Rachel Evans & Samuel Pala
Fabian Escalante joined the Cuban revolutionary movement in 1950 at the age of 15, when he became active in a socialist youth organisation. This extraordinary man was imprisoned a number of times before Cuba's 1959 revolution. He was a founding participant of Cuba's state security organisation, which was charged with the responsibility of subverting the US's attempts to overthrow the Cuban Revolution.
In 1976, Escalante became the head of Cuban state security and was Cuba's "top spy" for many years. He is Latin America's foremost expert on the CIA. Since retiring 10 years ago, he has written four books on the US's dirty wars in Cuba, Nicaragua and throughout Latin America.
His first series of books is titled "Secret War" and the first volume, Cuba Project: CIA Covert Operation, is available in English from Ocean Press. I caught up with Escalante at a socialist book fair in Venezuela, at the launch of his third book in the series, The Secret War: Chronology of crimes from 1959-2000.
When asked to reflect on what he considered the best moments in his life, with great dignity Escalante told Green Left Weekly: "To have taken part in the revolution. To be a militant in the revolutionary movement. That is the most important thing I have done in my life."
"In 1959 we distributed 100,000 land titles and reduced rent nationally by 50%. We dropped electricity and telephone rates and the costs of medicines and books. Eight-thousand schools were built in 1959", Escalante reminisced. "We only had a population of 6 million at that point. These measures meant a great deal."
"The result", Escalante continued, "was a mass popular base in the early years following 1959, when the USA tried hardest to overthrow the revolution."
Escalante explained how the Cuban intelligence system foiled counter-revolutionary operations by the US including more than 600 assassination attempts on Cuban President Fidel Castro.
"The Cuban Intelligence is organised with a grassroots base" and when people had any information related to anti-Cuban aggression, they would report it. "The defence of the revolution has never been down to one person", he clarified.
"In the early stages of the revolution the cadre were young — between 16 and 20 [years old]. We had no experience except that of fighting [former Cuban dictator] Batista in urban and rural areas.
"In January 1961 America sent 35 people into Cuba to start a political coup. Due to the strength of the people's networks and defence units we managed to capture 20 out of 35 US-trained counter-revolutionaries. The Bay of Pigs assault was defeated after only 68 hours, even though the assault had support from the US air force. This was due to the total absence of support for the invaders amongst the populace.
"In 1963 — following on from the Bay of Pigs debacle — the US government realised a military invasion could not succeed", Escalante recollected. "Their next tactic was to initiate an economic blockade to squeeze the revolution and bring it to its knees.
"The US government — under Kennedy — was willing to try different tactics to destroy the revolution, including a blockade. Even negotiations with the Cuban government were on the table. The highly funded Cuban Miami mafia [who were opposed to the Cuban Revolution and wanted Castro overthrown] argued anything less than a military invasion was a sell-out. They argued that those who sought negotiations were betraying Cuba. Sections of the mafia went so far as to call Kennedy a 'communist' for proposing to talk to the Cubans ...
"It was under these conditions they planned Kennedy's assassination — through Lee Harvey Oswald's involvement. Oswald arrives in New Orleans in April 1963 and pretends to be in sympathy with the Cuban revolution. He meets with CIA agents from Cuban origin", Escalante recalled. "His work served as a pretext for invasion into Cuba. I don't know who killed Kennedy but [whoever did] had links with the Cuban mafia in Miami", surmised Escalante.
From 1982 to 1986, Escalante assisted the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) in Nicaragua with counter subversion. Reflecting on the defeat suffered by the Sandanistas in 1989, Escalante said: "I have a very personal, special point of view about the electoral defeat in Nicaragua. I don't agree that the revolution was defeated with the electoral demise.
"When the Sandinistas took power they agreed to hold US-style elections to prove their democratic credentials. In January 1985 they won, but in January 1989 they lost. They lost in the climate of an aggressive war. The USA funded 40,000 contras [counter-revolutionary mercenaries] and spent over US$100,000 million. Fifty thousand Nicaraguans died as result of the war. In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell as well, so the climate was terrible. Not even Batman could have defeated the United States!
"We can't trust pseudo democracy imposed by the United States. Who said democracy is what the USA determines it to be? The word democracy comes from the Greek word — democracy for the people — is democracy from Washington? I don't agree with that.
"Currently however, the FSLN is in a strong position. They have 38% of the national parliament, and over 60% of the mayors are Sandinistas. The leader of the army and the police chief are FSLN sympathisers and are a product of the revolutionary period. The leader of parliament is a Sandinista.
"Lessons from Nicaragua have been learned. People have to create their own democracy and that's what is happening in Venezuela. The biggest problem of revolutionary movements has been to accept the rules of the game from the US. Focusing on one, two candidates for one election while sacrificing principles. If we want a revolution we have to take power. Power has to be taken."
On current threats to the Venezuelan revolution, Escalante advised people to "look out for the Foundation for Democracy. They are even more of an effective tool for the US than the CIA. They are the most subversive group you would care to imagine. The US will work to assassinate Chavez and for an armed invasion of some sort."
When questioned over whether the international socialist movement was in a better position today than at the time of the Cuban Revolution, Escalante was emphatic. "Yes we are in a better position. In 1961 Che Guevara went to Uruguay to the Organisation of American States to defend the continent. Now at the Summit of the Americas we have [Venezuelan President Hugo] Chavez, [Argentine President Nestor] Kirchner, [Brazilian President] Lulu and the president of Uruguay. Che was alone. We are no longer alone. We are working against [Mexican president Vicente] Fox and the Colombian president but we are no longer alone."
From Green Left Weekly, December 7, 2005.
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