"CUBA
TODAY"
A Channel 4 Special Report 28 July 1959
[REFERENCE: County Intelligence
File "Cuban Revolution File" 1959, #18335]
"CUBA TODAY"
A SPECIAL
WTVJ NEWS REPORT
TUESDAY - JULY 28, 1959
9:30 - 10:00 P.M.
PRODUCED BY: WTVJ NEWS
DIRECTED BY: MARTIN SAXON
REPORTERS: KEITH LESLIE
RON OPPEN
PHOTOGRAPHERS: AL DEMPSEY
LOTHAR GRAF
FILM EDITOR: JOE MARTINEZ
NARRATED BY: RALPH RENICK
_________________________
VIDEO AUDIO OPENING
DISS: FILM - SOF
CUBANS MARCHING
SUPER: TITLES
RENICK CU THEN
ZOOM BACK TO INCL
R.S. MAP OF CUBA
RENICK: GOOD EVENING. THIS IS RALPH RENICK. OUR
NEIGHBOR IS HAVING SOME TROUBLE. YOU MIGHT CALL IT A
DOMESTIC SQUABBLE.
AND OUR NEIGHBOR IS ALSO HAVING DIFFICULTY MEETING SOME OF
THE FIRST OF THE MONTH BILLS.
ALTHOUGH YOU NORMALLY WOULD LIKE TO DO WHAT YOU CAN TO HELP
A NEIGHBOR
IN TROUBLE...YOU DON'T BARGE INTO THESE DELICATE PERSONAL
AFFAIRS.
HE HAS TO WORK OUT HIS OWN DIFFICULTIES.
BUT ALTHOUGH YOU CAN'T STEP IN TO HELP, YOU DON'T SIT ON THE
SIDELINES
CALLING HIM NAMES...UNLESS YOU WANT YOUR NEIGHBOR TO TURN
INTO YOUR ENEMY.
OUR NEIGHBOR IN THIS CASE IS CUBA...LESS THAN ONE HOUR BY
AIR FROM MIAMI.
THIS COUNTRY IS NOW IN THE HANDS OF ONE MAN...FIDEL
CASTRO. HIS PLACE IN THE HISTORY BOOKS HAS ALREADY
BEEN ASSURED.
CASTRO'S PATH TO GLORY BEGAN ON JULY 26TH, 1953, DURING AN
UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO OVERTHROW AN ARMY BARRACKS IN
SANTIAGO DE CUBA. FIVE AND A HALF YEARS LATER HE WAS TOP MAN
IN THAT COUNTRY:
DISS: FILM SILENT
PREPARATION & PARADE
MUSIC: SE, CROWDS
FILM: SPARKLERS
(RENICK) (VO) THIS WEEKEND... HAVANA WAS ONCE AGAIN THE GAY
CITY. IT WAS THE 26TH OF JULY ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION.
SATURDAY NIGHT...A HALF MILLION
PEASANTS, OR CAMPESINOS...STREAMED INTO THE CITY...INVITED
BY FIDEL. WORKMEN HAMMERED AND SAWED THROUGH THE
NIGHT...PREPARING FOR BLEACHERS WHICH WOULD BE PACKED WITH
JUBILANT CELEBRANTS FOUND AN OUTLET FOR THEIR HIGH
SPIRITS BY HURLING SPARKLERS BACK AND FORTH AT EACH
OTHER...FROM STREET
TO BLEACHERS, AND BACK. AGAIN. THE PRADO WAS FILLED WITH
REJOICING CUBANS
FROM MIDNIGHT ON.
FILM: SUNDAY MORNING
SUNDAY MORNING... THE FIRST CONTINGENT OF PARADERS FILED
PAST THE REVIEWED STAND. THE CAPITOL SQUARE WAS PACKED
WITH A CHEERING GOOD-NATURED
MOB, WILLING TO WITHSTAND SUFFOCATING HEAT FOR A CHANCE TO
SHOW THEIR SUPPORT
OF CASTRO.
PLANES ROARED OVERHEAD AS CUBA'S MAN OF THE HOUR WATCHED HIS
PEOPLE, AND HEAVY WEAPONS PARADE TRIUMPHANTLY BY. (HOLD)
GRIM LOOKING WOMEN TROOPS DREW LOUD APPLAUSE...AS DID
VETERANS OF THE SIERRA MAESTRA WARFARE.
(HOLD - MEN ON HORSEBACK)
FOR THE GRAND FINALE... HUNDREDS OF PEASANTS RODE THROUGH
THE CRUSHING
CROWD...ON HORSES THAT HAD CARRIED THEM FROM ONE END OF THE
ISLAND TO THE
OTHER. THEY'RE FIDEL'S MOST ARDENT SUPPORTERS.
(HOLD-RAUL)
FILM: PARADE
FIDEL'S BROTHER, RAUL, SHARES THE LIMELIGHT...BUT NOT THE
WILD ADULATION DIRECTED AT THE ELDER CASTRO. FIDEL IS
THE FIRST MAN IN CUBAN HISTORY TO MAKE ANY CONCRETE EFFORT
TO RELIEVE THE HOPELESS EXISTENCE OF THE CAMPESINOS..ALL
THEIR HOPE IS CENTERED ON HIM. (HOLD-HELICOPTER)
GROUND TRANSPORTATION IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR FIDEL TO USE IN A
CELEBRATION SUCH AS THIS.
