Episode 126 History of Cuba Havana Conference Part 1 Published Nov 06, 2022
Episode 126 is the first episode in a multiple episode wander about the epoch 1946 Havana Conference held by the Mafia on the island. The conference defined the involvement of organized crime on the island through 1959 and up to the fall of Bautista. This is part of a larger wander and a larger story tell of the history of Cuba dating all the way back to the island conquest by Spain. We have already taken you swiftly through hundreds of years of colonial rule that shaped the geopolitics of the region and defined its 20th century relationship with the United States. Now we begin to tell the story of the Mafia and its influence and control of the island that has it’s roots all the way back to the early 1920’s. In today’s episode we cover the period and events that set the stage for the Havana Conference including the original vision that Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano set forth for the island as a future haven and enclave for the mafia. We introduce you to Fulgencia Bautista who would eventually rise to become the President of Cuba in a corrupt partnership with the Meyer Lansky and the syndicate. It is here on this island nation where the story eventually converges around the modern Cubans, CIA men and the mafia. All in one place. Join us in this continuing miniseries on Cuban history as we continue to set the stage before we explore the forces that were shaping the world in that era of the twentieth century. It’s history that immerses us in the Cuban story whose politics, geography, and economic circumstances would all collide and create an epicenter of geopolitical consequences. Consequences that would intersect in a crescendo right at the moment that JFK was coming to the Presidency. Understanding the leadup and history of Cuba is critical to this part of the journey that is JFK the Enduring Secret. Enjoy! Jeff