either. The Cuban economy is a failure and survives on life support from Venezuela. Ironically enough, Cuba’s benefactor survives in much the same condition. Obviously, neither patient has a sustainable prognosis.
Change is coming, one way or another. Letters like that above, ringing with slogans and half-truths, may feel good to the true-believers but they do not point a viable path to the future.
Excellent article, Elio. I might add two points.
First, the Empire maintains a constant propaganda barrage against Fidel and Raul, slandering and libeling them as “dictators.” Failing in their attempts at physical assassination, they resort to daily hate language against these two Cuban patriots, attempting to assassinate their personal character in every media venue possible.
Those who are the mouthpieces for this slander and libel do not realize that everyone who matters knows who they are, and what they are trying to accomplish.
Second, it may be a typographical error, but the economic damage to the Cuban economy due to the criminal US blockade–if I’m not mistaken–is more like one billion dollars “per year.” Could you please check these figures? Best wishes.
Mr. Patterson with your contradictory statement you are giving full reason to the Article of Mr. Elio, you try to twist the truth, you try to deviate the subject, so the reader believe your lies, and you also, try to attack the people of Cuba with the same yellow and miserable propaganda, that the Government of the United States, used and is using during 54 years try to destroy Cuba and its revolution.
Please Mr.Patterson explain the world, how is possible that such a terrible country ,as you described, Cuba is, can obtain in United Nations so much support against the criminal and genocide blockade of the USA
against Cuba???, please also explain how Cuba is having diplomatic relations with all the countries in Latin American and the Caribbean and at the same time, those countries consider Cuba as a reference in democracy, liberty, respect for the human rights and request to the Cuban Government support in a lot of areas of expertise, such as health care, education, sport, protection of the population against natural disasters, etc…….
Mr. Pat3terson who told the Government of the United States, that they can get involve, violating all the international laws, in Cuba politic life, who is the Government of the United State to give lesson of democracy to Cuba, who is the Government of the United State, to protect terrorist people in their territory, as they are doing since 1959, starting with the Batistianos (torturer, murderous and thief of the country money) and you know the names of those
terrorist, Posada Carriles, Orlando Bosch, Fundacion Cubana Americana, and many others, and at the same time keep in jail, unlawfully, 5 Cubans who fought, in real life, against the USA terrorism saving life and properties in Cuba and in the USA, why the government of the USA organized, trained and transported the 1500 Cubans in the Playa Giron fiasco, who gave authority to the United State Government to create a fake opposition in the Island, pay them as mercenaries, and then coming with the incredible and false statement, “We are looking for democracy and freedom in Cuba.”, please give us a break.
Please Mr. Patterson, you should fight against your government, that means fighting for the real democracy, liberties and human rights in USA and in the world, in order to avoid l the repetition of the genocide they did in Iraq (the biggest lie and crime in the present times after Viet Nam), Afghanistan (where nobody called them), Libya (another crime and lie to the world), Palestine (using the miserable government of Israel) with the inhuman purpose o annihilating the Palestinian people, and now trying to do the same in Syria, using, against the Syrian Government, the same terrorist they say they are fighting, because they were a clear a present danger for the National Security of the USA ?????,
Please Mr. Patterson, do not come with your big mouse to try to convince the world, of the never existed democracy, defense of human rights and liberties, in the already invaded, occupied and destroy countries, by the USA government and its allies, when we all know, as a fact, that what they were and are looking for, is to keep for themselves and free of econnomic cost, all the natural resources of those countries, and at the same time, to install military bases, in order to be able, to keep the killing and the
genocide of thousands of humans been.
Please Mr. Patterson think it twice and tell HT to erase your commentary.
well said Moses!
I have read much on the history of Cuba/US relations and will be the first to claim absolute ignorance as to the truth behind this history. I can only comment on what I perceive to be true and what I see. My opinion will be of little consequence to policy makers and politicians. I simply write this in respect to my friends living in Cuba. Both sides can spew all the rhetoric they wish to strengthen their political beliefs, cause, interests, what have you. Cuba is an incredible country and I have a deep respect for its people.
All governments are flawed, it’s that simple.
Moses, you volley an opinion back and forth and I may agree with some of what you say, but don’t care for your wording. The US has the same “claptrap”, “mouth breathers”, “dinosaurs” and does its own flag waving.
This English saying: “If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging”. Don’t believe I’ve hear it, If I have I choose to disagree. Instead, “If you find yourself in a hole, ask for help, until someone shows up to help, keep shoveling”
More importantly, If you find someone in a hole, simply help them.
Elio, why did you write this post? This is the same old claptrap espoused by the Cuban mouthbreathers for more than 50 years. The US has made mistakes in its relations with Cuba. We have supported exiles who had less than honorable intentions for Cuba. We have found ways to work with Vietnam, China and Russia yet our relationship with Cuba remains the same. The Castros have also exercised a brutal dictatorship that has tortured and murdered those who disagreed with their totalitarian regime. If we keep repeating these truths, we will never advance. In the meantime, the US economy shows signs of improvement. The Obama administration is taking steps to reverse the ugly inequality that capitalism has wrought. On the whole, despite a broken relationship with Cuba, America is on the mend. On the other hand, Cuba continues to decline. Cholera continues to kill the most vulnerable on the island and the best and the brightest seek lives outside of Cuba. Cuba is not getting better. on the contrary, life is getting harder. Elio, it would behoove you and other dinosaurs like you to stop waving your tattered flag and find a way to move forward. Repeating “la basura’ that you wrote above serves no purpose. There is a saying in english that says “if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging”.