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Batista promises new elections
Batista announces Presidential elections would be held in June of 1958, with the President sworn in February of 1959. Batista made pleads to “electoralism” and said he would not run, but could be Chief of the Army. Grau let it be known he would participate in 1958.
Source: Cuba by Hugh Thomas for book click here -
Tourist season provides to be the most popular yet
Lansky's reforms pay fruition, and Cuba becomes a mecca for all sorts of tropical revelry. New record in revenues.
Source: Havana Nocturne -
Women March in Santiago against Batista's regime
In response to repeated killings by the police, 500 women marched in Santiago with the banner “stop killing our sons”.
Source: Cuba by Hugh Thomas for book click here -
Rebels launch their first attack at La Plata
Surprising a small garrison of soldiers and capturing weapons, ammunition, sausages, and rum (the last of which was strictly off limits to the rebels but made attractive gifts). The Battle of La Plata, as this became known after a local river, was a modest success, but success it was, and the rebels took heart.
Source: Young Castro -
Meeting between Sierra and Urban underground leaders
Pais and Castro did not see eye to eye, Pais doubted Castro and 20 men could take down Batista. Castro convinced País to send him a contingent of new recruits to replace those lost.
Source: Young Castro -
Castro meets with journalist Herbert Matthews
Matthews was a NY Times reporter smuggled into the Sierra after rumors of Castro's death had spread. They talked for three hours interrupted occasionally by stage-managed visits from Castro’s men, who returned repeatedly—in changes of clothes and with di erent men reporting—to fool Matthews into believing that the guerrilla force was larger than it really was.
Source: Young Castro -
NY Times Profiles Castro
He described Castro’s program as nationalistic, socialistic, and anti-American, and said that it promised “a new deal for Cuba, radical, democratic and therefore anti- Communist.” Matthews fell head over heels for Castro “a powerful six-footer, olive- skinned, full-faced, with a straggly beard" with an "overpowering" personality. It was a rare sympathetic account of the rebel leader and it caused a sensation.
Source: Young Castro -
Batista appoints Major Barrera Perez to lead troops in the Orient
1,430 men are appointed to root out the Castro insurrection.Source: Cuba by Hugh Thomas for book click here -
Attack on the Presidential Palace
Echevarria and his students stage an attack in order to assassinate Batista. 50 men were supposed to participate in the attack. Batista was nearly killed, but the attack failed. Echevarria gunned down in the streets after announcing on radio that Batista was dead.
Source: Cuba by Hugh Thomas for book click here -
Batista speaks before crowds
Garnering support from the “better off” classes, businessmen, bankers, Batista goes on the offensive after his assassination attempt and speaks to supporters. Repression was heightened.
Source: Cuba by Hugh Thomas for book click here -
Conservative newspaper Diario de La Marina calls for elections
In another blow to Batista, the conservative newspaper that had always supported him called him to agree to elections.
Source: Cuba by Hugh Thomas for book click here -
Santiago Clergy begins turning on Batista
With the permission of the bishop of Havana, the rebel forces get a chaplain.
Source: Cuba by Hugh Thomas for book click here -
Batista pushes back midterm elections
With attempts on his life an ongoing terrorism, Batista pushes back elections.
Source: Cuba by Hugh Thomas for book click here -
Judge turns on Batista
Judge Manuel Urrutia lets 100 Fidelistas be acquitted, with the justification that Batista's rule is unconstitutional. Batista is furious. Urrutia would be appointed provisional President by Castro.
Source: Cuba by Hugh Thomas for book click here -
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Calixto Sanchez’s Corinthia expedition lands in Cuba
Prio supporting forces arrive at Mayari. They are quickly tricked into giving up.
Source: Cuba by Hugh Thomas for book click here -
Castro attacks El Uvero
Home to a large sawmill and the site of a garrison some fifty men strong. Castro hoped to attack by night but was caught by dawn. The army surrender with eleven dead and nineteen wounded, the rebels seven dead and eight wounded. Forty-five new rifles, six thousand rounds of ammunition, clothing, and other essentials.
