The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1959-04-17
JOSEPH BREIG-
Castro and New
Peril In Cuba

Dale Francis perhaps did more than any other
American to expose the tyrannies and atrocities of the
~Fulgenclo Batista regime in Cuba. But now Francis is
expressing grave fears about the future of Cuba under
F1del Castro, who overthrow Batista.
Francis, editor of the Lone Star Catholic and
special writer for Our Sunday Visitor, is well known
IN Cuba. He went there Immediately after the revo-
luton in January, and later made a return visit.
He reported that mail again was being opened,
and phone calls tapped; that Castro was DENYING the
right to form opposition parties; that promised cleo
tons were being moved farther into the future. and
that Castro had become a dictator as absolute as Ba-
tista.
FRANCIS DID NOT, of course, mean that Castro
had been guilty of brutal despotism. But he did saw
that the executions of war criminals were beginning
to degenerate into condemnation of political prisoners
without proper evidence or trials.
In fairness to Castro, it is necessary TO remembers
that sometimes temporary severe restraint is nee.
esSary after a revolution, lest the situation drift into
something approaching anarchy. Nevertheless, the
Dale Francis report is G deeply disturbing.
Especially serious is the charge made bv Francis
that Castro was allowing known communists to get
into positions OF power, particularly in the ministry
OF educatlon-a favorite target of subversive forces.
There can be no mitigating of this aspect of the
matter; it is profoundly dangerous.
ON THE HAND, the Cuban correspondent
Tor National Catholic Welfare Conference News Ser
vice described such reports as that of Dale Francis
as grossly exaggerated" His estimate was that there
Is no possibility OF a communist takeover in Cuba.
Further, the Cuban Catholic Student Federation
showed no hesltancy about supporting the Castro
regime. Thus we are confronted with sharply divere-
Ing stories on the situation in Cuba today.
1t seems to me that at the root of the difficulty
is the tact That Castro is not an administrator and
should never have taken the position of premier of
Cuba. This is no reflection on Castro: his abilities.
think simply do not lie in that direction.
MY ESTIMATE is that the most patriotic. prudent
and intelligent thing Castro could do now would be to
recognize bis own talents for what they are, and to
face the fact that they do not include the art of govern.
ing. s.
No man is truly wise until he has achieved the
acknowledge which channels his brains and energy
into the work for which he is peculiarly capable. Cor.
rect appraisal OF oneself is the way to success; absence
OF it is the way to ultimate failure.
castro, think, is essentially a poet and an in
splrer OF men. His task is to voice the vision of what
ought to be, and to move others to see and embrace it.
But ne is not an administrator; he was neither made
nor trained Tor the arduous duty of attending to thou
sands OF details and supervising a government.
IT is A COMMON error to suppose that anyone
can DO well In political office. The fact is that politics
is a highly specialized field, requiring years of expert
ence s~uperlmposed on special abilities. Popularity.
good will and even brilliance are by no means enough
!, fldel Castro has won his place in the history and
the hearts OF Cubans. He can be of tremendous ser.
vice 10 ms people as their inspiration. But he is be-
uaylns MS own special mission by acting as head of
state. tie should give that work into the hands of a
careful, dependable administrator.
OtherWlSe there is reason to fear that Castro NAV
himself, unwlttlngly, undermine his own revolution.
certainly Cubans will not for long tolerate communist
suoVerSlon, they are a Catholic and f~reedom-lovin9
people. who deteSt deSpOtism and eodlessness.
Castro is determined that there shall be no conn.
ter-revolution; no return to power of ~tyrannical rulers.
But there will be danger of precisely that until Castro
takes the steps necessary for establishment of good
and stable government.