Word: batista
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Fidel Castro's "total war" against Cuban strongman Fulgencio Batista has been, to date, a total failure. The general strike called for last Wednesday did not materialize as planned, and indications are clearer than ever that Castro does not enjoy widespread support among the Cuban people...
...rebel leader says, "If I lose, I'll try again and again and again. If Bastista loses, he's through." There is a good deal of truth in Castro's statement; the tide has recently been running against strongmen in Latin America. Batista may defeat Castro now and perhaps again later, but he is bound to be deposed eventually...
...perilous. There is no drill, no inspection, no radio communication, no headquarters. Four women march with the men: the wife of an imprisoned rebel, the widow of a rebel killed by cops, a girl once badly beaten by soldiers, a doctor's daughter. Dedicated to helping overthrow Batista, they cook, run messages, keep the force's slim records, guard its contributed funds and buy its food from Sierra village stores and peasants...
High Morale. Nothing about the appearance of Fidel's force would lead me to think it could fight, but so far this motley army has not been subdued by Batista's 29,000 men. Part of the reason, says Castro ironically, is that the government's "soldiers are not convinced of the justice of their work." More seriously, he goes on to say: "If they had been fighting for an ideal, they could have beaten us 30 times. But no man is supposed to die for $35 a month...
...other part of the reason, of course, is that Castro's men have a cause. They believe in him (and hate Batista) fanatically; they believe that they are fighting for their country's freedom. Their real strength lies in the fact that they are obviously willing to die-and for nothing a month...