Source: Young Castro -
Batista changes nature of the war
Batista gave the order to evacuate peasants from the Sierra Maestra and establish a zone where shooting and air force could fire indiscriminately.
Source: Cuba by Hugh Thomas for book click here -
Earl Smith is appointed ambassador
Businessman Earl Smith took up a more pragmatic line toward Batista, speaking publicly against the administration’s excesses. Nevertheless, he would still supporting Batista and sending him weapons. Would come to dislike Castro and oppose him at every turn, believing him to be a red.
Source: Cuba by Hugh Thomas for book click here -
Castro meets with political bigwigs
Without warning, País brought Raúl Chibás (Eddy's brother), Roberto Agramonte Jr. (son of the former Ortodoxo presidential candidate), and Enrique Barroso (leader of the Ortodoxo Youth) to meet with Castro. País believed that the presence of these moderates within the Movement would assuage U.S. concerns about Castro.
Source: Young Castro -
Sierra Maestra Manifesto
Castro, Pazos, and Chibás announced the creation of a “civic-revolutionary front” committed to constitutionalism, the rule of law, civil rights and liberties, and social justice, including educational and agricultural reform. Bland document, light on specifics.
Source: Young Castro -
Pais gunned down in Santiago
The murder of Frank País robbed the Revolution of the only person of comparable stature to Castro, if boasting di erent skills. País was irreplaceable, and Castro knew it. He greeted news of País’s death with outrage. “I can’t even begin to express my bitterness, my indignation, the endless sorrow that overwhelms us."
Source: Young Castro -
Castro promotes Guevara
Castro divided his forces, creating what would become known as Column 4, under the leadership of Che Guevara, recently promoted to commander. Small victories would leave the rebels with effective control of much of the Sierra.
Source: Young Castro -
Naval mutiny at Cienfuegos
The City falls under the control of the July 26th movement for a day before mutineers are defeated by the army. Most prisoners were shot.
Source: Cuba by Hugh Thomas for book click here -
Lansky's enemy comes to Cuba
In order to undercut Lansky, Albert Anastasia, New York based mobster, goes to Havana in September. He owned parts of Oriental Park Racetrack, the Sans Souci casino, and the Tropicana nightclub. Lansky did not want competition. Anastasia learned that his piece of the Hilton Hotel and casino was to be divided among no fewer than fifteen owners, including Cuba’s hotel workers’ union, the Sindicato Gastronómico.
Source: Havana Nocturne -
Albert Anastasia whacked
The hit is carried out by Joe Stassi, a mob operator in Havana, in a barbershop in New York. Although it has never been pinned on him, the obvious mastermind was Lansky. He laid low after the hit.
Source: Havana Nocturne -
Miami Pact to Undercut Castro
The Cuban Liberation Junta, as the rebels referred to it derisively, consisted of representatives of the old Auténtico and Ortodoxo parties, including Carlos Prío and Roberto Agramonte, members of the Revolutionary Directory, among them Faure Chomón and Alberto Mora, along with delegates from the Cuban Labor Confederation (CTC) and Independent Democrats. Purpose was to undercut Castro in post-Batista Cuba.
Source: Young Castro -
Guevera forcefully writes to Castro
Guevara rails against the urban (Llano) leaders. He refused to accept any more notes about whom to accept weapons from, and whom not, with the lives of his men in jeopardy (he wrote with a bullet lodged in his instep, he noted).
Source: Young Castro -
Lansky's Riviera Hotel Opens
It was the largest and most glamorous facility of its kind in Havana so far. Located off the Malecón, on the Vedado side of the Almendares River. Though everyone knew it was his, he had frontmen, two hoteliers called the Smith brothers.
Source: Havana Nocturne -
Castro publicly announced a Batista replacement
Castro backs the moderate judge who ruled in their favor, Judge Urrutia, as a tolerable replacement for Batista in order to undercut the Miami Pact.
Source: Young Castro