Manuel Benítez y Valdés was the Chief of the national police of the

Republic of Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

under President

Fulgencio Batista Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (born Rubén Zaldívar; January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer and politician who played a dominant role in Cuban politics from his initial rise to power as part of the 1933 Revolt of t ...

. He has been described as a "...rough, tough General..." He would often carry out Batista's orders with ruthless efficiency. Cuban historian Abel Rojas Barallobre writes that he is "...one of the most nefarious men in the history of Cuba."

Early life

Benitez's father was Manuel Benítez y González, a former Machadista (follower of

Gerardo Machado Gerardo Machado y Morales (28 September 1869 – 29 March 1939) was a general of the Cuban War of Independence and President of Cuba from 1925 to 1933. Machado was elected president in 1924 as the leader of the Liberal Party, a moderate reform ...

) and soldier in the

Cuban Liberation Army The Cuban Liberation Army (), colloquially known as the Mambises, Mambí Army () was an insurgency, insurgent army which was formed in the last third of the 19th century and fought for independence from Spain and the abolitionism, abolition of ...

who helped purge the Spanish Empire from Cuba, and later a journalist for the Havana newspaper ''La Discusión''.

Life in Hollywood

Before he joined the Cuban army, Benitez was a

supporting actor A supporting actor or supporting actress is an actor who performs a role in a play or film below that of the leading actor(s), and above that of a bit part. In recognition of important nature of this work, the theater and film industries give ...

in several movies produced in

Hollywood, Los Angeles Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

. It has been written that "''Tenía una suerte loca con las mujeres,''" which is translated to read: "He had crazy luck with women." Nicknamed "El Bonito," or "Pretty Boy," he had sexual encounters with many early Hollywood actresses and other personalities.

1933 Revolution

In 1933, Benitez - son of the prominent Machadista - was in the Cuban Machado Army as a Second lieutenant, and was sent to the training camp of Columbia, in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. After this, he was made aware of a young Sergeant named

. Benitez heard Batista speak to a group of misfit soldiers in a small tent, and his words were inspiring to Benitez. Benitez stood up, tore off his officer's rank, and declared his allegiance to the movement, demanding a demotion to Sergeant in the process. This would be known in Cuba as one of the first moments of the Sergeant's Coup, also known as the Cuban Revolution of 1933. Colonel_Manuel_Benitez_y_Valdes_and_regiment

Colonel_Manuel_Benitez_y_Valdes_and_regiment

Benitez became one of Batista's most trusted confidents in the revolution. He was Batista's Aide-de-camp, head of the

Pinar del Río Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 191,081 (2022), it is the List of cities in Cuba, 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños''. History Pinar del Río was ...

Regiment, and Adjutant general of the Army. Benitez was involved in the planning of the

bombing A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

of the

Hotel Nacional de Cuba The Hotel Nacional de Cuba is a historic Spanish eclectic architecture, Spanish eclectic style hotel in Havana, Cuba, opened in 1930. Located on the sea front of Vedado district, it stands on Taganana Hill, offering commanding views of the sea an ...

in October 1933 and fought in the Battle of the Hotel Nacional of Cuba. Batista was a member of the Junta of the Eight - which was composed of men who had agreed to lead the Army on a rotating basis. Another member of the Junta of the Eight was Mario Alfonso Hernández. Alfonso asked Batista when he was planning on rotating the duties as leader of the Army. Batista told him that he would give him an answer soon. Manuel_Benitez_and_Fulgencio_Batista

Benitez later visited Alfonso at his barracks house and murdered him with a machine gun on his front porch in front of his wife. Batista would later announce to his troops that Alfonso had been suspected of drug trafficking, and was killed because of his violation of the law.

Complicated relationship with his father

As a result of Benitez's actions as a revolutionary, and after the success of the Sergeant's Coup in 1933, and the overthrow of

, Benitez's father González - as Commander of the 8th Regiment of the Rural Guard - was dismissed from his command and imprisoned at

La Cabaña ''Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña'' (Fort of Saint Charles), colloquially known as La Cabaña, is an 18th-century fortress complex, the third-largest in the Americas, located on the elevated eastern side of the harbor entrance in Havana, ...

