William Alexander Morgan
Encyclopedia
William Alexander Morgan (19 April 1928 – 11 March 1961) was a United States
citizen who fought in the Cuban Revolution
. He was one of only two foreign nationals to hold the rank of Comandante in the revolutionary forces.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio
, Morgan spent most of his life in Toledo, where he was often in trouble with the law. He is said to have been a martial arts
expert, skilled with firearms, and is rumored to have been a Central Intelligence Agency
operative. In April 2007, the US State Department, acting at the behest of Morgan's widow, declared that Morgan's US citizenship was effectively restored, nearly 50 years after the government stripped him of his rights in 1959 for serving in a foreign country's military.
government, but he did not serve under Fidel Castro
. Instead, he led a small guerrilla force of the Segundo Frente that operated against Batista
's soldiers in the Escambray Mountains
, near the city of Santa Clara
.. Morgan married a Cuban, Olga Maria Rodriguez Farinas, who was also a revolutionary
.
In December 1958, Che Guevara
appeared at the head of a column of troops. He had joined forces with Morgan's group and the Revolutionary Directorate guerrillas of the Escambray mountains. Together they captured the city of Santa Clara
on December 31. Twelve hours later, Batista fled from Cuba, and the revolution had succeeded. Morgan and his men occupied the city of Cienfuegos
on 1–2 January 1959.
In August 1959, Morgan helped to foil a coup attempt orchestrated by the Dominican Republic
's dictator Rafael Trujillo by pretending to cooperate and then betraying the plot to Fidel Castro.
It is sometimes claimed that Morgan orchestrated the massive explosion of the French arms ship La Coubre
, but there is no evidence to support this.
As Castro began to reveal his leanings towards socialism
, however, Morgan became distressed. So were other members of the SFNE (Segundo Frente Nacional de Escambray), who believed in a democratic and capitalist Cuba. Some of these members were US assets like Morgan, such as Huber Matos.
Morgan was arrested in October 1960 and charged with plotting to join and lead the counter-revolutionaries who were active in the Escambrays. Evidence had shown him to be a CIA agent, since documented by former head of Cuban state security Fabian Escalante.
The court also tried Morgan's wife in absentia
, finding her guilty of co-conspiracy and sentencing her to 30 years in prison.
William Alexander Morgan was shot to death by a firing squad on March 11, 1961. He was 32 years old. Two months later, on May 1, 1961, Castro declared Cuba to be a socialist nation.
. In a series of interviews with the Toledo Blade in 2002, Morgan's widow broke her silence of 40 years, revealing that she and her husband had begun running guns to anti-Castro guerrillas because he was disenchanted by Castro's pro-Soviet leanings. She also said she wanted Morgan's U.S. citizenship restored and his remains returned to the United States for reburial. The newspaper stories prompted two Democratic members of the United States House of Representatives
, Charlie Rangel and Marcy Kaptur, to travel to Cuba to meet Fidel Castro and ask him to return Morgan's body and Castro agreed.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizen who fought in the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
. He was one of only two foreign nationals to hold the rank of Comandante in the revolutionary forces.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Morgan spent most of his life in Toledo, where he was often in trouble with the law. He is said to have been a martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
expert, skilled with firearms, and is rumored to have been a Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
operative. In April 2007, the US State Department, acting at the behest of Morgan's widow, declared that Morgan's US citizenship was effectively restored, nearly 50 years after the government stripped him of his rights in 1959 for serving in a foreign country's military.
Morgan's role in defeating Batista
Morgan apparently went to Cuba in early 1958. He was opposed to the BatistaFulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
government, but he did not serve under Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
. Instead, he led a small guerrilla force of the Segundo Frente that operated against Batista
Batista
Batista is a Spanish or Portuguese languages surname , literally meaning "baptist"...
's soldiers in the Escambray Mountains
Escambray Mountains
The Escambray Mountains are a mountain range in the central region of Cuba, in the provinces of Sancti Spíritus, Cienfuegos and Villa Clara....
, near the city of Santa Clara
Santa Clara, Cuba
Santa Clara is the capital city of the Cuban province of Villa Clara. It is located in the most central region of the province and almost in the most central region of the country.- History :Santa Clara was founded by 175 people on July 15th, 1689...
.. Morgan married a Cuban, Olga Maria Rodriguez Farinas, who was also a revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
.
In December 1958, Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
appeared at the head of a column of troops. He had joined forces with Morgan's group and the Revolutionary Directorate guerrillas of the Escambray mountains. Together they captured the city of Santa Clara
Santa Clara, Cuba
Santa Clara is the capital city of the Cuban province of Villa Clara. It is located in the most central region of the province and almost in the most central region of the country.- History :Santa Clara was founded by 175 people on July 15th, 1689...
on December 31. Twelve hours later, Batista fled from Cuba, and the revolution had succeeded. Morgan and his men occupied the city of Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos is a city on the southern coast of Cuba, capital of Cienfuegos Province. It is located about from Havana, and has a population of 150,000. The city is dubbed La Perla del Sur...
on 1–2 January 1959.
In August 1959, Morgan helped to foil a coup attempt orchestrated by the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
's dictator Rafael Trujillo by pretending to cooperate and then betraying the plot to Fidel Castro.
It is sometimes claimed that Morgan orchestrated the massive explosion of the French arms ship La Coubre
La Coubre explosion
The freighter La Coubre exploded at 3:10 p.m. on 4 March 1960, while it was being unloaded in Havana harbor, Cuba. This 4,310-ton French vessel was carrying 76 tons of Belgian munitions from the port of Antwerp. Unloading explosive ordnance directly onto the dock was against port regulations...
, but there is no evidence to support this.
Post-revolution and death
Throughout the struggle against Batista, Morgan had been vocal about his anti-communist beliefs. When asked during interviews about Castro's political beliefs and where the new Cuban government was leaning, he remained firm in his belief that Castro was not a communist and that Cuba would return to capitalist parliamentary democracy.As Castro began to reveal his leanings towards socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, however, Morgan became distressed. So were other members of the SFNE (Segundo Frente Nacional de Escambray), who believed in a democratic and capitalist Cuba. Some of these members were US assets like Morgan, such as Huber Matos.
Morgan was arrested in October 1960 and charged with plotting to join and lead the counter-revolutionaries who were active in the Escambrays. Evidence had shown him to be a CIA agent, since documented by former head of Cuban state security Fabian Escalante.
The court also tried Morgan's wife in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
, finding her guilty of co-conspiracy and sentencing her to 30 years in prison.
William Alexander Morgan was shot to death by a firing squad on March 11, 1961. He was 32 years old. Two months later, on May 1, 1961, Castro declared Cuba to be a socialist nation.
The fate of Morgan's wife
Olga Morgan was arrested and imprisoned for 12 years. She left for the United States during the Mariel boatliftMariel boatlift
The Mariel boatlift was a mass emigration of Cubans who departed from Cuba's Mariel Harbor for the United States between April 15 and October 31, 1980....
. In a series of interviews with the Toledo Blade in 2002, Morgan's widow broke her silence of 40 years, revealing that she and her husband had begun running guns to anti-Castro guerrillas because he was disenchanted by Castro's pro-Soviet leanings. She also said she wanted Morgan's U.S. citizenship restored and his remains returned to the United States for reburial. The newspaper stories prompted two Democratic members of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, Charlie Rangel and Marcy Kaptur, to travel to Cuba to meet Fidel Castro and ask him to return Morgan's body and Castro agreed.
Filmography
"Cuba: Lost in the Shadows," a documentary in which William Morgan plays a key role. http://vimeo.com/20962739External links
- 'Yanqui' Rebel William Morgan's Saga in Cuban revolution is Revived by Alfonso Chardy and Michael Sallah, The Miami Herald, January 4 2009
- www.americanrebelonline.com Announcing a forthcoming novel about Morgan, with photographs, illustrations, FBI reports, links and extracts from the book, American Rebel, due for publication, Fall 2011