CUBANS CONTMETUOUS OF CASTRO'S SISTER by George Jerrom
Ed. Note: This is the second part of the interview with George Jerrom who visited Cuba this summer, Questions How did you find people reacted to the defection of Castro's sister? Answer: Mostly they were contemptuous of her, and it only served to unite many of them more firmly behind Fidel. Their reasoning for this was quite clear. The Castro family had been part of the bourgeoisie and therefore could be said to have an interest in maintaining the previous system of U.S.style exploitation. The fact that Fidel had overturned this system and had not adopted the usual pattern of revolution in Latin Anerica, i.e. turning over the keys of the treasury and the key positions of exploitation to his family and supporters had no doubt -distressed his sister, who on her own admission had been a counterrevolutionary for five years. With these words, of course, she had placed herself firmly in the class opposing social change and revolution - the puppets of the U.S. Question: How did the people react to her statements when she arrived in Mexico? Answer: they most certainly knew of them; they are denied access to world news - in fact they can tune into Miami as easily as we can the BBC if they want to hear the US version of world events. As to how they reacted to her statements, particularly about the island being a prison, they simply pointed r*sut them and arsed you to see for yourself the freedom of the people. This, of course, is a true situation as I said last time the freedom of the people is greater now than ever before and to return to the "freedom" of Batista and U.S. economic exploitation is inconceivable, The initial attempt of the C.I.A. to make the escape appear hazardous was also treated with scorn, the ‘Cubans pointed out that she could have left on any normal flight, which is, in fact what she (id. Questions Did any of them express any more pointed comment? Answer: Well, I suppose so, if you mean personal against Fidel's sister. Some expressed the personal view that she was a bitter and jealous woman. But ‘.this type of criticism is not general. The Cubans are well aware of the political consequences and argue en this basis rather than start attacking the person because of character deficiencies, I think it true to say that the Cubans themselves do not place such great emphasis on the fact that this particular defector was Castro's sister. After Fidel had spoken on the matter and placed her in no different a position from that of any other counterrevolutionary the matter was settled - it is natural, I suppose, that the western press shoulda make much of the episode as proof the Daily Telegraph articles recently in which there wasnt wy» substantial fact.
The effect of the revolution on the Cuban people is reflected in every aspect of their lives, so perhaps readers would like to ask questions,