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[in Spanish] Cuba has always been fighting
for its freedom.
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[in Spanish] A hundred thousand died
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00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,200
and even though we lost the war,
the country had changed.
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00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:46,880
There is little question that Meyer Lansky
had thoroughly corrupted Batista.
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It's not a lie,
they didn't promise anything.
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They promised a revolution.
They did a revolution.
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[in Russian]
These guys were bound to become
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either martyrs or national heroes.
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...una revolución.
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-[announcer] Fidel Castro.
-[applause]
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He told Khrushchev, "You should unleash
the entire Soviet nuclear arsenals."
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Apocalypse.
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[siren blares]
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[in German] Cuba will never bend its knee.
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[narrator] Lush forests, a blue ocean,
and sunny, tropical weather.
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Cuba has been a favorite
vacation spot since at least the 1920s.
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Tourism picked up tremendously
in the 1930s,
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as people,
especially from the United States,
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were drawn also by Cuba's
low prices and plentiful liquor.
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How did this almost magical island become
the playground of the American Mafia?
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00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:46,400
What turned Fidel Castro,
a Jesuit school-boy,
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into the leader of an armed rebellion?
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00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:56,120
And why did all of Cuba's ambitious
political reforms fail within a decade?
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00:02:58,920 --> 00:03:03,880
Cuba's history is marked
by 500 years of poverty and oppression.
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00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:08,720
But the Cubans have never given up
on their dream of freedom.
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Since 1934, Cuba has been ruled
by a number of puppet governments,
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under the control
of General Fulgencio Batista.
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He was a non-commissioned officer
before taking power in a military coup.
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He had Cuba's largely white army
officers of Spanish descent removed.
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For the first time, Cuba was ruled
by someone of native descent.
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[in German] Initially, Batista was
a highly regarded man on Cuba.
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Not only by most people in general,
but especially among informal networks
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of clients, friends and families.
He was very much accepted by them.
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As the head of the army, Batista ran
the country from behind the scenes.
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The elected presidents were his puppets.
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Cuba's neighbor, the United States,
saw in him a strong man
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00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,160
who could restore peace and quiet
to Cuba.
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Batista developed policy in agreement
with the American ambassador.
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[in Spanish] He was a young man
who had grown up in poverty.
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He was not even 31 years old,
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and he had sold himself
to the US ambassador.
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He had turned himself over
and betrayed his country.
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Cuba is barely 90 miles
from the American coast.
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Washington's political elite
were surprised by Batista's coup d'état.
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00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:44,840
It took some time
for them to come to terms with him.
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00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:49,160
US corporations had invested heavily
in Cuba's agriculture,
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00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:51,640
especially its sugarcane.
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Their interests had to be preserved.
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00:05:00,840 --> 00:05:06,360
To the surprise of many, General Batista
bade farewell to his uniform in 1940,
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in order to run for president of Cuba.
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The former military dictator
decided to run on a platform
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that promised prosperity for all Cubans.
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[in German] And he did it, too!
He built a new army,
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mainly from the colored lower classes.
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This is the moment when the sons
and grandsons of former slaves
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move up the social ladder.
It's the rise of the Afro-Cubans.
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And then Batista does the same
with the police, too.
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As a candidate
in the presidential election,
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he strove to implement the promises
made during the 1933 revolution.
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The United States warned Batista
against continuing the reforms,
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but Cuba's intellectuals supported him.
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[in German] They wanted to bring change
to Cuban politics.
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That's why many intellectuals and writers
got involved with politics
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00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:56,520
and helped create
the constitution of 1940.
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Batista's crowning achievement
was to give Cuba a new constitution.
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00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:05,920
It allowed a land reform,
established women's suffrage,
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and cemented the eight-hour work day.
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[in French] The 1940 constitution
was regarded, at the time,
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as one of the most democratic
constitutions in Latin America.
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The reason for this is that
it finally fulfilled the promises
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00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:29,360
that had been made
during the revolution of 1933 already
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and guaranteed workers' rights.
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Fulgencio Batista brought together
both conservative and leftist factions.
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This allowed him to unite
the majority of Cubans behind his banner
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and be elected in the autumn of 1940.
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This was a period
of significant prosperity in Cuba.
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It was a period of a lot of happiness,
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00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:55,800
because Cubans saw that the revolution
had finally come to power.
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Cuba became a paradise for new ideas.
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00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:04,280
The whole population was to benefit
from the flourishing economy.
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00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:08,680
Politicians in Washington
were concerned.
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00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:13,680
For them, Batista's reforms
were socialist and communist pipe dreams.
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00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:20,320
But many Americans discovered Cuba
as a vacation destination
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just off their coast.
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[in German] Since the advent
of prohibition in the United States,
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Americans came to Cuba to drink.
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The first waves of tourists
in the 1920s and '30s
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saw this relationship blossom.
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Everything that was seen as tropical,
luxurious, and a bit disreputable
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happened in Cuba,
not in the United States.
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00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:54,960
Prohibition in the USA,
from 1919 to 1933, made Cuba
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and turned Cuba into one of America's
best-kept tourist secrets.
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00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:05,240
Life here was cheap
and alcohol flowed freely and legally.
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00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:13,640
While official relations between Cuba
and the United States flourished,
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America's organized crime
also set up shop on the island.
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00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:22,920
During prohibition, they smuggled
liquor from Cuba to the mainland.
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The FBI tried to counter these smuggling
treks with films such as this one.
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Smuggling liquor in oil cans.
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It was almost like if you knew
the series Boardwalk Empire,
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00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:47,840
it really was coming in on boats and ships
and things like that,
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and sometimes they would float,
the barrels would float on the shore.
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Sometimes they were picked up properly,
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loaded off of docks
and then put into warehouses.
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Cuba was at the heart of rum production.
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00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:05,800
To this day, the former headquarters
building of rum giant Bacardi
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is a Cuban landmark.
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Caribbean rum promised freedom
and adventure.
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00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:14,760
Whereas it once was the drink
of choice of sailors and pirates,
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Cuba's rum had now been discovered
by tourists.
