Last Soldiers of the Cold War: The Story of the Cuban Five
by Fernando Morais
Verso, 2015
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“The riveting tale of the Cuban Five in vivid, page-turning detail, delving into the decades-long conflict between Cuba and the US, the growth of the powerful Cuban exile community in Florida, and a trial that eight Nobel Prize winners condemned as a travesty of justice.” – Verso
“Morais is to be applauded for bringing the full story to light after years of interviews and research. This work stands alone in the continuing saga of Cuban-American history, past and present.”- Library Journal
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Review: The Last Soldiers of the Cold War: The Story of the Cuban Five by Fernando Morais
This book, first published in Brazil in 2011, became a best seller, won awards and undoubtedly played a role in building the worldwide campaign for justice for the Miami Five.
Now released in Britain with a new afterword from René González, the book — sadly not referenced or indexed — is based on over 40 interviews with key participants and access to thousands of documents in the US and Cuba.
It brings new insights and personal detail into the life and work of the Red Avista (Wasp Network), the group of 12 men and two women sent to the US to infiltrate terrorist networks attacking Cuba. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, more than 40 anti-Castro groups were operating out of Florida, with many engaged in murderous bombing campaigns on tourist hotels. With a desperate need for tourist income Cuba had no choice but to react and the network was part of that response.
Morais is an acclaimed biographer and he writes this account in a vivid prose that at times reads like a cracking spy thriller. The personal and the inspiring insights bring home the magnitude of the group’s commitment to the Cuban people.
“I’ll be back at six, don’t worry” were René González’s last words to his wife Olga as, unbeknown to her, he left his house and went to steal a plane, fly to the US and “defect.”
He left behind two people who he loved more than anything else, his wife Olga and six-year-old daughter Irmita. Their shock was profound and the devastation for the family is made real.
This is not a detailed examination of the case. It ends before the trial. Instead it focuses on the Five’s lives and the difficulties they undergo both before and after the US had them under secret surveillance in 1995.
The life of an agent immersed in feverish and stressful activities is not immune from personal issues such as loneliness, passion and homesickness. When Tony Guerrero arrived in Key West there was no glamorous lifestyle, with little money from his job as a salsa teacher.
It was at a class that he met Maggie and fell in love. Communications from him to Havana reveal the stark truths of his mission: “If we consider that living with Maggie and having a child with her is contrary to our work projections then we must direct our actions to cutting off our relationship”.
The book intelligently interweaves such personal narratives with detailed stories about star defector Juan Pablo Roque, Gerardo Hernández’s role as the leader of the group, González’s desperate attempts to be reunited with his family, the extent of the terrorist groups in Florida, the story of Salvadorian mercenary bomber Cruz Leon, writer Gabriel García Márquez’s efforts to help the Five and the events on September 11 1998 when the members of the Wasp Network were finally arrested.
It’s a book which is impossible to put down, thanks to Morais’s artistry in painting the intimate moments of the five’s experiences in such a way as to cement their status as true soldiers and patriots. Their humanity, commitment and courage shine throughout.
They are truly now the victors and there’s no more fitting epitaph to their triumph than this book.
Bob Oram for CubaSi magazine Summer 2015
