William Alexander Morgan

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William Alexander Morgan (April 19, 1928 – March 11, 1961) was an American who fought in the Cuban Revolution[1]. He was one of only two foreign nationals to hold the rank of Comandante in the Cuban revolutionary forces.

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[edit] Birth

He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 19, 1928 [2] and was executed March 11, 1961. His life origins are obscure. (Abella, 2000). He is said to have been a martial arts expert, he was good with guns, and it is rumored that he was a CIA operative. In April 2007, the US State Department, acting on the behest of Morgan's widow, declared that Morgan's US citizenship had never been lost. [2]

[edit] Morgan's role in defeating Batista

By all accounts Morgan went to Cuba in 1958[citation needed]. He was opposed to the Batista government, but he did not serve under Fidel Castro. He commanded a small force of the Segundo Frente that operated in the Escambray Mountains near the city of Santa Clara, fighting against Batista's soldiers[citation needed].

He met and married a local woman, Olga Rodriguez, who was also a revolutionary.

In December, 1958, Che Guevara appeared at the head of a column of troops. They had joined forces with Morgan's group as well as with Revolutionary Directorate forces of the Escambray mountains. Together they captured the city of Santa Clara on December 31. Twelve hours later, Batista fled Cuba, and the revolution had won. Morgan and his group took the city of Cienfuegos on January1-2, 1959. [3]

In August of 1959 he helped to foil a coup attempt orchestrated by the Dominican Republic's dictator Rafael Trujillo by playing along with the attempt and then betraying the plot to Castro[citation needed].

It is said by some that he orchestrated the massive explosion of the arms ship La Coubre[citation needed].

[edit] Post-Revolution and Death

Throughout the revolution, Morgan had been quite vocal about his anti-Communist beliefs. During interviews, when asked about Castro's political beliefs, and where the new Cuban government was leaning, Morgan reiterated his belief that Castro was not a Communist[citation needed] and that Cuba would return to its pre-Batista form of government.

With continued pressure from Che Guevara and other high-ranking Communists, coupled with Castro's anger towards American interference, Castro began to lean towards Socialism. This distressed Morgan and other members of the SFNE (Segundo Frente Nacional de Escambray), who believed in a capitalist Cuba.

Morgan was arrested for plotting to join and lead the counter-revolutionaries that were operating in the Escambrays. While no direct evidence substantiating these charges exists or was presented in court[citation needed], the court nevertheless found him guilty and sentenced him to death by firing squad.

Morgan's sentence was unusual, since others who had been found guilty of similar crimes (such as the conspirators who took place in the Trujillo plot to assassinate Castro) were sentenced to years in prison, some as little as 3, others as great as 22. The court had also tried his wife (in absentia), finding her guilty of co-conspiracy and sentencing her to prison[citation needed].

He was executed by firing squad on March 11, 1961.

Two months later, on May 1, 1961, Castro declared that Cuba was a socialist nation[4].

[edit] The fate of Morgan's wife

Olga Morgan was imprisoned for 12 years before being released. She then left for the United States. In a series of interviews with the Toledo Blade in 2002, she broke her silence about her husband's role in post-revolutionary Cuba. She said he began running guns to anti-Castro guerrillas because he was disenchanted with the Cuban President's pro-Soviet leanings. She also told the newspaper she wanted Morgan's remains sent to the United States for reburial. After the story was published, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur traveled to Cuba and met with Fidel Castro to ask him to return the corpse. Castro agreed, but as of 2008, the body is still interred in the Colon Cemetery, Havana.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "An 'Americano' Revolutionary in Castro's Cuba", National Public Radio, August 19, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-19. "William Morgan was not your typical Cuban Revolutionary. Not only was he an American, but he was also anti-communist. Aran Shetterl, author of The Americano, discusses how and why Morgan's life became entwined with Castro's." 
  2. ^ Driscoll, Amy 2007 (accessed 4-13-07) U.S. reclaims citizen who led Cuban rebel fighters. Miami Herald News Nation Friday, Apr 13, 2007 [1]
  3. ^ Miguel A.Faria, Jr., Cuba in Revolution--Escape from a Lost Paradise (2002) p.69
  4. ^ Victorious Castro bans elections. BBC News (May 1 1961). Retrieved on 2008-02-07.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Shetterly, Aran 2007 The Americano: Fighting for Freedom in Castro's Cuba. Algonquin Books. ISBN-10 1-56512-458-8
  • Abella, Alex 2000 The Great American: A Novel. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0548-0
  • Michael Sallah, Toledo Blade newspaper, 2002; Amy Driscoll, The Miami Herald, 2007.
  • Faria, Miguel A. 2002 Cuba in Revolution-- Escape from a Lost Paradise. pp. 69, 107. http://www.haciendapub.com. ISBN 0-9641077-3-2

[edit] Filmography

"Cuba: Lost in the Shadows," a documentary in which William Morgan plays a key role. [3]

[edit] External links