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00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:21,080
The Cubans began mass production.
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The basic raw material was at hand,
and manufacturing was inexpensive.
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Cuban rum was a worldwide success.
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[in Spanish]
Bacardi was Cuba's largest rum producer,
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00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:34,960
and they distilled sugarcane.
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00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:39,080
The company was located
in eastern Cuba, especially in Santiago.
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00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:44,600
Bacardi became very powerful
through its position as market leader.
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00:09:44,680 --> 00:09:48,960
The Bacardi family
was originally from Catalonia in Spain.
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They perfected the recipe
for rum in Cuba.
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00:09:52,680 --> 00:09:57,160
The bat on the company's logo
is an old Cuban symbol of good fortune.
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00:09:57,240 --> 00:10:01,280
Rum became a staple drink
in the most famous bars of the world,
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where revelers mixed it with Coca-Cola,
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00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:08,440
making the world's most famous
long drink: the Cuba Libre.
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00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:13,680
[in German] It was basically rotgut.
Only the lower classes drank it.
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00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:18,920
It took time and advertising
to make it popular in the normal world.
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00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:24,120
In the 1920s and '30s,
Bacardi opened factories
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in Barcelona, New York
and San Juan in Puerto Rico.
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00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:32,520
The family business became
the best-known Cuban company of all time.
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Rum is part of Cuba as much as its cigars,
the sea, and its many small fishing boats.
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It was part of the attraction
for an American journalist
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who came to Cuba to fish,
but ended up staying.
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00:10:47,680 --> 00:10:49,240
Ernest Hemingway.
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Even today, for many visitors,
he embodies the Cuban way of life:
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at one with nature, enjoying life,
and with a sharp tongue.
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00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:04,200
[in Spanish]
Hemingway's relationship with Cuba
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had a lot to do with the sea.
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When he came to Cuba for the first time,
it was to fish in the Gulf of Mexico,
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but he soon found
it was a good place to live.
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00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:26,720
Hemingway spent many years in Cuba.
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The island notably inspired
Hemingway's most famous work,
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a novella about
an elderly Cuban fisherman.
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00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:43,000
"The Old Man and the Sea" won Hemingway
the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954.
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[in Spanish] When he won the Nobel Prize
for this novella,
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he dedicated it to the Cuban people.
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00:11:53,560 --> 00:11:57,840
He was thankful because Cuban fishermen
had allowed him
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00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:02,080
to live among them as a foreigner,
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00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:05,120
and had inspired him.
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00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:07,600
In the 1930s, it was not hard
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for a tourist such as Hemingway
to settle in Cuba.
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Writers such as he were welcome.
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00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:16,880
Ordinary jobs, however, were
primarily reserved for Cubans,
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00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:19,400
and the island
no longer welcomed immigrants.
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00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:24,040
In May 1939,
the steam liner MS Saint Louis,
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carrying hundreds of refugees
from Hamburg, Germany,
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arrived in Cuba, seeking asylum.
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00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:33,920
The MS Saint Louis
was a ship full of Jewish refugees
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that left Hamburg and was going
to come to the United States.
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00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:44,200
President Franklin Roosevelt
refused to accept those refugees,
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so they went to Cuba and they tried
to negotiate with the Cuban government,
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which was led at that time by Batista
and another general named Benitez,
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00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:57,400
and tried to pay for each refugee.
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The Cuban government
demanded such exorbitant sums
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that only a few refugees
were able to pay.
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00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:10,960
More than 900 Jewish passengers
were forced to return to Europe.
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Many of them would be killed
during the Holocaust.
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[in German]
Other ships met with similar fates,
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but only the Saint Louis
was turned away in this cruel manner.
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She is one of very few ships
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that didn't find a safe haven anywhere
in the Caribbean.
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Some ships went to the Dominican Republic,
and passengers settled in Sosua.
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Others found refuge
in Venezuela or Colombia.
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The Saint Louis was the only ship
to be turned away by Cuba,
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because there were already
so many immigrants there.
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Much like the United States before it,
Cuba forbade access to its territory.
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The immigrant era was over.
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00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:54,200
At the beginning of World War II,
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Cuba's position in the Caribbean
made it strategically very important,
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both as a central shipping hub
and for the US Navy.
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00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:07,560
Merchant liners and warships
sailed from Cuba to cross the Atlantic.
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00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:16,440
When the US entered the war in 1941,
Cuba sided with its powerful neighbor,
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00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:21,880
joined the anti-Hitler coalition,
and supported US troops as a supply base.
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00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:28,280
[Suchlicki] Well, they were in Guantanamo
and they were in the Isle of Pines.
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The American Navy visited Cuba,
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and Cuba provided sugar
and other goods to the United States,
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so it was a close relationship, yes.
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00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:43,960
Cuba's president, Fulgencio Batista,
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00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:46,600
made an official visit
to his American ally.
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00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:51,080
President Franklin Roosevelt
welcomed him with all due ceremony.
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00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:56,600
Reservations about Batista's
previous links to the Communist Party
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00:14:56,680 --> 00:14:58,280
appeared to have been forgotten.
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00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:04,560
[Suchlicki] Batista had the support
of the United States.
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00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:07,640
He collaborated with the United States
during World War II.
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00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:09,360
This is the period of the war.
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00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:12,360
The communists
who couldn't ally themselves
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00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:15,800
with the more leftist,
progressive elements
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00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:18,280
allied themselves with Batista.
196
00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:22,320
This was a time also that
the United States and the Soviet Union
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00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:24,760
became allied against Nazi Germany.
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00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:30,560
Cuba benefitted from its usefulness
to the American military machine
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00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:33,440
and its economy prospered.
200
00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:37,880
Part of the profits were invested
in upgrading Cuba's own armed forces.
201
00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:44,120
Batista himself
profited from the arms trade.
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00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:47,520
He acted as an intermediary
for armament industrialists
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00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:50,200
and took a cut
of each purchase his army made.
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00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:56,800
[in Spanish] By this time,
he was already a millionaire.
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00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:02,120
He knew how to dress,
how to obey and how to rule.
