Cuba: Intra-history. An Unremitting Struggle Cuba: Intra-history. An Unremitting Struggle Copyright © 2006 by Lincoln Díaz-Balart Rafael Diaz-Balart La Rosa Blanca design by Waldo Díaz-Balart Translation by Contexto All rights reserved. Printed in Mexico. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission must be obtained from the author prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. Contents The Frustrated Elections Of 1956 ........................................................... 71 A Visit to Chivirico on the Flanks of the Sierra Maestra and my Proposal to Batista .......................................................................... 73 The Mediation of the Amigos de la República (Friends of the Republic) and Don Cosme de la Torriente .......................................................... 75 Prologue.................................................................................................. 11 The General Strike of April 1958. The Last Elections. Rivero Agüero, “the Cuban Zedillo” Who Was Never Able to Govern ......................... 77 A Cuban Memory.................................................................................... 15 Clashes With the Government............................................................ 81 The University ....................................................................................... 27 On My Way to Exile Without Knowing It ........................................... 85 A De Facto Coup ................................................................................... 35 January 1959 and Its Origins .............................................................. 89 Searching for My Calling ........................................................................... 37 The Creation of The White Rose. Its First Years and its First President, A Meeting Between Castro and Batista .................................................... 41 Domingo Gómez Gimeránez .............................................................. 97 The Unitary Action Party (PAU). The Youth Movement. The Veto Against our Participation in the Bay of Pigs Invasion........... 133 The Radio Program. March 10, 1952 ...................................................... 47 Professional Activities and My Move to Europe ..................................... 137 Heading to Congress ................................................................................. 53 Costa Rican Diplomat ........................................................................ 145 Majority Leader and Chairman of the Majority Caucus ........................... 61 Appendix I: The Ideas of The White Rose – a Blueprint for In Congress .............................................................................................. 63 the Reconstruction of Cuba ............................................................... 149 A Story That Sounds Like a Myth ............................................................ 69 Appendix II : Eulogies to Rafael Diaz-Balart From his Sons........... 173 Intra-history. Term introduced by Spanish writer Miguel de Unamuno to refer to the inner life that serves as a permanent backdrop to a changing and visible history. “In the world there are no perfect men or women, all humans are composed of merits and sins. Likewise there can be no perfect or infallible states or govern- ments. The means to identify perversity and justice is the same in the individual and in the community. He is called just who possesses more merits than sins, and in the perverse the terms are inverted. The same occurs in the state and govern- ment. If in the conduct of its members merits exceed sins, justice reigns in that state or government, and if sins exceed merits, there reigns corruption.” (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, “Maimonides,” in his book Mishneh-Torah, Contrition Section) Prologue By Lincoln Diaz-Balart y father wished he had completed his memoirs in free Cuba. But after 46 years in exile, he died in Miami on May 6, 2005. He had suffered from a controllable bone marrow disease. However, in April 2005 the Mdisease turned into an aggressive leukemia that put an end to his life in three weeks. Doctors said they could prolong his life for a few months but with invasive treat- ments. He rejected them: “In life there are only two things one has to know,” he said “how to live and how to die. I have been able to live with dignity; I want to die with dignity.” He told his doctors, now his friends, that “getting sick has been worth it; it gave me the opportunity to meet you.” When facing death, Rafael Diaz-Balart taught us what was perhaps his most im- portant lesson: how to die. “This is harder for you than for me,” he told us. His tenderness, together with his impressive personal courage, his respect for others and his love for Cuba were never greater than during the last days of his life. In one of our last conversations, he asked me to read for him the letter from José Martí to Doctor Ramón Emeterio Betances, in which Martí asked the distinguished Puerto Rican physician to represent the Cuban Independence Movement in Paris. Rafael Diaz-Balart died with great faith in God and deeply convinced that Cuba would one day be free. The political program of “The White Rose,” written by Rafael Díaz-Balart, is repro- duced here. 11 v be aware of his experiences and impressions, as a contribution to the democratic Rafael Diaz-Balart was an extraordinary man, with admirable qualities, including stability of the future Republic. a unique generosity. He was never afraid of fighting for what he considered just, without worrying about the possibility of success. More than once he faced the It is for those future generations of Cubans, whose freedom was not only the world to denounce evil. In spite of having lived more than half of his life physi- dream but also the ideal of Rafael Diaz-Balart’s life, that these memoirs have been cally away from Cuba, he always used to say: “I’ve never left Cuba.” He was a tire- published. less learner until the final moments of his life. His constant compass was his love for Cuba and his desire for freedom for all Cubans. But his thoughts and ideas evolved throughout his life. For example, he wrote a book on a theory he called “Bi-Americanism.” Years later, when I asked him why he never published it, he told me he no longer agreed with it. “Don’t forget Abraham Lincoln’s words,” he used to say, “I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” What’s important in life, my father would say, is to maintain proper conduct; and to do that, many times it is necessary to change attitudes, opinions and even affiliations. The painful lack of solidarity with Cubans from most governments of the world, especially in Latin America, had great influence on his thinking. What never changed was his love and devotion for Cuba. The autobiography of Rafael Diaz-Balart published here is only a brief sketch of his life. He wanted to add other anecdotes and experiences to the chapters. And he had other chapters to write. He wanted to tell about his professional experiences in Africa; about the activities of his last years, divided between Madrid and Miami where he was able to work with great friends; about his work on my brother Ma- rio’s and my political campaigns and the extraordinary relationship he had with his four sons; about the activities of “The White Rose” during the last decade of his life, including its proclamation as a political party in June 2001 for the democratic Cuba of the future. He also wanted to write about his conviction that every genera- tion of Cubans has the obligation to fight for Cuba’s freedom, whether to obtain or to maintain it; and about his unyielding faith in Cuba’s young people. He did not have enough time to do it. But I think it is important to publish what he did write, since he often expressed his desire that future generations of Cubans v 12 13 v A Cuban Memory any friends have asked me to write my memoirs. If I have finally de- cided to do so, it is because I think they can be useful for the new gen- erations of Cubans from whom their history, among other things, has Mbeen taken away. And useful for the future as well, as Cubans will have to rescue the truth of our nation’s history from the immense swamp of lies in which they have been submerged by Castroite historiography. In the hands of Castroism, his- tory has become a collection of myths, misrepresentations and poorly construct- ed legends which have, nevertheless, imposed themselves as truths, even for many true opponents of totalitarianism. And they have, of course, been accepted as irre- futable international dogmas. Future historians will have to unravel tons of lies to bring the truth to light. As a direct participant in my country’s history for the last six decades, I have not for a minute stopped thinking about nor loving my homeland. I believe that the memories I keep of so many struggles and events, as well as my reflections, can contribute to the essential task of finding the truth. In these pages I will not go into great detail about aspects of my personal life that are not directly related to my public life. These will thus be political memories and reflections. I was born in Banes, a small town in what today is the province of Holguín (in the probably arbitrary administrative division of Castroism) on January 17, 1926. Banes was a town with important