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On our cruise to Cuba, with Viking Cruise Lines, we spent
three days docked in Cienfuegos. One of the tours available there is titled
“The Cold War.” It is a trip to Playa Girón, where the Bay of Pigs invasion
took place. This is a fascinating trip for those who are interested in history
and who are willing to look events through the eyes of another country,
especially one with whose politics they might disagree.
In 1952, the government of the United States backed a coup in
Cuba. General Batista overthrew to elected government of
President Carlo Piro. This move, backed by the United Fruit Company and ALCOA,
the two major U.S. companies present in Cuba at the time brought about a
terrible dictatorship, one that was brutal to most of the people who lived in
the country. In response to Bautista’s fascism, The Movimiento de 26 de Julio (The July 26th Movement) rose and took up arms.
Led by Fidel Castro, this movement successfully expelled Batista and his
dictatorship on Dec. 31, 1958.
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| Fidel's Tank |
After the revolution many Cubans, especially those who were
rich, or who been connected to the Batista regime, fled the country. These
expats, with help of the CIA and Eisenhower’s government, made plans to invade
Cuba and take control of the country back from the Cuban Communist Party. They
believed that, with U.S. military aid and support from Cubans on the island,
they would be successful. However, both of these assumptions proved incorrect.
In 1960, John F Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon in the
election for president of the U.S. Kennedy was much more cautious in his view
of intervention in Cuba and dealing with Russia. This led the U.S. to cut the
military support of the invasion. More importantly, those who had left the
island greatly underestimated the support that The Communist Party had among
the people of Cuba.
Those who had supported Batista in Cuba chose to ignore the widespread
poverty and brutality that his dictatorship brought to the poor and working
class on the island. When the Communists came to power, they immediately put in
policies to support working people. They provided food, and health care. They
also trained thousands of young people to go out into countryside and educate
the masses. These policies created a tremendous amount of support for Communist
government.
On April 17, 1961, a force of 1400 exiled Cubans, who had
been training in Guatemala, landed along the Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs).
The anticipated aid of U.S. bombers had been ineffective, at best, and gave
warning to the Cuban Government that something was afoot. When the invasion
force landed, they were met by both heavy fire from local militias and by
bombing and strafing runs by the Cuban air force. The Cuban forces were aided
by local campesinos, who joined in the fight against the invasion. Within 24
hours, Castro ordered 20,000 troops to area, and the invasion, was effectively
quashed in three days.
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| The mercenaries who tried to invade Cuba had ties to families who controlled major portions of the economy under Batista's dictatorship |
Today, in Playa Girón, there is a museum that commemorates
this battle. It is a small tribute, given the significance of the site. With a
good guide or a knowledge of Spanish, it is a wonderful source of information
and an excellent tribute to the Cuban patriots who died defending their
country. The exhibit begins with photographs and information boards that
describe the conditions that existed in the area under the Batista regime. Our
tour spoke passionately in her description of how difficult life was before the
revolution, and how much it improved afterwards. She was passionate because
this was the life of her grandmother and mother. Our guide explained that her
grandmother was illiterate at the age of 36, until Cuba’s Ejercito de Alfabetizadores (Literacy Brigade) came to
Cienfuegos. In the span of two years the country’s illiteracy rate fell from
around 50% to 4%, lower than any country in the Western Hemisphere.
When the invasion took place in 1961, the expats entered a
country that was significantly different than the one the left, just two years
earlier. So, when it was time to choose side, the locals strongly supported the
Communist government. Half of the museum is dedicated to those who fought and
lost their lives during the fight to defend their country.
After exploring the museum, we walked down to the beach of
Playa Girón. Today there is a hotel built there, but you can still look out to
Caribbean Sea. From the beach we boarded the bus and headed up the bay to Playa
Larga for lunch. We ate at the rooftop restaurant of the Enrique Hostal. The food was fresh, delicious and plentiful. Then
it was back on the bus for the ride back to Cienfuegos.
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| Playa Girón |
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| Seen in Playa Larga |
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| Enrique's Rooftop restuarant |
The trip to Playa Girón was a fascinating journey back into a
key moment in the history of the island, and of the United States. But it one
that should be taken with an open mind. Be ready to understand the point of
view of Cuba. Be ready to question some of the beliefs that you might be
carrying when you visit.
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