We talked a little she asked those question about communists and that was that is all detail memory returns, except for a pass I made at her, which was refused.

That I believe was the same day at Central Oriente when I was used as a decoy for the U.S. citizen said to be a sniper sent to kill Castro (the resemblance was poor, for being much shorter than Castro, but I used those horn-rimmed glasses (the British Embassy had sent me replacements with a Haitian agent when I was a the Minas del Frio), I had a Springfield 1903 (without telescopic sight, Castro at least at first used a Remington with that kind of optics, although in those days he may have had a FAL which is a bit heavier), and my straggly beard.

At that time I knew there were communists in the July 26 Movement, but was not aware that it was riddled from “foot to toe” with them as came out later. It seems in retrospect that at that time those who were known to me as communists were only: Raul Castro because that was open knowledge: Lorente a leader of a group of escopeteros rival to my group leader Amelio Mojena in the first months of participation, because that was also common knowledge and because he tried to get our “Mojena” group wiped out on a least two occasions; and Aldo Santamaria who had tried to indoctrinate me at the Minas del Frio, I had refused and was sent to eat watercress from the stream after some kind of bombing and perhaps that is where I caught dysentery.

Still in those days the communists in the July 26 Movement were beginning to scare me badly and make me very cautious. After all Chapelle could (but I don’t think she was) have been trying to “false flag” me into talking about such … Remember then Castro rebels were subject to the Draconian “Ley de la Sierra…” And some excuse could have been made up to have me shot.

Chapelle has a photograph in one of her books of “Cypriano” firing a weapon at (the descascaradora at?) Maffo this is apparently Cipriano Beaton brother to Manuel. Remember these were those accused of killing Cristino Naranjo at the gate in Columbia, and then ran to the Sierra to try and fight back.

In early 1959 apparently Tad Szuc interviewed Fabio Grobart, and thus Chapelle may have known of this … I have a copy of the interview from the Stanford archives of Georgie Geyer.

Ever see on TV or read in the NYSlimes, a real no-holds barred expose on castro's atrocities? Neither have I.

Then again, to be fair, I wouldn't have as for years I've relied on the net, talk radio, and conservative publications as well as eyewitness accounts for credible news.

Yeah, I know, how very 'racist' of me to not be a good little serf and watch Trotsky's tele-poodles quack the 'news'.

See ya at the werkkamp!

Paul Vincent Zecchino
Manasoviet Key, Florida
31 October, 2009

Poor doomed Dickie Chapelle

I translated for her in Central Oriente in December 1958

she asked me about communists and as I recall I answered with deliberate evasions. She should have picked up on that but apparently she did not ...

Still she was a brave woman

a woman who went into the midst

of battle

and died in my view a heroe