When the combatants left Isla de Pinos together with our leader Fidel Castro Ruz, on May 15th, 1955 in Batabanó, Havana; Candido González Morales, Calixto Morales, Raúl García Peláez, Manuel de Jesús Lefrán and Humberto Rodríguez Manso attended the reception.

These five Agramontinos were always taking their step forward in the battle against the Batista dictatorship, and days after the events of the Moncada they met with Raúl and Fidel, in the capital of the country to receive guidance on how the fight would take place our achieve the long-awaited freedom.

The need for substantial changes in the country after the events of the Moncada, gave the idea of ​​increasing the revolutionary struggle in the territory, thus being that in the months of July and August 1955 they met in the “Mi Ranchito” country house, belonging to the García Peláez family, at kilometer 13th of the Vertientes highway; where the founding of the July 26th Movement took place in the province of Camagüey.

Its first acting coordinator was Cándido González Morales, who, together with other leaders, made contacts in the municipalities with the most radical elements of orthodoxy, to gradually structure the July 26th Movement.

The first tasks were carried out, among which were the propagation of the ideas of the centennial generation; as well as the recruitment of the militants as a basis for their action, the fund-raising destined to the operation of the entire Movement and the interrelation with the other revolutionary forces in Camagüey.

Other tasks

Along with this important organizational period, the youth brigades of the Movement were constituted, which had as main objectives: to nurture the student and worker youth around the M-26-7; lead them in protests during commemorations of national dates, paint signs against tyranny, make public denunciations through the radio and written press, train young people in the handling of weapons they were getting and in the organization of sabotage actions.

In this way an important link in the movement was organized, counting Jesús Suárez Gayol as the chief executive of the brigades.

Summarizing this initial stage reveals the intense organizational work carried out by the M-26-7 and other revolutionary organizations in the province, in which the figure of Cándido González stood out.

From Camagüey

The process of armed struggle, initiated by Fidel in Moncada, gained followers in Camagüey, mainly among the most radical elements of the youth. The movement knew how to take advantage of the revolutionary situation created by the youth and worker protests, backed by the population in repudiation of the prevailing regime.

Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García