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1
00:00:21,322 --> 00:00:26,127
The execution set for
the evening of March 11, 1961,
2
00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:30,864
was in many ways unremarkable.
3
00:00:30,898 --> 00:00:35,203
More than 200 had taken place
at Havana's La Cabaña prison
4
00:00:35,236 --> 00:00:37,138
in the previous two years.
5
00:00:40,374 --> 00:00:42,576
Waiting in his cell,
6
00:00:42,610 --> 00:00:44,478
the prisoner could hear
the approaching car
7
00:00:44,512 --> 00:00:46,480
that would take him
to his death.
8
00:00:54,288 --> 00:00:56,824
William Morgan
had cut a dashing figure
9
00:00:56,857 --> 00:00:58,992
fighting in Fidel Castro's
revolution.
10
00:01:01,262 --> 00:01:03,797
Featured in publications
around the world,
11
00:01:03,831 --> 00:01:07,268
the mysterious Americano
transformed himself
12
00:01:07,301 --> 00:01:10,304
into a celebrity:
13
00:01:10,338 --> 00:01:12,240
the American Comandante.
14
00:01:15,075 --> 00:01:16,810
How does it happen that
15
00:01:16,844 --> 00:01:19,580
you haven't offered
a diary for sale?
16
00:01:19,613 --> 00:01:24,618
I don't believe that you should
cash in on your ideals.
17
00:01:24,652 --> 00:01:26,420
Morgan is a classic example
18
00:01:26,454 --> 00:01:30,191
of the American myth
of reinvention--
19
00:01:30,224 --> 00:01:32,460
that you can shed your history
20
00:01:32,493 --> 00:01:36,964
and reinvent yourself
and become somebody.
21
00:01:39,900 --> 00:01:44,872
I found in him
what I had looked for in life.
22
00:01:44,905 --> 00:01:48,542
And I think
he also found it in me.
23
00:01:48,576 --> 00:01:52,646
We loved each other intensely.
24
00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,316
I cannot erase his memory
from my heart
25
00:01:55,349 --> 00:01:57,985
and my respect for him.
26
00:01:58,018 --> 00:02:03,591
"Dear Mom, I want you know that
I have been prepared for this
27
00:02:03,624 --> 00:02:07,528
"as long as I have been
in prison.
28
00:02:07,561 --> 00:02:13,534
For after all, it is not
when a man dies, but how."
29
00:02:13,567 --> 00:02:19,407
From the time he gets
into the death car
30
00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,243
to the time the death car
delivers him to the dry moat,
31
00:02:22,276 --> 00:02:24,278
he is praying.
32
00:02:24,312 --> 00:02:30,718
He refuses to be blindfolded,
and he refuses to be handcuffed.
33
00:02:30,751 --> 00:02:32,586
After the priest
starts to leave,
34
00:02:32,620 --> 00:02:36,924
he says, "Father, wait,"
and he takes a rosary off
35
00:02:36,957 --> 00:02:39,327
and gives the rosary
to the priest.
36
00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:41,462
And at that point in time,
he steps back.
37
00:02:57,010 --> 00:03:02,216
In 1942, the circus came
to Toledo, Ohio.
38
00:03:04,552 --> 00:03:08,322
Alexander Morgan captured
the excitement in a short film
39
00:03:08,356 --> 00:03:10,624
with his son as protagonist.
40
00:03:20,100 --> 00:03:21,769
The spectacle
must have triggered
41
00:03:21,802 --> 00:03:24,338
what Loretta Morgan called
her son's "vivid imagination."
42
00:03:29,209 --> 00:03:35,683
A year later, 14-year-old Billy
ran off to join the circus.
43
00:03:35,716 --> 00:03:39,387
He was someone who, from when
he was a very little kid,
44
00:03:39,420 --> 00:03:42,590
always dreamed
of becoming somebody.
45
00:03:42,623 --> 00:03:44,992
He had these almost
interior fictions
46
00:03:45,025 --> 00:03:47,094
that he wanted to kind of will
into reality.
47
00:03:47,127 --> 00:03:53,033
His father found him in Chicago
and brought him home to Toledo.
48
00:03:56,770 --> 00:03:59,507
He was not like most kids.
49
00:03:59,540 --> 00:04:02,042
He was rambunctious.
50
00:04:02,075 --> 00:04:04,077
He was impetuous.
51
00:04:04,111 --> 00:04:05,413
You couldn't tether him.
52
00:04:05,446 --> 00:04:07,180
You couldn't tie him.
53
00:04:16,524 --> 00:04:18,859
William Morgan
grew up in a family
54
00:04:18,892 --> 00:04:20,361
where there was discipline
55
00:04:20,394 --> 00:04:22,730
and where there was
expectations.
56
00:04:22,763 --> 00:04:27,267
His father was an engineer,
master's degree.
57
00:04:27,301 --> 00:04:30,137
His mother was a bright lady.
58
00:04:30,170 --> 00:04:32,005
Known as Miss Cathedral
59
00:04:32,039 --> 00:04:34,742
for her good works
at the local Catholic church,
60
00:04:34,775 --> 00:04:36,844
Loretta Morgan was more
forgiving of Billy,
61
00:04:36,877 --> 00:04:41,315
waiting patiently for him
to straighten out.
62
00:04:41,349 --> 00:04:44,685
Every time he was in trouble,
63
00:04:44,718 --> 00:04:46,454
she was there for him.
64
00:04:46,487 --> 00:04:48,822
Even the times
when the father, Alexander,
65
00:04:48,856 --> 00:04:50,824
would want to impose
harsh discipline,
66
00:04:50,858 --> 00:04:54,362
she would intercede.
67
00:04:54,395 --> 00:04:56,730
He was raised a Catholic boy.
68
00:04:56,764 --> 00:05:00,868
He was born with these values,
69
00:05:00,901 --> 00:05:03,170
but he was always at war to
some degree with these values.
70
00:05:03,203 --> 00:05:04,672
But they were always there.
71
00:05:04,705 --> 00:05:08,308
By the time William
entered high school,
72
00:05:08,342 --> 00:05:10,411
he had been in trouble
with the law
73
00:05:10,444 --> 00:05:12,846
and thrown out of two schools.
74
00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:15,749
He quit in his first year
75
00:05:15,783 --> 00:05:19,587
and enrolled
in the merchant marine.
76
00:05:19,620 --> 00:05:23,256
He gets mixed up
with thugs and hoodlums
77
00:05:23,290 --> 00:05:25,993
on the Toledo docks
in the waterfront.
78
00:05:26,026 --> 00:05:28,829
Toledo had a very developed
79
00:05:28,862 --> 00:05:32,700
underworld of people
who were connected to the mafia,
80
00:05:32,733 --> 00:05:34,702
of people who were gangsters.
81
00:05:34,735 --> 00:05:37,771
And he touches that world.
82
00:05:40,774 --> 00:05:44,311
In 1946, on his 18th birthday,
83
00:05:44,344 --> 00:05:45,779
Morgan joined the army
84
00:05:45,813 --> 00:05:50,551
and shipped off
to occupied Japan.
85
00:05:50,584 --> 00:05:55,756
SHETTERLY:
He meets a Japanese woman,
gets involved with her,
86
00:05:55,789 --> 00:06:01,161
goes AWOL, gets caught,
gets put in the brig,
87
00:06:01,194 --> 00:06:04,097
and then does something that
most of the soldiers didn't do,
88
00:06:04,131 --> 00:06:06,900
which was overpower the guard
and escape from the brig.
89
00:06:10,504 --> 00:06:13,106
NARRATOR:
Morgan was dishonorably
discharged
90
00:06:13,140 --> 00:06:16,710
and sentenced to five years
of hard labor.
91
00:06:16,744 --> 00:06:19,413
He served three years
in a federal prison,
92
00:06:19,447 --> 00:06:21,348
then returned home.
93
00:06:24,284 --> 00:06:29,457
GRANN:
His family had quintessential
Midwestern patriotic values,
94
00:06:29,490 --> 00:06:32,593
and the idea that he would be
dishonorably discharged
95
00:06:32,626 --> 00:06:34,562
produces a deep shame
in his family,
96
00:06:34,595 --> 00:06:36,396
and a deep shame
that he feels as well.
97
00:06:36,430 --> 00:06:40,067
NARRATOR:
"I sincerely want him
to a be a boy
98
00:06:40,100 --> 00:06:42,169
that I can justify
being proud of,"
99
00:06:42,202 --> 00:06:44,104
Loretta Morgan said,
100
00:06:44,137 --> 00:06:46,807
"not one to hang my head
in shame
101
00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:49,577
for having given him birth."
102
00:06:52,079 --> 00:06:55,382
(birds calling)
103
00:06:55,415 --> 00:06:58,151
As an ex-con and army deserter,
104
00:06:58,185 --> 00:07:05,759
Morgan had few opportunities
to remake his life in Toledo.
105
00:07:05,793 --> 00:07:09,129
The only place he could really
get a job was with the mob.
106
00:07:11,431 --> 00:07:13,734
He was a driver, a runner,
107
00:07:13,767 --> 00:07:16,470
a lookout for their
gambling houses.
108
00:07:16,504 --> 00:07:20,073
He was tough,
he was a pretty good shot,
109
00:07:20,107 --> 00:07:21,742
and they needed people like him.
110
00:07:21,775 --> 00:07:23,877
They needed street soldiers.
111
00:07:23,911 --> 00:07:26,714
So Billy Morgan
could fill the bill.
112
00:07:29,116 --> 00:07:32,720
NARRATOR:
Once again, he left town
and joined a circus.
113
00:07:32,753 --> 00:07:36,490
He became a fire eater,
married a snake charmer,
114
00:07:36,524 --> 00:07:39,493
and with her had two children.