. When he was released from prison, he joined the

Liberal Party of Cuba The Liberal Party of Cuba (), was one of the major political parties in Cuba from 1910 until the Cuban Revolution in the late 1950s, when it was exiled. History Liberal governments Founded as the Autonomist Liberal Party (, PLA), in 1878 and rena ...

. Under the presidency of

Federico Laredo Brú Federico Laredo Brú (; April 23, 1875, Remedios, Las Villas, Cuba – July 7, 1946, Havana, Cuba) was an attorney and served as President of Cuba from 1936 to 1940. He was married to Leonor Gomez-Montes. Laredo Bru was a Colonel in the Cuban ...

, González then served as the director general of Immigration, and was a welcome recipient of Jewish refugees from Europe. In 1939, González sold forged permits to German Jewish refugees for 150 dollars each, allowing them to enter the country for sanctuary and

asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea * ...

. However, certain people in the government did not appreciate this, and these forged permits were eventually denied entry into Cuba by the Cuban president. This scandal by the palace eventually forced the entire transatlantic ship MS St. Louis to return to Europe with over 900 Jews on board, after having been anchored in Havana for a full week. This is considered one of the darkest moments in Cuban-Jewish relations, and is known today as the "Voyage of the Damned." González was later elected to the

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

, where he signed the Cuban Constitution of 1940. He later became a Cuban Senator, and head of the Senate Defense Committee. González died in 1946.

Chief of Police

Promotion to General and Chief of Police

Cuba entered in the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in December 1941. In January 1942 with Decree Law 7 (Organic Law of the Armed Forces), President Batista reestablished the rank of General in the

Cuban National Army The Cuban National Army (), from 1935 known as the Cuban Constitutional Army (), was the army of the Republic of Cuba from 1902 to 1959. History The Cuban National Army was the army of the Republic of Cuba until 1959. It was dissolved in 1959 ...

. Benitez became one of only four Generals in the entire army. In February 1941, Batista replaced the National Chief of Police Lt Col.

Bernardo Garcia Bernardo is a given name, possibly derived from the Germanic Bernhard. It may refer to: People * Bernardo the Japanese (died 1557), early Japanese Christian convert and disciple of Saint Francis Xavier * Bernardo Accolti (1465–1536), Italian ...

with Benitez, without consulting the head of the Army, Colonel José Eleuterio Pedraza. This series of events created a major schism in the government, and resulted in an attempted coup by Colonel Pedraza, Chief García, and Captain Angel González (Head of the Navy of the Republic of Cuba). These men showed up at the

Presidential Palace A presidential palace is the official residence of the president in some countries. Some presidential palaces were once the official residences to monarchs in former monarchies that were preserved during those states' transition into republics. ...

and demanded total control over military appointments and military affairs, accompanied by a large force of armed soldiers. Batista told them that he would give them a reply soon. Batista and Benitez showed up at their military headquarters in Camp Columbia soon after. Batista roused the troops there with a fiery oration and convinced the soldiers to turn on their commanders. Benitez arrested the three men and expelled them to

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Corruption while in office

Benitez was notoriously corrupt as the Chief of Police. He profited from his relationship to the

Illegal drug trade The illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, or narcotrafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of drug prohibition, prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibitionism, prohibit trade, exce ...

, illegal

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...

, and

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

. The drug trade between Cuba and the United States was so bad in 1942 that the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) sent an agent named Claude Follmer to the country to liaise with the Cuban Commissioner of Drugs in the Ministry of Health, Eduardo Palacios Planas. FBN Agent Follmer wrote of the situation at the end of 1942:

“As the result of inefficiency and corruption, past and present, in the national police, all of the vices known to modern civilization have prospered for many years in Cuba. At present, just as in the recent past, the major criminal conduct in Cuba revolves around assassination, gambling, prostitution, and an extensive traffic in marijuana and narcotic drugs.”

The FBN and its Commissioner Harry J. Anslinger were also keenly aware at this time that criminal

narcotic The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "I make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...

s trafficking syndicates like

Unione Corse The Unione Corse is a term designating the Corsican organized crime as a whole during the period 1930s–1970s, in the context of the French Connection, an international heroin trade network operated at that time between Turkey, Southern France, ...

