* Interview with Gaspar Gonzalez Rodriguez at his home in Alamar / Habana del Este on October 12, 2005
-Gaspar Melchor Rodríguez González, Makati "right?
If that is my full name and Makati was the name of war because they put the game here there was a big crackdown in Cuba and had to make many precauciones.Como revolutionary and anti-fascists were declared as you know ...." Makati "was how I got into the game and" Makati "I was
" Tell me where is and when he was born
I was born in Matanzas in 1916 and there spent the first years of my vida.Tendría 12 or 13 years old when my family moved to Havana where I have lived long except for the time I went to fight in Spain, here I enrolled in the School of Arts and Crafts
"When political consciousness began to have political awareness
Well I think from the School of Arts niño.En Crafts and entered the "Left Wing Student" and coincidentally was in prison several times, such as the coup of September 4 where we stopped to take a revolutionary propaganda machines against Fulgencio Batista led us to several prisoners, and we put in Maximo Gomez where he is presently the "Naval" here in Cuba.El revolutionary committee "Arts and Crafts" was the one who got us out of jail problema.Despues fell again when the strike of March 1935 and I took a Prince Castle time but it was not long
- When he joined the Cuban Communist Party?
Well, then, was already the Communist Youth I I went there as you walk through the Escuela.Entonces was a very grande.Despues revolutionary ferment in 1934 he was in the cell of the PCC
"You feared the rise of fascism
Yes, it was unstoppable, the thing is I had to decide in helping the English Republic because as I said here the English Falange was even making a big propaganda, there was even a ceremony in the park but we desbaratarlo.Entonces Martí we were a group of fellow English Falange was very decididos.La really rooted here but there were many more supporters of the "republic" was the "House of Culture" was Republican completely and we visited a lot here in the Paseo Marti
- There were many clashes between the two English sensibilities?
Here were many Republicans, most of them had even stores with bunting, the regional house and the whole thing esa.Hubo many difficult situations between supporters of each side and we who were young and students went out to meet all of these things
- How to remember the beginning of the war in Spain?
Well, I remember even that the student movement was in favor of "the Republic" almost entirely moved from the principio.La University San Alejandro school in all schools were a large group of supporters of Spain republicana.Fue then came Maydagán partner who harangued the people telling us that volunteers were needed to fight the thing España.Todavía of volunteers was organized but later left many partners and many died allí.Ya at that time were three colleagues who were determined to go to fight in Spain, Danilo Díaz Machado, Manolo and I
Weight
"Tell me about the time that occurs
voluntary
Throughout Cuba, in Santiago, Camaguey, in all volunteers partes.Surgieron responding everywhere the call of the group that was created for the war thing was muchísimos.Lo España.es Havana first was a group was organized with military experience because they need skilled people, these are the first evening began salieron.Más call for volunteers but had no military experience and that was that I could entrar.Aquí in Cuba organized a very important medical examination to several doctors and I passed without problems, but later it was a problem because when I got there I was very disappointed because they said I had problems cardiacos.Yo was very upset and told them "As I will be heart boy?. I was a body type strong because here in Cuba was very "trainer" did a lot of weight and was in top form, but they insisted that I had heart problems
"As was heading to Spain
Well, I was 22 and I went to the recruitment committee to Spain where there were people from all parties but the important people were Comunista.Fuí Party with Manolo Díaz Danilo Weight and Machado.Juntos pass the examinations and received several INDICATIONS about our behavior until it took place the partida.No could say anything to anyone because if people found out we'd put Batista prisoners before going to battle the first fascismo.A February 1938 I reported my game with just a few days ahead, we said we had to pass us by tourists going to a major exhibition that was held in Paris and colleagues fue.Embarcamos seventy-two in different groups as we had no relation to each other. really did not know who were the ones who actually went to Spain until the boat is not entered the océano.Viajamos on a ship called "Oropesa" who was operating a boat British flag and was chartered by the Republican People here in Cuba and beyond Spain.The ship's captain was aware of our intentions and being a friend of the English Republic that was careful not to come up Batista police to register the barco.El captain he behaved like a boy because there were people even revolutionary who had made rounds here in Cuba, as I said, we had a tough group of people , .... guajiros people "braqueá" here in Cuba for those who wanted to prisoners, but goes .... the captain's decision evitó.Mucha people went the tongue, including one whose name was Iñaki father worked in finance here in Cuba and this Iñaki father told him it was "Batista" and that led to the ship that send out to all who went to fight in Spain, then the master said that there did not leave anyone and everyone for cabins and not come out until the ship's port cubierta.Despues anyone not to go out, that guy, the reporter whose name was not Iñaki Yanez went to fight for Spain, went in first with a girl, and passing Bermuda got a chalana.Despues that happened was that they put tremendous waste paper here in Cuba, saying that so and so is a traitor who was not to fight in Spain ... . Yánez ese.Recuerdo the trip was very heavy, it took nineteen days and finally arrived at a French port is called "La Rochelle". The head of us in this move was Manolo
Weight
