The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1963-08-27
Longwood Professor
CONTINUED from Page u

Castro went to Mexico.
He returned to Cuba on Dec
3, 1856 with 80 men. OF these
only IL lived to escape to the
hills.
Wit the Batista regime be
coming more despotic the Gu
ban people were gradually be
coming more sympathetic to
ward revolution.
Because of his friendship witt
Castro. Soto was suspect. In {
Havana baseball park WATCHING
a championship game, police
came to tell Soto he was wantet
at the gate. He was arrested
and jailed for 48 hours during
which he was questioned con
tinuously concerning his connec
ton with Castro.
Upon his release he Joined the
pro-Castro underground. He so
licited funds, helped buy arms
and hid wanted men from the
authorities.
Batista fled Cuba on Jan.
1859 and Soto was among thoss
attending when Urrutia became
president. Twelve days later
Castro had already changed his
mind about Cuban government
and by April of that year wher
Soto was among the dignatarie:
accompanying him to the United
States, he became convinced he
must fight Castro.
During Castro'S visit here
Soto flew to Washington to SEE
him in behalf of Cuban prop
erty owners to seek some relle1
from the laws destroying theil
businesses. They met at the Gu
ban embassy and talked abou
the future Of Cuba, Soto recalls
What does Cuba mean? The
problem is Latin America" wa.
Castro's remark. Soto says hi
decided from that time that Cas-
tro did not care about the futur,
OF Cuba but had decided to be
dictator Of all Latin America.
They had several more talks
together which ended IN argu
ments and violent disagreement
At noon on a Sunday Soto flew
home and Castro went on "Mee1
the Press
In September of that veal
Soto began work in the anti
Castro underground. He came te
the United States on Oct. 3, 1861
intending to return 70 Cuba. HI
brought his family and was te
buy arms for the MR. lSave
the Revolution Group. 2.0O(
men who had taken to the hills
to fight Castro. A Havana ol,ons
call told him Castro had seizec
his house and property in Cuba
and his br0ther-in-laW had beer
taken prisoner.
Soto. with money already if
the United States, could live
here without difficulty. He has
done all he could for the exile
Cuban government here and was
a member of the Revolutionary
Council. He helped form the 2Ott
Of May group to fight Castro
from abroad. He enlisted in the
Bay of Pigs invasion force al
Miami. In Louisiana he was
trained, because of his legaI
schooling. to be a leader in set
ting up the new government to
be formed after the invasion. He
was the judge advocate of the
invasion forces.
Everyone knows the futility Of
that invasion and the results
Out of the 1900 men composing
the force, some 500 escaped
Soto was among these.
The Cuban continued his anti
Castro work in Miami but by
March 1862. he said. Il was tired
OF promises. In Dec. 1851, they
tthe U. So promised us support
for sabotage farms. explosives,
that never came" He resigned
from the Council.
With his money running out
and three children, Riggy, 4, Ed
die, 6, and Oswaldo. Jr., Z. his
wife, Bertha, and his 19-year-old
foster sister, Esther Alvarez, to
provide for, he took a position
teaching Spanish and Latin AT.
fairs in Riverton, Wyo., a COM
munity Of 5000 persons. zoos
feet up in the mountains and
with temperature minus-46 de-
grees, sometimes.
Governor Cliff Hansen, Of wy
oming. made him an honorary
citizen, usually called a "Bronc
Buster" While out there. Soto
gave more than 40 lectures on
the Cuban situation and was
asked to speak before 50 many
universities. colleges, civic clubs
and other organizations that he
has finally had to make a cou-
tract with a lecture agency for
his own protection. The lectures
and talks took up all his time
and his health was suffering
Among those speeches. Soto adj