Chapter . . . . .2 ........................................ Drug Trafficking and Political Anarchy during the 1930s
I
n 1933 and 1934, Cuba underwent revolutions, creating a climate of political anarchy. The situation, coupled with a legal system of dubious integrity, intensified the country’s high level of illegal activity in general and its drug trafficking problem in particular.1 In opposing the government of President Gerardo Machado, the group known as ABC resorted to sabotage, terrorism, and political assassination.2 Beginning in 1930, ABC and other groups opposed to Machado created an atmosphere of terror in Havana by exploding bombs and assassinating political enemies.3 According to Frank Argote-Freyre, “The secret societies initiated an extensive campaign of urban warfare and terror . . . to destabilize the government and to show the United States that the Machado Administration could no longer protect the extensive business holdings of US companies and individuals. It was the first time that urban warfare was unleashed on a large scale in Cuba. . . . Urban warfare became a staple of Cuban politics.”4 As the political crisis deepened, the price of sugar also fell steeply, causing a rapid decline of Cuba’s agricultural sector. Conditions in the countryside deteriorated to such an extent that in September 1933, two hundred thousand agricultural workers took possession of nearly 120 sugar mills, retaining control for several weeks.5 The instability overtaking Cuba posed a problem for the United States. President Franklin D. Roosevelt responded to the challenge by naming Sumner Welles, then serving as an assistant secretary of state, as ambassador to Cuba. Roosevelt hoped that Welles, a veteran of diplomatic missions to Latin America, would mediate and defuse the conflict between Machado and his opponents. Events, however, outran the ambassador. A general strike called by disaffected elements ended with Machado’s resignation, and although Welles quickly gave his support to provisional president Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, civil and military factions opposed to Céspedes would not be placated. Their