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00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:07,840
[in German] This was basically unofficial
social policy for personal advancement.
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00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:09,680
It was widely expected
that someone in power
208
00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:13,120
would provide for their families
and friends.
209
00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:17,560
Many people in Cuba were provided for,
and the president more than anyone else.
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00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:24,440
Cuba's coastline
is studded with grand hotels,
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00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:28,920
most of which were built
by the Mafia in the 1940s.
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00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:38,440
The Americans opened gambling in Cuba
in a number of hotels
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00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:41,800
as tourism began to increase.
214
00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:45,360
The Mafia took over some hotels,
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00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:49,800
not any different than
Chicago or Las Vegas,
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00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:55,360
so Cuba was another spot where the Mafia
controlled the gambling business.
217
00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:00,080
Many tourists complained
about cheating in the casinos.
218
00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:05,560
Batista was apparently unable
to control the gambling bosses.
219
00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:17,520
The problem with cheating
was terrible in Havana.
220
00:17:17,599 --> 00:17:19,720
You had people rigging games.
221
00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,160
They had little devices
222
00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:25,480
that they could stop wheels
from spinning in a certain way.
223
00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:27,800
That was a real problem,
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00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:31,600
because in the short term, of course,
it attracted degenerate gamblers,
225
00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:35,240
but in the long term, it offended people
226
00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:39,000
who really wanted to have an honest game.
227
00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:44,560
Batista wanted to stop fraud
in the casinos.
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00:17:47,360 --> 00:17:51,600
To put an end to cheating,
he hired a notorious Mafia figure.
229
00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:56,160
Meyer Lansky began in Cuba
230
00:17:56,240 --> 00:18:00,320
not really as a casino owner
but as a consultant,
231
00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:06,360
that he received a fee
for running the games honestly.
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00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:12,800
Meyer Lansky was a respected figure
for both the Italian and Jewish Mafia,
233
00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:17,320
with a reputation of being fair
in business and ruthless with cheats.
234
00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:22,640
Lansky cleaned up
Cuba's casinos and hotels
235
00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:25,600
and brought them in line
with his US business interests.
236
00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:29,840
Stricter gambling rules
were imposed, hotels prospered,
237
00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:32,920
profits flowed in,
and Lansky took his cut.
238
00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:39,880
There were a lot of American businesses
that were already successful in Cuba:
239
00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:43,200
the sugar business,
the telephone business.
240
00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:48,120
But the mob really focused
on travel and tourism and casino gambling.
241
00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:51,360
Look, Cuba was
one, close to the United States,
242
00:18:51,440 --> 00:18:53,880
received significant tourism.
243
00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:57,200
Batista protected, during his period,
244
00:18:57,280 --> 00:18:59,920
protected the Mafia and the gambling.
245
00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:03,360
So the Mafia did well, prospered,
246
00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:07,560
and had a nice vacation place near Miami
247
00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:10,640
to go and spend winters.
248
00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:14,800
Thus, with the blessing
of President Batista,
249
00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:19,080
Cuba became an El Dorado
for the Mafia in the 1940s.
250
00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:24,360
Huge profits, no police hassles,
and an ideal money-laundering machine.
251
00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:38,520
Cuba was very attractive to the mob
because it was legal.
252
00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:43,280
There was not much they could do
in the US that was legal
253
00:19:43,360 --> 00:19:46,760
because you had to follow the money,
you had to trace money.
254
00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:49,760
But the mob could go into Havana
255
00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:54,520
and build casinos and hotels
perfectly legally.
256
00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:59,800
Now, the money that was used
was not obtained legally in the US,
257
00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:05,680
but what was literally happening
is people with duffel bags of cash
258
00:20:05,760 --> 00:20:10,440
would go into Havana
and buy hotels and casinos.
259
00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:14,760
Among those investing in Cuba early on
260
00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:18,600
was also the United States'
most feared Mafia boss,
261
00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:23,840
Charles "Lucky" Luciano,
head of the famous Cosa Nostra.
262
00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:29,680
In 1936, the FBI had managed to arrest
Luciano for forced prostitution.
263
00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:35,760
But his friend and confidant Meyer Lansky
hatched a plan to get Luciano out again.
264
00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:40,160
With the United States at war
with both Germany and Italy,
265
00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:45,560
the US government feared sabotage
and spies, especially in New York Harbor.
266
00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:50,000
And they knew the docks were controlled
by Luciano's Italian associates.
267
00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:52,720
[ship's horn blares]
268
00:20:57,040 --> 00:20:59,480
The US Navy brought in Meyer Lansky,
269
00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:04,200
and Meyer was able to convince
Lucky Luciano, who was in prison,
270
00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:10,040
to urge Italians to cooperate and keep
their eyes open on the waterfront.
271
00:21:10,120 --> 00:21:16,200
What was in this for Lucky Luciano,
who was in jail doing 30 to 50 years?
272
00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:17,960
Well, Meyer had a plan
273
00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:23,160
and the plan was
if Luciano cooperated with the war effort
274
00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:28,040
by giving the order to go
and help find Nazi spies
275
00:21:28,120 --> 00:21:33,000
and to help find loyal people in Sicily
for when General Patton invaded,
276
00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:37,320
maybe Luciano would be let out of jail.
277
00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:41,200
The condition for Luciano's release
was simple.
278
00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:43,280
He had to cooperate
279
00:21:43,360 --> 00:21:46,840
and would be deported to
his native Italy at the end of the war.
280
00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:54,240
In 1940, future revolutionary leader
Fidel Castro was 14 years old.
281
00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:56,760
He and his brother Raúl
282
00:21:56,840 --> 00:22:00,480
were the illegitimate children
of a wealthy Cuban land owner.
283
00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:07,880
Their father had sent them to attend
a church-run private boarding school
284
00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:09,960
in Santiago de Cuba.
285
00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:20,120
[in Spanish] Fidel Castro and Raúl Castro
studied in a Jesuit school, as did I.
286
00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:23,760
Being a Jesuit is not about being Catholic
or going to mass on Sunday.
287
00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:27,600
It's a way to understand the world
and to project yourself into the world.
