Hitler in Havana (1966)

I was looking through old Miami Herald articles of the 60's and stumbled upon this ad from December 10, 1966. [Ad from the Miami News courtesy of Google News Archives.] I laughed when I saw it because it highlighted how little anti-communist propaganda against the Cuban government has changed. At least locally.

Thanks to Vimeo, this television program titled "Hitler in Havana" can be viewed in its entirety below. The title and first few minutes summarizes the video nicely: "in the midst of Havana today another Hitler rages!" This and many other points in the video I've heard repeated in Miami often. According to the ad, the video was produced by the Information Council of the Americas, founded by Edward S. Butler. The video is also available on DVD.


[Portion from the ad]

You've read bold headlines! Now see secret scenes smuggled direct from Castro's Cuba. See explosions rivalling [sic] the Riechstag fire! Castro's G-2 Gestapo in action! Concentration camps in the center of Cuba! Red stormtroops rioting throughout the Americas. Brutal executions at the firing squad wall. See pathos, poverty, sabotage, riots, all filmed from life, as it was actually happening, hidden in the heart of Castro's Cuba.

Produced by INCA
(c) 1966, Information Council of the Americas

Entire program will be repeated with Spanish translation by Alberto Gandero
Sunday, Dec. 11
10:30 - 11:30 A.M.

Cason, Rivera and Luis Posada Carriles

Last month, Humbert Fontova found out that Luis Posada Carriles, main suspect in the 1976 bombing of a civilian airliner and reputed terrorist, was publicly honored in Miami by Congressman David Rivera (FL-25) and Coral Gables Mayor James (Jim) Cason. It seems that Fontova (in his usual sarcastic manner) was disappointed that The Miami Herald didn't report on the event. Well, I'm so happy to oblige Mr. Fontova with the details.

Back in April, Luis Conte Agüero was elated to hear that Luis Posada Carriles, whom he considers a "Mambi," was acquitted of several charges of U.S. immigration fraud. So, Conte Agüero, one of Posada's strongest public supporters in Miami, arranged to celebrate the event at the Big Five Club on May 14th where the Cuban Orthodox People's Party was already scheduled to meet. Conte Agüero is the president of that organization.

According to Sergio Galán Pino for Libre Magazine (screenshot of article here), the meeting indeed took place, recognizing Posada as a "Hero of Liberty" and was attended by Rep. David Rivera and Mayor James Cason. Rep. Rivera is a long-time member of the Cuban Orthodox People's Party, and Mayor Cason was an honored guest of the organization in 2009. At that 2009 meeting, Mayor Cason told the Orthodox members that "the enmity of Fidel and Raul [Castro] with us [the United States] is real, it is genuine, they need an enemy to exist, we are that enemy and will always be."

Mayor Cason since 2009 has attended several meetings with other hard-line Cuban exile organizations, and campaigning discreetly among them. Due to this support by Cuban exiles, Cason became Mayor of Coral Gables last April. Mayor Cason was most likely celebrating his Mayoral victory at the May 14th meeting with the Orthodox Party.

[Photo by Libre Magazine - May 24, 2011, left to right: Luis Conte Agüero, Luis Posada Carriles, David Rivera, James Cason.]