A HELICOPTER CARRIES HIM FROM PLACE TO PLACE. WHERE
EVER CASTRO IS...THERE IS THE CELEBRATION:
(HOLD - BALCONY SHOT)
IT WAS AT THE MODERNISTIC PLAZA CIVICA THAT CASTRO TOOK THE
STAND TO ANNOUNCE HE WOULD RESUME THE JOB OF PRIME
MINISTER. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CAME
AS A SURPRISE TO NOBODY...BUT WHATEVER TITLE CASTRO HOLDS
HE'S STILL THE
UNQUESTIONED TOP MAN IN CUBA. IT WAS FROM THIS PODIUM
THAT CASTRO
ANNOUNCED THAT THE MACHETE WOULD HENCEFORTH BE KNOWN AS THE
SYMBOL OF THE
REVOLUTION.
CUT TO: PARTY-SOF
(FADE IN SOUND SLOWLY)
DOUBLE PROJECTOR AT
OPPEN'S CUE
RENICK: WTVJ NEWS WENT TO SUBURBAN MIRAMAR TO THE
HOME OF HECTOR AND EVANGELINE RIVERO.. WHO LIKE THOUSANDS OF
OTHER HABANEROS...OPENED THEIR HOMES TO THE
CAMPESINOS. THESE PEASANTS HAD DRIVEN BY TRUCK FROM
ORIENTE PROVINCE IN SOUTHEAST CUBA. LISTEN NOW TO
MUSIC FROM THE HINTERLANDS.
(HOLD - COP DANCING)
FILM: PARTY CONT.
THIS CELEBRATION STOPPED TRAFFIC FOR FIVE BLOCKS ALONG FIFTH
AVENUE. POLICE DROVE ALONG THE SIDEWALK TO FIND THE
SOURCE OF THE TRAFFIC JAM. THE GAIETY WAS
CONTAGIOUS...AND EVEN THE POLICE JOINED THE IMPROMPTU
CELEBRATION. (HOLD TO END OF SOUND PIECE)
DISS: RENICK IN FRONT OF R.P. MAP
RENICK: CASTRO WANTED THE JULY 26TH CELEBRATION TO BE
A SHOW OF STRENGTH... TO PARADE BEFORE THE WORLD THE PEOPLE
HE WANTS TO HELP...THE CAMPESINOS..THE RANK AND FILE OF THE
CUBAN POPULATION. THE CELEBRATION WAS A SUCCESS.
EVERYBODY...YOU MIGHT SAY...HAD A GOOD TIME.
BUT, UNDERLYING THE FESTIVAL IS THE QUESTION.."IN REALITY,
HOW ROSY IS
EVERYTHING IN CUBA?" CASTRO OVERTHREW FULGENCIO
BATISTA BY MILITARY
REVOLUTION. NOW CASTRO IS TRYING TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE
CUBAN ECONOMY...BY
SPREADING THE INCOME AMONG ALL CLASSES. TOP ITEM ON
THE PROGRAM...IS
REFORMA AGRARIA..THE LAND REFORM.
DISS: FILM-SILENT FARM LANDS
RENICK: (VO) THERE'S NOTHING POOR ABOUT CUBA'S
LAND. IT'S AMONG THE MOST FERTILE IN THE WESTERN
HEMISPHERE. VIRTUALLY ALL OF IT IS
OWNED IN MAMMOTH TRACTS BY WEALTHY LANDHOLDERS..WITH
FAMILIES HOLDING THE
TITLE FOR GENERATIONS. THE PEASANTS WORK FOR WAGES
THAT GIVE THEM ENOUGH
TO SUBSIST ON...NOTHING MORE.
FILM - FARM LANDS
(CONT'D)
EVEN THOUGH LAND IS SO FERTILE THAT A FENCEPOST WILL SPROUT
LEAVES AND
GROW A TREE...POVERTY HOLDS THE VAST MAJORITY IN ITS
CLUTCHES. EACH
OF THE WORKERS YOU SEE HERE IS TO BE GIVEN 66 ACRES OF HIS
OWN TO FARM.
PROPERTY WILL BE EXPROPRIATED FROM THE WEALTHY
LANDOWNERS...THEY WILL BE
PAID IN 20-YEAR...FOUR AND A HALF PERCENT BONDS. BIG
LANDOWNERS..CUBAN
AND AMERICAN...DON'T LIKE THE IDEA ONE BIT. EVEN
CASTRO'S ADMINISTRATORS
ADMIT THAT THE TAKE NOW...PAY LATER PLAN IS ENCOUNTERING
MASSIVE TECHNICAL
PROBLEMS.
SWISH TO PALM BEACH
(HOLD - PALM BEACH)
CUBA'S AGRICULTURAL PROBLEM IS HEIGHTENED BY U.S. IMPORT
QUOTAS. SUGAR
IMPORTATION IS STRICTLY LIMITED. THIS YEAR THE QUOTA
WAS REACHED EARLIER
THAN USUAL. ALL SUGAR ARRIVING FROM CUBA INTO THE PORT
OF PALM BEACH
MUST NOW BE STORED AT THE DOCK UNTIL JANUARY OF 1960 WHEN
THE NEW QUOTA
WILL GO INTO EFFECT. BY THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST THERE
WILL BE STORED
IN WAREHOUSES AT WEST PALM BEACH ABOUT ELEVEN MILLION POUNDS
OF CUBAN SUGAR.
