Interview with José María Fernández Souto at home in the municipality of Cerro / Havana City October 10, 2005-Where
you born here I am Cuban born in Havana on May 20, 1918, nine are left motherless and turned ten I was taken to Spain and lived there until I came to Cuba.
"Tell me about your family
nine years old my dad took me to Spain, sick, he had a still wine here, here in Luyanó was Rather, it was established, but then became ill and had to go sick for España.LLegamos on 21 April 1929 and went to live in Asturias where we had family, but a year to get there with my father passed away and stayed together with a sister who was going to allá.Quedamos in charge of an aunt of my padre.Yo started working with sixteen years, first as a servant but he earned little money and then I got hired on a road
"That was when civil war breaks out English.
- Where in Asturias live?
Grados.Les In the village called monsoon to
living there - political consciousness began to be very young?
If anything, a lot because I was young was already in the Popular Front militia, in everything that had to change, because there we had was fascism, monarchy that ruled in Spain was very poor.
- Did you have any militancy was at a party?
belonged to the militia of the "Popular Front" still keep the militia began documentos.En as I had to belong because I was in that, in the juventud.La youth that was terrible, we were not afraid of anything, where we had to get going with all the knowledge and strength, it was a militia who knew against whom peleaban.Con sixteen years I belonged to militias volunteer committee Grades and when war came and took me two years preparing
What do you remember the start of the war, the mobilization?
I appeared on the first day the war began, was eighteen and spent some days in the war committee, and then I volunteered Grades 5 th Battalion Asturias.es I was placed in different fronts in Asturias, fought in the siege Oviedo, against the walls of asylums and all Naranco mountain ranges, the Tree Peak, in the corridors and in all these places ... I always forget the infantería.Yo nombres.Combatí went to the Leon front to fight, where peaks of Europe and all that
- Did you meet other Cubans who were beginning to reach the English war?
No, Cubans in that area very pocos.En peeled my battalion I was the only Cuban
- What say you fellow to be the only Cuban?
I was very thrown forward, if I had to parley parliament parlamentaba.Yo as three times there in the Mount León.Había to have a bit of serenity and firmness
- How were these parliaments?
sometimes gave some shots, I did not run much, I ran something to hide from them but they took out the papers that had to change and immediately ran out to risk tiros.Había much because I remember once we were two and there was about twenty and had cornered us and told us "us if we take them to you" and told them that if they wanted to take us as partners would know what they were doing to us. They said knew we had partners who were watching us but we did not have replenished them to anyone, we are not afraid of anything we firmly!, and that was what
- Saying enemies when there were a Cuban parliament?
Nothing, we did exchange of letters, we manipulated the joker there, they said that ours was black bread and we wore them white bread for them to see, but it was a lie, we were actually there with bread rather "tight" means that there were many needs but could not say those things
P-Did setting the northern front during enough time?
Yes, until I was made prisoner and then I do not soltaron.Las Popular Front militias were fighting in the northern front until the pressure became unstoppable enemy, first fought in Oviedo, then in the mountains of Asturias and then we taken to hold the line the border between Asturias and León.Estando fighting in front of Porto Pino war ended in Asturias. I was made prisoner, first Grado.Y my people falling in front of my people went to see solved, leave the gun hidden in the hollow trunk of a Brazil nut groves and I went with my family, but there looked to all who were militants and preso.Despues they took them to be imprisoned in a few days to many grade we moved to a concentration camp that was called cotton and cotton Gijón.Lo of cotton were some warehouses along the railroad tracks at the entrance of Gijón and there was a prisoner in the first concentration camp in Spain
-prisoner spent most of the war because the north
If stopped quite early and spent the rest of the time in various concentration camps prisioes.Desde of cotton we were moved to five thousand prisoners to the "Headquarters of San Marcos," which is in Leon, where there took us to all those who felt disaffected regime. There was already a prisoner
a cousin of mine, in the Quarter of San Marcos and there I interned with him at the barracks "Museum" as it is called, there medio.En spent three months there was a confessional that put the fascists to us the Our Father and give you a "medal" ellos.Iba those of you wanted, but I was only told lies, he rolled the jodedera us there was a spree confessionals with them because they came she told the others, ja ha .......
