With jubilation and bloody revenge, Cuba's new government stepped off toward its uncharted, uncertain future. Rebel Fidel Castro came to Havana, the age-old smile of the conqueror on his face. He pushed through screaming Havana mobs to Camp Columbia, stronghold of ex-Dictator Fulgencio Batista's army. The march of los barbudos, the bearded rebels who toppled Batista after two dogged years of guerrilla warfare, was complete.
Castro, who promoted an 82-man invasion into a popular rebellion against tyranny, savored every moment of his victory march. He built up the drama by lingering five days on the way from eastern Santiago,...
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