115
00:07:39,527 --> 00:07:43,130
"In those days,"
Morgan later said,
116
00:07:43,163 --> 00:07:45,966
"I was a nobody."
117
00:07:45,999 --> 00:07:51,739
In 1954, at age 26,
he settled down in Miami,
118
00:07:51,772 --> 00:07:54,508
where he found work
as a clown and bouncer
119
00:07:54,542 --> 00:07:56,844
at a famous nightclub.
120
00:07:56,877 --> 00:07:59,246
It was there that William Morgan
121
00:07:59,279 --> 00:08:04,317
first heard of a revolt
on the island of Cuba.
122
00:08:04,351 --> 00:08:05,853
(people shouting)
123
00:08:05,886 --> 00:08:09,823
Two years earlier,
General Fulgencio Batista
124
00:08:09,857 --> 00:08:12,225
had seized power on the eve
of a presidential election.
125
00:08:14,895 --> 00:08:17,030
Miami became the center
of opposition to Batista,
126
00:08:17,064 --> 00:08:22,035
beginning to crystalize around
a charismatic young lawyer.
127
00:08:22,069 --> 00:08:25,038
(speaking Spanish)
128
00:08:25,072 --> 00:08:30,277
SALLAH:
Fidel Castro is leading a drive
to raise money for a revolution.
129
00:08:30,310 --> 00:08:34,114
Batista is the target.
130
00:08:34,147 --> 00:08:35,415
They want him out.
131
00:08:35,448 --> 00:08:36,684
They want a free Cuba.
132
00:08:36,717 --> 00:08:40,588
All of the sudden,
William Morgan gets captivated
133
00:08:40,621 --> 00:08:44,324
by these young men
who are risking their lives,
134
00:08:44,357 --> 00:08:46,193
telling William
these great stories
135
00:08:46,226 --> 00:08:49,697
of going back and
fighting in this revolution.
136
00:08:49,730 --> 00:08:56,369
Then he gets an offer
to help smuggle arms into Cuba.
137
00:08:56,403 --> 00:08:58,505
Many of these guns
were army surplus.
138
00:08:58,538 --> 00:09:02,042
They were snatched up by the mob
and they were sent down to Cuba.
139
00:09:02,075 --> 00:09:05,445
SHETTERLY:
He really wanted to be
a soldier.
140
00:09:05,478 --> 00:09:07,715
He was 30 years old
141
00:09:07,748 --> 00:09:10,851
and probably wasn't going
to get another chance,
142
00:09:10,884 --> 00:09:13,420
and certainly not
with the U.S. army.
143
00:09:13,453 --> 00:09:17,324
And so I think he saw this
as an opportunity to go fight,
144
00:09:17,357 --> 00:09:20,894
to become part of something
and attach himself to something
145
00:09:20,928 --> 00:09:23,831
that seemed important
and seemed exciting.
146
00:09:23,864 --> 00:09:28,201
NARRATOR:
Morgan's journey
to join the Cuban revolution
147
00:09:28,235 --> 00:09:34,608
began with a lie told to a group
of young exiles in Miami.
148
00:09:37,277 --> 00:09:40,881
SALLAH:
He tells them that he had
a friend from the army
149
00:09:40,914 --> 00:09:43,216
that he had fought
in the Korean War with.
150
00:09:43,250 --> 00:09:44,985
Of course, Morgan was never
in the Korean War.
151
00:09:45,018 --> 00:09:48,021
This man had saved
Morgan's life,
152
00:09:48,055 --> 00:09:52,459
and during a trip to Cuba,
153
00:09:52,492 --> 00:09:55,562
when this man was smuggling guns
to Cuba, he was caught,
154
00:09:55,595 --> 00:09:58,799
and he was killed
by Batista's guards
155
00:09:58,832 --> 00:10:01,501
and he was fed to the sharks.
156
00:10:01,534 --> 00:10:06,173
And Morgan was going to avenge
his friend Jack Turner's life.
157
00:10:09,076 --> 00:10:13,681
NARRATOR:
In late December, Morgan
abandoned his wife and children
158
00:10:13,714 --> 00:10:17,584
and headed to Havana.
159
00:10:17,617 --> 00:10:20,854
Fidel Castro
was now leading the revolution
160
00:10:20,888 --> 00:10:25,425
from the Sierra Maestra
mountains in eastern Cuba.
161
00:10:25,458 --> 00:10:28,295
Morgan wanted to fight
with Castro,
162
00:10:28,328 --> 00:10:30,197
but his camp was too far
163
00:10:30,230 --> 00:10:33,266
and the roads were crawling
with Batista's soldiers.
164
00:10:33,300 --> 00:10:37,237
His contact in Cuba suggested
an alternative.
165
00:10:39,639 --> 00:10:42,109
Halfway between the city
of Havana
166
00:10:42,142 --> 00:10:44,444
and Castro's Sierra Maestra,
167
00:10:44,477 --> 00:10:46,914
in a mountain range
called the Escambray,
168
00:10:46,947 --> 00:10:50,918
a new guerrilla group
was coming together.
169
00:10:50,951 --> 00:10:57,424
William Morgan arrived
at their camp in January 1958.
170
00:10:57,457 --> 00:11:04,264
EVELIO MARTINEZ (translated):
3:00 in the afternoon,
that's when he arrived.
171
00:11:04,297 --> 00:11:09,803
This American who couldn't speak
Spanish at all.
172
00:11:09,837 --> 00:11:12,940
ROGER REDONDO (translated):
He was fat.
173
00:11:12,973 --> 00:11:15,909
Not at all the William
that he later became.
174
00:11:15,943 --> 00:11:18,979
He weighed more than 200 pounds.
175
00:11:19,012 --> 00:11:21,648
No one thought
he would last with us.
176
00:11:21,681 --> 00:11:24,217
Everyone wanted him gone,
177
00:11:24,251 --> 00:11:27,287
and they made his life
difficult.
178
00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:29,422
SALLAH:
They were gonna
kind of torture him
179
00:11:29,456 --> 00:11:32,826
for the first several days
of his entre there.
180
00:11:32,860 --> 00:11:34,361
And he gets in there,
181
00:11:34,394 --> 00:11:37,230
and he starts running
up and down the hills.
182
00:11:37,264 --> 00:11:39,299
He's got sores
all over his body.
183
00:11:39,332 --> 00:11:41,769
He's huffing and puffing.
184
00:11:41,802 --> 00:11:45,305
He's frustrated, he's mad.
185
00:11:45,338 --> 00:11:49,209
NARRATOR:
Morgan was taken to see
Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo,
186
00:11:49,242 --> 00:11:51,879
a 23-year-old
former student leader
187
00:11:51,912 --> 00:11:56,149
who now commanded
the Escambray Second Front.
188
00:11:56,183 --> 00:11:58,485
Fidel Castro
and his 26th of July movement
189
00:11:58,518 --> 00:12:02,589
wasn't the only group that had
risen up against Batista.
190
00:12:02,622 --> 00:12:04,591
There were other groups.
191
00:12:04,624 --> 00:12:07,127
And Menoyo's Second National
Front of the Escambray
192
00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:10,430
was one of the other
really important groups.
193
00:12:10,463 --> 00:12:13,801
NARRATOR:
"Fighting requires more than
firing a rifle,"
194
00:12:13,834 --> 00:12:15,803
Morgan told Menoyo.
195
00:12:15,836 --> 00:12:18,906
He offered to teach
the inexperienced guerillas
196
00:12:18,939 --> 00:12:21,674
what he had learned in the army.
197
00:12:25,178 --> 00:12:27,214
REDONDO (translated):
He built this scaffolding,
198
00:12:27,247 --> 00:12:29,216
same training he received
in the American army.
199
00:12:29,249 --> 00:12:32,585
And he started teaching people
martial arts
200
00:12:32,619 --> 00:12:35,923
and how to throw knives.
201
00:12:35,956 --> 00:12:40,593
He had an incredible ability
with knives.
202
00:12:40,627 --> 00:12:42,863
He would throw them
203
00:12:42,896 --> 00:12:46,166
and hit a little line
he'd drawn on a tree.
204
00:12:46,199 --> 00:12:49,002
Later, I found out he learned it
at the circus.
205
00:12:55,008 --> 00:12:58,979
NARRATOR:
In the mountains,
Morgan soon found his place.
206
00:12:59,012 --> 00:13:05,185
He was no longer a mobster,
an ex-con, a circus act.
207
00:13:05,218 --> 00:13:07,720
GRANN:
He wants to get away
from his past.
208
00:13:07,754 --> 00:13:09,089
And he kind of,
209
00:13:09,122 --> 00:13:11,191
through demonstration
and through proof and loyalty,
210
00:13:11,224 --> 00:13:12,692
gets accepted.
211
00:13:12,725 --> 00:13:14,227
They don't know who he is,
212
00:13:14,261 --> 00:13:15,695
and in the end, they're like,
"It doesn't really matter.
213
00:13:15,728 --> 00:13:17,197
"He's one of us.
214
00:13:17,230 --> 00:13:18,365
"He's fighting for us,
he's willing to bleed for us,
215
00:13:18,398 --> 00:13:19,499
he's willing to die for us."
216
00:13:24,671 --> 00:13:26,639
NARRATOR:
Morgan's life
as a guerilla fighter
217
00:13:26,673 --> 00:13:30,343
began inauspiciously
with a misunderstanding.
218
00:13:30,377 --> 00:13:36,516
SALLAH:
Menoyo gives orders
not to fire
219
00:13:36,549 --> 00:13:39,019
on the six soldiers
that they see
220
00:13:39,052 --> 00:13:41,721
coming up the side of a gulley.
