Chronology

He arrives in Miami with Juan Manuel Márquez from New York. They stay in two small apartments on 12th Street in Southwest.

The Bohemia magazine published in that day’s edition the article “Mitin oposicionista en Nueva York” (Opposition rally in New York), by journalist Vicente Cubillas, which reviews the patriotic event of 30 October at the Palm Garden Hotel, presided over by Fidel.

He sent a letter from Miami to radio commentator Guido García Inclán, inviting him to speak at the event scheduled for the Flager Theatre on Sunday, 20 November.

He sends his greetings to the Mexican youth on the occasion of the 45th Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. This message was read during the ceremony held at the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City.

Together with Juan Manuel Márquez, he presided over a huge and patriotic event at the Flager Theatre in Miami. Representatives of the 26th of July Patriotic Clubs of New York and Miami and other personalities also addressed the audience. The final summary of the event was presented by Fidel, who proclaimed: “We will unite our compatriots under the idea of full dignity for the Cuban people and justice for the hungry and forgotten...”.

Bohemia magazine published an interview to Fidel Castro by Ramón Coto under the title “I serve Cuba. Those who don’t have the courage to sacrifice themselves”, in which the revolutionary leader strongly responds to the article published in the same magazine by the young Angel Boán Acosta entitled “Fidel, don't serve Batista”.

He arrived in Tampa with Felix Elmuza and other comrades to organize the 26th of July Patriotic Club in that city and to hold meetings with Cuban emigrants. He moved into a Cuban emigrant family's house on 14th Avenue, between 16th and 17th Streets, in Ivar City.

María Antonia González travels from Mexico City to meet Fidel in Tampa. She brings him correspondence from Raúl, Montané, and Melba, informing him of the latest events in Mexico and the reports received from Cuba about the possibility of an attempt against him.

The main event to celebrate Fidel Castro’s visit to Tampa was held in the hall of the Metalworkers Union, on Seventh Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets, after the founding of the city’s 26th of July Patriotic Club. The revolutionary leader recalled the execution of the eight students of medicine in 1871 and emphasized the heroism of those Cubans who later fought against the Machado dictatorship and those who now yearn for the fall of the Batista dictatorship.

He travelled from Miami to Key West to complete his pilgrimage through South Florida. He was accompanied by Felix Elmuza and other emigrants. When they arrived, they stayed at the Siboney Motel on Truman and Elizabeth Streets. There he received several emigrants, in particular the leader of the National Revolutionary Movement (MNR, by its Spanish initials), Rafael García Bárcenas.

In the evening, he visited the home of Cuban emigrant Julio Cabañas Pazos, one of the leading figures of the Cuban colony in Key West and president of the San Carlos Club. He dedicated to Cabañas a copy of “History Will Absolve Me” in the New York edition.

While in Key West, he wrote a lengthy letter to his comrades Luis García Leal, Julio Ramírez, Abelardo Borjas and Celestino Rodríguez, giving them the instructions they requested for the creation of the 26th of July Patriotic Club of Bridgeport.

In the parking lot of the Kennel Club dog track on Stock Island, an emotional event was held where about 200 Cuban emigrants living in Key West participated. Fidel’s closing remarks highlighted the role of the Cuban tobacco growers who immigrated to Key West during the ‘95 war and their unwavering support to José Martí; he also highlighted the memory of Antonio Maceo on his death in battle’s anniversary and called for the necessary support of the emigrants in the struggle to defeat the Batista dictatorship.