- Was that hard?
If there in the courtyard of the museum was like six or seven esos.Pero confessionals bien.Solo us treated us chips if we were not going to confession because we were considered enemies of his way of thinking, you had to have a scapular or something I already had confessed
. The money that was paid five or six coins, medals have confessed to curas.Dos or three times I went to confession because after the pagaban.El medals Republican who had money and could afford a medal
to confess to not seeing the priests, paid the medal and no longer went late nada.Pero the medal had not fared badly, so culatazos.Además the food was very bad, that what peas had were many "weevils", the perola was full of "weevils". not eating meat, peas and sardines when two or three times and had but this, this was food for a neighbor who was presos.Había of faascistas, was a soldier but I knew well and said he could not bring anything to the prisoners but that if I bring things to me and paid for clear, brought sugar, wine, and sometimes bread algo.Lo brought all hiding under the cloak and could pass because it was the guards who were in the second field in preso.Eso I was hungry and I take off whenever I could with my compañeros.Eso distributed was possible because I was Cuban and I distinguished in the treatment and the end of the money they took me out
"You try to list the relationship of the Cubans who were in that camp
I'm interested by all Cuban prisoners who were there to see how we went out and asked A list was upon request to a secretary who was in the office and I knew him and that's how entregó.Allí me was a group of Cubans and we relacionábamos much
- When did Cuba's help to get them out?
was already quite late, I arrived in Cuba late enough in the past and concentración.Lo field is that first happened here in Cuba did not want us to return but then things changed and the party made many movilizaciones.A Cubans were imprisoned in the prisons of Spain barely Cuban diplomats visited us here in Spain but then if that helped the thing italianos.Se swaps for prisoners who here in Cuba people who helped the English Republic was aware of were the ones who imprisoned and that was why they later began to complain, but it was not until after the war was completely
- Step by several concentration camps?
If, first in Gijón, in cotton and there I was taken by train to the headquarters of San Marcos, where I spent three and a half months in the Courtyard of the Museum and there I got the endorsements of the resources I had done and I moved from there to Burgos, Burgos concentration camp in San Pedro de Cardena on a high mound on which was the Palace Cid of Spain, about two miles above Burgos.Allí was almost a year in jail and from there led me to change by Italians to the French border in Biarritz but when we arrived we were changing without change and sent us back and forth , from very sad, walking from Burgos to San Pedro de Cardena on a hill to fifteen or sixteen KM side of that concentration camp was a very large convent full of guns and ammunition todo.La Republic had not been a bomb there, that's what we were doing next to prisoners as human shields
- How were these prisoner exchanges at the border? That was
groups, we first moved to San Sebastian prison and then we moved to the border at Irun, there had to move to each one of us for five italianos.Resulta that even while the war lasted the republic had canjear.La many Italian prisoners for the first time I was taken to exchange the thing torció.Pasaron seven Cubans before me those who could trade but if half of the list is finished the canjes.Sentí a big disappointment but I was more optimistic, the best ever was, did not think badly of me and did not hit me for nothing, I had that kind
"They were already at the end of the war
If that occurred and at times attempt finales.Despues exchange that formed us into a labor battalion in Burgos and we moved to the village of Belchite was destroyed because there the fighting had been very brave, had fought and died there many fellow International Brigades.
- you finally got traded?
