These words of George Orwell came to mind when I watched “60 Minutes.” Bernie Sanders was being interviewed by Anderson Cooper and the Vermont Senator said that some of what Castro had done had improved the lives of the Cuban people. This statement was not designed to appeal to the public. But it was typical of a man who never pulled his punches.
It was labeled by the media and Republicans as “controversial.” A more serious question is whether Bernie was correct. My answer is “Yes.” I can remember when Castro came to New York and was welcomed as a hero.
Bernie is a man of great integrity. Why else label himself a Democratic Socialist? In the mind of most Americans, there is no difference between a Socialist and a Communist. Surely, Bernie knew this from the start of his political career. There are other things Bernie might have mentioned about the good that Castro did.
He sent doctors all over the world, increased literacy, and created a health care system that benefitted the masses. I took a personal interest in this because a colleague of mine at Queens College traveled to Cuba to study the effect of Castro’s “literacy campaign.”
When he returned, he wrote several scholarly books, one of them appropriately titled “Children Are The Revolution.” Castro’s efforts are considered one of the most significant social experiments of the 20th century.
Bernie’s point is that we are being irrational when we condemn a politician without knowing the history of that era. Bernie went on to explain “It might be a good idea, to be honest about American foreign policy and that includes the fact that America has overthrown governments all over the world.” Examples are Chile, Guatemala, and Iran as well as several Central American countries. Here is one way to understand the history of that era. Anastasio Somoza assumed the presidency of Nicaragua after luring Augusto Sandino to peace talks and murdering him soon afterward. Somoza then installed his relatives and cronies in top government positions.
He accumulated wealth through corporate bribes, industrial monopolies, and land grabbing. Why should anyone want to support such a corrupt regime? There was a joke making the rounds at the time that FDR said: “Somoza was a son of a bitch, but he was our son of a bitch.”
Somoza started a dynasty that maintained absolute control over Nicaragua for 55 years. During this time, the Sandanistas opposed Somoza while President Reagan and the National Security Council staff used the C.I.A. and army psychological warfare personnel to arm the Contras – as Somoza’s fighters were called.
Bernie visited Nicaragua in 1985. He pointed out the contradiction of the U.S., a democracy, supporting right-wing dictatorships. The problem was that the U.S. had to choose sides and we chose the military dictator. One of the leaders of the Reagan forces in the Iran-Contra scandal was Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, who later became a Fox News commentator.
There are many lessons to be learned from this sad time. First and foremost, one needs to know our nation’s history. Second, that history of supporting dictators which Trump seems hell-bent on continuing, for example, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un of North Korea, Xi Jinping of China, and Recep Erdogan of Turkey. Three, the conventional wisdom is often wrong – Bernie is absolutely correct when he states that even a dictator like Castro did some good things. Four, all too often, the U.S. does not have, good choices. We should be on the side of democracy-loving governments. Sadly, that is when the Communists step in and offer a viable alternative.
This letter is being written by someone who is not supporting Bernie Sanders, but merely wants to set the record straight. Like Orwell, I believe in truth and that doesn’t mean I’m mad.
Dr. Hal Sobel
Great Neck
