Reveals Cuban Children Start Army Training at 7

Reveals Cuban Children Start Army Training at 7
By Lee Berton
(Picture: Just Back from a first – hand look at the Fidel Castro regime in Cuba area Mr. and Mrs. John Fenwick and their daughter Beth)

A 10 year old girl turned in her parents to the Cuban Government.
Seven and 8 year olds parade with machetes two hours every day.
The new song of Cuban youth: “Uno, dos, tres, quadro. Fidel Castro”
“One, Two, Three, Four, Fidel Castro”

These incidents were reported by former Akronite John R. Fenwick, who with his wife Alice and 3 year old daughter Beth was in Cuba from September 4, 1958 until April 7. (1960).

Fenwick, who has a master’s degree in education from University of Akron, was employed by the Moa Bay Mining Division of Freeport Nickel Co. as superintendent of its schools. Moa Bay is in Oriente Province, 750 miles east of Havana.

Freeport Nickel suspended its $75,000,000 a year business in Cuba because of a 35 percent tax on gross profits by the Cuban Government.
“Cuba” commented Fenwick, “is destroying its youth. There is no juvenile delinquency. They’re all in the Army.
The Fenwicks are now staying with Mrs. Fenwicks parents, Mr. and Mrs. Christian Becker, 974 Inman St. They left $10,000 in possessions in Cuba and do not know if they will ever recover it.
The Fenwicks traveled extensively in Havana, Santiago, Holquin, Barracoa, Guantanamo and Cayo Guan. They reported these incidents to illustrate what is now happening in Cuba:

CUBAN laborers demanded Fenwick fly the American flag at half staff over his school with the Cuban flag above it. “I will fly my flag under no other, “ Fenwick said. He took both flags down.

A 63 year old former Cuban senator (a friend of the Fenwicks) owned apartments, houses, and auto agency and other holdings worth more than $8,000,000. Everything, including his personal car and furniture was taken away. He was given a bicycle.

Americans who do not turn over United States currency for pesos will be thrown into jail if caught. But Cuban airlines will only accept American dollars.

All foreign nationals are searched and their baggage is ripped apart by Cuban officials on any airplane trip in an attempt to prevent counterrevolutionaries from taking over planes.
Anyone who wears a beard other than a revolutionary is thrown into jail.
Youths are organized by military officers from the age of 7 until they leave college. Even maids must drill on their days off.
In the past two months, every radio and TV program begins with “Buenos dias, los companeros” (Good day, comrades), reflecting Cuba’s warm feelings towards Russia and Red China.

Agrarian reform is getting fouled up. The INRA (Agrarian Reform Army) gave potato seeds to farmers in Oriente Province during the winter. The farmers ate the seeds completely ignorant that they should be planted. There is no potato crop in Oriente Province.
There are no electrical appliances to be bought in Cuba. American canned goods are selling for double and triple the original price.

When the Fenwicks came to Moa Bar, there was no board of education, no curriculum, no text books, just buildings. They set up education fro 120 children.
No roads lead to Moa Bay. It is on the fringe of the jungle.
The road home for the Fenwicks was a quiet one. They left with 67 other Freeport Nickel employees on the pretense of returning home on vacation.

“I can say to Cubans,” Fenwick said, “what they said to me. “I love your country and your people but I don’t like your government”