The Sixties Catalogue

5 J u l y 2 0 2 0 Fascinating Autograph Speech Notes, Written Entirely In Fidel Castro’s Hand, Decrying U.S. Actions In The Wake Of The Bay Of Pigs 3. CASTRO, Fidel. Autograph manuscript. No place, circa 1960- 61. Single sheet of unlined paper, measuring 6 by 9 inches; pp. 2. $25,000. Click for more info Compelling autograph speech notes, written entirely in Fidel Castro’s own hand, emphasizing Cuba’s strength in the wake of the Bay of Pigs invasion and likely for a speech delivered before the United Nations. Text in Spanish. These speech notes relate to the period following the Bay of Pigs invasion. In March 1960, a French freighter unloading munitions from Belgium exploded in Havana, killing 75 immediately and injuring—in some cases fatally—200 others. The U.S. denied that they had sabotaged the freighter, but did acknowledge that they wanted to prevent the shipment from succeeding. By April 1961, tensions had reached a height. The CIA organized the Bay of Pigs invasion. Over 100 exiles died in the attack and Cuba took another 1200 prisoner. TheBayofPigsassault relied heavily on the assumption that the Cuban public was ripe for revolution and would join outside forces in overthrowing the government. The exile forces, however, were riddled with former supporters and henchmen of Fulgencio Batista, the brutal Cuban dictator overthrown by Castro in 1959. Faint scattered foxing and slight raggedness along top edges. Near-fine condition.