(HOLD NEWS CONF)
SWISH TO NEWS CONF.
SILENT, THEN SOF
IN WASHINGTON THE CHIEF OF CUBA'S LAND REFORM... CAPTAIN
ANTONIO NUNEZ
JIMENEZ...EXPLAINS THE PROGRAM...INSISTING THAT AMERICAN
PROPERTY OWNERS
WILL BE COMPENSATED...JIMINEZ SAYS AN AMERICAN...NOT
COMMUNIST...FORMULA
HAS BEEN USED.
NEWS CONFERENCE
SOF
FILM - SOUND
(JIMENEZ: SOF) (INTERPRETER SPEAKS FOR JIMENEZ) THE
CUBAN AGRARIAN REFORM HAS USED AS MODELS THE AGRARIAN
REFORMS AS STARTED IN JAPAN BY THE U.S. ARMY OF OCCUPATION,
BY THE PUERTO RICAN AGRARIAN REFORMS AND MANY OTHERS.
(REPORTER:) CAPTAIN, ARE YOU A COMMUNIST? THAT
CHARGE
HAS BEEN MADE HERE.
(JIMENEZ ANSWERS IN SPANISH - INTERPRETER REPLIES) HE
CAN ONLY SAY THAT HE IS NOT AND HAS NEVER BEEN A
COMMUNIST. HOWEVER, THE CHARGES OF TREASON
AGAINST DIAZ LANZ HAS CERTAINLY BEEN PROVED. DIAZ
LANZ IS THE BENEDICT ARNOLD OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTION.
DISS. RENICK IN FRT OF R.P. MAP
RENICK: BESIDE THE LAND REFORM LAW...OTHER
REVOLUTIONARY LAWS HAVE BEEN STRONGLY CRITICIZED. FROM
HAVANA...HERE'S WTVJ NEWSMAN KEITH LESLIE.
DISS: FILM-SOF DOUBLE PROJECTOR ON OPPEN'S CUE:
SOF: KEITH LESLIE
FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, HAVANA HAS BEEN IN THE MIDST OF
A BUILDING
ROOM. HUGE APARTMENTS SUCH AS THIS ONE IN SUBURBAN
VEDADO HAVE SPRUNG
UP ALL OVER. HOWEVER, AT THIS TIME, PRIVATE
CONSTRUCTION, APARTMENT
BUILDINGS AND OTHERWISE, IS AT A STANDSTILL. UNDER A
REVOLUTIONARY LAW,
OWNERS OF APARTMENT BUILDINGS, SUCH AS THESE, FOUND THEIR
RENTS WERE SLASHED
FROM THIRTY TO FIFTY PERCENT. THEREFORE, NO INVESTOR
WANTS TO TAKE
THE RISK OF NEW CONSTRUCTION. THE BUSINESS AND SHOPS
SUCH AS YOU SEE
HERE DEPEND HEAVILY UPON INSTALLMENT BUYING.
THEREFORE, IT WAS A BLOW
TO THE PROPRIETOR OF THESE BUSINESSES WHEN THE REVOLUTIONARY
GOVERNMENT UNEQUIVOCALLY
EXTENDED THE INSTALLMENT TIME FROM 18 TO 26 MONTHS WITH NO
INCREASE IN INTEREST
RATES. AS HAS BEEN THE CASE WITH OTHER REVOLUTIONARY
LAWS THIS ONE
HAS HAD THE EFFECT OF BENEFITTING THE CUBAN OF THE LOWER
INCOME CLASS WHILE
BEING HARMFUL TO THE MIDDLE CLASS BUSINESSMAN, UPON WHOM
CUBA MUST ULTIMATELY
DEPEND FOR A CONSIDERABLY SHARE OF HER ECONOMY.
WHATEVER ILL MAY BE
SAID ABOUT THE CASTRO GOVERNMENT, AND ITS DETECTORS CAN FIND
PLENTY, EVEN
ITS HARSHEST CRITICS MUST ADMIT THAT THE CASTRO GOVERNMENT
IS EXTREMELY CLEAN
AND COMPLETELY FREE FROM ANY TAINT OF CORRUPTION. ONE
BUSINESSMAN TOLD
ME THAT OVERNIGHT CUBA HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED FROM THE MOST
CORRUPT IN THE
WORLD TO ONE OF THE CLEANEST - CLEANER EVEN, I BELIEVE, THAN
THE SWILL GOVERNMENT.
HERETOFORE, THE OCCUPANCY OF ANY OFFICIAL POSITION FROM
TRAFFIC COP TO CUSTOMS
INSPECTOR ENTITLED ITS BEARER BY THE VERY FACT THAT HE
OCCUPIED THIS OFFICE
TO THE MAXIMUM IN GRAFT PAYOFFS THAT HE COULD ACQUIRE.
THIS HAS ALL
CHANGED. DIRECTLY BEHIND ME IS THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE
CUBAN CUSTOMS.
UNDER THE BATISTA ADMINISTRATION THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST
LUCRATIVE CONCESSIONS
WHICH COULD BE OFFERED TO THE SERVANTS OF THE
GOVERNMENT. IN THE MONTHS
SINCE THE CASTRO REGIME HAS TAKEN OVER, IMPORTS HAVE FALLEN
OFF BY FORTY
PERCENT. HOWEVER, THE INCOME FROM TARIFF DUTIES AND
CUSTOM TAXES HAS
INCREASED BY OVER ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT.
