April 8, 1957.p. 1,5.
Thousands of Cubans March in Havana to Show Support for Batista
By R. Hart Phillips
Special to the New York Times.
HAVANA, April 7—Thousands of persons marched to the Presidential Palace this afternoon to signify their support of President Fulgencio Batista.Representatives of labor, commerce, industry, Government, political parties and supporters of the Administration filled the park in front of the palace and all adjacent streets.Placards and banners carried by the marchers proclaimed approval of General Batista’s policies, his public works program and his efforts to suppress the revolutionary activities of his enemies.One large banner said, “For Batista, in the Past, Now and Forever.”Another read “Five Hundred American Residents of the Isle of Pines Have Faith in Batista.”The keynote of the demonstration was “Peace.”Flocks of white doves were released during the demonstration to signify a demand for peace.Precautionary measures were taken by the Government to protect the demonstrators.Policemen armed with rifles surrounded the palace.On all near-by roofs policemen and soldiers armed with rifles and machine guns were on duty.
Government sources estimated that 250,000 had taken part in the demonstration.Other estimates of the crowd were lower.
A new iron grill door barred access to the stairway through which attackers on March 13 reached the second floor of the palace before they were shot down.The ground floor patio, where twenty attackers and members of the palace guard died in the attack, was closed off. Sandbags filled ground floor windows, where soldiers were on duty.Outside the President’s office on the second floor were two policemen armed with machine guns.