William Alexander Morgan
William Alexander Morgan was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 19, 1928[1]. His life origins are obscure and his death legendary (Abella, 2000). He is said to have been a martial arts expert, he was good with guns, and it is rumored that he was a CIA operative.
Morgan's role in defeating Batista
By all accounts Morgan went to Cuba in 1958. He was opposed to the Batista government, but he did not serve under Fidel Castro. He commanded a small force that operated around the city of Santa Clara, fighting against Batista's soldiers. He met and married a local woman, Olga, who was also a revolutionary. In December, 1958, Che Guevara appeared at the head of a column of troops. They joined forces and captured the city of Santa Clara on December 31. Twelve hours later, Batista fled Cuba and the revolution had won.
In August of 1959 he helped to foil a coup attempt from the Dominican Republic by playing along with the attempt and then betraying the plot to Castro. [2] It is said by some that he orchestrated the massive explosion of the arms ship La Coubre.
Morgan's arrest and execution
Amidst growing anti-American sentiment in Castro's government, Morgan was arrested on October 17, 1960. He was held in jail for six months before he was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. [3], [4] [5]. He was executed on March 12, 1961, his firing squad said to have been commanded by Fidel Castro himself.
The fate of Morgan's wife
Olga Morgan was imprisoned for 12 years before being released. She then left for the United States. In a series of interviews with the Toledo Blade in 2002, she broke her silence about her husband's role in post-revolutionary Cuba. She said he began running guns to anti-Castro guerillas because he was disenchanted with the Cuban President's pro-Soviet leanings. She also told the newspaper she wanted Morgan's remains sent to the United States for reburial. After the story was published, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur traveled to Cuba and met with Fidel Castro to ask him to return the corpse. Castro agreed, but as of 2006 the body, buried in the Colon Cemetery, Havana, remains there.
Bibliography
Abella, Alex 2000 The Great American: A Novel. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0548-0 Toledo Blade newspaper, 2002