288
00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:31,560
It was an all-boys school.
289
00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:35,320
Fidel is standing to the right,
with a pencil in his mouth.
290
00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:42,440
[in French] Among the Jesuits,
Castro was known
291
00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:45,160
as an athlete, as a sportsman.
292
00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:50,000
He was manly and imposing.
293
00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:56,040
He was bent on being very physical.
294
00:22:56,120 --> 00:22:59,400
His competitive spirit
was initially channeled into sports,
295
00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:03,480
baseball and basketball,
which suited him perfectly.
296
00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:08,560
[in Spanish] He always had a temper
like Michael Jordan in basketball.
297
00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:12,200
Highly competitive.
298
00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:16,560
Fidel was a very rebellious student.
299
00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:20,800
He had a couple of guns in his dormitory.
300
00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:24,840
He used to fight with other students.
301
00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:29,920
As a teenager, Fidel already stood out.
302
00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:33,520
He couldn't stay still
and was quick-tempered,
303
00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:35,760
but he did well in class.
304
00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:42,080
In 1944, Batista's four-year term
as president came to an end.
305
00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:48,600
He withdrew from politics,
traveled through Latin America,
306
00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:51,720
and settled in Florida,
where he lived a life of luxury.
307
00:23:56,800 --> 00:24:01,800
It was here, in 1945,
that he celebrated victory in World War II
308
00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:03,880
with his American friends.
309
00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:13,720
Back in Cuba, Batista had been succeeded
by Ramón Grau,
310
00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:15,800
his former co-revolutionary.
311
00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:19,680
But the new president did little
to stop organized crime.
312
00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:27,400
The Mafia ruled freely,
reaping huge profits,
313
00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:30,200
and extending a power-base
founded on corruption.
314
00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:34,880
In Chicago, New York and Las Vegas,
315
00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:39,440
the mob bosses were wanted men,
and Cuba was their safe refuge.
316
00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:46,840
The other guys are in Havana, raking in
millions and millions and doing well
317
00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:49,160
and everybody's happy
and everyone's getting fat
318
00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:50,560
and everyone's getting fed.
319
00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:52,840
They're building up Havana
and it's beautiful
320
00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:56,080
and they're expanding,
and they're saving monuments,
321
00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:58,960
and this and that,
and the beaches are beautiful.
322
00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:03,560
In order to restructure the Mafia
after the war,
323
00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:06,640
Meyer Lansky called a meeting
of all leading families
324
00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:09,280
in December 1946 in Cuba.
325
00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:15,480
They were to gather
at Havana's famed Hotel Nacional.
326
00:25:17,120 --> 00:25:19,200
Around 100 guests attended.
327
00:25:21,120 --> 00:25:22,880
The bosses of Mafia families,
328
00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:26,360
the most influential gangsters
from the USA and Europe.
329
00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:35,920
Under Cuba's tropical sun,
330
00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,160
they were seeking to solve,
without bloodshed,
331
00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:40,760
their disagreements
on sharing out the loot.
332
00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:52,160
The Havana conference
was about figuring out
333
00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:55,120
what the rules
were going to be going forward,
334
00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:56,720
who was going to be in charge.
335
00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:00,920
Frank Costello.
336
00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:04,840
Albert Anastasia.
337
00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:06,480
Sam Giancana.
338
00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:08,720
Santo Trafficante.
339
00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:13,680
Meyer Lansky managed to bring together
every big name in the underworld.
340
00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:19,040
Including the biggest of them all,
Charles "Lucky" Luciano.
341
00:26:19,120 --> 00:26:22,320
After settling in Sicily
just ten months prior,
342
00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:26,120
Luciano smuggled himself
to Havana on a freighter.
343
00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:27,760
His goal was simple:
344
00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:31,720
to take over organized crime
in the United States once again.
345
00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:40,000
[Dezenhall] A lot of what Luciano
wanted to establish in 1946
346
00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:43,600
in the Havana conference
was what his role would be.
347
00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:48,640
And the way he did that
was by being kind of a diplomat,
348
00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:52,200
bringing in mob families
in the United States,
349
00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:56,160
in order to figure out
what their investments would be in Havana,
350
00:26:56,240 --> 00:27:00,520
what their investments would be in
Las Vegas, which was just getting started.
351
00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:02,960
That meeting, uh...
352
00:27:03,040 --> 00:27:07,680
I believe,
was to just keep everything in check,
353
00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:12,320
so things would go on smoothly.
So it was like two governments.
354
00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:14,880
You had the government
of the United States,
355
00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:16,280
the government of the world,
356
00:27:16,360 --> 00:27:19,320
and, as Meyer used to say,
357
00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:24,200
"We were not
the underworld, we were the overworld."
358
00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:29,840
The conference lasted for a week and
was accompanied by lavish entertainment.
359
00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:34,720
Ostensibly, the reason for
many attendees to come to Havana
360
00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:37,520
was to see Frank Sinatra perform.
361
00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:41,680
Sinatra, however, was only in Havana
on the express invitation
362
00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:43,760
of several Chicago mobsters.
363
00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:51,680
Throughout the conference,
364
00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:54,480
Cuban police steered clear
of the Hotel Nacional.
365
00:27:56,080 --> 00:28:00,240
The government and civil servants
were all party to shady dealings.
366
00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:09,640
Luciano set himself up,
at least for a while, in Cuba.
367
00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:14,000
What ended up happening, though,
is gossip columnists began writing
368
00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:20,080
about him and Frank Sinatra and planeloads
of prostitutes coming in to Havana.
369
00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:23,800
And the Truman administration
was extremely upset by this
370
00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:26,240
because they felt that
they had been slapped in the face.
371
00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:30,360
It was one thing
to deport Luciano to Italy,
372
00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:33,880
it's another thing
if he's a few miles from Florida,
373
00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:35,880
basically still being the boss.
374
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:39,840
Only under US pressure
did Cuban authorities relent
375
00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:42,200
and pressure Luciano to leave Havana,
376
00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:46,280
going into exile
for a second and last time.
