Once upon a time a Sea Captain gifted Ernest Hemingway a cat. Oddly enough this cat named Snowball was Polydactyl. The cat had 6 toes on each foot. Both at his home in Key West and in Cuba the descendants of Snow White thrived. The four photographs seen are are of the grave of the Cuban 6 toe menagerie.
In 1959 a Formula 1 race was planned for downtown Havana. The organizers were concerned for the welfare of their participants as Castro’s insurrection had begun. The Cuban government assured the F1 leadership that Castro could not affect the race. Taking this as a challenge Castro kidnapped and politely held a number of the prominent drivers in the race including Juan Manuel Fangio. The car seen here in pieces is thought by the owner to have been Fangio’s abandoned machine! All drivers kidnapped were treated well, released and raced. Stirling Moss, I believe prevailed that day.
I have my doubts as to the authenticity of the claim.
Pictured here is Hemingway’s boat, the Pilar. Pilar was the name of one of his wives and also a character in “For Whom the Bell Tolls.”
The Hotel Nacional de Cuba was built in 1930. It was designed and engineered by two New York based firms. It is eclectic in its design. The Hotel featured prominently in a bloody coup and saw the death of at least 40 high level Cuban military leaders. Layer the hotel hosted “The Havana Conference”. This was a gathering of the major mob families in America. It is the setting in Francis Ford Coppola/s movie.
