Wikipedia says, "On December 31, 1958, at a New Year's Eve party, Batista [then dictator of Cuba] told his Cabinet and top officials that he was leaving the country." The scene is famously depicted in the Godfather Part 2. My question is, where was the party in real life (perhaps some hotel and casino in Havana)?
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3I think it was the Havana Hilton, which later became Castro's headquarters, but I can't seem to be able to find any sources. There wasn't any big announcement, Batista told a couple of people and then sneaked out.– yannisNov 26, 2013 at 11:28
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1 Answer
The reference on Wikipedia to Batista's resignation at a party on New Year's Eve in 1958 does not have a citation. I have been unable to find any reference that confirms Batista resigned at a New Year's Eve party. There is a source which states that Batista resigned at Cuban Army Headquarters on Jan. 1, 1959.
This article in the UK newspaper The Guardian dated Jan. 2, 1959, does not mention where the resignation took place, but does confirm the flight from the country in the early hours around New Year's Eve. There is, however, a reference in a New York Times article from Jan. 2, 1959, that Batista resigned at Camp Columbia, the Cuban Army Headquarters, in the early hours of Jan. 1, 1959. The resignation at Camp Columbia would make sense, because Batista had officially come to power by means of a coup in 1952 that took place at Camp Columbia. Since the army was his base of power it would make sense that he would resign where his power was most concentrated, not to mention the access to airfields at the location allowing people to escape.