"Tell me the step by France
On arrival we were greeted by party colleagues in France who had an organization called "Amigalle" and served to help Republican Spain
. Our contact in France was Félix Pita Rodríguez, a Cuban writer and communist and had for years Pita allá.Felix told us we had to organize from France to cross into España.Nos led to several hotels, I happened on the Hotel de Ville "where we said we were students, then some of us relocated to homes of fellow French they were cooperative and were Communist Party members a few days Francés.En groups across the border had organizado.Nosotros were almost a hundred Cubans but we divided into groups and we were moving into towns near the frontera.A touched me to be with a group that had several paises.Con internationalist aid of fellow French rail travel to a town called Carcassonne, very close to the Carcassonne frontera.En spent several days with tremendous desire to cross the Pyrenees and living in an atmosphere of great camaraderie, had Polish, German, English and French
were fascists, many of them were in the French army and went to go fight to España.Había in Carcassonne many members of the Communist Party of France showed us solidarity at all times although we also tried not to leave the house we were assigned to be inconspicuous atención.Aquellos days of Carcassonne will remember for the whole vida.Un given day we receive the communication that the comrades who were in that house would spend the border horas.Nos few said we should jump the border in a given time and reach a place where we collect an army officer of the English republic.
"As was the border crossing
Well, first took us to Perpignan, we were a group of about thirty hombres.Allí also spent several days hiding in the homes of party colleagues, until the order was given and took us to a truck which took us just a place where we descended to continue to pie.Aquello was real hard because we got to the mountains for eight at night and we saw the Castle of Figueras until at least nine in the morning siguiente.Fue climbing all night, silently and in single file, not just rest and not quite knowing where we were and where we had because the guides were not very talkative and had to have a lot of discipline on the march
"Tell me about the arrival of English soil
We all feel exhausted but very happy when they told us we were on the English side of the pirineos.Como picked us up or planned official People's Army and took us on a truck Figueras Castle was the first site that came internationalists who crossed the frontera.Cuando arrived we left to rest all day because we were desechos.En Castle Figueras we were in the English army, there was the company of "The Passion", she was there and harangued us on arrival
"You were rejected by the medical committee to reach Spain
If there was the thing we should pass a general and that's when I said that thing that I was heart and that he was unfit to fight, fell I and another colleague who had a hernia the size of a judía.A rejected me because "you just think, to move the mountains that we were taking strong brandy for cold weather and climbing mountains that I knew no one gave nada.Nos hour away and a ten minute break and I to not always stay behind me and put the first hour of rest I did not rest, I put in a point because I had the problem that had troops at any moment going to take France and there were many French people were fascists, policemen who were fascist Nazi-like military boots and spent much miedo.Yo thought "here I go grab me and brush" and so I put always pointed, took advantage of a ten minute break to get out and so all the way until I got to Castle Figueras.La thing is that I arrived with tremendous excitement and when he got the recognition they told me they could not combatir.Yo said "I can not fight in Spain? is wrong, if I left Cuba without any problem how will I say no?. The thing is that I left out
" That was then
Then there was the excitement Revolutionary Communist Party of Spain and needed for the youth group wanted to recruit as 200,000 volunteers, so I went to the Hotel Colon Barcelona is where lay the partido.LLegue and said I wanted to be on youth as a young anti-fascist, then was sent to me for the police and that was the best thing that happened because the police really taught me to climb mountains, throw me and as I said, the bombing and all that thing and that's because I'm with vida.Me told to go to the village of Vich, going for quite a fuerte.Allí spent the first few months to monitor border crossings
-What was your
unit 179 was in the Police Brigade, 51 Battalion, 4th Company
war-triggering
Well first starred as I said, was the thing of Carabineros and there I stayed until they started fighting on the Ebro my unit was sent to a village called linola which suffered tremendous bombing, the thing is that as I had received very good instruction all day because he was throwing to the ground, continued the bombing and again on the floor to get out alive of those came ataque.Entoces Republican Ebro offensive and we are sent to the Segre River to relieve pressure on the Ebro, had a sugar that had the "Moroccan Moors" , we had to cross the river but they controlled the gates of a dam so that opened and made it difficult cruzar.Nosotros crossed with boats but killed many of us because they fought with ametralladoras.Entonces began the withdrawal was very dificil.Yo I volunteered to carry the wounded to the other side and I jumped in the river able to swim but it was very much peligrosos.Pasamos , killed the head of the company where I was and was organized tremendous battle with machine guns, they threw us away while we drew our wounded cuerdas.Luego drawn boats pass by small villages such as Villanueva de la Barca where he received a strong bombardment until they ended with Villanueva de la Barca, and linoleic acid linola igual.En we killed several colleagues because the bombs that got these people were bombs they cut up the bushes, the cut short like a machete, were killing so many of us who withdrew for other front-
was hurt?
