Fidel Castro: History Will Absolve Me

Audience

Castro initially addressed his speech to the court that was prosecuting him for his role in the Moncada Barracks attacks. Those who were present during Castro's trial included the three presiding judges—Adolfo Nieto Piñeiro-Osoria, Juan Francisco Mejías Valdivieso, and Ricardo Díaz Olivera—and the secretary of the tribunal, Raúl Fernández-Mascaró Arini. Although Cuba's courts at the time were supposed to be open, the public was nevertheless banned from attending the trial. However, several attorneys were present, as were a number of guards and soldiers. Six journalists, including Marta Rojas, were in court and in this instance represented the public.

After his trial, Castro transcribed the speech from memory while he served his prison sentence on the Isla de Pinos off the coast of Cuba. Although Marta Rojas authenticated the version presented here, historians are certain that Castro added some ideas and polished others for publication. The composition of History Will Absolve Me was a tedious process. Castro wrote fragments of the speech with lemon juice between the lines of letters to his friends and family. When these letters were heated with a clothing iron, the words written in lemon juice would appear. In 1954 the pieces of the speech were compiled, and in the spring of that year, twenty thousand copies were published for distribution. The last words of his speech, “History will absolve me,” were transformed into the title of the “little book” of the revolution. It was reprinted in 1958 by the 26th of July Movement, which had based its principles on this text. Today History Will Absolve Me is mandatory reading for Cuban students. It is the most cited work in Cuba, and scholars consider it to be one of the principal revolutionary texts of Cuba and Latin America.