STRONG HAND TAKEN
PRESIDENT OF CUBA
POLITICAL DISPUTE
(Received February 5, 8 a.m.)
HAVANA, February 4,
President Batista left the Presidential Palace, took over personal command of the army, and suspended the constitutional guarantees for 15 days following the resignation of the army chief, Senor Jose Pedraza, the navy chief, Senor Aurelio Gonzalez, and the national police chief, Senor Bernardo Garcia, which were due, it is reported, to a political dispute between departmental heads. Senors Pedraza and Gonzalez have been arrested.
The palace is heavily guarded by machine-guns and protected by sandbags. Journalists have been ejected. Army leave has been cancelled.
President Batista, in an interview by telephone from the army headquarters, said: "I am in complete command of the armed forces. Order and peace reign throughout the nation and there are no disturbances anywhere."
An anonymous telephone call to President Batista threatening to ''fire on the palace" preceded the arrests of the. army and navy chiefs. The threat is reported to have been part of a plot among military leaders to assassinate President Batista at midnight, which was abandoned because of lack.of sup- ; port for the revolt.
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Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 30, 5 February 1941, Page 7
Word Count
188STRONG HAND TAKEN Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 30, 5 February 1941, Page 7
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