Well, I was wounded by shrapnel in the feet aviation but no injuries were very intense, there was no problem because I could walk and could tirar.Me hurt because I was in a machine gun trying to cover our withdrawal
-After crossing the Ebro happened
That we no longer to retreat, first with some order but then desbandada.A us after the attack that sent us to Torres in the second line and there was that I learned of the decision to withdraw all
internationalists "When he learned of the withdrawal of foreign fighters
Torregrosa Well I was and explained that it was by a decision of the United Nations or League of Nations" as it was raised entonces.Allí the thing of the withdrawal of all foreign nationals whether to solve the English problem with a referendum and that yó.Supimos that had been raised by Germany and Italy later what they did was attack on France was Francia.Porque the problem of "nonintervention" and all the nonsense esa.Chaberlain, Daladier and all those brazen raised the issue saying that everything was settled with a referendum in Spain that referendum because there was nothing from there was when they gave checkmate France
"While they were at the front information
course of events
If information does because we had newspapers on the front that reached us," The Unit "and other newspapers and whenever colleagues came from other units had heard and there was much talk
" When it was decided the withdrawal of foreign
Well you did to my unit the reorganized and sent me to the internationalist Garibaldi.Desde Brigade at the Ebro retreat did not stop and I was in eso.Yo stayed in until police arrive Catalonia and that was because the 12 Brigade "Garibaldi" but there were also Italians, French, Cubans and many others who were joining from disposable units until we repatriated to France all
"He talks a lot of discipline and hardness of the International Brigades
Yes sir, there was much toughness, discipline was very hard among ourselves revolutionaries, but with the problem of defending the "republic" we were aware that there had to be disciplina.La discipline had to be tough to vencer.Luego was the only thing of command because they were anarchists who caught a small village and not allowed to pass to the communists and stuff
- Would that be crazy?
I bet it was crazy, the war was lost because it had the strength of the unidad.Se fought for it, but not había.Entre we had a big rivalry
"Tell me about the retreat of the last months
the war Well I was still in the Carabineros and began to cover the retreat of the army towards the NORTH we Cubans chief Jorge Agostini was that Batista had him killed here when the process we got fighters of allá.Así we reached Barcelona that he was being pocketed by the fascists and the partner that you went to see, Casimir, and to me, sent us the people of Armella.Por there could pass one with a military outfit, or Colonel or Captain or anything, that's what Jorge told us told us that
Agostini.Entonces saliésemos to Vich, then Ripoll it was the place where they were concentrating all internationalists.
