This week’s selection—one of a series published in the Militant over the past three months—was written especially for Aldabonazo. The article by Luis Buch, a veteran revolutionary and prominent member of the July 26 Movement, appears as one of several documents appended to Chapter 8. Titled, “The meeting at Altos de Mompié,” it describes an historic May 1958 meeting in the Sierra Maestra mountains of eastern Cuba of the July 26 Movement’s National Directorate. Copyright © 2004 by Pathfinder Press, reprinted by permission.
 

“There’s no problem,” she said to me. “Everything will be taken care of. In a few minutes, there will be a car there to take you to Boniato, and afterward to the airport. It’s very important that Armando knows of the Mompié agreements. Since you’re a lawyer, you can identify yourself as such, and you’ll surely be able to see him without any difficulty.”

So we went to the Boniato jail, I showed my lawyer’s card and asked to see the inmate Armando Hart. Within a few minutes they brought him out accompanied by a sergeant. The interview was held standing up, with the guard moving away discreetly. I was able to explain to him in a few minutes the agreements and the other things that happened during the Altos de Mompié meeting, as well as the motives of my trip and Yeyé’s.

I told Armando that the meeting began at 6:00 a.m. on May 3, 1958, in the hut of the Mompié family. Attending it were the following compañeros: Fidel (Alejandro), who chaired it; Ernesto Guevara (Ché); Faustino Pérez (Ariel); René Ramos Latour (Daniel); Vilma Espín (Débora); Celia Sánchez (Aly); Marcelo Fernández (Zoilo); Antonio Torres (Ñico); Haydée Santamaría (María); David Salvador (Mario); and me (Roque). Enzo Infante (Bruno) arrived at noon.

Celia took the minutes.

We began with a critical and detailed analysis of the failure of the April strike.

The main agreements were the following:

To unify the July 26 Movement under a single leadership exercised by an executive committee to be located in the Sierra, and whose general secretary would be Fidel. All the weapons and other instruments of war and explosives would be sent to the General Command Post. From there they would be distributed in accordance with the coordinated actions projected. A united leadership of the war under the immediate leadership of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro was established.

Faustino Pérez would rejoin the Sierra with the rank of commander. Delio Ochoa was named coordinator in Havana.

Marcelo Fernández gave a detailed report on the Movement’s organization and activities in each of the provinces and important municipalities. He also talked about the Civic Resistance Movement and efforts to broaden and strengthen it.

He was assigned to draft a document going over the meeting’s results and agreements, so that they would become known at all levels of the Movement.

Marcelo was to tin his post until a new assignment was made.

René Ramos Latour was to be reincorporated into the Rebel Army with the same rank of commander that he held in the militias.

Haydée was to go abroad to take charge of the organization’s finances.

It was agreed that Fidel would address the exiles and émigrés to call for order and discipline in carrying out the work they were responsible for abroad. The July 26 Movement Committee in Exile was recognized as the only official body.

I was to go abroad with precise instructions for Urrutia. I would be the only one of those abroad who would have the code to decipher messages, and I would be responsible for public relations. Toward that end I was to maintain political contacts with foreign governments, and especially I was to work to expedite receipt of the armaments promised by Venezuelan president Larrazábal.

With reports coming in of movement by enemy troops with equipment of all types, which foreshadowed upcoming battles, the meeting of the National Directorate in Mompié ended.

It was Sunday, and Fidel ordered that the first ones to descend would be Haydée and me. Since we had to depart for abroad to fulfill the missions we had each been given, it was decided we should run the least risk.  
 
 
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