The Rise and Decline of an Alliance: Cuba and African-American Leaders in the 1960s

352 Pages·1999·0.82 MB·English

by  Ruth Reitan

The Rise and Decline of an Alliance : Cuba
title:
and African American Leaders in the 1960s
author: Reitan, Ruth.
publisher: Michigan State University Press
isbn10 | asin: 0870134981
print isbn13: 9780870134982
ebook isbn13: 9780585188218
language: English
African Americans--Relations with Cubans,
United States--Relations--Cuba, Cuba--
Relations--United States, African American
subject
leadership--History--20th century, African
Americans--Politics and government, Cuba-
-Politics and government--1959-
publication date: 1999
lcc: E185.615.R45 1999eb
ddc: 324/.089/96073009046
African Americans--Relations with Cubans,
United States--Relations--Cuba, Cuba--
Relations--United States, African American
subject:
leadership--History--20th century, African
Americans--Politics and government, Cuba-
-Politics and government--1959-
Page iii
The Rise and Decline of An Alliance
Cuba and African American Leaders in the 1960s
Ruth Reitan
Michigan State University Press
East Lansing
Page iv
Copyright © 1999 by Ruth Reitan
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements
of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R 1997) (Permanence of Paper).
Michigan State University Press
East Lansing, Michigan 48823-5202
03 02 01 00 99 1 2 3 4 5
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Reitan, Ruth
the rise and decline of an alliance : Cuba and African-
American leaders in the
1960s
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-87013-498-1
1. Afro-AmericansRelations with Cubans. 2. United StatesRelations
Cuba. 3. CubaRelationsUnited States. 4. Afro-American leadership
History20th century. 5. Afro-AmericansPolitics and government. 6.
CubaPolitics and government.1959. I. Title.
E185.615.R45 1999
324'.089'96073009046dc21 98-39714
CIP
Cover and text design by Michael J. Brooks
Visit Michigan State University Press on the World-Wide Web
http://www.msu.edu/unit/msupress

Page v
To
Eldridge, Assata, Kasi and Brock, for appearing when I needed them.
Page vii
Contents
Preface ix
Introduction 1
1. The 1960s' U.S. Black Movement 9
2. The International Context 19
3. Political Ideology and Tacticso 37
4. Issues of Security 75
5. Expectations 97
6. The Decline of the Radical Alliance 117
Conclusion 123
Bibliography 133
Index 143
Page ix
Preface
Whenever I tell a colleague or a friend that for the past few years I
have been researching the relationship between the Cuban government
and key leaders of the U.S. Black Movement in the 1960s, the
reaction is almost always the same: "Was there one?" This book
represents an emphatic "Yes!" to this common response as it
illuminates the shared history and ties between African Americans
and the Cuban leadership throughout the 1960s. It was written in the
hopes of first informing and then encouraging others who have an
interest in this topicscholars, students, or the curious lay reader of
contemporary U.S. Black or Cuban history and politics or of the
African experience in the Americasto delve deeper into this rich and
largely unexplored subject.
On a more personal level, this work was begun in an effort to explore
for myself the ideas of legendary men and women, some of whom are
still among us advocating radical change. These leaders were at once
loved and hated, feared and idolized by many around the world. But
who, really, were they? What did they stand for? How did they
interact with one another as world politics changed throughout the
volatile decade of the 1960s? Who betrayed whom? Who maintained
alliances and held firm to their revolutionary ideals? Who faltered,
and why? Who was blinded by his or her own racial prejudice? Who
changed with the times? Who sought to hold onto power or status at
all costs? These and other questions are grappled with in the pages
that follow, and hopefully through the fruits of my journey, others can
find nourishment for their own search as well.
This book also has contemporary political relevancy. As witnessed in
Fidel Castro's 1995 visit to the United Nations in New York, he still
enjoys

Page x
the support and gratitude of a broad spectrum of African Americans,
from radical nationalists to popular religious and cultural leaders. Yet
these ties, at times, have been strained. In attempting to clearly define
the nature of these relations and the major sources of contention
between diverse U.S. Black leaders and the Castro regime in its first
decade of rule, perhaps some of the misunderstanding,
disappointments and anger can be avoided in the future.
Finally, this work seeks to provide food for thought to those who are
still looking to the Cuban experiment for a possible way forward out
of a racist and capitalist society. What must be kept in mind is that the
race riots, radicalism, revolutionary hopes and violence of the 1960s
are not just historical flukes, never to return with such fervor. As long
as racism persists, as long as oppression continues, as long as cycles
of poverty, violence and hatred are perpetuated, struggle will continue.
This struggle will take various forms at different times in history, but
there will always be those who, out of frustration, out of idealism, or
for lack of a better alternative, will turn to revolutionary violence. As
long as there is oppression, there will be revolutionaries to rail against
it.
Although this work is based, in part, on interviews, whenever possible
I attempted to consult other sources (documents, books, and articles in
the scholarly as well as alternative press) in order to verify the
interviewees' assertions and recollections. Where I have relied heavily
on interviews are in those cases where no other documentation of the
event is yet readily available, since the nature of the information
provided was confidential and/or a personal assessment of events.
I wish to thank Drs. Jaime Suchlicki, Marvin P. Dawkins and the late
Enrique Baloyra of the University of Miami for their insights and
thoughtful suggestions for my work. I would also like to thank Dr.
Tommie Sue Montgomery, Humberto Leán and our colleagues at the