Time flies and we recall another day in Cuban history:
“On February 16, 1959, Fidel Castro is sworn in as prime minister of Cuba after leading a guerrilla campaign that forced right-wing dictator Fulgencio Batista into exile. Castro, who became commander in chief of Cuba’s armed forces after Batista was ousted on January 1, replaced the more moderate Miro Cardona as head of the country’s new provisional government.” (History)
Castro followed this move with a trip to the US. He met with Vice-President Nixon, was a guest on “Meet the Press,” and spoke before The National Press Club.
He got very favorable press. I think that most of the media in the US was caught up in the “revolutionary story,” or the tale of the charming bearded man destined to turn into some kind of Cuban George Washington.
Back in Cuba, Castro still enjoyed vast support. However, it started to erode in 1960 when radical steps were implemented. Castro went after the private schools, the newspapers, and the media. Elections were never held and repression was everywhere.
Finally, Cuba became a huge issue in the 1960 election and then Senator Kennedy beat up Vice-President Nixon because the Eisenhower administration had been too easy on Cuba.
In January of 1961, or two years after Castro became prime minister, the US broke diplomatic relations and that was followed by The Bay of Pigs and The Missile Crisis.
You know the rest of the story.
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