Since the 26th of July movement rose to power in Havana on January 1, 1959. The US Government and media outlets have launched an offensive in which held the intent of discrediting the success of Cuban sovereignty and Fidel’s revolution. Myths began circulating Fidel’s regime in the USA, which were not true or very over exaggerated, yet still were accepted by many Americans who felt hostile towards the 26th of July movement. To give you an idea of how easily myths can be started and accepted by the audience, we shall examine the mystery of Camilo Cienfuegos’ death. While many media outlets and historians will insist that Fidel ordered Camilo’s flight to be shot down on October 28, 1959, because Camilo apparently feared Fidel was turning Cuba into a Communist country. When, in reality, Camilo was a dedicated Communist before he joined the 26th of July movement in 1956 and shared many beliefs with Che Guevara, a prominent Marxist revolutionary from Argentina who was very close friends with Fidel Castro during the revolution.
Camilo was born on February 6, 1932, he was raised by two Spanish refugees who fled the civil war. His Father was a tailor in Havana and held strong Socialist beliefs in which heavily influenced Camilo, unlike Che, Fidel and Raul, Camilo always held left wing revolutionary beliefs. In 1954, while he attended Havana university, Camilo joined as an active member of the Underground student movement against batista, the group opposed american companies buying land plots in Cuba and controlling plantations as well. On December 5, 1955, Batista ordered his soldiers to open fire on Camilo and his fellow protesters which caused Camilo, whom had been jobless and harrassed by police, to flee to Miami in 1956. Later that year was when he travelled to Mexico in order to join Castro’s movement and set sail for Granma in November 1956. In Mexico, Camilo met Che Guevara, whom in his journal noted that Camilo and he discussed politics a lot and were both interested in Simon Bolivar and Jose marti. Che also wrote that Fidel had educated the original 82 members (after target practise) on political ideology and his plans for the Cuban economy. Needless to say, Camilo would have had to have been very ignorant to not realize that Fidel held communist beliefs before he came to power. Camilo had put his life on the line to get Castro to power because he supported his cause, it is very evident that Camilo was conscious of Fidel’s beliefs and there is very little evidence to support that Camilo would have plotted against him in 1959.
Furthermore, When the revolution was won in January, 1959, Camilo served as an armed officer for Fidel Castro. The myth that Camilo plotted against Fidel is very flawed because Camilo defeated several US-financed anti Castro movements while he held this position. What proved his unconditional support to Fidel came in 1959, in which Camilo arrested his friend Huber Matos who plotted a coup (financed by the US government), Matos spent 20 years in prison for treason. Camilo died shortly after on October 28, 1959, when his plane crashed on it’s flight to Havana. The theory that Che and Fidel ordered the plane to be shot down can not be disproven through investigation because after a multiple day long rescue mission (where Che searched personally for 4 days) the plane was never recovered. However many eye witnesses stated that Fidel, Che and Raul were all heart broken by the news, which is evident since Che searched frantically for 4 straight days.
In remembrance of Camilo’s memory, The Cuban government named an award after Camilo, “Order of Cienfuegos.” As well Camilo’s face has been placed on the $20 peso bill. Like Che, Camilo can be found all around Cuba including his emblem on hotels and murals and statues of him on the streets. His famous quote, “Vas bien, Fidel,” is still just as notable as other slogans such as, “Hasta la victoria siempre,” in Havana. Many Cubans hold pictures of Camilo today at rallies, a few were notable at a recent rally in Santa Clara. It is proof that his story has not been distorted in Cuba the same way we are told it is by US media outlets, he has gone down as a hero of the people. If Fidel had told the people of Cuba that he plotted against him or was a traitor, he would be remembered a lot differently.
It is very unfortunate that in the west people hold such a negative view of Camilo Cienfuegos, because even supporters of Fidel’s regime accept myths that he plotted against his regime. To many he is one of the most underrated revolutionaries, few understand how big of a role he played in the Cuban armed struggle against Batista. Camilo is a classic example of how the media can distort our perception of the world around us and how easily myths can be fabricated and accepted by the public as facts.
New Democrat Society 