Letters, Jun. 12, 1933

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One morning, as was my daily custom, I went to the Palace and into the sleeping quarters of the President at 5:15 to waken him for his daily exercise, massage and bath; and told him that Armando Andre had been shot a few hours before by "sawed-off" shot guns, through an open window in a house opposite his home, as he was trying to get his latch-key into the keyhole, which was jambed full of cut-off tooth picks. Machado exclaimed "No! That can't be true! It is not possible! Did you see it?" I replied that 1 had not; but believed it was true. Then he jumped out of bed and ran to his private phone and called the Secretary of Government, Rojelio Zayas Byzan; and said "Rojelio, come to the Palace at once!—No, do not wait to shave or put on a collar or tie! Come immediately!" In less than 15 minutes Byzan entered. (He was one of the seven of us who were never held up by the Guard. Vasco Bello was another; but Carlos Miguel de Cespedes and Viriato Guttierez and others, were not of this favored few.) When Byzan came in he said "What is the matter, Gerhardo?" Machado answered, "Armando Andre was assassinated last night!" Byzan gasped out "No! Impossible! That can't be! Who told you?" The President said "Dr. Dick." Byzan asked me if I knew for sure. I said that I had neither seen him killed nor dead; but believed the report to be true. Then Byzan and the President threw their arms about each other's neck and wept aloud; like two forlorn babies. But after a moment, Byzan pushed Machado away from him, and pointing his finger at him, exclaimed, "Gerhardo, all the world will blame you for his death!" Machado replied

"I know they will: And GOD knows that I knew nothing about it. until Grant wakened me up and broke me the news of it:"

Now I am sure that you will like to publish this: because it is the TRUTH. And I know that Gerhardo Machado Morales had nothing to do with the assassination of General Armando Andre. I also know that all of my fellow Canadians would have considered Andre worthy of death, had they seen a filthy cartoon that he had adorned the front page of his Daily Paper. El Dia, with a few days before he was shot: which issue the Government suppressed, and very few saw or even heard of this evidence of his vile imaginations. . . .

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