Word: pedraza
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1940-1949
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...several fellow sergeants ousted the corrupt officers' clique that controlled the Government and made themselves overlords of the shark-shaped island. Batista became boss. He promoted himself to Commander in Chief of the Army and pinned a colonel's epaulets on his shoulders. To Sergeant Jose Pedraza he gave the national police, and Sergeant Angel Gonzalez got the Navy. When he offered Sergeant Pedraza the rank of major, that worthy replied: "Don't bother. I've already made myself colonel." A compromise rank of lieutenant colonel was finally agreed upon for Sergeants Pedraza and Gonzalez...
...Army, very little to the country. Education and other civic functions were placed under the supervision of the Army; the administration of lighthouses, fishing and customs went to the Navy. Many officers began to collect double and triple salaries for these additional duties. To his allotted tasks, Police Chief Pedraza added the State lottery and illegal numbers racket, and Navy Chief Gonzalez collared the extensive contraband trade that centred around Cuba...