377
00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:52,400
So he ultimately was sent back to Italy
if for no other reason
378
00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:55,000
than to take heat off of the Mafia
379
00:28:55,080 --> 00:29:00,040
because nobody is loyal to anybody
when they create a lot of controversy.
380
00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:03,200
And Luciano was able to do
381
00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:08,640
almost as much as he could do from Italy
that he could do from Havana,
382
00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:11,800
but not even Meyer Lansky
wanted him in Havana after a while.
383
00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:15,600
Since then,
Cuban slang has special words
384
00:29:15,680 --> 00:29:17,680
for its corruption practices.
385
00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:20,960
"Botella" and "chivo."
386
00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:27,200
Botella is a form of nepotism,
387
00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:31,360
whereby positions are appointed
to friends and acquaintances,
388
00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:34,760
who are then supposed to
return the favor later on.
389
00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:48,000
[in German] And chivo basically means
creating a phony administrative job,
390
00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:50,000
where somebody is paid to do nothing.
391
00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:53,680
This creates an overpaid elite,
which contributes nothing to society.
392
00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:55,080
It was common practice.
393
00:29:55,160 --> 00:30:00,680
It was expected, and Cubans saw it
as part of the political culture.
394
00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:03,600
A small elite of high-ranking soldiers,
395
00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:07,640
and particularly American
company bosses and their partners,
396
00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:09,760
were the big winners in post-war Cuba.
397
00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:21,120
For the rest of the people,
prospects were grim.
398
00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:27,920
Income disparity increased dramatically
and Cuba's poor were getting poorer.
399
00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:37,080
[in Spanish] Six hundred thousand people
were unemployed back then,
400
00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:38,520
out of seven million Cubans.
401
00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:43,720
It was shameful. It was a disgrace.
402
00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:48,680
They said Cuba was
the number-three country in Latin America.
403
00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:52,000
I can't imagine how bad the others were.
404
00:30:54,600 --> 00:31:00,520
In the late 1940s, Fidel Castro began
studying law at the University of Havana.
405
00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:04,480
Well, law was a very common profession.
406
00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:07,360
Law and medicine
were the principal professions
407
00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:09,240
that students studied in Cuba.
408
00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:13,080
And he liked screaming
409
00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:16,560
and that was a way
to achieve political power.
410
00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:21,280
In other words, being a lawyer was first
before you become a political leader.
411
00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:23,880
Universities were a hotbed of opposition
412
00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:27,280
against the Cuban government
and its corruption.
413
00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:29,920
Groups with various affinities sprang up.
414
00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:32,400
Among them
were those who claimed allegiance
415
00:31:32,480 --> 00:31:35,240
to socialists or to communists.
416
00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:38,040
[in Spanish]
At that time, we're talking about...
417
00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:42,720
'52, '50...
418
00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:47,080
the University of Havana was very big.
419
00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:50,480
It was practically the only university
in the country.
420
00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:53,840
[in French] The University of Havana
was a hotbed of activism.
421
00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:58,560
It was the great period
in Latin-American history
422
00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:02,120
in which university
was a sort of battlefield.
423
00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:05,000
Fidel Castro
joined several armed groups.
424
00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:13,880
[in French] You have to understand
something else as well.
425
00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:19,120
In Latin-American society,
426
00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:25,120
the image of a macho, of a pistolero,
427
00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:28,400
is rather well regarded.
428
00:32:28,480 --> 00:32:32,040
Castro found a place for himself
in this culture,
429
00:32:32,120 --> 00:32:36,040
which is quite natural
430
00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:40,040
if you think of his fiery temperament
431
00:32:40,120 --> 00:32:42,880
and his will to become involved
in politics.
432
00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:45,360
[in Spanish] Castro was one
433
00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:50,600
among many student leaders.
434
00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:53,160
He had the reputation of being a gangster.
435
00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:57,360
[in French] He's very fond of this period
in his life; it's very important to him,
436
00:32:57,440 --> 00:33:01,440
because he discovered the art
of organizing his troops,
437
00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:03,920
of forming a clan,
of surrounding himself with men.
438
00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:09,240
Gradually, during his time
at the University of Havana,
439
00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:11,760
he became a real political leader.
440
00:33:12,760 --> 00:33:17,400
In 1947, a revolt was fomenting
on Cuba's neighboring island.
441
00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:21,200
The Dominican Republic
was being ruled by a ruthless dictator.
442
00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:24,760
The revolt's organizers sought support
443
00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:27,680
among the rebellious students
of Havana University.
444
00:33:29,320 --> 00:33:31,800
So Fidel Castro
and a group of students
445
00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:37,920
went to a little cay, a little island
off the coast of Cuba, Cayo Confites,
446
00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:43,960
to train to use machine guns
and Molotov cocktails and grenades
447
00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:45,280
to go and fight.
448
00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:49,280
The group of students
around Fidel Castro
449
00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:52,720
was stopped by soldiers and
never reached the Dominican Republic.
450
00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:57,400
In 1948,
shortly after the Dominican affair,
451
00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:02,320
Castro left Cuba for the first time,
and traveled to Bogotá, Colombia.
452
00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:06,760
One reason was to get away
from Cuban authorities for a while,
453
00:34:06,840 --> 00:34:09,159
who had grown suspicious of Castro.
454
00:34:09,239 --> 00:34:13,840
Once in Colombia, he realized that the
country had the same problems as Cuba.
455
00:34:16,840 --> 00:34:20,320
[in French] These were turbulent times
in Latin America.
456
00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:26,360
Castro joined a delegation
of university Cuban students.
457
00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:32,159
They were caught up, not by chance,
458
00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:35,360
in what almost turned into a revolution
in Bogotá, Colombia.
459
00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:39,480
A liberal presidential candidate
in Colombia's upcoming elections
460
00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:41,080
had been murdered.
461
00:34:41,159 --> 00:34:44,239
His supporters took to the street,
weapons in hand.
462
00:34:45,239 --> 00:34:49,120
Over 600 people were killed
in the ensuing riots.
463
00:34:49,199 --> 00:34:53,920
Fidel Castro, as well as other Cuban
students, were in the thick of things.
