Friday, April 24, 2009

1955: Carlos Prío returns to Cuba

Cuba History Timeline Events
August 11, 1955
Carlos Prío Socarrás returns to Cuba and announces that he had come back to engage in political activism leading to elections as a compromise solution. Prío and other prominent political figures held a few well-attended public rallies that were sanctioned by the government, including a large gathering later in the year at Plaza de los Desamparados of Havana's Muelle de Luz, which advocated political negotiation as the way to return Cuba to constitutional democratic rule.

From Mexico Castro lost no time in firing off a letter to one of his agents in Havana instructing his followers to obstruct these efforts and to disrupt any political rally in favor of elections and negotiation with the government. Also at this time Castro begins to infiltrate the Ortodoxo party with his followers. The Ortodoxo party will soon thereafter become subservient to Castro's leadership and provide him with a cadre of young fanatic followers.


Prío reschedules Cuba return, Aug 1955Prío in Miami, reschedules return to Havana, Aug 7 1955
(photo: Bettmann/CORBIS)


based on Manuel Márquez-Sterling's Cuba 1952-1959 and
Cuba 1952-1959 Interactive Timeline

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