The Militant (logo)  
   Vol. 68/No. 21           May 31, 2004  
 
 
25 and 50 years ago
 
June 1, 1979
The U.S. government’s continuing efforts to isolate and threaten Cuba are being accompanied by rising violence on the part of counterrevolutionary Cuba exiles. These terrorists have recently targeted Cuban-Americans who are beginning to take an open and even sympathetic attitude toward the Cuban revolution.

On May 19, a bomb exploded outside the Cuban diplomatic offices in Washington. It did extensive damage, but no one was injured. All diplomatic offices are supposed to have round-the-clock U.S. protection, but the cops obviously looked the other way.

The following Sunday morning, churchgoers found five bullet holes in the door of the Christian Reformed Evangelical Church in Miami. The church is headed by Rev. Manuel Espinosa, a central figure in the developing dialogue between the Cuban community in the United States and the Castro government. Many advocates of the “dialogue” call on the U.S. government to lift its economic blockade against Cuba and open diplomatic and trade relations with the country.

Earlier, Espinosa escaped an assassination attack.

One such attempt was successful. That was the April 28 murder in Puerto Rico of Carlos Muņiz, a leader of the Antonio Maceo Brigade. The brigade is composed of young Cubans who support the dialogue. Many of its members are also supporters of the revolution. It has organized extensive visits to Cuba.

Credit for the murder of Muņiz was taken by a gang of thugs calling themselves “Commando O.” This gang is associated with Omega 7, the group that took credit for the Washington bombing.  
 
May 31, 1954
The Voice of America has been broadcasting the lie to all parts of the world that racially-segregated public schools have been “outlawed” in this country. But the battle against separation of Negroes from whites in public education, far from being over, has in fact entered its most crucial phase. Both sides in the struggle are lining up for what is likely to be the bitterest part of the fight.

Although the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on May 17 that segregated public schools are unconstitutional, it reserved indefinitely the decision on how and when its ruling shall be put into effect. Thus, while Wall Street imperialism can use the ruling as a propaganda weapon to impress the people in Asia, Africa and Latin America with our “democratic way of life,” the white supremacists and race-haters are afforded ample time and opportunity to prepare new defenses against the ruling.

The anti-segregation forces, with the Negro organizations taking the lead, are preparing to launch an offensive with the new legal weapon placed in their hands by the Supreme Court. At the same time, the white supremacist leaders are rallying the Jim Crow forces to resist, from their long-established and deeply-entrenched positions, any effective assault on segregated schools.

While elated over their legal and moral victory, the Negro people by and large have few illusions that the court’s ruling will automatically end segregation in the schools. This is indicated by the prompt action of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in calling a conference of Southern Negro leaders in Atlanta, Georgia, May 22 and 23, to map out plans to secure enforcement of the court ruling.

Following the murder of Muņiz, one of the thugs called an exile paper in Miami, saying “We have killed one, we will kill seventy-four more.”

This referred to the Committee of 75, the broad-ranging group who initiated the dialogue.

In taking credit for the bomb attack on the Cuban mission in Washington, Omega 7 told AP May 19, “We demand the withdrawal of Cuban troops on the African continent.”

As does the United States government. Which may help explain why it seems to find it so difficult to track down this small group of reactionary killers.  
 
 
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