Photographs of Cuban President Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado's Trip to Venezuela and 26 of July Movement Celebrations

In the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution in January 1959, Cuban and Venezuelan leaders attempted to create ties between the two nations. On January 23, 1959, just days after the overthrow of President Fulgencio Batista (1901-1973), Fidel Castro (1926-2016), visited Venezuela. Castro went to meet Venezuelan President Rómulo Betancourt (1908-1981) and to celebrate the overthrow of Marcos Pérez Jiménez, former dictator of Venezuela. Jiménez was overthrown a year before Castro's visit on January 23, 1958, during a coup planned by frustrated members within Jiménez's Armed Forces. While most of the trip was positive and Castro was highly celebrated by the public, there were some minor discords between Betancourt and Castro. These discords stemmed from the fact that Betancourt was more inclined to deal with the United States than to fully support Castro's anti-Yankee campaign.

Moreover in March 1960, Cuban Foreign Minister Raúl Roa García visited Venezuela in order to meet with President Betancourt and establish where the Venezuelan government stood in relation to the revolution and Castro. It was during this time that more problems arose between the two nations as Betancourt refused to attend the Havana Conference of underdeveloped nations.

On June 6, 1960, President Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado and members of the Cuban cabinet came to Venezuela. This event is highlighted in the photographs. Torrado and his associates however were not fully welcomed. For example, Betancourt did not receive them upon their arrival at the airport and the Venezuelan Chief Executive did not attend the reception in Torrado's honor at the Cuban Embassy. Interestingly, while the Venezuelan government may not have been in full support of Cuba, the Venezuelan public and academic circles respected the Cuban nation and had high regards for Castro. For this reason, the public manifested celebrations for the 26 July Movement.