In Miami's Little Havana, the event was treated as a holiday. A thanksgiving Mass was held in Coconut Grove, and scores of jubilant Cuban Americans phoned radio stations to express their approval. On the 83rd anniversary of Cuba's independence, Radio Marti, a U.S.-sponsored anti-Castro radio service, kicked off its inaugural broadcast at 1180 on the AM dial with a short salutation, "Buenos dias, Cuba," followed by a gentle folk song.
The station also had its first big news item: three hours before the broadcast, Cuban President Fidel Castro showed his displeasure with the launching of Radio Marti by suspending a U.S.-Cuba...