Cuba: Deepening Split with Russia

For three days and nights, while the Central Committee meeting dragged on in Havana, all Cuba buzzed with rumors. Was Castro stepping down or taking a new title? Was he planning to launch a new guerrilla offensive in Latin America? Would he announce some dramatic new economic program—one is certainly needed—for Cuba? Finally, in a special edition, Cuba's official party newspaper, Granma, announced the news: 43 "traitors to the revolution" had been arrested and would face trial for "intrigues" and "conspiratorial actions." That alone was not too surprising under Castro's oppressive...