U.S. Diplomat Reads "The Double Life of Fidel Castro" During Cuban Minister's UN Speech

On Wednesday, as Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla addressed the United Nations General Assembly during the annual debate on the U.S. embargo against Cuba, American diplomat Jeff Bartos was seen engrossed in the book "The Double Life of Fidel Castro," authored by Juan Reinaldo Sánchez, who served as Fidel Castro's personal bodyguard for 17 years.

This act, captured on video and reported by international outlets such as CBS News and Al Jazeera, was perceived as a politically symbolic gesture of disdain towards the Cuban diplomat's speech. Bartos did not publicly explain his choice of reading material.

The book's subject matter aligns with Washington's criticisms of the Cuban elite's privileges. In "The Double Life of Fidel Castro," Juan Reinaldo Sánchez reveals the stark contrast between Castro's publicly austere image and his private life, which included over twenty residences, multiple yachts, a hunting lodge, and exclusive use of Cayo Piedra. The book also delves into his secretive family life and contains accusations of ties to drug trafficking. Sánchez was imprisoned after requesting retirement in 1994 and eventually escaped to the United States in 2008. Just a day before, U.N. Ambassador Michael Waltz highlighted this disparity, showing images of Fidel Castro's Rolex watches valued at $40,000, Hermès ties, and Montblanc pens belonging to Díaz-Canel.

The incident occurred amidst heightened diplomatic tensions between Washington and Havana. On Tuesday, Rodríguez moved towards the podium during Waltz's remarks, shouting, "You're a liar!" to which the ambassador retorted, "This is America. Step back." The General Assembly's president, Khalilur Rahman, briefly suspended the session and ordered the Cuban minister to return to his seat.

Additionally, Cuban diplomat Richard Tur de la Concepción attempted to seize Waltz's spokesperson's phone during the altercation, leading to his expulsion by the United States the following day.

As Bartos read, Rodríguez displayed two medications before the Assembly: Pemetrexed, used for lung cancer, which he claimed Cuba cannot acquire from the U.S. due to the embargo, and NeuralCIM, a Cuban product for Alzheimer's treatment that he argued is restricted from American patients by U.S. policies.

However, the embargo does not outright ban the export of medicines to Cuba. U.S. laws allow their sale under license, subject to specific requirements and controls. Therefore, attributing the inability to obtain a drug solely to the embargo necessitates clarifying the actual impediments involved.

The foreign minister also stated that 12,000 children in Cuba await surgeries and that the survival rate for children with cancer dropped from 85% to 65%. "We are not talking about numbers, but about lives, opportunities for healing, tragedies, and traumas," he declared to the assembly.

The debate concluded with Cuba facing its most unfavorable vote on this annual resolution: 130 in favor, 17 against, and 25 abstentions, compared to 165 in favor and seven against in 2025, and 187 in favor and only two against in 2024. Among the 17 countries voting against were, besides the United States and Israel, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Ecuador, among others.

The book Bartos held was co-authored by Juan Reinaldo Sánchez and French journalist Axel Gyldén, published in English in 2015 by Macmillan/St. Martin's Press. His silent gesture during the UN session, facing a minister who had just engaged in an unprecedented confrontation with Ambassador Waltz, encapsulated Washington's stance: while Havana appeals to the suffering of the Cuban people, the U.S. points to those it holds accountable for that suffering.