The Hemisphere: Every Man a Spy

Fidel Castro divides Cubans roughly into 1) virtuous "revolutionary" peasants and workers and 2) rich, unworthy "counter-revolutionaries"—even though many of them helped finance his revolution. Last week he told the revolutionaries that one of their major duties is to spy on the counterrevolutionaries.

"The people will watch them in the street, in the buildings, in the stores, wherever they may be," said Castro, openly calling for a nation of stool pigeons dedicated to class warfare. When a spy finds counter-revolutionaries in action, he must "go to the police station and tell on them." The bearded strongman, speaking at a gathering of commercial workers, suggested that barbers, beauticians, clerks, waiters and chauffeurs were in a particularly good position to turn in their customers. "Every servant," added Castro, "every employee of one of these rich men that attack the revolution, is a working and humble Cuban who defends the revolution and maintains his vigil." Two days later, to "hit them where it hurts, in the pocketbook," Castro's Cabinet decreed that all property of convicted "counter-revolutionaries" will be seized—as broad a license for governmental stealing as was ever written.