was then when they joined the International Brigades in Catalonia, we were asked to aguantásemos fighting to cover the retreat of the army and civilians fleeing Francia.Se out and tried to put some order in already caos.Estabamos end of January with terrible cold, which was then dropped Barcelona and Figueras sent us climb mountains but when Figueras and behold we saw the enemy troops that were coming and had pocketed a montañas.Desbaratado ours in front of Barcelona, \u200b\u200bcame running and Moors and is ...... you know how pressed a lot, but we international respected us very much because we gave duro.Ahí gathered up a pile of people, colonels, captains, and all we had to organize the evacuación.recuerdo
the fellow who was my chief, Victor pine, police commander of 51 Battalion, which our men taken prisoner when the stampede occurred frente.Yo I went to see Hamlet of the jungle, he was there, accused of having given the front but is actually not could resist, the battalion left him at 200 hombres.El My friend told me I run out, the battery completely crushed all!. That was the offense that made the Germans who fought with Franco and then get into Francia.Despues international command ordered a retreat by Perthus.Ya had seen the French guards stuck in the mountains searching for the militants dressed in clothes like the Nazis, there were many in the French army wanted the Germans came to France as I had been a police officer and knew the mountains Casimiro said the partner, the mountain! to France to avoid those guys who were just nazis.Había Avoid these people and get to go through Perthus final Francia.Al
"As was the way to France
Senegalese there waiting for us, we disarmed and taken to the concentration camp of Saint Cyprian, we were told" Alle Alle the field, "fixed bayonets and field head to Saint Cyprian concentración.LLegamos and they took fingerprints, photographs and the whole thing we enrolásemos esa.Nos proposed in the French army because they wanted luchásemos for" freedom and egalité "in France but we told them that that freedom and that egalité! I told them I had gone to fight for something that felt for the English Republic and not for "freedom and humanité." So the Germans were already over, people said they would take France, because those people did not believe in anything, not in the "Maginot line" or anything
-In France, there were any show of support
The French people was very great, we hoped because we came in a row, marching, they gave us cigarettes, they gave us coffee, the rows and live Ropi the republic because there was a big excitement of pro- English republic, that people behaved very bien.Otra thing were the soldiers, especially the Senegalese who were barbarians
- You try to flee? Several
veces.Aquello was denigrante.A Senegalese told us we "Allé allé for field" and bread, bread and culatazo.Yo to that situation I tried to escape several times, two or three creo.Logré leave and I left, I ran away. When they entered the ranks
bringing the people I took the opportunity to escape, but that is ..... When I started to walk through the fields a guard stopped me French and I said "papiers, papiers". We had the army's role Republicans and I also had the role of Cuba and my role in the demobilization of the International Brigades, but it served to nada.Muchos Cubans were and made it to Paris and then the Embassy of Cuba pulled them out but I could not get two or three times I ran away
-fields in which he was admitted
I was in the camp of Saint Cyprian and then sent me Gurs.Allí we had a group of Cubans but most were in the field of Argeles Sur Mer
-As were the concentration camps
Just imagine living in shacks and dirt floors, in arenales.Los guarding us we were Moorish Moroccan turban eso.Allí class was raging sandstorm that blinded you had barbed wire around the perimeter, machine guns around the campo.Ya I say, a very hard thing, no water, no toilets, no nothing
"The Cubans were all united
They were in various fields, mostly in Argeles Sur Mer, but some of us sent to Saint Cyprian and Gurs was then because this was a field before we get free
"The Cubans created some songs for the guerra.Recuerda" Allé Allé Kicks "
Well yes, that was a song that was written in another field Julio Cueva partner who was a captain and musician, played trumpet and took the song that
"Remember
other songs of war and
If not, the anthem of us of the 12 Brigade which read
Twelve
Brigade flag glory Twelve
Brigade
glory and we value going up and
to victory ahead of the English people are brothers
Spain, Italy
all struggle with
equal to the death!
"How could leave France
Well when we were in the concentration camps had many internationalists who had no where to go, imagine your the Germans or the Italians, Czechs Cubans .... For us we raised the problem that could not come to Cuba because Batista was controlling the then ejercito.Fué André Marty said the Cubans had to go to Cuba.El fought in the French Parliament, was a communist and diputado.Luego the thing in Cuba began to change and became a big campaign by colleagues to take us back to Cuba and that's how we became interested in Cuba's ambassador in France named Flora Díaz Parrado and was a tremendous scoundrel . I said, You're a fascist!. It gave them a revolutionary because he fought Machado.Yo said it was not revolutionary or anything, I had to Cubans eating tins of sardines and chocolate macaroons! See how we're the Cubans here! decía.Eso it was because André Marty concentración.Pero led the field all that was because as I say that here in Cuba was very great pressure, had many supporters of the English republic that did not stop to ask for our return, were the shops that most were of English Republicans and certainly the CTC (Central de Trabajadores de Cuba) Lázaro Peña to Cuba was asked frente.En all Cubans come to Cuba! very grandes.Para demonstrations were made then the President of Cuba was Laredo Bru and colleagues talked with the government for our return so they got some money and be able to charter a boat in which we brought back from France Cuba
"Tell me about the return to Cuba
Well, the first was the lists, because we went into several groups and had to wait to be on the list to let you salir.Te called by the speakers and a little later I met a group that was taken by train to New París.De no food, old clothes from us and only with the little help they gave us the way the French colleagues of the railways . In Paris reconnect with Felix Pita Rodriguez, spent the time until it just gave us papers to travel and took us to the coast to embark for Cuba.Eso was in the port of Pallice and the ship was called "Orbita"
- Remember the reception?
