The Meeting with Fidel Castro that Almost Was

We were told to be dressed and ready to leave at a moment's notice. It was 2am as I sat waiting, anxious about meeting El Comandante. There were several of us in our own hotel rooms waiting for the phone call.

Fidel, we were told, usually met with many foreign dignitaries, like us, in the middle of the night. Even at age 74, Castro still worked 20-hour days. We were in Havana to conclude talks with the University of Havana administrators, as well as conduct meetings with senior Cuban political officials, biotech leaders, and Cuban baseball representatives.

"Why all the cloak and dagger shit in the middle of the night? Why don't we just take a cab to Fidel's government offices," I asked my Latin American Studies colleague who responded coyly:

"You never know when a cruise missile might be buzzing around in the neighborhood. Castro still doesn't trust the CIA."

So here I was dressed in my suit, sorting out San Diego State gear, a baseball cap, a baseball jersey for Fidel. It was totally quiet in our room, no TV or downstairs bar to keep us up. Only the telephone on my night stand to alert us.

Fidel had heard about our agreement with the University of Havana. We would soon send the first group of International Business majors for a full semester or longer. He was even more impressed with the possibility of San Diego and Cuban biotech officials working together on projects. Some San Diego biotech firms were dreaming about conducting joint research in Havana where costs were much lower than in San Diego. Cuban biotech were dreaming to co-manufacture drugs for use in the U.S. A San Diego Padre Vice President accompanied us to initiate contacts with Cuban baseball officials.

Our first meeting upon arrival was a memorable one. Sitting across the table from the Mayor of Havana and other officials, we interrupted them as he started talks in English.

"Estamos in Cuba! Hablemos espa?ol!"

The Cuban delegation was shocked because few American delegations ever conducted negotiations in Spanish when in Havana. We all were Spanish speakers. As both delegations began to relax, we discussed Cuban baseball players from the past--Camilo Pascual, Minnie Minoso, Luis Tiant. They were mesmerized by stories of their Major League Fame. Even more surprising to them was our discussion on the latest biography on El Che that was published in the U.S. The Cuban officials got a laugh when the senior member of our delegation neglected to bite off the tip to the cigar the Mayor of Havana had offered him. He puffed and puffed till turning red, no smoke coming out. Fortunately, the Mayor's aide clipped off the tip for him.

Suddenly, the phone rang! The meeting with Fidel had to be postponed. Was their another time we could meet later in the week?

Unfortunately, we were leaving the next day.