THESE CUBANOS ARE ATTENDING THE CUBAN INDUSTRIAL
EXPOSITION. FIRST DISPLAY OF ITS TYPE EVER HELD IN
THIS COUNTRY. THIS IS AN IMPRESSIVE EFFORT TO SHOW THE
CUBANS THAT THEIR GOVERNMENT IS DOING GREAT THINGS IN
THE SUPPORT OF INDUSTRY. THE ENTIRE MASSIVE AFFAIR,
HERE IN THE CUBAN
CAPITOL BUILDING, IS SETTING CARIBBEAN ATTENDANCE
FIGURES. THREE-QUARTERS
OF A MILLION PERSONS HAVE JAMMED THROUGH THE DOORS TO VIEW
ONE AND A HALF
MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF EXHIBITS. EMPRESSARIO OF THE
AFFAIR IS A MIAMI
MAN - JEROME J. BERGER - WHO FINALLY SUCCEEDED AFTER SEVERAL
YEARS OF NEGOTIATING WITH THE PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT.
PARAMOUNT INDUSTRY OF CUBA IS, OF COURSE, SUGAR. IT
CONTRIBUTES SIX- HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FIVE MILLION DOLLARS TO
THE ECONOMY EACH YEARS.
WITHIN THE LAST TWO MONTHS, AN ENTIRELY NEW BY-PRODUCT
INDUSTRY HAS DEVELOPED. BAGASSE BOARD - A STRONG WALL
BOARD IS BEING MADE OF SUGARCANE. UP
TO THIS TIME THE CANE HAS BEEN DESTROYED OR USED FOR CATTLE
FEED. FIDEL CASTRO IS WELL-KNOWN AS A
SUPER-SALESMAN. JUST HOW EFFECTIVE THIS
PROGRAM HERE HAS BEEN CANNOT BE DETERMINED BUT IT IS CERTAIN
THAT AMERICAN,
CUBAN AND OTHER BUSINESSMEN WILL BE CONVINCED OF THEIR
FUTURE ONLY AFTER
THEY SEE THE INTEREST RETURNING ON THEIR INVESTMENTS AND A
FAIR PRICE, IN
HARD CASH, FOR THEIR CAPITAL INVESTED HERE DURING THE
PREVIOUS YEARS.
THIS IS LA CABANA FORTRESS - ONE OF HAVANA'S BEST KNOWN LAND
MARKS. FIDEL CASTRO, AS ONE OF HIS FIRST MOVES AFTER
BECOMING PREMIER, APPOINTED ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA TO BE
COMMANDANT OF LA CABANA FORTRESS. THIS WAS VIEWED WITH
SOME ALARM IN WESTERN CIRCLES SINCE GUEVARA IS KNOWN TO BE A
FAR LEFT COMMUNIST SYMPATHIZER. A FEW WEEKS AGO, FIDEL
CASTRO DIRECTED
CHE GUEVARA TO TAKE A ROUND-THE- WORLD TRIP - A GOOD-WILL
TOUR, AS IT WERE
--TO TELL THE STORY OF THE REVOLUTION TO OTHER
COUNTRIES. WITHIN A
FEW DAYS, AFTER GUEVARA HAD LEFT ON HIS GOOD-WILL TOUR,
CASTRO SAID THAT
LA CABANA FORTRESS WAS TO BE TRANSFORMED INTO A HISTORICAL
MUSEUM.
HENCEFORTH, IT WOULD BE OPEN ONLY TO TOURISTS - ALL THE
SOLDIERS WERE BEING
TAKEN FROM THE FORTRESS. SO CHE GUEVARA WILL RETURN TO
FIND HIMSELF
COMMANDANT OF A FORTRESS THAT HAS NO TROOPS. HIS
FUTURE IS UNCERTAIN.
PERHAPS HE WILL BE PROMOTED UPSTAIRS. SYMPATHIZERS OF
THE UNITED STATES
AND THOSE WHO ARE PRO-CASTRO SEE THIS AS A HOPEFUL NOTE THAT
CASTRO IS KEEPING CONTROL OF WHATEVER COMMUNISTS MAY EXIST
IN HIS GOVERNMENT.
DISS: RENICK IN FRT OF R.P.
(CASTRO'S FACE)
RENICK: THOSE ARE SOME OF THE MORE IMPORTANT CHANGES
MADE BY CASTRO'S NEW GOVERNMENT. EVEN HIS STRONGEST
SUPPORTERS IN THE INNER CIRCLE OF GOVERNMENT WOULD NEVER
CLAIM THAT CASTRO IS WITHOUT FAULT. IF HE IS NOT THE
MOST IMPULSIVE GOVERNMENT LEADER IN THE WORLD...HE RANKS NOT
FAR BEHIND. AND GOVERNMENT BY IMPULSE IS A SHAKY
GOVERNMENT..AT BEST.
DISS: FILM - SILENT
CASTRO SPKS.
RENICK" (VO) CASTRO HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY CHARGED WITH
BEING COMMUNIST-DOMINATED.
