Manuel Ray
Encyclopedia
Manuel Ray Rivero is a Cuba
n born engineer, politician and revolutionary, who later has been involved in civic and professional actitivities in Puerto Rico
. He received a scholarship from the Cuban Ministry of Public Works to study civil engineering at the University of Utah
. He returned to Cuba in 1949 to work in the field of engineering, and later became project manager for the construction of the Havana
Hilton Hotel. In his early career, he was also involved in several other major engineering projects, earning a reputation as one of the leading Cuban structural engineers of his time.
In 1957, he formed the Civic Resistance Movement to defeat the regime of Fulgencio Batista
. The Civic Resistance movement undertook multiple sabotage and propaganda actions against the Batista regime, principally in Havana and other major cities of Cuba. Its actions have been considered one of the principal reasons for the eventual collapse of the Batista regime.
After Fidel Castro
took power in Cuba Ray accepted the position of Minister of Public Works (February, 1959). During his short tenure as Minister of Public Works, Ray recruited a number of highly qualified young professionals to work in a very ambitious program aimed at modernizing infrastructure.
Ray eventually resigned from his position due to his disagreement with the increasing Communist influence in the Cuban government. By the end of the year, 12 of the 29 ministers originally assigned had resigned or been removed. This led him, in May 1960, to form the Revolutionary Movement of the People (MRP) and join the underground resistance to Castro. Soon the anti-Castro organization had an active membership in each of Cuba's six provinces. The MRP was designed as a progressive organization, and it clearly did not wish to turn back the clock, or re-instate the 1940 Constitution. Instead, it proposed a continuation of laws passed by Castro and the Revolution, including the nationalization of all utilities.
Eventually Ray was forced to leave Cuba or face jail and/or execution. He entered the United States on November 10, 1960, but he wasn't exactly welcomed by several Cuban-American leaders, such as Manuel Artime
, because his group had been to the left of other Miami-based anti-Castro groups.
John F. Kennedy
wanted Ray to join the Cuban Revolutionary Council
(CRC) and Ray finally agreed to do so three weeks before the Bay of Pigs Invasion
. About a month after the failed invasion, on May 28, 1961, Ray gave a news conference in Miami announcing his break with the CRC. His reasons were that priority should have been given to underground fighters in Cuba, members of Batista's regime should not have been involved in the invasion, and he should have had a "say" about the military leaders of the invasion. He added that to overthrow Castro, it would be necessary to mobilize the discontented people in Cuba, to which he had more access than any of the CIA-selected leaders.
In Puerto Rico, Ray began working as a special consultant for the Puerto Rico Planning Board
and developed a close relationship with then governor Luis Muñoz Marín
. However, he also continued his anti-Castro activities, founding the JURE
, (Junta Revolucionaria Cubana), a movement named after the one founded in the 1890s by José Martí
in New York
. This movement operated independently of the other anti-Castro groups of the time, and, unlike many of the other groups, was not overtly supported by the CIA.
In 1963-65, the JURE organized several actions against the Castro government. In the last of these actions, Ray along with several members of the JURE, was arrested at Anguila Cay in the Cay Sal Bank
by the Bahamian Coast Guard. The group was using the small deserted island as a staging area for attacks against Cuba. The Bahamian government confiscated all weapons and supplies and briefly jailed the group, who eventually was deported back to the U.S.
After the arrest, Ray returned to Puerto Rico and to his professional career as an engineer. He ceased his involvement in armed actions against the Castro government, but continued political activities against the Castro regime. However, Mr. Ray became increasingly involved in Puerto Rican civic and political activities, serving as ad-honorem advisor to governors Rafael Hernández Colón
and Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
, mayor Héctor Luis Acevedo
and gubernatorial candidate Victoria Muñoz Mendoza
.
In 1967, along with Juan L. Melendez, former head of the Cuban water and sewer agency, he founded an engineering firm in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The firm, now called Ray Architects and Engineers, has been involved in multiple projects in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Mr. Ray continues to serve as chairman emeritus at the present time (www.rayae.com).
Due to his contributions to Puerto Rican society, Mr. Ray was awarded the Luis Muñoz Marín medal by the government of Puerto Rico in the early 2000s.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n born engineer, politician and revolutionary, who later has been involved in civic and professional actitivities in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. He received a scholarship from the Cuban Ministry of Public Works to study civil engineering at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
. He returned to Cuba in 1949 to work in the field of engineering, and later became project manager for the construction of the Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
Hilton Hotel. In his early career, he was also involved in several other major engineering projects, earning a reputation as one of the leading Cuban structural engineers of his time.
In 1957, he formed the Civic Resistance Movement to defeat the regime of Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
. The Civic Resistance movement undertook multiple sabotage and propaganda actions against the Batista regime, principally in Havana and other major cities of Cuba. Its actions have been considered one of the principal reasons for the eventual collapse of the Batista regime.
After Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
took power in Cuba Ray accepted the position of Minister of Public Works (February, 1959). During his short tenure as Minister of Public Works, Ray recruited a number of highly qualified young professionals to work in a very ambitious program aimed at modernizing infrastructure.
Ray eventually resigned from his position due to his disagreement with the increasing Communist influence in the Cuban government. By the end of the year, 12 of the 29 ministers originally assigned had resigned or been removed. This led him, in May 1960, to form the Revolutionary Movement of the People (MRP) and join the underground resistance to Castro. Soon the anti-Castro organization had an active membership in each of Cuba's six provinces. The MRP was designed as a progressive organization, and it clearly did not wish to turn back the clock, or re-instate the 1940 Constitution. Instead, it proposed a continuation of laws passed by Castro and the Revolution, including the nationalization of all utilities.
Eventually Ray was forced to leave Cuba or face jail and/or execution. He entered the United States on November 10, 1960, but he wasn't exactly welcomed by several Cuban-American leaders, such as Manuel Artime
Manuel Artime
Manuel Francisco Artime Buesa, M.D. was a Cuban-American who former took part to the rebel army of Fidel Castro, later was the political leader of Brigade 2506 land forces in the abortive Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in April 1961.-Biography:Manuel Artime was the nephew of popular Cuban poet José...
, because his group had been to the left of other Miami-based anti-Castro groups.
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
wanted Ray to join the Cuban Revolutionary Council
Cuban Revolutionary Council
The Cuban Revolutionary Council was a group formed, with CIA assistance, three weeks before the April 17, 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion to "coordinate and direct" the activities of another group known as the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front. Both groups were composed of Cuban exiles dedicated to...
(CRC) and Ray finally agreed to do so three weeks before the Bay of Pigs Invasion
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The invasion was launched in April 1961, less than three months...
. About a month after the failed invasion, on May 28, 1961, Ray gave a news conference in Miami announcing his break with the CRC. His reasons were that priority should have been given to underground fighters in Cuba, members of Batista's regime should not have been involved in the invasion, and he should have had a "say" about the military leaders of the invasion. He added that to overthrow Castro, it would be necessary to mobilize the discontented people in Cuba, to which he had more access than any of the CIA-selected leaders.
In Puerto Rico, Ray began working as a special consultant for the Puerto Rico Planning Board
Puerto Rico Planning Board
The Puerto Rico Planning Board was created in the 1940s during Rexford G. Tugwell's governorship and is the only state government agency in charge of centralized planning under the American flag...
and developed a close relationship with then governor Luis Muñoz Marín
Luis Muñoz Marín
Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...
. However, he also continued his anti-Castro activities, founding the JURE
Juré
For the style of Louisianan Creole music, see Juré .Juré is a commune in the Loire department in central France....
, (Junta Revolucionaria Cubana), a movement named after the one founded in the 1890s by José Martí
José Martí
José Julián Martí Pérez was a Cuban national hero and an important figure in Latin American literature. In his short life he was a poet, an essayist, a journalist, a revolutionary philosopher, a translator, a professor, a publisher, and a political theorist. He was also a part of the Cuban...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. This movement operated independently of the other anti-Castro groups of the time, and, unlike many of the other groups, was not overtly supported by the CIA.
In 1963-65, the JURE organized several actions against the Castro government. In the last of these actions, Ray along with several members of the JURE, was arrested at Anguila Cay in the Cay Sal Bank
Cay Sal Bank
Cay Sal Bank is the third largest and the westernmost of the Bahama Banks. It is located between 23º27'N - 24º10'N and 079º25'W – 080º35'W...
by the Bahamian Coast Guard. The group was using the small deserted island as a staging area for attacks against Cuba. The Bahamian government confiscated all weapons and supplies and briefly jailed the group, who eventually was deported back to the U.S.
After the arrest, Ray returned to Puerto Rico and to his professional career as an engineer. He ceased his involvement in armed actions against the Castro government, but continued political activities against the Castro regime. However, Mr. Ray became increasingly involved in Puerto Rican civic and political activities, serving as ad-honorem advisor to governors Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
and Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...
, mayor Héctor Luis Acevedo
Héctor Luis Acevedo
Héctor Luis Acevedo is a politician from Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is the son of Héctor N. Acevedo and Toñita, both public servants...
and gubernatorial candidate Victoria Muñoz Mendoza
Victoria Muñoz Mendoza
Victoria "Melo" Muñoz Mendoza is a former politician from Puerto Rico. She is the daughter of the first democratically elected governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Muñoz Marín, founder of the Popular Democratic Party and his second wife, Inés Mendoza...
.
In 1967, along with Juan L. Melendez, former head of the Cuban water and sewer agency, he founded an engineering firm in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The firm, now called Ray Architects and Engineers, has been involved in multiple projects in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Mr. Ray continues to serve as chairman emeritus at the present time (www.rayae.com).
Due to his contributions to Puerto Rican society, Mr. Ray was awarded the Luis Muñoz Marín medal by the government of Puerto Rico in the early 2000s.