464
00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:58,560
After ten hours of violence,
government troops put down the uprising.
465
00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:03,400
Once again, there was no revolution
for Fidel Castro.
466
00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:07,440
[in French] He comes back,
with a little bit of aura
467
00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:10,600
of having been there, of someone daring.
468
00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:16,920
Castro's will to fight was unbroken,
despite these revolutionary setbacks.
469
00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:20,840
Having graduated,
he set up a legal practice,
470
00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:22,920
defending the poor in court.
471
00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:26,080
But once again, his endeavors failed.
472
00:35:27,440 --> 00:35:31,440
[in German] For a long time,
even during his university days,
473
00:35:31,520 --> 00:35:36,000
and even though he was very charismatic,
Castro was seen as a perpetual loser.
474
00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:41,280
This is definitely part of his story.
He was a man who always lost,
475
00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:43,960
and whom others regarded as
being just one among many losers.
476
00:35:44,040 --> 00:35:46,280
He was seen as a man
who, despite his utopian dreams,
477
00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:48,280
would never amount to much.
478
00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:53,160
As a lawyer, Castro was a failure
because he did not invoice his clients.
479
00:35:53,240 --> 00:35:56,200
This did not stop him, however,
from making big plans
480
00:35:56,280 --> 00:35:59,440
in his private life.
He wanted to get married.
481
00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:01,960
[Díaz-Balart] So, he met my sister
482
00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:05,880
at the university;
she was studying philosophy
483
00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:09,520
and he was studying law.
484
00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:13,480
They were young, of course,
you know, like, so they met.
485
00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:18,280
In 1948, Fidel Castro
married Mirta Díaz-Balart.
486
00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:22,480
Her wealthy father paid for
a lavish honeymoon in New York.
487
00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:26,080
[in French]
Fidel Castro married Mirta Díaz-Balart.
488
00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:30,720
She was from a very well-to-do family.
489
00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:35,280
He could have become
part of Cuban high society.
490
00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:38,360
[in Spanish] Fidel married the daughter
491
00:36:38,440 --> 00:36:43,480
of Batista's future
minister of the interior.
492
00:36:43,560 --> 00:36:46,680
He was practically
Batista's right-hand man.
493
00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:50,840
The new family
soon found themselves in conflict
494
00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:53,080
over their private and political lives.
495
00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:01,080
The thought of my family or my father
496
00:37:01,160 --> 00:37:04,040
was that he was a revolutionary,
you know,
497
00:37:04,120 --> 00:37:08,920
that it would be very hard
for her to live,
498
00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:11,400
and that was true.
499
00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:17,880
In 1952,
former president Fulgencio Batista
500
00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:19,880
decided to return to Cuba.
501
00:37:19,960 --> 00:37:22,360
He wanted to run
for the presidency again,
502
00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:24,920
and thus renew his political career.
503
00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:36,520
How poor Cubans lived after the war
504
00:37:36,600 --> 00:37:40,760
can be seen
in the 1964 feature film Soy Cuba.
505
00:37:55,840 --> 00:38:00,040
The lifestyle of Batista and his cronies
was considerably different.
506
00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:06,320
Mafia boss Meyer Lansky raised
substantial amounts of money
507
00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:08,280
for Batista's election campaign.
508
00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:14,280
The FBI regarded Lansky as one of
America's most influential gangsters.
509
00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:18,640
He himself always claimed to be
an honest casino owner.
510
00:38:21,440 --> 00:38:26,200
They were places that were patronized
by the finest people
511
00:38:26,280 --> 00:38:31,120
and had seating capacities,
some of them, as high as 800 people.
512
00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:38,840
And some of the finest people
of the United States
513
00:38:38,920 --> 00:38:40,920
patronized these places.
514
00:38:41,920 --> 00:38:45,680
Also, your big charity balls
were held there.
515
00:38:47,160 --> 00:38:52,080
And usually every year,
the proms from that area were held there.
516
00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:55,240
Their fathers and mothers.
517
00:38:56,240 --> 00:39:01,240
There were not any nooks
in some corner or somewheres.
518
00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:05,760
They were known all over America
for their food and entertainment.
519
00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:12,480
There is little question that Meyer Lansky
had thoroughly corrupted Batista,
520
00:39:12,560 --> 00:39:17,360
that he received millions and millions
of dollars every year
521
00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:20,200
to let the mob do their thing.
522
00:39:20,280 --> 00:39:27,080
He was their partner, and he was able
to put away a lot of money
523
00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:29,600
in Switzerland and other places.
524
00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:35,800
Batista's return proved to be
more complicated than expected.
525
00:39:35,880 --> 00:39:38,200
Forecasts for the election
were uncertain.
526
00:39:38,280 --> 00:39:41,080
It appeared that Batista
was on the verge of a loss.
527
00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:45,920
Batista was still well connected
with Cuba's army,
528
00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:48,240
as well as other influential Cubans.
529
00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:51,840
They had invested their money in Batista,
530
00:39:51,920 --> 00:39:54,840
but now it seemed
that only a new coup d'état
531
00:39:54,920 --> 00:39:57,080
could guarantee his rise to power.
532
00:40:01,560 --> 00:40:05,920
[in Russian] When he was the legitimately
elected president of Cuba
533
00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:07,160
from 1940 to 1944,
534
00:40:07,240 --> 00:40:09,720
all the communists
and the left-wing groups supported him.
535
00:40:10,680 --> 00:40:13,440
But after World War II,
when the Cold War started,
536
00:40:13,520 --> 00:40:18,080
he allied himself with the United States.
537
00:40:18,160 --> 00:40:21,600
He oppressed all left-wing forces,
538
00:40:21,680 --> 00:40:23,640
and, naturally,
539
00:40:23,720 --> 00:40:28,840
became the enemy of all revolutionaries.
540
00:40:28,920 --> 00:40:33,560
In 1952, the Cubans were ready
for a new election
541
00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:36,160
and they expected a new election.
