Between December 1960 and October 1962, the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, 14,048 unaccompanied Cuban children, ages 5-18, escaped Fidel Castro’s communist regime. (To put this in perspective, 10,000 unaccompanied kids escaped from Nazi Germany.) Cuban parents made the unbelievable sacrifice of sending their children to Miami lest Fidel ship them off to Soviet indoctrination camps in Russia. The story is not well known because many families are afraid of reprisals against family members still living in Cuba.
As I recall, the children were allowed to bring just three articles of clothing in a paper bag. Representatives of the Catholic Church met them at Miami International Airport. One of our family’s dearest friends, Rev. Orlando Fernandez, was sent a few times to meet the child of a personal family friend. Father Orlando, who later became monsignor, also had four brothers, three of whom became priests. One, Gilberto, was a bishop in Miami. Of Father Orlando's three sisters, one became a nun who works at Mercy Hospital, the other two continue even today to perform missionary-type work in Miami. They are Ondina and Teresita.
Anyway, Father Orlando would stop briefly at our house in South Miami so the children could call their parents and have a bite to eat before taking them on to a large boarding school/orphanage. The boys went to Matecumbe and the girls went to Florida City or Kendall.
Of this I am sure — one day, we spent nearly six hours trying to telephone a family in Havana to let them know their little boy had arrived safely. His parents were brokenhearted but grateful. Their exuberant 6-year-old had just one thing to say, “Mommy, Poppy, They gave me gum in Miami!” I'll bet that gave them some relief.
Bertica Portal, a girl about my age (14), was one of the children who stayed overnight with us. Bertica’s family owned a chain of pharmacies across Cuba. I tried to put her at ease and complimented her on a lightweight coat her mother gave her before she left Havana. Bertica insisted I keep the coat. I felt terrible about that, but it was clear that it made her feel good to have something to give. I have always wondered what became of her. Bertica's three extra items she was allowed to take from Cuba were a pair of bright yellow "stretchy" gloves, the black coat, and a black skirt. I've always wondered about her mother's choice for her daughter's exile. Maybe the coat and gloves signified the upper classes.
Yvonne Conde writes in her book Operation Pedro Pan about a little girl who arrived at Miami International Airport with a sign pinned to her dress that read, "My name is Carmen Gomez. I am five years old. Please be good to me." I understand that many of the children arrived with similar notes pinned to their blouses or shirts.
The official site for those who took part is http://www.pedropan.org/ I spoke to a representative at pedropan.org recently, and she promised to keep an eye out for Bertica, but advised me that Bertica has probably married someone and her maiden name is gone. I'm sorry that's how we do things here. I know my Dad would be, as well.
NOTE: Some people say that Operacion Pedro Pan was a CIA-hatched plot to turn the Cuban people against Castro. They say that it was a plan that exploited children, parents, the Catholic Church, and thousands of well-meaning priests and other volunteers yet had no effect whatsoever on the outcome of the revolution in Cuba. Others point to the fact that Castro very quickly sent 1,000 children to Russia for their education and closed Cuba's schools to children above the 6th grade level. They cite this as proof of what he had in mind. I only know that Operacion Pedro Pan brought out the very best in many people and also caused tremendous pain. I was a witness to some of it.