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Š Ron Laytner
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The following photographs were taken by Ron Laytner, an internationally recognized photojournalist and adventurer, as he travelled to the closed Communist Island of Cuba,10 years after the revolution. Posing as a Communist sympathizer on official government business, he took these photos completely uncensored by Cuban officials and then smuggled them off the island disguised as sealed rolls of unused film when he flew out. He left before the official he was to meet came back from his own government business and Laytner’s trip that took months to plan was foiled.
To read the complete story behind these photos, and his interview with one of the few surviving Priests on the island in 1970, please go to: www.editinternational.com
For more information on this adventure, Ron Laytner, or any other of his amazing stories, please visit any of the following sites:
www.edinternational.com The cover of a phone book that I took with me before leaving the communist island.
www.ronlaytner.com www.howardhughesbooks.com 5
I’d walked into a remaining church and photographed the last priest in Havana. He was a modest looking man with a white beard who told me he couldn't be interviewed. There were spies in the church. He arranged for me to meet an undercover priest on a street next night.
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Cuban Cigars With revolutionary era posters in the background, this is one of many of Cuba’s famous cigar makers. 7
Seacoast A Cuban soldier perched atop the Malec贸n Seawall Drive looks suspiciously at me.
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The Service of Gentlemen Taking pride in what they had the older gentlemen were all getting their shoes shined along the street.
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Near Empty Roads And Communist propaganda.
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Food Line and Cop When the motorcycle officer turned his back to me, I snapped this photo of a line up waiting for food along the street.
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Never photographed before were the food lines throughout Havana which suddenly formed at the mere mention that something was available.
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Outside a Cuban School Building
Children in Line Receive Communist teachings and wear uniforms. 14
Children in Line The little children were tired of praying to God for candies. But when they were told to pray to Fidel a miracle happened. Candies were found at the back of the classroom.
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Lenin in School Hallway. With a poster of Lenin on the wall, these school girls make their way to class.
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Cuban Class Students tried very hard and were quite clever but they didn’t have the help of teachers. One teacher taught many classes and could be seen on black and white television screens.
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Cuban Class Picture from outside a classroom window. The mood across Havana was one of suspicion if someone saw you taking unseen photographs.
Cuban Class Without a living teacher in the classroom students took advantage to have fun.
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Taught by a TV Many students were taught by a single teacher using a television set in each classroom.
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Cuban Class The classes were very orderly. Almost everyone was eager to learn and tried not to be distracted by my quick camera shots.
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Future Leaders of the Communist Party. This school was in a converted Varadero mansion. These bright young boys watching me through the bars of the courtyard were taken away from their families and taught as gifted Communist students. They are now Cuba’s leaders.
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School Hallway. A display dedicated to 100 years of Lenin 18701970.
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Cuban Class
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Cuban Class
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Oil in Cuba A fact known to very few, but Cuba has oil.
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Cuban Industry A Soviet built tractor works outside a giant sugar mill.
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Cuban Industry Forklifts imported from Czechoslovakia wait parked outside a factory.
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Motorcycle Like anywhere else in the world young men loved riding motorcycles with the wind in their hair.
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Russian Freighter Docked in port, a Soviet freighter waits after being unloaded.
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Near Empty Docks The American embargo was a steady hurt to Cuba.
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Small Fishing boats
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Docks
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A Rundown Church in the Near Derelict Docks District
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Baseball The most popular sport on the island, baseball always remained a source of pride
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Future Players? A symbolic look at a young boy wearing a national Cuba jersey, trapped on the island nation.
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Boy and his Grandmother. A little boy wears the uniform of Cuba and waits impatiently to be old enough to join the army. Meanwhile he is happy to walk hand in hand with his old grandmother.
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Baseball Field. A baseball field with empty stands in the background. A game is played and notice the grandmother and boy walking past it.
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Ready for a game of Basketball
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American Girl Believing in Castro’s revolution, this collage student and others like her, travel to Cuba to work.
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LSU These collage students proudly display that they are Americans wearing their university t-shirts, this one from Louisiana State University.
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Working the Sugarcane Fields. American college students from Louisiana broke US laws to sneak into Cuba and help Castro cut sugar cane. It was their way of helping the revolution.
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Working with Pride These American students got into lots of trouble when these pictures of them were published in America.
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A Hard Days Work. University students from the United States broke American laws and visited Cuba illegally through Mexico so they could help Fidel Castro by cutting sugar cane.
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-CIUDAD LIBERTADCuban signs and propaganda were everywhere.
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Not many cars were still driving but work is going ahead on a tall new hotel getting ready for the tourist dollars to come in the future.
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Former Bearded One. This Cuban citizen shows a little photograph of what he looked like when he fought against Batista’s troops with Fidel Castro. When I was there no one but Fidel could wear a beard, this man told me.
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Watching the Communist World Go By
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Street Game of Baseball In front of the boarded up entrance of the American Embassy.
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Suspicious A couple of Cuban soldiers take a break, but are looking carefully for ‘counter revolutionaries’.
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Army Girl Serves as a secretary and police guard in a Havana office.
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There wasn’t much to do except smoke.
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Rundown Russian Jeep When something broke on a car there typically was no way to replace it.
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The Hotel Nacional
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Downtown Havana
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Streets in Havana
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Honor Wall of the Martyrs commemorating the firing squad deaths of Revolution Era soldiers of Fidel
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Here I am taking the opportunity to get my picture taken while walking the streets of Havana.
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While in route to Cuba onboard Cubana Airlines, I chatted up several of the passengers.
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Stewardesses still wore their bluegray uniforms, as they did prior to the revolution.
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Arriving I flew into Cuba from Mexico onboard this Russian turbo prop airliner.
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Cubans all waiting to see airplanes as they landed.
Jose Marti Airport The airport was not very busy back in 1970.
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International Revolutionaries had a meeting in Havana at the Hotel Nacional hosted by a delegation from North Vietnam.
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Edit International Photos Š Ron Laytner
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Š Ron Laytner
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