Well at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, he told Khrushchev to launch the missiles against the US, even if it meant Cuba would be totally destroyed. Then when he found out Khrushchev had made a deal (and saving Cuba from attack then and in the future), Castro was pissed and felt the Soviets had betrayed world revolution. So yeah, the guy was not always putting the well being of his people first.
I stand corrected.It seems Castro was!
This telling of events is out of context and wrong.
Castro was not blindly urging Khrushchev to end the world for kicks. He was stating, at the height of the crisis, that the only option in the event of an invasion of Cuba or an air attack on Cuban installations would be for the Soviets to launch their nuclear weapons. He wrote the following to Khrushchev:
“
From an analysis of the situation and the reports in our possession, I consider that the aggression is almost imminent within the next 24 - 72 hours. There are two possible variants: the first and most likely is an air attack against certain targets with the limited objective of destroying them. The second, less probable although possible, is invasion. I understand that this variant would call for a large number of forces and it is, in addition, the most repulsive form of aggression. It might inhibit them. You can rest assured that we will firmly and resolutely resist attack. Whatever it may be. The morale of the Cuban people is extremely high and the aggressor will be confronted heroically.
At this time, I want to convey to you my personal opinion. If the second variant is implemented and the imperialists invade Cuba with the goal of occupying it, the danger that such an aggressive policy poses for humanity is so great that following that event, the Soviet Union must never allow the circumstances in which the imperialists could launch the first nuclear strike against it. I tell you this because I believe the imperialist’s aggressiveness is extremely dangerous. And if they actually carry out the brutal act of invading Cuba, in violation of international law and morality, that would be the moment to eliminate such danger forever through an act of clear and legitimate defense - however harsh and terrible the solution would be. For there is no other. Up to the last moment, we will maintain the hope that peace will be safeguarded and we are willing to contribute to this as much as we can. At the same time, we are ready to calmly confront a situation which we view as quite real and quite close.”
Fairly standard Cold War operating procedure. And of course we know from the Kennedy tapes during the crisis that Castro was not making this up out of thin air. An American attack was very likely and heavily pushed, only by Kennedy’s clear sightedness did this not occur.
As to the other point: Castro was not pissed that Khrushchev did not launch a pre-emptive attack on the United States. Castro was upset for being left out of the secret negotiations between the White House and the Kremlin and then essentially told what the terms would be by the deal reached between Kennedy and Khrushchev. This deal included the removal of Soviet missiles.. in their mind this was the only thing preventing American troops landing on their shores. Other demands were dictated. Cuba was told that it would have to allow American inspectors on the island, among which spies could be shepherded. Furthermore, many of the issues facing Cuba were not raised or demanded by the Soviet Union during negotiations. This included piracy and terrorism from US-sponsored insurgents, ongoing military blockade of the island, the economic embargo, the American base in Guantanamo Bay, or really any steady ground for a neutralization of the threat posed to Cuba by the United States. And during further talks, the US added new demands such as the removal of two Soviet bombers from the island.
All this in exchange for what? American nuclear assets being removed from the Soviet frontier, not the Cuban one. It was a loss, plain and simple. A raw deal they were not involved with making and then were told to accept by another nation. The fact that Khrushchev deal “saved Cuba from attack then and in the future” as you say, was not readily apparent in the early 1960s. To the Cuban government, Soviet nuclear assets and troops on the island would save Cuba from attack then and in the future through mutually assured destruction. The capitulation and withdrawal of these protective elements seemed disastrous. While nuclear war was prevented, geopolitically this was a blow to Cuba and without the blessing of hindsight there were legitimate fears that Cuba was being sold out to the potential of invasion.
Castro pointed out that nowhere in the entire Crisis had Cuba violated anyone else’s sovereignty or international law, and yet was now having to concede its own sovereignty on a number of points because of a deal in which it was not consulted. Guevara made it clear when he said, “
You offended our feelings by not consulting us. But the main danger is you as if recognized the right of the United States to violate international law. This is great damage done to your policy. This fact really worries us.” In fact, during the same meeting with Mikoyan, Guevara would say something that directly contradicts what you’re saying. Instead of being some passionate madman seeking to end the world by nuclear war, he had this to say: “
There will come a time when we will show our enemies. But we don’t want to die beautifully. Socialism must live on.” And this is what Cuba’s policy bore out.
In short: No, the Cuban state was pursuing a rational policy of deterrence within the bounds of a Cold War environment. It wasn’t urging the Soviets to strike without any prior cause, and it certainly was not biting the hand that fed it by being upset that they did not blow up the world. The Cuban leaders were upset at the way the crisis was handled including the legitimate perception of being sold out and to have gained nothing tangible for the resolution of the crisis despite largely being the victim of aggression during the entire affair.
Very different reading when you add context. Castro and Guevara were no General Rippers..