221
00:13:41,754 --> 00:13:43,723
And he doesn't understand
the order,
222
00:13:43,756 --> 00:13:45,192
so he fires on them.
223
00:13:45,225 --> 00:13:47,961
(gunshots)
224
00:13:47,995 --> 00:13:50,998
NARRATOR:
Morgan's shot revealed
the group's position.
225
00:13:51,031 --> 00:13:54,634
(rapid gunfire)
226
00:13:54,667 --> 00:13:57,971
Batista's army gave chase,
forcing the Second Front
227
00:13:58,005 --> 00:14:03,610
into a long trek across
the rugged mountain range.
228
00:14:03,643 --> 00:14:07,747
ARMANDO FLEITES (translated):
Men bond in combat:
229
00:14:07,780 --> 00:14:09,482
going hungry,
230
00:14:09,516 --> 00:14:11,784
facing danger.
231
00:14:11,818 --> 00:14:15,088
There was a certain affinity
among all of us,
232
00:14:15,122 --> 00:14:16,656
including William Morgan,
233
00:14:16,689 --> 00:14:22,029
with a tremendous spirit--
a spirit of sacrifice.
234
00:14:28,535 --> 00:14:31,204
NARRATOR:
A few days into the march,
235
00:14:31,238 --> 00:14:34,741
Morgan's time as a fighter
almost came to an end
236
00:14:34,774 --> 00:14:39,980
when 200 soldiers caught up
with the guerillas.
237
00:14:40,013 --> 00:14:44,884
GRANN:
They suddenly realize that
they're in deep trouble.
238
00:14:44,918 --> 00:14:48,488
Morgan helps come up
with some of the tactics.
239
00:14:48,521 --> 00:14:50,490
He helps them form
into a U-formation
240
00:14:50,523 --> 00:14:52,292
to hide behind a ridge.
241
00:14:56,829 --> 00:14:59,532
Then Morgan at one point
kind of stands up,
242
00:14:59,566 --> 00:15:03,103
and they kind of see
this crazy white dude
243
00:15:03,136 --> 00:15:06,373
with blue eyes and scraggly hair
running forward,
244
00:15:06,406 --> 00:15:09,709
and it really bolsters them.
245
00:15:09,742 --> 00:15:13,981
And in that moment,
they are able to prevail.
246
00:15:14,014 --> 00:15:16,283
(translated):
It was the first time
247
00:15:16,316 --> 00:15:19,419
the peasants saw
that we could beat the army,
248
00:15:19,452 --> 00:15:22,155
and that gave us
extraordinary prestige.
249
00:15:22,189 --> 00:15:25,959
I consider it
one of the decisive battles
250
00:15:25,993 --> 00:15:28,161
of the Escambray war.
251
00:15:28,195 --> 00:15:31,831
Had we lost, the Second Front
would not have survived
252
00:15:33,933 --> 00:15:35,969
GRANN:
It was a critical moment
for Morgan
253
00:15:36,003 --> 00:15:37,937
being accepted within the group
254
00:15:37,971 --> 00:15:40,907
and really slowly, gradually,
emerging as a leader.
255
00:15:48,781 --> 00:15:52,352
NARRATOR:
July 1958.
256
00:15:52,385 --> 00:15:55,455
"Dear Mom,
this will be the first letter
257
00:15:55,488 --> 00:15:59,092
"that I have written to you
since I left in December.
258
00:15:59,126 --> 00:16:02,629
"I know you neither approve
nor understand why I am here,
259
00:16:02,662 --> 00:16:05,832
"even though you are
the one person in the world
260
00:16:05,865 --> 00:16:09,436
who understands me."
261
00:16:09,469 --> 00:16:13,440
Loretta Morgan first learned
of her son's Cuban exploits
262
00:16:13,473 --> 00:16:16,543
in a New York Times story
about the Second Front
263
00:16:16,576 --> 00:16:21,681
and the mysterious American
fighting in their midst.
264
00:16:21,714 --> 00:16:24,551
"The whole point of this letter
265
00:16:24,584 --> 00:16:28,421
"is to let you know
why I fight here.
266
00:16:28,455 --> 00:16:30,290
"I am here with men and boys
267
00:16:30,323 --> 00:16:32,725
"who fight for a freedom
for their country
268
00:16:32,759 --> 00:16:36,129
that we as Americans
take for granted."
269
00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:43,970
SALLAH:
He witnesses
a series of atrocities
270
00:16:44,003 --> 00:16:47,774
that really moved him.
271
00:16:47,807 --> 00:16:50,009
They get called
to this small town.
272
00:16:50,043 --> 00:16:52,745
By then, Batista's soldiers
had already been there.
273
00:16:52,779 --> 00:16:59,186
EVELIO MARTINEZ (translated):
Batista's soldiers had come up
the river to these houses.
274
00:16:59,219 --> 00:17:02,722
They assassinated the women.
275
00:17:02,755 --> 00:17:05,458
They cut the lips off the face
of one of them.
276
00:17:05,492 --> 00:17:09,762
And they burned
more than 11 houses.
277
00:17:12,632 --> 00:17:14,367
SALLAH:
At the end of the day,
278
00:17:14,401 --> 00:17:20,873
Morgan had seen something
that really cut him to his core.
279
00:17:20,907 --> 00:17:22,975
And he realized
for the first time,
280
00:17:23,009 --> 00:17:24,277
"This isn't about me.
281
00:17:24,311 --> 00:17:25,778
This is about them."
282
00:17:28,014 --> 00:17:33,320
NARRATOR:
"I do not expect you to approve,
but I believe you understand.
283
00:17:33,353 --> 00:17:35,522
"And if it should happen
that I die here,
284
00:17:35,555 --> 00:17:38,891
"you will know it was not
for foolish fancy,
285
00:17:38,925 --> 00:17:41,761
or as dad would say,
a pipe dream."
286
00:17:45,198 --> 00:17:48,435
GRANN:
I do think that is,
without question,
287
00:17:48,468 --> 00:17:50,570
a beginning of a profound change
in Morgan.
288
00:17:50,603 --> 00:17:51,904
I don't think it happens
overnight.
289
00:17:51,938 --> 00:17:53,173
It doesn't happen in a week.
290
00:17:53,206 --> 00:17:56,209
But you could see a steady
progression and change,
291
00:17:56,243 --> 00:17:59,612
a deepening of his character.
292
00:18:03,650 --> 00:18:09,088
OLGA MARTINEZ (translated):
I saw that all the peasants
loved and respected him,
293
00:18:09,122 --> 00:18:11,924
and that filled my mind
and my heart.
294
00:18:11,958 --> 00:18:13,393
In the mountains,
295
00:18:13,426 --> 00:18:18,365
I saw a wonderful man
standing in front of me.
296
00:18:20,467 --> 00:18:23,970
NARRATOR:
Olga Rodriguez fell in love
with William Morgan
297
00:18:24,003 --> 00:18:27,106
in the summer of 1958.
298
00:18:27,140 --> 00:18:31,278
A student activist from
the nearby city of Santa Clara,
299
00:18:31,311 --> 00:18:33,580
she had fled to the Escambray
300
00:18:33,613 --> 00:18:38,050
just ahead of Batista's
secret police.
301
00:18:38,084 --> 00:18:43,055
(people shouting)
302
00:18:43,089 --> 00:18:46,058
OLGA MARTINEZ (translated):
They were going to kill me,
as they had so many others.
303
00:18:46,092 --> 00:18:47,460
We were students.
304
00:18:47,494 --> 00:18:51,431
We had to defend our country.
305
00:18:51,464 --> 00:18:53,933
We would go out on the streets
to protest,
306
00:18:53,966 --> 00:18:55,768
yelling,
"We don't want dictators.
307
00:18:55,802 --> 00:18:57,069
"We don't want Batista.
308
00:18:57,103 --> 00:19:00,473
We want the constitution."
309
00:19:00,507 --> 00:19:04,076
NARRATOR:
Rodriguez was the first woman
310
00:19:04,110 --> 00:19:06,879
to join the Second Front
guerillas.
311
00:19:06,913 --> 00:19:09,316
The second of six children,
312
00:19:09,349 --> 00:19:15,188
she had grown up in a family
poor enough to know hunger.
313
00:19:15,222 --> 00:19:20,293
(translated):
At our house, it was a plate
of cornmeal for the entire day
314
00:19:20,327 --> 00:19:23,530
because my parents made
so little money.
315
00:19:23,563 --> 00:19:27,867
From the time I was little,
I helped my mother.
316
00:19:27,900 --> 00:19:31,938
I used to clean a house
for seven pesos a month
317
00:19:31,971 --> 00:19:35,275
after school.
318
00:19:35,308 --> 00:19:38,311
She is the one that brings him
that message of social justice,
319
00:19:38,345 --> 00:19:39,946
of making a difference
320
00:19:39,979 --> 00:19:43,182
in the lives
of poverty-stricken Cubans.
321
00:19:43,216 --> 00:19:49,422
And he hears it in a way
that he hadn't heard it yet.
322
00:19:55,061 --> 00:19:58,130
NARRATOR:
By the fall of 1958,
323
00:19:58,164 --> 00:20:02,302
the fighting in the Escambray
was favoring the rebels.
324
00:20:05,104 --> 00:20:07,874
In one year,
the Second Front had grown
325
00:20:07,907 --> 00:20:10,677
from a handful of guerillas
326
00:20:10,710 --> 00:20:13,746
to an army of more than
500 men and women
327
00:20:13,780 --> 00:20:17,149
that controlled one-third
of Cuba's largest province,
328
00:20:17,183 --> 00:20:19,085
Las Villas.
