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C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

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#atozchallenge: U is for The Untold History

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Here’s to a great AtoZ!

Join in the FUN.

This year I traveled to Cuba. You know, it’s that little island that’s spitting distance from Florida and should not be visited without special dispensation. I wanted to see it before MacDonald’s arrived. I’m so glad I did. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It seems they like us. Now there’s a change!

I’ll add a short T/F quiz to each post the same as I did last year about Burma, and I’ll post the answers to the questions the following day. 

Answers to your T/F Quiz for T


FALSE 1. Thirteen Days is obviously a U.S. view of the situation, but it’s not true that there are no other personal accounts available to draw from. The tape-recorded memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev were smuggled to the West, transcribed, and published in 1970. Later more of his side of the story was published in 1990.
TRUE 2. At one time during the crisis, a high ranking member of the USSR military in Cuba could have launched missiles at the U.S. And this was the most disturbing thing I learned. I’d never heard of the guy. He could have been a nut case with his finger on the red button. Pay attention to history. It does have some lessons for us all. 


U is for the Untold Story

Like everyone on our planet, I’ve known about Guantanamo (GITMO), but it was just a place on an island that I knew little about, except from the news. Since the Bush administration’s War on Terrorism turned it into the center for civil rights violations, I’ve heard the horror stories that will haunt our country forever. However, I didn’t know how it came to be established in the first place. Before I left on my trip, I had to find out, and so I read this book about the Untold Story. 

If you read my G post, you’ll see the mention of Theodore Roosevelt and the Spanish-American War. And if you read that post and took the quiz, you now know that the U.S. has had a permanent military base at Guantanamo since 1898. It seems the Cubans can’t get rid of us. Of course, now that Venezuela can no longer provide aide, guess who the Castros are looking to for financial support again? Let’s see the hands.

Your T/F Quiz for U
 
1. One of reasons for the continuation of the U.S. presence at GITMO, stems           from the Cold War era when we feared the Russians and their ties with               Castro.
2. Only 485 miles separate Florida from Guantanamo.

Answers tomorrow.

Comments

  14. So interesting. I don't know how many miles between Cuba and Florida, but I know it's close enough to take a boat and hopefully land on free soil and not get shipped back to the island. I need to learn more about Cuba. I might check out your book recommendation from your T post.

  20. I'm going to go with true for #1 and false for #2. I had no idea the base had been in existence for that long. And I agree with Yolanda, I think the prison is horrifying.

  21. When did we become Nazi's? Sigh. Can torture ever be condoned? If we knew that a silent terrorist had the information that would save the lives of countless children, would we ever resort to torture? Tough call.

  24. I find it horrid that we have a prison on Gitmo, seems like a place for horrible things to happen. Figures our version is a bit once sided, but to know someone could have blown us up, doesn't sit well either. Wow!

  27. Hi Lee – so interesting … and in due course I shall learn more once my wandering god-daughter returns. I think I noted the base had been captured by the Americans from the Spanish back in the 1800s … but now you tell me again – that must be so.

    The distance is shorter … because people couldn't get over 485 miles of ocean … or sea …

    So both are not true exactly … I have to say I hadn't realised Havana was half way round the island … or where Guantanamo was … til you started your A-Z … cheers Hilary

  29. I've loved reading about Cuba and its history, even though it's unpleasant at times. I'm still reading my book with a cocktail in the square 🙂

  32. I'm going to say that the first one is true and the second one is false. I believe Cuba is separated from Miami by 90 miles but I am not sure how far the bay is inland.

    Visiting from the A to Z Blog Challenge.

    Shalom,
    Patricia @ EverythingMustChange