When Fidel Castro came to New York in April 1959, it was a mere four months since the 33-year-old had led the successful revolution to overthrow the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.

Castro had pulled no punches in his anti-America speeches, and he had extensive associations with the political left. Yet the press loved Castro, and it was the American Society of Newspaper Editors who extended an invite for his visit to the U.S.

Castro seemed almost super-real, like a character from an action movie, in his trademark green army uniform, boots and bushy beard. Castro certainly did not disappoint his journalistic hosts, regaling reporters with the many tales of his time as a fighter in the Cuban guerilla war.



President Eisenhower had refused to meet Castro — that job was handed down to Vice President Richard Nixon. But Castro took full advantage of his 11-day stay. He hired a public relations firm, ate hot dogs, kissed ladies like a rock star, and held babies like a politician. He even placed a wreath on George Washington’s grave.

But within a year, Eisenhower had authorized a plan to attack Cuba. With the CIA arming and training Cuban exiles, the attack when it came — the operation known as the Bay of Pigs — was a fiasco.