329
00:20:22,154 --> 00:20:27,794
William Morgan, now a comandante
and Menoyo's second-in-command,
330
00:20:27,827 --> 00:20:31,664
had not lost a single battle.
331
00:20:31,698 --> 00:20:36,269
(translated):
He had charisma as a leader,
and he was exceptionally brave.
332
00:20:36,303 --> 00:20:40,273
He commanded a guerilla group
he called "The Tigers,"
333
00:20:40,307 --> 00:20:45,712
and the Tigritos adored
William Morgan.
334
00:20:45,745 --> 00:20:48,381
LILLIAN GUERRA:
They have a tremendous degree
of confidence in themselves.
335
00:20:48,415 --> 00:20:53,920
They know how to engage
in encounters with the military,
336
00:20:53,953 --> 00:20:56,989
and they know how to win.
337
00:20:57,023 --> 00:20:59,859
They do become extraordinarily
successful against all odds
338
00:20:59,892 --> 00:21:01,494
by the end of this.
339
00:21:01,528 --> 00:21:06,599
(gunfire)
340
00:21:06,633 --> 00:21:10,703
EVELIO MARTINEZ (translated):
In every battle I was with him,
and there were many,
341
00:21:10,737 --> 00:21:13,873
I always had the image
of a man of great discipline
342
00:21:13,906 --> 00:21:17,444
who had to be obeyed.
343
00:21:17,477 --> 00:21:23,115
NARRATOR:
To the east, Fidel Castro's
26th of July guerillas
344
00:21:23,149 --> 00:21:25,452
had secured their own territory.
345
00:21:25,485 --> 00:21:27,487
Castro asked Che Guevara,
346
00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:29,489
an Argentinian who was
his second-in-command,
347
00:21:29,522 --> 00:21:32,124
to extend the war west
348
00:21:32,158 --> 00:21:35,261
and bring the Second Front
under Castro's control.
349
00:21:37,930 --> 00:21:40,500
They didn't really need
the 26th of July's help
350
00:21:40,533 --> 00:21:42,001
in the Escambray.
351
00:21:42,034 --> 00:21:43,870
They were fighting
their own war,
352
00:21:43,903 --> 00:21:45,472
and they were doing
a pretty good job of it.
353
00:21:45,505 --> 00:21:47,807
But here comes Che.
354
00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:52,244
It's October 1958,
and Che wants to take over.
355
00:21:52,278 --> 00:21:56,115
NARRATOR:
As he entered the territory
of the Second Front,
356
00:21:56,148 --> 00:21:58,284
Che Guevara was captured
357
00:21:58,317 --> 00:22:01,788
and brought to their
headquarters at gunpoint.
358
00:22:04,190 --> 00:22:05,792
It would take weeks
359
00:22:05,825 --> 00:22:08,461
for Eloy Gutiérrez Menoyo
and Che Guevara
360
00:22:08,495 --> 00:22:11,631
to agree to an operational pact.
361
00:22:11,664 --> 00:22:13,700
Guevara would take Santa Clara
362
00:22:13,733 --> 00:22:16,836
and Morgan would take
Cienfuegos.
363
00:22:16,869 --> 00:22:20,440
But a rift now existed
between Castro
364
00:22:20,473 --> 00:22:25,678
and those loyal to Menoyo,
including William Morgan.
365
00:22:30,249 --> 00:22:34,220
The time is now 2:30
Wednesday morning,
366
00:22:34,253 --> 00:22:37,457
the place is the city square
of Cienfuegos.
367
00:22:37,490 --> 00:22:39,726
(speaking Spanish)
368
00:22:39,759 --> 00:22:43,463
Fidel Castro has been speaking
for over an hour.
369
00:22:43,496 --> 00:22:45,632
He will probably speak
for another hour,
370
00:22:45,665 --> 00:22:48,501
or perhaps even more.
371
00:22:48,535 --> 00:22:53,940
(people cheering)
372
00:22:53,973 --> 00:22:58,645
NARRATOR:
On January 2, 1959,
Fidel Castro's victory caravan
373
00:22:58,678 --> 00:23:02,348
began to make its way
across Cuba.
374
00:23:02,381 --> 00:23:04,884
Batista had fled
two days earlier.
375
00:23:04,917 --> 00:23:08,821
And by the time Castro arrived
in Cienfuegos,
376
00:23:08,855 --> 00:23:11,290
Morgan and his men
had taken the city.
377
00:23:14,193 --> 00:23:15,995
I heard you say
a moment ago
378
00:23:16,028 --> 00:23:18,264
that you're going to feed
the entire city of Cienfuegos.
379
00:23:18,297 --> 00:23:19,799
What's the story on that?
380
00:23:19,832 --> 00:23:22,368
Well, we're feeding
the entire city of Cienfuegos.
381
00:23:22,401 --> 00:23:24,771
There isn't
any food supplies.
382
00:23:24,804 --> 00:23:27,239
They're starting to move
because of the general strike
383
00:23:27,273 --> 00:23:30,176
and because of the bad condition
of the roads
384
00:23:30,209 --> 00:23:31,944
after we blew up
the bridges.
385
00:23:31,978 --> 00:23:34,146
Bill, you've only been married
for about a month now.
386
00:23:34,180 --> 00:23:36,883
How did you happen
to meet your wife?
387
00:23:36,916 --> 00:23:39,151
Well, she came up
to the mountains running
388
00:23:39,185 --> 00:23:42,154
with the secret police
behind her.
389
00:23:42,188 --> 00:23:45,825
She was working
in the revolutionary movement,
390
00:23:45,858 --> 00:23:48,127
put a couple of bombs
down into the city,
391
00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:50,329
and the secret police wanted
to take off her head.
392
00:23:50,362 --> 00:23:52,599
So she came up here
and worked as my secretary,
393
00:23:52,632 --> 00:23:55,535
and then from there,
why, we got married.
394
00:23:55,568 --> 00:23:57,770
SALLAH:
Olga was actually getting upset
395
00:23:57,804 --> 00:23:59,539
because he wasn't spending
any time with her.
396
00:23:59,572 --> 00:24:01,173
But he couldn't.
397
00:24:01,207 --> 00:24:04,143
He took a very real,
serious mission
398
00:24:04,176 --> 00:24:06,846
when he took on Cienfuegos
to keep order.
399
00:24:06,879 --> 00:24:09,549
And he took great pride in that.
400
00:24:09,582 --> 00:24:12,519
NARRATOR:
Morgan had not slept for days,
401
00:24:12,552 --> 00:24:14,386
and after a year
in the mountains,
402
00:24:14,420 --> 00:24:19,526
he was looking forward, he said,
"To a shave and a long sleep."
403
00:24:19,559 --> 00:24:22,461
GRANN:
It's a very American notion
404
00:24:22,495 --> 00:24:25,732
that you can shed your history
and reinvent yourself.
405
00:24:25,765 --> 00:24:28,267
When he comes down
from the mountains
406
00:24:28,300 --> 00:24:30,903
and people are touching him,
he's astonished.
407
00:24:30,937 --> 00:24:32,572
He feels this enormous emotion.
408
00:24:32,605 --> 00:24:34,841
They don't care
about who he was.
409
00:24:34,874 --> 00:24:36,442
They don't care who he was
410
00:24:36,475 --> 00:24:39,011
back when he was running
with the mob in Toledo.
411
00:24:39,045 --> 00:24:41,013
You know,
none of that matters anymore.
412
00:24:41,047 --> 00:24:42,782
He gets a call
from his hometown paper,
413
00:24:42,815 --> 00:24:44,350
The Toledo Blade.
414
00:24:44,383 --> 00:24:46,018
And that's probably,
415
00:24:46,052 --> 00:24:48,655
for him, that's the call
he'd been waiting for
416
00:24:48,688 --> 00:24:53,492
because now he has a chance
to show his parents, "I made it.
417
00:24:53,526 --> 00:24:55,862
Look what I am right now."
418
00:24:59,098 --> 00:25:02,569
(people cheering)
419
00:25:02,602 --> 00:25:09,175
NARRATOR:
Fidel Castro entered Havana
on January 8, 1959,
420
00:25:09,208 --> 00:25:11,744
to thunderous acclaim.
421
00:25:11,778 --> 00:25:15,715
He had promised a return
to democracy, free elections,
422
00:25:15,748 --> 00:25:21,387
and respect
for individual freedoms.
423
00:25:21,420 --> 00:25:23,990
REPORTER:
Dr. Castro, it is reported that
424
00:25:24,023 --> 00:25:26,458
you feel that your role
in the revolution is about over
425
00:25:26,492 --> 00:25:28,728
and that you plan perhaps
to return to civilian life.
426
00:25:28,761 --> 00:25:29,996
Is this true,
and if not,
427
00:25:30,029 --> 00:25:33,633
how soon do you think it will be
before you can do that?
428
00:25:33,666 --> 00:25:35,635
If for my country
this is necessary,
429
00:25:35,668 --> 00:25:38,504
I renounce to any position.
430
00:25:38,537 --> 00:25:41,641
I would gladly renounce
to any position,
431
00:25:41,674 --> 00:25:43,776
because sincerely,
432
00:25:43,810 --> 00:25:47,113
I don't ambition power,
money, nothing.
433
00:25:47,146 --> 00:25:50,082
Only to serve my country.
434
00:25:50,116 --> 00:25:53,452
(applause)
435
00:25:53,485 --> 00:25:57,924
NARRATOR:
Behind the scenes, Castro worked
to consolidate his power
436
00:25:57,957 --> 00:25:59,692
around his closest confidantes,
437
00:25:59,726 --> 00:26:03,730
including his brother Raul
and the Marxist Che Guevara.
438
00:26:03,763 --> 00:26:06,365
Menoyo and his Second Front
439
00:26:06,398 --> 00:26:10,970
were excluded from important
government positions.
440
00:26:11,003 --> 00:26:14,040
They had done their job,
they were successful,
441
00:26:14,073 --> 00:26:17,009
but certainly,
they weren't being invited
442
00:26:17,043 --> 00:26:19,679
to be part
of what was coming next.
443
00:26:19,712 --> 00:26:22,581
They were being left out.
444
00:26:22,615 --> 00:26:28,254
NARRATOR:
From Cienfuegos,
Morgan watched tensions rise.
445
00:26:28,287 --> 00:26:31,190
As soon as he arrived
at his suite
446
00:26:31,223 --> 00:26:34,126
in the Capri hotel in Havana,
he was drawn into the fray.
447
00:26:38,297 --> 00:26:43,736
In March, an American,
the name of Frank Nelson,
448
00:26:43,770 --> 00:26:46,806
came here
and got in contact with me.
449
00:26:46,839 --> 00:26:48,274
And he said,
450
00:26:48,307 --> 00:26:51,477
"I have some people who want
to give you a million dollars."
451
00:26:51,510 --> 00:26:53,245
And I'll be very blunt about it,
452
00:26:53,279 --> 00:26:56,716
I said, "Fine, but who
do you want me to kill?"
453
00:26:56,749 --> 00:26:59,251
Frank Nelson, in a way,
is a ghost from his past
454
00:26:59,285 --> 00:27:02,655
because he's connected
to some of the mob figures
455
00:27:02,689 --> 00:27:04,290
who knew
"good ol' Billy Morgan."
456
00:27:04,323 --> 00:27:05,758
That's how they called him.
457
00:27:05,792 --> 00:27:08,094
Now, the mob,
you have to understand,
458
00:27:08,127 --> 00:27:10,629
was very upset with Castro
because he was threatening
459
00:27:10,663 --> 00:27:14,400
to close all their casinos
and shut down their playpen.
460
00:27:14,433 --> 00:27:19,706
SALLAH:
Nelson delivers a message
to Morgan, and that message is,
461
00:27:19,739 --> 00:27:23,242
"Would you be willing
to execute, kill,
462
00:27:23,275 --> 00:27:25,211
assassinate Fidel Castro?"
463
00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:31,150
NARRATOR:
The idea originated with the
Dominican Republic's president,
464
00:27:31,183 --> 00:27:33,720
Rafael Trujillo.
465
00:27:33,753 --> 00:27:37,489
Known as one of Latin America's
most brutal dictators,
466
00:27:37,523 --> 00:27:40,626
Trujillo had given refuge
to Batista
467
00:27:40,659 --> 00:27:44,030
after his flight from Havana.
468
00:27:46,833 --> 00:27:51,670
Morgan immediately told the
Second Front commanding officer,
469
00:27:51,704 --> 00:27:54,473
Eloy Gutiérrez Menoyo.
470
00:27:54,506 --> 00:27:57,476
GRANN:
Morgan saw the Second Front,
himself, Menoyo,
471
00:27:57,509 --> 00:27:58,945
as a counterbalance to Che,
472
00:27:58,978 --> 00:28:00,947
and that they could play
that important role.
473
00:28:00,980 --> 00:28:02,381
And I don't think,
474
00:28:02,414 --> 00:28:04,183
even though they were signs
they were being marginalized,
475
00:28:04,216 --> 00:28:07,019
they hadn't lost complete faith
that that would be the case.
476
00:28:07,053 --> 00:28:12,358
NARRATOR:
Morgan and Menoyo
went to see Fidel.
477
00:28:12,391 --> 00:28:17,363
REDONDO (translated):
Fidel was immediately
interested.
478
00:28:17,396 --> 00:28:19,331
One million dollars
is a lot of money.
479
00:28:19,365 --> 00:28:23,669
In 1959, $1 million
was like $20 million today.
480
00:28:23,702 --> 00:28:26,372
So, who's behind all of this?
481
00:28:26,405 --> 00:28:35,714
NARRATOR:
In late May, on Castro's orders,
Morgan flew secretly to Miami.
482
00:28:35,748 --> 00:28:40,052
SALLAH:
The first meeting that we know
that's documented in FBI records
483
00:28:40,086 --> 00:28:43,990
is in the Dupont Plaza Hotel
484
00:28:44,023 --> 00:28:48,394
at least two months after
he meets with Fidel Castro.
485
00:28:48,427 --> 00:28:52,631
In the meeting is
the Dominican consul in Miami,
486
00:28:52,664 --> 00:28:57,603
an old mafia chieftain
from Cleveland,
487
00:28:57,636 --> 00:29:01,740
and the former police chief
in Havana.
488
00:29:01,774 --> 00:29:04,010
And they start to talk.
489
00:29:04,043 --> 00:29:07,646
And now this plan of just
an assassination attempt
490
00:29:07,679 --> 00:29:13,019
is now growing into a takeover
of the country, a coup.
491
00:29:13,052 --> 00:29:16,588
NARRATOR:
The plan had three parts:
492
00:29:16,622 --> 00:29:20,326
an uprising by Batista's
supporters in Havana;
493
00:29:20,359 --> 00:29:22,962
an insurrection
in the town of Trinidad
494
00:29:22,995 --> 00:29:25,297
led by Menoyo and Morgan;
495
00:29:25,331 --> 00:29:28,334
and an invasion force
dispatched by Trujillo
496
00:29:28,367 --> 00:29:32,404
from the Dominican Republic.
497
00:29:32,438 --> 00:29:34,907
When Morgan informed him
of the plot,
498
00:29:34,941 --> 00:29:37,309
Castro decided to set a trap
499
00:29:37,343 --> 00:29:40,079
to crush the Batista
loyalists in Cuba
500
00:29:40,112 --> 00:29:42,949
and teach Trujillo a lesson.
501
00:29:42,982 --> 00:29:45,317
SHETTERLY:
Fidel Castro said to Morgan,
502
00:29:45,351 --> 00:29:46,618
"Draw it out.
503
00:29:46,652 --> 00:29:49,121
"Let's see everyone
who could be involved
504
00:29:49,155 --> 00:29:51,023
or might get involved in this."
505
00:29:51,057 --> 00:29:54,526
SALLAH:
Morgan and Olga
and their entourage,
506
00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:58,064
along with key people
that Fidel plants with them,
507
00:29:58,097 --> 00:30:00,699
are now moving
into this opulent home,
508
00:30:00,732 --> 00:30:03,402
million dollar home,
in Havana.
509
00:30:03,435 --> 00:30:06,205
He's gonna have microphones
in the lamps.
510
00:30:06,238 --> 00:30:10,109
He's going to have reel-to-reel
tape recorders going
511
00:30:10,142 --> 00:30:12,211
so that not one word uttered
in any room
512
00:30:12,244 --> 00:30:13,679
will not be tape recorded.
513
00:30:13,712 --> 00:30:19,451
And then Morgan has to now
bring in the Batistianos--
514
00:30:19,485 --> 00:30:21,820
those that were
supporting Batista.
515
00:30:21,854 --> 00:30:23,655
And they have to play everyone
516
00:30:23,689 --> 00:30:27,927
as if they're going along
with this plan.
517
00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:33,665
NARRATOR:
Morgan flew once more to Miami
on July 27
518
00:30:33,699 --> 00:30:39,071
to firm up details
and gather weapons.
519
00:30:39,105 --> 00:30:43,275
Acting on a tip
from an informant,
520
00:30:43,309 --> 00:30:46,012
the FBI was waiting.
521
00:30:46,045 --> 00:30:48,580
Bureau director J. Edgar Hoover
522
00:30:48,614 --> 00:30:51,250
had been monitoring
the conspiracy from the start,
523
00:30:51,283 --> 00:30:53,986
convinced that Castro
was a communist
524
00:30:54,020 --> 00:30:56,788
and needed to be removed.
525
00:30:56,822 --> 00:30:58,590
Pulled in for questioning,
526
00:30:58,624 --> 00:31:02,728
Morgan told the FBI that he was
in Miami on personal business,
527
00:31:02,761 --> 00:31:05,264
but he confirmed that
he'd been approached
528
00:31:05,297 --> 00:31:07,333
by a foreign government
529
00:31:07,366 --> 00:31:11,337
with an offer of one million
dollars to overthrow Castro.
530
00:31:11,370 --> 00:31:15,741
SHETTERLY:
J. Edgar Hoover got the Miami
field office watching this,
531
00:31:15,774 --> 00:31:19,045
paying attention,
seeing what will happen.
532
00:31:19,078 --> 00:31:22,081
Clearly, Hoover thinks that
there may well be
533
00:31:22,114 --> 00:31:25,918
an important conspiracy
happening here.
534
00:31:25,952 --> 00:31:29,655
SALLAH:
They firmly believe that Morgan
is working against Castro.
535
00:31:29,688 --> 00:31:31,190
They really believe that Morgan
536
00:31:31,223 --> 00:31:33,525
had aligned forces
with Rafael Trujillo,
537
00:31:33,559 --> 00:31:36,462
who was an American ally
at the time.
538
00:31:36,495 --> 00:31:40,132
NARRATOR:
But Morgan doubled-crossed
Trujillo.
539
00:31:40,166 --> 00:31:42,068
The day he returned to Havana,
540
00:31:42,101 --> 00:31:45,671
Morgan arranged to meet
the conspirators at his house.
541
00:31:45,704 --> 00:31:48,174
As Castro arrived,
they were all arrested.
542
00:31:52,744 --> 00:31:57,216
Immediately,
Castro, Morgan, and Menoyo
543
00:31:57,249 --> 00:31:59,351
flew to the town of Trinidad
544
00:31:59,385 --> 00:32:04,523
to act out the second part
of the plan: the insurrection.
545
00:32:04,556 --> 00:32:06,258
(explosions)
546
00:32:06,292 --> 00:32:08,995
GRANN:
They've got fake bombs
going off, fake fusillades.
547
00:32:09,028 --> 00:32:11,697
They got a radio where they're
communicating with Trujillo
548
00:32:11,730 --> 00:32:13,199
and sending out false reports.
549
00:32:13,232 --> 00:32:14,967
This is the Cold War, right?
550
00:32:15,001 --> 00:32:16,568
I mean, this is the beginning
551
00:32:16,602 --> 00:32:19,105
of this kind of enormous
spy games and tricks
552
00:32:19,138 --> 00:32:21,073
and mirages and counter ploys
and ploys.
553
00:32:21,107 --> 00:32:25,011
NARRATOR:
When the first transport plane
554
00:32:25,044 --> 00:32:29,281
carrying men from the Dominican
Republic landed in Trinidad,
555
00:32:29,315 --> 00:32:32,151
Castro decided to put an end
to the operation.
556
00:32:32,184 --> 00:32:35,654
SALLAH:
Castro surrounds the plane.
557
00:32:35,687 --> 00:32:37,156
There are shootouts.
558
00:32:37,189 --> 00:32:39,358
Some of the men are dead
from both sides.
559
00:32:39,391 --> 00:32:45,531
They end up getting
a ton of weapons from Trujillo.
560
00:32:45,564 --> 00:32:48,900
They had already identified
more than a thousand people
561
00:32:48,934 --> 00:32:51,070
that were going to be involved
in this coup attempt,
562
00:32:51,103 --> 00:32:54,840
and he started making arrests
all over the island.
563
00:32:54,873 --> 00:32:56,975
GUERRA:
I don't think that
there's any doubt
564
00:32:57,009 --> 00:32:59,078
that Morgan and Gutiérrez Menoyo
565
00:32:59,111 --> 00:33:02,114
helped the revolution survive
in that moment
566
00:33:02,148 --> 00:33:04,150
and also really unmasked
567
00:33:04,183 --> 00:33:06,618
the degree to which
there were forces opposed
568
00:33:06,652 --> 00:33:11,023
that had tremendous power
behind them.
569
00:33:15,761 --> 00:33:18,297
NARRATOR:
On August 15,
570
00:33:18,330 --> 00:33:21,767
Fidel Castro revealed
the details of the conspiracy
571
00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:24,136
on Cuban television.
572
00:33:24,170 --> 00:33:29,941
(speaking Spanish)
573
00:33:29,975 --> 00:33:32,611
SALLAH:
Morgan and Castro are
at center stage.
574
00:33:32,644 --> 00:33:34,580
The international media
is there,
575
00:33:34,613 --> 00:33:37,416
of course, the U.S. press.
576
00:33:37,449 --> 00:33:39,418
And Morgan is now
the central figure
577
00:33:39,451 --> 00:33:41,487
in this international
conspiracy.
578
00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:47,759
We went down to Las Villas
and started a fictitious war.
579
00:33:47,793 --> 00:33:50,162
We started turning off
telephones and lights
580
00:33:50,196 --> 00:33:52,264
and shooting shots in the dark
and all those kinds of things
581
00:33:52,298 --> 00:33:53,432
so that everybody...
582
00:33:53,465 --> 00:33:54,633
REPORTER:
This is all just last week.
583
00:33:54,666 --> 00:33:55,967
That's right,
it's all been a fake.
584
00:33:56,001 --> 00:33:57,436
It's all been a big show
for Trujillo,
585
00:33:57,469 --> 00:33:58,770
and he fell for it.
586
00:33:58,804 --> 00:34:01,240
He started it,
he paid for it,
587
00:34:01,273 --> 00:34:08,247
he's furnished the guns for it,
he's made the contacts for it,
588
00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:10,816
his embassy has been in it
up to its neck,
589
00:34:10,849 --> 00:34:13,652
and he believed it.
590
00:34:13,685 --> 00:34:16,922
SALLAH:
He's truly enjoying the moment.
591
00:34:16,955 --> 00:34:19,024
He helped save a regime
that he believed in.
592
00:34:19,057 --> 00:34:21,427
He's a hero.
593
00:34:21,460 --> 00:34:22,894
He's doing autographs.
594
00:34:22,928 --> 00:34:27,166
People are begging him for just
a few moments for interviews.
595
00:34:40,179 --> 00:34:42,514
SHETTERLY:
Morgan's sense
of his own importance
596
00:34:42,548 --> 00:34:45,917
probably made things
more dangerous for him.
597
00:34:45,951 --> 00:34:47,919
I think he had a big ego,
598
00:34:47,953 --> 00:34:50,055
and I think that becoming
a celebrity
599
00:34:50,088 --> 00:34:52,524
after the Trujillo conspiracy
600
00:34:52,558 --> 00:34:54,660
was not necessarily
healthy for him.
601
00:34:54,693 --> 00:34:56,395
I think he thought
602
00:34:56,428 --> 00:34:59,465
that he was probably
as big a figure
603
00:34:59,498 --> 00:35:01,533
as anyone else in Cuba
at that point
604
00:35:01,567 --> 00:35:03,702
and had real power.
605
00:35:03,735 --> 00:35:08,607
And what he didn't realize is
that he really didn't.
606
00:35:11,277 --> 00:35:15,147
NARRATOR:
Just days after Castro's
press conference,
607
00:35:15,181 --> 00:35:21,019
the U.S. State Department
revoked Morgan's citizenship.
608
00:35:21,052 --> 00:35:23,121
GRANN:
It's really Hoover
working behind the scenes
609
00:35:23,155 --> 00:35:25,357
who helps get his citizenship
stripped
610
00:35:25,391 --> 00:35:27,359
in very unusual circumstances,
611
00:35:27,393 --> 00:35:28,860
because he hadn't actually
technically broken
612
00:35:28,894 --> 00:35:30,529
any American laws.
613
00:35:30,562 --> 00:35:35,967
SHETTERLY:
J. Edgar Hoover thought that
they had a serious attempt
614
00:35:36,001 --> 00:35:38,170
to get Castro out.
615
00:35:38,204 --> 00:35:41,273
When it turns out
to be a double-cross,
616
00:35:41,307 --> 00:35:45,043
clearly Hoover feels betrayed.
617
00:35:45,076 --> 00:35:49,381
GRANN:
Morgan saw himself
and the revolution
618
00:35:49,415 --> 00:35:51,149
in kind of American terms.
619
00:35:51,183 --> 00:35:53,985
And then when he lost
his citizenship,
620
00:35:54,019 --> 00:35:57,723
it was a profound blow
to that sense.
621
00:35:57,756 --> 00:36:00,492
It also was a deeper problem
622
00:36:00,526 --> 00:36:03,362
in terms of his own
personal survival.
623
00:36:10,769 --> 00:36:12,404
NARRATOR:
In September 1959,
624
00:36:12,438 --> 00:36:16,342
Los Angeles television reporter
Clete Roberts
625
00:36:16,375 --> 00:36:18,444
arrived at Morgan's house
626
00:36:18,477 --> 00:36:21,513
for an interview
with the American comandante.
627
00:36:21,547 --> 00:36:24,015
ROBERTS:
Mr. Morgan and I are sitting
628
00:36:24,049 --> 00:36:26,184
in what you might call
an armed camp.
629
00:36:26,218 --> 00:36:29,120
I can hear voices
just outside the window here
630
00:36:29,154 --> 00:36:32,224
of the guards,
the men who are guarding him.
631
00:36:32,258 --> 00:36:35,227
There are more machine guns
lying on the table here
632
00:36:35,261 --> 00:36:37,596
just in back of Russ Day
and the camera
633
00:36:37,629 --> 00:36:40,566
than I've seen
since I was in Hungary.
634
00:36:40,599 --> 00:36:43,101
There must be a price
on your head, Bill.
635
00:36:43,134 --> 00:36:44,936
Half a million dollars
at the moment,
636
00:36:44,970 --> 00:36:47,406
if they can deliver me alive
to Santo Domingo.
637
00:36:47,439 --> 00:36:49,275
That's what Trujillo
is offering for you?
638
00:36:49,308 --> 00:36:51,743
That's the going price
in Miami right now.
639
00:36:51,777 --> 00:36:53,512
I imagine it'll go up
over a period of time.
640
00:36:53,545 --> 00:36:55,213
How does it feel to have
a half million-dollar price
641
00:36:55,247 --> 00:36:56,482
on your head?
642
00:36:56,515 --> 00:36:57,783
Well, it isn't too bad.
643
00:36:57,816 --> 00:37:00,419
They have to collect it,
and that's going to be hard.
644
00:37:00,452 --> 00:37:02,788
GRANN:
Morgan always has
a certain bravado,
645
00:37:02,821 --> 00:37:04,890
and he maintains
a lot of that bravado,
646
00:37:04,923 --> 00:37:06,892
but I also see somebody already
647
00:37:06,925 --> 00:37:10,996
who is being buffeted by forces
that are extremely powerful
648
00:37:11,029 --> 00:37:13,131
and are whirling him
to some degree.
649
00:37:13,164 --> 00:37:16,568
ROBERTS:
We're beginning to hear...
and you know what's coming.
650
00:37:16,602 --> 00:37:17,903
You know what I'm going
to talk about.
651
00:37:17,936 --> 00:37:19,237
We're beginning to hear that
652
00:37:19,271 --> 00:37:20,706
there's Communist influence
around here.