BUT THOSE CLOSE TO HIM SAY HE'S FAR TOO MUCH OF AN
INDIVIDUALIST TO SUBMIT TO THE MOSCOW LINE...OR ANY LINE FOR
THAT MATTER. HE WILL NOT BE DICTATED TO BY ANYONE...AND THAT
INCLUDES THE UNITED STATES. IF A MEMBER OF
CASTRO'S TEAM DOESN'T PRODUCE RESULTS HIS DISMISSAL WILL BE
SWIFT AND FINAL...OR,
AS IN THE CASE OF PRESIDENT MANUEL URRETIA..HUMILIATING AS
WELL. THE
CUBAN LEADER IS RIDING A WAVE OF POPULARITY..AND REACTS TO
CRITICISM AS HE
WOULD TO A BEE STING. HE PERMITS RELATIVE FREEDOM OF
THE PRESS...BUT
DOESN'T HESITATE TO REBUKE JOURNALISTS WHO MAY HAVE STEPPED
ON HIS TOES.
DISS: RENICK IN FRT R.P.
CASTRO'S FACE
RENICK: CASTRO'S OPPOSITION STEM FROM THREE MAJOR
SOURCES. FIRST...FORMER BATISTA SUPPORTERS WHO HATE
HIM FOR DESTROYING THEIR REGIME. SECOND, LARGE LAND
AND PROPERTY OWNERS. BOTH AMERICAN AND CUBAN...WHO
HAVE BEEN HURT...OR FEAR THEY WILL BE HURT..BY THE NEW LAWS
OF THE REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT.
VIDEO
RENICK: (VO) AND THIRD..BY DISENCHANTED SUPPORTERS
WHO FEEL
THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT PROCEEDING IN THE DIRECTION THEY
HAD HOPED IT
WOULD. IN SOME CASES...THESE SUPPORTERS FOUGHT WITH
DEDICATION EQUAL
TO CASTRO'S TO BRING THIS VICTORY ABOUT. HERE'S
CAPTAIN UMBERTO RODRIGUEZ..ONE
OF THESE SUPPORTERS..
INTERVIEWED BY WTVJ NEWSMAN RON OPPEN: (SOF)
DISS: FILM - SOF
OPPEN INTERVIEWING
RODRIGUEZ:
(OPPEN) HOW LONG WERE YOU WITH FIDEL CASTRO?
(RODRIGUEZ) 23 MONTHS
(OPPEN) WHEN DID YOU JOIN HIM?
(RODRIGUEZ) I JOINED HIM THE BEGINNING OF MAY 1957
(OPPEN) THIS WAS IN ORIENTE PROVINCE?
(RODRIGUEZ) YES, IN ORIENTE PROVINCE
(OPPEN) CAPTAIN, WHY DID YOU LEAVE CUBA?
(RODRIGUEZ) I LEFT CUBA IN A SMALL BOAT. I ESCAPED
FROM PRISON. I WAS ACCUSED OF GIVING AN ORDER TO KILL A TOP
COMMUNIST MAN.
(OPPEN) AND WERE YOU CONVICTED OF THIS?
(RODRIGUEZ) YES, THE CONVICT ME. 20 YEARS.
(OPPEN) DURING HIS FIGHT, WAS HE SUPPORTED BY
THE COMMUNISTS?
(RODRIGUEZ) HE WAS SUPPORTED BY THE COMMUNISTS.
(OPPEN) IN WHAT WAY
(RODRIGUEZ) WITH MONEY
(OPPEN) IN YOUR OPINION, WHO ARE THE TOP
COMMUNISTS IN CUBA, TODAY?
(RODRIGUEZ) THE TOP COMMUNISTS IN CUBA, TODAY, ARE
RAUL CASTRO, CHE GUEVARA AND CASTRO HIMSELF.
(OPPEN) YOU THINK CASTRO, HIMSELF, IS A
COMMUNIST?
(RODRIGUEZ) YES, YOU KNOW, THE WAY THAT HE ACTS, HE
HAS TO BE A COMMUNISTS DO WHATEVER THEY WANT.
(OPPEN) AND DID CASTRO SAY THAT WHEN THEY
REVOLUTION WAS OVER THAT HE WOULD CONTINUE TO USE THE
COMMUNISTS?
(RODRIGUEZ) HE SAID THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO USE THE
COMMUNIST ANYMORE. THAT WHEN THE REVOLUTION WAS
OVER..HE WAS USING THEM ONLY
BECAUSE HE NEEDED THEM (AT) THAT TIME BUT HE DOUBLE CROSSED
THE REAL REVOLUTION
BECAUSE WE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM. WE DON'T
WANT, I SAY BECAUSE
I AM A REBEL, AND I FIGHT MORE THAN CASTRO AND RAUL,
TOGETHER...I GOT MORE
COMBAT THAN BOTH. I FIGHT FOR MY COUNTRY. I FIGHT FOR
FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY...AND I DON'T WANT TO SEE WHAT IS
HAPPENING IN CUBA NOW...THAT PEOPLE THAT ARE
COMMUNISTS OR PEOPLE THAT LIKE COMMUNISTS ARE THE ONES THAT
GOT THE POSITIONS...THE
STRONGEST POSITIONS IN CUBA RIGHT NOW.
(OPPEN) WHAT IS THE FEELING IN CUBA, NOW,
TOWARDS THE
UNITED STATES?
(ROD) THE FEELING IN CUBA TO THE UNITED STATES - THE
CASTRO GOVERNMENT IS TEACHING THE CUBAN PEOPLE TO HATE THE
UNITED STATES.
