If memory serves two sons of Guy Perez Cisneros went to the Escolapios de Guanabacoa when I was there in the early and middle 1950s. They came in with a large trunk of evil smelling chemical sets. One then was much taller than the other, and one bore the same name (Guy) as his father. And if an even more vague memory also serves, one of the brothers was there when my sister and I were held in the Blanquita in April 1961. Apparently he has been spear fishing and a picua (barracuda) had slashed him on the thigh as it was speared. He very proudly showed me the scar (the women were held in the upper balcony away from us). If anybody knows any details about these matters please write.

Larry Daley (Garcia-I~niguez)
daleyl@peak.org

I posted the following comment back in 2006:

August 1944 the “Dumbarton Oaks Conference” held in Washington, DC discussed the formation of the United Nations and the Security Council; it also discussed which states would be invited as members. Representatives of the following nations were in attendance: United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union and China. This conference was held in great secrecy.

February 21-March 8, 1945, Inter-American Conference on Problems of War and Peace, Mexico City, United States and Latin America agreed to work out a hemispheric defense treaty. In this Conference, Edward R. Stettinius Jr., U.S. Secretary of State demanded that the “Dumbarton Oaks” proposal for the U.N. be accepted without any arguments. Dr. Gustavo Cuervo Rubio, Cuban Minister of State and President of the Cuban delegation, as well as other members of the delegation: Dr.Ernesto Dihigo y López Trigo, Dr.Gustavo Gutierrez and Mariano Brull, did not agree with the proposal and in turn suggested several modifications. Prior to their departure to Mexico the Cuban delegation had met with then President Ramón Grau San Martín to inform him of their proposal. President Grau not only agreed to the text modifications, but also with the request the Cuban delegation planned to present: A “declaration of Human Rights.” For you see, the Cuban delegation believed that the “Dumbarton Oaks” proposal was not democratic enough in that it did not take into account the international rights of the individuals, and the international rights of a nation.

You would think that everyone at the conference would eco such a proposal. WRONG! The Cuban delegation was stoned walled by the United States and other countries soon followed suit. Ezequiel Padilla the Mexican Secretary of International Relations, did not want to “rock to boat” being the host country. In his own words “being the host country, Mexico couldn’t raise an issue that could create a problem.” Nonetheless, the Cuban delegation stayed firm and would not give in. Not even when Leo Pasvolsky a U.S. Department official met with them behind closed doors and insisted they drop their proposal because “though theoretically what they proposed was right, their ideas were not realistic and were due to fail.” Obviously Mr. Pasvolsky didn’t know Cubans well enough. The Cuban delegation stayed the course.

Dr. Gustavo Cuervo Rubio and the rest of the Cuban delegation had come well prepared. They had written a book called “La Carta Magna de la Comunidad de las Naciones,” and in Chapters XXIV and XXV they offered the antecedent and the text of both declarations. Finally the U. S. delegation agreed to the proposals thanks to the help from United States Ambassador George S. Messersmith, Senator Warren R. Austin, and Nelson Rockefeller. The result was Resolution XXX which proposed the establishment of a General International Organization that would supervise the revision of the “Dumbarton Oaks” proposal as well as suggestions from each participating country at the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco from April 25 to June 26 1945.

No big surprise! Once in San Francisco, the participation of the Cuban Delegation was intentionally VERY limited. The Cuban delegation was represented by Dr. Guillermo Belt and Dr. Ernesto Dihigo y Lopez Trigo. Even so, they emphasized the need that the members of this new organization (UN) needed to adhere to the principles established in the proposal presented by the Cuban delegation (Declaration of Human Rights,) in Mexico and that the General Assembly adopt it as soon as it became established. Once again the Cuban delegation proposal did not find many takers in San Francisco. Leo Pasvolsky realizing this did not insist in carrying out a general discussion on the proposal. Neither did Mexico. However, Panama’s delegate to the Conference Dr. Ricardo J. Alfaro, Minister of International Relations and a good friend of Cuba, had been in contact with both Dr. Guillermo Belt and Dr. Ernesto Dihigo. He presented the completed declarations and insisted that they be included.

The tremendous effort put forth by the Cuban Delegation to include the Declaration of Human Rights resulted in the creation of the Commission of Human Rights chaired by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. You guessed it! The Cuban delegation was not chosen to be a part of this commission but much of its text is included.

On January 10, 1946, the First General Assembly, with 51 nations represented,
opens in Central Hall, Westminster, London. Guy Pérez de Cisneros speech at the U.N. http://www.cubanet.org/ref/dis/05200201.htm

http://www.sigloxxi.org/ddh.htm Article by Carmen Maria Rodríguez, Journalist N.Y.

By the way, Leo Pasvolsky is known as the “Father of the UN” and Eleanor Roosevelt as the “champion of human rights.”

It is a travesty that Cuba who fought so much for the Human Rights of others has had no champions.

All the above information can be found in the United Nations Archives.