To Cuba or to Martyrdom - CW 297

In this episode of *The Cold War*, Cameron and Ray trace the strange, lucky, unlikely, often chaotic road that led Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and their small band of exiles from a rented farm outside Mexico City to the deck of the *Granma* in late 1956. The show follows their botched guerrilla training, their arrest by Mexican police, Che’s absolute refusal to hide his communism, the ideological debates that erupted right inside the interrogation room, and the role of former presidents of Mexico and Cuba in getting them released. Fidel’s memoirs come alive in long excerpts about Stalin, Trotsky, Che’s stubborn fearlessness, and the enormous role of luck in history. The episode finishes with Che’s own recollection of meeting Fidel, forging their bond, and boarding the *Granma* with the now-famous vow: *“In 1956, we will be free or we will be martyrs.”* Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices