Cuba. The Moncada barracks in Santiago de Cuba are attacked. The attempt fails, and Fidel Castro and his men are among those arrested. Fidel’s mother rushes to Santiago and contacts Galician Archbishop Enrique Perez Serantes, begging him to pressure her son’s life. Before the court, Fidel delivers an hours-long speech, which Zanatta describes as “the harangue of a fiery Jesuit.” Fidel is sentenced to 15 years in prison, but is released on May 15, 1955, under an amnesty mandated by Batista.
