Iconic Image 9

Welcome back viewers

This month's Iconic Image is...

Castro at the Lincoln Memorial

Intro

This photograph was taken inside the Lincoln Memorial on April 17, 1959. It depicts a tall bearded man standing by a wreath under the statue of President Abraham Lincoln. The man is Fidel Castro, the leader of Communist Cuba. He is clearly looking upon the statue with great admiration and respect. This image would become an iconic symbol of the one man's everlasting legacy and another man's insatiable desires.

Part I

In 1959, the people of the United States watched in complete disbelief as the country of Cuba experienced a Communist take-over. The man at the head of this revolution was an ardent Marxist-Leninist guerrilla named, Fidel Castro. Castro (along with another famous guerrilla named, Che Guevara) successfully overthrew the Cuban government and declared himself, President of Cuba under a Communist government. 

Knowing that the US government would not be friendly towards a communist governed nation, Castro decided that the best course of action was to meet with President Dwight David Eisenhower. However, Eisenhower declined to meet with Castro (he spent the day playing golf instead). He had his Vice President (Richard Nixon) meet with Castro on his behalf. After a three hour meeting with the Vice President, Castro decided to tour Washington DC. He was followed by an entourage of journalists and reporters. 

Castro visited many landmarks and famous monuments in DC and northern Virginia (including Mount Vernon). But there was one monument in particular that Castro knew he had to see and pay tribute to a man he had admired since childhood. It was (and still is) one of Washington's most famous memorials, the Lincoln Memorial. 

Part II

Castro walked up the steps of the memorial while carrying a large wreath. He then placed the wreath at the pedestal of the giant statue of President Lincoln. As he stood back and gazed at the statue, his personal photographer (Alfredo Korda) snapped an image. After the picture was taken, Castro then walked over to the engraving of Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address. After reading it, he turned to Korda and said, "Formidable and very interesting!".

According to his biographers, Fidel Castro was very impressed by his visit to the Lincoln Memorial and mesmerized by the Gettysburg Address. He was amazed at how President Lincoln had found a way to end slavery in the United States and lead his people through the Civil War. Castro resolved, that he would do everything possible to become as revered as President Abraham Lincoln.

Epilogue

Ultimately, Castro's two-week visit to the United States did not have the consequences that he desired. Just a few months later, the US government imposed trade restrictions on Cuba. And in 1963, war nearly broke out between the US and the Soviet Union over the placement of ballistic missiles within Cuba. For the rest of the 20th century, both the United States and Cuba would continue to be at odds. It wasn't until 2015, that the two nations finally reestablished diplomatic relations. 

Fidel Castro remained in power until his resignation from the Cuban presidency in the year 2008 (he was succeeded by his brother Raul). Despite his complicated relationship with the US government, there was one thing that never changed. From the day he visited in 1959 to the day he died, Castro remained an avid admirer of President Abraham Lincoln. According to his biographers, he kept a bust of the late American president on his desk his whole life and often quoted Lincoln in his speeches. Fidel Castro finally died on November 25, 2016.

Today, the photograph of Fidel Castro at the Lincoln Memorial continues to cause much debate among those who view it. For some, it represents the everlasting legacy of one of America's greatest presidents (one who even inspires the country's enemies). Some might view it as a symbol of Castro's insatiable desire to be as loved and revered as one of the most influential political figures in history. However, one thing is definitely clear. This photograph shows that even among enemies, there can still be common levels of dignity and respect for a historical figure. And that definitely gives this image a special place in the history of photography.

https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/fidel-castro-lincoln-memorial-1959/

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/12/fidel-castro-lays-a-wreath-at-the-lincoln-memorial/453459/

https://about-history.com/fidel-castro-lays-a-wreath-in-front-of-the-lincoln-memorial/

https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/nation_world/20071029_Reply_to_Bush_.html

Hero of the Week 117

Welcome back viewers

This week we will honor a team of heroes

They are...

The crew of the RMS Carpathia

The RMS Carpathia was a large steam ship launched by the Sawn Hunter & Wigham Richardson Company in 1902. For three years, she was used to bring immigrants to the United States. In 1905, she became a cruise ship for the Cunard Line and took hundreds of passengers on luxury pleasure cruises to the Mediterranean Sea. 

On April 11, 1912, the Carpathia embarked on a cruise from New York to Europe. With a crew of 300 and 700 passengers, she headed for the North Atlantic while under the command of highly experienced captain named, Arthur Henry Rostron. Although Captain Rostron had only been in command of the Carpathia for four months, he had been on many successful voyages across the Atlantic Ocean in his career. Little did he know, that he and his crew's skills and experiences would make the ultimate difference for more than 700 people.