542
00:40:36,240 --> 00:40:41,600
Batista decided from Daytona,
with his military friends,
543
00:40:41,680 --> 00:40:46,080
that he was going to take over power,
that he wouldn't be elected.
544
00:40:46,160 --> 00:40:49,360
He was not popular in Cuba,
so he wouldn't be elected.
545
00:40:49,440 --> 00:40:51,680
[in Spanish]
Batista launched a coup d'état
546
00:40:51,760 --> 00:40:53,880
because he was not going to be elected.
547
00:40:53,960 --> 00:40:58,960
He was afraid that
the Orthodox Party would win.
548
00:40:59,040 --> 00:41:04,680
Their program
was to cleanse Cuba of corruption.
549
00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:07,680
Their motto was "honor against money."
550
00:41:07,760 --> 00:41:12,480
They stood for purity,
551
00:41:12,560 --> 00:41:16,280
so Batista did not want
the Ortodoxos to take power.
552
00:41:17,120 --> 00:41:19,440
Three months before
the presidential elections,
553
00:41:19,520 --> 00:41:22,840
Batista took power
in an almost bloodless military coup.
554
00:41:24,080 --> 00:41:28,800
His contacts within the army helped him
become Cuba's head of state once more.
555
00:41:28,880 --> 00:41:30,960
Cuba's liberal constitution,
556
00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:35,560
which he himself had introduced
a few years previously, was swept aside.
557
00:41:35,640 --> 00:41:39,560
His plans to take power were not
only widely known beforehand,
558
00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:42,280
many Cubans welcomed the coup.
559
00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:47,080
[in German] Nobody lifted a finger.
Nobody did anything.
560
00:41:47,160 --> 00:41:48,240
Not even the communists.
561
00:41:48,320 --> 00:41:53,360
There was some protest,
and a few newspaper articles.
562
00:41:53,440 --> 00:41:55,600
But no significant social group
did anything
563
00:41:55,680 --> 00:42:01,120
because everyone was so fed up
with the previous governments.
564
00:42:01,200 --> 00:42:04,720
People said, "At last, we have someone
who will bring order to this chaos!"
565
00:42:07,680 --> 00:42:11,280
The previous years had been marked
by scandal and corruption.
566
00:42:12,560 --> 00:42:15,680
But many Cubans
saw Batista as a man of morals,
567
00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:19,760
even though he made Mafia boss
Meyer Lansky his minister for gambling.
568
00:42:21,920 --> 00:42:25,560
Batista claimed to want to
discipline democracy in Cuba.
569
00:42:30,080 --> 00:42:34,240
Major festivities were organized
to rally the Cubans to his cause.
570
00:42:44,040 --> 00:42:48,360
[in Spanish] Batista did everything
he could to legitimize his rule.
571
00:42:48,440 --> 00:42:50,440
He never appointed ministers
from the military.
572
00:42:50,520 --> 00:42:56,600
Both ministries dealing with
military aspects were headed by civilians.
573
00:42:56,680 --> 00:42:58,600
He never wore a uniform.
574
00:42:58,680 --> 00:43:00,840
He wanted to be accepted by the people.
575
00:43:00,920 --> 00:43:03,880
All democratic process was ignored,
576
00:43:03,960 --> 00:43:08,600
while the size of Cuba's police force
was increased dramatically.
577
00:43:08,680 --> 00:43:11,840
Batista no longer had political ideas.
578
00:43:11,920 --> 00:43:15,000
Any opposition was violently repressed.
579
00:43:15,080 --> 00:43:17,560
Thus began the Batista dictatorship.
580
00:43:17,640 --> 00:43:23,560
[in German] And thus, he drifted
into ruling as a dictator,
581
00:43:23,640 --> 00:43:27,120
as a bloody, terrorist dictator.
582
00:43:27,200 --> 00:43:32,920
[in Spanish]
And then, in a fit of testosterone,
583
00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:39,600
a lot of young people, like me,
rose up against Batista.
584
00:43:39,680 --> 00:43:46,560
Not in a political sense, but because
of a feeling of utter humiliation.
585
00:43:46,640 --> 00:43:48,520
"This man, because he has a gun
586
00:43:48,600 --> 00:43:52,280
and the support of the army,
can do what he wants."
587
00:43:56,280 --> 00:44:00,440
The Mafia was still doing business,
but the major investors had gone.
588
00:44:00,520 --> 00:44:04,520
Even the US army
no longer invested in Cuba.
589
00:44:04,600 --> 00:44:06,600
The country deteriorated.
590
00:44:08,720 --> 00:44:12,640
After 1953, Cuba was a police state.
591
00:44:12,720 --> 00:44:17,040
Arrests were often arbitrary,
as were torture and assassination.
592
00:44:20,840 --> 00:44:22,440
To terrorize the people,
593
00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:25,520
the police dumped their victims' corpses
from moving vehicles.
594
00:44:27,120 --> 00:44:30,880
At least 2,000 people died
due to police brutality.
595
00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:35,000
Fidel Castro,
working as a lawyer in Havana,
596
00:44:35,080 --> 00:44:37,880
filed a suit against
Batista's coup d'état,
597
00:44:37,960 --> 00:44:41,200
as it was unconstitutional.
598
00:44:41,280 --> 00:44:43,280
The courts rejected his case.
599
00:44:48,200 --> 00:44:52,520
Given the fact that in 1944
he allowed elections,
600
00:44:52,600 --> 00:44:57,960
many people expected him to stay in power
for a short time and then have elections.
601
00:44:58,040 --> 00:45:01,840
But as time went by, they realized
that he wasn't going to have elections,
602
00:45:01,920 --> 00:45:04,640
that he wanted to remain in power
and retain power,
603
00:45:04,720 --> 00:45:08,160
and then that's when
the opposition began to develop.
604
00:45:08,240 --> 00:45:14,240
[in Spanish] We took to the streets
to protest against Batista.
605
00:45:15,600 --> 00:45:18,720
We didn't belong to any party.
606
00:45:18,800 --> 00:45:21,040
We were young students,
607
00:45:21,120 --> 00:45:26,160
but we knew from our relatives and parents
608
00:45:26,240 --> 00:45:31,040
that Batista's government
was harmful, bad for the people.
