He stood on the world political stage for decades.

I'm Emilius San Pedro and I'm looking back at the life of the former Cuban leader,

Fidel Castro.

It was incredible.

It was a thousand kilometers from Oriente to Havana and the entire island.

I don't know how it didn't sink in the middle.

New Year's Day 1959, the dictator Batista flees and a bearded 32 year old revolutionary leads his guerrilla fighters in triumph

to take over this island nation. Fidel Castro had arrived. His revolution

was first and foremost a nationalist one.

The realities of the Cold War would lead him into becoming a declared communist.

But before the pressures of global politics became overwhelming, the people of Cuba rejoiced in their

new found freedom.

Nati Rervuelta, the commandant's lover in the early days and mother of one of his children,

remembered those first moments of the

revolution well. Everybody was there and just cheering and throwing flowers at

them and asking them for things and getting off and hugging people and that lasted for eight days.

The Pyrenees has been overthrown, Fidel Castro claimed in his first televised

speech to the adoring masses in what would soon become Revolution Square.

Wayne Smith at the time an official in the United States embassy

was among the thousands watching.

They released a flock of white doves

as a symbol of peace returned to Cuba just before he began to speak.

...