Cuba: Castro vs the World

Cuba, a small island that confronted the world.

And the man who dominated Cuba's recent history -

Fidel Castro.

Under Castro, Cuba would become one of the most difficult countries

for the West to handle.

In this series, those at the heart of the story -

leaders, spies, revolutionaries -

tell us what happened when Castro rewrote the rule book

on how one small country could challenge world leaders,

and used his island to spread revolution across the globe.

New Year's Day 1959,

Cuba's corrupt dictator Fulgencio Batista abandoned Havana

and fled to the USA.

Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and their small guerrilla army swept down

from the Sierra Maestra mountains

to defeat the US-backed Batista and his hated secret police.

Castro's revolutionary army was hellbent

on transforming Cuban society.

Under Batista, Cuba had been run as a playground

for wealthy American tourists,

and for the benefit of big US corporations and the Mafia.

Fidel proclaimed his movement would benefit the poor people of Cuba

and the peasants.

The Cuban Revolution was in tune with national liberation

movements around the world, who were fighting colonial oppression.

Surprisingly, Fidel began by visiting

the capital of American imperialism, to reassure his giant neighbour.

But President Eisenhower would not receive him.

Instead, he met the vice president,

who was unimpressed by this young man in battle fatigues.

Richard Nixon lectured Castro on the dangers of Communism

and concluded that Cuba was now a danger to US interests.

None of this escaped the notice of the world's other great superpower.

The Soviet Union saw the Cuban Revolution as a unique

opportunity to make a new ally,

just 90 miles from the coast of America.

Soon the Soviet deputy premier, Anastas Mikoyan, arrived in Havana.

Castro gave him a warm welcome.

The deals they signed at these meetings established a close

alliance that would define Castro's Cuba for three decades.

The support of the Soviet Union brought oil, weapons and subsidies.

With a superpower as an ally, Castro could begin to build

a revolutionary society at home, and take that revolution overseas.

Fidel destroyed American domination of Cuba's economy

when he seized US-owned oil refineries and sugar mills.

The United States cut off diplomatic relations.

You, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, do solemnly swear.

I, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, do solemnly swear.

That you will faithfully execute...

In his inaugural address,

President Kennedy issued a stern warning.

Let all our neighbours know that we shall join with them

to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas.

Castro emphasised the Cuban Revolution was the victory

of a guerrilla army before they got any help from the Soviet Union.

Castro's revolution had led many of Cuba's anti-Communists

to flee to Florida.

Now the CIA trained some of their young militants to overthrow Castro.

On 17 April 1961, 1,300 of these exiles landed

at Playa Giron,

the Bay of Pigs.

Cuba hit back at the CIA-trained force.

Castro rushed thousands of newly conscripted militia

to the Bay of Pigs.

LOUD EXPLOSIONS

The invaders were cornered.

Seeing no means of escape,

one tried to disguise himself as a Cuban soldier.

Napoleon Vilaboa was captured along with 1,200 of his comrades.

The young President Kennedy was humiliated by the complete

failure of the operation.

But he wasn't giving up.

It is not the first time that Communist tanks have rolled over

gallant men and women,

fighting to redeem the independence of their homeland.

Cuba must not be abandoned to the Communists

and we do not intend to abandon it either.

The president announced an almost total economic embargo of Cuba,

which is still in place today.

At the same time, the US initiated a covert campaign of arson,

sabotage and assassination,

to try to topple the regime,

and kill Fidel himself.

Cuban exiles in Miami started to form their own anti-Castro resistance.

They sent boats and planes from Florida to launch attacks.

One of the CIA-trained attackers was Jose Basulto.

HE MAKES BUZZING SOUND Pow!

The Soviet Union seized on Cuba's vulnerability,

to advance Russia's interests.

Its leader Nikita Khrushchev warned his Cuban ally

that the USA would soon attempt another invasion,

and proposed installing Russian medium-range nuclear missiles

on Cuban soil.

Castro and his colleagues were far from convinced.

More than 80 ships sailed from the Soviet Union to Cuba.

To avoid US surveillance, their crews were disguised as tourists.

The Soviet missiles would not remain secret for long.

