Word: grau
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President Ramon Grau San Martin's troubles multiplied. He faced a barrage of criticism from his own supporters for 1) not dealing with the acute food shortage; 2) hesitating to clean up the swaggering armed forces; 3) making bad political appointments. As adherents of his onetime patron, former President Fulgencio Batista, joined the attack, three mysterious bomb explosions rocked Havana...
...storm clouds gathered in the rural sections. Sugar-mill owners said they were unable to operate at a profit, closed their mills. In San Luis 1,000 desperate workers seized the city hall, settled down for a hunger strike to force the Government to open the local mill. Grau had appeased the mill owners with four-year tax exemptions, had threatened to cancel their quotas unless they ground sugar. The mills remained closed. Then Grau cracked a heavier whip. Sugar mills would prepare for production at once, the President ordered, or face confiscation...
Cuba was tense. New President Ramon Grau San Martin, elected last June by an honest vote, used his popular mandate like a machete. He retired many of Cuba's swaggering Army officers, announced he would also eliminate Cuba's cherished botellas (literally, bottles-soft government jobs). Some Cubans were disgruntled, talked of impending revolution. In Havana there were sporadic shootings...
...President Grau knew that he had public opinion behind him, and the tacit support of the U.S. Last week, when disturbances continued, Grau went to one source of the trouble. He fired Havana Police Official Donoso, jailed numerous policemen who had been suspected of brutality and killings during the Batista regime. At the same time. Grau warned the troublemakers to settle their differences in court. Eduardo Chibas, Government leader in the Senate, who has a flair for the dramatic, announced: "The President has taken personal command of the maintenance of order in Cuba...
...policemen were shot to death last week in midtown Havana. This time Grau really did take command, canceled all gun licenses, ordered all civilians disarmed. Cuba breathed more easily...