CUT: FILM - SILENT
PAULA'S RESTAURANT
RENICK: (VO) LAST MONTH THE OWNER OF THIS DOWNTOWN
MIAMI RESTAURANT EMERGED UNHURT AFTER A WOULD-BE ASSASSIN
PUMPED FOUR BULLETS THROUGH THE
FRONT DOOR. THE MAN IS
JOSEPH PAULA..MIAMI VICE
PRESIDENT OF CASTRO'S
26TH OF JULY PARADE. HE'S ONE OF THE CUBAN LEADER'S
STRONGEST FLORIDA
SUPPORTERS. IN THIS INTERVIEW..HE DENIES THE COMMUNIST
CHARGE:
DISS: FILM - SOF
OPPEN INTERVIEWING PAULA
(OPPEN) IN YOUR OPINION, IS THERE ANY TRUTH TO THE
CHARGE THAT CASTRO HAS SURROUNDED HIMSELF WITH COMMUNISTS?
(PAULA) WELL, I WOULD SAY THAT IS SLANDER, BECAUSE
EVEN THE
NEW PRESIDENT OF CUBA, A FEW DAYS AGO, YOU COULD READ IN THE
AMERICAN PRESS,
WHERE HE CHALLENGED ANY NEWSPAPERMAN TO PROVE. HE HAS
ANY COMMUNISTS
IN HIS GOVERNMENT. IN FACT, HE HAS INVITED ONE hundred
AND FIFTY NEWSPAPERMEN TO GO TO CUBA TO SEE. (OPPEN)
TO GO TO CUBA TO SEE I THERE ARE COMMUNISTS IN GOVERNMENT
(PAULA) YES. THAT'S RIGHT.
(OPPEN) IS CASTRO AS POPULAR NOW WITH THE
MIDDLE CLASSES AS HE WAS DURING THE REVOLUTION?
(PAULA) HE IS STILL POPULAR AMONG THE MIDDLE
CLASSES.
IN FACT. THE OTHER DAY WHEN HE RESIGNED AS PREMIER OF CUBA,
YOU COULD SEE THAT THE PRESENT INFLUENCE WITH
THE MIDDLE CLASS IN CUBA, THEY WERE
THE FIRST ONES TO WALK OUT IN PROTEST O HIS RESIGNATION IN
CUBA. ALSO,
DOCTORS, LAWYERS AND PROFESSIONALS OF ALL TYPES --
THEY PROTEST AND
WENT ALSO ON STRIKE AND THAT'S THE MIDDLE CLASS OF CUBA.
(OPPEN) DOES FULCENSIO BATISTA HAVE MANY ARMED
SUPPORTERS IN CUBA?
(PAULA) WELL, I BELIEVE HE HAS A FEW, YET, OVER THERE
IN CUBA, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO HAVE A REVOLUTION INSIDE OF CUBA.
(OPPEN) DOES HE HAVE ANY SUPPORTERS OUTSIDE OF CUBA.
(PAULA) HE HAS MANY SUPPORTERS OUTSIDE OF CUBA AND I
IMAGINE, RIGHT NOW, IN SANTO DOMINGO, THEY ARE TRAINING
HUNDREDS OF MEN TO INVADE CUBA.
(OPPEN) DO YOU BELIEVE THEN THAT CASTRO WILL HAVE TO
FACE A
COUNTER REVOLUTION?
(PAULA) I BELIEVE SO. NOT ONLY IN SANTO DOMINGO
BUT I
UNDERSTAND IN SOME O THE LATIN COUNTRIES THEY ARE TRAINING
MEN OF ALL
KINDS TO INVADE CUBA. I UNDERSTAND THEY HAVE AIRPLANES
TO BOMB HAVANA.
(OPPEN) DO YOU THINK CASTRO WILL BE SUCCESSFUL IN
TURNING BACK THIS COUNTER-REVOLUTION?
(PAULA) THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. THERE'S NO
DOUBT. THE PEOPLE IN CUBA ARE NINETY-PERCENT IN BACK
OF CASTRO. IN CASE OF AN INVASION, EVEN THE CHILDREN,
WOMEN, EVERYBODY WILL FIGHT AGAINST
INVASION. THEY WILL BE VICTORIOUS.
(OPPEN) WHY HAS CASTRO BEEN CHARGED, THEN, SO MANY
TIMES AS
HAVING COMMUNISTS IN CUBA?
(PAULA) BECAUSE CASTRO IS A MAN WHO IS FIGHTING FOR
THE BETTERMENT OF THE CUBAN PEOPLE, TODAY. CASTRO
PROGRAM IS TO
BRING OUT THE STANDARD OF LIVING FOR THE CUBAN MASSES.
IN OTHER WORDS,
WHEN HE BRINGS UP THE STANDARD OF LIVING - THAT MEANS THE
WAGES WILL GO UP
HIGHER. THAT MEANS AMERICAN
INTERESTS, CUBAN INTERESTS
AND EVERYBODY WHO HAVE INTERESTS IN CUBA WILL HAVE TO PAY
HIGHER WAGES. AND
THAT IS WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING CASTRO AND IT IS A MISTAKE TO
ACCUSE HIM OF
BEING A COMMUNIST BECAUSE HE IS ONLY A GREAT CUBAN.