US spy planes spotted the rockets

and intelligence analysts passed the photos to President Kennedy.

It was the beginning of the

Cuban Missile Crisis.

I call upon Chairman Khrushchev to halt and eliminate this clandestine,

reckless and provocative threat to world peace,

and to stable relations between our two nations.

I call upon him further to abandon this course of world domination.

A week later,

a Soviet missile in Cuba brought down one of the US spy planes,

killing its pilot.

The world seemed close to Armageddon.

Let's get it over with.

While the world held its breath, Kennedy and Khrushchev conducted

frantic secret diplomacy.

Khrushchev backed down and decided to withdraw the Soviet missiles.

But he didn't tell Castro, who heard the news through the media.

One man was particularly bitter about the Soviet missile withdrawal,

Fidel's closest comrade - Che Guevara,

who had planned the revolution alongside him.

Fidel had learned a powerful lesson.

Although the Soviet Union would continue to support the Cuban economy

and some Soviet troops would remain,

Castro decided his island must now forge its own independent path.

He strengthened his support for liberation movements

that would join his war against Western imperialism.

The first of these was Algeria,

then locked in to a battle for freedom from French rule.

In January 1962, an Algerian diplomat arrived in Havana.

In keeping with his reputation, Castro kept him waiting for a week.

One day, I said, "Look, there is a plane tomorrow,

"I have to take that plane."

At one o'clock in the morning,

somebody knocked at the door of my hotel room

and I opened the door and I see Fidel Castro, himself,

standing in front of the door.

So I said, you know, wanted to close the door

and I say, you know, "I want to dress up."

I was in pyjamas.

He said, "No, no. Wait."

And he came in. And we talked for almost two hours.

Fidel had plenty of advice for the diplomat,

whose negotiations with France had reached a stalemate.

He said don't be too rigid in the negotiations.

Making concessions is necessary and even if they ask for concessions,

it doesn't matter very much.

Once the French are gone, they will not come back.

And that is the important thing.

When Algeria gained independence,

it became an important partner in Castro's plans

for global revolution.

As the new Algerian leader Ben Bella was being celebrated in Havana,

Cuban weapons were being transported 5,000 miles to Algeria.

As soon as we became independent,

we immediately offered to support all of the African leaders

without any exception, and they all opened offices in Algiers.

Cuba would now use Algeria as a base to provide military support

to freedom fighters across Africa

and even Latin America.

But soon, Cuba would be sending more than weapons.

When conflict broke out over a disputed border

between Algeria and Morocco,

the Algerian leader asked for soldiers.

This would be the first time Cuban troops fought on another continent.

The conflict between Algeria and Morocco

was over before Cuban troops could fire a shot.

But this was the start of Castro's unique world role.

He used his forces to help spread revolution across continents.

His closest comrade, Che Guevara,

flew around the globe to meet like-minded leaders

and immerse himself in the tactics of liberation struggles.

At the United Nations,

Che proclaimed Cuba's independent outlook.

He even rebuked the Soviet Union for

its policy of "peaceful coexistence".

The Cold War was being played out in countries across Africa.

The news was dominated by the struggle in the Congo,

a seething cauldron where the CIA, Russia and China were backing

rival guerrilla groups,

competing for control of the country's vast mineral wealth.

For a country the size of Cuba,

it was audacious to even consider getting involved.

The ancestors of many Cubans had been slaves from Africa.

Now their heritage would help Cuban recruits to blend in

with the local population.

Dreke, an experienced fighter,

asked if he would be the leader of the operation.

A few days later, the mystery was solved.

But even Che's charismatic leadership did not ensure success.

The local guerrillas were suspicious of Cuba's commitment

to a national liberation struggle.

After six months of ineffectual fighting,

Che and his fighters lost their international backing

and were forced to retreat from the Congo.

The CIA chalked up another Cold War victory.

It was a debacle for Castro,

but it didn't stop him from pursuing his grand strategy.

In January 1966,

Fidel hosted the largest gathering of revolutionary leaders

the world had ever seen.

More than 500 leaders of liberation movements

from Asia, Africa and Latin America gathered in Havana.

It was grandly called the Tricontinental Conference.