…an island on the net without a bearded dictator
On this day in 1959, the Eisenhower administration recognized provisional president Manuel Urrutia of Cuba. Secretary of State Dulles persuaded President Eisenhower, and so it happened. A month later, Fidel Castro was named Prime Minister, and we know the rest of the story.
A few years ago, I asked my late father: Did anyone think that Castro would turn Cuba into a communist state 90 miles from the US? He said no, but many were concerned with the “cult of personality” around Castro.
On this day in 1959, the Eisenhower administration recognized provisional president Manuel Urrutia of Cuba. Secretary of State Dulles persuaded President Eisenhower and so it was.
A month later, Fidel Castro was named Prime Minister and we know the rest of the story.
Years later, I asked my father about Fidel Castro being named Prime Minister. Under what authority was he put in that position? My father thought about it and said: “La ley de la Sierra.”
In other words, my father was telling me that “the rule of law” or constitutional procedures were not really followed. He recalled a lot of Cubans saying that we were playing with fire by investing so much hope in a person, or Fidel Castro.
Who would have believed on this day in 1959 that Cuba would be a communist state 90 miles from the US? My guess is that no one predicted that but many were concerned with the “cult of personality” in the island.
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