688
PARTISAN REVIEW
writer, but, rather, because any Cuban-peasant, worker, tech–
nican or intellectual- is also in danger of being victimized by
this sort of violence and debasement.
We had few illusions about our ability to change conditions in
Cuba, but, nonetheless, resolved to collect as many signatures as
possible before sending a copy of our letter to
Le Monde.
The next
morning Mario wrote his resignation to the Casa de las Americas,
and I took the plane back to Paris.
The
Libre
office was immediately deluged by those who wanted
to know more about our position in the Padilla case. Most of those
who had signed our first letter supported the second one. In addi–
tion, we also had the support of many people who didn't have a
chance actually to sign the letter such as Alain Resnais, Pasolini,
and the Mexican writer, Juan Rulfo. But we also had defections.
The most important was Cortazar. In looking back I realize that he
had also been ambivalent about the first letter, which he had helped
draft. Now, after a cursory glance at the second letter, Cortazar
abruptly informed me that he wasn't signing it. Carlos Barra!, the
Barcelona editor (and close friend of Padilla's), also called to remove
his name.
After
Le Monde
published our text there was an enormous reac–
tion. In Cuba, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Argentina, and
Spain an avalanche of accusatory letters and articles were published
against us. Luigi Nono, who had dropped into our place at rue de
Bievre just several weeks before with a message from Franqui, now
made a quick reversal. He wired from Chile asking "to suspend
publication of
Libre
backed by Patino. Truly mortal offense to Boli–
vian miners and to all comrades in the Latin American struggle."
The campaign against us rapidly mounted . Castro was livid
that the signers of the letter had included the most prestigious inteh
lectuals in Europe and lbero America, and his fury opened the door
for every method of attack; photographers even came to Rue de Bi–
evre to take pictures of the
Libre
"palace." Our besieged situation was
nothing new: the annals of the last fifty years of political history are
filled with such stories.
As Maxime Rodinson in describing his own experiences as a
militant in the Third World pointed out: "To criticize means to at–
tack.... Your past, origins, personal habits are used, when neces–
sary, to discredit your ideas. Your sources will be doubted. Who has
written the book you are quoting? A Trotskyite? A Bukharinite? A
