Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-25
Reaction to Castro

Exposure on television mir
rorS a mans personality
ana character, perhaps his
innate goodness or evil. I
watched DR.. Castro on a tele-
vised panel program and. if
the foregoing be true, he left
me deeply moved. 1t was the
only time a foreign, contro-
versial figure has made such
an impact on both my emo
tons and my intellect.
Despite his difficulty with
the English language, the
tremendous integrity, honesty
and pure dignity of the man
came through eompellingly.
Castro's role in Cuba par
allels Washington's role in
the American Revolution.
Castro loves his Cuba as
Emmett loved Ireland, as
Churchill loves his tight
little isle" and as Washing
ton loved our own United
States.
Peggie Crowley MaSheter.
y X 4 X
Cuban readers will have
smiled at Constantine
Browns column of April IA,
but American readers could
not be sufficiently versed in
Cuba'S intricate history to
have recognized the inaccu-
racies therein contained.
For instance:
l. The actual struggle of
the Cuban people against the
dictator, Machado, was a
long-term effort of the Cuban
people against dictatorship.
1t was not a comic opera
episode of a ride over straw
berry patches, nor was Ba-
tista a cavalry sergeant, nor
did he bring about that rev.
olution.
2. Mr.. Brown tags as
ruthless" the regime of
President Cespedes, whom he
links with Machado. Actually
CeSpedeS was provisional
president after the fall of
Machado and enjoyed good
relations with American Am
bassador Sumner Wells. Far
from being ruthless, his gov
eminent was so weak as to
easily be toppled after only
five weeks by a group led by
BatiSta.
8. Batista prior to over
throwing the CeSpedes gov
eminent was simply a SER
geant working as a clerk in
the Offices of the chief of
staff. Without having par
ticipated in a single battle
against the deposed dictator
Machado, Batista promoted
himself to the rank of general
(signing his own promo
tionS).
DIR. Levi MarrerO,
Minister, Alternate Repre-
sentative of Cuba in the
GAS and Professor of
Economic History of Cuba,
University of Havana.
The columns of David
Lawrence and Constantine
Brown, entitled "Fidel Castro
to Face Accusers" and "Rec-
ognizing New Dictators,"
published on the eve of DR..
Castro's visit here, were ill
timed. DR.. Castro was the
guest of newspaper editors,
and to write articles detri-
mental to his government
and person was very rude.
Mrs. H. G. Walters.
X y +
I would like to protest car
toonist Jim Berryman's Carl
cature of Fidel Castro, which
pictured the Cuban leader as
asking, Where is the Presi-
dents firing squad?" when
he saw a disagreement be-
tween our President and
Congress.
1t seems to me Mr.. Berry
mans analogy is completely
fallacious and worse, unfair
l would think there is a clear
difference between the exN-
cution of criminals who were
responsible for the torture or
death of numbers of people,
and the execution of any
members of the Government
who express differing opin-
ions.
I don't presume to judge
Castro's actions within the
short time he's been lead
ing Cuba, and with only our
press superficial interpretive
reports to form an opinion
from. There hasn't seemed
to be any serious. responsible
attempt to understand what's
going on down there. But
from what I can see. Castro
hasn't abridged any private
rights: rather. he's doing his
utmost to raise Cuba to a
democracy.
Miriam Raymond.