(OPPEN) WELL, YOU THINK THAT THESE BUSINESS INTERESTS
THEN ACCUSE HIM OF BEING A COMMUNIST IN ORDER TO
DISCREDIT THE GOVERNMENT?
(PAULA) ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S RIGHT.
(OPPEN) ISN'T CASTRO'S LAND REFORM BASICALLY A
COMMUNIST TACTIC?
(PAULA) NO. THE LAND REFORM IN CUBA IS ONLY
CUBAN REFORM. THAT'S FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE
COUNTRY. THE FARMERS IN CUBA WHICH AMOUNT ALTOGETHER
TO ABOUT THREE-MILLIONS, ARE STARVING UP
TO NOW.
(PAULA) THEY LIVE IN THE WORST CONDITIONS YOU CAN
IMAGINE. FROM NOW ON, THEY ARE GOING
TO RECEIVE SALARY A MINIMUM OF NINETY DOLLARS A MONTH AND
THAT WILL CREATE A NEW MARKET FOR CUBA. SO, THEREFORE,
THE BUSINESSMAN IN CUBA WILL FARE WELL WITH THREE MILLION
PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY OUT OF MONEY UP TO THIS
TIME. SO THAT
MEANS, YOU NEED A MAN WITH COURAGE - LIKE CASTRO - TO FIGHT
THE BIG INTERESTS AND TO BRING A PROGRAM
TO THE CUBAN PEOPLE TO BETTER THEIR
CONDITIONS AND TO BRING PROSPERITY TO THE COUNTRY. WE
NEED NOT ONLY
CUBA THROUGHOUT LATIN AMERICAN MEN LIKE CASTRO WHO RAISED
THE STANDARD OF
LIVING OF THE MASSES, THAT WAY WILL BE BETTER FOR
THE UNITED
STATES, BECAUSE WE HERE IN THE STATES, WE NEED FOREIGN
MARKETS. THE
ONLY WAY TO CREATE FOREIGN MARKETS FOR THE UNITED STATES IS
WHEN THIS COUNTRY
MAKES ENOUGH MONEY TO PURCHASE AMERICAN GOODS. AND
THAT IS THE POLICY
OF FIDEL CASTRO'S GOVERNMENT TODAY.
(END FILM)
DISS: RENICK IN FRT MAP
(RENICK) WTVJ NEWS CONTACTED METRO SHERIFF TOM KELLY
FOR ANY VIEWS HE AND HIS INTELLIGENCE SQUAD HAD ON COMMUNIST
INFILTRATION INTO CUBA. HERE'S KELLY:
FILM - SOF
DISS: FILM (SOF)
(KELLY)
WE HAVE HEARD MUCH ABOUT THE RUSSIAN COMMUNIST THREAT
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. FROM INFORMATION AVAILABLE FROM
RELIABLE SOURCES, IT IS INDICATED
NOW THAT THE ARE OF THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY, SUCH AS THE
CARIBBEAN AREA,
IS AN AREA OF UNREST. INTO THIS AREA HAVE MOVED
RUSSIAN COMMUNIST AGENTS
TO ASSIST. THIS CREATES A VERY SERIOUS THREAT TO THE
SAFETY OF THE
UNITED STATES AND IT PRESENTS A THREAT TO ALL OF US WHO ARE
ATTEMPTING TO
MAINTAIN A DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT THROUGHOUT THE
WORLD IN ANY AREA.
FROM OUR INTELLIGENCE SERVICE, TO BE SPECIFIC, WE HAVE THIS
REPORT. A CHECK OF THE PAN AMERICA REVEALED THAT THREE
RUSSIANS - TIMOFEY EREMIN, VADIN LISTOV AND IVAN ARPOV
RESERVED SEATS ON FLIGHT 436 FOR HAVANA, CUBA. LISTOV
INDICATED THAT THEY WERE TRADE UNION REPRESENTATIVES AND
THEY WERE GOING TO CUBA AT THE INVITATION OF THE CUBAN LABOR
MOVEMENT TO OBSERVE THE PROGRESS MADE BY THE CUBAN WORKERS
SINCE THE FALL OF THE BATISTA REGIME.
NOW, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN - THIS IS FACT...THIS IS NOT
FICTION. THESE NAMES AND THESE TRIPS, TIMES AND DATES ARE
AUTHENTIC. I BELIEVE IT'S ABOUT TIME WE REALIZED THAT AT OUR
VERY DOORSTEP IS THE OPERATION OF THE MOST DEADLY THREAT TO
OUR EXISTENCE. IT AMAZES ME AND MANY OTHERS TO SEE T
HE
NONCHALANT ATTITUDE THAT WE HAVE TOWARD THIS MENACE THAT IS
DEDICATED TO
THE DESTRUCTION OF EVERYTHING THAT WE HOLD DEAR. WE G
O ON ABOUT OUR
BUSINESS - WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE HOTEL SEASON -
CONCERNED ABOUT THE
RACING SEASON - WE HAVE MANY CONCERNS. BUT THIS IS THE
MOST IMPORTANT
CONCERN THAT WE SHOULD HAVE, AND WE HAVE IT RIGHT IN OUR OWN
BACKYARD.