, the

Sicilian Mafia The Sicilian Mafia or Cosa Nostra (, ; "our thing"), also referred to as simply Mafia, is a secret society, criminal society and criminal organization originating on the island of Sicily and dates back to the mid-19th century. Emerging as a form of ...

, and gangsters like

Lucky Luciano Charles "Lucky" Luciano ( ; ; born Salvatore Lucania ; November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was an Italian gangster who operated mainly in the United States. He started his criminal career in the Five Points Gang and was instrumental in the ...

were using Cuba as a major distribution hub into the United States from Europe. However, in 1943, Agent Follmer made FBN headquarters aware of a new source of Cuban narcotics trafficking:

"the Republic of Cuba is literally inundated with Peruvian cocaine, which in the case of Havana is sold to several thousand of the city’s cocaine addicts.”

The

United States Ambassador to Cuba The United States ambassador to the Republic of Cuba is the official representative of the president of the United States to the head of state of Cuba, and serves as the head of the Embassy of the United States in Havana. Direct bilateral diplom ...

Spruille Braden Spruille Braden ( ; March 13, 1894 – January 10, 1978) was an American diplomat, businessman, lobbyist, and member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as the ambassador to various Latin American countries, and as Assistant Secretar ...

, wrote:

“Illicit dealings and corruption in all its forms are fully operative in Cuba and involve both low and high-level individuals. Even those in the president’s immediate circle, and some members of the cabinet . . . have a direct interest in the profits realized from such practices... Corruption has never before been so rampant, so organized, or so profitable for those at the top.”

Benitez also used his connections to ensure that the

Tropicana Club El Tropicana Night Club in Havana, Cuba located in a lush, estate tropical garden opened on December 30, 1939 at the Villa Mina in Marianao. It is located next door to the old Colegio de Belén, Havana, presently, the Instituto Técnico Milit ...

remained open despite complaints of excessive noise and illegal gambling by the Colegio de Belén, which was run by the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

. Reportedly, Benitez made between $4,000,000 and $5,000,000 as the Chief of Police.

Hunting Nazis and the Abwehr

In Cuba during World War II, Benitez was responsible for the hunting of any

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

and

Abwehr The (German language, German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', though the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context) ) was the German military intelligence , military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ...

agents in Cuba. He oversaw a notoriously violent young officer, Captain Mariano Faget, who ran the Servicio de Investigaciones de Actividades Enemigas (SIAE) or the "''Office of the Investigation of Enemy Activities''," dedicated to eliminating all Nazi influence in Cuba. This organization has been described as "the Cuban FBI." This would eventually result in the capture and execution of

Heinz Lüning Heinz August Adolf Sirich Lüning (March 28, 1911 - November 10, 1942) was an espionage agent who spied for the Abwehr in Cuba during World War II and was later executed by Cuba. It is unclear whether Lüning was incompetent or if he was on a perso ...

, the only German spy executed on espionage charges in all of Latin America during World War II. This arrest led to the capture of the PYLREW espionage network in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, which was connected with Operation Bolívar. In his memoirs, the

SIS Sis or SIS may refer to: People *Michael Sis (born 1960), American Catholic bishop Places * Sis (ancient city), historical town in modern-day Turkey, served as the capital of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. * Kozan, Adana, the current name ...

OSS OSS or Oss may refer to: Places * Oss, a city and municipality in the Netherlands * Osh Airport, IATA code OSS People with the name * Oss (surname), a surname Arts and entertainment * ''O.S.S.'' (film), a 1946 World War II spy film about ...

officer assigned to the SIAE, Ian Maxwell, writes of his first encounter with Benitez:

First period of exile, (1944-1948)

In October 1944,

Ramón Grau Ramón Grau San Martín (; 13 September 1881 – 28 July 1969) was a Cuban physician who served as President of Cuba from 1933 to 1934 and from 1944 to 1948. He was the last president (other than Carlos Manuel Piedra who was interim president ...

returned to power as President of Cuba, and former President Batista went into exile in