653
00:37:20,739 --> 00:37:25,176
The Cuban people
are not Communist.
654
00:37:25,210 --> 00:37:29,881
They would never go along
with a Communist government
655
00:37:29,915 --> 00:37:31,483
under any circumstances.
656
00:37:31,517 --> 00:37:33,352
Their history shows that.
657
00:37:33,385 --> 00:37:34,853
Over a period of time,
658
00:37:34,886 --> 00:37:37,323
they've always been
pro-democratic very strongly.
659
00:37:37,356 --> 00:37:39,057
They're individualists.
660
00:37:43,695 --> 00:37:47,333
NARRATOR:
30 miles from Havana
at an abandoned fishery,
661
00:37:47,366 --> 00:37:51,470
Morgan put in place his own
vision of the revolution:
662
00:37:51,503 --> 00:37:55,374
a business venture
with the Cuban government
663
00:37:55,407 --> 00:38:00,512
to raise frogs for export,
their legs sold as a delicacy.
664
00:38:06,518 --> 00:38:10,489
RAFAEL HUGUET:
So William became a civil,
if you may, comandante
665
00:38:10,522 --> 00:38:13,759
growing frogs.
666
00:38:13,792 --> 00:38:17,729
But he was so proud of the frogs
he was growing.
667
00:38:17,763 --> 00:38:19,765
And it was funny
because at one time,
668
00:38:19,798 --> 00:38:24,069
he had an argument
with one of Castro's guys,
669
00:38:24,102 --> 00:38:26,438
and he says,
"What are you saying?
670
00:38:26,472 --> 00:38:31,643
My frogs have more cojones
than your soldiers!"
671
00:38:31,677 --> 00:38:37,816
SALLAH:
Morgan wasn't as disappointed
as people like to think he was.
672
00:38:37,849 --> 00:38:40,386
He had a little daughter
by then, Loretta,
673
00:38:40,419 --> 00:38:43,422
and his wife Olga
was relatively happy.
674
00:38:43,455 --> 00:38:47,859
So at that point in time,
Morgan is at least trying
675
00:38:47,893 --> 00:38:52,130
to find a way
to live in Cuba in peace.
676
00:38:52,163 --> 00:38:56,902
SHETTERLY:
I think Morgan is still
holding on to a shred of hope
677
00:38:56,935 --> 00:39:00,772
that this revolution is going
to follow the values and ideals
678
00:39:00,806 --> 00:39:02,708
that he had hoped for.
679
00:39:02,741 --> 00:39:04,776
That it was going to respect
the individual freedoms
680
00:39:04,810 --> 00:39:06,344
that were so important to him.
681
00:39:06,378 --> 00:39:11,149
But he began to see a bunch
of things that he didn't like.
682
00:39:11,182 --> 00:39:14,820
He saw Comandante Huber Matos
be arrested
683
00:39:14,853 --> 00:39:17,623
for saying that Communists
were taking over the government
684
00:39:17,656 --> 00:39:20,459
and put in jail.
685
00:39:20,492 --> 00:39:25,063
He saw newspapers closed
and nationalized.
686
00:39:25,096 --> 00:39:30,135
GUERRA:
The Soviet vice-premier
swoops into Havana,
687
00:39:30,168 --> 00:39:32,303
and, surprise, he's there
for almost three weeks,
688
00:39:32,337 --> 00:39:34,205
and he signs a $100 million
trade agreement
689
00:39:34,239 --> 00:39:35,474
with Fidel Castro.
690
00:39:37,609 --> 00:39:39,310
That changed everything
for a lot of people,
691
00:39:39,344 --> 00:39:40,646
because now they start thinking,
692
00:39:40,679 --> 00:39:41,980
"We can't trust
this government.
693
00:39:42,013 --> 00:39:43,515
Something is happening here."
694
00:39:47,886 --> 00:39:51,222
OLGA MARTINEZ (translated):
We were lied to, betrayed.
695
00:39:51,256 --> 00:39:54,560
I didn't know anything
about communism or socialism,
696
00:39:54,593 --> 00:39:56,862
and it was staring me
in the face.
697
00:39:56,895 --> 00:40:02,668
Che Guevara running
the national bank,
698
00:40:02,701 --> 00:40:07,706
nationalizations,
jails filling up with prisoners.
699
00:40:07,739 --> 00:40:10,241
I didn't fight for that,
700
00:40:10,275 --> 00:40:12,243
and I would point it out
to William.
701
00:40:12,277 --> 00:40:15,547
Of course, he saw it, too.
702
00:40:17,716 --> 00:40:19,685
(thunder rumbling)
703
00:40:19,718 --> 00:40:25,323
NARRATOR:
By the spring of 1960,
war had returned to Cuba.
704
00:40:25,356 --> 00:40:30,228
In the Escambray mountains,
an insurgency had taken hold.
705
00:40:30,261 --> 00:40:34,299
Led by former anti-Batista
revolutionaries
706
00:40:34,332 --> 00:40:37,803
angry about the socialist
direction of Cuba's government,
707
00:40:37,836 --> 00:40:40,606
the rebellion was joined
by coffee-growing guajiros.
708
00:40:40,639 --> 00:40:45,043
GUERRA:
Peasants are absolutely opposed
709
00:40:45,076 --> 00:40:48,046
to what they understand
as communism.
710
00:40:48,079 --> 00:40:51,182
And what they see it
as doing to them
711
00:40:51,216 --> 00:40:53,084
is taking what little they have.
712
00:40:56,054 --> 00:41:00,458
OLGA MARTINEZ (translated):
We did not establish
the Escambray front,
713
00:41:00,492 --> 00:41:06,031
but among those who had risen up
in arms were good people.
714
00:41:06,064 --> 00:41:08,033
We were the rear guard.
715
00:41:08,066 --> 00:41:11,436
We had to help
in any way we could.
716
00:41:11,469 --> 00:41:16,241
SHETTERLY:
Morgan had been so vocal
about the fact that
717
00:41:16,274 --> 00:41:20,646
this was not going to be
a communist regime
718
00:41:20,679 --> 00:41:22,313
that when things
started to change
719
00:41:22,347 --> 00:41:27,519
in late 1959 and early 1960,
was he going to stand up
720
00:41:27,553 --> 00:41:30,889
for what he said
that he had been fighting for?
721
00:41:30,922 --> 00:41:33,992
Or was he going to turn his back
on those ideals
722
00:41:34,025 --> 00:41:36,094
and go along with the flow
723
00:41:36,127 --> 00:41:38,897
of what Castro is trying to do
at that point.
724
00:41:38,930 --> 00:41:43,434
OLGA MARTINEZ (translated):
William never delivered arms.
725
00:41:43,468 --> 00:41:45,203
He couldn't.
726
00:41:45,236 --> 00:41:47,739
He would have been recognized.
727
00:41:47,773 --> 00:41:49,875
I did.
728
00:41:49,908 --> 00:41:53,111
I'm a woman and I could do it.
729
00:41:53,144 --> 00:41:59,585
NARRATOR:
In March, convinced Castro
was headed toward communism,
730
00:41:59,618 --> 00:42:01,853
President Dwight Eisenhower
authorized the CIA
731
00:42:01,887 --> 00:42:07,225
to begin training 1,400 Cuban
exiles for an invasion.
732
00:42:09,795 --> 00:42:12,864
The landing site in central Cuba
was thought to be
733
00:42:12,898 --> 00:42:14,966
near the mountains
of the Escambray,
734
00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:17,836
where the CIA planned
for the exiles
735
00:42:17,869 --> 00:42:20,538
to join up with local rebels.
736
00:42:20,572 --> 00:42:24,009
SALLAH:
It's a well-known fact
that the CIA delivered arms
737
00:42:24,042 --> 00:42:25,777
to the Escambray mountains
several times,
738
00:42:25,811 --> 00:42:30,716
and some of those drops were
directly for Morgan's people.
739
00:42:30,749 --> 00:42:33,051
So there is reason to believe
that William Morgan
740
00:42:33,084 --> 00:42:36,421
had connections to the CIA
during that period.
741
00:42:39,858 --> 00:42:42,160
NARRATOR:
Morgan's activities
soon escalated
742
00:42:42,193 --> 00:42:44,329
from simply moving weapons
743
00:42:44,362 --> 00:42:48,399
to establishing a guerilla group
of his own.
744
00:42:48,433 --> 00:42:51,102
SALLAH:
June is the turning point.
745
00:42:51,136 --> 00:42:56,141
That's when he learns about
the existence of Soviet trainers
746
00:42:56,174 --> 00:42:59,377
coming over to work
with the Cuban army.
747
00:42:59,410 --> 00:43:01,813
Now he realizes Castro
748
00:43:01,847 --> 00:43:05,250
not only forged diplomatic
relations with the Soviets,
749
00:43:05,283 --> 00:43:09,821
he is now bringing Soviet
military advisors over to Cuba.
750
00:43:13,258 --> 00:43:17,495
SHETTERLY:
Morgan was a person with big
dreams and a vivid imagination,
751
00:43:17,528 --> 00:43:20,766
and I think that
he could convince himself
752
00:43:20,799 --> 00:43:24,435
that he was capable
of almost anything.
753
00:43:24,469 --> 00:43:27,806
He keeps telling people that
there are 3,000 to 5,000 men--
754
00:43:27,839 --> 00:43:29,174
he often says 5,000,
755
00:43:29,207 --> 00:43:30,976
sometimes when he's being
a little more realistic,
756
00:43:31,009 --> 00:43:32,510
he says 3,000 or 4,000--
757
00:43:32,543 --> 00:43:35,947
who will follow him,
whatever he tells them to do.