On the night of Aril 14, the Carpathia's wireless operator Harold Cottam, was doing a routine check of radio frequencies. All of a sudden, he began to notice a morse code distress signal (SOS) coming across the telegraph. Cottam realized that a ship was sinking and needed immediate assistance. It was a new ocean liner on her maiden voyage called, RMS Titanic. She had struck an iceberg and was rapidly sinking. Cottom ran and awoke Captain Rostron and informed him of the situation. 

Captain Rostron immediately ordered all of the crew to get to their stations. He then set a course for the Titanic's last position. Since they were sixty miles away, Rostron ordered all power to be routed to the Carpathia's engines. They then began the dangerous rush at 18 knots (full steam) through a maze of icebergs. Despite the risk of getting his own ship hit by a berg, Rostron was determined to get to the Titanic as quickly as possible. During their run threw the ice-field, the ship nearly collided with six different icebergs. However, they managed to make it through to the morning of April 15.

Unfortunately, by the time the Carpathia arrived at the Titanic's coordinates, the latter was already gone. Of her complement of 2,200 passengers and crew, only 705 had successfully made it into the ship's 20 lifeboats. The rest had either gone down with the ship or froze to death in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. The Carpathia successfully recovered all of the survivors in the lifeboats and gave them blankets and dry clothes to save them from hypothermia. Once all of them were aboard, the Carpathia set out for the Titanic's original destination, New York City. They arrived three days later.

For their brave race to save the Titanic's passengers, the crew of the Carpathia became instant celebrities over night. However, most of them shunned the spotlight and refused all interviews. When asked by a journalist about the rescue, Captain Rostron (who was a man of faith) responded, "A hand other than mine was steering my ship". He went on to serve in the British Navy during World War I. He officially retired in 1931, and lived in Holcolm, West End, Southampton. He died on November 7, 1940. 

During World War I, the Carpathia was converted into a troopship and spent the war ferrying Canadian and American soldiers to and from the front-lines. On the morning of July 17, 1918, she was torpedoed by a German u-boat (U-55). She sank off the coast of Ireland and currently rests on the ocean floor of the North Atlantic (not too far from the Titanic). 

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/carpathias-role-in-titanic-rescue

https://www.irishpost.com/news/rms-carpathia-12-facts-titanics-rescue-165987

https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/carpathia-crew/arthur-henry-rostron.html

Hero of the Week 116

 Welcome back viewers

This week's hero is...

Gareth Jones

Gareth Richard Vaughn Jones was born on August 13, 1905, in Barry, Wales. As a kid, Jones found a strong desire to travel around Europe and write stories. He realized that he wanted to be a journalist and travel around Europe. Little did he know that his journeys would cause him to witness some of the worst atrocities that were committed in the 20th Century. 

After learning to speak French, German, and Russian, Jones departed for Mainland Europe. In 1933, he traveled through France and Germany. While visiting the city of Frankfurt, he was able to secure an interview with the new Chancellor of Germany. A man named, Adolf Hitler. However, his biggest and most memorable story would not come from his visit to Germany. Instead, it would come from the mouths of peasant farmers in the East European country of Ukraine. 

In the Spring of 1933, Gareth Jones decided to journey into the Soviet Union in order to investigate allegations of human rights abuses committed against the people of Ukraine. He hopped from a train into the rural area of the country and made his way to nearby villages. What he found was beyond horrifying. 

Due to the Soviet Union's policy of collectivization (exporting nearly all of Ukraine's grain to cities in Russia), the Ukrainian farmers had been left with nearly no food (grain was their main diet). This had caused a severe famine across the country. With nothing to eat, millions of people began starving to death. Many people were driven insane by hunger and resorted to eating the dead. Some even resorted to killing and devouring their own children. This terrible famine would claim the lives of more than 10 million people across Eastern Europe. It would eventually be referred to as, "the Holodomor".

Jones was horrified by what he saw. When he returned home, he published a highly graphic account of what was happening in the Soviet Union. To his astonishment, most of the Western world reacted with disdain and disbelief. His accounts were dismissed as either, "lies or hasty conclusions". Many simply refused to believe that such a horrific famine was being deliberately caused. Furious over the denial of his story, Jones vowed to return to the Soviet Union and follow up on his story. In 1935, he traveled to the country of Mongolia with the intention of entering Russia from the south. While attempting to do so, he was arrested by the Soviet secret police (the NKVD). He is believed to have been executed on August 12, 1935.

Gareth Jones was the very first journalist that attempted alert the world to the horrors caused by the Holodomor. His incredible dedication on investigating human rights violations would eventually inspire thousands of other famous journalists, reporters, and even authors (like George Orwell). He truly is someone to be held in high regard.

https://www.garethjones.org

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-18691109

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/mr-jones-film-exposes-the-fake-news-campaign-behind-stalins-ukrainian-genocide/