(END FILM)
DISS: RENICK IN FRT
CUBA MAP
(RENICK) THERE IS NO DOUBT THERE ARE COMMUNISTS
ACTIVE IN CUBA. WHILE IN RUSSIA A FEW WEEKS AGO...WE
SAW FOUR RED TRADE UNION LEADERS FROM CUBA HAVING DINNER AT
AN ADJOINING TABLE IN A LENINGRAD HOTEL.
WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT CASTRO HIMSELF IS A RED...BUT NOBODY
HAS PUT FORTH SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE TO BACK THIS UP. IF
AGRARIAN REFORM IS IN ITSELF COMMUNISTIC...THEN GENERAL
McARTHUR WAS GUILTY OF COMMUNIST ACTIONS WHEN
HE BROKE UP THE VAST LANDHOLDINGS OF THE JAPANESE FEUDAL
OVERLORDS.
THE MERE FACT THAT RUSSIA AND RED CHINA HA VE USED LAND
REFORM PROGRAMS DOES
NOT IN ITSELF PROVE THAT SUCH MEASURES ARE SOLELY
COMMUNISTIC.
IT MAKES MORE SENSE TO SAY THAT BY PUTTING LAND INTO THE
HANDS OF THE THREE MILLION CAMPESINOS...AND THEREBY GIVING
THEM A REASONABLE SOURCE OF INCOME...CASTRO IS FOSTERING
FREE ENTERPRISE BY CREATING A DOMESTIC MARKET FOR FOREIGN
PRODUCERS AND IS AIDING CUBA'S OWN DOMESTIC
INDUSTRIALIZATION. CUBA NEEDS TO
DIVERSIFY.
THE COUNTRY'S ECONOMY IS LARGELY DEPENDENT ON PURCHASE OF
SUGAR BY THE
UNITED STATES...WE BUY MORE THAN 50 PERCENT OF CUBA'S
OUTPUT. ONE
HALF OF THE COUNTRY'S NATIONAL INCOME COMES FROM U.S.
PURCHASES. OUR
GOVERNMENT MIGHT TAKE STEPS TO APPLY ECONOMIC PRESSURES ON
CUBA...IN RETALIATION
FOR EXPROPRIATION OF AMERICAN OWNED PROPERTY...THE POOR
TREATMENT OF AMERICAN CITIZENS.
THE ANTI-AMERICAN ATTITUDE OF CUBA'S GOVERNMENT..BUT THEN
THIS PROBLEM
IS CREATED:
RUSSIA MAY MOVE IN AND BEGIN HEAVY SUGAR PURCHASES AND GET
CUBA COMMITTED TO THE SOVIET ECONOMIC BLOC. AS IT IS
NOW, RUSSIA PROBABLY WOULDN'T SPEND THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS YEARLY NECESSARY TO PULL THIS
OFF...ESPECIALLY WHEN THE CUBAN COMMUNISTS HAVE BEEN SO
ACTIVE..AND APPARENTLY
SUCCESSFUL IN BECOMING AN INFLUENCE IN THE CUBAN
GOVERNMENT. THIS A
NO COST TO THE SOVIET UNION. THE COMMUNISTS ARE IN NO
POSITION TODAY
TO TAKE OVER THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT...THEY AND THE SOVIETS ARE
PROBABLY CONTENT
TO CONTINUE THE GAINS THEY ARE MAKING...ORGANIZING IN
CUBA..PROPAGANDIZING
AGAINST THE U.S....CREATING UNREST THERE AND THROUGHOUT
LATIN AMERICA.
WE SHOULD NOT SIT BACK IN OUR COMFORTABLE LIVING ROOMS AND
ACCUSE THEM
OF BEING COMMUNISTS OR RABBLE ROUSERS.
IN CONCLUSION...WE SAY THIS OF CUBA:
SHE IS A NEW-BORN REPUBLIC...SHE POSSESSES THE POTENTIAL TO
DEVELOP INTO A DEMOCRATIC AND PROSPEROUS NATION...BUT CUBA
IS IN GRAVE DANGER FROM TWO AREAS:
FIRST..IS SUBVERSIVE FACTORS. THERE ARE COMMUNIST
ELEMENTS WITH THEIR TREACHERY AND DECEPTION..AND THERE ARE
ALSO THE BATISTA ELEMENTS AND OTHERS WHO THRIVE ON THE CHAOS
OF INSTABILITY.
SECOND - IS POOR LEADERSHIP. CASTRO IS AN OUTSTANDING
PATRIOT..HE IS AN IDEALIST...A MAN OF ACTION AND REVOLUTION.
HE IS A VISIONARY WHO BORDERS ON THE MYSTICAL.
PROBABLY NO OTHER
MAN COULD HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ENGINEERED THE REVOLUTION.
BUT CASTRO IS NOT A GOOD ADMINISTRATOR..HE NEEDS TO DELEGATE
DUTIES TO
MORE CAPABLE PEOPLE TO CARRY OUT THE PRACTICAL AND MUNDANE
MATTERS OF STATE. THERE IS A PLACE FOR IDEALISM AND A
PLACE FOR PRACTICALITY.
CASTRO WOULD ALSO DO WELL TO EASE OUT OF TOP POSTS THOSE
PERSONS WHO ARE RED-TINGED. HE SHOULD ALSO MOVE
SPEEDILY TO REINSTATE THE ELECTORAL PROCEDURES SO THAT CUBA
MIGHT HAVE A DEMOCRATIC VOTE FOR PRESIDENT AND OTHER TOP
OFFICES.
End of Page
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