Cloaks & Daggers

In the early dawn a detachment of Cuban soldiers surrounded a farmhouse near the sponge-fishing port of Batabano. Under a heap of palm leaves, in slacks and sport shirt, they found quaking ex-Colonel Jose Pedraza, their former Chief of Staff, until recently in exile. They took him and five civilians caught with him to the military prison in ancient Cabanas Fortress across the harbor from Havana. So ended last week a revolution that never took place.

Meanwhile other soldiers combed Havana. They dragged from bed at 6 a.m. a fine collection of former Army officers (including two ex-aides of ex-President Fulgencio Batista), one private, a few civilians. All the officers except one air force lieutenant had been dismissed from the service by President Grau.

For twenty days, announced the Government smugly, it had known about the conspiracy. Army leaders, pretending to join, had kept the authorities informed. When Colonel Pedraza slipped into Cuba a few days ago, he was trailed by police.

Cuba, growing up in the ways of democracy, did not even let the nipped plot throw it into a tailspin. There were no disorders, no swarming of cops and sol diers. Instead, that night a festive crowd marched through the streets of downtown Havana, chanted and cheered outside the President's Palace. They did demand the death of Pedraza.

Speaking from the Palace balcony, popular President Grau declared that the culprits would be tried, the guilty punished. He urged the people to be "sensible and correct," to "help the Government safe guard the nation's democratic institutions." The President did not mention a name in every Cuban's mind: ex-President Batista, the Strong Man who dominated Cuba for a decade until he permitted Grau to win a fair election in 1944. Several plotters were close friends of Batista, now touring the U.S. in something very like exile. Many were his associates. Pedraza himself was dismissed from office by Batista for plotting against him in 1941. But Cubans wondered whether the two men may have met during Batista's recent visit to Mexico.

Said Grau next day at a press conference: The plot was hatched by "capitalists who had business deals with the Batista regime." Large sums were spent on a press campaign to stir up trouble. Plans included his own assassination and that of his Chief of Staff. "I have no sure proof," said Grau, "of [Batista's] participation, but neither have I proof that he is not involved."

In San Francisco, Batista hit the ceiling. "Absurd!" he cried. "But you really could use the word stupid."

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