On October 30 the government announced to the
nation that Camilo Cienfuegos had vanished while traveling in his plane from
Camagüey to Habana. I still remember my mother telling me about Camilo’s
mysterious disappearance a few years later while she was doing laundry. She felt so much pain and anxiety. She just
couldn’t let it go. She would look up and shake her head in disbelief and say,
“Camilo, Camilo,” while I stood there listening.
The masses threw themselves into
the streets in desperation. Church bells rang all over the nation and churches
were filled with parishioners praying for his safe return. Cubans of that
era—among them, members of my family and many of their friends—believe it was
very possible that Camilo also had confronted Fidel in person but had stopped
short of resignation and public renouncement. This would have made Fidel want
him gone.
