Book X Prints 45-48: Final days of captivity of group of United States citizens, 1958 June

Part of Collection

Call Number: MS 650, Series I

Scope and Contents

These prints (June or July 1958) document the final days of captivity for a group of United States citizens who were captured and held hostage by Raúl Castro's forces in June of 1958. Released a few at a time over the course of the summer, the hostages were part of an overall military strategy Raúl dubbed "Operación Anti-Aérea," or Operation Anti-Aircraft. These hostages were United States employees of a local mining company based in Nícaro, part of the area of Oriente province that Raúl Castro's forces controlled. In taking the hostages, Raúl hoped to achieve at least two goals: first he hoped to use them as human shields against the bombing raids that Batista's air force, supported by United States weaponry, continued to make on civilians in the zone; and second, he wanted to prompt direct negotiations with representatives of the United States government for the safe return of the hostages. Such negotiations would have represented official recognition of the rebel army as the sovereign authority in the zone by a foreign government. St. George documents the treatment of the hostages, their apparent joy upon being told of their imminent release and the landing of a United States-piloted helicopter to recover the hostages.

Dates

1958 June

Language of Materials

From the Collection: The materials are in Spanish and English.

Conditions Governing Access

From the Collection: The materials are open for research.

Original audiovisual materials, as well as preservation and duplicating masters, may not be played. Researchers must consult use copies, or if none exist must pay for a use copy, which is retained by the repository. Researchers wishing to obtain an additional copy for their personal use should consult Copying Services information on the Manuscripts and Archives web site.