During his trial, he gave his famous speech, “History Will Absolve Me,” a call to Cubans around the world to fight to free Cuba from the iron grip of Batista. While Castro may have failed to overthrow Batista in 1953, he became a living legend among the Cuban men and women both in Cuba and abroad who wanted Batista ousted. Castro was seen as a modern day José Martí, Cuba’s most famous freedom fighter, often referred to as the “Apostle of Cuban Independence” and the “Cuban George Washington.” Marti’s powerful speeches rallied Cubans to free themselves from Spanish rule in the late 1800s. In 1955, Castro was freed from prison, fled to Mexico and began planning the Cuban Revolution. The first phase of his plan called for him to travel to the United States and set up branches of his revolutionary army–called the “26th of July Movement” in honor of those who died in the failed 1953 coup–in cities with large Cuban populations. His U.S. tour included New York City, Union City in New Jersey, Miami and Tampa. Tampa was chosen because of its large Cuban population in Ybor City and West Tampa, but also because it was a city from which Jose Marti regularly raised money to support the Cuban struggle against Spain. Carlos Carbonell was among Castro’s followers, regularly following his exploits in La Gaceta, so when he read in the newspaper that Castro would be visiting Tampa in November 1955, he wanted to meet him and help him with his quest to free Cuba. “What people need to realize is that the Castro that came to Tampa was not a Communist Castro,” explained George. “People may tell you he was, but they were misinformed.” The CIA agrees with George, as Castro’s CIA files from 1955 through 1960 state that he was NOT a Communist. The files are public record and easily accessible through the CIA’s website if you doubt the claim. Castro arrived in Tampa on November 23, 1955 and named Victoriano Manteiga, publisher of La Gaceta, president of the Tampa branch of the “26th of July Movement.” Manteiga then named Carbonell chief of publications, meaning his duty was to distribute pro-Castro literature throughout the city. “I was with my father when he first met Castro over at the La Gaceta office in Ybor City. I was 13 years old and I had heard so much about Castro that I wanted to ask him if I could go back to Mexico and help him fight,” laughed George. “Of course, when I shook his hand I was too scared to ask so I just told him it was nice to meet him.” On November 26, Castro spoke to over 300 Cubans at the CIO Labor Union, located at 1226 E. Seventh Avenue between 12th and 13th streets in Ybor City, the same building that today houses the Marti-Maceo Social Club. He spoke for 30 minutes, invoking more comparisons to Jose Marti by quoting the famous Cuban throughout his speech. He also listed Batista’s many atrocities and promised to overthrow the dictator or die trying. At the end of the meeting, a few hundred dollars was raised in support of Castro’s revolution.
Castro left Tampa the next day and Tampa’s “26th of July Movement” continued to stump throughout the city in support of the revolution, asking every Cuban to donate a portion of their weekly paycheck to the cause. The “26th of July Movement” would then send the money, along with clothes, food and medical supplies to Mexico, where Castro returned following his U.S. tour. In December 1956, Castro and a small army of men returned to Cuba, took refuge in the mountains, and began the fighting phase of the revolution. Meanwhile, the branches of the “26th of July Movement” located throughout the United States continued to send money and supplies to Cuba via Mexico. According to George, supplies were no longer limited to food, clothing and medicine–arms were added to the list. “I remember opening my father’s closet and I saw a box. When I opened it, I found two grenades,” said George. “I mean, brand spanking new grenades. I picked one up and my father walked in and yelled at me to put it down and to never mess with it again.” Tampa’s “26th of July Movement” supported the revolution for the next few years. Then, on New Year’s Day 1959, the world woke up to the news that Batista had fled Cuba. Castro’s revolution had triumphed. “There was a party held in Ybor City and West Tampa,” said George. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise–Tampa supported Castro at the time. Today, people like to pretend that Tampa did not support Castro. Well, Tampa did. There was a motorcade [on New Year’s Day] that went from Ybor City to West Tampa; 50–60 cars long, all waving Cuban flags and “26th of July” flags and sounding their horns as every Cuban they drove by cheered and waved. Batista was gone. Castro had won and everyone was happy.” The proof that Tampa supported Castro is not difficult to locate. Batista and his henchmen depleted the Cuban treasury, stealing hundreds of millions of dollars before fleeing Cuba, leaving the country broke. Tampa’s “26th of July Movement” collected money that they sent to Cuba to support the new government. La Gaceta published weekly lists of those who donated and how much they gave. In West Tampa and Ybor City, Tampa’s “26th of July Movement” collected thousands of dollars, which was a lot of money for blue collar immigrants to give in 1959. As a part of Tampa’s “26th of July Movement” since its inception, Carlos Carbonell was looked upon as a hero. But, in just a few months time, his world turned upside down, as he went from hero to traitor. Despite Batista’s crimes against the Cuban people, the U.S. government supported him because he sold the U.S. land in Cuba at reduced prices and allowed U.S. businesses to gain monopolies in the sugar industry and in utility companies, lining the pockets of these U.S. businesses, who in return lined the pockets of Batista. When Castro won the revolution, he was a wild card, not a leader who would allow the U.S. to control Cuban interests. Instead, he wanted to free Cuba from what he deemed to be the United States’ financial control. nOVeMBer/DeCeMBer 2010
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