Elian Gonzalez Joins The Communist Party
Many Cuban Exiles See The Boy's Induction As Proof That He Is Fidel Castro's Pawn
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Play CBS Video Video Elian Gonzalez Now A Communist Elian Gonzalez, the Cuban refugee who was forcibly returned to Cuba has now joined the 'Young Communists.' Kelly Cobiella reports on the reaction from Cuban Americans.
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Video Elian Gonzalez 5 Years Later Elian Gonzalez speaks for the first time about the battle over him five years ago between the United States and Cuba. Bob Simon interviews the 11-year-old.
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Video Bob Simon On Elian Gonzalez Web Exclusive: Bob Simon talks about interviewing Elian Gonzales. The 11-year-old still has emotional scars from his experiences and also talked about his friendship with Fidel Castro.
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Cuban youth Elian Gonzalez, right, receives from Julio Martinez, first secretary of the UJC, Young Communist Union of Cuba, an UJC's identity card during an event marking the 80th anniversary of the birth of Cuba’s revolutionary hero, Argentinean Ernesto "Che" Guevara in Havana, June 14, 2008. (AP Photo/AIN)
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Fast Facts Cuba Learn about the people, economy and history.
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Interactive The Fight For Elian Hear what some of the major players had to say about the battle for Cuban shipwreck survivor Elian Gonzalez and review highlights of the controversial case.
Gonzalez drifted into U.S. history on Thanksgiving Day in 1999, a young boy clinging to an inner tube off the Florida coast. His mother and 10 others died trying to reach the U.S. on a raft.
Now 14, Elian was 6 when Miami relatives lost their 4 ˝-month fight to keep him in the United States. They argued that his future was much brighter in a free, capitalist America than a closed, communist Cuba. His father Juan Miguel Gonzalez fought just as hard, arguing nothing trumps a father's love and Elian was returned to Cuba in mid-2000.
CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella reports Elian has spent the past eight years living in Cuba with his father, now a member of the Cuban National Assembly. His "American" home is a museum today. Relatives have moved on and rarely talk to the media.
Cobiella reports that many in south Florida's exile community see the boy's acceptance into the Communist Party as proof he has grown into Fidel Castro's pawn and propaganda tool.
"He's been using Elian as a needle in the side of free democratic loving Cuban exiles," says Cuban-American Marc Smit, "and he's going to continue using that."
Elian was one of 18-thousand young Cubans officially inducted into the party last weekend. The communist youth newspaper, Juventud Rebelde, quoted the 14-year-old as saying he would never let down ex-President Fidel Castro or his brother, Raul.
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- If Elian had been from Mexico and simply crossed the border, this would not have been an issue. Instead, his family built a life raft and floated across the Gulf to "flee from the Communist regime that is Cuba." What I don''t understand is this: I can''t go to Cuba, but Cubans can come here? I understand the freedom aspect, but the embargo prevents people without family in Cuba to travel there and should work both ways. Where is the solidarity?
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- Exactly. What else was he going to do? Join "Friends of America"? The Communist Party is a joke. Who cares. It''s dead. No one is moving to Cuba to enjoy the "workers paradise". Outside of Cuba, who admires Castro?
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- And just what were his choices ?
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- Why are we still talking about this kid? This should never have been a story 8 years ago. He was here illegallly , they should have removed him and sent him back before the media got involved.
There is a war going on. Let''s move on. - Reply to this comment
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