Not because we were taken to forced labor Belchite and when we had one month there came to us because they chose to ignore libertad.Fue to requests from diplomats in Cuba who managed that we were expelled from at least recuperated España.Así
freedom-Tell me about the time of release Belchite
Well, forty-five Cubans and twenty-six comrades who were from other countries and all We moved to Bilbao and from there sail for Cuba.Fue a transfer in harsh conditions and after previous disappointments and did not know how that could end
- They were free to embark?
not in any way, we were led to the wineries with a strong escort of soldiers
Italian fascists in the "Marques de Comillas" prisoner until we Cuba.Nosotros the Ria de Bilbao, fifteen Cuban grupo.Tardamos going in fifteen days to get here because there was a huge war zone they had to surround the ship, by the middle of the Atlantic could not go, so we took both the boat to get from Spain to Cuba.Ese was the second trip was the "Marques de Comillas" after the war and there was no passage for anyone, only for us that we were in the cellars, sleeping on the floor and thanks to that we were well fifteen days giving you to eat what they pleased
-Upon arrival at the port of Havana what happened? We received very bien.Teníamos
fifteen bodyguards for us and get were thought we were going to prison because they thought that was a fascist government here and was going to get us prisoners to us when we arrived and it was the opposite because organizations had tremendous crowd waiting at the dock, were the first to leave the boat before even the passage, gave us preferencia.Mi Pepón and family told me when he came down the stairs I heard my name and said "that's my Aunt Aurelia" Pepón, Pepón!, was behind a fence and then was the first I came to see and take for "The Cotorro" but then I came to this place, because I was here a few Cerro tíos.LLegamos to Havana on December 26, 1939 in a memorable day but we were too weak to travel and have spent many years in Spain
- Since Cuba followed the news of the war in Spain?
unplugged right away because I had spent too much mal.Se mal.Lo I'm doing pretty memory, but after all I was lucky because I remember in a concentration camp .....
"When the war was lost Did you think it would be for a short time?
Well it was not known because the situation in the world was overwhelmingly supported by the German fascist and Mussolini and all those people and so we did not have to fight hard confianza.Había at that time, fascism was taking over many countries and was in sight something Returning bad
-mates were left "in Spain?
If there were others who had not yet gone to Spain and stayed there for a tiempo.Hubo prisoners a large group that died there were volunteers, the International Brigades, because everyone who went here and fought in Spain International Brigades but other Cubans who fought there were already other army units
"When did you return to Cuba politically active?
always belonged as always ....... Comunista.Pertenecí Party first I joined the Communist Party in Spain, from the fifteen years I belonged to the Popular Front militia in that youth who was very entusiasta.Ibamos to the battle fronts like ... without fear or nada.Tuve very good companions in the militia but did not retain any document kept Cuba aquello.En linked to organizations fighting. Here I said "the militia" for my participation in Spain, everyone knew me by "militia" in those years
"When, comes to Cuba is a complicated situation if there was much excitement
revolutionary
contrary, the fascistones had here.and could get work through the family that was here in the noodle factory "La Pasiega" here in Havana and then started to work very entusiasmo.Los owners were sons of English as well and I received it and always treated me well even though they were fascitones did not mind, I always tried bien.He
remained in this job until I retired to be serene the same factory
"When comes the revolution in 1959 is about forty years How do you remember that?
Well when I got here everything was different but I was adapting to the situation of Cuba.Aquí had to be done and continued military and being a fan of the revolution so that I felt great joy when they finally succeed
"Years passed and Great changes occurred in the world. How experienced the collapse of the socialist?
Well, keep fighting and nothing else and in different ways, no more
-has returned several times to Spain What image does that?
I love Spain because di aquello.Por including life I feel that there españoles.Nosotros dear to fight very hard there, against fascism and against all antipueblos coming out of there and I was always the side of socialism and I
remain the same-do you think the political situation in Spain Spain
Now there is a regular socialism soft, but it is not true socialism, not yet reached that
-Franco Spain did the death of a TRANSITION, who thought of that
At least it ended with the fascism that we had before, died down, it went esfumando.Siempre is something they are affluent households that are against us, the fascists are still in mundo.De anywhere in Spain anyway got a big breakthrough
-Cuba has to change like Spain
Well this current government is the one that has changed in Cuba since before the government stole and distributed among the people , and governments are now firm, governments no longer exist bandidos.El current government is a government that has responsibilities to the people and not as those who were at the free robando.Este Revolutionary Government of the people is very, very honorable, something that was not nunca.Hay to be improving things, never back
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