3 Glimpses of Castro’s Early Years (From the Register Archives)
The metamorphosis of Castro's public image, from June 1959 (“Castro Moved by Humanism — Maritain's Ideas are Ingrained”) to June 1961 (“400 Nuns in Florida Fled Cuba After Edict”)
When Fidel Castro took over as the leader of Cuba in 1959 he was an unknown quantity in the United States. Many were initially hopeful that Fulgencio Batista's corrupt regime would be supplanted by an era of humanism in Cuba, but Castro quickly became a persecutor of the Catholic Church. The evolution of his image among U.S. Catholics can be seen in the following three snapshots from the Register. (Click on each image to zoom.)
June 1959: Maritain's Ideas are Ingrained — Castro Moved by Humanism
November 1959: Signs of Castro Red Ties Mount
June 1961: 400 Nuns in Florida Fled Cuba After Edict
