Re: “Front-runner Sanders faces attacks in Democrats’ clash on debate stage” (Feb. 26, Page A3):

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is taking heat for “comments expressing admiration for Cuban dictator Fidel Castro’s push for education.”

In 1959, I was a freshman at West Philadelphia Catholic Girls High School. We had a student from Cuba for a short time. Her name was Maria Cruiz, and she had been sent to attend school in the U.S. so she could return to Cuba to teach.

For a short period of time in 1959, Catholics thought Castro was wonderful. On Jan. 11, 1959, Ed Sullivan broadcast an interview he did with Castro where he referred to Castro and others as “a wonderful group of revolutionary youngsters.”

Though Castro made many reforms, he quickly fell out of grace with the U.S. But it is wrong to deny that this attitude of the U.S. toward Castro existed, even for a short time in that 1959 time period, or to deny any good that may have come from Castro at that time.

Elizabeth O’Connor

Springvale


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