bonita.Llegaba Well was a thing the ship and here we expect the family to "Sierra Maestra" (passenger terminal). There were those who were of Havana and other sites were and had to follow trip.The reception was a beautiful thing also because the party was legal and had many companions waiting
"That kind of life was to get to Cuba
Well did not work but fortunately the Blas Roca companion to all mates we arrived in Spain we wanted trabajo.Por least I got to me in the newspaper, me and Manolo Weight and partner Danilo Díaz who died of corazón.Danilo Machado was a great compañero.el worked as secretary to a fellow member of the party named Paquito del Rosal
-On his return did you have difficulties with the Cuban government?
If that seemed a thing but was stopped chasing otra.Nunca, especially me because I worked in the newspaper and when it was closed the director Anibal Escalante was the companion asked me, "Gaspar are willing to throw weekly letters?. I I said yes, so I started throwing weekly letters that it was propaganda, and of course we already prohibida.Fue then searched my house and took me preso.Lo turned everything upside down in my house but I was not a communist prisoner nada.Estuve that if you do not know how, picture ,..... I could save a casualidad.Resulta that time I lived in Peñalver low 158 and lived a man who worked in the palace and was responsible for the life of the artist Marta Hernández Miranda and protected Batista.Este man was married to a girl called Estrellita was tremendous friendship of my wife and was always in my casa.Cuandom the police did check my house found a picture of her with her husband and told my wife Do you know this man? and my wife said as not, they are like family!. Then they came for the record he said "Look at this man because the detainee where we will not salir.A led me to the" Bra. "boss there was Brown, after he was shot took me to the inside, took off my shoes, belt and put my things in a sobre.Mientras my wife spoke with the neighbor, Estrellita and said that I had been arrested for throwing weekly letters, which told him her husband to see if I could do algo.El husband was a big shot because he was in charge of keeping Batista.Luego's wife had another chance that I get because when I took before Castaño, the head of the "Bra", he was asked to take out a Diaz.Eso Gaspar came because the fellow who ordered the party to buy a piece of the "little giant" that was broken and had to pull semanales.El letters went to the Friendship Street where there was a store that was American, but to buy the piece had to say who was the printer, as it was called and all ese.Resulta that the problem did not remember either the name and Diaz.Pues Gaspar said, when Castro took me before I told him I was not Gaspar Diaz: "I'm not Gaspar Diaz, my name is Gaspar Rodríguez González "and showed him the card of sindicato.El asked if I was pulling weekly letters and I said no, but then started with the thing that I had fought in Spain which I answered yes but he was not pulling cards. It was then that he told fellow "Take a look at this and I was not pulling cards or take a week because I'll cepillar.Era tremendous Chestnut bastard that died shot.
-fighters of the English war endured" many pressures on Cuba?
Prisons and constant persecution because having been fighting in Spain, we considered peligrosos.Ya tell you that the boss of us brush Jorge Batista Agostini sent him because they knew that guy if he was left here to make people revolución.Toda of us who returned from Spain were in revolutionary activities and I like the game was because he was always the thing that
"Tell me about the triumph of the Revolution of 1959" As I live?
Well I already was somewhat higher but remained in the things of the party and the lucha.Yo was here in Havana and took part in everything that I asked partido.Despues I went to fight in Playa Girón
"Speaking of later stages in Cuba How to remember the fall of the socialist camp?
Well the fall of the socialist here ...... tough times here but we continue to adelante.A me then I took a trip to the Soviet Union by the partido.Aquello here was when Gorbachev's problem, because Gorbachev came to chemical and then the party sent a group of people and when we got there and I say What thing is the perestroika that?. Then I saw that the unions had changed, it was tremendous that, you could not buy in any store of those sales, which could buy was a speck, the souvenir and that shit.
-
returned to Spain when I was invited
If sixty aniversario.Eso was tremendous, we did many agasajos.Yo had not returned to Spain even though I got my English citizenship there, but I have it here because relic never formalized, I have not gone to the embassy to find anything
- How found to Spain?
Very good, I found a very large advance
"It means something more
I am practically an analysis, I can hardly move and I'm going .... but I am still willing to give my life for the revolution. I send greetings to the comrades who are still alive and that we forward to the end, for socialism and world peace
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