609
00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:35,080
Having exhausted
what he saw as all legal options,
610
00:45:35,160 --> 00:45:38,160
Fidel Castro decided
that only armed rebellion
611
00:45:38,240 --> 00:45:40,560
could put an end to Batista's regime.
612
00:45:42,840 --> 00:45:46,400
Today, the Moncada Barracks
in Santiago is a museum.
613
00:45:47,760 --> 00:45:51,720
In 1953, it was Cuba's
second-biggest military base.
614
00:45:54,440 --> 00:45:58,480
Fidel Castro put together
a small group of revolutionaries
615
00:45:58,560 --> 00:46:00,320
in order to attack the barracks.
616
00:46:00,400 --> 00:46:02,400
[in French]
What's so fascinating about Castrism
617
00:46:02,480 --> 00:46:06,040
is that when we look
at how events unfolded,
618
00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:10,080
it was always improvised,
and a bit amateurish.
619
00:46:10,160 --> 00:46:13,080
It was all a bit crazy
620
00:46:13,160 --> 00:46:16,960
and the attack on the Moncada Barracks
is a prime example of this.
621
00:46:17,960 --> 00:46:22,600
The ambitious plan was to seize
the barracks and the weapons within.
622
00:46:23,680 --> 00:46:27,640
[in Spanish] We had planned to,
and we thought we could,
623
00:46:27,720 --> 00:46:30,160
take the barracks by surprise.
624
00:46:30,240 --> 00:46:34,440
The date was set for July 26th, 1953.
625
00:46:35,680 --> 00:46:39,320
The Moncada Barracks
was a fortress in the heart of Santiago.
626
00:46:39,400 --> 00:46:42,160
Across the street from it
was a civil hospital.
627
00:46:43,080 --> 00:46:44,720
Castro divided his men,
628
00:46:44,800 --> 00:46:47,840
some to storm the hospital,
in order to create a diversion,
629
00:46:47,920 --> 00:46:50,800
allowing the rest of his troops
to take the barracks.
630
00:46:50,880 --> 00:46:53,280
[in Spanish] The plan was
to be on top of the hospital
631
00:46:53,360 --> 00:46:56,920
and fire on the barracks from there.
632
00:46:57,000 --> 00:46:59,560
This was supposed to draw
633
00:46:59,640 --> 00:47:04,320
the soldiers' fire
634
00:47:04,400 --> 00:47:10,320
and allow our comrades
635
00:47:10,400 --> 00:47:14,440
to mount a frontal attack.
636
00:47:17,640 --> 00:47:21,320
While carnival festivities
were in full swing around Santiago,
637
00:47:21,400 --> 00:47:23,840
Castro's men approached the barracks.
638
00:47:33,200 --> 00:47:37,520
[in French] They had chosen
to do it during Carnival.
639
00:47:37,600 --> 00:47:43,680
Why? Because they only had
about 150 men,
640
00:47:43,760 --> 00:47:47,440
and they thought that, during Carnival,
641
00:47:47,520 --> 00:47:50,320
the soldiers in the barracks
642
00:47:50,400 --> 00:47:55,480
would be drunk and less organized.
643
00:47:56,720 --> 00:47:59,120
But things went bad almost immediately.
644
00:48:09,480 --> 00:48:14,640
[in Spanish] Unfortunately,
something went wrong.
645
00:48:14,720 --> 00:48:18,560
When the first of our cars arrived,
646
00:48:18,640 --> 00:48:24,800
they were surprised by a patrol
we had not counted on being there.
647
00:48:24,880 --> 00:48:29,920
They set off the alarm.
648
00:48:31,920 --> 00:48:34,760
While Cubans were dancing
and laughing in the streets,
649
00:48:34,840 --> 00:48:37,160
Castro and his men pressed their attack.
650
00:48:38,640 --> 00:48:42,560
But the barracks' guards opened fire
almost immediately.
651
00:48:42,640 --> 00:48:45,480
Castro and his men
were outnumbered and outgunned.
652
00:48:47,240 --> 00:48:51,240
[in Spanish]
We were shooting the whole time.
653
00:48:51,320 --> 00:48:57,120
The moment of surprise was gone,
654
00:48:57,200 --> 00:49:00,520
so we fired
until we ran out of ammunition.
655
00:49:01,800 --> 00:49:04,800
19 soldiers were killed,
as were six rebels,
656
00:49:04,880 --> 00:49:07,960
before Castro and his remaining men
surrendered.
657
00:49:09,200 --> 00:49:12,480
For the young lawyer turned rebel,
it was another devastating defeat.
658
00:49:14,480 --> 00:49:17,120
[in German] In 1953, who was Castro?
A madman.
659
00:49:19,480 --> 00:49:22,760
Don Quixote. The Don Quixote of liberty.
660
00:49:24,800 --> 00:49:28,840
Fifty-five rebels were killed on the spot
after being arrested.
661
00:49:28,920 --> 00:49:31,520
Only a few managed to escape.
662
00:49:31,600 --> 00:49:35,360
Most, including the Castro brothers,
were put on trial.
663
00:49:35,440 --> 00:49:37,960
No one expected a fair hearing.
664
00:49:39,080 --> 00:49:42,000
Castro's revolution
had been annihilated
665
00:49:42,080 --> 00:49:44,560
and now the state
wanted to show its power.
666
00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:48,600
The day after the attack,
667
00:49:48,680 --> 00:49:52,280
Fulgencio Batista
visited the Moncada Barracks
668
00:49:52,360 --> 00:49:55,960
and asked to see the weapons
that had aimed to topple his regime.
669
00:50:01,280 --> 00:50:04,680
Another battle for Cuba's freedom
had been lost...
670
00:50:06,160 --> 00:50:07,920
but the war was far from over.
671
00:50:08,000 --> 00:50:09,920
COMMANDER IN CHIEF AT YOUR COMMAND
672
00:50:10,000 --> 00:50:12,241
WE WILL ACHIEVE
WHAT WE SWORE TO DO IN BARAGUÁ
60198
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