The Cuban Gala Night

[Tim Gratz]

According to Breuer's "Vendetta", in mid-November 1958 Earl E. T. Smith held a black-tie affair in the elegant ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria in NYC. It was called Cuban Gala Night and the 500 guests paid $40 each to attend.

The party, per the book, was really to benefit Batista.

The remarkable guest list included Sen and Mrs John F. Kennedy; Teddy Kennedy; Rose Kennedy; international playboys Aly Khan of Egypt and Porfirio Rubirosa of the Dominican Republic; and Hollywood stars such as David Niven, Dina Merrill and a very young Jane Fonda.

Mrs. Kennedy wore a Givenchy gown.

Within a month, on orders of the State Dept and Allen Dulles, Smith was ordering Batista out of Cuba.