. Benitez also fled to Miami to avoid prosecution by Grau's government. However, historian Irwin Gellman writes that Benitez was forced to leave Cuba by Batista, whom Benitez had publicly denounced as a traitor, because he had allowed Grau to win the election. In 1946, Grau allowed Benitez to return to Cuba to visit his father who was terminally ill from chronic kidney failure, complicated by liver and heart problems. Later in 1946, Benitez joined La Capa Negra (The Black Cloak), which was a failed attempted assassination and coup attempt against Grau. Other failed conspiracies with the same aim include the Cepillo de Dientes (Toothbrush), and the Mulo Muerto (Dead Mule). As part of The Black Cloak, Benitez was the leader of a failed beach landing at

Pinar del Río Province The Pinar del Río Province is one of the 15 provinces of Cuba. It is at the western end of the island of Cuba. The capital and largest city is Pinar del Río (191,081 pop. in 2022). Geography The Pinar del Río province is Cuba's westernmost p ...

. He attempted to recruit his former regiment to revolt against Grau, but this attempt failed.

Election to public office

In 1948, Grau was succeeded as president by

Carlos Prío Socarrás Carlos Manuel Prío Socarrás (; July 14, 1903 – April 5, 1977) was a Cuban politician. He served as the President of Cuba from 1948 until he was deposed by a military coup led by Fulgencio Batista on March 10, 1952, three months before new ...

. Later in 1948, Benitez was elected as a delegate to the Chamber of Representatives in the

Congress of Cuba The Congress of Cuba () was the legislature of Cuba from 20 May 1902 until the Cuban Revolution of 1959. The Congress consisted of the 130-member Chamber of Representatives (''Cámara de Representantes'') and the 54-member Senate (''Senado'') in ...

, representing the Liberal Party of Cuba (PL). In 1952, Batista ousted the President Prío and assumed full dictatorial powers of Cuba, becoming both President and Prime Minister. Benitez served as a Representative until 1955, when he switched political parties and became a senator. In 1954, Benitez was elected to the

Cuban Senate The Congress of Cuba () was the legislature of Republic of Cuba (1902–1959), Cuba from 20 May 1902 until the Cuban Revolution of 1959. The Congress consisted of the 130-member Chamber of Representatives (''Cámara de Representantes'') and the ...

in the Partido Auténtico (PRC) - strangely, this was the party that had been led by his greatest political rival, Grau.

Permanent exile

In 1959,

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...

successfully led the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...

to overthrow Batista and install a

Communist government A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

. Benitez became exiled permanently, trading his time between

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

and

Benitez also spent time in other locations in the Caribbean region, including Mexico. In the 1960s, Benitez was hired by François Duvalier (Papa Doc) to assassinate someone close to

Paul Magloire Paul Eugène Magloire (; July 19, 1907 – July 12, 2001), nicknamed Kanson Fè (Iron Pants), was the Haitian president from 1950 to 1956. Early life Paul Eugène Magloire ne Paul Vincent Magloire, 30th president of Haiti and 33rd head of state ...

. The target died of natural causes, but Benitez was able to convince Papa Doc that he had accomplished his mission through a slow acting poison, and received $50,000 for the contract. Benitez was described by the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

WAVE station in Santo Domingo at this time as a longtime contact with KUBARK. CIA officer W.H. Carley, stationed in Santo Domingo at the time, wrote of Benitez:

"Benitez has long and checkered background. Repeatedly characterized as indiscreet, unscrupulous and unreliable. He was considered one of worst gangsters around Batista in Cuba."

Benitez also spent a lot of time in

, as leader of the Government in Exile movement.{{Cite news , date=1961-08-21 , title=Monahan- secondary roads get county speed up call , url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-lauderdale-news-monahan-secondary/148357381/ , access-date=2024-09-23 , work=Fort Lauderdale News , pages=27 In 1961, his group approached Governor C. Farris Bryant to seek zoning permission to establish a Cuban residential and industrial zone in Fort Lauderdale. In 1985, he lost the election for mayor of Miami, and later founded a radio station.

References

Cuban police officers Cuban generals Cuban senators Members of the Cuban House of Representatives Cuban gangsters