758
00:43:35,981 --> 00:43:42,020
FLEITES (translated):
He wanted me to be
the political chief.
759
00:43:42,053 --> 00:43:44,622
He was the military chief.
760
00:43:44,656 --> 00:43:46,324
And I said,
761
00:43:46,357 --> 00:43:48,827
"I won't take up arms with you
in the Escambray
762
00:43:48,860 --> 00:43:51,763
"because even though I don't
agree with Fidel Castro,
763
00:43:51,797 --> 00:43:54,332
"it's not the right time.
764
00:43:54,365 --> 00:43:59,504
And besides, your group
has been infiltrated."
765
00:44:03,875 --> 00:44:09,214
NARRATOR:
Castro deployed
tens of thousands of men
766
00:44:09,247 --> 00:44:12,918
against less than one thousand
in the resistance
767
00:44:12,951 --> 00:44:15,687
and planted two informants
in Morgan's security detail.
768
00:44:21,960 --> 00:44:23,628
GRANN:
He knows that some
of his friends
769
00:44:23,661 --> 00:44:26,631
are starting to be rounded up,
so he knows the risks.
770
00:44:26,664 --> 00:44:29,935
He was deeply worried
about his family,
771
00:44:29,968 --> 00:44:32,503
and you can see
where he is trying
772
00:44:32,537 --> 00:44:34,740
to assure possible places
773
00:44:34,773 --> 00:44:38,243
for them to go into exile,
774
00:44:38,276 --> 00:44:41,179
and you can see communiqués
and letters
775
00:44:41,212 --> 00:44:42,914
that reveal that
he has that concern,
776
00:44:42,948 --> 00:44:46,484
so he knows how dangerous it is.
777
00:44:46,517 --> 00:44:50,455
(translated):
We knew we were in trouble,
deep trouble.
778
00:44:50,488 --> 00:44:55,927
I was pregnant with Olguita,
and there we were,
779
00:44:55,961 --> 00:45:00,365
towards the end,
waiting for whatever came.
780
00:45:00,398 --> 00:45:02,400
What can happen to you?
781
00:45:02,433 --> 00:45:05,436
You can go to prison
or be executed,
782
00:45:05,470 --> 00:45:08,807
because they executed
anyone then.
783
00:45:08,840 --> 00:45:13,078
GRANN:
He had lived much of his life
in disrepute
784
00:45:13,111 --> 00:45:17,015
and with shame
and with dishonor.
785
00:45:17,048 --> 00:45:21,186
He wasn't prepared to walk away
786
00:45:21,219 --> 00:45:25,223
or abandon
what he had become in Cuba
787
00:45:25,256 --> 00:45:28,159
and the revolution that he had
fought for that had remade him.
788
00:45:28,193 --> 00:45:35,133
NARRATOR:
On October 21, 1960, two weeks
after the Cuban government
789
00:45:35,166 --> 00:45:38,703
learned that a group of exiles
was preparing to invade Cuba
790
00:45:38,736 --> 00:45:40,671
at the Bay of Pigs,
791
00:45:40,705 --> 00:45:45,210
Morgan was called
to a meeting in Havana.
792
00:45:45,243 --> 00:45:51,416
OLGA MARTINEZ (translated):
We had plans for dinner at 7:30.
793
00:45:51,449 --> 00:45:54,085
When I saw it was 4:00,
then 6:00,
794
00:45:54,119 --> 00:45:56,922
and William wasn't home,
795
00:45:56,955 --> 00:46:03,228
I said to myself,
"Something smells bad here."
796
00:46:03,261 --> 00:46:09,367
NARRATOR:
Morgan had been betrayed
by Castro's spies.
797
00:46:09,400 --> 00:46:14,005
He was arrested
and taken to La Cabaña prison.
798
00:46:14,039 --> 00:46:17,943
Olga was placed
under house arrest.
799
00:46:17,976 --> 00:46:21,312
Two months later,
on December 31,
800
00:46:21,346 --> 00:46:24,850
she was taken
to see her husband.
801
00:46:24,883 --> 00:46:26,918
SALLAH:
He told her to escape,
802
00:46:26,952 --> 00:46:29,254
and she assures him that
she's going to be getting out,
803
00:46:29,287 --> 00:46:30,555
that she has a plan,
804
00:46:30,588 --> 00:46:31,957
she's been working on it
for a long time,
805
00:46:31,990 --> 00:46:33,691
and she's going
to see it through.
806
00:46:37,262 --> 00:46:42,133
OLGA MARTINEZ (translated):
His peace was knowing that
our daughters and I were safe.
807
00:46:42,167 --> 00:46:46,504
I was wearing the blue dress
that he loved so much.
808
00:46:46,537 --> 00:46:53,144
I gave him a hug and a kiss.
809
00:46:58,616 --> 00:47:05,123
HENRY RAYMONT:
The trial was a sham,
because in important cases,
810
00:47:05,156 --> 00:47:12,030
Fidel had already told the jury
what sentence to mete out.
811
00:47:12,063 --> 00:47:18,736
I would go to La Cabaña
and witness the trials.
812
00:47:18,769 --> 00:47:24,242
Three out of five jurors
were asleep.
813
00:47:24,275 --> 00:47:30,481
That gives you a very good sense
of how the trial went.
814
00:47:42,093 --> 00:47:44,195
He had already been condemned,
815
00:47:44,229 --> 00:47:46,864
and he wanted
to talk to someone.
816
00:47:46,898 --> 00:47:50,768
It was a dungeon.
817
00:47:50,801 --> 00:47:55,006
He was alone in the cell.
818
00:47:55,040 --> 00:48:00,778
He did not seem even nervous--
totally relaxed.
819
00:48:00,811 --> 00:48:04,682
And he gave me a letter
to his mother.
820
00:48:04,715 --> 00:48:09,354
NARRATOR:
"Dear Mom, I know this will come
821
00:48:09,387 --> 00:48:12,290
"as a thing very hard
for you to understand,
822
00:48:12,323 --> 00:48:15,060
"but I have made my peace
with God
823
00:48:15,093 --> 00:48:17,595
"and can accept whatever happens
824
00:48:17,628 --> 00:48:23,001
with my mind clear
and my spirit strong."
825
00:48:23,034 --> 00:48:25,136
Loretta was always there
for him,
826
00:48:25,170 --> 00:48:29,574
so it's no surprise when
she sees the end for her son
827
00:48:29,607 --> 00:48:31,809
that she would try to do
whatever she could
828
00:48:31,842 --> 00:48:34,312
to save her son's life.
829
00:48:34,345 --> 00:48:36,614
That meant going to members
of Congress,
830
00:48:36,647 --> 00:48:39,284
trying to get through
to the Cuban government,
831
00:48:39,317 --> 00:48:41,719
writing the White House,
832
00:48:41,752 --> 00:48:45,923
even to go to the highest
hierarchy of the Catholic church
833
00:48:45,957 --> 00:48:51,396
to try to do whatever they could
to intercede and save her son.
834
00:48:51,429 --> 00:48:55,566
NARRATOR:
"My actions and my life
I leave for others to judge,
835
00:48:55,600 --> 00:49:00,305
"and to you and Dad,
I leave my love and respect.
836
00:49:00,338 --> 00:49:04,442
I hope you forgive me,
as you always have."
837
00:49:10,115 --> 00:49:11,116
(gunshots)
838
00:49:15,820 --> 00:49:21,092
OLGA MARTINEZ (translated):
9:30 in the evening, March 11.
839
00:49:21,126 --> 00:49:23,261
He said goodbye to me.
840
00:49:23,294 --> 00:49:26,864
I didn't know he was dead.
841
00:49:26,897 --> 00:49:28,699
I saw him in my room.
842
00:49:28,733 --> 00:49:31,102
He kissed me on the cheek.
843
00:49:31,136 --> 00:49:33,038
I felt the warmth.
844
00:49:33,071 --> 00:49:36,441
That was his goodbye.
845
00:49:40,411 --> 00:49:43,848
GUERRA:
When Morgan was shot,
he had been conspiring
846
00:49:43,881 --> 00:49:48,319
against what he thought of
as a revolution betrayed.
847
00:49:48,353 --> 00:49:51,422
But I think he didn't regret
a moment of the time
848
00:49:51,456 --> 00:49:53,758
that he had spent in Cuba
or all that he had done,
849
00:49:53,791 --> 00:49:55,593
and I think there were
many, many Cubans
850
00:49:55,626 --> 00:49:58,563
who still remain grateful
to him.
851
00:49:58,596 --> 00:50:03,668
GRANN:
Castro had no interest
in telling Morgan's story.
852
00:50:03,701 --> 00:50:05,536
He wanted him to be forgotten,
853
00:50:05,570 --> 00:50:07,572
he wanted him erased
from history.
854
00:50:07,605 --> 00:50:10,108
And the CIA and the FBI
855
00:50:10,141 --> 00:50:13,944
classified all the files
about Morgan.
856
00:50:13,978 --> 00:50:16,547
And so telling his story
seemed deeply important
857
00:50:16,581 --> 00:50:21,919
in that you're recovering a part
of history that had been lost.
858
00:50:21,952 --> 00:50:27,758
SALLAH:
In his lifetime,
he had failed numerous times.
859
00:50:27,792 --> 00:50:33,531
That failure drove him to Cuba,
to the revolution,
860
00:50:33,564 --> 00:50:40,071
to his own heroism,
and his own death.
861
00:50:40,105 --> 00:50:43,074
But there was a redemption
in that
862
00:50:43,108 --> 00:50:45,810
because in the end,
863
00:50:45,843 --> 00:50:49,447
William Morgan became the person
that he wanted to be.
65319