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University of Miami Cuban Heritage Collection Finding University of Miami Cuban Heritage Collection Finding Aid - José Miró Cardona Papers (CHC5122) Generated by Access to Memory (AtoM) 2.4.0 Printed: May 22, 2018 Language of description: English University of Miami Cuban Heritage Collection Roberto C. Goizueta Pavilion 1300 Memorial Drive Coral Gables FL United States 33146 Telephone: (305) 284-4900 Fax: (305) 284-4901 Email: [email protected] https://library.miami.edu/chc/ https://atom.library.miami.edu/index.php/chc5122 José Miró Cardona Papers Table of contents Summary information ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Administrative history / Biographical sketch .................................................................................................. 3 Scope and content ........................................................................................................................................... 4 Arrangement .................................................................................................................................................... 5 Notes ................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Access points ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Series descriptions ........................................................................................................................................... 6 id145947, Consejo Revolucionario Cubano/Cuban Revolutionary Council(CRC) Records, n.d., 1958-1963 ...................................................................................................................................................... 6 id145948, Administrative Files .................................................................................................................. 6 id146063, Consejo Revolucionario Cubano/Cuban Revolutionary Council (CRC) Records, Political Activity and Military Affairs Files ............................................................................................................ 9 id146146, Correspondence, 1951-1977 ...................................................................................................... 11 id146249, Works and Personal Files, 1943-1977 ...................................................................................... 13 id146250, Works ...................................................................................................................................... 14 id146302, Personal Papers ....................................................................................................................... 15 id146314, Subject Files ............................................................................................................................ 16 id146347, Photographs and Memorabilia, 1925-1965 ............................................................................... 16 id146382, Clippings, 1955-1990 ................................................................................................................ 17 - Page 2 - CHC5122 José Miró Cardona Papers Summary information Repository: University of Miami Cuban Heritage Collection Title: José Miró Cardona Papers ID: CHC5122 Date: n.d., 1943-2002 (date of creation) Date: 1958-1965 (date of creation) Physical description: 25.5 linear feet Language: English Language: Spanish Dates of creation, revision and deletion: Note [generalNote]: Other Information: This collection was processed with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners. Administrative history / Biographical sketch Note José Miró Cardona was born in Havana, Cuba on August 22, 1902. His father fought for liberation from Spain as a general in the Cuban War of Independence (1895-1898). Miró Cardona graduated from the University of Havana Law School. He set up a law practice in Havana in 1938, and accepted a position as a professor of criminal law at his alma mater. Later, he was named Dean of the university’s law school, and became president of the Cuban Lawyers College. In 1955, he joined the Society of Friends of the Republic (Sociedad de Amigos de la República), founded by the elder statesman Cosme de la Torriente. The society worked towards reconciling the differences between the Batista regime and its opponents. Miró Cardona moved soon into outright opposition to Batista, and was forced to seek asylum in the Argentine embassy in Havana. Afterward, he fled to Miami where he joined forces with Fidel Castro during the 26th of July Movement (Movimiento 26 de Julio). Miró Cardona’s task was to organize various exile groups in Miami and rally them behind Castro’s banner. On January 6, 1959, after the Castro’s revolution had succeeded in overthrowing the Batista regime, Miró Cardona was appointed Prime Minister of the new government. He proceeded to steer the country toward a democratic and constitutional government and to reform the court system in accordance with the University of Miami Cuban Heritage Collection Page 3 CHC5122 José Miró Cardona Papers constitution of 1940. In 1960, Miró Cardona agreed to serve as Cuban Ambassador to Spain. Later, Castro designated Miró Cardona to be Ambassador to the United States. However, Miró never assumed his ambassadorial post. Instead, Miró resigned his professorship at the University of Havana in protest against demands of the pro-Castro University Student Federation that all “counter-revolutionary professors” be dismissed. After his resignation, Miró Cardona took refuge yet again in the Argentine embassy and left for the United States. One of the principal challenges facing the anti-Castro movement in the United States was a lack of unity among some 187 exile groups, spanning widely divergent political and economic views, and united only in their common opposition to Castro. A series of meetings held in New York City and Washington D.C. in February and March of 1961 led to an agreement between the two main opposing groups: The Revolutionary Democratic Front (FRD) under Manuel Antonio de Varona and the People’s Revolutionary Movement (MRP) lead by Manuel Ray. Miró Cardona served as a mediator in this process. On March 22, 1961 the formation of the Cuban Revolutionary Council (CRC), under the presidency of Miró Cardona, was formally announced. The Cuban Revolutionary Council was neither a government in exile nor a provisional government. The fundamental objective of the CRC was the liberation of Cuba through arms with the help of United States. Miró became the head of the exile group that worked with the Kennedy administration to prepare for the Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961. It was decided that Miró would become the provisional president of Cuba should the invasion succeed. Miró detailed a plan for an economic and political constitution for Cuba’s post-Castro future. On April 17, 1961, a force of some 1300 anti-Castro fighters landed at the Bay of Pigs on the southern coast of Cuba. The attempted invasion had immediate international repercussions. Within seventy- two hours, the offensive was crushed, and most of the participants were taken prisoner by the Castro government. After the defeat, Miró Cardona consulted with President John F. Kennedy at the White House and received assurances that efforts would be made to obtain humane treatment for the prisoners. The dissensions inside the Cuban Revolutionary Council rose after the Bay of Pigs disaster. Miró Cardona renounced the presidency of the Council in 1963. He and his wife, Ernestina Torra, moved with their two children from Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico where he worked in the University of Puerto Rico as a professor of Criminal Law and Legal advisor until his death on August 10, 1974. Scope and content The José Miró Cardona Papers consist of 21 boxes the administrative records of the Cuban Revolutionary Council (Consejo Revolucionario Cubano) under Miró Cardona’s presidency in the 1960s. Central to this group of documents are those that relate to the Brigade 2506 and the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The Papers also include 36 boxes of Miró Cardona’s personal and professional correspondence, his writings and speeches, clippings, photographs, memorabilia and materials related to his career as a law professor. University of Miami Cuban Heritage Collection Page 4 CHC5122 José Miró Cardona Papers Notes Title notes Immediate source of acquisition Gift of José Miró Torra, 2003. Arrangement The collection is arranged in five series. Please see the "Detailed Description" and "Box and Folder Listing" sections for more information. Restrictions on access This collection is open for research. Access to Box 15 is restricted until 2045. Conditions governing use Requests to publish or display materials from this collection require written permission from the rights owner. Please, contact [email protected] for more information. Related material Books, periodicals and pamphlets were separated from the collection for cataloging. Six boxes of reel- to-reel audio recordings were also separated for preservation review and treatment due to deterioration. Other notes • Publication status: Published • Description identifier: ArchonInternalCollectionID:459 Access points • Consejo Revolucionario de Cuba • Miró Cardona, José,
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