The unprecedented New Year's Eve dinner held December 31, 1959, in the former Havana Hilton - now the Habana libre - was a tribute to Cuba's solidarity with the world's peoples. "All of the world's men and women, without discrimination, can come to Cuba," said Prime Minister Dr. Fidel Castro, who hosted the dinner as president of the National Tourism Industry Institute, directed by Baudilio Castellanos, his compatriot from student struggles days, and later attorney during the Moncada trial.
Innumerable world figures and travel agents attended the event in the hotel's Pavilion, reflecting one of the staements Fidel made in his "History will absolve me" defense - that tourism could be a significant source of income for the country.
Among the most important figures was Giselle Hallimí, the eminent young attorney who defended countless Algerians struggling to end French colonial domination. The many guests from the world of cinema included Italian directors Cesar Zabatini and Otello Martinelli.
Fidel, wearing his olive green uniform and Yarey hat, was joined at his table by champion boxer Joe Louis, along with several representatives from the U.S. tourism industry. This New Year's Eve was far removed from previous celebrations.
The discriminatory color and class code practiced at the grand Havana Hilton had been definitively eliminated.
Also in attendance were Eugene W. Rhody, editor of the Philadelphia Tribune, and Los Angeles publicist William B. Graham, who wrote, "... I am convinced that the propaganda about Cuba published in the American press is mistaken, and gives no idea of the reality of what is happening here. Cuba is today the most outstanding example of democracy..." As a journalist, I recorded more than a dozen opinions along these lines, expressed by visitors from the United States, and the following afternoon Fidel, with Castellanos and Jesús Montané, returned to the hotel to meet with travel industry representatives in Suite 420, where he took the opportunity to outline the country's plans to develop tourism.
He invited the guests to visit the country's attractions, medicinal springs and beaches, where, in his words, a climate of liberty and equality reigned.
