Cuba: Whipping the Troops into Shape

It was Fidel Castro's angriest performance since 1970, when Cuba's sugar harvest fell disastrously short of its goal. Addressing 1,800 delegates to the Cuban Communist Party's third congress, including representatives from 100 socialist countries, he vigorously and theatrically attacked rampant waste, mismanagement and indiscipline in Cuba's faltering economic system, still heavily dependent on Soviet subsidies. After two hours of a 5-hr. 40-min. marathon, Castro, 59, called an unusual half-hour recess. Precisely 30 minutes later, the Cuban dictator, who often wears two watches to be sure he is on time, strode onto the podium to continue his speech.

He found the hall...